To Be a Slave or a Maid

Ten taels of silver?

Hong Ming was suddenly stunned, surprise washing over him like a tide.

It wasn't that the other party's offer was too high; it was that it was too low—absurdly, ridiculously low!

Although the fish tide had caused prices to drop across the board, the market value of Treasure Fish remained firm.

Red-Horned Pomfret were the cream of the crop; even in their aging phase, they could fetch a minimum of twenty taels.

Yet, coming from his mouth, the price was slashed by more than half, all while he maintained such a hypocritical, sanctimonious posture.

He was clearly trying to fool him like a child, spouting nothing but nonsense!

Huang Chun seemed to sense Hong Ming's thoughts and added, "Ah Ming, if you miss this opportunity, you won't find another. If you agree, this Instructor will certainly keep it in mind!"

He delivered the final sentence with profound meaning, carrying the implication of wanting to bury the hatchet.

It was as if, should Hong Ming agree, all the grievances between them would be wiped clean, vanishing like smoke.

Hong Ming remained unmoved, but he didn't want to startle the snake. Instead, he adopted a stalling tactic, feigning difficulty: "Instructor Huang, your price is certainly not the problem, but could you allow me some time to consider? You know the rules of our River Bureau; I must see Instructor Han before I can make a decision."

"That is true." Huang Chun appeared quite reasonable, his eyes narrowing. "In that case, you must think it over carefully."

Huang Chun had spoken the first half with a kindly expression, but Hong Ming caught the scent of a sugar-coated bullet in the latter half.

Regarding the warning and threat, Hong Ming feigned a look of trepidation: "Rest assured, Instructor Huang, this subordinate will keep it in mind."

Huang Chun nodded slightly, hands clasped behind his back, and strode away with a satisfied air.

He had seen through Hong Ming's perfunctory response, but he didn't care in the slightest.

Though he felt some irritation, there was no real anger.

It simply wasn't necessary!

Barring any accidents, it wouldn't be long before Hong Ming was transferred under the command of Huang Zhang. At that point, he would be nothing more than a catfish on a chopping block, ready to be slaughtered.

Chai Fish Market.

Chen Yao and Wen Xin walked out slowly.

In stark contrast to the joy of the vendors along the road, the two of them wore dejected expressions.

"Chen Yao, there are no Treasure Fish at the Chai Fish Market. Why don't we try other markets?"

Wen Xin suggested, trying to find a solution.

"We've already been to all the places we should have. As for the markets we haven't visited, even if they had Treasure Fish, it wouldn't be our turn to buy them," Chen Yao sighed, shaking her head.

This was no lie; many Treasure Fish were pre-ordered by major factions before they were even caught.

On the rare occasion that a few fish slipped through the net and reached the market, they were quickly snatched up at high prices by other lurkers.

They had visited quite a few fish markets and hadn't arrived late, but their luck was simply poor, and they had returned empty-handed.

"Then, how many Treasure Fish is your family still short of?" Wen Xin asked curiously after a moment of silence.

She knew the Chen Family had been struggling with business lately and desperately needed Treasure Fish to turn things around.

Chen Yao replied, "We were originally short two, but one can barely be made up for with a half-treasure fish. The remaining one, however, is impossible."

"Only one short? Then there is still great hope." Wen Xin's brow relaxed slightly upon hearing this.

Chen Yao did not respond, her brow remaining furrowed.

The "remaining one" Wen Xin spoke of was the result of their arduous efforts; gathering it would not be that easy.

Times had changed. In previous years, let alone one, even if they were short two Treasure Fish, there would have been hope of purchasing them.

But for some reason, the yield of Treasure Fish this year was poor, and their family's water field had only managed to catch two.

They were far from the five Treasure Fish required for delivery!

She had intended to scrape together what she could during the fish tide, but unexpectedly, it wasn't just her family's water field that was struggling; other fields were in much the same situation, all desperately short of Treasure Fish.

This resulted in Treasure Fish being far scarcer on the market than in previous years, often being snapped up before they even reached the stalls.

