The more beautiful a female slave was, the higher the price she could fetch. For male slaves, as long as they were free of illness and had all four limbs intact, there was generally little difference in price. The only exception was someone as exceptionally handsome as Zhao Yilou. That was why Song Chuyi was so particular about buying and selling female slaves, especially beautiful ones.
The people over there were caught up in a chaotic tug-of-war, but Song Chuyi quickly gathered the gist of the situation. It seemed that a seedy-looking man had brought the little girl there to sell, but the woman was refusing to let her go.
Ji Huan strode over and cupped his hands in greeting. “Sir, the woman says that if we want to buy the girl, we must buy her as well.”
Song Chuyi frowned. “Tell her we’re willing to trade one bolt of satin for the girl. But if she insists on coming along, we’ll only offer half a bolt of cloth for the both of them.”
“Sir, what kind of reasoning is that?” Ji Huan was utterly bewildered. One person could be exchanged for a whole bolt of satin, yet two people were worth only half a bolt of cloth? Had he misunderstood something?
“We’re in the business of trading people, not doing charity. The woman is around forty years old. Her left foot is lame, her complexion is sallow and her lips are pale. She’s clearly been ill for a long time. If we take her along, we’re bound to lose money,” Song Chuyi explained.
Ji Huan cupped his hands and was about to withdraw when Song Chuyi called him back.
“You may keep what I just said to yourself. When explaining the price to everyone else, tell them that any child sold into our caravan will be fed white rice and dressed in silk. We have no use for an old woman like her, so if she wants to come along, she’ll have to pay her own way.”
In those days, the buying and selling of human beings was an utterly commonplace transaction. It was an age of fervent passions, but also one of ruthless cruelty.
Song Chuyi had never entertained a shred of unnecessary compassion. There were simply too many people in this world who needed pity, and misplaced kindness was nothing more than weakness. In those times, the weak could barely protect themselves, let alone afford to sympathise with others.
Besides, judging by the little girl’s circumstances, she would be sold sooner or later anyway. Song Chuyi could at least take some responsibility by finding her a decent buyer. For the girl, that might not be such a bad thing.
Ji Huan walked back over and relayed Song Chuyi’s words.
The clamouring crowd suddenly fell silent. They had never heard of slaves being fed white rice or dressed in silk!
“Buy my child! Buy my child!” One woman hurriedly pulled her child forward for Ji Huan to inspect. “My child has perfectly good legs and feet!”
“Buy me, strongman! I’m thirteen this year…”
“My child is a girl! She’ll grow up lovely if she’s properly looked after. What do you say? Will you take her?”
…
The promise of white rice and silk was enough to shatter everyone’s reason in an instant. Even the woman who had been so reluctant to part with her daughter slowly loosened her grip.
How many people had been left wandering from place to place, unable to get enough to eat? How many had never dared to dream that, even once in their entire lives, they might touch so much as a tiny scrap of silk? For these people, a life like that was already an unimaginable dream.
Song Chuyi carefully surveyed everyone in the crowd, then finally selected three children who were no longer quite so young but had yet to reach adulthood. One was the little girl, and the other two were boys.
“Prepare some hot water and give all three of them a thorough wash. Then provide them with new clothes. Give the girl a silk outfit,” Song Chuyi instructed.
“Yes, sir.” Ji Huan went off to arrange for a stove to be set up, water to be boiled, and food to be cooked.
Song Chuyi draped a heavy cloak over her shoulders and climbed down from the carriage, holding White Blade in her arms. The bitter wind outside cut like a knife, making her shiver and instinctively hunch her shoulders.
“Surprised?” Song Chuyi asked as she walked over to Ji Yu, who was standing facing the wind.
“Yes. I thought there wouldn’t be any business.” The clouds of breath escaping Ji Yu’s nose and mouth were scattered by the howling wind in an instant.
“Winter is actually the peak season for the slave trade. Many commoners lack the means to keep themselves warm and struggle to endure the bitter cold. Their resolve has already been worn down considerably. Even without offering such tempting conditions, we could still sway them. Trading in people during winter is perfectly commonplace. That’s precisely why I chose this line of business,” Song Chuyi explained.
Indeed, many merchants dealt in slaves, so Song Chuyi’s caravan would hardly attract any particular attention.
Ji Yu turned to look at Song Chuyi in surprise. “Could it be that you’re well versed in the art of commerce, sir?”
“Not exactly. I know a little, that’s all,” Song Chuyi replied. In truth, she had her own motives for choosing the slave trade. This diplomatic mission to Qin was the perfect opportunity to secure a little wealth for herself.
“We should stay here for another day. It’s only in small towns like this that we can buy slaves individually. In larger cities, we won’t be able to purchase people this way. We’ll probably have to trade in bulk.”
The commoners in larger cities generally enjoyed somewhat better living conditions, and they had seen more of the world. They were therefore unlikely to sell themselves into slavery. Once they reached a major city, they would no longer be able to buy people in small numbers as they were doing now. However, those cities had large slave markets where they could either take all the slaves they had purchased and sell them, or buy slaves in bulk and transport them to other cities for resale.
“If we carry on like this, it’ll be difficult to estimate how long our food supplies will last,” Ji Yu remarked.
Song Chuyi nodded. “We only need enough supplies to last six or seven days. I won’t take just anyone, so don’t worry.”
Ji Yu thought to himself, At least you have some idea of your limits.
He had already gained some insight into Song Chuyi’s less-than-ideal habits over the past few days. She picked up beautiful people, children, wolf cubs, strong men… In the short month since they had met, she had already taken in so many. He was genuinely afraid she would keep picking up strays all the way to Qin.
“I heard that the people of Qin can no longer find land to farm. Is that true?” Song Chuyi asked.
“I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, so I wouldn’t know,” Ji Yu replied.
Song Chuyi ruffled White Blade’s fur until it was a complete mess, murmuring, “In that case, I’ll have to spend money…”
Her words came out of nowhere, leaving Ji Yu utterly baffled. It never occurred to him that Song Chuyi had been planning to pick up a plot of land in Qin as well.
Song Chuyi herself understood that Qin had a well-established legal system. Forget about getting land for free; even if she paid for it, she would have to register the purchase with the authorities. None of that was a problem. The real issue was that she didn’t have enough money to buy land…
Ji Huan brought the three children over to meet Song Chuyi. They had been washed clean and dressed in new clothes, looking like entirely different people. Although their little faces were still gaunt and sallow, they seemed much livelier than before.
The little girl was indeed quite pretty, with gracefully arched eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, and small, full lips. She had never seen silk before, much less imagined that she might one day wear it herself. The smooth, slippery feel of the fabric against her skin left her so flustered that she hardly knew what to do with her hands and feet.
Song Chuyi looked at her with a faint smile. “What’s your name?”
The little girl’s gaze darted nervously about before she lowered her head in a panic and answered softly, “Ning Ya.”
“That which sustains a person’s life and brings them peace. What a lovely name.”
Song Chuyi wasn’t sure whether the character was indeed written as “寍,” but judging by the woman’s concern for the girl, she privately believed that must be her name.
“Open your mouth and let me have a look,” Song Chuyi said.
Ning Ya obediently opened her little mouth. After taking a glance inside, Song Chuyi looked up at Ji Huan. “Take her to Zi Zhao. Make sure she gets her daily ration of salt, and teach her how to keep herself clean.”
“Yes, sir.” Ji Huan answered, then took her by the shoulder and led her towards the carriage occupied by Zi Zhao and Zi Ya.
“Mother!”
After taking a few steps, Ning Ya suddenly stopped and stared intently at an old tree in the distance.
