Divorced by her husband's family and rejected by her own! She defiantly turned her life around

Four or five dishes were quickly served. Song Laosan told everyone to eat well and order more if they wanted. The group ate quickly, and after Song Laosan paid the bill, they went to the official market together.

In the carriage, Yun Chenxin looked at Liu Si and said, "Siyue, we don't need to buy servants. I can do everything. We don't need to waste money. I'm not some rich girl who needs to be served."

"The buyer is back, so what am I supposed to do? I'll just be a freeloader."

"Don't be in such a hurry. Who said you could eat for free? Even if you want to eat for free, I won't agree. You have to work and earn money."

I bought all these things for a purpose. They will bring life to the house. The house is so big, it needs someone to take care of it. We need someone to do the laundry and cooking. You are injured and need to rest in bed for a while. Your main task right now is to take good care of your injury. Once you are healed, there will be other tasks assigned to you, and you will have plenty to do.

Have you thought about what you want to do in the future?

"I don't know. I only know a little embroidery; I don't know anything else."

"Do you still want to continue doing embroidery?"

"Yes, I really enjoy embroidery. Once I've recovered, I'll take some work at the fabric shop to support myself and gradually save some money so I can pay you back as soon as possible."

"No need to pay it back, and it's not much anyway."

"You should pay me back. You've already helped me a lot. If I were to take your money back for nothing, wouldn't that make me a greedy, ungrateful, and shameless person? How could I possibly get along with you after that?"

"Okay, pay it back if you want. Work hard to earn money, and we'll settle the accounts when we have time so you'll have a goal to strive for."

"Okay," Yun Chenxin replied with a smile.

Liu Siyue felt even more trusting of Zhou Xiangxing—no, she should now call her Yun Chenxin—regarding her character.

Before they knew it, they arrived at the official market. With a whoosh, the carriage came to a smooth stop. Song Laosan put down the stool and said, "Ladies, we've arrived at the official market."

Liu Siyue and Yun Chenxin stepped down from the carriage. The other brokers in the brokerage firm teased Song Laosan, "Song Laosan, you've struck it rich! You've made a fortune. You've already sold your house, so why are you still working at the brokerage firm?"

"Brother Long, these two ladies bought a house and also want to buy a few servants, so I brought them over to see if there are any suitable ones."

"Not bad, not bad, you've learned a lot from Brother Long. Don't forget your roots after you make money."

"Brother Long, don't worry, everyone. I'll definitely treat you to this drink. Same place as always, let's drink until we're all drunk."

When the brokerage manager saw Song Laosan leading his men in, he patted him on the shoulder and said, "Do a good job."

Song Laosan led the two women to a room, served them tea, and said, "Madams, please have some tea. Tell me your specific requirements for the person you're buying, so I can make a selection and bring him over to you."

"I need one good cook, one to clean and sweep, one woman who knows a little martial arts, and three women who do embroidery. That's all I can think of for now. I'll ask you again if I need anything else in the future."

Not long after Song the broker left, he returned with more than twenty people. He had them line up in two rows. Liu Siyue walked between them, scrutinized them, and then stood in front again. "Let me make this clear in advance. We are from the countryside. If you buy us, you'll be doing chores. If you're not willing, you can step forward now. I don't accept sales that are forced upon you."

A few people in the crowd twitched their feet. Liu Siyue took in their small movements and facial expressions. Seeing that no one stepped forward, she asked those who knew how to cook to step forward. She pointed out two people to introduce themselves, "Madam, I used to be a cook in an official's household, specializing in preparing food for the masters. When the master committed a crime, we servants were sold off."

"What else can you do?"

"This servant is literate, knows how to shop, and knows how to keep accounts."

She pointed to another one, and that person quickly introduced, "Madam, I used to help villagers prepare banquets and I was very good at cooking. Later, my husband died, and my husband's family kicked me out. My family wanted me to marry a blind man, but I didn't want to, so I ran away from home and sold myself."

Liu Siyue directly chose the one who could read. He then pointed out several rough-working women and embroidery experts for Yun Chenxin to choose from, while she went to carefully examine the women who knew martial arts.

She asked them to introduce themselves first, and then to practice a few moves in the courtyard. Liu Siyue immediately recognized their skills. One was a female servant from a marquis's mansion whose property had been confiscated, and the other was a female bodyguard from a security escort agency.

"Would you two be willing to come with me?"

"If the two of them clasp their hands in a fist salute, this servant is willing."

"Okay, then you two will follow me from now on."

"Can you drive an oxcart or a horse-drawn carriage?"

"Madam, these are essential skills for us. From now on, we will be in charge of driving you when you travel."

This is wonderful! One person can do many jobs: guard the house and act as a bodyguard, drive a car, and even spar with someone when there's nothing else to do. They can also learn martial arts from others. They're making a killing and are overjoyed.

Yun Chenxin had already chosen the maids for cleaning and sweeping, but she hadn't chosen anyone skilled in embroidery. "Siyue, why are you buying so many embroidery girls? If you want to make clothes, I can do it."

"Are you stupid? Hurry up and pick the one you like, I'll tell you when we get back."

Yun Chenxin selected three people, and Liu Siyue asked Song Laosan to take the rest of them away. They originally wanted to buy six people, but now they bought one more.

When Song Laosan returned, Liu Siyue asked her to calculate the prices. Song Laosan said, "The people you chose all have certain skills. The cooks are normally 10 taels, but I'll give you 8 taels. The three embroiderers are 25 taels each, so I'll give you 22 taels. The two martial arts maids are 60 taels each, so I'll give you 55 taels. As for the rough-working old women, I'll just give you 2 taels of silver. That's the original price."

This is too cheap! A whole living person only costs 2 taels of silver. Craftsmen are always in demand, no matter the time.

"Song Laosan, why are maids so expensive?"

"Madam, you may not know this, but there are very few women who practice martial arts, and most of them are from official families. The brokers think that such women are quite rare. The few I brought out today were sent from the capital a few days ago."

Someone pre-ordered two items, so you got to choose first, which gave you the upper hand; you picked the best quality ones.

Song Laosan whispered to Liu Siyue, "I heard that the homes of several officials in the capital were raided a while ago. The capital is not peaceful."

Liu Siyue understood. It was normal for things to be valued for their rarity. She couldn't concern herself with matters of the court, as long as they didn't affect her life.

Liu Siyue readily agreed, paid 186 taels, and came with her men to open the shop.

These people were all dressed in tattered clothes. Liu Siyue led her people to the Zhiyun Cloth Shop first. The shop assistant greeted her with a smile, "Madam, you've arrived! It's been a long time. What would you like to buy this time?"

"Buy each of them a ready-made outfit first, and then buy some fabric."

"Madam, are these all your servants?"

"Yes."

"Madam, we are regular customers. To save you money, we'll give you priority access to the flawed fabrics in the storeroom."

"Then thank you very much, Afu. Maybe we can cooperate again in the future. You can sell your cloth to me, and I can sell my products to you. We can both make money."

"What does Madam mean by this?"

"You'll find out in a few days. In any case, it's a good thing. When that time comes, I'll talk to your manager or owner, and you'll definitely get your share of the benefits."

"Ah Fu thanks you again, Madam. We hope you can come soon. Our manager is here every day, but our boss is in the prefectural city and won't be here often."

"It's alright, my things aren't ready yet."

After buying things at the fabric shop, I went to the general store to buy pots, pans, and utensils before heading back.

Everyone quickly cleaned up, and Liu Siyue went back to her space to check on the children.