The following morning, Yuanshi and Yuexi set out to finalize the arrangements for their new residence.
After breakfast, the sisters boarded a carriage and followed the directions Master Shi had given them.
Yanjing City's streets were already bustling with activity. Merchants shouted prices from storefronts, hawkers pushed carts laden with steaming buns, and servants hurried back and forth carrying parcels for their masters.
Yuexi sat opposite Yuanshi with a small notebook in hand.
She had been calculating expenses since dawn.
The house.
Furniture.
Servants.
Future repairs.
Food.
The more she calculated, the more her expression darkened.
"We've spent enough money to buy an entire village."
Yuanshi looked out the window.
"We're establishing ourselves."
"We're bleeding silver."
"We're investing silver."
Yuexi snorted.
"That's what people say when they're bleeding silver."
Yuanshi laughed.
The carriage continued for another quarter hour before finally coming to a stop.
"We've arrived."
The sisters stepped down onto the street.
In front of them stood a large building.
It wasn't particularly beautiful.
In fact, compared to TianShan Pavilion or the wealthy residences of Upper Street, it looked rather plain.
The structure resembled an enormous warehouse with wide wooden doors and high stone walls.
Workers moved constantly in and out of the entrance.
Some carried chairs.
Others hauled wardrobes and screens.
Several men pushed carts stacked with household goods.
A foreman stood nearby shouting orders while clerks hurried between customers with ledgers tucked beneath their arms.
The entire place looked less like a shop and more like the beating heart of a logistics operation.
"Master Shi really sells everything, doesn't he?" Yuexi muttered.
Yuanshi nodded.
"It certainly seems that way."
The sisters gathered their skirts and stepped inside.
The moment they crossed the threshold, Yuanshi froze. The first thing that hit her was the putrid smell. Before she could catch her breath she looked to the left and saw rows of naked people stood against one wall behind metal bars.
Men. Women. Children.
Each stood silently in neat lines.
Some looked exhausted while the others looked frightened.
Most stared blankly at the floor. Their bones were sticking out against their skin with many carrying scars from old and new wounds.
Wooden tags hung from their necks.
Yuanshi felt her feet falter when she saw a young child who surely couldn't be older than three clinging to an elderly woman.
The hem of her dress caught beneath her shoe and she stumbled slightly.
Her chest tightened.
Back on Earth, slavery had been something she read about in textbooks.
At that moment, a familiar voice sounded nearby.
"Good morning, young madams."
Master Shi approached with his usual cheerful smile, his round belly jiggling slightly with every step.
Yuanshi cleared her throat and forced herself to respond.
"Good morning..."
Master Shi followed her gaze and immediately understood.
"Ah."
He chuckled and rubbed his stomach.
"The new consignment arrived yesterday."
The word made Yuanshi uncomfortable.
Consignment.
As though they were sacks of grain.
"You have excellent timing. Plenty of choices."
One customer grabbed a young man's jaw and forced his mouth open.
"Healthy teeth."
Another squeezed a woman's arm as though evaluating a horse. Yuanshi looked away. The entire scene made her feel sick.
He pointed casually toward the rows.
"The stronger ones are suitable for labor."
Then toward another group.
"We also have some educated ones who can help manage a household."
He waved toward the nearest row.
"These ones are only useful for menial work."
Yuanshi swallowed before asking,
"How many servants would a household like ours require?"
Before Master Shi could answer, Yuexi spoke.
"Three."
Master Shi blinked.
"Three?"
"A cook, a maid, and someone to clean."
Master Shi stared at her as though she had suggested living in a barn.
"Young Madam, that might work in a village."
Yuexi crossed her arms.
"We're only three people."
Master Shi shook his head vigorously.
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
He raised his fingers one by one.
"Who cleans the courtyard?"
"Who opens the gate?"
"Who receives visitors?"
"Who runs errands?"
"Who washes clothes?"
"Who prepares meals?"
Yuexi's confidence gradually weakened.
Master Shi smiled triumphantly.
"You need ten at minimum."
"Ten?" Yuexi nearly choked.
"Fifteen would be better."
Yuanshi could practically hear Yuexi's heart breaking.
Master Shi waved his hand generously.
"Let's begin with ten."
Yuexi looked like she had just lost a battle.
Yuanshi stepped forward.
The slaves stood quietly as she walked past them. Some lowered their heads when she approached. Others looked hopeful while a few looked completely numb. The entire experience made her uncomfortable.
How was she supposed to choose people this way?
In the end, she selected ten mostly at random.
Healthy looking men and women who appeared capable of working.
Master Shi nodded approvingly.
"Good. Good."
Then he added casually,
"I'll include discipline whips free of charge."
