Blessings of Time Traveling

Qi Mingcheng planned to go to the northwest.

In this day and age, if there are only two men on the road together, if they carry a lot of goods with them, they will not be very safe on the road.Therefore, Qi Mingcheng didn't intend to bring anything from the south to the northwest to sell from the beginning. His most important purpose in going to the northwest was to recruit people.

"Isn't there fighting all the year round? Some soldiers lost their arms and legs on the battlefield, and they can no longer fight. If they are not so disabled and can go to business with me, I will hire them." Qi Mingcheng said to Wu Shun Talking about your own thoughts, "What do you think?"

Wu Shun first affirmed Qi Mingcheng's thoughts and felt that he was very enlightened. Then he changed the subject and asked, "Brother, since you are short of manpower, why don't you buy some slaves? You can buy people when you enter a city." Oh, there are also those who are tall and powerful among the slaves, who directly signed the death contract, and you hold their contract in your hand, they will never dare to betray you. In fact, buying slaves is safer and cheaper than hiring people. "

Qi Mingcheng was dumbfounded.

Wu Shun waited for Qi Mingcheng's answer.

Qi Mingcheng wiped his face and said, "I never thought that I could buy someone..." He comes from a modern society where everyone is equal. Although there are three older sisters who are selling themselves as slaves at this time, in fact, he did not take it for granted. Naturally, it is impossible to think of buying people for these things.

Wu Shun understood.His brother-in-law sometimes does have some, how should I put it, just has a little fairy air, and doesn't touch the ground at all.

"Then do you want to buy people now? You can't buy what you want right away, you have to choose carefully." Wu Shun asked again, "If we buy people well, then we can take the goods with us when we go back to the northwest. , don’t leave empty-handed. Let’s think about it... If there are not many goods, it’s enough to buy three or five people.”

Qi Mingcheng thought for a while, and said, "Let's go to the northwest to have a look first..."

Wu Shun said that everything was according to Qi Mingcheng.Originally, Wu Shun knew that he was not as smart as Qi Mingcheng in business, so he naturally wanted to listen to him.What's more, this time he went out with Qi Mingcheng, Qi Mingcheng felt very sorry, so he would give him money on a monthly basis, which was regarded as hiring him to a certain extent.For Wu Shun, Qi Mingcheng is not only his wife and brother, but also his employer, so of course all his decisions must be respected.

Anyway, Wu Shun had already given his own opinion, and he hoped that Qi Mingcheng would be well.He also has a clear conscience.

The two picked a mule and used it to pull the cart along the official road.

Of course, mule-drawn carts are not as fast as horse-drawn carts, but fortunately they are stable.In this age without cars, trains, and planes, mules were nice, at least they got their legs free.They are dressed in gray on purpose. At first glance, they don't look like merchants, but they look like farmers going to the city to go to the market.

Both of them belong to the kind of people who are able to endure hardships. Don't look at Qi Mingcheng's delicate skin and tender flesh, who always make his life better within the allowed range of conditions, but if the conditions do not allow him, he will adapt very well. quick.If he couldn't bear hardships, then he wouldn't decide to go out and make a living.

It's not like they didn't really carry anything.Qi Mingcheng hid two packs of pearls close to his body. When these things were brought to the north, if they met nomads, they could be sold for a high price.In addition, they also brought tea. This thing is light, and the two of them can bear the weight.

Oh, Qi Mingcheng also purchased some rouge gouache from the south, they are all very delicately packaged, and he wants to take it to the north to try his luck.

Along the way, they passed through many towns.Qi Mingcheng would stay in each city for a few days, ranging from one or two days to three to five days at most.He is trying to observe and understand the local prices.For a merchant, he can only make a difference if he knows the price differences in different places.

On this day, the two arrived at a city named Jiangma.This place is actually very close to the northwest frontier.

Wu Shun and Qi Mingcheng, who are from the water town, are a little uncomfortable with the dry climate here, and they didn't expect that the wind here is still wrapped in gravel!After they walked outside for a day, they went back to the inn and took off their clothes and shoes and shook them, shaking out a pound of sand!

The next day, Wu Shun stayed in the inn to rest, and Qi Mingcheng got up with perseverance and went shopping.

When passing by a wild market, Qi Mingcheng saw a place surrounded by many people, so he tried his best to squeeze in.The so-called wild market refers to a market that has not obtained official certification. There is no need to pay any fees to set up a stall here, and the guests received are all kinds of people.Generally speaking, the things sold in the wild market are much cheaper, so the wild market is usually more lively than the square market in the city.

Qi Mingcheng squeezed forward, thinking that there would be some novelty for sale here, but he found out that it was a Tudan tribe selling a group of slaves.

Tudan is also one of the nomads. They are generally tall and mighty, and they especially like to grow beards.However, even without beards, the difference between them and Jingchao people is obvious, because most of them have deep eye sockets, high nose bridges, and light brown eyes.The Tudan tribe in front of Qi Mingcheng must be a rich man in the Tudan tribe, right?Because, all of his ten fingers are covered with big gold rings.

It is obvious to all that the Tutan people are obsessed with gold.

