vrcanaries Chapter 126 Another pie in the sky?
Chapter 126 Another pie in the sky?
Cheap?
Li Yaya clenched her fists and swore that after she got out of here, she would make a name for herself and never be insulted like this again.
Jiang Jiang didn’t know what Li Yaya was thinking, so naturally he didn’t know how weird her train of thought was.
She did not hate the person who brought her to this state, nor did she seek revenge on her "uncle" who sold her into a slave, but she felt insulted because of Jiang Jiang's word "cheap".
Fortunately, Jiang Jiang didn't want to deal with Li Yaya too much. She spent a pound of brown rice to buy her just because she was from Daxi Village. After she handed the person over to Li Shuming, she would not care about it anymore.
In other words, the person being sold today was not Li Yaya, but anyone from Daxi Village, and she would help as long as it was within her ability.
After all, in the past few years, since the original owner's husband passed away, the villagers have helped their family a lot, and she was just returning the favor.
Seeing that Li Yaya’s face was sallow and her hair was messy, if they had not been neighbors for many years, they might not have recognized those familiar facial features.
The children in the family had just come to the market, and Jiang Jiang didn't want them to go back so soon, so he asked Li Xu to send Li Yaya back to the village. The village chief and the elders would definitely know what to do.
After hearing his mother's instructions, Li Xu could only suppress his desire to play more and send Li Yaya back first.
Li Yaya was a little unhappy and said shyly: "Aunt Jiang, I want to go with you..."
"Yaya, follow Li Xu back to the village first. Let the village chief think of a solution for you. It's a good opportunity to wash up."
Jiang Jiang's words made Li Yaya's face turn red, but it was hardly noticeable against her sallow skin.
It would have been better if Jiang Jiang didn't say anything. As soon as she started talking, she felt as if her body was covered with fleas and the sour and foul smell could not be stopped.
As trafficked beings, Li Yaya and her companions were treated almost like animals, not to mention that no one would waste precious water to wash them.
"Then I'd better go back first." Li Yaya said hesitantly. She always felt that there was something in this market that attracted her vaguely, just like the time in the town...
Li Yaya was reluctant to leave when she was taken back by Li Xu, while the rest of the people continued to stroll around the market.
Due to the drought, although the market is large, it is actually not as fun as everyone imagines.
There are not many snack stalls and the prices are expensive. There are also places selling coarse grains and fine grains, which are guarded by strong men holding knives and sticks.
The most important thing is that most of the refugees who fled out of the city were short of money or even penniless, and could only survive on daily relief porridge.
Most of them come to the market just to find a job to support themselves.
As long as there is a job that can provide food, people who are eager to do it can line up from the entrance to the end of the market.
"Mom, why are there so many old clothes and quilts for sale?"
Li Cuicui's question was heard by a stall owner nearby, who answered:
"Little girl, your family has just arrived in Jiangzhou, right? The people who have fled here also have different levels."
"The first category is the wealthy merchants from aristocratic families. They often come to Jiangzhou with guards and gold and silver, and continue to be the upper class in the city."
"The second class are those families with a little wealth and good luck. After arriving in Jiangzhou, they ask people to find some connections and make some arrangements. Some of them go to the city to do some small business, while others go to nearby counties and districts, buy land and continue farming. They don't have to worry about food and clothing."
"The most pitiful ones are us. We have no money to go to the city or buy land to settle down, and we have no connections. We can only sell the things we brought from home to make ends meet. We have to live one day at a time."
The stall owner's words reminded Jiang Jiang of his life on the run.
She felt that the most pitiful ones were the refugees who died on the road, their bodies exposed in the wilderness, and their children eaten.
"It's not easy for us ordinary people." Jiang Jiang didn't know how to respond, so he sighed a few words.
If the stall owner hadn't given her some scientific information, she wouldn't have known that many refugees with money had already bought fields and land in nearby counties and districts and were living their previous lives.
This is a way out.
"Little girl, why don't you take a look at the things on my stall? There are quite a few new things."
The stall owner talked to Jiang Jiang and others just to sell his stuff.
For a businessman, the most important thing is to have a sharp eye. He can tell at a glance whether someone is his potential customer.
Li Cuicui became interested and squatted on the ground watching the stall owner displaying various things.
Since they were already here, Jiang Jiang also invited the adults and children in the family to take a look around, perhaps they could find some good stuff.
There were all kinds of strange things on the stall, dried bones of unknown animals, wolf teeth, strange woods, bracelets woven from vines and plants, and some ordinary jars, like the ones used by farmers for pickling vegetables.
Bracelet enthusiast Li Cuicui naturally started to choose from a variety of bracelets.
The atmosphere for shopping at this kind of stall was particularly good. Even Li Laibao and Li Ping'an began to look around with great interest, and sometimes even touched the items.
"Mom, these bracelets are pretty."
Li Cuicui picked out a bracelet somewhat embarrassedly. Jiang Jiang took a look at it and felt a little disappointed.
It's all woven with vines, nothing special at all.
It’s just that the person who weaved it was very thoughtful. The vines must have been specially treated so that they are not easy to rot. Moreover, the weaving skills are superb, which makes ordinary materials look like new things.
Jiang Jiang asked other people again.
"Have you chosen your things?"
Sun Qiaoqiao planned to buy some needlework for her two daughters, and Huang Ying took a fancy to the stack of yellowed straw paper and planned to let the children practice calligraphy.
Li Ping'an took a fancy to a headband with a piece of cheap jade in the middle. If you look closely, you can see tiny cracks on the jade, which means it is not worth anything at all.
Li Laibao pointed casually and chose the largest one among the jars.
The reason he chose this jar was simple: he missed the pickled vegetables at home.
When they fled, they only brought a few cumbersome items, such as various jars, so it would be nice to buy one now.
The stall owner was ready to name a price for each item.
"Madam, these needles and thread will cost you ten cents, the straw paper will cost you thirty cents, the bracelet will cost you thirty cents, the jar will cost you fifty cents, and as for the headband, it is a little more expensive, two taels of silver."
The stall owner rubbed his hands nervously. If he could sell this order, he could exchange it for a lot of things.
He bought all these miscellaneous items from a family who had moved to a nearby village and settled there. All of them cost him only 150 coins.
Unexpectedly, after hearing the price, Jiang Jiang took his whole family and prepared to leave without saying a word.
No, no, you've been choosing for so long, you should at least give me a price, right?
The stall owner was a little anxious and he immediately stopped Jiang Jiang.
"Madam, please don't be impatient. In this business, once you make an offer, you will naturally bargain. What's your price?"
Jiang Jiang looked at the things he and others had picked out and roughly estimated the price.
Except for the ridiculous price of the headband, the rest of the items are pretty standard.
"One hundred and fifty coins." Jiang Jiang reported the number.
"make a deal!"