Fifty-Five: A Blessing Weighing Only Five Bushels of Rice

Slaves also have their ranks and classes.

Without a doubt, this was determined by their market value.

The junior maidservants just summoned to the front hall by Manager Li all had their own dedicated quarters. Even the Kunlun slaves had them, because Kunlun slaves were quite expensive, to begin with. If by chance a Kunlun slave possessed a talent like swimming, they would command an even higher price than a "semi-junior" maid, and the death of even one would cause Manager Li a great deal of heartache.

All of the above constituted the treatment reserved for high-ranking slaves.

In stark contrast, the open-air backyard was filled with filthy iron cages, either piled directly on the ground or stacked one upon another, occupying the majority of the courtyard's pathways.

It was only upon reaching this place that Ouyang Rong truly witnessed the ruthless cruelty lurking behind the glamorous facade of the Jin-Xiao-Kou Horse and Slave Agency.

Those confined within the iron cages were ordinary slaves who were old, weak, sick, or disabled. Some lacked arms or legs, others bore bizarre and ugly facial features, and many were riddled with severe illnesses. They possessed strange, exotic faces that Ouyang Rong could not even fully categorize.

No wonder they were the leftovers rejected by previous customers. Before being shipped off to some unknown destination to squeeze out their final ounce of residual value, the Jin-Xiao-Kou Horse and Slave Agency was treating Ouyang Rong, their very last customer of the season, to a massive end-of-season clearance sale:

The unit price for the entire lot was less than two hundred literary coins.

You were guaranteed to feel cheated, guaranteed to be swindled.

It was amidst this exact environment that Ouyang Rong caught sight of "her."

Her iron cage was squeezed into the spot closest to the courtyard's open space, positioning her at the very edge of the lot.

This also meant that the eaves of the corridor could not shelter her tiny, solitary dwelling. The heavy rain from the previous night had only ceased by morning, and as the morning sun slowly climbed from the eastern horizon, cutting diagonally across the eaves, its rays could not touch her damp figure. Instead, the accumulated rainwater from the eaves dripped relentlessly onto her long hair. Yet she remained completely motionless, as though utterly numb.

Until a slender figure strode directly from the morning sun in the courtyard into this damp, dark shadow.

*Screeech—*

The sound of an iron cage scraping against the ground echoed.

Ouyang Rong felt that the iron cage in his hand was remarkably light, even with a young girl inside.

Dragged along with her cage into the sunlight at the center of the courtyard, she finally raised her head in a start, resembling a startled rabbit waking from a deep sleep.

Although she quickly lowered her head again, Ouyang Rong had already caught a glimpse of that small face.

For this, he had to thank the rainwater from the eaves, which had washed her face and hair relatively clean.

Then, bathed in the warm sunlight, Ouyang Rong was able to see her clearly.

His eyes had not deceived him.

Ouyang Rong turned his head to look at the junior steward who had followed closely behind him. The latter wore a peculiar expression and hurriedly nodded in response:

"Young Master, if it's this little female slave... you don't even need two hundred coins. Fifty coins should be more than enough."

"Fifty coins?" Ouyang Rong could not help but ask, "Are you certain?"

"Certain!"

The junior steward's reply was resolute and decisive.

However, the glance he cast at Ouyang Rong grew increasingly peculiar. Meanwhile, Ouyang Rong lowered his gaze to look at the caged slave basking in the sunlight, and then cast an equally peculiar look back at the junior steward.

The two of them looked much like people who had accidentally stumbled into the Frugality and Compassion House of the Eastern Forest Temple, exchanging remarkably similar expressions.

For a moment, the atmosphere grew slightly awkward.

Fearing that he might go back on his word, the junior steward quickly added, "If you find it too expensive, we can go even lower. Forty coins wouldn't be out of the question."

Why was the price still dropping?

Ouyang Rong could not help but lower his head, sinking into deep contemplation.

The junior steward quietly appraised his expression and remarked casually, "This little female slave... the manager was planning to ship her down south to some remote villages, just to see if any illicit local shrines needed someone for sacrifices..."

"How can you conduct human sacrifices? Those are heretical cults that delude the common people, and the government has explicitly banned them!"

Ouyang Rong frowned and interrupted. After a brief pause, he pointed at the iron cage and said earnestly:

"Then I'll buy her. Fifty coins it is, no discount needed..."

If he accepted any further discount, he feared his conscience would prick him.

Ouyang Rong continued with a solemn expression: "However, your Jin-Xiao-Kou Horse and Slave Agency is strictly forbidden from engaging in such practices that encourage heretical sacrifices again. Otherwise, expect the bailiffs to come and seal off this shop."

"Understood, understood." The junior steward nodded hastily, offering a dry smile. "It's just that she's far too unusual. Aside from that particular purpose, we couldn't think of any other use for her."

