Selling Oneself

Man has the ambition to soar to the heavens, but without luck, he cannot achieve it.

Meng Yuan had been here for a month, constantly on the run, and hadn't had a single full meal.

He didn't know much about this world. Only a few days ago, when he was burning books for warmth in a dilapidated house, he found that the writing was the same as in his previous life, but the dynasties and history were different.

This place was called the Qing Kingdom, established nearly five hundred years ago, and now it was in turmoil.

In this world, there were great masters of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, monsters that could devour a city, and peerless sword immortals.

Meng Yuan had transmigrated here with no backing, only a strange essence fire within his body. He didn't know exactly where it was, but as long as he concentrated, he could feel it.

Because he had been on the run these past few days, his body was weak and frail, and the essence fire had actually nourished him in return, but its power had also become smaller and smaller, shrinking into a tiny spark.

Now that he had eaten a hot tofu meal, his whole body felt warm, and the spark had also grown slightly.

This essence fire was closely related to himself. As long as he was unharmed, the essence fire could absorb nutrients from food and slowly grow stronger.

He just didn't know how large this essence fire could grow, or what effect it would have when it did.

But Meng Yuan knew that everything was difficult now. He needed to first get a full meal before he could consider nurturing the essence fire.

"Starting with a bowl, it's even worse than weaving mats and selling shoes!" Meng Yuan sighed. Seeing that Old Man Jiang and his granddaughter were still eating in silence, he simply picked up the empty bowl and asked the stall owner for another bowl of hot water from the boiled tofu.

Holding the bowl and sipping the hot water, Meng Yuan started chatting with the vendor.

Now, without skills, distant relatives, or money, a young man with nothing who wasn't willing to sell his body could only sell his strength.

This place was called Songhe Prefecture, adjacent to the Canglang River. Water transport was prosperous, and perhaps he could find a short-term job at the docks.

But after a little inquiry, he learned that there had been little rain this year, and the water level of the Canglang River had dropped. There were already few boats in winter, so there were even fewer jobs.

The jobs for laborers at the docks weren't even enough for the locals, and the Cao Gang wasn't hiring either. If outsiders took private jobs, a beating was considered light punishment.

As for joining the army for food, he had to pay first.

After thanking the vendor, Meng Yuan and Old Man Jiang and his granddaughter left the alley and headed towards the city gate.

There was an open space outside the city gate, where many people had withered grass stuck in their hair, and many human traffickers were coming and going, asking questions.

The first to be picked were naturally craftsmen and able-bodied laborers, followed by women and children. The old, weak, sick, and disabled were absolutely unwanted.

Selling sons and daughters, selling oneself into slavery, and pawning wives were common sights.

Moreover, the times were different now. The rich, the brokers, and the officials colluded. Selling oneself usually didn't fetch a good price, and it was a lifetime contract of servitude.

In times of disaster, the common people were like weeds, and that was largely the case.

"Brother, want a wife? Pay up and she's yours!" A human trafficker grabbed Meng Yuan.

"Brother, I'm also here to sell myself, take a good look," Meng Yuan said.

"Then will you sell for two coins of silver?"

"Am I cheaper than pork?"

"What do you think?"

Meng Yuan was speechless.

Seeing this, Old Man Jiang pulled Meng Yuan aside and comforted him, "Let's not rush. I, this old man, have a family trade, and I guarantee we can find a way to survive."

Upon asking, he learned that Old Man Jiang's so-called trade was actually gelding, which was gelding pigs, sheep, chickens, and ducks. He also knew how to select horses and treat livestock.

This could indeed be called a craftsman.

"I think it's best for the three of us to stay together, so we can look out for each other!" Old Man Jiang was very sincere.

Meng Yuan thought about it and felt that copying poems and books in this world was too distant. He might as well learn a trade from Old Man Jiang first. Today he castrated cattle and sheep, who knew if he couldn't castrate the world tomorrow.

The two discussed it, grabbed a handful of snow to wash their faces, and together found a female broker.

"In these times, your gelding trade isn't popular, and you're dragging a family along. I'm afraid you won't get a good price!" This female broker was clearly experienced. She immediately tried to scare them and lower the price, then pulled Meng Yuan to a corner and said, "Young master is handsome, let me feel your 'goods'. If you have enough capital, the noble ladies will be scrambling for you!"

As she spoke, the female broker actually reached down.

The Great Qing was founded on military strength, the people were tough, and women had high status. It was common for them to show their faces in public, and even keep male companions.

Meng Yuan was terrified. He didn't expect that after just protecting his backside, something else was being eyed. He quickly protected his crotch, barely preserving his innocence.

"Alright, no luck!" The female broker didn't force it. She took the three of them to a single-story courtyard. Before entering the room, the female broker shouted, "Steward Liu! Here's an old gelder and a young gelder, they also know how to take care of cattle and horses. Everyone outside is scrambling for them, I told them all to wait, and brought them for you to inspect first!"

Lifting the thick door curtain, they saw a middle-aged man in a long gown sitting by a stove, with six or seven other people standing around.

