#27 - Chapter 27 Cui Er and Xiao Hua

Looking closely at the newly arrived refugees, where could you find any with good figures?

They were all practically skin and bones.

Cheng Feng said helplessly, "This is what you call a good figure?"

The shop assistant smiled ingratiatingly, "Sir, there's a saying: 'judge a beauty by her bones.' I've handled at least eight hundred if not a thousand in this line of work. These girls have just been starved for too long. As long as you fatten them up, they'll definitely be worth more than you paid for them."

Cheng Feng wouldn't listen to the shop assistant's advice. What he needed was someone he could buy and take to the bridal chamber that very night.

But Cheng Feng couldn't say it outright, so he could only shake his head and say, "I can't wait that long. Do you have any ready-made ones?"

Seeing the shop assistant's troubled expression, Cheng Feng felt there was hope.

If he didn't refuse directly, then it was negotiable.

"Don't worry, price is not a problem."

As he said this, Cheng Feng slipped two large coins into the shop assistant's hand.

Cheng Feng smiled on the surface, but his heart was bleeding. Those were two large coins!

Before, when Cheng Feng sold fish, he only got one large coin per fish.

Although it hurt, he had to endure it for his goal.

All of Cheng Feng's goals now were focused on the martial arts school assessment.

Entering the outer sect would also bring a considerable salary.

As for the rest, he still had twenty-two taels of silver. After buying someone, the remainder should be enough to get him through until then.

The shop assistant took the money, and the smile on his face was filled with sincerity. He quickly and quietly flattered, "Thank you for your generosity, sir."

Following the shop assistant, Cheng Feng came to a side room again. While opening the door, the shop assistant introduced Cheng Feng, "This way, sir."

Hearing the shop assistant's address change, Cheng Feng regretted giving too much.

But he also felt a little smug. Being flattered felt quite good.

It would be even better if there was a girl suitable for Cheng Feng's taste to take away.

"This room contains those who were just brought in these past two days. I remember there are a few pretty ones. Sir, take a look. If you still don't find one that suits you, then our shop really doesn't have any more."

Cheng Feng asked doubtfully, "Won't there be any problems?"

Locals were better, but what outsiders feared most was having no ties. They might sell themselves, earn some silver, and then commit suicide, and the money couldn't be recovered.

The shop assistant reassured Cheng Feng, "Don't worry, sir. We're a decades-old shop. We definitely make sure the background of everyone we handle is clear and transparent."

Cheng Feng looked at this batch of new goods. There were indeed pretty ones, and there were also some that suited Cheng Feng's taste.

Sure enough, you could only see the good stuff by recharging for VIP!

Compared to these women with good figures and temperaments, Cheng Feng was more curious about the origins of this batch of new goods.

The shop assistant replied, "Didn't the area around Dongyu Road rebel? Some wealthy merchants and clans fled south with their families. The journey is long, and they have many servants. These are the slaves and maids of those wealthy families. Some were sold to exchange for money, and some ended up in this situation through underhanded means. So, sir, you don't have to worry at all. The contract terms will be prepared perfectly."

"Sounds good. Are they all virgins?" Cheng Feng asked.

"They are all virgins, except for this mother and daughter. They must be bought together; they are not sold separately," the shop assistant replied.

Cheng Feng carefully looked at the mother and daughter. The mother was probably twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with a graceful figure and good temperament.

But she had a daughter, about five or six years old, who looked at everything around her with ignorant eyes.

Cheng Feng didn't know what this mother and daughter had been through.

He only knew that he had come to find the person he needed,

and not to sympathize with others.

If he had the spare energy, he would help if he could.

But he didn't have so much silver to waste on charity.

Those cold scales, the urgent pursuit, were the silver that Cheng Feng and Lao San had risked their lives to bring out.

How could Cheng Feng dare to spend it recklessly? "The mother and daughter are out of the question. I still prefer virgins."

