Chapter 2 The Buyer

Chapter 2: The Buyer

From the crowd, someone emerged. "Sister Song, I'll ride back with you."

The woman surnamed Song saw it was a fellow villager's wife and was delighted. "Perfect, come on over."

Seeing this, the slave trader shooed Meng Wan onto the cart and led the horse behind the Song woman.

Sister Song called out to her fellow villager, "Old Six's wife, why'd you buy so much stuff?"

Old Six's wife was stout and short, but quick in her movements. She hoisted two heavy baskets onto the cart's shaft, chatting as she did. "The matchmaker's coming tomorrow with a prospect for our son, so I had to buy some meat and veggies to entertain them."

Since the slave trader was an outsider, the two women placed their things on the cart and walked alongside it, chatting as they went. Rural women could hoof it fast, and the distance wasn't far enough to tire them out, but having the cart to carry their loads made things easier.

Hearing this, Sister Song paused mid-step. "A match for your oldest boy? Which family's girl?"

Old Six's wife smacked her thigh, her voice booming. "Aw, what girl would want our family? It's a *ge'er* from next-door Yangshu Village. As it happens, he's the elder cousin of your Baoge'er—the one from his third aunt's place."

Sister Song's face fell, and she picked up her pace. "Let's hurry back. I haven't started cooking yet."

Old Six's wife, blunt and quick with her mouth, had blurted it out without thinking, mentioning the Yang family from the neighboring village. She saw she had upset Sister Song.

She scrambled to fix it. "Sister Song, that *ge'er* you bought is pretty tall, but his face is all mud. Can't tell what he really looks like."

She had been among the crowd watching earlier and inwardly disapproved of Sister Song spending so much on a *ge'er*. Who knew his background? If he ran away, the silver would be wasted. Eight taels could get you a sturdy village girl who'd pop out kids easier. *Ge'er* were already hard to get pregnant, and this one was all skin and bones except for a bit of flesh on his backside. Would her stuck-up son even like him?

Mentioning Meng Wan softened Sister Song's face a bit. "The slave trader said he can read. He can keep up with my Tingzhou."

Hearing this, the slave trader butted in, "That's not all. This young *ge'er* was a second-class attendant to a young lady from a wealthy family. He's not only literate but also good at sewing and tailoring."

Inside the cart, Meng Wan's heart totally sank hearing that.

*Yeah, keep blowing smoke. Go ahead and puff it up. You'll just take off after you're done, leaving me to deal with the fallout.*

The slave trader's cart was different from regular ones—three sides closed off, no windows, with only a small door facing the driver's seat. Since it was hot, the curtain was rolled up.

Sister Song kept sneaking looks at Meng Wan. Meng Wan, resigned to his fate, acted like he didn't see. *Other transmigrators end up as generals, nobles, or high-born sons. At worst, they're regular folks!*

*Why am I the one getting sold off from the get-go?* Meng Wan hung his head and cried silently, big tears rolling down his face.

Sister Song caught a glimpse and felt a twinge of pity, but with the outsider there, she kept her mouth shut and quickened her pace.

The half-hour trip, without heavy loads, took the two women about forty minutes on foot.

Old Six's wife lived near the village gate. She took her things home first, exchanging small talk with Sister Song before going in. "Sister Song, if my oldest boy gets hitched, I'll invite you for a drink."

Sister Song's expression stayed the same. "Of course. And you gotta come to my Tingzhou's wedding feast."

"Of course!"

The cart moved a few more steps before Sister Song stopped it. She said to the slave trader, "Wait here. I'll go home and get the money. If anyone asks, just say you're escorting a relative of mine."

The slave trader, a sharp guy, got it right away. The buyer didn't want the villagers knowing the *ge'er* was purchased, to avoid the gossip mill.

Having given her instructions, Sister Song went home, got eight taels of silver from her hidden money box, weighed it three times on her little scale, wrapped it in cloth and stuffed it in her bosom.

Seeing her come back from a distance, the slave trader knew she had the cash. He shooed Meng Wan off the cart and got the deed of sale ready, exchanging it for the silver. As he left, he said, "Young *ge'er*, this is your new master now. Live well with her."

Meng Wan hung his head. In ancient times, villages were tight-knit. If he ran, the whole village would turn out to catch him. Even if he escaped, without a household registration, he'd be a vagrant, lower than a slave.

*For now, this little mountain village seems like the best place to lie low. I just hope this family is easy to get along with.*

"My surname is Chang, given name Jinhua, but my husband's family name is Song. You can call me Aunt Song for now. In a few days, you'll call me Mother." Chang Jinhua looked to be in her forties or fifties, short and thin, dressed in worn blue coarse cloth without patches but faded white. Her face was oval, sallow, with her hair combed neatly and slicked with oil, shiny black. Deep furrows were etched between her brows, and her mouth turned down, as if she rarely smiled.

