Chapter 168: Corrupt Life
The scorching sun was high overhead.
Following Great-Aunt’s earnest instructions, Qin Luoxia looked at every maid and servant before her with eyes full of love.
These were not ordinary people; these were treasures, and they needed to be cherished just like the great treasures in one’s home.
Ordinary tenant farmers had no land, and even less livestock.
However, some wealthy small landowners had their own land and livestock. Livestock could do a lot of work, so they valued them highly. They themselves could go hungry, but the livestock could not. Livestock were important members of the family, all great treasures in the home.
Hearing Great-Aunt’s explanation, Qin Luoxia understood.
The labor contracts of these maids and servants were in her hands; they were her family assets. She could sell them, or even beat or kill them, though she would have to handle the aftermath properly.
Thinking of this, she remembered that Sister Yu had almost been sold as a maid in the Prefecture City, and she gritted her teeth in hatred for Sixth Auntie, though it was hateful that Sixth Auntie had passed away late last year.
Normal families wouldn’t buy maids from other places unless the maids were disposable, as handling the aftermath was troublesome. Also, maids usually came in whole families; beating or killing one maid meant having to deal with the whole family, which was also a hassle.
Those who went to unfamiliar places to buy maids were either buying them to sell to brothels or to do work even lower than that of a maid. Just like the songstresses, dancers, and actors in the mansion, besides singing, dancing, and performing, their bodies were also there for the enjoyment of the powerful and wealthy, and these elites would even gift them to each other.
Great-Aunt was teaching the Mother and two daughters in the room, not letting the maids and servants outside hear.
The room was in a high place, some distance from where the large courtyard gathering was held.
Those queuing up to gather had been standing under the scorching sun for a while. At first, it was chaotic, but slowly they stopped chatting and made an effort to stand in formation spontaneously.
The sun was silent, and so were they.
They were parched from the heat.
Once everyone was standing properly, it finally looked like something.
Great-Aunt let Lady Qin choose people first.
Divided by area, the kitchen needed people, the courtyard and gardens needed people, the guest rooms needed people—this could be flexible—the entrance needed people, livestock needed to be cared for, carriages needed drivers, and every master needed someone to serve them.
Qin Luoxia opened her mouth and asked: “Those who are literate, stand forward and move to the left. Those who can drive a carriage, those who can plant trees, and those who believe they have special skills, also move to the left.”
A woman stepped forward timidly and knelt, asking: “Does knowing how to perform opera count as a special skill?”
Qin Luoxia nodded: “It counts. No matter what the skill is, it counts.”
With that said, with a swish, more than half the people moved to the left.
Dozens remained. Some were anxious, some calm, some watching the mistress. It wasn’t that those moving to the left looked more capable; those who stayed behind also seemed to have many talented people.
However, Lady Qin didn’t distinguish between them and told Great-Aunt that this group would be sold off first.
The people from the slave agency had been called by Aunt Yin early in the morning and were waiting.
At Aunt Yin’s command, they came over to count the heads.
The people from the agency were also very orderly. They knew this Aunt Yin; she had used the Rebels to kill her stepson’s whole family and had sold off all the servants. They were the ones who had taken over.
Servants were important family assets and worth quite a bit of money.
Some maids considered themselves high-class and didn’t want to submit to or please a mistress who cooked her own meals early in the morning and was a woman with a rustic air from the countryside, so they didn’t move.
Yet, they hadn’t expected that the mistress wouldn’t even try to distinguish between the true and the false, and just like that, had them sold off.
Regarding those who had moved to the left, Qin Luoxia asked again: “Those who don’t want to stay can step out. My family has few people and doesn’t need so many.”
Consequently, people walked out from that side, and because some of those being sold off had family members there, they walked towards their family.
Qin Luoxia screened them in a few waves like this.
Finally, asking those who stayed what they were good at, she assigned them different jobs, and slowly, she became adept at it.
Jiang Mianmian sat obediently, watching Mother select people.
She inexplicably felt a sense of leadership empathy; leaders might also have a first time being a leader.
At first, it was a bit stiff, but slowly it became effortless.
Because you stand high, others are the ones trying to guess your joy and anger, and your every move becomes important and meaningful.
Watching Mother assign work, it was quite orderly.
Great-Aunt was on the side, neither stopping her nor saying anything. Great-Aunt always taught them behind the scenes; in front of others, Great-Aunt had always been the look of an obedient old nanny.
Finally, a group of ancient arts practitioners remained… songstresses, dancers, and actors.
There were nine of them in total, five young women and four men.
Qin Luoxia asked each of them what they could do, and they answered one by one, very cautiously.
Their ecological niche in the mansion was lower than that of maids and servants.
Perhaps seeing them inevitably made her think of Saner and Jiexie, so Qin Luoxia was relatively polite.
“What do you usually do?”
“When the master is eating, we sing and dance to liven things up.”
“When the master is lonely, we sing and dance to liven things up.”
“When the master wants to listen to opera, we perform opera.”
“We practice during the day, mainly performing programs at night.”
Jiang Mianmian pricked up her little ears, listening to them answer.
She sighed in her heart that human preferences hadn’t changed from ancient times to the present.
Ancient people didn’t have mobile phones; when eating, they couldn’t scroll through phones, nor was there TV, so they could only watch live human performances while eating—real humans singing, dancing, and showing legs.
When lonely at night, there were no mobile phones or computers, no dramas to binge-watch, so these people would perform various plays in person.
Seeing this, Jiang Mianmian felt that ancient people were really quite wild in some aspects.
In modern times, you scroll through your phone to watch young ladies livestreaming dances and tip a lot of money without ever seeing them in person, but here, they danced right in front of you.
You could also tip them in person, and the other party would kneel down in person to thank you…
How corrupt!
Jiang Mianmian wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, looked at Ant who was blocking her way, and moved Ant aside.
Her gaze burned as she stared at one of the beautiful young girls with an alluring figure.
These few people were all trembling nervously. They had heard last night that Lord Sima had entered the city and had slaughtered Xiao Fengxian the moment he saw her.
That young girl’s body was shaking especially violently.
She was also the best-looking among them. Originally, she had always disguised herself as ugly, but yesterday, she had been seen through at a glance by that old nanny, who made her wash off the disguise.
They were far inferior to Xiao Fengxian, handed over from owner to owner, sent here and there, like duckweed.
Jiang Mianmian hadn’t spoken the whole time, and she had no objection when Mother assigned her a stout, big-faced maid.
However, upon seeing these nine people, Jiang Mianmian spoke up: “Mother, let me play with them.”
Qin Luoxia was stunned and turned to look at Aunt Yin.
Aunt Yin looked at her nose and her heart, looking at her toes, thinking, Lady Qin, bring out your skill in beating the child, give her a beating, and the child will be obedient.
Qin Luoxia saw Great-Aunt lowering her head.
It must mean agreement, so she immediately nodded: “Very well.”
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