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墨書 Inktalez
In a fleeting moment, they were completely captivated by Liu Qingxi and willingly chose to follow her.
"Boss, I want these people, and I also need to select two more kitchen helpers." As tasks increased, along with the guards, cooking naturally required more hands.
The pawnbroker was overjoyed; this was a significant client. Just by opening her mouth to take so many people, it equated to several businesses.
He quickly led the group to another row of people. Compared to the men from earlier, the women had disheveled hair and cowered timidly in the corner. One of them caught Liu Qingxi's attention.
Unlike the other women who looked at her with hope, this one wore a face of despair, her heart seemingly extinguished, cradling a four or five-year-old girl in her arms.
"What is this?"
"Oh, sister, this one has been here for quite some time. It's pitiful to bring this child along, but who would want a servant with a child? I couldn't bear to separate them, so I decided to keep them for now."
From the pawnbroker's account, Liu Qingxi learned that this woman was indeed unfortunate. After many years in servitude, she had only one daughter. Over time, she became tiresome to her husband's family. Her husband was useless, her mother-in-law was harsh, and despite her strong-willed nature and repeated resistance, how could one woman stand against an entire clan? On a stormy night, she was sold here.
"I saw her plight and decided to keep her. Who knew she would come with a child? It's been nearly two months now." The pawnbroker spoke honestly; after years in this trade, he had grown callous.
Yet when several fierce-looking men dragged her forward, the timid gaze of the girl in her arms resembled that of his own daughter when she was young. That was why he decided to keep them.
What happened next? He found himself in trouble for it. But now that they were here, he couldn't just discard them. It was rare for him to do a good deed; at least it could be seen through to the end.
The woman did not refute the pawnbroker's words; instead, she looked at him with gratitude. Liu Qingxi's fondness for the old man instantly increased; it was rare for someone to harbor such kindness.
Perhaps she was one of the few who listened to the old man's tale of his tragic fate. Suddenly, a spark of desire ignited in the woman's eyes:
"Sister, please buy me! I can do any work you need. And my daughter—she doesn’t eat much at her age and will be able to work alongside us in a couple of years."
Having gone so long without anyone purchasing her, she feared exhausting the pawnbroker's last bit of kindness.
"Alright, let's take her and add this one too." Liu Qingxi pointed at another woman. Among the crowd, although this woman wore tattered clothes that were already faded, they were clean; even her fingernails were spotless.
"Great! You two hurry up and get ready; from now on, this sister will be your master."
With six guards, two cooks, and the first girl brought along, there were a total of nine people.
"Are there any suitable shops in town?" Liu Qingxi recently counted the silver coins she had. Together with Yang Yichen, they had earned over four thousand taels from their restaurant, and with the profits from building houses, she had nearly five thousand taels in total.
After deducting expenses from the earthquake and the investment in the restaurant, she still had two thousand taels left.
As a girl, she was not skilled in farming, having only a basic understanding from her past life. Instead of buying farmland, it would be simpler and more convenient to buy a few shops and rent them out for income.
"Sister, there are a few shops available, but I don't know if they meet your requirements. Shall we go take a look?"
It was still early, and Liu Qingxi could pick up Liu Qingyan after school in the afternoon, so they had enough time.
"Alright, let's have these people wait here while we go check out the shops."
From her conversation with the Pawnbroker, Liu Qingxi learned that his surname was Huang and that he had spent his life in the pawnbroking business.
He took Liu Qingxi to see three shops in total. Overall, they were quite similar; one was located near a bustling area while the other two were more secluded but each had a courtyard, making them suitable for any type of business.
Especially in a tranquil location, selling tea leaves, books, or crafts would be perfect.
"Uncle Huang, how much are these shops?" As they walked, Liu Qingxi had grown familiar with Huang the Tooth Merchant and their address had changed accordingly.
" Miss Liu, if you want them, I can give you the lowest price. The one in the bustling area is three hundred taels, and the other two are two hundred fifty taels each."
After hearing this, Liu Qingxi felt it was indeed a fair price and did not feel rushed.
"How about this: I'll take all three. Also, could you help me find some people willing to rent the shops? Don't worry; I won't let you work for nothing."
"Hehe, Miss Liu, your words mean everything to me. I will make sure you are satisfied."
In the end, she paid eight hundred taels for the three shops. The six Guards received fifteen taels each, while the two Cooks got eight taels each; the girl was considered a gift. In total, Huang the Tooth Merchant collected an even sum of nine hundred taels.
The contract was signed on the spot. As for transferring ownership and other formalities, Huang the Tooth Merchant handled those since he had been in this business for many years and dealt with government officials frequently, making it easier to resolve.
Liu Qingxi also paid twenty taels as a handling fee for the transfer of ownership.
Huang the Tooth Merchant's wrinkled face beamed with smiles as he respectfully saw Liu Qingxi off: " Miss Liu, come back if you need anything next time."
Stepping out of the shop, Liu Qingxi glanced back at the few people behind her. The cold wind blew, and they couldn't help but shiver in their tattered clothes.
Frowning, she noticed that their cotton clothing had long since hardened into lumps, providing no warmth at all. The winter in Linyi was particularly harsh, and without proper insulation, it was not uncommon for people to freeze to death.
"Let's go buy some fabric and cotton."
Boss Fang, who often dealt with Liu Qingxi, was momentarily taken aback when he saw the group behind her, but quickly recovered: " Miss Liu, your family business is getting bigger and bigger. What do you need this time?"
"Boss Fang, please pick out a warm set of cotton clothes for each person. Also, get each of them some fabric and weigh out twenty pounds of cotton. I'll have them make a few outfits at home."
"Sure thing, Miss Liu. Just wait a moment; I'll take care of it right away."
Boss Fang turned around efficiently, and in no time, he returned with several sets of cotton clothing in his arms: " Miss Liu, how about these? The sizes should be about right. They're all comfortable cotton clothes and not too expensive."
Liu Qingxi often bought clothes here and felt reassured by Boss Fang's character. Besides fabric and cotton, his shop also had a portion of ready-made garments; however, most people in this era were poor and typically wouldn't buy ready-made clothes.
Most would buy fabric to make their own at home, making someone like Liu Qingxi quite rare.
Fortunately for Boss Fang, he had just a few dozen sets in stock; otherwise, he would have missed out on a big order.
However, there was one drawback to his clothing: the styles were too simple—diagonal buttoned cotton jackets and pants in the most common deep blue or black colors, without any embellishments.
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