Bought a Wife

Most of the onlookers were ordinary people, barely scraping by themselves, let alone having money to buy someone and take them home.

As Lin Fei walked through the streets, he also noticed that South City's environment was indeed poor.

It wasn't just the houses, trees, greenery, roads, and shops that were shabby. He hadn't seen a single carriage all day. Most people on the streets were commoners dressed in coarse cloth, while those wearing silk and satin were few and far between.

People urinated by the roadside, and stray dogs ran everywhere.

As for brawls and fights, there was no shortage of them either.

Compared with East City, this place was worlds apart.

Fortunately, Lin Fei was also wearing coarse clothes today, so no one paid him much attention.

The girl selling herself to bury her father was sallow and thin. Her clothes were covered in patches, and her trousers exposed her calves, clearly too small for her.

At that moment, an old woman dressed in red and gaudily adorned came over. Her face was caked with powder and rouge, but even that couldn't hide the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.

"Little girl, how many copper coins do you want?"

"Looking at you, I'm afraid everyone in your family is dead. Otherwise, you wouldn't be selling yourself to bury your father."

"How about this? I'll give you a hundred copper coins. That's enough to buy a cheap coffin and quickly bury that dead father of yours. Come to my Yanchun Brothel and earn yourself a meal!"

Hearing this, the girl couldn't help raising her head.

Tears streamed down her face, but her gaze remained stubborn.

"I won't go to the Yanchun Brothel..."

"My father said that no matter how poor we were, we must never become prostitutes. Even if I had to beg along the streets, I wouldn't go."

The old woman in red immediately became displeased.

"Heh, what, you think our place is dirty?"

"If I hadn't pitied you and seen that you had a bit of beauty, I wouldn't bother with you. There are plenty of beggars in South City. Who knows how many starve to death every day?"

"Quite a few of the men here have probably been to our Yanchun Brothel. They may look like they cherish flowers and treasure jade, but they don't have the money to buy you. Hurry up and come with me. Better a lingering life than a good death!"

Lin Fei felt a twinge of sympathy and planned to help the girl.

Just then, a fat man with a huge belly stepped forward.

His face was full of flesh, and when he smiled, he revealed a mouthful of large yellow teeth.

"Madam, she doesn't want to go with you, so stop setting your sights on her."

"Girl, I'll pay for the coffin. Come with me. I'm a butcher who slaughters pigs. I guarantee you'll have meat at every meal."

Someone in the crowd recognized the butcher and immediately began whispering.

"Isn't that Zheng Sandao?"

"That bastard is no good. Not only does he cheat people on the weight when selling meat, he also likes beating women."

"I heard his previous wife couldn't take his beatings anymore and jumped into a well to die. If this girl falls into his hands, she probably won't come to a good end either."

Butcher Zheng glared, sweeping his eyes over the surrounding people with murderous intent. None of them dared say another word.

"What nonsense are you all spouting? My wife got sick and jumped into the well because she couldn't bear the pain."

"If anyone dares spread rumors about me again, watch me cut out his tongue."

Butcher Zheng reached out at the girl with a lecherous grin, about to drag her away by force.

"Stop dawdling. Come with me and get your father buried sooner."

"Hold it!"

Lin Fei truly couldn't stand watching any longer and stepped forward.

"I'll buy this girl."

Seeing his good fortune about to be ruined, the flesh on Butcher Zheng's face twitched.

"Where did this fly come from? Don't ruin my mood. Get lost!"

Lin Fei directly pulled out a gold note with a denomination of five hundred.

It was the change he'd received after buying the house, and it was the smallest denomination he had on him.

"She's selling herself, so naturally the highest bidder gets her. Can you offer more than I can?"

The moment the five-hundred gold note appeared, the surrounding crowd burst into astonished cries.

Most of them were poor enough that their homes rang with emptiness. They didn't even have a single silver coin in savings.

They had never seen five hundred gold coins in their entire lives.

The madam from the Yanchun Brothel looked at Lin Fei differently now, wishing she could immediately throw herself at him.

"Oh my, who would've thought there was such a God of Wealth hiding here."

"Sir, our Yanchun Brothel has plenty of tender, dewy young girls, far better than this cheap little wench. Why not come to the Yanchun Brothel and have some fun?"

Butcher Zheng didn't dare act rashly now either. Someone who could casually produce a five-hundred-gold note wasn't someone he could afford to provoke.

There weren't many people in all of South City who could spend so lavishly.

"Five hundred gold notes would be more than enough to buy several hundred girls like her."

"Sir, you're wealthy and generous. She's yours!"

Lin Fei felt the gazes around him, like ravenous wolves eyeing him as though he were a slab of fat meat.

The hunger in their eyes wasn't true hunger, but the "hunger" born of poverty.

If they had those five hundred gold notes, they could live in comfort for the rest of their lives, eating fine food and drinking fine wine.

"I'm with the Li Family. What are five hundred gold notes? They're merely a drop in the ocean."

The moment they heard the words "Li Family," the people around them became much more restrained.

Lin Fei casually pointed at several people watching the commotion and ordered them in a lofty tone.

"You few, carry this girl's father away and bury him."

"Once it's done, I'll give each of you one gold coin as payment."

Those who had been singled out were so excited their faces turned red. This was simply a pie falling from the sky.

"Thank you, sir!"

"We'll do as you arrange."

The others looked on with envy, wishing they could rush forward, kneel, and lick Lin Fei's boots, begging him to give them some work as well.

One gold coin was enough to cover a year of living expenses for an ordinary family of five.

The girl who had sold herself to bury her father stared blankly at Lin Fei. At that moment, she looked at him as though he were her savior.

Lin Fei didn't stint on the expense. He directly bought the best coffin, buried the girl's father, and even erected a gravestone for him.

After paying those people, he sent them all away.

The girl followed behind Lin Fei with her head lowered, trailing him step by step without daring to speak.

Lin Fei suddenly turned around. Before the girl could react, she crashed straight into his arms.

"Ah... I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to..."

The girl panicked and immediately dropped to her knees.

"Husband, please don't abandon me. I was wrong."

Lin Fei helped her up and examined her carefully, discovering that the girl had excellent features.

Her brows were slender as willow leaves, and her almond-shaped eyes shone like stars. She was a true beauty in the making.

"What did you call me?"

"H-husband. You buried my father, which means you bought me. Naturally, I'm your woman."

The girl looked at Lin Fei nervously, then hurriedly added, "If you dislike me, I can serve you as a maid or slave. Just don't drive me away. All I need is a meal to eat."

"My woman?"

Lin Fei couldn't help shaking his head with a smile. Back on Earth, Ma Weiwei had broken up with him over a bride price of three hundred thousand.

He hadn't expected that so soon, he'd have a woman in Nanli City.

"Are you sure you want to follow me? You won't regret it?"

The girl raised her head, glanced at Lin Fei, then quickly lowered it again.

Though she was sallow and thin, she couldn't conceal that trace of a young girl's shyness as it quietly reddened her cheeks.

"I won't regret it..."