Since following Jin Feng, the veterans had successively wiped out several bandit groups, with each receiving a substantial share of the money.
In particular this time, the silver from the tigress’s wealthy merchant husband, Jin Feng distributed twenty taels to each veteran.
This was a considerable sum of wealth. Used frugally, it could support a family for several good years.
But here, twenty taels was far too little.
Not to mention buying four, he couldn’t even afford the one-eyed man alone.
“So expensive?”
Jin Feng’s brows furrowed slightly too.
Was the shopkeeper seeing them as outsiders and trying to cheat them?
“Sir, able-bodied men are already in high demand. Eighty taels each is truly not expensive.”
The fat shopkeeper said, “Ones like these who have served as soldiers and returned alive intact are all experts. They’re best for guarding homes and courtyards. The lords all like them. Normally I wouldn’t sell below one hundred taels.”
“Sir, I can vouch for this. The market for veterans is basically never below one hundred taels.”
The broker added.
Jin Feng did not reply, instead turning to look at Tang Dongdong.
After all, this was his first time buying household slaves, with no experience at all. He brought Tang Dongdong precisely to avoid being cheated.
Tang Dongdong nodded slightly, indicating that the market rate was indeed so.
“Sir, you… could you lend me… three hundred taels of silver?”
Da Liu’s face flushed bright red, but he gritted his teeth and said, “I know it’s a large sum. I might not repay it in my lifetime, but… but from today, I can be sir’s household slave… As long as sir says the word, through mountains of knives and seas of fire, I won’t bat an eyelid…”
“Get lost. Is it your turn to stand up for me?”
The one-eyed man didn’t wait for Jin Feng to answer, kicking Da Liu hard. “I’ve already been registered as a slave. What are you joining in for?”
“Da Liu, you usually seem so shrewd. Why are you being foolish now?”
Tang Dongdong said, “Brother Feng buying them means they can work. If you buy them, what do you plan to do with them? Besides, don’t you know Brother Feng’s character?
Once they follow Brother Feng, how could he treat them poorly?”
“Er…”
Da Liu seemed struck by a stick, stunned in place.
Right, with Jin Feng’s personality, he definitely wouldn’t mistreat Jin Peng. Why was he getting worked up over nothing?
“Heh heh, sorry sir. Earlier seeing Brother Jin Peng, I got excited and lost my head.”
Da Liu climbed up from the ground, scratching his head with a silly grin.
“Not snatching anymore?”
Jin Feng glanced at Da Liu, then pulled three banknotes from his bosom and handed them to the fat shopkeeper.
“Sir, wait a moment. I’ll fetch the contracts and tags for you.”
The fat shopkeeper took the banknotes and trotted off.
The assistant stayed to find keys and unlock the shackles for the one-eyed man and others.
“Brother Jin Peng, now we have dozens of brothers following sir. Liang Ge, Tie Niu, Zheng Fang, they’re all there. They’d be thrilled to see you.”
The usually steady Da Liu was now excited like a child, chattering nonstop while holding Jin Peng.
Jin Feng had no interest in joining them, leading the broker out of the room. “Do other shops have able-bodied men?”
“Sir, to my knowledge, truly none left.” The broker said helplessly. “Able-bodied men sell quickly once sent here. No one keeps them around.”
“Then what to do?”
Jin Feng frowned slightly.
The court news Qing Muluan brought back gave Jin Feng a sense of urgency. Next, he would not only continue expanding the veteran ranks but also find ways to equip them with armour.
In an era without machines, armour needed hammering out bit by bit, requiring vast manpower. What could four men do?
They probably wouldn’t even suffice for making spinning wheels in the textile factory.
“Sir, I saw a few of those women earlier who seemed decent. Why not buy some first as a stopgap?”
Tang Dongdong said, “They might not handle blacksmithing, but helping make spinning wheels or tending iron furnaces should be possible.”
Jin Feng thought for a moment, nodding slightly. “That’s a method too.”
In his previous life’s machine factories, female workers were plentiful. They worked no worse than men, and for jobs needing care, even better.
“Sir, here are the contracts and tags for Jin Peng and the four. Keep them safe.”
The fat shopkeeper trotted back, handing an envelope to Jin Feng.
After verifying, Jin Feng gave the envelope to Tang Dongdong for safekeeping.
“Shopkeeper, no able-bodied men left. Do you have young women here?”
“Of course we do. Didn’t sir see them earlier?”
The fat shopkeeper said, “Those are all literate fine girls. Only ten taels each.”
“I’m seeking people for labour. Literacy matters little. What’s important is dexterity and endurance for hardship.” Jin Feng explained.
“Such girls are even more plentiful!”
The fat shopkeeper pointed to the frontmost rooms. “Those rooms are full of them. If not enough, sir, just say how many. In less than half an hour, I can gather them!”
With that, he directed the assistant to call people, opening rooms and pulling out groups of women bound with ropes.
In recent years Da Kang’s taxes grew ever heavier. Many commoners simply couldn’t pay. Officials seized men for military service, women to official brothels.
But these years, too many couldn’t pay taxes. Brothels couldn’t take them all, selecting only those with outstanding looks and figures. The rest went to slave markets, sold with the elderly and children.
Watching the assistant pull thirty or forty from one tiny room, Jin Feng could scarcely imagine how those small rooms held so many.
Many gasped for air upon being pulled out.
Their wretched state resembled the “meat carts” Jin Feng found at Iron Can Mountain back then.
“Sir, these girls have absolutely endured hardship. Give them a meal, and they won’t slack at work.”
The fat shopkeeper grinned. “These girls only two taels each. If sir buys many, for every ten women, I’ll throw in five children!”
Jin Feng knew beforehand what he’d face, but hearing the fat shopkeeper so casually discuss these girls’ prices, like livestock, still made his scalp tingle. A wave of inexpressible sorrow surged in his heart. He nearly couldn’t hold back and walk away.
This was the era’s tragedy, everyone’s tragedy.
Ten-odd minutes later, the assistant finally brought out all the girls from several rooms, nearly filling the courtyard.
Jin Feng roughly counted, over two hundred for sure.
“Sir, pick as you please.”
The fat shopkeeper pointed to a wooden platform by the courtyard wall.
Jin Feng exhaled long, suppressing his heart’s discomfort, and stepped onto the platform.
Clearing his throat, he said loudly,
“I want to recruit some female workers for labour back home. Might be carpentry, might be smithing. Those willing to come with me, raise your hand.”
