“Those willing to come with me, please raise your hands!”
As soon as Jin Feng finished speaking, almost all the girls in the audience raised their hands.
They sought nothing else now, only to leave that crowded little room filled with foul smells as quickly as possible.
Even if they were bought back and beaten to death, they would accept it.
Those who did not raise their hands were not unwilling, but they might be too starved to even have the strength to lift their arms.
“Sister, Mr Jin is not going to buy all of them, is he?” Tang Xiaobei asked quietly.
Tang Dongdong did not answer, but Tang Xiaobei could see the answer in her eyes.
“Sister, this is too many, is it not? You go and talk to the gentleman. This is not the time to be soft-hearted. Buying them might not cost much, but feeding so many people is not easy.”
“Xiaobei, I told you, Feng Ge never does anything without certainty. Since he is buying them, he can certainly feed them.”
Tang Dongdong looked up at Jin Feng and said, “Feng Ge is not soft-hearted, but he has compassion in his heart. He has the fierce methods of Vajra and the kind heart of a Bodhisattva.”
She had seen Jin Feng’s ruthlessness in killing bandits. With one command, hundreds of bandits were killed or wounded, and he did not even blink.
She had also seen the helplessness and sympathy in Jin Feng’s eyes when he saw the destitute elderly and children in the village.
These two extreme traits were perfectly fused in one person.
But this was exactly why Jin Feng made Tang Dongdong’s heart beat more and more.
“Vajra methods, Bodhisattva heart?”
Tang Xiaobei also looked up at Jin Feng on the stage, feeling that this scholar was even more inscrutable.
“Mr Jin, have you made your selection?”
The fat manager asked expectantly.
In fact, these girls had been forced upon him by the authorities. They were hard to sell, and just feeding them every day was a considerable burden for him.
“No need to select. I will take all of them in the courtyard.”
For him, it was just a matter of reaching out a hand, but for the girls below the stage, it would change their fates.
Besides his unwillingness to see their suffering, Jin Feng had his own plans.
Other wealthy merchants buy household slaves usually to serve as maids. Buying so many at once might be unsustainable, but Jin Feng could buy them to work. Not only could they support themselves, but they could also earn money.
Moreover, Jin Feng understood that people are the foundation of all development. The more people under him, the smoother his ventures would proceed.
There were too many people in Da Kang who could not survive. If not for his limited abilities, Jin Feng would buy all the household slaves from the broker.
Unfortunately, he did not have that capability yet and could not manage so many people. He could only help those right in front of him.
“All of them?”
The fat manager was so delighted he nearly jumped up.
Jin Feng had essentially done him a great favour.
“Sir, there are two hundred and twenty people here in total, four hundred and forty taels of silver. You can give four hundred and thirty taels.”
At this moment, Jin Feng still felt deeply uncomfortable and had no mood to haggle. He casually pulled out a stack of silver notes and handed them to the fat manager.
“Sir, you gave four hundred and fifty taels. This is twenty taels change. Please take it.”
“No need for change. They will stay here with you for another day for now. Use the remaining silver to get them some wheat porridge. For those whose clothes cannot cover their bodies, get them some decent garments to cover their shame. That will suffice, yes?”
Jin Feng waved his hand irritably.
“More than enough!”
The fat manager nodded quickly.
“The wheat porridge must be plentiful. Tomorrow I will take them back to Jinchuan. They cannot lack the strength even to walk.”
“Sir, rest assured. They will be fully fed.”
“Also, do not let them squeeze into those little rooms anymore. It will suffocate them. Tomorrow I will come to collect them. If one is missing, I will hold you accountable.”
“Yes, yes!”
The fat manager now wished he could worship Jin Feng. He nodded like a pecking chick to everything said.
Hearing Jin Feng instruct the manager to provide them food and not cram them into the little rooms, many girls looked up at Jin Feng with eyes full of gratitude.
“Alright then, I am leaving.”
Jin Feng felt a pang in his heart from the girls’ gazes, jumped down from the stage, and prepared to depart.
“Sir, will Brother Jin Peng stay here as well?”
Da Liu had sidled over at some point, scratching his head as he asked.
“Have them return to the inn first. Leave two people here to keep watch.” Jin Feng instructed.
“Got it.”
Da Liu nodded happily and was about to notify Jin Peng when he caught sight of a girl rushing quickly towards Jin Feng.
A few days ago, Jin Feng had caused the prefect great embarrassment. Tie Hammer had repeatedly emphasised protecting Jin Feng’s safety.
Da Liu had been on edge lately. Suddenly seeing someone charge forward, he instinctively drew his long sabre, pointed it at the girl, and shouted, “Stop!”
The other veterans heard the shout and simultaneously drew their sabres, rushing over.
When had the girl ever seen such a scene? Her legs gave way in fright, and she collapsed to the ground.
Da Liu signalled with his hand, and two veterans immediately surrounded her, placing their blades at her neck.
“What are you doing?”
Jin Feng coldly ordered the veterans to sheathe their blades and looked at the girl slumped on the ground. “Do you have business with me?”
“Please, good sir, have mercy and buy my younger brother as well. My parents are both dead. He is the only one left in our family…”
The girl crawled up and kowtowed repeatedly to Jin Feng. “He is only nine years old, but he works diligently. Last year he could already guide the plough, and he eats little. Good sir, you will not lose out by buying him.”
“Do not do that.” Jin Feng signalled the veterans to help the girl up and asked, “Where is your brother?”
“Right over there.”
The girl pointed to a room in the corner of the courtyard.
“Manager, bring her brother over.”
The cruelest thing in the human world is the separation of flesh and blood. Jin Feng sighed and looked at the fat manager.
“Right away.”
The fat manager hurriedly told the assistant to open the door.
Then Jin Feng saw a dim little room crammed full of children of all ages.
“Come and see which one is your brother!” the assistant shouted to the girl.
“No need. Bring them all out.”
Jin Feng called out to the crowd, “Anyone who still has family, go and find them.”
The assistant looked back at the fat manager, who nodded, and then released all the children.
“Thank you, good sir! Thank you, good sir!”
This batch of girls and children had been sent together, and most were relatives.
As soon as Jin Feng spoke, at least half the girls knelt and kowtowed.
“I will take these children as well. How much?”
Jin Feng looked at the fat manager.
“Earlier I promised sir that for every ten girls bought, five children would be given free. How can one go back on a business deal?”
The fat manager patted his chest. “These children are all given to sir for free.”
The tooth broker standing nearby twitched his mouth but said nothing.
These children, the oldest only eleven or twelve, the youngest six or seven, would need years of raising before they could work, making them the hardest to sell in the broker’s trade.
This group of children had been forced on the fat manager along with the girls by the authorities. They could not be sold and only cost money to feed.
Jin Feng was no fool. He could guess from the fat manager’s and the tooth broker’s expressions, but he did not wish to quibble over it. He left with Tang Dongdong and the others.
He feared staying longer would tempt him to buy all the household slaves in the broker.
He did not yet have the capacity for that.
Jin Feng himself had not realised that these children he saved today out of compassion would bring him such great surprises in the future.