Cheng Feng carefully selected a maid from a wealthy family. She had long legs, and her figure wasn't as outstanding as Cai'er's, but it wasn't bad either.

Her eyebrows and eyes were more excellent and delicate than Cai'er's.

Her lips were slightly full, not appearing thin.

Cheng Feng also specifically looked at her teeth, which were neat and orderly.

Cheng Feng looked left and right and found that she was the type he liked.

Satisfied.

Cheng Feng pointed to the girl he had chosen. "It's her. What's the price?"

The shop assistant said happily, "Sir, her name is Cui'er. She used to be a maid in a wealthy family. She's excellent at taking care of people. The shop price is sixteen taels."

Cheng Feng frowned slightly, not expecting his taste to be so good, but the price wasn't cheap either!

The shop assistant, good at observing people's expressions, saw Cheng Feng's hesitation and added, "Sir, if you take another girl from those refugees in the front, it's twenty percent off. It'll be seventeen taels in total. You'll actually be making a profit!"

"Oh? It can be like that?" Cheng Feng was interested.

"Sir, it's just that there are more refugees coming to our place recently, so the shopkeeper is half-selling and half-giving them away. After all, keeping them here would consume a lot of food," the shop assistant explained.

Cheng Feng nodded, thinking that made sense. "Alright, let's go to the front and pick another one. Maybe there will be a hidden gem!"

Seeing that Cheng Feng was going to buy, the shop assistant flattered, "Sir, your vision is definitely right. If you fatten her up, she'll definitely be a great beauty."

Bringing Cui'er, they came to the front room, and Cheng Feng roughly selected a young girl based on her eyes, temperament, lips, teeth, and figure.

Her name was Xiao Hua, she had no surname, and her background was simple. She was sold by her family to treat her younger brother's illness.

Cheng Feng didn't waste any words. He took the two girls to the front hall, paid the money, and waited at the table for the errand boy to go to the yamen to get the official seal.

Cheng Feng felt a little pity for the mother and daughter. The mother's appearance was really good, reaching into Cheng Feng's heart.

He had seen quite a few women with that kind of beautiful, mature temperament in Japanese adult films.

It was a pity to encounter such a woman in reality.

They were destined to never meet again.

It was almost sunset when Cheng Feng hurriedly took the two girls to a clothing store, bought each of them a set of clothes, and then returned home.

Cai'er was mentally prepared, but she was still a little surprised to see Cheng Feng bring two girls back.

He bought one more?

Cheng Feng took the initiative to explain, "There was a disaster, and they were refugees from home. The shopkeeper happened to say it would be cheaper to buy two, so I bought them on the spur of the moment. I was afraid that one wouldn't be able to handle everything."

Looking at the two girls' clothes and faces, Cai'er knew what was going on. One to help her, and one to help her man.

She first busied herself with preparing a meal for Cheng Feng,

and then took the two girls to the kitchen to make two dishes. The combination of fine rice, fine flour, and meat truly stunned Xiao Hua.

Was it so extravagant?

Cui'er, with her broader experience, wasn't too surprised.

Since they had been sold, Cui'er knew what they were about to face.

If they were good-looking, they would simply become someone else's concubine.

At worst, they would be handmaids, who could be given away at will.

Originally, Cui'er would have been given as a gift to someone who was on good terms with her master.

But unfortunately, she had seen too much, from disasters and riots to rebellions and escapes, and Cui'er had resigned herself to fate.

With the deed in the master's hands, the consequences of running away wouldn't be good.

Being able to come to this family was considered good enough.

The two girls silently ate their meal, and as they ate, they began to cry.

They cried softly, afraid of disturbing the master of the house.

Cai'er, as someone who had been through it, hurriedly comforted them, "What are you crying for? Don't cry, don't cry. You'll be settled from now on."

Xiao Hua cried and replied, "This food is too delicious."

Cui'er also silently nodded in agreement.