Chapter 1: Chapter 1

On this day, as usual, Xu Qi went to the town to sell pork. Along the way, many old men greeted her, each eyeing her up and down. It had been a month since she came to this place, and Xu Qi gradually got used to this kind of scrutiny.

While others who crossed over were usually daughters of officials or something similar, she ended up in a female-dominated society, still selling pork every day, with the smell of meat clinging to her. Relying solely on her good looks and the money she earned from selling meat, she became the object of affection for many young men in the village. In the past, Xu Qi took pride in this.

However, now Xu Qi didn’t want these men, who were overly enthusiastic and shy like wolves seeing meat. When she first interacted with the men in this area, Xu Qi thought she might end up lonely for the rest of her life. She still held onto that thought.

The men in this female-dominant society were too terrifying; it was better to avoid them as much as possible. Therefore, although she greeted these old men politely along the way, if they invited her to their homes for tea, she never went.

“Qi’er, going to sell meat again today?” One old man greeted Xu Qi as usual, but his eyes kept drifting towards the meat.

In this village, if a family could eat meat two or three times a month, they were considered well-off. Ordinary families couldn’t afford meat even once a month. The old man in front of Xu Qi belonged to such an ordinary family.

Xu Qi had gotten used to this kind of scrutiny. It was impossible for her to make any bold moves like giving away meat. She simply pretended not to notice and exchanged pleasantries with the old man, “Yes, Uncle Zhou, are you going out to play?”

Zhou’s family came from a neighboring village, and they had a twenty-year-old son who had his eye on Xu Qi. But they never considered that even if Xu Qi’s original body was of age, she would still refuse.

“Where’s the time to play? I’m going to the town to buy some vegetables today. I was looking for someone to ride with me. I didn’t expect to run into you, this girl. Your cart seems quite empty too.” Zhou spoke in a familiar tone, glancing down at the cart Xu Qi used to carry the pork, the implication clear.

With most of the space taken up by pork, there was still a little room beside Xu Qi. It could barely accommodate two people.

However, Xu Qi seemed oblivious to the hint and just smiled, ending the conversation, “Well, Uncle Zhou, take your time finding someone. It’s almost time for me to sell meat, so I’ll go ahead.”

“Alright.” With that, Xu Qi flicked the mule in front of her.

The mule started walking, completely ignoring Zhou’s darkening expression.

Zhou wiped his forehead with a handkerchief, looking annoyed. He had hoped to take this opportunity to get closer to Xu Qi on the way and create an opportunity for his son, while also saving two coins for the ox-cart ride. Who knew Xu Qi was so clueless? He hinted in every way possible, but she just couldn’t understand!

As for Xu Qi, as soon as she left, she felt relieved to be away from the inferior perfume smell of the man. She hummed happily all the way to the market, singing the tunes she had learned before.

There were already many vendors setting up their stalls when she arrived. She was a bit late, but no one had taken her spot. These spots were allocated by the government, and everyone paid silver to rent them.@@novelbin@@

Xu Qi placed the meat on display and sat in front of the stall, waiting for customers. She didn’t need to call out; there were only two meat sellers in the whole town, and the other one was in the north of the town. Those who were nearby would come over to buy from her.

As soon as Xu Qi sat down, many people who came to buy vegetables noticed her and hurried over, saying, “Qi’er, give me two catties of meat.”

“Sure.” Xu Qi cut two catties of meat for him, “Twenty-eight coins, here you go.”

After the first customer, more followed, and in less than two hours, all the meat was sold out.

As Xu Qi was packing up, a woman came quickly and stood in front of her stall.

Seeing the woman’s excitement, she said to Xu Qi, “Don’t pack up yet. The slave market is opening today. Even if we don’t buy anything, let’s go take a look at the excitement.”

“What’s so exciting about that?” Xu Qi looked helpless.

The person was a friend Xu Qi knew from her original owner, named Xu Zhi. She had a good character, so Xu Qi was willing to associate with her.

Xu Zhi’s family made and sold things like handkerchiefs. They were skilled and their products sold well. As soon as they closed their stall, Xu Zhi came to find Xu Qi.

“You’re always working hard. Let’s relax a bit today.” Xu Zhi had complained to her more than once that since she arrived here a month ago, all she did was work, refusing to go out and play with her.

Xu Qi was just new to this place, afraid of revealing any flaws by going out and doing nothing, but she felt neglected and complained all day long.

“I’ve been to the slave market more than once. Just stick with me and don’t get lost. There are a lot of people there.” Even without Xu Zhi’s reminder, Xu Qi had already seen it. It was crowded, making her dizzy.

“Hey, come over here and take a look.” Xu Zhi pulled Xu Qi to a large stall where many men and women were kneeling. There were more men than women, but unlike other stalls, they didn’t look trembling. Instead, they held their heads high with a hint of pride.

“These are the relatives of officials who were punished. They have some pride compared to other slaves, and they’re better looking too.”

The last sentence was the key point. Seeing Xu Zhi drooling, Xu Qi shook her head helplessly and walked a few steps away.

Xu Zhi hurried to catch up, “Hey, what’s wrong? Don’t you like it?”

“It’s nothing interesting.” Xu Qi replied.

Xu Zhi muttered, “Why are your standards so high? If even such handsome men don’t appeal to you, where will you find a husband in the future?”

She glanced at Xu Zhi and saw her smiling. Xu Qi could only pretend not to hear her nonsense.

Xu Zhi is thick-skinned. Seeing no sign of displeasure from Xu Qi, she continued, “With our family background, we can afford to buy a slave to serve at home. What do you think?” She hinted with raised eyebrows.

Xu Qi could tell that Xu Zhi was interested, but she herself wasn’t. Seeing men covered in makeup being bought by their women and cuddled, she lost interest. She even urged Xu Zhi to leave. “Your mother asked you to come back early, didn’t she? Stop looking and let’s go back.”

But Xu Zhi persisted, “Just a little longer. What if you find someone you like? I’d be solving a big problem for you!” She tried to find excuses to stay.

Xu Qi had no words and had to go along. As they walked, the heavy makeup smell almost choked her. Thankfully, they finally reached the end. She sighed in relief and told Xu Zhi, “I really don’t like anyone here. Let’s just go back.”

Seeing Xu Qi’s genuine reluctance, Xu Zhi reluctantly agreed to leave. Suddenly, the vendor selling men at the last stall shouted, “Miss, come take a look! The men here are all handsome and have great taste!” Xu Qi couldn’t help but look up and met a pair of lifeless eyes, falling on her…

Those lifeless eyes, devoid of any light, seemed to have lost all hope and attachment to the world.

Seeing Xu Qi’s unusual reaction, Xu Zhi immediately noticed. She asked softly, “Are you interested in him?”

This father was selling off some older firework men. If they appeared here, they must be quite old.

Xu Zhi wanted to advise her, “I was just joking. If you really have such intentions, find a decent man to marry instead. Why bother with these?”

Xu Qi raised her hand to stop her from speaking and pointed to the man lying on the ground. “How much for him?”