Ouyang Rong opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it and remained silent. Wasting no time, he immediately went and summoned Madame Zhen, the junior maid, and the stern-faced Li Yan to the backyard.

The young magistrate pointed a finger at the small iron cage, then lowered his head, clenched his fist, and covered his mouth:

"Ahem, just... just this one."

As soon as he uttered those words—which made even him blush slightly—Ouyang Rong abruptly noticed that the entire world seemed to grow still.

Everyone's eyes were fixed squarely on him.

Li Yan, who had been harboring a slight trace of annoyance just moments before, now wore an expression of sheer fascination.

As for Madame Zhen and the junior maid, their eyes were widened in disbelief.

Only Liu Ashan's gaze toward him shifted from initial astonishment to something resembling... deepening reverence.

Ouyang Rong met their gazes directly and asked with complete sincerity: "Why are you all... looking at me like that?"

Li Yan turned his head and sighed admiringly to Madame Zhen, "Madame truly speaks the truth. Your nephew's standards are indeed... slightly on the lofty side."

Madame Zhen pointed at the little female slave in the cage and said in utter disbelief, "Why would Tanlang buy a slave like this? With a head of white hair like that... is she an old crone or a young girl?"

Li Yan immediately clarified, "A girl, absolutely a girl. Judging by her teeth, she's only in her early teens. Madame need not worry. Though her hair might have turned white prematurely at a young age, haha, she is perfectly healthy. Granted, she's a bit thin, but that means she eats very little, which saves grain, and you can make her work harder... If the young master fancies her, feel free to lead her away."

The Sogdian merchant smiled, revealing a row of brilliant white teeth. Yet, when compared against the delicate skin of the caged girl's neck—washed clean by the rain—his teeth appeared somewhat yellowish by comparison.

Madame Zhen glared at him angrily, "You're naturally pleased to sell such an ill-omened creature to Tanlang!"

"Certainly not."

Li Yan waved his hand dismissively and said with a solemn air:

"My family has been in the livestock and slave trading business for so many years, and this is the first time I've ever laid eyes on such a white-haired barbarian girl. Madame, think about it: rarity confers value, and ordinary people simply lack the appreciation for it... It is your esteemed son whose discerning eyes recognize a true treasure!"

Madame Zhen maintained a blank expression. "Yet Manager Li is selling her for only fifty coins."

Li Yan's face did not flush nor his heart beat faster. "We're just making friends."

The woman in the pleated skirt grew increasingly distressed, her right eyelid twitching wildly as she gritted her teeth and asked, "Where on earth did your esteemed establishment unearth this... precious treasure?"

Li Yan had originally intended to brush the matter off with a laugh, but seeing Ouyang Rong cast a curious gaze his way—knowing that both buyer and seller were required to clearly account for the provenance and background of such merchandise—the rule-abiding Sogdian merchant could only shrug his shoulders helplessly:

"She's cargo from a Sogdian friend of mine. He traveled to regions even further west than Sogdian territories and coincidentally captured a batch of barbarians with blonde hair and blue eyes. My friend believed such slaves could fetch a massive fortune within the Great Zhou Empire, so he traversed thousands of miles along the maritime barbarian trade route and shipped them to Guangzhou City to sell them. And then...

"Well, there is no 'and then.' Business wasn't particularly good. Later, as he traveled northward, he ran into a band of mountain bandits who plundered all his valuables. So he simply gifted this remaining little female slave to me, collected his travel expenses, and returned to Sogdiana. Judging by his appearance, he's never going into this kind of business again."

Li Yan heaved a sigh and shook his head:

"This little female slave was born to one of the pregnant barbarian women. Logically speaking, she should have had blonde hair as well, but strangely enough—who knows what breed she is—she ended up with a head of white..." He agilely corrected himself, "Silver hair! It's rather a pity."

Madame Zhen was utterly speechless, hitting the nail on the head: "So even the mountain bandits gave this white-headed barbarian a wide berth when they went looting, right? They stole everything else back to their mountain stronghold, but dared not touch this ill-omened creature?"

Li Yan offered a dry, smooth-talking smile: "A silver-haired barbarian, a silver-haired barbarian, hahaha."

In truth, the Sogdian merchant also felt that this silver-haired barbarian girl was somewhat malevolent. Normally, everyone in the backyard kept their distance from her. Neither the stewards nor the slaves, nor even he as the manager, cared for her; they all ostracized her and were unwilling to get too close.

However, this silver-haired barbarian girl was remarkably resilient, managing to survive until this very day. Although she was as thin as a rail, it was largely because the living conditions at their horse and slave agency were actually quite decent. Li Yan sighed inwardly, primarily because the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty provided corresponding protection for the lives of slaves, and the municipal market officials who oversaw this street of slave agencies would inspect the slaves' food rations, injuries, and illnesses twice daily.