Yuanshi nearly recoiled.
"What?"
"For punishment."
Master Shi looked confused by her reaction.
Yuanshi immediately shook her head.
"We don't need those."
Master Shi blinked.
"...You don't?"
"No."
For several seconds he simply stared.
Then he awkwardly coughed.
"As you wish."
As Yuanshi moved through the rows, a sudden crack rang out through the pavilion.
Snap!
Several people flinched while Yuanshi turned around sharply. A worker stood holding a whip and in front of him knelt a boy around Ergu's age, perhaps slightly older.
A red welt stretched across his shoulder.
"You little bastard!" the worker cursed. "Do you think glaring at customers will get you sold?"
The whip came down again. Snap!
The boy's body shook from the force.
Yet he refused to cry.
He refused to lower his head. Instead, he looked up at the man with burning hatred in his eyes.
The worker raised the whip again.
"Still staring?"
Before it could fall, Yuanshi stepped forward.
"Stop."
The entire area fell silent. The worker immediately lowered the whip.
"Young Madam?"
Yuanshi's gaze remained fixed on the boy.
Blood stained the collar of his tattered clothes. For some reason, that stubbornness made her chest tighten.
She thought of Ergu.
If fate had been only slightly crueler, could her brother have ended up standing here?
"What is your name?"
The boy remained silent.
The worker laughed awkwardly.
"Madam, this one is trouble."
Yuanshi ignored him.
She looked directly at Master Shi.
"Add him to the tally."
Both Master Shi and the boy looked surprised.
The surprise vanished from the boy's face almost immediately, replaced once again by hostility.
Afterward, Master Shi led them deeper into the building.
"It's good that you've chosen servants," he said.
"But you'll also need a steward, a head maid, and a cook."
Yuexi stopped walking.
"You said ten."
"Ten servants."
Master Shi smiled.
"These are management."
Yuexi looked ready to cry while Yuanshi struggled not to laugh.
The next group appeared far more refined than the others. After some consideration, Yuanshi selected two thin brothers for the positions of steward and cook. The pair looked intelligent despite their worn appearances.
Then her attention settled on a woman standing quietly near the back.
Yuanshi stopped before the woman.
Unlike the others, she wasn't trembling.
Her clothes were plain.
Her face was slightly gaunt.
Yet her posture remained perfectly straight.
Even standing among slaves, she carried herself with quiet dignity.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment, neither looked away.
Yuanshi suddenly had the strange feeling that this woman had once lived a very different life.
"What is your name?"
The woman hesitated.
"...Lian."
Her voice was calm and refined, not the voice of an ordinary servant.
Master Shi immediately laughed.
"Madam has good eyes."
The woman's fingers tightened slightly at her sides.
Yuanshi noticed.
He lowered his voice.
"Those three command higher salaries."
Yuexi immediately asked,
"How much higher?"
Master Shi laughed nervously.
"Not excessively."
Yuexi clearly did not believe him.
As they continued through the pavilion, movement outside caught Yuanshi's attention. Several carts had been lined up near a side entrance. Young girls were being guided toward them and iron chains rattled as groups of girls were herded forward.
There were dozens of them, at least thirty. Perhaps more.
Most looked frightened. Some were openly crying. One stumbled and nearly fell.
A guard grabbed her arm and shoved her forward without a second glance.
The chains rattled again.
Yuanshi frowned. "Where are they going?"
Master Shi immediately lowered his voice.
"Reserved."
"For who?"
"The Marquis household."
Yuanshi's brows rose.
"The Wei family?"
Master Shi nodded.
"They request a new batch every three months."
Even Yuexi looked confused.
"A new batch every three months?"
Master Shi shrugged.
"The Wei Manor is enormous." He paused before he continued " Besides, they have numerous estates, businesses, and properties."
Then he leaned slightly closer and lowered his voice conspiratorially.
"And the men of the family are known to possess very vigorous appetites."
Yuanshi blinked.
Master Shi gave her a knowing smile. "The wives and concubines alone are apparently not enough."
Yuanshi nearly choked.
Yuexi's eyes widened.
Master Shi continued in a whisper.
"For noble ladies whose husbands are away for extended periods, special arrangements can also be made."
The meaning landed instantly. Yuanshi felt her face freeze.
"No."
The answer came out far too quickly. Master Shi laughed awkwardly.
"Of course. Of course."
Yuexi looked utterly horrified.
After Master Shi moved ahead, she leaned toward Yuanshi and whispered,
"Why is everyone in this city so strange?"
Yuanshi stared at the carts disappearing through the gates.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
The sisters spent the rest of the day selecting furniture, bedding, kitchenware, and other necessities for their new home.