61 Multiplication Table
Lin Xiaoyue took the list and went to the cashier.
When he saw Lin Xiaoyue, he looked happy.
"Thanks." A hint of suspicion flashed through Lin Xiaoyue's heart, and she handed the list to the cashier.
"You're welcome."
Then he took the abacus and a draft paper and started calculating.
Seeing that Lin Xiaoyue didn't move, he stopped and looked at her.
"You try calculating too," he said to her.
"Oh, okay" she replied and took out a pen and paper.
Chef Liu told her that they would check the accounts every five days and correct the mistakes if there were any.
She remembered how she calculated the amount in front of him the other day and was worried that he might think that she was showing off, so she didn't want to do it again.
She didn't expect him to ask her to.
Since he asked, she didn't mind doing it.
Then she quickly produced the answer.
He was very surprised to see how quickly she did it.
He continued to fiddle with the abacus, then he looked at Lin Xiaoyue again.
"How much is it?" The cashier asked Lin Xiaoyue without telling her his answer.
"Five taels, two hundred and thirty-eight coins," Lin Xiaoyue answered.
The cashier's eyes lit up and he stood up immediately.
"How did you do it?" He asked Lin Xiaoyue excitedly.
Lin Xiaoyue was surprised.
Only then did the cashier realize that he might have seemed rude.
He quickly stood up and bowed to Lin Xiaoyue.
"I'm Liang Chengcai. I'm really curious about the way you calculate. May I ask you for some advice?" He said solemnly.
Lin Xiaoyue was stunned. Then, she immediately understood what was going on.
"Oh, I used the multiplication table," she said.
Liang Chengcai's eyes lit up.
"What's the multiplication table?" He hurriedly asked.
Lin Xiaoyue's face stiffened.
"Um… I don't think I can explain it at the moment," she replied awkwardly.
She was in a hurry to go around town and didn't have the time to teach him the multiplication table.
However, this gave her an idea. Her brother was not in school yet, and she did not know anything about the imperial examinations in this era, but she could teach him arithmetic.
"When are you free?" Liang Chengcai quickly asked. He didn't seem to get the hint that she was not interested.
"Um… well, Mr. Liang. My…my family is quite poor, and I have a lot of things to do every day, so I really don't have the time…" Did she have to be so obvious?
Liang Chengcai paused.
"I'm sorry," he quickly bowed and apologized to Lin Xiaoyue.
"No worries, "Lin Xiaoyue quickly waved her hand. She was not used to others being so respectful to her.
"Miss, I am willing to give you fifty taels of silver to teach me the quick calculation method." Liang Chengcai bowed again.
Lin Xiaoyue was stunned. She quickly stopped herself from refusing.
"Five… fifty taels?" She stuttered and asked.
Liang Chengcai looked at Lin Xiaoyue and thought that she was still hesitating. He quickly said, "I'll pay you fifty taels first. After I learn it, I'll give you another twenty taels as a thank you gift!"
Seven… seventy taels? Lin Xiaoyue's heart trembled. Was this…the power of knowledge?
"Deal!" She immediately said.
62 Wan Cui Fang
Liang Chengcai's face lit up, and he immediately made an agreement with Lin Xiaoyue on the teaching schedule.
Knowing that Lin Xiaoyue would come to Ruyi Restaurant to deliver goods every day, he decided to have the class here.
It turned out that Liang Chengcai worked as a cashier in the morning, but he was free in the afternoon. Every afternoon, he could study with Lin Xiaoyue in the study room next door.
After getting the fifty taels from Liang Chengcai and the five taels of silver from selling goods, Lin Xiaoyue left happily.
On the way out of the alley, Lin Xiaoyue practically sang and hopped around.
She had gotten more than fifty-five taels of silver today. Together with the forty-two taels of silver, the three taels she gave her mother, and the five taels she earned from selling wild boar meat last night, she had a total of more than one hundred and fifty taels of silver.
With that much money, it was definitely enough to build a courtyard!
Lin Xiaoyue found an empty corner and quickly put the shoulder pole into her interspatial ring, carrying only the basket on her back.
After leaving the alley, she began to stroll on the street.
She didn't plan to buy anything, but to see if she could find any business opportunities.
Suddenly, she noticed a shop called "Wan Cui Fang".
Lin Xiaoyue's heart skipped a beat.
She had asked the two aunts on the way here in the morning on the ox cart. The most high-end jewelry shop in Qingshi Town was Wan Cui Fang.
Almost all the rich people in town bought jewelry here. Everything there was of high quality.
Thinking of the mirror that she was going to sell, Lin Xiaoyue hesitated.
Then, determination flashed in her eyes.
She put down the basket and reached into it.
Then, she took out a cloth bag wrapped in gray cloth and walked towards Wan Cui Fang.
After entering the shop, Lin Xiaoyue saw that there were not many customers in there. She glanced at the jewelry on the shelves and was amazed at the diversity of ancient jewelry.
"How can I help you?"Just as Lin Xiaoyue was about to walk in, a shop assistant came over.
The shop assistant was respectful, and she didn't show any contempt just because Lin Xiaoyue was wearing ragged clothes and carrying a basket on her back.
On the contrary, some customers in the shop glanced at her.
"Oh, I have a family heirloom that I am interested in selling. Can you check it for me?" Lin Xiaoyue said politely. Her smile was beautiful and graceful.
The shop assistant was dazzled by her smile. When he came back to his senses, he looked at the cloth bag in Lin Xiaoyue's hand.
"The manager is busy on the second floor. He told me not to disturb him. Young lady, can you let me see it first?" The shop assistant asked with a smile.
They would accept it if it was valuable. Since he hadn't seen what Lin Xiaoyue was planning to sell, he didn't dare to disturb the manager.
"Sure," Lin Xiaoyue replied with a smile.
She untied the cloth and took out a makeup mirror that was sold on Taobao for about ten yuan before the apocalypse.
The moment she took it out, the shopkeeper's expression changed.
"This…this is a mirror?" He exclaimed immediately.
He moved closer to Lin Xiaoyue and saw his face clearly reflected in the mirror. His face was filled with disbelief.
Then, he looked at Lin Xiaoyue in the mirror and then at Lin Xiaoyue in reality.
After comparing and realizing that it was exactly the same, the man almost thought that he was dreaming.
How could there be such a clear mirror in this world? The reflection was so real!
63 Fighting for the Precious Mirror
"Ah-hem, can you bring me to your manager now?" Lin Xiaoyue was amused by the shop assistant's reaction.
He finally came back to his senses.
"Yes, yes. I'll go and get the manager now!" He said and quickly went.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
She didn't put away the mirror in her hand. At this time, a young lady and a servant girl came over. Then, they saw the reflection in Lin Xiaoyue's mirror.
"This… this is a mirror?" She asked the same question as the shop assistant.
Lin Xiaoyue approached this young lady and pointed the mirror at her.
"Yes, this is an heirloom from overseas. Its clarity far surpasses the bronze mirror."
"Oh my God, miss! It really looks like you!" The servant girl looked at her mistress in the mirror and then compared it to the real person.
The young lady was also surprised to see her servant's reflection in the mirror.
It was amazing. Even the tiny mole on her face could be seen clearly.
"With this mirror, it's easier for you to apply your makeup. It would look even more perfect!" Lin Xiaoyue said with a smile.
The lady looked at herself in the mirror and tidied up a part of her hair that hadn't been done properly.
After she was done, she immediately looked at Lin Xiaoyue.
"How much are you selling this mirror for?" She asked.
She wanted the mirror.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled and was about to say something when another lady walked over.
