stingy landlady

Chapter 23 Buying People (2)

Er Ya tugged at Da Zhu: "Dad, let's come again later. If we buy these people back because we're soft-hearted, Mom will scold us for being useless! Besides, we've bought two more women and a sick old man because of farming! Let's go, Dad, we'll come back to see if there are any suitable ones later."

Dazhu was caught in a dilemma. The man and woman in front of him were pleading, and the two children knelt down and moved closer to their parents. The old man started coughing again. The whole family looked pitiful. Dazhu felt a pang of pity.

Looking at Zhang the matchmaker, he said with a heavy heart, "I'll give them the money right away and take them away, just like my daughter said, nineteen taels! No, I have no other choice."

Zhang the matchmaker wanted to haggle a bit more, but seeing that the older girl was afraid of being scolded and wouldn't buy from her, and also worried that the old man might die from his illness while she was there, she figured she might as well make a little less profit!

“Alright! But you’ll have to pay for the paperwork at the government office yourselves.” Zhang the matchmaker agreed.

"How much do you want?" Dazhu asked.

“You can each take about an ounce!” Zhang the matchmaker said with a smile.

"Father, give Zhang the matchmaker twenty taels of silver and have her take us to get all the paperwork done!" Guizhi knew that the matchmaker must have connections in the yamen, so it would be much smoother for her to handle the paperwork.

"Alright! Then I'll trouble you, Zhang the matchmaker!" Dazhu took out twenty taels of silver and handed it over.

Zhang the matchmaker took the silver: "Sir, ladies, please wait a moment! I'll go get their indentures now and be right back!"

Zhang the matchmaker was overjoyed, as she could pocket a few hundred coins for her errands! She had a lover at the yamen (government office) who would buy her some good food and drinks; it was just a matter of getting the paperwork stamped.

The family, carrying the old man on their backs, followed Dazhu and the others onto the oxcart. Besides the clothes they wore, they only had a small bundle containing a change of underwear. They had probably been ransacked countless times.

The oxcart headed straight for the clinic; getting the old man treated was the priority. Da Zhu left Da Ya and Gui Zhi at the clinic. The man carried the old man into the clinic. The woman and child were left on the oxcart; too many idle people at the clinic would get them scolded.

Sitting on the oxcart, Granny Zhang smiled and said, "Brother, you are such a kind person! At your age, I wonder what kind of illness would cost so much money?"

The woman and child dared not utter a word, clinging tightly to each other.

Da Zhu, driving the cart, chuckled. "Granny Zhang, sit tight! Let's go to the yamen and get the paperwork done first."

Along the way, no matter how much Zhang the matchmaker tried to get information out of them, Dazhu and Erya simply ignored her. Upon arriving at the yamen, Zhang the matchmaker naturally went first, while Dazhu told Erya and the others to wait on the oxcart. He followed closely behind, took out his household registration book, and confirmed that the buyer's name was his.

When Guizhi was teaching Daya and Erya to read, she required Dazhu and Li to at least recognize their own names. Dazhu was especially attentive; he was often out and about, and he had learned most of the deeds for buying land and houses.

After receiving the stamped documents, Dazhu asked Zhang the matchmaker if she wanted to go with him. Zhang the matchmaker gestured for Dazhu to go ahead and attend to his business, but Dazhu didn't linger and drove the oxcart to the clinic.

Inside the clinic, the old man had already been given fever-reducing medication and was resting; it would take a while for his fever to break. Guizhi and the man chatted briefly.

The man's name was Zhou Mingzhi, and the old man's name was Zhou Chang. Their ancestors were from Guanzhong, but they fled to Dancheng due to famine. They were forced to sell themselves to their former master, who was an official who had committed a crime and was sentenced to exile. Naturally, these servants were also put to different masters, as the locals dared not take in criminal slaves. That's how they ended up in Zhang Yapo's brokerage firm.

The young clerk at the clinic poured the two of them a glass of warm water when there were fewer people. The old doctor, surnamed Qian, had just seen off a patient. He also came over and touched Zhou Chang's forehead, noticing that his complexion wasn't as red anymore. He then checked his pulse.