There was a thick-bottomed iron pot on the stove, and the tofu and pickles in the pot were sizzling with fragrance.

The middle-aged man picked up a piece of hot tofu, took a sip of hot wine, then looked over and asked, "Served cattle and horses? Taken care of deer and sheep?"

"Taken care of all of them, and can even cut deer blood! Raising cattle and sheep, taking care of horses, assisting in childbirth and breeding, and can even treat them when they're sick! We've lived with livestock since we were little! We also know how to castrate pigs and geld sheep, we're used to it!" Old Man Jiang saw that this person had a lot of presence, so he bowed and kept praising himself.

The middle-aged man was noncommittal, only stirring the hot tofu in the pot. Another man with a donkey-like face asked a few questions about the post-natal care of cows.

Old Man Jiang answered them one by one.

Seeing the donkey-faced man nod, the middle-aged man then asked, "Are these two with you?"

"Replying to master, yes, they are." Old Man Jiang bowed, squeezed out a smile, and respectfully said, "This is my granddaughter, and this is my betrothed grandson-in-law! This child is also capable, he's been carrying manure since he was little, he can endure hardship!"

This was what Meng Yuan and Old Man Jiang had discussed. They would say the three of them were a family. That way, the old man had a skill, the young man was in his prime, and the girl, who seemed like a burden, could tie the adults down, wouldn't eat much grain, and would make the master feel at ease.

Moreover, in these times, poor girls marry early, so getting engaged in advance is common. It's normal for there to be a difference of a few years, or even more than ten years, between the man and woman.

"Then let's sign the contract and the bill of sale. From now on, you'll work at the Princess Consort's ranch. You won't lack food or drink," the middle-aged man agreed.

The procuress quickly took out three bills of sale. "Five qian for the old gelder, three qian for the young gelder, and two qian for the girl! We're doing business with a conscience, you won't find this price anywhere else!"

Three people only selling for one tael of silver? Meng Yuan was shocked. He quickly took the documents to look. They were indeed lifetime contracts of sale, only needing names filled in and fingerprints pressed.

Circumstances were stronger than people. This was how things were done outside. They were taking advantage of the refugees. If they delayed for another two days, there would be even more disaster victims, and making a living would be even harder.

But Meng Yuan still felt it was outrageous. In this world, if you say it's bad, the Princess Consort did indeed find a broker and followed the rules; if you say it's not bad, three people only sold for one tael of silver. If they were all butchered and sold at the price of pork, it would be more than this amount.

"Don't look down on the silver from the sale! We're going to the Princess Consort's ranch. You won't have to worry about food and lodging, and you'll get monthly silver! The Princess Consort is the most generous to her servants. Go ask around, how many people want to go but can't!" The procuress saw Meng Yuan's incredulous look and quickly comforted him, "Young gelder, if you miss this village, you won't find this shop!"

"Noble sirs, please allow us three to discuss," Old Man Jiang sighed, pulling his granddaughter and Meng Yuan outside.

After leaving the room, Old Man Jiang and Meng Yuan couldn't speak.

"Grandpa, sell me first. We can find a way to redeem me later," the little granddaughter grabbed Old Man Jiang's clothes and looked up with her dirty little face.

"At my age, Grandpa doesn't have much 'later'. I just hope I can stay by your side and watch you for a couple more years," Old Man Jiang smiled kindly, then looked at Meng Yuan and said, "Thank you for your help along the way. I have nothing to repay you with. If you want to find another path, I'll give you the money from the sale. Maybe you can make a name for yourself. At that time, I just hope you can come see this child more often and help protect her."

"Old Man, you trust me too much," Meng Yuan smiled helplessly.

"You're a good person, I can see that," Old Man Jiang said.

"It's better if we stay together. We can help each other out. There will always be a day when we make it," Meng Yuan pinched the child's cheek.

Returning to the room, they took out the three bills of sale and recorded their names and origins.

Old Man Jiang's full name was Jiang Shuanyou, fifty-three years old.

The little girl was named Jiang Tang, only eleven years old.

Meng Yuan was his given name, sixteen years old.

The three of them pressed their fingerprints, and the procuress from the brokerage and the middle-aged man also signed.

From then on, Meng Yuan sold himself to the Prince's manor, becoming the Princess Consort's private slave. Unless the Princess Consort released him in the future, he would have to be a gelder for the rest of his life, cutting testicles for the rest of his life.

With the matter settled, the middle-aged man took out some broken silver, and the procuress took out a small scale from her bag to weigh it, showing the middle-aged man the markings on the scale. "Our rule is ten percent commission, one qian from each side!"

Meng Yuan held the nine qian of silver he received and couldn't help but think that in this world, even selling one's backside was not blameworthy.

"You three, you are truly blessed!" The procuress facilitated the transaction and received her commission, beaming with joy.

Meng Yuan and the other two were all people who had lost their homes and were now selling themselves into slavery. Hearing these words, they felt particularly ironic.