Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 63 The Rose at the Spire
Leopard Head was already waiting outside the suspension bridge and welcomed Manager Qian into the fortified village.

When Yang Can heard about this person's profession, he assumed he was a cruel and ruthless slave trader.

Later, after hearing his name, I thought he was just a bloated, mercenary businessman.

Yang Can was greatly surprised when he finally met Qian Yuan in person.

Because this person's appearance was truly beyond his expectations.

Qian Yuan was exceptionally tall, towering more than half a head above the imposing Leopard Head.

He has well-defined facial features, deep-set eyes, and no facial hair.

What is striking is that he has an indigo tattoo on one side of his face, with an extremely bizarre pattern.

He wore a striped silk robe, but his large feet were bare.

This outfit is really neither Chinese nor Western.

Qian Yuan was slightly taken aback when he saw that the manor lord was so young.

At that moment, his pair of perfume bottles followed.

The two perfume bottles nestled close to Manager Qian on either side, like little birds seeking shelter.

Qian Yuan laughed heartily, spread his arms, and a pair of snake-shaped earrings swayed below his ears.

He embraced a pair of "living perfume bottles" and smiled at Yang Can, saying, "Master Yang, I've long admired your name."

"Ah sneeze!"

As soon as the pair of "living perfume bottles" arrived, a unique fragrance wafted through the air.

Little Green Plum felt an itch in her nose, and couldn't help but turn her head to cover her mouth and sneeze!
Yang Can invited Manager Qian to sit down and said with a smile, "I have just taken over the management of Feng'an Fort."

We need many servants and men; I hope Manager Qian will not disappoint me on this trip.”

Upon seeing Yang Can's straightforward manner, Qian Yuan couldn't help but laugh; he liked straightforward people.

Manager Qian patted his chest and said boldly, "Master, rest assured, when it comes to buying and selling slaves, no one in the entire Longshang region can compare to me."

Qian Yuan immediately began enthusiastically introducing the business to Yang Can.

"Just now, upon entering this fortified village, I took a look around. The inner and outer quarters of the manor house are filled with cooks, maids, servants, pageboys, embroiderers, servants, gatekeepers..."

"We need at least fifty servants for daily operations, even if we're just a small number. Are we going to buy them all from Mr. Qian?"

Yang Can nodded: "Not bad!"

Upon hearing this, a look of joy immediately appeared in Qian Yuan's eyes.

He brought over 150 slaves with him this time, and if all goes well, he can sell a third of them at once.

This hard work was worth it.

Qian Yuan immediately clapped his hands and said excitedly, "Bring our goods in for the Master to inspect."

A "living perfume bottle" immediately walked out gracefully, and Yang Can's teeth ached at the sight of her gait and posture.

Before long, the handsome young man brought in a group of slaves.

These slaves all had small tattooed symbols on the corner of their foreheads.

That was a symbol exclusive to slaves.

Even if you wear a hat or hang your hair down to cover it up, whenever you enter or leave various checkpoints, cities, or inns, people will still ask you to take off your hat and lift your hair for inspection.

Once you're found to have slave markings, you can't escape unless you're traveling with your master.

All powerful families had slaves, and even moderately wealthy families had one or two maids to serve them.

This was an era when slavery was still legal, a system upheld by the entire society.

Although Yang Can was sitting there watching, he mainly selected Leopard Head and Little Green Plum.

Leopard Head was in charge of selecting servants for the outer quarters, such as gatekeepers, gardeners, and pageboys, and he had to check whether they were healthy and whether they could speak fluently.

Xiao Qingmei was in charge of selecting maids and servants for the inner quarters.

Those who are skilled in needlework or cooking will be given priority consideration.

There's only one cook in the village right now, Zhu Weipeng.

As for Chef Zhu, that was for the manor lord... and her to cook special meals.

Slaves were brought up in batches. After screening, those selected were kept, and those not selected were taken away.

Gradually, the manpower needed for the front and back houses was almost complete.

Shopkeeper Qian stroked his smooth chin and suddenly grinned mischievously.

"Master, your fortified village is so large, and now you have all the maids, servants, cooks, and embroiderers."

"How about we pick a few more dancers and singers to keep you company while you play the flute and play music? That would be truly enjoyable."

The two "living perfume bottles" beside him weren't just decorative figures; as soon as Manager Qian started making his sales pitch, they wisely went to help people out.

Yang Can politely declined, saying, "I have just taken office as the head of Feng'an Manor and also serve as the head steward of the eldest branch. I am very busy with official duties and have no time..."

Before he finished speaking, his eyes lit up.

After all, although this place is close to the Western Regions, he doesn't see many Europeans here.

Especially... and she's such a beautiful European.

Qian Yuan's voice suddenly became magnetic, as if trying to hypnotize him.

"Her name is Rena Bair, and she was a girl abducted from a Persian caravan."

"Have you ever heard of 'Medusa', Master? She's a female demon from the West."

"Legend has it that whoever the female demon gazes at will turn into a stone."

"Look at her crystal-clear eyes, don't you feel like you're being petrified?"

"Imagine her dancing alone for you under the tranquil moonlight, writhing like a snake."

"In the candlelight, she gazed at you with those mesmerizing Medusa eyes, full of affection."

"She lay in your arms, her skin amber, her hair fiery red..."

"The people over there like to pronounce the 'r' sound in their speech; even the fluttering of a bee's wings can't keep up with their speed..."

Rena Bayer stood there stiffly, glaring hatefully at the couple.

Although she couldn't stand up straight at all, because her curves were a perfect S-shape.

Her hair was red.

In fact, hair color discrimination existed in Europe during this era.