"Sell me this mirror. I'll give you 20 taels for it!" The Lady said.
What a rare treasure.
"Hmph, only 20 taels for such a good mirror? You are bullying her!" The young lady said.
"I'll give you 50 taels. Sell this mirror to me," she continued.
When the other lady heard this, she was upset.
"You said that I am bullying her, yet you only added 30 taels?" She mocked the young lady.
"I'll give you 80 taels. Sell it to me."
"You…" the young lady was angered.
"100 taels!" A hint of viciousness flashed in her eyes as she said.
Lin Xiaoyue's heart was beating wildly.
Wahaha, 100 taels? That was more than what they had at the moment!
Calm down, calm down. Lin Xiaoyue quickly warned herself to calm down.
Then, she looked at the older lady.
At this moment, she was staring at the young lady angrily.
Then, she looked back at Lin Xiaoyue and the mirror.
The reflection was exactly what she saw in real life.
"I'll give you 110 taels!" The lady finally said.
Then, she reached out and took out a silver note from her sleeve and another 10 taels from a purse that her servant was holding.
A flash of anger flashed across the young lady's face as she stretched out her hand towards her servant girl.
Just as she was about to offer 120 taels of silver, she saw her servant girl shake her head with a bitter expression.
She had accompanied the lady here today to buy a birthday gift for her mother. The total budget was only 110 taels of silver.
64 A Seductive Man
The lady saw the interaction between the servant girl and the young lady and her face lit up.
Hmph, she wanted to compete with her for the mirror without money?
"Miss, you have to be smart. Don't expect everyone to be able to afford the price they offered." The lady looked at the young lady and the servant girl with contempt.
Without waiting for the young lady to speak, she turned her gaze to Lin Xiaoyue, "I'll give you 110 taels of silver. Let's finalize the deal now."
Apart from her, there were two ladies who were also interested in the mirror. One was actively bidding and the other was watching from the side.
Luckily the lady who was bidding didn't bring enough money. She was definitely going to get this mirror!
Lin Xiaoyue felt bad for the young lady.
Just as she was about to reply to the lady, the manager of Wan Cui Fang finally came downstairs.
"Miss, please wait…"
Lin Xiaoyue looked up and saw a middle-aged man rushing down the stairs. Behind him was a young man with a flirtatious look.
Yes, a seductive-looking man.
This man had fair skin, red lips and white teeth. When he smiled, he looked seductive.
The moment this man appeared, he attracted the ladies' attention.
Only Lin Xiaoyue glanced and looked away.
She had seen this kind of beautiful man on television before the apocalypse.
After the apocalypse, well, for those who looked like this and didn't know to protect themselves…
"Miss, please wait…" the manager said again.
He walked quickly to Lin Xiaoyue's side.
When he saw the mirror in Lin Xiaoyue's hand, as well as his clear reflection, his eyes were filled with shock.
"Miss, can I have a look at this mirror?" The manager asked Lin Xiaoyue.
"Yes." Lin Xiaoyue nodded with a smile.
"Eh…I have bought the mirror! Manager Qin, it's first come, first served." The lady quickly spoke up.
"Madam Zhu, you're wrong. She came into my shop first. It's just that the shop assistant was a little slow and I didn't come over in time. Moreover, she hasn't agreed to it yet." Manager Qin said courteously.
That lady's expression changed slightly, "that's not…" She was about to retort.
"It is. We all saw hasn't agreed to sell the mirror to you yet!" That young lady immediately said.
Hmph, if she couldn't buy it, then neither could she!
It was better for Wan Cui Fang to get the mirror than this woman!
The other onlookers also agreed, making it impossible for her to argue anymore.
The manager glanced at the young lady again, cupped his fists and bowed to her.
"Madam Zhu…"
"Hmph!" The lady glared at the young lady and Lin Xiaoyue angrily. She flicked her sleeves and left with the servant girl.
Lin Xiaoyue touched her nose.
Why was she angry at her when she didn't do anything?
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Manager Qin's face. Then, he turned around and looked at Lin Xiaoyue.
"Oh. There you go." Lin Xiaoyue hurriedly handed the mirror to Manager Qin.
65 Exorbitant Price
Manager Qin carefully took it. After sizing it up, his eyes flashed with surprise.
"Miss, come with me."
"Okay." Lin Xiaoyue quickly followed him to the counter.
The others followed, including the flirtatious young man who came down from the second floor.
When he reached the counter, the charming young master went behind the counter.
"Boss." Manager Qin bowed to the charming young master.
"Don't worry about me. Please continue," he said lightly.
His eyes still swept across Lin Xiaoyue.
"Yes!" Manager Qin replied.
He continued to inspect the mirror.
Lin Xiaoyue went forward to explain.
"This mirror can actually stand on its own." As she spoke, she dug out the plastic handle behind it.
"Then, you can adjust the angle." As she spoke, she adjusted the position of the handle.
Everyone looked at it in surprise.
Not only was the mirror abnormally clear, but the design of the frame was also so exquisite.
"Moreover, this mirror is very light and very convenient to carry around. It's definitely a rare treasure!" As Lin Xiaoyue spoke, she picked it up and put it on her palm.
This was just made of plastic, of course it was light.
Manager Qin nodded repeatedly as he watched.
"Not bad. It is indeed a treasure. How much do you want to sell it for?" He asked Lin Xiaoyue.
Lin Xiaoyue paused.
Her gaze swept across the people around her.
Madam Zhu just offered 110 taels. And this mirror of hers was definitely the only one in this era (except for the bigger mirror that she kept for herself).
How much should she ask for it?
"Um…to be honest, this mirror was my family heirloom. If it weren't for the fact that we are struggling, I wouldn't have thought of selling it. Before my father died, he said that this mirror should be sold for at least 500 taels." Lin Xiaoyue looked at Manager Qin pitifully.
The surrounding people instantly gasped.
500 taels of silver? Even if this mirror was made of gold, it wouldn't be worth 500 taels of silver! Although it was indeed a treasure, it was still too expensive…
Even the young lady who wanted the mirror before couldn't help but shake her head.
It seemed that she didn't have to intercept. Even if Manager Qin hadn't appeared in time, this young lady probably wouldn't have sold the mirror to Madam Zhu.
The charming young man was stunned. He glanced at Lin Xiaoyue again and wanted to laugh.
The audacity.
Manager Qin looked troubled.
"Um…500 taels is indeed beyond our budget."
"Your mirror is a rare item, but you can only sell it at a sky-high price if you meet someone who knows its worth. Although Qingshi Town is prosperous, it is only a small town after all. There are too few people who can offer such a high price."
Lin Xiaoyue's heart sank.
A hint of hesitation flashed across her face. "Then, please name a price that you can offer. I might consider it," she said.
What Manager Qin said made sense. She might be able to sell it for a few thousand taels to a noble.
However, she did not know any nobles. The highest price she could get was from Wan Cui Fang.
66 250 taels
It was then up to Wan Cui Fang to sell it at a higher price later on.
A hint of hesitation flashed in Manager Qin's eyes.
Then, he thought for a moment and said, "the most I can give you is 230 taels."
The people around were amazed, 230 taels was a lot of money!
Lin Xiaoyue's face stiffened, and then her face fell.
The price was cut by half..
The flirtatious-looking young master looked at Lin Xiaoyue's expression and thought that she was quite interesting.
Lin Xiaoyue calmed herself down and was ready to ask for more, even if it's just a few more taels.
The young master suddenly said, "it is indeed a treasure. I will buy it for 250 taels," he said in a clear voice.
The women looked at the charming man and were infatuated by him.
