Chapter 18: Has My Favorability Dropped into the Negatives?

“Cuiji Grain Shop?”

Lu Chuan froze in place.

“Why?”
Xu Houxiang seemed to realize something and immediately chuckled. “You’ve already been there before?”

“Yes,” Lu Chuan nodded.

“This time, just mention my name,” Xu Houxiang said as he handed over the money he had already prepared for Lu Chuan.

After giving him a few brief instructions, he turned and returned to the Xu residence.

It seemed this Cuiji Grain Shop had some connection with Xu Houxiang; otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken it so seriously. Clearly, he knew Lu Chuan needed to pay the annual food tax, so he offered him this lead—most likely one that came with a kickback for himself.

One had to admit, being a steward really had its perks.

However, it was also a bit of a shame.

Whether you were a steward or a house servant, at the end of the day, you still belonged to the “low-born” class.

These were people who were bought by others. Once you served in a household, you had to change your name accordingly. If your master had status, you might receive some attention and respect from outsiders, but deep down, few truly looked up to someone of low-born status.

Then again, most of them didn’t really care what others thought. As long as they could make money and help their own families, that was what mattered most. As long as they weren’t too excessive or caught in the act, most masters would just turn a blind eye.

After receiving the information, Lu Chuan headed east.

As soon as he arrived at the banks of the Dingshui River, he saw a crowd gathered ahead.

Lu Chuan walked over and found a fierce-looking broker standing there. In front of him stood a few scattered individuals—thin, pale, and clearly malnourished, as if they hadn’t eaten in days.

Each of them had a straw marker stuck in their hair.

This symbol meant they were of low-born status—lives as fragile as paper.

The man was in the middle of selling them.

“Come take a look, don’t miss out…”
“Just 10,000 coins, and you can take one home.”
“These are all low-borns, not registered in household records. That means even if you take them back, you won’t have to pay food tax on them!”
The man glanced around at the crowd and said cheerfully,
“Take them home, do whatever you want!”
“Even if you kill them, it doesn’t matter!”

Lu Chuan stood there, watching it all unfold, a helpless look in his eyes.

In this era, such things were all too common. He was already used to it.

In theory, society was structured as scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—with farmers like him supposedly holding decent status.

But that was only in theory.

In reality, farmers were the rulers’ favorites across dynasties. They were like old oxen—ate little, worked hard, and rarely caused trouble. Their social status was only “high” in name.

When it came down to it, merchants often had far more ways to make a farmer suffer in silence.

Just as Lu Chuan was about to leave, someone blocked his way.

“My friend, why leave in such a hurry? Since you’re already here, why not take a good look around? You might just find someone to your liking,” the fierce-looking broker said with a cheerful smile.

He’d been stationed there for a while. Plenty of people had looked, but none had bought.

After all, these low-born people were so weak and scrawny. Even if someone bought them, what use would they be?

You’d still have to feed and care for them. And unlike registered citizens, these people had no rights or protections.

If they’re unwilling to stay in one place, they’ll run away—especially those who came out of the brokerage system. The chances of escape are way too high.

Lu Chuan wasn’t some benevolent saint, so he wasn’t about to spend his own money to rescue these people.

“Look at me—do I look like someone who has 10,000 coins on him?”
Lu Chuan shook his head helplessly.

He was about to leave when he suddenly sensed something was off.

He saw someone.

That person looked vaguely similar to Chen Qingqing.

Only vaguely, mostly around the eyes and brows—but this girl was clearly far more beautiful than Chen Qingqing.

However, her eyes held no light at all.

At that moment, a line of information suddenly floated above her head:

Name: Chen Miaomiao
Age: 16
Appearance Rating: 94
Favorability: 0
Current Benefit if Taken In: None

Hiss—

This was the first time Lu Chuan had ever seen someone with zero favorability.

In other words, taking her in would provide absolutely no immediate benefit.

However, as her favorability increased later, he’d be able to earn rewards from it.

At that moment, Lu Chuan felt conflicted.

Damn it…

Should he take her in or not?

The cost to do so wasn’t exactly low.

“Just so happens I haven’t made a sale yet today. If you’re really interested, I’ll give you half off—5,000 coins and she’s yours!”
The broker perked up when he saw Lu Chuan show interest and quickly offered a deal.

For brokers like him, it wasn’t the disinterested ones they feared—it was the ones who stayed silent.

As long as someone spoke up, they had an excuse to keep pushing, even if the person didn’t buy. At the very least, it could attract others standing nearby.

“5,000 coins?”
Lu Chuan frowned deeply, scanning the rest of the group.

He noticed that none of the other people had system panels. In other words, Chen Miaomiao was the only one the system deemed worthy.

“This one, huh?”
The broker’s eyes lit up and he eagerly explained, “Her name’s Dieyi. She may not look like much now, but she’s got good bones. I’m telling you, lots of people would want a girl like her!”

“Can she cook?”
Lu Chuan ignored his sales pitch and asked directly.

Chen Miaomiao looked up at him in surprise.

After a brief pause, she gave a slight nod.

Lu Chuan thought for a moment, then said, “Alright. Come with me.”

At that moment, her system panel shifted again:

Name: Chen Miaomiao
Age: 16
Appearance Rating: 94
Favorability: -10
Current Benefit if Taken In: None

What the hell?!

Lu Chuan nearly cursed out loud.

Are you kidding me?
He had taken her in out of kindness, and her favorability actually dropped?

If she didn’t have a system panel, no matter how pretty she was, he wouldn’t have bothered!

“Money first, then the girl!”
The broker cheerfully pulled out a red rope and expertly tied up Chen Miaomiao.

“Once sold, no returns!”
“If she runs away, that’s your problem, not mine!”
“So once you get her home, best to keep her locked up.”

The broker reminded Lu Chuan.

Lu Chuan nodded, then glanced at Chen Miaomiao. “Let’s go…”

But her eyes were filled with resistance.