Qin Fang had no other opinion about merchants. First, they, the military commanders, did not look down on merchants, unlike the civil officials. Second, Qin Fang came from a poor family, and the poor had no right to look down on merchants. They even envied the merchants for being able to eat meat and wear warm clothes.
So Qin Fang nodded and said two words: "Very good."
Aunt Fan was a little scared. She thought the lady was gentle and refined, just like the young ladies she had met in wealthy families. However, she didn't know that the master was so tall and strong. Moreover, his face was so stern, which made people feel a little scared.
When it was time to eat, Aunt Fan would not eat with them no matter what they said, and would only eat after they finished their meal. Although the braised fish was eaten up, there were still some leftovers of other dishes, such as pork belly and egg soup. For Aunt Fan, even if it was not as good as what she had eaten in the rich families before, she had never eaten such good food since she was sold.
After Aunt Fan finished her meal and washed the dishes, she went to the courtyard in the busy city.
Yang Haiyan and Qin Fang were bored and it was still early for bed, so they went to the study to read together. Qin Fang learned to read characters and read basic books such as the Hundred Family Names, while Yang Haiyan read the History of Qi. The couple read for an hour, then took a bath and went back to bed. When they went to bed, Yang Haiyan told Qin Fang about the content of the History of Qi that she had just read.
Although Qin Fang was not an official of the imperial court, as a Qi countryman, he still had some contact with the imperial court, and it was not bad to know the history of the country. He had a new understanding of the country when he listened to his wife talking about the history of Qi.
It was also at this time that Qin Fang realized what a good wife he had married.
The next morning, Aunt Fan came. She took the initiative to go to the kitchen to boil water and make breakfast. Yang Haiyan told her what to eat in the morning yesterday, white porridge, pickled vegetables, boiled eggs. After Yang Haiyan finished her exercise, she used hot water to make a cup of milk powder for herself and Qin Fang. As for Aunt Fan, she didn't make any. Although she didn't have the concept of being a class servant in her heart, she had to learn to adapt to the customs of a place, instead of bringing the customs of her original world here and asking the servants here to change accordingly.
After dinner, Qin Fang went to the military camp without bringing lunch because Yang Haiyan would bring him lunch at noon.
After Qin Fang left, Yang Haiyan took Aunt Fan to the market. It must be said that it was good to have someone to go to the market with, so that she didn't have to carry the basket when buying vegetables.
Yang Haiyan bought pork liver, half a chicken, some loofahs, radishes, peanuts, and eggs. There were not many types of vegetables in the market.
When Yang Haiyan bought pork liver, Aunt Fan was very conflicted. She couldn't imagine that someone like her wife would eat this, but she didn't ask.
The two returned to the family quarters of the military camp and found Uncle Hong standing at the door with a woman holding a child.
Seeing Yang Haiyan coming, Uncle Hong was a little nervous: "Hello, Madam. This is my wife, Chai Qiuping, and this is our son, who is just half a year old." Uncle Hong was 32 years old when he got married and had a son because he got married relatively late.
His father's education and illness cost him a lot of money. After his father passed away, the family debts weighed on him. He paid off the debts for many years and only got married after the debts were paid off. Of course, since a woman has not married for so long, there must be something wrong with his wife's family.
Yang Haiyan nodded: "Come in and talk."
After entering the yard, Aunt Fan went to wash the vegetables, and Yang Haiyan took Uncle Hong and his family into the study: "Sit down and talk."
Uncle Hong hurriedly said, "Thank you, Madam. I'll just stand there."
Yang Haiyan didn't force him: "It's okay for you to stand, but I'm holding the child and standing outside for a while, I'm afraid I'm tired."
Uncle Hong: "Thank you, ma'am."
Aunt Hong: "Thank you, Madam." She was indeed a little tired. Speaking of which, she was still in shock from yesterday to now. Her husband suddenly came back yesterday, and she was really happy and scared. Ever since her husband sold himself to exchange silver for her medical treatment, she felt very uncomfortable. But after she knew it, it was too late. Her husband had already been sold, and the silver they redeemed was not enough.
She had no choice but to come to town to see her husband every few days. As long as her husband hadn't been bought, she would have a chance to raise money. Fortunately, her husband's leg was injured and no one wanted to buy him.
Uncle Hong: "Madam, I would like to ask you, can you let my wife and children live in the courtyard in the downtown area? They will live with me and will not occupy the rooms in the courtyard. We will take care of my wife's food ourselves, and it will not cost you your money."
Yang Haiyan thought about it and thought that Uncle Hong would feel more at ease if the couple worked together, so she said, "I use that yard to make snacks. What if your wife accidentally sees it and becomes interested in it?"
Aunt Hong was so scared that she stood up quickly: "Don't worry, Madam, I will be mute and won't say anything."
Yang Haiyan: “But I’m not reassured.”
After hearing this, Aunt Hong looked at Uncle Hong helplessly.
Uncle Hong had no choice, after all, he was a slave.
Yang Haiyan added: "If Aunt Hong is also willing to sign the indenture, I can let you live together."
