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As the door swung open, Shen Yu’an saw not only a pile of miscellaneous items and firewood in the woodshed but also two men inside.
The smaller one appeared to be only seven or eight years old, while the older one lay on the ground. There was only a worn-out mat on the ground for him to lie on.
She also noticed that the man’s clothes were stained with dried blood.
The noise of the door opening startled the young child, who quickly positioned himself in front of the man lying on the ground. He looked in the direction of Shen Yu’an and the others.
When the child saw the broker approaching, he immediately knelt on the ground and pleaded, “Please, please don’t throw my dad out. I’m begging you.”
The broker waved his hand in frustration.
The man in the room had been severely injured and had developed a high fever shortly after arriving. Medical treatment would cost a significant amount of money, and it wasn’t worth spending money on a slave who had made a mistake and was being resold.
Originally, they had moved him to the woodshed in the hope that his condition would worsen, and then they could wrap him in a mat and dump him outside, sparing themselves from having him die in their quarters and bringing bad luck.
However, if this young lady was willing to purchase the woman and the child, the broker could give her the ailing man as a bonus, effectively a buy-two-get-one deal. That way, he wouldn’t have to exert himself to dispose of a dead body.
Thinking along these lines, the broker looked at Shen Yu’an with an ingratiating smile and said, “Miss, you see, this man may be injured now, but if he recovers, he’ll surely be a capable guardian for your household.”
Shen Yu’an understood his intentions but chose not to expose them.
Fei Xi, who was standing behind Shen Yu’an, leaned closer and whispered, “Miss, this man’s hands have calluses from sharpening knives.”
Shen Yu’an nodded, confirming that he indeed had some skills.
The woman named Tian Qiu had been observing Shen Yu’an’s expression from behind, and as she saw Shen Yu’an hesitate, her heart clenched.
“Miss, I can also handle the role of a guardian for your household. Please buy me,” the woman who had been cooking earlier declared loudly, even attempting to grab Shen Yu’an’s attention by tugging at her.
Fei Xi quickly pushed the elderly woman aside and gave her a stern glare. “Say another word, and I’ll cut out your tongue!”
Startled by Fei Xi’s sudden fierceness, the elderly woman covered her mouth and took two steps back, whispering, “I won’t say anything else.”
With peace finally restored, Shen Yu’an declared, “I’ll take Tian Qiu and her son.”
The broker grinned, understanding that Shen Yu’an intended to purchase the entire family of Tian Qiu, and he said to the kneeling boy, “Why don’t you thank your new owner?”
Tian Qiu’s face lit up with joy, and she hurried into the room to kneel beside the boy, expressing their gratitude to Shen Yu’an.
Shen Yu’an raised her hand to stop them, realizing that if they continued bowing, it wouldn’t just be one person visiting the doctor anymore.
The man lying on the ground was awakened by the commotion. Tian Qiu quickly knelt beside him and said, “You’re saved. I’ll find a doctor to treat your injuries as soon as I receive my monthly wage.”
The man’s lips twitched, as if he wanted to say something, but when he looked at the people standing at the door, he ultimately remained silent.
He laboriously raised his hand and patted Tian Qiu’s hand, then got up from the ground and bowed three times to Shen Yu’an.
Tian Qiu’s husband was named Huang Ji, and their son was named Huang Yuan.
Thinking about Tian Qiu mentioning that Huang Yuan had previously been a bookish servant, Shen Yu’an decided to purchase a few more people for Shen Dalang and the others to manage.
However, the broker didn’t have suitable candidates for this role at the moment, so Shen Yu’an had to put that idea on hold.
Nevertheless, she did manage to purchase a few individuals with some skills. In addition to Chen Quan and the Tian Qiu family of three, Shen Yu’an bought another five people.
As the money exchanged hands, the broker handed over the slaves’ contracts to Shen Yu’an. Seizing the opportunity, Shen Yu’an discreetly transferred them into her spatial storage.
Huang Yuan’s face was flushed with embarrassment, but with Tian Qiu’s assistance, he managed to stand up. He followed closely behind Shen Yu’an as they left the slave market.
Outside the broker’s shop, Shen Yu’an stopped in her tracks, and the line of people behind her also came to a halt.
Sanlang asked, “Sister, where do we go now?”
Shen Yu’an glanced at Huang Ji, who was walking hesitantly, and said, “Let’s find a clinic for him to receive medical attention.”
Tian Qiu and her family looked at Shen Yu’an in astonishment. Tian Qiu had initially thought that Shen Yu’an’s willingness to purchase Huang Ji was already a great favor, and she had planned to use her monthly earnings to help him with medical treatment. But now, her mistress was saying they should take him to a clinic.
Seeing that they were about to kneel and kowtow in gratitude again, Shen Yu’an instructed Fei Xi and Sanlang to help them up.
She said, “Consider the medical expenses as a loan from me, and we’ll deduct it from your future monthly earnings. Are you both okay with that?”
Tian Qiu quickly responded, “We are more than okay with that, thank you, Miss.”
Shen Yu’an then instructed the several middle-aged men she had bought to assist Tian Qiu and Huang Yuan in supporting Huang Ji.
Shen Yu’an had one more thing to do in town, which was to find several shops in advance. The distance from the slave market to her family estate was short, so she planned to go straight from here to inspect the shops.
She left with Chen Quan and had Fei Xi and Sanlang take the newly purchased individuals to the clinic, instructing them to wait there for further instructions.
Chen Quan asked, “Miss, where are we going?”
Chen Quan had a slightly plump figure. If he stood next to Fei Xi, they would look like two brothers. However, Chen Quan had a friendlier appearance compared to Fei Xi’s more reserved demeanor.
“Zhuang Mansion’s Tooth Store, looking at a few shops,” Shen Yu’an said.
She had only walked through two courtyards before arriving at Zhuang Mansion’s Tooth Store.
On the table in the tooth store, several sheets of drawing paper were spread out, each showing properties that were either for sale or for rent.
There was only one person behind the counter in the tooth store, and when they saw Shen Yu’an and Chen Quan enter, they only glanced up briefly and said, “Are you looking at houses or shops? The tables on the left are for rentals, and the ones on the right are for sale. Take a look yourselves.”
Shen Yu’an and Chen Quan walked in and leaned over to examine the drawings on the table.
The drawings depicted the rough layout of the houses or shops. Shen Yu’an prioritized the ones that were for sale.
Seeing that Shen Yu’an had been looking for a while without making a decision, Chen Quan asked, “Miss, are you planning to buy a shop? What do you intend to do with it?”
Shen Yu’an gave him a meaningful look and whispered, “To sell grain. Which shop do you think is more suitable?”
Chen Quan was a bit surprised when he heard that Shen Yu’an wanted to sell grain. Based on his observations, Shen Yu’an’s clothing, while decent, wasn’t the silk fabric favored by wealthy young ladies in town; instead, she wore cotton clothes. Therefore, when he saw Shen Yu’an looking at shops, he had thought she might want to buy a shop for a cosmetics or restaurant business, especially since she had first asked the tooth store for people skilled in cooking.
However, he quickly adjusted his expression and began carefully examining the drawings of the shops.