Full House Spring

Chapter 2 Being Sold
She advised in a trembling voice: "Hong Xing, stop making trouble!"

Qiaohe was extremely scared. When they first sold the child, there was also a slightly older girl living in the yard.

The girl was either making trouble or running away, and she was restless all day long. Manager Li whipped her until her skin was torn.

After being caught during her last escape, Jiang Yapo directly gave her a bowl of mute medicine and had the brothel owner take her away overnight.

Whenever Qiao He thinks of the girl’s shrill screams that night, she still feels a chill in her heart.

Hong Xing had also seen Jiang Yapo's methods, so she didn't dare to challenge her and took a step back following Qiao He's force.

The look that Grandma Jiang cast at the maids was like a sharp blade, making people frightened and uneasy. Seeing them shrinking their necks like quails, the lines on their faces softened a little.

She pretended to be righteous and said, "Since you came into my house, I have always provided you with good food and drink. Now that my family is struggling, I really can't afford to support you anymore. I have no choice but to sell you... You can't blame me."

As soon as Mrs. Jiang finished her words, Xia Li saw the ugly girl standing next to the osmanthus tree, sobbing and crying. She said sincerely:
"Mother-in-law, please don't sell me. Since I came to your house, I have been blessed. Being able to serve Peng Ge'er every day is a blessing earned through several lifetimes. If I am sold and can't see Peng Ge'er anymore, I am afraid I will not be able to survive..."

Chou Gu was overwhelmed with grief and cried out of breath. Xia Li raised his eyes to look at Grandma Jiang's expression, only to see that she squinted her eyes and had a faint smile on the corner of her mouth. It was obvious that she was very satisfied with Chou Gu's performance.

Grandma Jiang said in a dull tone: "You are a person who knows how to repay kindness. No wonder Peng Ge'er is willing to protect you... In this case..."

Before she finished her words, Sanni, who was standing at the back, pushed Xia Li aside and ran forward. She fell to her knees, knocking her head against the ground, crying and screaming:

"Mother-in-law, I can't live without Peng Ge'er either. He was sick for a few days and I felt like I had lost my soul. If I am sold, who will take care of Peng Ge'er wholeheartedly in the future?"

Xia Li was pushed to the ground by Sanni, and her palm was scratched. Qiao He quietly approached her and helped her up, lowering her voice and asking, "Are you okay?"

Xia Li shook his head gently, signaling her to keep quiet, and Qiao He immediately shut her mouth.

Chou Gu saw that her wish was about to be fulfilled, but unexpectedly, Cheng Yaojin appeared halfway. She gritted her teeth and said, "Sanni, stop lying to grandma here. Peng Ge'er and I are best friends. He doesn't like you at all. Grandma should keep me."

Sanni said in a tantrum, "Why should I keep you here? It was obviously me who came to serve Peng Ge'er first, and you are nothing but a piece of shit."

Ugly Girl rolled her eyes and stopped arguing with her. She turned to look at Grandma Jiang Ya and said earnestly, "Grandma, how can someone as vulgar as Sanni stay with Peng Ge'er? If she leads him astray, what will happen to him in the future?"

Grandma Jiang Ya stroked the thick calluses on her fingertips, and a slightly cold curve appeared on her lips.

"To be honest, I originally planned to pick a child bride for Peng Ge'er from among you girls, so that we can be closer when we grow up..."

Perhaps because the experience of being sold was too horrible, Hong Xing knelt down after hearing what Jiang Yapo said. She knelt down in front of Jiang Yapo, her eyes full of desire.

"Mother-in-law, please choose me. I will definitely be filial to you together with Peng Ge'er in the future, and will listen to you in everything."

Grandma Jiang Ya was high above, looking down at the girls who were wagging their tails and begging for mercy, feeling a sense of control over life and death in her heart.

Seeing that Jiang Yapo didn't say anything, Sanni thought that she was really thinking about it, so she rushed to Hongxing, slapped her in the face, and said sternly:
"You bastard, you have no right to speak. We are all old people who serve Peng Ge'er. Who do you think you are?"

She hit him very hard, and the sound of the slap was so painful that Hong Xing was caught off guard and was at a disadvantage, with no power to fight back at all.

Qiao He wanted to step forward to stop the fight, but Xia Li quickly reached out and grabbed her, saying in a calm voice, "Don't go over there. They are so angry that it's not worth it to hurt you."

Qiao He was as timid as a mouse and she was just hot-headed just now. After Xia Li's reminder, she didn't dare to go over.

Mrs. Jiang Ya, who was sitting on the Diaoyutai, slapped her thigh anxiously and said, "Oh, don't hurt your face. No master would want you if your face is disfigured. Stop it now."

Sanni and Hongxing were fighting so fiercely that they had no time to listen.

Xia Li pulled Qiao He away from him. Turning back, he saw a hint of smugness flash across Chou Gu's face, but she quickly covered it up with her handkerchief and pretended to shout, "Stop hitting me. What's the point of making such a fuss?"

Old Lady Jiang couldn't dissuade the two. Seeing that half of Hong Xing's cheek was red and swollen, and her face was getting more and more anxious, Li Laoguai, with a fierce face, stepped forward and grabbed Sanni's hair and pulled her back without saying a word. He kicked Hong Xing far away and picked up a wooden stick, saying fiercely:
"If any bitch dares to cause trouble for me, I will send her to a brothel..."

As soon as he said this, the two girls quieted down. Seeing that they all had scars on their faces, Mrs. Jiang felt very distressed. The madams of brothels were the best at bargaining, and a small scratch on the face would cost a lot of money.