After hearing this, Uncle Hong quickly said, "No, no, no, I can't do that." Owing a contract to sell one's body was equivalent to entering a slavery. He didn't want to let his wife suffer. It was enough for her to have a father who was a slave, but he also wanted his son to have a mother who was a slave
Yang Haiyan: "Maybe Aunt Hong has signed a contract to sell her body, and the money from the contract can be used to cure Uncle Hong's leg. Besides, in five years, whether it is Aunt Hong or Uncle Hong, I will allow you to redeem your body, and the money for redemption will be the same as the money for the contract." She didn't have the habit of treating people as slaves. "After ten years, I can release the contract for free, and you don't have to pay money to redeem your body." Just think of it as hiring them. Anyway, you still need to hire people after opening the shop, and Aunt Fan can't handle it alone. If they work together, they can be more dedicated and don't have to worry about each other because they are separated. But without the contract, she was worried. After all, they didn't know each other and there was no basis for trust.
There are two types of indentures in Qiguo: one is a live indenture and the other is a dead indenture. For example, when Hong Shu sold himself to the pawnbroker, it was a live indenture. However, slaves in live indentures cannot be sold casually, because the master only has the right to use the slaves in live indentures, not the ownership. For slaves in dead indentures, the master has both the right to use and the ownership. Aunt Fan was sold because she was a dead indenture.
Many masters do not like to buy slaves with working contracts, and this is also the reason. However, the law stipulates this, but the actual operation is another matter. After all, in feudal society, power is greater than law.
The working contract was five or ten years. But no matter how many years the working contract was, if the slave wanted to redeem himself, the money for redemption was several times more expensive than selling himself. Otherwise, the master would not lose money if he bought the slave, provided food and lodging, and gave him a monthly salary.
Uncle Hong sold a five-year contract to the broker for one tael of silver, and the broker sold Uncle Hong to Yang Haiyan for two taels of silver, also for a five-year contract. But after five years, if Uncle Hong wanted to sell himself back, he would probably have to pay twenty or thirty taels of silver. However, generally speaking, if the servant did not make any mistakes and did things honestly, the master would not make such an unreasonable offer.
Aunt Hong was not willing to sell herself at first. It was not because she looked down on servants, but she was worried about what people would say about her children when they grew up. But after hearing what Yang Haiyan said, she was moved. If the money from selling her body could cure her husband's injured leg, then she would definitely be willing to sell herself. When she heard Yang Haiyan say that she would let them redeem her body with the price of selling her body in five years, and would release the body contract for free in ten years, she was moved. If she sold herself and followed the master, at least food and clothing would not be a problem. If she did not sell herself, she would still have to worry about food.
In fact, Uncle Hong was also tempted. He was tempted by the idea of curing his leg. If his leg was cured, it would be a good thing for both his wife and children.
Yang Haiyan is not a saint, but she is willing to help others. A man who sells himself for his wife can't be that bad. Besides, if they work for her together, the efficiency may be better, and Uncle Hong won't have to worry about his wife at home.
Then, Yang Haiyan said, "You can go to the clinic first to see if the leg can be treated. If so, how much silver will it cost to treat the leg?"
Aunt Hong: "Yes, yes, thank you, ma'am."
Half an hour later, Uncle Hong and Aunt Hong came back. The doctor said that the leg could be cured, but it would cost a lot of money, fifteen taels of silver, and the leg should not be tired during the treatment, such as working in the fields, hunting in the mountains, etc. If it is treated well, it will be cured in about half a year.
Helping in Yang Haiyan's yard was not tiring. At most, she would drive a donkey cart to deliver food to Qin Fang. She would not be tired even if she sat on the cart. So Uncle Hong and Aunt Hong discussed on the way back, and Aunt Hong decided to sell herself. If they could not get five taels of silver by selling her body, they could use the monthly allowance from Yang Haiyan to slowly treat the disease. At least Uncle Hong's leg could be cured, and for the couple, life had hope.
After hearing this, Yang Haiyan gave fifteen taels of silver without saying a word. Wouldn't it be good to have a healthy servant in half a year? Besides, this silver was not given for nothing. Two taels were the money Aunt Hong earned from selling her body, and thirteen taels were lent to them. Three taels were deducted from their monthly allowance every year for five years, and one tael was deducted in the last year. Aunt Hong and Aunt Hong had the same monthly allowance, two hundred wen a month, so the couple had an income of four taels and eight hundred wen a year, and they were provided with food and accommodation. If three taels were deducted, if they didn't get sick, they would only spend some on the children and could save more than one tael. So they readily agreed and were grateful for the kindness of the master.
Besides, if they redeem her in five years, they can save the money for redemption. Even if they redeem her for free in ten years, Aunt Hong still thinks it is worth it.
Because they had to deliver lunch to Qin Fang, the Qin family had an early lunch. But now they had a donkey cart, so they didn't have to rush as much as before.
Before today, Yang Haiyan was the only one in the house. Now with Uncle Hong and his wife and Aunt Fan, the family has suddenly become a lot more lively.
Although Yang Haiyan is a homebody, she is a homebody in modern times because she has computers. What entertainment can't be used to kill time on computers? Even watching TV series can be done for months. But in ancient times, in this era without entertainment and computers, life is really hard to endure. So now there are three servants in the house, and it's not bad for a while.
Uncle Hong was washing the donkey cart outside. From now on, this cart was handed over to him for safekeeping. He washed the donkey as if it were his ancestor, and also washed the cart.