There were a total of six slaves sold, all of whom were from the Jing Dynasty, and all of them were men.They were sallow and emaciated from hunger, and each of them looked weak. They should all be in their 30s or 12s. Of course, they may be younger than this, but they have been enslaved too much, making them look a little too old.If this kind of young and middle-aged slaves are in good health but have no other skills, their selling price in the slave market is generally between 15 taels of silver and [-] taels of silver. Add money up.

However, the Tudan businessman obviously wanted to sell these slaves cheaply, because he only sold one slave for nine taels of silver.

Qi Mingcheng didn't intend to buy someone, so he didn't say anything.

The onlookers were all shopping in wild markets, and they were not moved by the cheap price. Someone beside Qi Mingcheng said to the other: "Cheap is cheap...but look at their hands, tsk, this long I don’t know what it is, can’t it be sick?”

Qi Mingcheng immediately looked at the slaves' hands, but saw many blister-like things growing on the backs of their hands.

To be honest, it looks kind of disgusting.

"It must be sick? Otherwise, why are you willing to sell it so cheaply? Selling all six together, wouldn't it be an infectious disease?"

"Wow... then who would dare to buy it? It won't be long before you buy it back, and it's time to prepare coffins for them."

"I'm short of some manpower, but it's really bad to buy it back... Who knows what the disease is!"

The Tudan businessman obviously understood what Jing Chao said. Seeing that all the buyers were not optimistic, he gritted his teeth and said with a strong accent: "These people have made mistakes, and my master can't tolerate them." They are dead, so I ordered me to sell them. To tell you the truth, our carriages and horses have already been set up, and the team is about to set off. If there is not much time now, how can I be willing to ask such a low price? ?”

However, no matter how rhetoric the businessman said, everyone had eyes, and seeing the blisters on the slave's hands, they still didn't dare to buy it.

The Tudan merchants had no choice but to lower the price again, and a slave could be bought for eight taels of silver.

The price is really low, and some people can't help but feel a little bit excited.If the slaves didn't suffer any serious illnesses, wouldn't they make money if they bought them back?

Qi Mingcheng shook his head, and was about to leave when one of the slaves suddenly foamed at the mouth and passed out.

Well, now surely no one buys it!This is definitely a serious illness!

The Tudan businessman was so angry that he vomited blood and couldn't help kicking the fainted slave in the stomach.Qi Mingcheng couldn't bear to see it.He showed a little sympathy at such a time, and he cannot be called a saint because of this.He came from an era where everyone was equal, and he always respected life, but now in front of him, a slave owner abused a slave who had passed out.

Qi Mingcheng really couldn't stand it anymore.

Well, just do a good day.Qi Mingcheng said: "Let's make it cheaper, and I'll buy it if it's cheaper. You have to at least waive the doctor's money for me. I can't use these people directly after buying them. I can only admit that they are at a loss." My little sympathy is well hidden.

It is estimated that this group of people were really sick. The merchants of the Tudan tribe were eager to sell them. In the end, Qi Mingcheng bought them all for only 30 taels of silver.The onlookers shook their heads and dispersed one by one. They all felt that Qi Mingcheng's money must have been thrown into the water and there would be no return.

The Tudan businessman probably felt that it was not profitable to sell only this little silver. He frowned and touched the gold in his hand, spit on the ground, and said to Qi Mingcheng, "You only bought their people, and their body You have to take off your clothes, you can't let them wear them."

Qi Mingcheng wanted to spit blood on this person, how picky are you?Just don't let anyone keep these tattered clothes?

He said that the Tudan merchants were willing to leave the suits worn by the slaves to them, but insisted on taking all their burdens away.These six slaves probably knew that they would be sold, so they packed a bag each, and there were only one or two pieces of clothes in it. If they met a more generous master, this would be their private property.However, it is clear that Tutan businessmen are not generous.

Qi Mingcheng watched the Tudan businessman put away all the baggage with a blank face.

Oh no, he left one more, and that bundle was not clothes, but a jar.A slave held the jar tightly.

"What is this?" Qi Mingcheng couldn't help asking.

"It is my companion," answered the slave. "He is dead. Let me take him home. I will burn him to ashes and put them in a jar."

"Unlucky." The Tutan businessman whispered something in Tudan, and then left without looking back.

Qi Mingcheng didn't think it was bad luck.In fact, there is no custom of cremation here in Jingchao, and the act of destroying the corpse is disrespectful to the dead in their view.So, how much determination does it take to burn your companions?But this is the only way they want to go home.

"Can you still walk?" Qi Mingcheng asked.

Except for the one who passed out, the remaining five slaves all nodded.

Qi Mingcheng was a little relieved, and said, "Follow me if you can. And your companion, who of you is carrying him?"

The slave who spoke back before said, "I'll recite it." This person's eyes did not become cloudy because of too much suffering.

He has an unshaven face, so Qi Mingcheng can't accurately judge his age.However, Qi Mingcheng felt that this person should be the head of these slaves, because when he spoke, other slaves would always subconsciously look at him.Qi Mingcheng asked: "Okay. Then what's your name?"

"A Deng, my name is Deng." The slave said.