She spoke bluntly, making things clear from the start. She hadn't spent eight taels of silver without feeling the pinch. If she ended up with someone who didn't know their place...

As if recalling something troubling, Chang Jinhua's expression soured. She grabbed Meng Wan and hurried home, her grip unconsciously tight, making his wrist ache.

The more she wanted to avoid notice, the more they ran into villagers.

"Sister Song, where are you coming from? And who's this *ge'er* you're dragging along?"

A *ge'er* in worn old clothes greeted Chang Jinhua as they crossed paths.

Meng Wan could now tell men from *ge'er*. *Ge'er* were generally more delicate and slender than men, though there were exceptions. Similarly, some women were rough-featured, but these were rare.

Of course, this wasn't enough to distinguish men from *ge'er*, as some men were sickly and pretty. What set *ge'er* apart was their ability to bear children, marked by a pregnancy mole in a visible spot. Most *ge'er* had theirs on their face—bright red, varying in size and shade.

This *ge'er*, around twenty, had a dull red, rice-sized mole on his chin, slightly shriveled.

Meng Wan hadn't seen himself in a mirror and didn't know where his own mole was, but even covered in dirt, others could spot it.

Chang Jinhua kept a straight face even when greeting him. "Second Brother's husband, I'm just back from town. I need to get home and cook."

Second Brother's husband was a member of the Song family—the husband of Chang Jinhua's late husband's cousin. The Song family was a large clan in Sanquan Village, not wealthy but numerous. Besides the Songs, there were many Tians and a few scattered outsiders, who were often ostracized.

In this era, the more men a family had, the more prosperous it was considered. Fewer men meant being bullied. The clan chief held great power, even over the village head.

A clan chief could rally all the clan's men with a single call.

But not everyone in the clan was rich. In the village, unless you were a landlord, life was hard, relying on the heavens. The north was poorer than the south, with only one harvest a year, making it even more barren. The towns were less prosperous than those in the south.

Back to the matter at hand: this cousin's husband, Zhang Xiaoyu, had married into the Song family five years ago without bearing a child. Everyone knew *ge'er* had difficulty conceiving, so there wasn't much gossip. But he was bitter about it himself, often gossiping with villagers about other families' husbands, as if finding fault with others made him feel better.

Zhang Xiaoyu pinched his nose. "Sister Song, where'd you get this *ge'er*? Did he fall into a cesspit? He's filthy."

Chang Jinhua's expression didn't change, but Meng Wan sensed she was angry.

"He's a distant relative from my family. His family fell on hard times, and he traveled far to seek refuge with me."

"Oh, the poor thing. How old is he? Has he been married? Did he run into any trouble on the road alone?"

Meng Wan thought to himself, *No one's as clueless as you. Can't you see Aunt Song's face is about to hit the floor?*

Chang Jinhua snorted and rolled up Meng Wan's sleeve, shoving the red mole on his arm under Zhang Xiaoyu's nose.

"This nephew of mine is a pure *ge'er*. If I hear any gossip, I'll drag you to Second Brother and have him divorce you, you barren, gossiping thing!"

Zhang Xiaoyu's face went pale. "You!"

"You what? Get out of my way!" Chang Jinhua pulled Meng Wan along, knocking Zhang Xiaoyu aside as she stormed toward her own yard, leaving him hopping mad but afraid to shout back.

"That one you just met—call him Second Uncle's husband. Stay away from him when you're out in the village."

Chang Jinhua pushed open the gate to her yard, lecturing Meng Wan as she walked. She had been widowed young, and if not for her harsh demeanor, she and her son would have been devoured long ago.

Meng Wan followed her like a simpleton, step by step. *I'm new here and don't know the ropes. Better play it safe and act dumb.*

The yard was spacious and neatly swept. By the gate grew a lush jujube tree, its branches thick with leaves and small, green, round fruit.

There were only four rooms for living in. On the left was a large bedroom occupying two rooms, the middle one was a kitchen that also served as the dining area, and the door on the right was closed, likely leading to a small bedroom.

In this world, houses in the north differed from those in the south. Upon entering, one immediately found the kitchen; there was no central hall. The large bedroom on the left featured an expansive heated kang (a brick bed platform) that spanned the entire space. Against the wall stood a row of wooden cabinets, their surfaces chipped in several places, indicating considerable age, yet they were wiped clean and spotless.

Only one set of bedding lay on the long kang. Chang Jinhua took out another set from the cabinet. "Do you know how to start a fire? Later, you can heat some bathwater yourself. There's a wooden bucket and firewood in the yard."

