High-class maid

Chapter 273 Fatty and Jin'er

"There's nothing to be unwilling or resentful about. I just want a meal and a drink of water. If I can please you, that would be a great blessing for me," the young girl said.

Her composed demeanor made Shen Xing'er nod in approval. As expected of someone from a wealthy family, her manners and bearing were different from others. Although Lord Li came from a merchant family, the intricacies of their business were enough to benefit this young girl for a lifetime.

"Alright, come with me then. What's your name?" Shen Xing'er asked.

"My name is Jin'er."

"A good name," Shen Xing'er praised, then turned to ask the brokerage owner.

"I want this girl. How much silver?"

"Give us a fair price. I need to buy a maid for my family in a few days, and I'll come back to you then," Shan Tao hurriedly interjected, afraid that the shopkeeper would overcharge.

The boss considered for a moment. Although he was a bit stingy, he was still a man of integrity; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to survive running a dental clinic in the expensive capital city. He said...

“Miss, I won’t haggle with you overpriced. These are all law-abiding citizens with no hidden illnesses or anything. If you really want them, give me twelve taels of silver.”

Shen Xing'er nodded, then pointed to the fourth maid and said...

"What about her? Jin'er comes from a wealthy family, so it's understandable that you're asking for twelve taels. She wouldn't be that expensive, would she?"

Jin'er looked disappointed for a moment. She thought Shen Xing'er thought it was too expensive and didn't want to buy it. The maid who was pointed at was a little happy, but she quickly composed herself. She couldn't be too ostentatious, or her companion would be unhappy.

"This one is also twelve taels of silver. This girl is chubby and stronger than most men. Didn't you want to buy someone to do hard labor at home? She's more suitable than this Jin'er," the shopkeeper said, trying his best to sell her.

“She’s so chubby, she must eat a lot. No way, we can’t afford to raise her,” Shan Tao said.

Shen Xing'er mentally gave Shan Tao a thumbs up. Well done! That's how you bargain!

The boss wanted to slap himself right then and there. Honestly, if he couldn't sell a single one, he wouldn't be able to eat meat today!

"Girl, I can eat less. I'm very strong, I'm strong even if I don't eat!" the chubby girl explained in a panic.

She really wanted to go with these two girls. They seemed to have good tempers. Doing hard labor was fine with her, but it was better than being sold to an old man as a concubine, right? Although no one would even want her.

"Then, then give me eleven taels, that's really the lowest I can go." The shopkeeper was also sincere about selling, so he reluctantly lowered the price by one tael of silver.

"What if I buy both? Can you give me a discount?" Shen Xing'er asked.

"Buy both? Miss, you should think this through. The money for two maids is enough for a year's expenses. What if your family thinks you've spent too much money after you bring them home?"

Although the boss really wanted to sell one more person, he wouldn't just sell to anyone who offered money. These two girls were quite young and clearly came to buy for their parents. What if they bought one more person on a whim, and then their parents came back to return it, causing a lot of back and forth disputes?

"It's alright, I'm in charge here. You can just sell it; there won't be any returns," Shen Xing'er said with a smile, understanding the boss's good intentions.

"You're spending over twenty taels to buy two maids, and you also have to provide for their food and clothing, and take them to the doctor if they get sick. Have you thought this through?"

All the maids and servants he hired were people who had suffered hardship, so the customers were mostly from middle-class families. He had seen people buy two at a time, but he had never seen such a young girl make the decision to buy one, so the shopkeeper had to ask a few more questions.

"It's alright, just give me the lowest price," Shen Xing'er said.

"Twenty-two taels is the lowest I can go, but let me make this clear beforehand: if your family thinks you've bought too many maids, I won't give you a refund. However, I will offer you a better price than the market price," the shopkeeper said.

“Alright, go get the indenture. We’ll settle the money and the goods,” Shen Xing’er said.

"Alright, you two go back and get your luggage. When you get to your new master's house, you must not try to cheat or shirk your duties. We brokers have never had anyone like that before," the boss instructed them.

Jin'er thought she had no hope, but unexpectedly, her master was so rich that he bought her and Fatty together! She nodded excitedly, then pulled Fatty, who was about to go back into the house, and bowed respectfully to the shopkeeper.

Although the boss was a bit stingy, she hadn't gone hungry or cold these days. She had heard from the nanny in the manor that some brokers would molest young girls, but she had never encountered it herself, so Jin'er was truly grateful to him.

The shopkeeper was surprised that the two girls bowed to him. He took out a few copper coins from his pocket and placed them in their hands, then said...

"How things turn out for you two in the future depends on your fate, but it's always good to be loyal to your master. Go."

The two nodded and turned to pack their belongings in the backyard.

What was called luggage was just a dress covered in pudding and a few copper coins. Fatty originally intended to take her hard-as-a-blanket with her, but Shan Tao stopped her, saying that her family would prepare it, so Fatty gave up.

After the indenture was officially approved by the government, half an hour had passed. Shen Xing'er and Shan Tao took the two of them to eat a bowl of noodles before returning to Jinxiufang.

"Father, Mother, I've brought the person," Shen Xing'er said.

Wang and Shen Kun put down their work and looked at the two girls in front of them. The thinner one was neither humble nor arrogant. Although she was a little scared in the unfamiliar environment, she tried her best to calm herself down. The fatter one, on the other hand, did not know what fear was. She was eager to try and seemed to have inexhaustible strength.

"Good, are all the indentures and such processed?" Shen Kun asked.

"It's all taken care of. The government has people who specialize in handling brokerage business, but there were quite a few buyers today, so the queue took a while," Shen Xing'er said.

Brokers would send gifts to government officials during festivals and holidays. They were involved in buying and selling people, so they had long been familiar with government officials.

"That's good. How much silver did it cost? Can both of these girls read?" Madam Wang asked.

"It cost twenty-two taels of silver. They were all literate, and there was no one else in their family."

Wang nodded, not blaming them for being heartless. If you're going to buy something, buy one that doesn't have family members; it will save you a lot of trouble in the future.

“This is my father, and this is my mother. I also own this shop. Jin’er, you used to live in a wealthy family, so you will come with me to the shop from now on. Fatty, you are strong, so you will come with my mother to make pickled vegetables at home. Do you two have any objections?” Shen Xing’er asked.

"This servant has no objection," the two said in unison.

"Poor thing, luckily it's summer, so even if your clothes are a little torn, you won't get cold. Look, the sleeves are all too short. I'll go buy you both some clothes." Wang said with some heartache as she looked at the chubby girl's clothes that exposed her wrists.