Then he said, "The old man initially had a cough caused by a cold, but it wasn't treated properly, which led to a fever! Now he has pneumonia symptoms. If it had been any later and gotten more serious, I wouldn't have been able to help him."

"Thank you so much, Dr. Qian! Please prescribe the medicine! We'll take good care of ourselves when we get back." Guizhi knew that medical conditions were limited and pneumonia was still very difficult to treat.

Dr. Qian continued, "Even now, you need to take medicine and rest well. In particular, you must not catch a cold or overexert yourself. Your diet should be light, starting with some rice porridge or something similar."

Guizhi said she would follow the doctor's advice: "Dr. Qian, I'll have to trouble you to prescribe the medicine and have your waiter brew it for us. We'll go back after we take the medicine. My home is really far away; it takes at least half an hour by oxcart!"

"Alright! But we have to pay the waiters at our clinic to prepare the medicine." Doctor Qian smiled at Guizhi. Of the three people who came, she was the youngest, but she was the one who could make decisions.

"Of course I have to pay you! Thank you so much, Dr. Qian!" Guizhi stood up and bowed to Dr. Qian, then turned and bowed to the waiter. "Thank you too, waiter!"

The waiter was startled and quickly dodged.

As Dr. Qian was writing out a prescription in a cheerful mood, Dazhu walked in from outside. He greeted him first, "Dr. Qian!"

"Oh! It's you! Brother Dazhu!" Doctor Qian nodded; it was an acquaintance.

Indeed, people in the surrounding villages are quite familiar with Dr. Qian.

But Dr. Qian was able to call my father by name and even warmly addressed him as "Brother Dazhu," which suggests that my father has some connections.

"Father!" Daya and Guizhi called out to Dazhu.

"Dazhu, these two are your daughters? No wonder they're so capable!" Doctor Qian exclaimed.

"And who are these two?" Doctor Qian then pointed to Zhou Chang and his son.

"Oh! It's a distant relative! They're sick, so we had no choice but to bring them here." Dazhu didn't want to explain further.

"Dad! Let Uncle Zhou and Aunt Zhou see a doctor too! They've been taking care of the old man all this time!" Guizhi thought for a moment, realizing that colds and flu are contagious.

"Alright, then go and call for help! Bring the two little ones along too." Dazhu understood Guizhi's meaning; just to be safe, they should all be checked.

"Father, my eldest sister, second sister, and I are going to the cloth shop. Could you give us two taels of silver?" Guizhi pulled Dazhu aside and whispered.

"Oh! Dad! After the check-up, go find the shopkeeper to settle the bill so the waiter can get the medicine. He promised to brew a dose for the old man first, and then we'll go home after he finishes it."

Dazhu nodded, knowing his daughter was sensible and wouldn't waste money. Without asking further questions, he handed Guizhi two taels of silver. He then waited for Zhou Mingzhi and his family's examination results.

Guizhi called out to Daya, who knew how to drive. She went outside and called Zhou Mingzhi's wife and two children inside. The three sisters went to the cloth shop.

"Eldest sister, second sister, we need to buy some coarse cloth so they can make their own clothes. Oh, and shoes too," Guizhi said.

"Oh! We also need to buy some bowls, chopsticks, plates, and basins. They live on the east side, right? They'll have to cook for themselves." Daya said, calculating the household items she needed to buy.

"And blankets! There's nothing at the east end! We have to buy everything, and it'll cost a lot of money!" Er Ya felt distressed!

Upon arriving at the fabric shop, I discussed the prices with the clerk and then negotiated with the manager. Business was good before the Lunar New Year, but now, only a little over a month after the holiday, there weren't many people buying fabric or cotton. Since we had a good customer, we tried to offer a discount. Once the weather warms up, we'll need to stock up on summer fabrics.

Previously, a batch of cloth cost 200 cash, with a 20-cash discount per batch. Cotton cost 25 cash per jin (500 grams), but now it only costs 20 cash. First, I bought 20 jin of cotton to make quilts, which cost 400 cash; then two bolts of floral cloth and two bolts of black cloth. The floral cloth can be used for women's clothing and quilt covers, while the black cloth can be used for men's clothing and shoe uppers. The four bolts of cloth cost 720 cash. That's already 10220 cash.