She was in no mood to continue teasing, and said with a cold face:
"Except for Chou Gu, all of you go back to your room and wash and dress yourself. Hong Xing, come with me to apply medicine. If the swelling doesn't go down and the house can't be sold, I'll skin you alive."

Grandma Jiang's words made the maids fall into the fear of being sold again. Only Chougu had the joy of surviving a calamity in her eyes. She said obediently, "Mother-in-law, I will go and serve Peng'er now." A dangerous gleam flashed in Grandma Jiang's eyes. She looked at Chougu with scrutiny. Just when Chougu was about to collapse, she waved her hand mercifully and let her go.

Xia Li looked at Chou Gu's leaving back with deep eyes, secretly reminding himself to be more careful in the future.

The three of them returned to the back room. Qiao He couldn't help crying softly, and San Ni's eyes were wet. Only Xia Li was the calmest. She took out the egg that Chou Gu gave her last night, carefully peeled the shell and put it into her mouth.

Sanni wiped the tears from her eyes and asked in surprise, "Where did you get this egg?"

Xia Li had nothing to hide. She swallowed the egg and then explained:
"This is what Sister Ugly gave me yesterday. I don't know where it will be sold to later. I won't be afraid if I fill my stomach first."

These words made the tears that had been held back burst out again. Sanni said bitterly:

"She is quite smart. If she stays with Pengge'er and endures for a few years, she will eventually be able to make a breakthrough. This is a hundred times better than us who will be sold to who knows where."

Qiao He asked with sobs, "Do you know which family is here to buy someone? Are all the people dealing with my mother-in-law from wealthy families?"

Hong Xing happened to come back after applying medicine. Upon hearing this, she sneered, "If it was a wealthy family that was buying, they would have brought us to their doorstep for them to choose. The manager there would not condescend to come here to buy a girl."

What Hong Xing said was true, they just didn't want to admit it. She looked less scary after applying medicine on her face. After she finished speaking, she began to rummage through her clothes, and deliberately picked out a bright piece to change into. Then she tidied herself up carefully, looking like she had accepted her fate.

Sanni opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. Qiaohe's face was ashen and there was no light in her eyes. Xiali felt a heaviness in her chest and couldn't breathe. She scratched her arms unconsciously and resisted the urge to scratch her face.

When the sun was setting, Grandma Jiang sent someone to call them to the front yard.

Xia Li followed at the back with his head shrunk. As soon as he arrived at the front yard, he saw Aunt Jiang talking to a few other women with a big smile on her face. Those women looked quite old and were dressed very decently.

Granny Jiang Ya smiled with wrinkles on her face and said, "I love these girls very much. I carefully selected them when I bought them. I raise them as my daughters when I bring them home. If I wasn't short of money, I would never be willing to sell them."

After that, he turned around and glared at them as if warning, and shouted in a low voice: "Why don't you come forward and let the mothers and maids have a look."

Qiao He was scared and tried to hide behind someone, but she stepped on Xia Li's heel and they both almost fell down.

Hong Xing stood in front with confidence. Although her face had some flaws, she was obviously a beauty. San Ni stood beside her tremblingly.

As Xia Li stood still, he felt a fragrant breeze blowing towards him, and a woman wearing a jacket with gold flowers came up to him.

She lifted Hong Xing's face with her fingertips, looked at her for a moment, covered her mouth with a handkerchief and smiled sweetly:

"It looks good, but its leather is a little too rough. It will take two years to cure after I buy it. If Mrs. Jiang asks for too high a price, it won't be worth it."

Another woman in a purple gauze skirt echoed, "That's right, look at how thick these fingers are, they're not as white and tender as the tea-serving girl in our building."

Grandma Jiang Ya hurriedly smiled and said, "That's not the case. My girl is outstanding in appearance. Not many people can compare to her face. Look, Sanni is also very beautiful. I would not sell her to anyone else."

After saying that, she pulled Sanni out. Sanni's face was pale, and she lowered her head and dared not move. Jiang Yapo pointed at Xia Li and Qiao He and promoted them, "These two are also beauties picked out of a hundred. Sister, you might as well take a look at them..."

Xia Li had her eyes lowered, but when she heard that, she slightly raised her face, revealing her pimpled face. The woman in the gold-patterned jacket saw it all, and was startled. She covered her mouth and nose and said in disgust, "Old Jiang Ya, your girl must have had some kind of disease, why is her face so scary?"

Xia Li kept her head down and her neck shrunk, her forehead covered by her thick bangs. Mrs. Jiang had no idea that she had pimples on her face. She knew that she was playing a trick on him, so she glared at Xia Li fiercely and quickly explained:
"Her face was fine when she woke up in the morning. She must have eaten something unclean. It's just a bonus. If you don't like it, look at Qiao He."

Qiao He was so frightened that her face was covered with tears and snot. The woman in the purple gauze and emerald pattern skirt said with disgust, "She is really not presentable. If I were to ask you, only the two girls in front are somewhat presentable."

Madam Zhang, who was wearing a jacket with gold flowers, nodded slightly. After a moment's look, she said, "Mrs. Jiang, I want these two. Name your price."

Mrs. Jiang Ya originally didn't plan to sell all of them, so it would be nice to have two. With a gleam in her eyes, she said shamelessly:

"These two girls deserve thirty taels of silver. My family has raised them for quite some time. I pay for their food and clothing. I can't sell them at a loss."

Madam Zhang was not a pushover, she would never be taken advantage of, she sneered:

"These two girls are not very attractive now. They need to be trained for a few years. The price asked by Mrs. Jiang Ya is too high. I can't afford it."

　I’m starting a new article~ Thank you to my dearest editor Jiuya, who patiently helped me sort out the ideas and gave me some suggestions, which made my thoughts clearer. I’m really lucky to have such a noble person on my writing journey!!!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)