He was not only handsome, but also had a nice voice. More importantly, he was rich! Was he buying the mirror for his lover? She must be a lucky girl!
Lin Xiaoyue looked at him indifferently and smiled, "sir, why don't you add some more?"
250 taels? He must be joking.
He froze, then looked at Lin Xiaoyue mockingly.
"It is already far more than the market price. If you're not willing to sell it to me at this price, then forget it." As he said that, he opened the folding fan and started to fan himself.
"Alright!" Lin Xiaoyue hurriedly said.
If she didn't sell it, she'd be a fool!
The young master couldn't help but laugh and put away the folding fan.
"Finalize the deal now" He smiled and said to Manager Qin.
Manager Qin was stunned.
"Yes!" Then he hurriedly said and took Lin Xiaoyue to a corner to sign some papers.
Then, she received 250 taels of silver.
Among them, 200 taels were silver notes, and the remaining 50 taels were silver ingots.
Lin Xiaoyue mimicked the people in the TV series that she used to watch and bit at the silver. Then, she left after confirming that it was authentic.
On the second floor, the flirtatious young master took the mirror that Manager Qin handed to him and admired his reflection.
Then, he walked to the window and saw that Lin Xiaoyue skipped away.
The corners of his mouth curled up.
What an interesting little girl…
Lin Xiaoyue walked on the street for a while before quickly locating a bank.
After confirming that her banknotes were real, she exchanged 200 taels of notes for silver ingots and some copper coins.
Lin Xiaoyue initially wanted to go to the dock to take a look, but she remembered that she had made a lot of money today and many people had seen her at the bank.
For safety reasons, she did not stay in town any longer.
Outside the city, under the crooked tree, there were many people waiting for the ox cart at this time.
Lin Xiaoyue also went over with an empty basket on her back.
Seeing that the cart was not full and the driver was soliciting business, Lin Xiaoyue got onto the cart.
Anyway, since she was alone, it only cost 3 copper coins, so there was no need to be too frugal.
Soon, it was peak hour and the cart was filled with passengers.
67 A House and a Cart
The driver received the money and rode off.
Lin Xiaoyue didn't have the mood to talk to the others in the cart today. She sat in the corner, lost in thought.
When she left Ruyi Restaurant, she had a total of 105 taels. Adding the 250 taels she got from selling the mirror, she had 355 taels!
Also, Liang Chengcai said that he would give her another 20 taels for teaching him. With that, she had a total of 375 taels!
Haha, she could have a courtyard and an ox cart!
Maybe she could even upgrade to a horse cart immediately!
No one in their village had a horse cart!
When the house was built, she could send Xiaozhi to the school in town. By then, she could bring Xiaozhi to school every day!
Thinking of this, Lin Xiaoyue was overjoyed.
Then, she heard the driver say, "Daishi Village!"
Lin Xiaoyue came to her senses after being nudged by an aunt next to her.
"Girl, we've arrived at Daishi Village! You're from there, right?" The woman asked.
She thought that Lin Xiaoyuen was pretty, but she kept smiling to herself after getting into the cart. Was there anything wrong with her?
"Oh, yes! Thank you!" Lin Xiaoyue quickly said.
She didn't mind the way the lady looked at her.
Then, she got up, took the basket, and quickly got out of the cart.
Then, she ran toward Daishi Village.
After a while, Lin Xiaoyue was home, panting.
At this time, Liu Shi was drying clothes in the yard. She was surprised to see her daughter coming back so early.
Before she could say anything, Lin Xiaoyue had already called out to her.
"Mom!"
Then, she ran to her mother.
"Mom, come with me!" She grabbed her wrist and took her into the house.
Liu Shi looked at the clothes that she hadn't finished drying, but gave up.
"Sis!" Lin Xiaozhi called out to his sister and followed her into the house.
Lin Xiaoyue waited until Lin Xiaozhi entered the house before she checked the surroundings. After making sure that no one was around, she closed the broken door.
"Mom, sit." Then she brought Liu Shi to the table.
Liu Shi's face flashed with fear.
What's wrong? Why was she so cautious?
"Good news!" Lin Xiaoyue saw her mother's worry and whispered with a smile.
Liu Shi was stunned, then she relaxed and glanced at Lin Xiaoyue.
"What is it?"
Lin Xiaoyue smiled mysteriously. Then, she took out 15 silver ingots and put them on the table.
Liu Shi's eyes almost fell out.
"Where…where did this come from?!" She was so shocked that she almost lost her voice.
Then, without waiting for Lin Xiaoyue's reply, she quickly looked in the direction of the gate.
"Put it away quickly," she said to Lin Xiaoyue.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled happily. "Keep it. We can use It to build our yard."
Liu Shi looked at her daughter. She was afraid that someone would suddenly barge in, so she quickly put away the silver ingots.
"Where did you get all this money?" She looked at her daughter.
Lin Xiaoyue's face was still full of joy.
Then, she told her mother everything that happened when she went to town today.
68 Liu Shi was Happy
When she heard that her daughter had earned 305 taels of silver in town today, and that she might get another 20 taels of silver later, she was completely dumbfounded.
Just last night, she thought that there was hope when they received 42 taels of silver. Now, she suddenly felt that money was raining on them.
She suspected that she was dreaming.
So, she pinched her own face.
"Ouch…" it hurt.
Lin Xiaoyue was amused by her mother's action and quickly held her hand.
"Mom, it's true! We will have a good life soon!" Lin Xiaoyue said with a smile.
Liu Shi finally came back to her senses.
Then, she threw herself at her daughter and hugged her.
"Sob… sob…"
Lin Xiaoyue patted Liu Shi's back and comforted her patiently.
"Mom, why are you crying? Shouldn't we think about how to build the yard and buy some furniture…"
"I'm just happy… sob…"
She couldn't hold back anymore.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled and continued to comfort Liu Shi, and at the same time, she hugged her brother who was also crying.
After a while, Liu Shi finally got up.
"We're rich now, we need to build a bigger yard," said Lin Xiaoyue as she wiped away her tears.
In the future, she would need to find a son-in-law for her daughter. When her son grew up, he would also need to marry. The yard needed to be bigger to fit all of them.
Lin Xiaoyue's face lit up. She didn't expect her mother to be thinking about such things.
"We'll build a house with bricks and tiles just like the village chief's house. We'll have many rooms. We'll also need a big kitchen, a woodshed, and a barn!"
Liu Shi paused.
"Bricks and tiles?" Those weren't cheap.
"Yes! Use the money I gave you first. If it's not enough, I still have more!" Lin Xiaoyue said.
She still had 100 taels of silver notes, 55 taels of silver, and opper coins in her hands.
The amount of prey she could sell to Ruyi Restaurant would be reduced. She had to see if she could find a reliable way to earn money.
Liu Shi paused.
She remembered that they now had more than 350 taels of silver, and the money was earned by her daughter. She had to respect her daughter's opinion, so she nodded.
"Okay! I'll listen to you!"
"Thank you, mom!" Lin Xiaoyue came forward and kissed Liu Shi on the face.
"You're still a child!" Liu Shi was amused.
Lin Xiaozhi saw that and wanted to kiss his mother too.
Liu Shi was helpless. She hugged her youngest son and let him kiss her on the face.
Then, she went outside to continue hanging up the laundry.
Lin Xiaoyue first sent the wicker basket and the pole back to Aunt Wang's house. Then, she went to Carpenter Sun's house.
Since Daishi Village was big, there were some working as carpenters.