The three sisters then begged the shopkeeper to give them needles and thread, and the shopkeeper casually gave them a large bag of scraps of cloth as well.

The group loaded the items onto the oxcart and went to a general store to buy bowls, chopsticks, plates, basins, and a medicine pot for decocting medicine. The total cost was one hundred coins.

The three of them thought about it and couldn't think of any other necessities they were missing for the time being. They would add the rest later.

Back at the clinic, Zhou Chang had already taken his medicine. Zhou Mingzhi and the others were only malnourished; otherwise, they were fine. Unexpectedly, Zhou Mingzhi's wife was pregnant, already over three months along, but she hadn't dared to tell anyone. She was probably afraid that buyers would reject her because she couldn't work.

Zhou Mingzhi carried Zhou Chang onto the vehicle. There was a small blanket in the vehicle to cover the food box, which the sisters would also use when it was cold. It was just right to cover Zhou Chang with it.

Seeing so many things bought in the car, Yang Liu and Zhou Mingzhi exchanged a glance but remained silent.

Passing by a steamed bun shop, Guizhi bought ten buns for Zhou Mingzhi, telling him and his family to eat some to replenish their energy. "No politeness allowed, everyone eat their fill! Otherwise, they won't have the strength to walk," Guizhi said.

There were too many people; even if everyone sat on the oxcart, there wouldn't be enough room, especially with a sick person lying down and so much stuff. In the end, Yang Liu took the child onto the cart, Da Zhu drove, and Gui Zhi sat next to Da Zhu.

"Father, here are the remaining copper coins. Please keep them." Guizhi handed over all the remaining six hundred and sixty coins.

"Father, how much did it cost at the clinic?" Guizhi realized she hadn't asked how much the doctor's visit and medicine had cost!

"I've prescribed three days' worth of medicine for now!" Da Zhu glanced at Zhou Chang, and seeing that his complexion was alright, continued, "The total cost for the consultation, dispensing the medicine, and preparing the medicine is one tael of silver. Come back for a check-up and have the medicine changed after you finish the three days' worth."

This is really expensive. No wonder Zhang the matchmaker refused to see a doctor or get medicine. Judging from the sales alone, she couldn't even make back her investment.

The group returned to the east end of the village, opened the courtyard gate, drove the oxcart into the yard, and only then did they remember about the vegetable garden.

Dazhu tied up the ox, and Daya opened the door and said, "Uncle Zhou, let Grandpa Zhou rest on the kang first. Erya, let's heat the kang first."

Zhou Zhiming carried Zhou Chang into the house on his back, but saw no signs of anyone living there. He placed Old Master Zhou on the north kang (a heated brick bed), and Yang Liu and the children also entered the house. There were several large vats in the house, and several pots of lush green garlic sprouts and scallions on the kang.

Guizhi and Erya took the kitchen utensils into the outer room near the stove. Since there were no cabinets, they put everything in a basin first.

Guizhi came from the outer room and called out, "Aunt Zhou, put the bundle and medicine on the kang. Uncle Zhou and Aunt Zhou, go and bring in the cloth and cotton!"

"Okay, coming right away," the two said in unison.

“You’ll be living here from now on! It’s tough for now, so we’ll have to make do with the cramped conditions. When we have more money, we’ll build a bigger house, a brick house. That will be much more spacious,” Guizhi said with a smile.

“That’s great! It’s really great!” Zhou Mingzhi emphasized.

"From now on, you'll cook your own meals here. Uncle Zhou will come with us to get some rice and some pickled cabbage later," Guizhi instructed.

"We're a farming family, so these are our circumstances. There's work every day, and we'll get used to it gradually!"

"These vats are for soybean sprouts. Every day we pick about 15 jin (7.5 catties) of soybeans to soak. Our family produces about 100 jin (50 kg) of soybean sprouts every day to take to town to sell," Guizhi explained, pointing to the vats.