Meng Wan stared at her blankly, and this time, it wasn't an act. Having grown up in a small county town, he had genuinely never used an earthen stove before.

Chang Jinhua placed the bedding on the kang and frowned at him. "You don't even know how to do that? Come here and learn."

The woodshed was a thatched shed on the left side of the yard, storing dry firewood. Chang Jinhua was capable, but chopping wood was strenuous work for her. Thus, she usually gathered thinner branches, accumulating a small stack.

She pulled out a bundle of firewood from the stack. This time, Meng Wan moved, taking the bundle and carrying it to the kitchen floor.

Chang Jinhua patted the wood dust from her clothes with satisfaction, then went to her room to change into a patched short jacket and cloth skirt. She placed the long ruqun she had taken off into a wooden basin and set it under the eaves. This coarse cloth skirt was her only decent garment, her go-to outfit for trips to town or holiday visits, worn to keep up appearances. Later, she would wash it with clean water and store it at the bottom of the cabinet.

Squatting by the earthen stove, she stuffed a handful of dry pine twigs into the stove, lit them with a flint, then added a few pieces of dry firewood to let them burn slowly. "Just add dry firewood bit by bit; don't stuff too much in at once."

Meng Wan understood. It didn't look difficult.

There were two stoves in the kitchen: one large and one small. The large pot was connected to the main bedroom's heated kang, while the small pot was linked to the small bedroom on the right.

"The small pot is for daily cooking. Clean the large pot and use it to heat water. The water vat by the door is full; scoop some out and add it to the pot."

Chang Jinhua fetched a large wooden bucket from the main room, opened the door to the small room, and placed the bucket inside. "Once you've heated the water, close the door and wash up properly inside. Pour the dirty water into the ditch in the backyard."

Meng Wan quickly agreed this time—he had long been sick of the sour stench on his body!

After giving instructions, Chang Jinhua sat on a large stone in the yard, carefully scrubbing her clothes, and paid him no further mind.

Eager to bathe quickly, Meng Wan deftly scrubbed the pot, scooped water, and tended the fire. Once the water boiled, he poured it into the wooden bucket and mixed it with cold water. Knowing how dirty he was, he didn't use all the hot water at once. Instead, he timidly scooped half a ladleful and added it to Chang Jinhua's laundry basin.

"What are you giving it to me for? Go wash yourself." Though she said this, Chang Jinhua's expression softened considerably. She had bought this ger (a male capable of bearing children) partly out of pent-up frustration.

Her son, Da Lang, preferred ger. At sixteen, she had arranged a marriage with a ger from Yangshu Village, very close to their own Sanguan Village. The Yang family in Yangshu Village was also a large clan, and their ger, Yang Bao'er, was renowned throughout the surrounding villages for his virtue, good sense, and, most importantly, his good looks. As a child, he had studied for two years at his maternal grandparents' home, knew how to read, and could embroider.

Song Tingzhou had intended to marry him once he passed the xiucai (cultivated talent) examination. Unexpectedly, he failed three times, and the Yang family's initially warm attitude grew increasingly cold.

This year, Da Lang finally agreed to marry, but the Yang family began making excuses again. Sensing trouble, Chang Jinhua soon heard that the Yang family's ger had gone to his maternal grandparents' home in Guyang County.

At such a critical time, what business did a ger being discussed for marriage have visiting his maternal grandparents? Chang Jinhua grew suspicious and had someone inquire. Sure enough, she learned that Yang Bao'er had married his own cousin.

Chang Jinhua was furious. Since her Da Lang passed the tongsheng (student candidate) examination at ten, countless families from the surrounding villages had sought marriage alliances. After careful selection, they had chosen Yang Bao'er, only for this family to promise their child to two different parties at the last moment!

She immediately wanted to confront the Yang family, but her son, Song Tingzhou, stopped her. "Making him wait three years was my fault. Now that I haven't even passed the xiucai examination, I have no face to bring up the marriage. Let it be, Mother."

Seeing her son's despondent expression, how could Chang Jinhua go and make a scene? Fearing she would hurt his feelings, she held back. Since this latest failure, Song Tingzhou seemed even more disheartened.

Chang Jinhua believed it was Yang Bao'er's marriage to another that had saddened her son. Determined, she resolved to find him an even better match. However, all the suitable ger in nearby villages were already betrothed, and those who weren't, she found unsatisfactory. Just as she was worrying, she happened to see Meng Wan being sold by a slave dealer in town. Setting everything else aside, the fact that he was literate struck a chord with her deeply—she wanted everyone to know that besides Yang Bao'er, there were other ger who could read too!