Last night, Carpenter Sun's wife came to buy wild boar meat from her. Aunt Wang had introduced them, saying that Carpenter Sun's carpentry work was very good. Even those from the neighboring village came to him to make furniture.
Lin Xiaoyue walked all the way, and when she saw the villagers, she greeted them with a smile, then asked for directions to Carpenter Sun's house.
Just as she reached the outside of his house, Lin Xiaoyue saw him pushing a cart filled with wood in the courtyard.
As expected of a carpenter's house. There was a lot of wood and wood shavings on the ground.
"Uncle Sun!" Lin Xiaoyue called out and went to the gate.
69 Carpenter Sun
Carpenter Sun, who was busy with work, looked up and saw that it was Lin Xiaoyue.
"Oh, Xiaoyue! Please come in!" He stopped what he was doing.
Lin Xiaoyue pushed the door and entered the small courtyard.
"Are you looking for my wife?" Carpenter Sun didn't think that Lin Xiaoyue was looking for him, so he asked with a smile.
"No, I'm Looking for you! I want to ask you to make a small table and four stools," Lin Xiaoyue said with a smile.
So it was business for him.
He quickly shouted into the house, "Xiaoyue is here. Please bring her a bowl of tongsui!"
Lin Xiaoyue was about to say that it was not necessary when she heard Aunt Sun's voice.
"Okay!"
"Don't worry about it. We don't have any tea at home," Carpenter Sun said.
Then, he invited Lin Xiaoyue to a small table not far away to talk.
"How big is the table? Do you have any requirements?" Carpenter Sun asked.
Lin Xiaoyue looked at the small table in front of her and thought that it was suitable.
Their broken table and broken stool should have been retired a long time ago. Now that she had money and was not afraid that the old woman of the Lin family would come and rob them, she should definitely get a new set.
"I think your table is pretty good. Just add 4 stools so that we can eat together as a family," said Lin Xiaoyue.
She also wanted a big table eventually, but she had to wait until her house was built. Otherwise, it would be troublesome to find a place for it.
She would get a small table first. When the house was built, the small table could be used in the kitchen.
"Okay! That's easy. I'll make it later. I can send it to your house in the evening!" He initially thought that it might be too small for them, but then he remembered that there was no man in the house, so the small table was actually enough for the three of them.
Last night, his wife came back and told him all about the Lin family. The three of them were so pitiful.
He was going to make them quickly for them.
Lin Xiaoyue's face lit up.
"How much would that be?" She asked.
At this moment, Aunt Sun brought over the tongsui.
Lin Xiaoyue hurriedly stood up and thanked her. After drinking a mouthful, she said that it was delicious.
Aunt Sun looked at Lin Xiaoyue sympathetically and then looked at her husband.
"Charge them less," she said.
"No…" Lin Xiaoyue said quickly.
"Haha." Carpenter Sun laughed.
"I know what to do," he said to his wife.
"It's just half a day's work and the cost for the materials. I'll charge you 120 coins!" He said to Lin Xiaoyue.
Lin Xiaoyue was surprised. "No, Uncle Sun…" she hurriedly said.
Carpenter Sun waved his hand to interrupt Lin Xiaoyue. "Don't worry, I won't make a loss with this price!"
"Exactly, it's not that much of a discount. He doesn't charge much anyway," Aunt Sun comforted her.
Lin Xiaoyue felt a little relieved. She thought that when the house was built, she would have to bring him more business or give them some of her prey when she went hunting.
"Oh right, when are you going to build the house? Do you have any contacts?" Aunt Sun suddenly asked.
Lin Xiaoyue paused.
"Oh, we are planning it now. We don't know anyone. I'm going to go to Uncle Wang's house later to ask them."
Suddenly thinking of something, Lin Xiaoyue looked at Carpenter Sun and Aunt Sun.
"Do you know anyone?" She asked them.
70 Aunt Jiang
She almost forgot that since Uncle Sun was a carpenter, they must know someone in construction.
"Hehe." Aunt Sun smiled and looked at her husband.
"My brother is a builder and have built many houses and courtyards in my hometown. His team is very experienced. "If you would like, I will ask them for you tomorrow," said Aunt Sun.
Lin Xiaoyue's eyes lit up.
"Of course, thank you!" said Lin Xiaoyue quickly.
"Hehe, you're welcome. It's not far. They are in Huangshan Village. I'll go tomorrow morning and bring him here tomorrow afternoon to talk to you in person."
Lin Xiaoyue paused.
Afternoon? She had to teach Liang Chengcai tomorrow…
"Okay! Then we'll wait at home tomorrow afternoon," she agreed.
The construction of the house could not be delayed. It seemed that she could only bring some materials to Liang Chengcai and start the class the day after.
Anyway, it was only second or third grade math. After knowing the basics, she should be able to teach him very quickly.
After chatting with uncle and Aunt Sun for a while, Lin Xiaoyue declined Aunt Sun's invitation to stay for dinner before she went home.
When she got home, Lin Xiaoyue told Liu Shi about the furniture she asked Uncle Sun to make and the house she was going to build.
Liu Shi listened to her and did not raise any objections.
Then, Liu Shi started the fire while Lin Xiaoyue cooked. She made braised pork with soy sauce, shredded pork with fish sauce, and sweet and sour cabbage.
The family of three had a good meal.
After the meal, Aunt Wang brought Wang Erya to Liu Shi to do embroidery work.
This time, Aunt Jiang of the Jiang family and her second daughter, Jiang Xiaohua, came with Aunt Wang.
Aunt Jiang was quite close to Aunt Wang's family, and her family's situation was not much different from that of the Lin family.
Because Aunt Jiang had given birth to three daughters in a row, Old Lady Jiang was extremely displeased with her daughter-in-law, so she was made to do most of the housework.
Last year, Aunt Jiang was pregnant with her fourth child, but she had a miscarriage due to overworking.
Then, her mother-in-law continued to beat and scold her. Mr. Jiang could not bear it anymore, so he proposed a separation and took his family out of there.
Usually, Mr. Jiang would go with Uncle Wang to work at the town pier, while Mrs. Jiang would stay at home to do housework. Although the days were tough, they were getting by.
At the moment, it was slack season in farming. When Mrs. Jiang heard that Aunt Wang's second daughter was learning needlework from Liu Shi, she was interested
Last night, she first went to the Liu family house to buy a catty of meat. Today, she brought ten eggs for them, hoping hat her second daughter could learn from Liu Shi.
Liu Shi usually did not socialize with the villagers. Now that someone took the initiative to socialize, she was happy to help.
So the few women sat under the big tree and began to chat.
When Aunt Wang and Aunt Jiang heard that Liu Shi was going to build a house, they were all happy for her, especially Aunt Jiang, whose eyes were filled with envy.
"Xiaoyue is a capable one. Your future is bright!" Aunt Jiang said with a smile.
"That's right! I don't think there are many in our village who are as capable as her!" Aunt Wang added.
Liu Shi blushed a little when she heard that.
71 Plunge Pool
"Keep your voices down. She'll be so smug if she hears you."
In the room, Lin Xiaoyue had already heard it.
She felt good.
But what was she at this time?
She was preparing the teaching materials for Liang Chengcai tomorrow.
What was the content?
It was the Arabic numerals and the explanation of the decimal digits.
That's right, one had to learn Arabic numerals before learning arithmetic. This was the most basic knowledge.
In addition to preparing materials for Liang Chengcai, Lin Xiaoyue also prepared a copy for Lin Xiaozhi so that he could practice it.
Her brother was surprisingly serious when it came to learning, which made Lin Xiaoyue sigh in her heart. If her brother were born before the end of the 21st century, he would definitely be a straight-A student.