He then pointed to the garlic sprouts and scallions, which were growing well.

"These are for making side dishes for boxed lunches and fillings for dumplings. There's too little; we don't sell any. It's barely enough for our family. You can all sleep on two kang beds. Put the garlic sprouts and scallions at the edge of the kang, but don't let it get too hot. If the kang gets too hot, put some underneath for me." Guizhi remembered that before, when no one lived there, the rooms were just not too cold, and as long as there was no frost, it was fine. Now that people are living there, at least the kang is heated, and the room temperature is higher. We still need to be a little more careful.

Dazhu's voice rang out from the vegetable garden: "Dad! Fourth Brother! You two take a break. Daya and the others went to boil water. Have a drink of water later, and I'll dig up the last bit!"

Then he added, "Dad, I bought some vegetables to plant. I'll take them home later so you can start planting them tomorrow."

"Okay! You dig for a bit first, and Lao Si and I will sow the seeds and water them." The old man always wanted to finish as quickly as possible.

After Guizhi finished explaining inside the house, she called Zhou Mingzhi to come and explain in the yard. "The firewood is all ours. There's not much in the storeroom right now, just soybeans and farm tools. Uncle Zhou, let's go take a look at the vegetable garden first!"

"My grandpa and my fourth uncle are helping to dig the ground! They want to plant a batch of early spring vegetables as soon as possible so they can sell them for a good price later," Guizhi said as she got onto the oxcart and took the vegetable seeds down.

The two walked towards the vegetable garden. Daya and Erya washed the pots and boiled water. At the same time, they began selecting soybeans to soak. Yangliu, who was also observant, took the two children and followed along to select the soybeans.

"Aunt Zhou, after we leave, take a hot bath and cook yourself a good meal tonight! Cook some porridge for Grandpa Zhou, make sure he eats something!" Daya felt she was an adult now. Some girls in the village got married at fifteen or sixteen, and she was eleven.

Upon entering the vegetable garden, the old man and the fourth son were resting at the edge of the field, while Dazhu was digging the ground.

"Grandpa! Fourth Uncle! You've worked hard!" Guizhi called out sweetly.

"Yes! Yes!" the old man and the fourth son replied.

"Are we having guests? Why aren't you coming inside? You're leading them into the garden instead?" The old man was surprised. This kid is usually so clever! Why is he acting so foolish today?

"Master! Fourth Master! I am the servant that Master bought!" Zhou Mingzhi was smart and knew immediately that the old master had wronged Guizhi.

"Grandpa?" "Fourth Master?" The old man and the fourth master were both dumbfounded.

"What's going on, Dazhu?" The old man finally realized what was happening and hurriedly asked Dazhu.

Dazhu scratched his head: "It's just what you've heard. There's a lot going on at home, and we can't manage everything, so we hired a few people to do the work."

"Now that the people are here, let's do a good job!" What else could the old man say? After thinking for a moment, he added, "We haven't heard of anyone in our village buying servants, so keep your mouths shut and don't tell anyone yet."

The fourth brother and Dazhu nodded in unison. Dazhu was not an overly flamboyant person to begin with.

Seeing Dazhu digging the ground, Zhou Mingzhi tried to snatch the pickaxe from him, saying, "Sir, let me dig!"

Dazhu didn't give it to him, but pointed to the pickaxe next to Lao Si: "Go get Lao Si's. I haven't asked you yet, do you know how to dig?"

"Yes! Master, I used to work on the estate too." Zhou Mingzhi took the pickaxe and started digging like Dazhu.

Guizhi called out, "Father, unload the oxcart first, I'll go herd the cattle!"

"Oh! I was so busy I forgot!" Dazhu said with a laugh.

"Big brother, I'll go! Sanya! Come on, Fourth Uncle will unload the oxcart." The fourth brother led Guizhi forward.

Zhou Mingzhi said from behind, "Miss, why don't you take my two children with you? Once they're familiar with the place, we can let them herd cattle!"

"Okay!" Guizhi agreed as she walked away.

Although Guizhi really didn't want to take care of the children, she thought it wouldn't be bad to have two little helpers in the future.