bestfiction Chapter 16 Buying a Servant
Chapter 16 Buying a Servant
After successfully selling their milk cakes and herbal tea, the two realized it was still early, with some time before the afternoon. Returning home now would be rather dull. So, Gu Changfeng gladly accompanied Ye Qingchen to a cosmetics shop.
Stepping into the shop, the air was filled with the sweet scent of cosmetics, and a dazzling array of exquisite rouge and face powders were on display. This time, Ye Qingchen chose a pure natural lip rouge, a pale pink in color. However, instead of selling the recipe, she unexpectedly tried to sell the shopkeeper some floral water.
Gu Changfeng had never heard of floral water before, but from Ye Qingchen's description, he learned that it could not only effectively repel mosquitoes and relieve itching, but also emit a charming fragrance. It sounded like a rare and wonderful product. Gu Changfeng thought to himself that if that was the case, he would definitely do his best to assist her in developing it when he returned.
Regarding the price of the floral water, Ye Qingchen gave a clear price—one tael of silver per bottle. She instructed the cosmetics shop to prepare the bottles, which were the small bottles used to store the incense pills, each holding a maximum of 30 milliliters of liquid. While this price wasn't cheap, it was reasonable considering its unique effects and rarity. Furthermore, Ye Qingchen stated that customers only needed to bring their jars; regardless of how many bottles were filled, they would be sold according to the actual quantity. She wouldn't interfere with the resale price the shop could offer to customers.
The business negotiations went exceptionally smoothly, and both parties quickly reached an agreement. Before Ye Qingchen got up to leave the room, she turned slightly to the side and took out a delicate little porcelain box from her purse. Gently opening the lid, she found a smear of bright red lip rouge inside.
She extended her long, slender, jade-like fingers, carefully dipped them in lip rouge, and gently applied it to her pink lips. The movement was gentle and elegant, as if she were creating a fine work of art.
After applying her lipstick, Ye Qingchen turned around, her beautiful eyes sparkling as she looked tenderly at Gu Changfeng sitting beside her, and asked in a sweet voice, "Brother Changfeng, do you think I look good like this?" She was actually just joking, after all, Gu Changfeng looked gentle and refined, and she wasn't sure if he was capable of joking.
Ye Qingchen, already possessing a celestial beauty, now exuded an even more alluring and captivating charm. Her clear, autumn-water-like eyes, paired with her slightly upturned lips, were truly breathtakingly beautiful.
Looking at the stunning woman before him, Gu Changfeng felt a surge of heat rush to his head, his face instantly turning bright red, the flush spreading down to his neck. He instinctively lowered his head, unable to meet Ye Qingchen's gaze, his hands clenching tightly involuntarily.
However, after a moment, Gu Changfeng took a deep breath, trying to calm his inner turmoil. He raised his head, looking at Ye Qingchen with gentle yet firm eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said softly, "Sister Qingchen, you are naturally beautiful, no matter what. The color of your lipstick today makes you even more radiant." He paused slightly, then added, "But in my heart, you have always been the most beautiful." These two sentences made Ye Qingchen blush and feel a little stunned.
Although Gu Changfeng appeared calm and composed on the surface, his heart was actually pounding wildly. However, as a gentleman, he tried his best to remain calm and composed, so that Ye Qingchen wouldn't notice his loss of composure.
Gu Changfeng had originally intended to bring his own people to choose, but seeing how anxious Ye Qingchen was, he thought it best to select a few that Ye Qingchen would be satisfied with, as they would be easy for Ye Qingchen to use. So, the two went to the largest brokerage firm in town. An elderly woman there was drinking tea, and seeing the two handsome young men and women, she became quite interested.
"Excuse me, gentlemen, are you looking to buy servants?" The old woman put down her teacup and gracefully approached. Seeing this old woman, Ye Qingchen was somewhat surprised. She had come to a brokerage firm, not a brothel. "Yes, we are planning to buy a few servants. Please introduce some to us, ma'am," Gu Changfeng said unhurriedly to the old woman. The old woman glanced at the two men, whose attire wasn't particularly conspicuous, and assumed they were wealthy but unassuming. So she introduced herself: "Young master and young lady, I am Zhao Mama. What kind of servants are you looking for?" "Knows martial arts!" the two said in unison, then exchanged a smile. Zhao Mama was always observant. Seeing the two men's mutual understanding, she knew they were a couple and would naturally look for honest and reliable servants. She immediately had an idea.
I have a family here: three siblings and an elderly father, all skilled in martial arts. However, there's also a mother who is frail and sickly. What do you two think? These five are a family; if you want to sell them, sell them together. I'll only charge 20 taels of silver, and the old woman will be given away for free. How about that? I also have two brothers, both quite young, 14 and 12 years old, and incredibly skilled in martial arts. These two are unrelated; they are orphans, so I'll charge them 20 taels of silver each. What do you two think?
Gu Changfeng spoke before Ye Qingchen could, saying, "Let us see the person first. If she's suitable, we'll both take her." Then he whispered to Ye Qingchen, "Madam, we brought some money." He was joking; he had 1000 taels of silver notes, but he hadn't used them yet—they were all 50-tael notes—just in case he needed the money urgently. Ye Qingchen guessed he probably had some more notes; after all, he was spending several hundred taels on a wedding, so he must have money. She was relieved. Actually, she had also brought silver, stored in her spatial storage. But silver notes existed in those days, so she must have brought some.
The two followed Zhao's mother to the home of the family of five. The old woman, though called old, was only 40, in average health, and knew martial arts. The woman was only 36, appearing to be plagued by illness and frail. Their son and two daughters were strikingly handsome; the son was 18, and the two daughters were 16 and 14, respectively. They were beautiful but unassuming. Ye Qingchen immediately decided to agree.
After looking at the two young brothers, who were also quite good, he decided to keep them as well, making a family of seven. He spent 35 taels of silver, given to him by Gu Changfeng in a 50-tael silver note, and received 15 taels in change. Gu Changfeng promptly divided the 15 taels between the two families, giving 12 taels to the family of five and 3 taels to the two young brothers. He then told them, "We don't have a place to live right now, so I'll keep your indentures. We'll buy a courtyard in town later, and you can stay there for now. The men can come with me to build a house during the day. I can treat the old lady's illness; we can treat her after the house is built in a few days. Take this pill first, Ginseng Nourishing Pill."