This made Lin Xiaoyue even more determined to send her little brother to school.
After finishing preparing the teaching materials, Lin Xiaoyue began to think about building her house.
Although she didn't study architecture or engineering, she had seen a lot of houses.
First of all, she had to keep the big tree outside so that they could keep cool in the summer.
Each of them should have their own room and three additional guest rooms. They also needed a living room, a large kitchen, a barn, a storeroom, a woodshed, a bathroom… Perhaps they also needed a millroom and a cellar.
Lin Xiaoyue followed this line of thought and finally decided on a blueprint that she was satisfied with.
Then, she put it away and waited for Aunt Wang's brother to come over tomorrow to discuss it with them.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, Lin Xiaoyue took the bow and arrow and entered the mountain.
But this time, she did not plan to hunt. Instead, she gave herself a holiday and went to the pool to take a bath.
This was the secret base that she found.
Walking up the stream at the back of the mountain, there was a large plunge pool with clear water and fish in it.
Since she came to this world, she had not had a good bath. Today, she had more than two hours of free time.
Lin Xiaoyue stayed by the pool for a long time and did not go home until it was almost seven o'clock.
Along the way, she also hunted two hares, a pheasant and a deer.
She had thought about it carefully. If she continued hunting as much as she did last time, people would be suspicious.
In the future, she had to reduce the amount of prey by half, or even to only one-third of the original amount.
Besides, if she came here every day, she would probably scare away all the animals in the mountains. It was best to come every other day or every few days, so that it was sustainable.
In short, now that the family was not short of money, she could relax a little.
Carrying her prey home, Lin Xiaoyue met a few villagers.
She smiled and greeted them. Because she knew them, she also chatted with them.
When she got home, Lin Xiaoyue noticed that Carpenter Sun had already sent over the new table and stools.
Her brother was sitting at the new table, reading the Arabic numerals that she taught him while doing his homework.
Seeing his sister coming back, he immediately came up to her.
"I can already write from 0-10 from memory!" He said excitedly.
"Oh, that's so awesome! Here's a lollipop as a reward!" Lin Xiaoyue immediately took out a lollipop and gave it to him.
"Thank you!" Lin Xiaozhi quickly took it.
72 Late-night Visit
"Open it for me." He handed the lollipop to Lin Xiaoyue after failing to open it.
"Hehe, little fool!" Lin Xiaoyue touched Lin Xiaozhi's head and peeled off the wrapper for him.
Seeing that the pair of siblings were getting along well, Liu Shi couldn't hide the smile on her face.
"Uncle Sun charged 120 coins for the table and stools. Is the price right?" Liu Shi asked.
"Yes!" Lin Xiaoyue remembered that Uncle Sun didn't charge her a deposit when she went in the morning.
"Uncle Sun gave us a discount. Aunt Sun is going to help us ask about the construction team tomorrow. Mom, should I send them a pheasant?" Lin Xiaoyue glanced at the pheasant that she brought back.
"Yes, you should thank them!" Liu Shi said.
"Okay. I'll go now!" Lin Xiaoyue picked up the pheasant on the ground and walked out.
When she arrived at the Sun family's yard, she saw that smoke was already coming from the chimney.
Uncle Sun had stopped working. He was sitting in the yard smoking a pipe.
"Uncle!" Lin Xiaoyue hurriedly called out.
"Yo, you're here again? Come in quickly!" Uncle Sun quickly got up.
Lin Xiaoyue brought the pheasant into the house.
"I caught some prey. This is for you!"
"You're so kind! It's not like I didn't charge you for the table and stools!" Uncle Sun was embarrassed when he saw that the pheasant was very fat and weighed at least four catties.
At this time, Aunt Sun also came out when she heard the noise. She saw that Lin Xiaoyue was holding something in her hand and said that she was too kind.
"You gave us a discount for the table and stools, this is nothing. Also, thank you for helping us with the house building. This is just a token of appreciation," Lin Xiaoyue said with a smile.
"You're such a good girl, your mom must be a great mother!" Aunt Sun said happily.
"Then I'll go and clean up the pheasant. Stay and have dinner with us!"
"No, no, my mom is almost done cooking. I have to go now!" Lin Xiaoyue said quickly.
"Oh, what a pity." Aunt Sun thought Lin Xiaoyue was being polite.
Lin Xiaoyue hurriedly ran out of the yard.
"My mother is waiting for me. Next time, I'll definitely stay for a meal!" She said as she ran.
Aunt Sun took a few steps forward and stopped with a smile.
Then, she turned around and exchanged a glance with her husband. Both of them had smiles on their faces.
They were happy to be friends with the Liu family.
After Lin Xiaoyue returned home, she quickly ate dinner.
After washing up, the family went to bed.
It was late at night.
Lin Xiaoyue, who was about to fall asleep, suddenly felt that something was wrong.
The instinct she had developed during the apocalypse told her that something was wrong.
Lin Xiaoyue did not move. She just looked at the door.
Then, she used her spiritual power to check and immediately knew that there was someone in their yard. And it was a man who was over 170 cm tall.
Then, she heard a small sound.
The man had already arrived at their door and was using tools to pry open the bolt of their broken door…
Lin Xiaoyue narrowed her eyes and carefully sat up from the bed.
Then, the bow and arrow that she used for hunting appeared in her hand.
She charged up the bow and arrow and aimed at the door.
After a while, the latch was removed. That person carefully pushed open the door and sneakily stuck his head in.
As soon as he entered the room, the bow and arrow in Lin Xiaoyue's hand had already left the bowstring.
When the man saw someone sitting up on the bed, he realized that something was wrong and quickly retracted his head.
73 I'm Here
At the same time, the arrow flew past where his head was and pierced the door.
The man's expression changed and he turned to run.
Lin Xiaoyue also quickly got down from the bed.
She didn't even put on her shoes and chased after him.
But by the time she reached the door, the man had already run away.
Using her spiritual power, she found that the man was already out of the 20-meter radius around her.
"Sis.." at this moment, Lin Xiaozhi's voice came from the bed.
Lin Xiaoyue's heart sank. After hesitating for a moment, she pulled out the arrow on the door and put the bow and arrow back into her interspatial ring.
Then, she closed the door and re-bolted the door. She went back to the bed and lay down.
She knew she hadn't considered all the risks involved.
Her mother was a widow with two children and there was no man in the house. People also knew that they took 42 taels of silver from the Lin family. It was very likely that they were targeted by someone with ulterior motives.
Tonight, this person had received a warning. It would be best if he stopped now, otherwise…
Lin Xiaoyue's eyes shone with a cold light.
It seemed that the construction of the house had to be expedited, and the house needed a security system.
Lin Xiaoyue did not dare to let herself fall asleep in the second half of the night. She continued to think about things until daybreak.
Liu Shi woke up to make breakfast. When she saw that there was a hole on the door, she was a little confused.
Lin Xiaoyue hesitated for a moment, but she eventually told her mother about what happened last night.
Liu Shi's face was pale with fear. "What if the thief comes again? This house and the broken door can't defend us!"
A widow's life was difficult. She had met a man who said some nasty things when she went up the mountain with Aunt Wang to pick wild vegetables.
Because of this and her introverted personality, she chose to stay indoors most of the time.
She didn't expect someone to break in.
Fortunately, it was discovered by her daughter and was scared away with a bow and arrow. If she didn't find out in time, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Mom, don't worry. I'm here," Lin Xiaoyue said in a low voice.
"He's lucky this time. If he dares to come again, he won't be able to leave again." Lin Xiaoyue's eyes were filled with killing intent.