Her family had barely managed to buy one to make up the numbers; getting another would be incredibly difficult.

"Let's head back."

Not wanting to burden Wen Xin with her own troubles, Chen Yao said softly.

"Back?" Wen Xin was stunned. "Aren't you going to check the Naval Battalion?"

"The Naval Battalion?"

Chen Yao actually had no such intention; the Treasure Fish in the Naval Battalion rarely escaped the clutches of the River Bureau.

Even if the River Bureau didn't acquire them, there were plenty of centurions and squad leaders fighting over them; it would never be their turn.

But since Wen Xin had suggested it, and the prospects elsewhere were even bleaker, she hesitated for a moment before deciding to go and see.

Upon arriving at the military town, the path was filled with news regarding the catch. Chen Yao listened as she walked.

By the time she reached the Naval Battalion, she did indeed hear much news regarding Treasure Fish, but without exception, they were all already spoken for.

Chen Yao's face revealed her disappointment, and her mood grew increasingly heavy.

Suddenly, Wen Xin, who had returned from gathering information, called out, "Good news, Chen Yao! I heard that Hong Ming seems to have caught a Treasure Fish!"

"Hong Ming?" Chen Yao was slightly stunned.

Wen Xin nodded heavily.

Without giving Chen Yao a chance to react, she urged, "Let's hurry and find him!"

The two of them spurred their horses and raced toward Hong Ming's living quarters.

Upon arrival, they did not see him, and after asking around, they learned that he had gone out on business.

Refusing to give up, the two parted ways to search for him.

Wen Xin headed to the training grounds, while Chen Yao went to the Archery Battalion, but her luck was poor, and she ran into Zhou Min along the way.

Chen Yao did not want to get entangled with her and chose to ignore her.

However, Zhou Min would not let her go and called out, "You're looking for Hong Ming to buy the Treasure Fish, aren't you?"

"Hmm?" Chen Yao's figure paused slightly.

Zhou Min's eyes flickered as she feigned kindness, warning, "I advise you to give up on that idea; Hong Ming has already sold the Treasure Fish to me."

"Sold it to you?" Chen Yao's delicate body trembled slightly.

She looked at Zhou Min in astonishment, her gaze like a torch, as if confirming the truth.

Noticing this, Zhou Min spoke with conviction, "I offered a price far higher than anyone else. Hong Ming is short on money, so naturally, he was willing to sell it to me!"

Hearing this, Chen Yao fell silent; Hong Ming choosing the best offer was beyond reproach.

She only felt secretly annoyed that she had arrived too late and had been beaten to the punch by Zhou Min.

With a heavy sigh in her heart, she turned to head home, preparing to find another way.

Zhou Min did not let her leave easily and called out, "Chen Yao, you can't count on Hong Ming's Treasure Fish anymore, but you still have a chance with mine."

"What do you mean by that?" Chen Yao stopped abruptly, her eyes blooming with hope as she asked back.

Judging by Zhou Min's tone, it seemed she intended to sell the Treasure Fish to her?

Zhou Min responded, her tone carrying a hint of condescension, "I can resell the Treasure Fish to you."

"For real?"

While pleasantly surprised, Chen Yao remained vigilant; would Zhou Min really be that kind?

Zhou Min's next words seemed to verify her suspicions as she smoothed her dark hair and smiled coyly, "Selling it to you naturally comes with conditions!"

"What conditions?" Chen Yao hurriedly pressed.

Although she knew Zhou Min had ulterior motives, she had finally seen a glimmer of hope, and she was unwilling to give up just like that.

Seeing Chen Yao's anxious appearance, the smile on Zhou Min's face widened.

She knew clearly that at this point, she had Chen Yao half in her grasp.

Without further hesitation, she spoke slowly, laying out her conditions with calculated persuasion. Her words were firm and resonant, yet they made Chen Yao's entire body turn cold: "The condition is easy for you to fulfill. You only need to serve as my maid for half a month. During this time, you must obey my commands, bow your head in submission, and let me hit or scold you as I please. If you do that, I will agree to sell you the Treasure Fish I obtained. How about it?"