After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 417 Buying People
He knew exactly which families in the village might be willing to sell themselves into servitude, so he didn't need to ask each one individually.

Yu Xiaoyu watched Yu Xinghai leave, then turned back and tears streamed down her face. She ran into the house and knelt before the memorial tablets of Yu Mengzi and her parents, sobbing, "Grandpa, Mom and Dad, we have almost no money or food left. Should my brothers and I go with the benefactor? If you are watching from heaven, please help us!"

As she cried, she took out the few copper coins she had at home and threw them away.

After doing it three times in a row, she made up her mind.

The two younger brothers leaned against the door frame, waiting for their older sister; one looked worried, and the other looked bewildered and uneasy.

The older Yu Ping'an was already quite sensible. He looked up at his sister expectantly and asked, "Sister, should we listen to Uncle Village Chief and go with the nobleman?"

Yu Xiaoyu nodded, "That's what Grandpa and Mom and Dad mean. Let's pack up first and go to Uncle Village Chief's house. Be good and obedient, and try to be chosen by the important person so you won't have to worry about starving to death."

"What about my sister? We'll go wherever she goes. We don't want to be separated from her!" Yu Ping'an clung tightly to Yu Xiaoyu's clothes, his expression stubborn.

The youngest, Yu Pingshun, was so frightened that he cried loudly, "I don't want to be separated from my older brothers and sisters, no, no!"

The three siblings hugged each other tightly and walked out of the house.

Su Tai and Shen Yi carefully reviewed the accounts. They had to admit that Yu Xinghai's bookkeeping skills were truly infuriating. The couple and their four children spent a long time studying them, guessing and deciphering, before they finally understood them.

"The amount is fine, let's leave it at that!" Su Tai closed the ledger and looked at the group of people who were walking into the courtyard one after another.

Upon seeing that Yu Xiaoyu and her two siblings were also among them, the couple breathed a sigh of relief.

Shen Yuezhang, adept at reading people, leaned close to Su Tai and whispered, "Mother, do you want to buy those three children?"

Su Tai nodded almost imperceptibly. "I met her once last year. She's a nice girl. We can get to know her better later."

As they were talking, four or five women with blank expressions walked in, each leading a child.

Yu Xinghai jogged into the house, pointed to the twenty people in the yard, and said, "Sir, Madam, they are all from our village. All of them have lost their breadwinners and are struggling to make ends meet. Of course, if they were just these people, I wouldn't dare bring them to you."

These people are all hardworking, honest, and upright, without any ulterior motives. Especially these women, if they had any ideas, they would all have remarried and run away instead of staying and suffering.

These children are all orphans, they have a hard life, they support themselves, they are undoubtedly hardworking, and they are young, so they are easy to teach.

Following Yu Xinghai's words, Su Tai looked over and saw two women carrying babies who couldn't walk yet, probably around one year old.

"Village chief, you've laid out all the human misery before us!" Su Tai teased.

Yu Xinghai looked embarrassed and bowed even more deeply. "Madam is wise. This is the situation in fishing villages. As long as there are men in the family, no one will be willing to sell their children. Only those who are really desperate will have such thoughts."

If Madam doesn't approve, I can send them back.

His voice was full of regret, and a hint of helplessness.

Su Tai chuckled and waved her hand. "Fine, who told me to be so kind! Since they're all here, they can all come with us if they want. But let me make this clear: those who sell themselves to us will have to sign a contract. I only need people who are honest, obedient, and keep their mouths shut. If they have any other ideas, don't blame me for being ruthless. Work hard, and I won't treat you unfairly."

Su Tai gave him a big stick and then a sweet date.

The twenty people were clearly shocked and nodded nervously.

A woman's child on her back cried out at an inopportune moment, startling her so much that tears welled up in her eyes.

Su Tai said gently, "That's settled then! Go back and pack your things, we'll leave tomorrow." Shen Yi leaned closer to Su Tai, "Wife, how about we visit some other villages?"

Su Tai rolled her eyes. "Why are all the village account books being compiled into Xiaogang Village's? What's the point of going to other villages? Are we increasing our risk of exposure?"

Shen Yi touched his nose and gave Su Tai a thumbs up, "Madam is truly wise."

Su Tai sighed knowingly, "I know what you mean, but there are too many poor people in this world. What we did last year was already enough. Let's see what happens in the future."

"I'll listen to my wife."

The family decided to stay at Yu Xinghai's house for one night.

The fishing boats docked in the afternoon.

All the men in the village returned, bringing with them their harvest.

A group of constables had already bought a lot of things during the day, and when they heard that there were still goods available, they rushed over immediately. Crabs, small fish, octopus, squid, and pomfret were all only a dozen or several dozen coins per catty, so cheap that they couldn't believe their ears.

They immediately started a revenge spending spree, buying a portion of everything they couldn't afford or couldn't bear to eat normally, and even borrowing pots and stoves from villagers to start a fire.

They were the main customers of the fishing village, so the villagers naturally wouldn't begrudge them this little bit of firewood. Some village women even volunteered to teach them how to cook it.

In the evening, he even took the yamen runners to the beach to catch seafood, letting them eat and play to their hearts' content.

Shen Yi knew but didn't say anything. Men, they're still boys at heart until the end.

One morning.

The twenty women and children arrived at the village chief's house at dawn and waited there.

Su Tai saw that they were dressed in tattered clothes and their bundles were also strangely shaped, some were burlap sacks and some were simply tied with ropes, and they brought all sorts of tattered quilts and broken bowls and chopsticks.

He couldn't help but rub his forehead.

“We still have a long way to go. How are you going to get around with all this stuff? Besides, now that you’ve come with us, we won’t let you get cold or hungry. Put everything back except for the valuables.”

Yu Xinghai and the village chief from the neighboring village each returned with a horse-drawn cart. Upon hearing Su Tai's words, they immediately came over to persuade her.

After much persuasion and inspection, they finally gave up on those useless items, and in the end, some people came up empty-handed.

Even the constables couldn't help but sigh when they saw it.

Yu Xinghai breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that Su Tai would get angry and change her mind, and quickly said, "These two carriages were bought from a wealthy family in town. The price was thirty taels for the carriages and horses. We bargained for a long time and finally settled on fifty-five taels. This is the sales contract."

According to the regulations here, all bulk commodity transactions require a contract to avoid disputes.

Shen Yi read the contract, took back the remaining silver, and let the women and children get on the carriage.

It was the first time for Yu Xiaoyu and her two siblings to ride in a horse-drawn carriage, and they were both excited and nervous.

After the four women, who had been expressionless, climbed onto the carriage, their faces finally showed other emotions.

They held their child tightly, and as the carriage moved, tears streamed down their faces.