"No, it's not worth it to die for someone like that. Worse comes to worse, I'll sleep during the day and guard you and your brother at night," Liu Shi said firmly.
Lin Xiaoyue felt a warmth in her heart.
"There's no need for that. Let me think of a way to solve this." She patted her mother's arm.
"Okay." Liu Shi's eyes were still filled with worry, but she nodded.
She used to protect her two children, but now it was her daughter who protected her and her son. Since when did she start to rely on her daughter…
After breakfast, Lin Xiaoyue was ready to leave.
"It's getting late. I have to go wait for the ox cart. If you're scared later, take Xiaozhi and go to Aunt Wang. I'll be back before noon."
"Okay. Be careful," Liu Shi said.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled. "Don't worry. There is no one who could hurt your daughter."
If it weren't for the fact that she didn't want to expose her gun, that person would have died.
Besides, she didn't want to cause trouble for her family.
In this era, if someone found out that she had killed someone, she would have to pay with her own life.
She only hoped that the person from last night would value his life a little more. Also, those who had bad intentions should stay away from them.
Lin Xiaoyue carried a few prey on her back and walked out the door.
On the way, she greeted the villagers as usual.
74 Arabic Numerals
When they arrived at the side of the official road, Lin Xiaoyue waited for a while before finally getting on Old Man Shi's cart.
Old Man Shi was very surprised when he learned that Lin Xiaoyue was really going to buy an ox cart.
"Girl, what kind of fortune did you make?" It was only the third day that he had taken this girl to town.
Even if the goods were valuable, she wouldn't be able to get so much money in a short time, right?
"Hehe, not only are we going to buy ox carts, but we are also going to build a house. When the time comes, we'll probably have to hire some people to transport the bricks. Grandpa Shi, will you accept this job?" Lin Xiaoyue asked with a smile.
There were two other ox carts in Daishi Village, but they were not meant to transport goods. Moreover, they had built-in sheds, so they were not as suitable as Old Man Shi's cart.
"Of course! When?" Old Man Shi hurriedly asked.
He could only ride the cart for half a day. Only when he returned from the town could he fill up the cart. Most of the time when he went, there were only two or three people. Sometimes, there was not even a single person. After calculating, he could not earn much money this way.
Transporting goods was calculated according to the number of trips he made. A few more trips a day would be equivalent to the profit he made from traveling to town for a few days.
"It's not decided yet. But I've already made an appointment with the construction team this afternoon. We want to finish building the house as soon as possible and will arrange for it to start as soon as possible!"
"Alright! Tell me when the time comes!" Old Man Shi was also very happy.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled. "Definitely."
Then, she asked Old Man Shi about buying an ox cart.
This time, Old Man Shi explained in more detail.
Not only did he tell her the address in town, but he also told her how to determine the quality of the ox and how to haggle the price.
If it weren't for the fact that he was busy with transporting passengers, he would have wanted to help Lin Xiaoyue choose an ox.
Lin Xiaoyue didn't want to delay Old Man Shi further, so she added another three coins for him to send her to Ruyi Restaurant and said goodbye to him
Once she entered the yard, Chef Liu arranged for her goods to be weighed again.
Then, Lin Xiaoyue took the invoice and went to the cashier.
Liang Chengcai saw Lin Xiaoyue coming and immediately stood up to bow to her, his eyes full of longing.
Lin Xiaoyue gave the invoice to Liang Chengcai. After he settled the bill, she told him that she had something to do at home and couldn't teach him this afternoon.
"Although I can't teach you today, I've prepared some basic teaching materials for you," Lin Xiaoyue said as she handed a piece of paper to him.
"Here are the numbers 0-10. You can first practice writing them in the afternoon. Before I teach you tomorrow, you have to completely master the 11 numbers."
"Yes!" Liang Chengcai said excitedly.
Then, Lin Xiaoyue taught him how to write.
Liang Chengcai only tried twice before he got it.
Liang Chengcai sighed in his heart. It was indeed much simpler to write numbers this way.
"Miss Lin, are there only 11 numbers? How do you write bigger numbers?" Liang Chengcai quickly asked.
Lin Xiaoyue glanced at Liang Chengcai.
She thought that this was the first day of teaching and only prepared for the basics.
She did not expect that it would be too easy for him. He could not wait to learn more.
Seeing that no one else was here, Lin Xiaoyue simply explained the unit of counting to Liang Chengcai.
"The unit of counting is the same as the unit on your abacus. There are ones, tens, hundreds, and so on. For example, one hundred is 1 hundred, 0 tens and 0 ones." Lin Xiaoyue wrote on the paper.
75 Slave Trade
"Another example is 119, which means 1 hundred, 1 ten and 9 ones…"
Liang Chengcai was amazed.
"Then 233 means 2 hundreds, 3 tens and 3 ones?" He quickly deduced.
"Yeah, you learn fast!" Lin Xiaoyue nodded.
Liang Chengcai blushed, "it's you who taught me well, Miss Lin."
Lin Xiaoyue smiled and didn't refute.
She continued to explain.
"By the same logic, you can write infinitely large numbers."
Then, Lin Xiaoyue tested Liang Chengcai on a few more numbers. From a few million to a few hundred thousand, Liang Chengcai wrote all of them correctly.
The more Liang Chengcai wrote, the more amazed he was.
"It's amazing," he exclaimed.
He had never heard of such a way of writing numbers before, and it was much simpler than the way people write numbers at the moment.
"Yes." Lin Xiaoyue responded.
In the 21st century, Arabic numerals were the most common symbols to write decimal numbers, and of course, there was a reason for that.
"In order to be more familiar with these numbers and have a good foundation, you will write 0-100 ten times this afternoon. I will check it tomorrow."
"Yes!" Liang Chengcai quickly bowed to Lin Xiaoyue.
"Well, that's it for today. I still have something to do, so I have to go now." Lin Xiaoyue immediately said goodbye.
"Okay. I'll send you off." Liang Chengcai hurriedly said.
"No need for that Mr. Liang." Lin Xiaoyue said and then left.
Liang Chengcai looked at Lin Xiaoyue's back as she left, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.
What a genius!
Who would have thought that such a person existed in a small place like Qingshi Town? And she was just a little girl.
After leaving Ruyi Restaurant, Lin Xiaoyue went to the address that Old Man Shi had given her and went to a market near the dock.
Yes, the place where the cattle and horses were traded was set up at a market closest to the dock.
What Lin Xiaoyue didn't know was that this market not only traded cattle and horses, but also slaves.
When she arrived, she saw a lot of people crowded around the place.
Seeing that it was still early, she squeezed in for a look.
Then, she found out that this place was selling people!
Yes, that's right, selling people like livestock.
A few men in black clothes stood around the stage, and there were a few men and women with their hands bound.
At this moment, a man holding a short whip was walking up and down the stage, shouting and saying that the sale would start soon.
Lin Xiaoyue heard the discussions of the people around her, and quickly understood the situation.
Those who had their hands bound were indeed slaves. The Great Yan dynasty allowed the sale of slaves.
As long as they could afford it, they could buy them. Then, the slaves were like livestock, the personal property of their owners.
Lin Xiaoyue saw that all the slaves were dressed in shabby clothes, and their faces and bodies were filthy. Those who stood close to the stage could even smell the stench of sweat on their bodies.
Naturally, she could smell it too. She frowned and prepared to turn around and leave.
Although this was allowed in this era, it was enough to raise alarm bells in her heart.
Fortunately, the village chief had promised to set up a female household for her mother, and their family was going to build a house. Otherwise, if something really happened, their family might become slaves if they were not careful.
