How had the villagers become so wealthy? How could he not have known? If they truly were that affluent, why would his nephew from the countryside come to his home to scrounge for food?
Having thought of this, the broker became somewhat worried. They might be just teasing him, maybe they couldn’t actually afford to buy anyone. If so, he wouldn’t be happy later on.
"Lord Broker, how much does this add up to in silver?"
As the broker was still grumbling in his mind, Ye Zi’an suddenly asked another question.
Concerning silver, the broker momentarily put his doubts aside. However, he was still thinking about what he would do if they couldn’t produce the money and that he would teach the two youngsters a lesson.
The broker glanced at the few people Ye Zi’an had picked and thought for a moment. He called for an abacus and calculated, "A total of five people, three young men cost eight taels of silver each, the older one is ten taels, and as for the girl who just arrived this morning, she hasn’t stayed with me for long, so let’s say seven taels. That’s forty-one taels in total."
Hearing this, Ye Zi’an nodded and looked at Yang Chuxia. "Is there anyone else you’re interested in?"
Yang Chuxia shook her head, then took a silver note from her purse and said, "Use this!" before handing it to the broker.
The broker took it and saw that it was a fifty-tael silver note. He noticed the official bank’s seal on it, the authenticity of which could not be falsified.
He couldn’t help but view Ye Zi’an and Yang Chuxia in higher regard.
"Lord Broker, please take the silver note, and we kindly ask for the sale contracts of these people."
The broker was stunned and quickly replied, "Alright, let’s go inside and discuss. I’ll give you the change and also collect the sale contracts for you. They all have signed death contracts, which are registered with the government."
"That’s even better."
They walked into the room, and the broker handed Yang Chuxia the sale contracts of the five people and then gave her the change. However, she only took eight taels of silver change, then glanced at Ye Zi’an.
Understanding her intent, Ye Zi’an nodded and said, "Please keep the remaining tael for yourself and buy some wine. We’ll probably trouble you more often in the future. Please take extra care of us." The two of them were thinking of using the broker’s services for their future dealings, so they needed to establish a good relationship with him. Therefore, they gave him a generous tip for their first transaction.
Upon seeing this, the broker was delighted and couldn’t help but grin. These two youngsters were truly generous. Even when wealthy families came to buy people, they only gave a few hundred wen as a tip each time. He happily replied, "Of course! If you want to buy any land or houses in the future, just come to me. I’ll make sure to find the best for you. Oh, I’ve talked so much, but I don’t know your names yet."
The broker didn’t forget about Yang Chuxia. From the way she effortlessly handed him the fifty-tael silver note, he couldn’t tell what the relationship between the two of them was.
"My name is Ye Zi’an from Yangshu Village, and this is Miss Yang."
Upon hearing Ye Zi’an’s introduction, not only did the broker raise an eyebrow, but Yang Chuxia’s mouth also twitched. The broker thought to himself: didn’t they say they were from a farming family? Look at their formality, they aren’t even willing to reveal their full names.
However, after giving it some thought, it was rather normal for a girl not to share her given name in public.
The broker slapped his own forehead and laughed, saying, "Young Master Ye, Miss Yang, my name is Liu Donghe. People call me Broker Liu. If you need anything in the future, don’t hesitate to look for me."
"Alright, we will definitely bother you in the future." Ye Zi’an added a remark.
Broker Liu looked at the servants behind him and then at Ye Zi’an and Yang Chuxia, the two young children. He suggested, "Are you heading back to the village now or what? I’ll have someone send you back along with these slaves. The two of you are just children, don’t get robbed on your way back."