At the thought of skyrocketing grain prices in recent days, and the high-priced grain consumed by low-ranking slaves like the silver-haired barbarian girl in the backyard, Li Yan felt a slight pang of heartache.

Having listened to Li Yan's account, Ouyang Rong lowered his gaze to look at the bowing girl inside the iron cage, a thoughtful expression resting on his face.

The Sogdian merchant regained his familiar, accommodating demeanor. Fearing that the young man might change his mind, he took the initiative to chat warmly:

"If the young master wants her, I'll have her released and cleaned up right away, and then notify the market official to come over, act as a witness, and draw up an official market contract."

"Very well," Ouyang Rong replied without raising his head.

Li Yan immediately glanced at the junior steward, who tacitly departed to fetch the market official.

Li Yan then took a ring of keys from a Kunlun slave and unlocked the iron cage of the silver-haired barbarian girl.

Ouyang Rong squatted down and helped her untie the ropes around her wrists. The silver-haired barbarian girl buried her face in her knees, not daring to look at anyone.

These damp little hands were ice-cold. Although spring was already well underway, they were covered in chilblains, feeling to the touch like a frozen doorknob made entirely of solid iron.

The young magistrate warmed them between his own large, comforting hands. She shrank back in fright, prompting him to gently release his grip.

Li Yan summoned a woman who handled rough chores, had her pull the silver-haired barbarian girl to her feet, and led her off to the adjacent laundry room to be cleaned up.

Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze and turned to say, "Aunt, please advance the fifty coins for me."

Madame Zhen said in a gentle, tactful tone, "Tanlang, your aunt isn't particularly fond of this. We came here today to select a maidservant, not to engage in charity."

The Sogdian merchant chimed in opportunistically, "Paying in grain is also acceptable, you know."

Madame Zhen turned around with a blank expression, prompting Li Yan to quickly avert his eyes.

Ouyang Rong glanced at Liu Ashan, who tacitly lowered his sack of rice and handed it to the Kunlun slave who stepped forward to receive it. The dark-skinned, sturdy slave tested the weight on a scale, inspected the opened sack, and honestly reported the count:

"Sixty catties, five dou of rice."

Li Yan nodded. "Based on the West Market rice price before noon, that's slightly over, but we still need to split the fee for having the market official issue the market contract..."

He made a quick mental calculation, then accepted two copper coins from the Kunlun slave and handed them back. "Two coins remaining, returned to the young master."

Ouyang Rong casually accepted them and suddenly asked:

"Do all of you think... she is terribly ugly?"

Li Yan was the first to offer praise: "Quite distinctive."

Liu Ashan nodded: "My lord is benevolent."

The junior maid muttered softly: "A freak."

Madame Zhen... remained silent, casting a somewhat resentful glance at Tanlang—the kind that could not be easily coaxed away.

The chore-woman led the silver-haired barbarian girl back out.

This time, the silver-haired barbarian girl had been changed into a clean, coarse linen tunic. She was no longer filthy, though her wet hair hung heavily, water dripping continuously from the strands.

With her head lowered, she walked out into the sunlight. Seemingly freezing, her entire body shivered as the chore-woman guided her onto a weighing scale.

The Sogdian merchant called out loudly and familiarly: "Raise the scale!"

As if following routine, two Kunlun slaves lifted a suspended beam scale from front and back to weigh her.

The Sogdian merchant glanced at the scale and shouted jokingly: "What a coincidence, Young Master! The slave weighs sixty catties—the exact same price as the rice!"

Ignoring him, the young magistrate pulled out a towel and walked straight toward her. Standing face to face, he personally began drying the girl's damp, flowing hair.

Bathed in the sunlight, the young girl's features were revealed in exquisite detail:

Beneath her coarse linen dress, her delicate figure was slender; the skin from her slender neck down to her collarbone was as smooth and fair as milk, though drained of color due to long-term malnutrition;

A head of silver-white, smooth, and straight hair cascaded down to her waist, shimmering with faint golden highlights in the sunlight;

Her small bridge of the nose was high and upturned, her eye sockets slightly deep, and the contours of her small face were sharp yet relatively soft and gentle compared to the Western Region Hu women. Her facial bones were delicate and petite, complemented by bright eyes and white teeth, though her pink lips currently looked pale and grey from the cold;

In particular, she possessed a pair of misty, grayish-blue pupils within her large eyes, which were currently gazing with a watery, hazy mist at the calm man carefully drying her hair in the sunlight...

No matter how one looked at her, the silver-haired barbarian girl resembled an exquisite, noble white-haired lolita, a budding beauty.

Was she good-looking?

He had traded a single bag of rice for her.