Moreover, although she had controlled her killing intent before, worse comes to worse, she could just kill all of them and take her mother and brother away.
76 Li Xiao
If she really left Daishi Village with her mother and Xiao Zhi and ran into human traffickers or slave traders, it would be too late.
Just as Lin Xiaoyue turned around, she heard a familiar voice.
She immediately stopped and turned around.
Then, she looked at the group of male slaves not far away. There was a person who looked different from the other slaves.
The other slaves had their heads lowered, but this person was looking behind them to the right, at the pier.
This person was…
Lin Xiaoyue's eyes were filled with excitement, and she subconsciously wanted to call out his name.
But she quickly stopped herself.
No, this wasn't the 21st century. That person looked like her leader during the apocalypse, but he wasn't at the moment.
Although he was about the same height and size, he didn't look as strong as her leader.
The man seemed to have noticed Lin Xiaoyue's gaze and looked in her direction.
Lin Xiaoyue's eyes narrowed, and she subconsciously avoided it.
But this glance was enough for her to see the man's face clearly.
Even though his face was a little dirty, she could tell he was her leader!
The only difference was that he looked a little younger, and there was a long and thick scar on his face.
The scar was cut directly from the forehead along the right eye. One could imagine how dangerous the situation must be. If it had been a little deeper, he would have lost his right eye.
Ordinary people would definitely be shocked to see such a scar, but she thought it was very cool!
Their boss, Li Xiao, was one of the top 5 lightning-type warriors after the apocalypse. It was because of him that their team had been able to maintain an extremely low casualty rate.
It was also because of Li Xiao that she was not expelled from the team. She was able to work with everyone, even if she was only a logistics staff in charge of cleaning the battlefield.
She had always been grateful to Li Xiao. She used to secretly hide in the corner to peek at him.
Not only was Li Xiao Strong, he was also very handsome!
In the team, there were many women who liked him so much that they offered to sleep with him.
But Li Xiao had never accepted it. He was only looking for a woman named Xiao Qing.
She was envious and even jealous of that woman.
However, all these were meaningless.
She, Lin Xiaoyue, was a coward. Until her death, she didn't have the courage to confess to Li Xiao and tell him that she liked him.
However, the situation was different at the moment.
Lin Xiaoyue looked at Li Xiao with a big smile in her eyes.
How fortunate! Not only did she escape from the apocalypse and come to this era, but she also met the person she liked here!
Now that the hero was in trouble, wasn't it the right time for her, the beauty, to make a move?
If this hero could still give himself to her afterwards, it would be perfect.
Li Xiao sensed Lin Xiaoyue's gaze turning back again.
This time, Lin Xiaoyue did not avoid his gaze, but smiled at him reassuringly.
Seeing this, Li Xiao was puzzled.
This girl was not afraid of him?
Feeling a little uncertain, Li Xiao turned his head and looked behind him. He found that there was no one.
After confirming that Lin Xiaoyue was really looking at him, Li Xiao was even more puzzled.
77 Third Master Zhou
Then he looked away and lowered his head like the other slaves.
He had to cure Qing'er as soon as possible, so he had to choose Qingshi Town.
Thinking of this, Li Xiao looked at a dying young man among the slaves not far away.
The young man seemed to have noticed Li Xiao and weakly smiled back at him.
Li Xiao nodded his head without showing any emotion.
Suddenly, a man wearing a black outfit on the stage sounded a gong.
Following that, the spectators who were engaged in a heated discussion quieted down and looked towards the stage.
"Cough…everyone, this is Third Master Zhou! From today onwards, the Zhou family's slave business in will be taken over by our Third Master Zhou!" He said.
Then, he walked forward with a short whip in his hand and made a fist at the audience.
The audience began to talk.
Some people asked about the identity of this Third Master Zhou, while others asked if there would be any changes in the rules of buying slaves in the future.
However, Third Master Zhou just watched and let his subordinates answer the questions.
"The rules are the same as before. We will be auctioning here as usual. The highest bidder will win the bid! After paying, you will be able to take the slave away. In addition, the Zhou trading company will make the slave seal for free!" A staff member said loudly.
"Alright, cut the crap. Let's start now." Third Master Zhou suddenly said impatiently.
"Yes, Third Master!"
Then, he put the gong aside and pulled a woman forward and rudely pushed her to Third Master Zhou's side.
When he smelled the odor on the woman's body, a hint of disgust flashed in Third Master Zhou's eyes.
Then, he lifted the woman's head with the end of the short whip and glanced at the woman from top to bottom.
"A young girl of 18 years old. You can order her around after you take her home. She can also warm the bed and provide children. The starting price is 20 taels!"
"21 taels!" A middle-aged man in the crowd immediately called out the price.
"22 taels!" Another man shouted.
"22 taels and 5 coins!" A man who looked like a hunter also called out the price.
On the stage, Third Master Zhou frowned.
"You have to bid 1 tael higher each time," he said in a deep voice. Who the f * ck would raise the price by a few coins? It was a waste of time.
A hint of hesitation flashed across the hunter's face. He glanced at the woman on the stage and did not say anything.
The rest of the people also did not say anything else.
Third Master Zhou was really unreasonable. They couldn't even see the woman's face properly.
He said that she was only 18, and was she really? If he bought an old woman who could not have children, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
Seeing that no one was bidding anymore, Third Master Zhou looked annoyed.
An 18-year-old girl could easily be sold for 40 taels of silver! It was only 22 taels at the moment and no one was bidding anymore? They were all f * cking poor people!
His father told him that the people in Qingshi Town were rich. Rich my ass!
"Yo, Master Zhou, it's obvious that this is your first time doing business. For a female slave like this, age, figure, and face are the most important. If you didn't let her wash her face, why would anyone bid?" A middle-aged woman wearing a hairpin and heavy makeup said.
Many people in the crowd recognized this woman. She was the owner of the brothel called Xunfang Pavilion. She would come here occasionally to buy women.
If this female slave really fell into her hands, she would be living in a nightmare.
However, everyone agreed with her. Why would they bid if they couldn't see the woman's face?
78 Slave Seals
Master Zhou was stunned.
He was furious when he saw his staff member looking at him.
"What are you waiting for? Go get a bucket of water to wash her face!" As he spoke, he whipped him with the short whip in his hand.
Trash! This was his first time taking over a business and he didn't know what was going on. Did he not know to remind him? How embarrassing.
"Yes!" The staff member did not dare to dodge and took the beating. Then, he quickly went to the side to fetch a bucket of water.
In a short while, he came back with a bucket of water.
Then, he scooped a ladle of water and splashed it on the woman's face. Then, he carelessly wiped her face with a piece of cloth.
Her face was revealed.
She looked delicate and pretty, and she definitely did not look more than 20 years old.
"23 taels!"
"24 taels!"
"I bid 30 taels!"
…
The bidding quickly continued.
A look of satisfaction flashed across Third Master Zhou's eyes.
When a middle-aged man bid 41 taels, no one else bid higher.
"Is there anyone else who wants to raise the price?" Third Master Zhou asked in annoyance.
He thought to himself, what a bunch of f * cking poor people! Only 41 taels of silver for a young woman?
There were discussions in the crowd, but no one called out the price.
The farmers who came to buy a wife were not willing to pay so much money. After all, looks were not that important to bear children. A young one was enough.
Ren Yazi was interested. He thought he could teach her, and sell her to a rich family as a maid or something. However, if it was more than 40 taels, their profits would be limited, and it wouldn't be a good investment.
The only one who was struggling was the madam of the brothel.
She liked her looks and her age.