Black hair is considered a symbol of nobility and civilization, followed by blonde hair, with red hair being the least desirable.

Therefore, this girl has always used plant pigments such as black beans to dye her hair the most noble black.

However, the hair dyeing products of that era didn't last very long. So, not long after she was kidnapped, her long hair returned to its original color.

Rena Bair looked somewhat haggard, but her blue eyes held an undisguised rage.

Manager Qian's expression suddenly turned serious, and his voice suddenly became louder.

"Such a beautiful woman, not a thousand silks, not five hundred silks, only three hundred silks today."

Is 300 silk expensive? Not at all! An ordinary female slave costs 7 silk, and a needle-making maid costs 10 silk!

A beauty like Medusa, you can use her during the day and at night, and she only costs you three hundred silk threads.

Only three hundred silk threads! Such a beauty, you can use her for at least ten years, right? That's only thirty silk threads a year.

Three hundred silk threads—you won't lose out, you won't be cheated. Just nod your head, and she's yours!

Manager Qian has an incredibly sharp eye.

When he was choosing a maid earlier, he noticed that the one in charge was the beautiful housekeeper, Qingmei.

Clearly, there must be an unspeakable story between this beautiful housekeeper and her master.

Several female slaves, who were clearly of good quality, were not chosen by her.

The only thing those female slaves had in common was that they were quite pretty.

This housekeeper clearly didn't want any particularly attractive women around her master.

However, this Rena Bair really wanted to make a move as soon as possible.

Because this little wildcat is too mischievous.

When she was in Xiazhou, a guest took a liking to her and wanted to see her teeth, but she pounced on him and almost bit off his nose.

It caused him to lose a large sum of money.

But he could only starve the woman for a few meals, and he couldn't hit her, because her only valuable asset was her body.

Those were goods, and he was a businessman who cherished his goods.

Later, that bitch started threatening to commit suicide.

She still has unhealed scars on her wrist; those were from a few days ago when she was scratched with a piece of porcelain.

Being a slave trader must be incredibly difficult; the costs of transportation, supervision, food, and lodging...

Encountering such troublesome individuals can also lead to unexpected losses.

What the city gentlemen need is not a toy to be tied up and played with once and then thrown away, but a docile female slave.

But this little wildcat was untamed, which prevented him from getting rid of it.

For now, I can only try to fool this ignorant country bumpkin.

Three hundred bolts of silk—that's actually quite a price.

In those days, an ordinary slave only needed three to five bolts of silk.

A beautiful female slave could be sold for two hundred bolts of silk.

Among the documents on the sale of slaves discovered in the Dunhuang area from the Tang Dynasty, there are records of beautiful female slaves being sold for two hundred bolts of silk.

The shopkeeper, Mr. Qian, asked for three hundred silk threads, but was still saying it was a clearance sale that was practically killing him.

However, Yang Can was already swayed by his words, even without his persuasion.

I need to learn foreign languages. I also want to learn a foreign language. It's good to learn more languages.

However, Yang Can wanted to maintain his composure for a while, so that he could negotiate the price better, right?

He had barely managed a reserved laugh when Qingmei spoke up.

Ever since Qingmei saw this woman with a wasp waist, big hips, and a large bust, alarm bells went off in her mind.

She immediately interjected, "Our master is busy; how could he have the leisure to listen to music and watch dances?"

Besides, does this foreign woman even speak Chinese?

Shopkeeper Qian smiled and said, "Don't worry, young lady. She has been traveling to and from the Western Regions with her family to do business since she was a child."

He is fluent in Persian, Sogdian, Tocharian, Khotanese, and Chinese.

Huh? This girl knows more than one foreign language?
Yang Can was even more tempted.

Qingmei said with a stern face, "That won't do either. Look at how fierce she looks. She hasn't been properly disciplined yet."

What if it accidentally bites my husband? Wouldn't that be like paying money to suffer?

Yang Can glanced at Qingmei and said, "Didn't we agree that we only want 'misshapen melons and cracked dates'?"
This melon in front of you, would you say it's crooked or cracked?

After fighting wars my whole life, can't I at least enjoy myself?
In fact, even if this woman were as ugly as Wu Yan, Yang Can would still buy her.

It was all because Manager Qian said, "This woman was abducted from a Persian caravan."

Since he stopped lying flat and could no longer lie flat, his future path was destined to be difficult.

Since he rose to prominence in Tianshui, does that mean he only chose to make a living by farming?
This place is an important hub and a necessary stop on the Silk Road!
Business is a crucial part of his future plans.

In particular, the Suo family was the most skilled in business among the eight prominent families of Longshang.

This resource can also be made great use of.

In that case, a woman who had traveled between the East and West with merchant caravans since childhood...

Those are the tulips on the spires and the red roses in the castle—they're incredibly valuable.

Yang Can coughed and gestured, "Qingmei, I think Rena can stay."

I knew it...

"Master, the silk in the storeroom is probably not enough..."

Qian Yuan smiled and said, "Silk, spices, jewelry, gold and silver, tea, porcelain, anything is fine."

Due to political divisions, Longshang lacks sufficient monetary credit.

Therefore, in addition to many scarce commodities serving as general equivalents, the slave trade also included them.

Qingmei was still struggling; she always felt that compared to this hot and sexy foreign woman, she was too naive.

I'm afraid that once this woman enters the fortress, Steward Yang will never even glance at her again.

"Dancers should always be in pairs, but you're all alone."

If people saw this, they would think my family couldn't afford to keep a dancer, and would instead think my master was stingy..."

Manager Qian was overjoyed; another hot potato might finally be off his hands.

He immediately clapped his hands: "Come on, bring the Mirror Demon up here!"

(End of this chapter)