However, even slaves were not willing to go to her. In the past few years, many had died after she brought them back.
It was still a gamble to spend 40 taels of silver.
Master Zhou's gaze swept across the faces of the customers and noticed the madam's expression.
Then, a cruel look flashed across his eyes and he suddenly pulled the woman over.
Then, he ripped her clothes apart.
"AH!" the woman cried out in surprise, and her hands quickly covered her chest.
But her fair skin was already exposed.
There was a commotion among the spectators.
"42 taels!" The madam finally called out the price.
Although she was a little thin, she could bring in a lot of customers with her fair skin.
"43 taels!" The middle-aged man who had just called out the price frowned and shouted.
He had been married-in son-in-law for more than ten years, and now that his wife had died and he had money, he would buy a beautiful woman and enjoy life.
"44 taels!" The madam glared at the middle-aged man.
"45 taels!"
The madam looked conflicted.
"Fine!" She finally said angrily.
Third Master Zhou raised his eyebrows and looked at his subordinate.
He immediately struck the gong.
"Deal!" He said loudly.
The middle-aged man quickly left happily.
Lin Xiaoyue saw the middle-aged man go to the side to pay the money and take the contract. Then, he had the staff members from the Zhou trading company brand the word "slave" on the woman's shoulder.
As soon as the hot iron touched her shoulder, the woman cried out and fainted.
No one paid any attention to her. Everything was already back to normal.
Seeing the middle-aged man carrying the woman away, Lin Xiaoyue continued to look at the stage.
Once this word was branded on the shoulder, one was officially a slave.
79 I Want Him
A slave was not considered a human, but a master's property. The government protected the rights and interests of slave owners, and punished runaway slaves severely.
Once a runaway slave was found, the authorities would contact the master, and those whose owner could not be contacted would be immediately executed.
The children of the runaway slaves also belonged to the slave owners, and once they were found, they would be dealt with in the same way.
It was also because of this reason that slaves with slave did not dare to escape. Even if they escaped, they did not dare to marry or have too close contact with others. Once the identity of a slave was discovered, death was practically waiting for them.
Lin Xiaoyue only knew this after asking a young hunter beside her who had lost an arm.
This hunter had come to buy a wife because he had lost an arm while hunting.
When he found out that Lin Xiaoyue was here to buy a husband, he was shocked beyond words.
After all, Lin Xiaoyue was good-looking.
She hadn't really grown up yet, so if she waited for another one or two years, she would definitely be a great beauty.
With such beauty, there should be many people who would be willing to marry her.
He too was willing to, but his arm…ah, what a pity.
"Whether the slave seal is stamped or not depends on you. Anyway, I can't bear to let my future wife suffer," the man said.
Lin Xiaoyue nodded, "Hmm, I don't want to let my future husband suffer either."
How painful it would be to burn his body with a soldering iron! In ancient times, there were no anti-inflammatory drugs or antibiotics. If he got infected, he might even die.
Of course, she had these drugs. But she couldn't bear to let Li Xiao suffer.
Besides, Li Xiao was a man. It would hurt his self-esteem to have the word "slave" printed on his body.
"Your future husband is really lucky." The hunter looked at Lin Xiaoyue with emotions.
"Hehe, I think so too!" Lin Xiaoyue replied with a smile. She didn't understand the emotion in the man's eyes at all and looked at Li Xiao on the stage.
At the moment, Third Master Zhou had already auctioned off a lot of slaves, and almost all of these slaves were branded with the slave mark.
Only one of the girls bought by the Madam did not have the mark, because she didn't want to taint her body.
Marking the slave could allow one to physically and mentally control them, preventing them from escaping. Moreover, even if the slave really escaped, the probability of being found would be higher.
Lin Xiaoyue waited for a while more, and finally saw Third Master Zhou's subordinate bring Li Xiao out.
The way that the subordinate treated Li Xiao was obviously different from the other slaves. He neither pulled nor pushed Li Xiao.
There was no other reason. Li Xiao was almost a head taller than the subordinate when he stood up.
The man was 1.85 meters tall, and his huge figure alone was enough to intimidate others. In addition, he had a hideous scar on his face. No one dared to provoke him.
When Master Zhou saw Li Xiao, his arrogance from before was also gone.
"A young and strong man, and a good bodyguard! The starting price is 25 taels!" Instead of manhandling Li Xiao, he straightened his face and looked at the crowd.
Li Xiao looked at the audience below the stage, which made them flinch.
Only Lin Xiaoyue didn't, but her eyes were excited.
"Me! I want him. I bid 25 taels!" Lin Xiaoyue raised her hand and said.
80 There is Another One
Then, everyone looked at her.
The hunter beside her was shocked. So…she liked men like him?
He watched her for a while, but she didn't bid. He thought he might have a chance.
But now…
Looking at the fierce and terrifying man on the stage, the unter was a little scared.
Looking like a wild boar in the mountains, the murderous aura was too strong. What kind of taste did this girl have?
The other spectators also looked at Lin Xiaoyue in surprise. No one was bidding against her.
Some of them heard the conversation between her and the hunter and knew that she was here to buy a husband. Seeing that she was bidding for Li Xiao, they all subconsciously wanted to stay away from her.
This girl's personality did not match her appearance very well.
Li Xiao also looked at Lin Xiaoyue.
Although he was injured, people who practiced martial arts had excellent hearing. In addition, this girl's behavior just now was abnormal, so he paid attention to her.
Moreover, he also heard what she said to the man with a broken arm beside her.
She came to buy a husband? And she took a fancy to him of all men?
He felt strange, but perhaps he could try…
The risk of him escaping with the weak Qing'er was not small. Even if he escaped successfully, the Zhou family would definitely report to the police.
But if he could bring Qing'er to this little girl's house, then everything would be fine.
Looking at this little girl's clothing, he did not know which village she was from.
She probably bought him because she liked his figure. Did the family need a strong person to take care of things?
Well, if she could take him and Qing'er in, he would help out.
Thinking of this, Li Xiao looked at Lin Xiaoyue with more calmness.
Lin Xiaoyue's eyes lit up, and then her face turned a little red.
He was looking at her so gently.
On the stage, Third Master Zhou also noticed Lin Xiaoyue.
Seeing her flushed face, his heart fluttered.
There was actually such a pretty girl in such a small place.
Lin Xiaoyue didn't care about Third Master Zhou. After waiting for a while, she didn't see anyone competing with her, so she opened her mouth.
"If no one else is bidding, then he's mine. Hurry up and strike the gong!" She said to the staff on the stage.
He looked at Third Master Zhou.
This man was big and fierce-looking. Ordinary people did not dare to buy him, afraid that they would not be able to subdue him. Hence, they wanted to sell him off as soon as possible.
Only then did Third Master Zhou take his gaze away from Lin Xiaoyue.
Then, he smiled.
"Little girl, why would you want to buy such a fierce-looking man?" He couldn't help but ask.
Lin Xiaoyue paused.
She wanted to say that she wanted him to be her husband. But when she saw the people around her looking at her…
Suddenly, she felt a little guilty.
"Ahem…that's none of your business."
Third Master Zhou was stunned. He realized that he had asked too much.
He looked at his staff beside him, who understood and quickly struck the gong.
"25 taels of silver for the deal. Please go through the procedures here!"
Lin Xiaoyue's face lit up.
Unexpectedly, the person on the stage suddenly spoke.
"There's another one." The person who spoke was Li Xiao.
Everyone was stunned.
The slaves on the stage did not dare to speak because they would get beaten up if they spoke. This was the first slave who dared to speak after so many people had been auctioned off today.