Chapter 11 One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure
The next day, after selling out her crepes, Shen Shaoguang took advantage of the cloudy sky and went shopping. While buying some groceries, she also asked about available storefronts for rent.
The business in Chongxian Lane was relatively prosperous. Due to the low sublease and resale rate of the shopfronts, Shen Shaoguang did not obtain any news of potential commercial buildings for lease even after walking around the entire vicinity. Instead, she obtained someone’s life deed.
This ‘someone’ was no stranger to Shen Shaoguang, rather it was A’Liu from the grain store.
Although A’Liu's name meant willow, her body and demeanor was neither mellow nor graceful as one. She was a tall and chubby girl, about 14 or 15 years old, and quite simple-minded. Whenever she walked, every step would cause the floor to sound loudly, but she was quite strong and could lift a full sack of grains with one hand. Shen Shaoguang often watched her organizing the grains in the store.
"Clumsy slave, you are as stupid as a cow! All you do is eat all day! Better if I just beat you to death!" The lady boss, owner of the grain shop, scolded while she pinched the servant’s waist.
A’Liu pursed her lips, and allowed her master to pinch her without dodging.
The lady boss became more and more angry. "Trying to act strong huh?! Who are you pretending for? You want to copy that hussy and seduce that damnable man to support you?" With her fury fueled by her own words, the lady boss simply took the broom from the corner and started to beat the maidservant without holding back.
A’Liu hunched her back and covered her face and silently took the beating.
Seeing the situation was getting out of hand, Shen Shaoguang stepped forward to remedy.
The lady boss of the grain shop stopped and weighed the amount of polished glutinous rice requested by Shen Shaoguang while catching her breath. The servant girl, A’Liu, glanced at Shen Shaoguang, and lowered her head to pick up some beans that had been spilled just now.
After Shen Shaoguang bought the rice, she went to the next door to buy vegetables and inquired about this maidservant named A’Liu.
"Her husband fooled around with A’Xiang, their other servant girl. After she found out, Missus Xu had remained in this sour mood, so she often vented her anger on their dull-witted servant girl." The missus of the vegetable shop spilt her neighbor’s tea in a single breath.
"That servant girl is quite pitiful." Shen Shaoguang directed the topic back.
"Right? A few years back, right after the Yangtze River flooded, slave merchants ended up with a surplus of new slaves from that area. Seeing such a bargain, Missus Xu bought two young girl servants. She originally wanted them as convenient servant girls, and also to make a profit after reselling them once they grow older. Now one has been taken by her own husband, while the other one keeps growing dumber, how could they sell for anything much? Her business plan completely flunked."
"But I think that servant girl is very hardworking."
"To Missus Xu, such a trait was not worth anything!" The missus of the vegetable shop sneered.
When Shen Shaoguang came out of the vegetable shop, she noticed that the lady boss of the grain store was no longer there. The shop was currently being watched by A’Liu alone, who was squatting at the door eating steamed coarse-rice cake*.
"Why didn't you try to avoid her hits just now?" Slaves are live property, and since the lady boss seemed to be the avaricious type, she wouldn’t truly hurt or kill her ‘asset’. If A’Liu had avoided her master’s assault, she might have been hit less.
A’Liu glanced at Shen Shaoguang and muttered, "The sooner the beating is over, the quicker I get to eat."
"..." Shen Shaoguang was unable to refute such a response.
Shen Shaoguang suddenly made an impulsive decision. "Would you be willing if I were to buy you?"
A’Liu stopped gnawing on her cake and looked at Shen Shaoguang with wide eyes. "Will you feed me?"
"Fully fed."
A’Liu nodded. "Okay!"
Shen Shaoguang nodded. "You keep eating, I'll go find your master."
The shop was connected with living quarters in the back. Walking through the back door, Shen Shaoguang saw three small houses and a small courtyard.
The lady boss quickly came out after Shen Shaoguang knocked on the courtyard door. She asked with a smile, "What other grains are you looking for, Miss?"
"I am not currently here for more grains. I’m here to inquire if you are perhaps willing to sell that servant who’s watching the store?" Shen Shaoguang bluntly stated her objective.
What she had initially thought was a lost cause had actually garnered someone’s attention. The lady boss almost couldn't control her smile, but the words she spoke seemed quite the opposite, "I've watched that wretch since she was just a child, I’m a bit reluctant..."
Shen Shaoguang was too lazy to act with her. "Since that's the case, then I won’t wrest your cherished." She then nodded and turned around, ready to leave.
Shen Shaoguang walked a dozen steps. Seeing that she was really leaving, the lady boss of the grain store hurriedly called out, "Miss! Miss!—"
Bargaining was simply a competition of patience and critical juncture. Shen Shaoguang turned back and asked, "What's the matter, Missus?"
"Miss, please wait. We can still discuss this matter."
Shen Shaoguang nodded and stood there motionless. Once the lady boss approached her front, she questioned with a smile, "Is Missus willing to part with her?"
The lady boss forced a smile.
"May I know the asking price?"
The lady boss had already lost her chance at a decisive opportunity. Afraid she might not be given another chance of meeting a second spendthrift like Shen Shaoguang, she didn’t dare to quote too highly, "Since it's Miss who has taken a liking to her, then three thousand wen."
Shen Shaoguang didn't say it was expensive, but just smiled and said, "With the long drought that was followed by rain, this year’s harvest is projected to be substandard. With the incoming autumn grain levy, to comprise their harvest, there may be many selling their children outside the city."
Shen Shaoguang was only acting as a scaremonger, but the lady boss truly believed it. After all, her current two maidservants had bought it cheaply following a famine. Moreover, she still made up her mind to sell these two grown servant girls and buy two more younger ones. However, this time she had to choose more carefully.
After some bargaining, the two finally settled the deal at the price of two taels of silver. Shen Shaoguang went back to get the money, and insisted on going to the feudal official to have their transaction witnessed by law. Then Shen Shaoguang smiled at the little maid following behind her. "Follow me."
On their way back, Shen Shaoguang bought her maid some daily necessities, bedding, and two sets of modest ready-made clothes. Her current clothing was too unpresentable and she couldn't fit into Shen Shaoguang’s own clothes.
Once they arrived back at the nunnery, Shen Shaoguang prepared a simple meal. Once finished, she had the girl wash herself, changed into new clothes, and was able to finally tidy up her appearance. People are always biased about their own things. Shen Shaoguang thought the girl looked quite pretty after the clean up.
A’Liu foolishly smiled and said, "Miss, the soup you made was really delicious."
"..." She’s still reliving their supper... Shen Shaoguang nodded, "You have good taste!"
A’Liu laughed. After a momentary pause, she suddenly said, "Miss, give me a name."
Shen Shaoguang widened her eyes and looked at her in surprise.
"Since I am yours, I am no longer A’Liu from Missus Xu's Residence."
Seeing the serious look on her little maid servant's face, Shen Shaoguang also laughed, "Then your name will be A’Yuan! The ‘yuan’ from round! Round and healthy, full of joy!"
A’Yuan laughed and nodded.
With the addition of A’Yuan, Shen Shaoguang no longer overworked herself. Usually when moving the stove, Shen Shaoguang would endure by clenching her jaw, but now A’Yuan could move it to their cart without a sweat. When brewing sour plum juice in the past, no one fetched water or fueled the fire, but now Shen Shaoguang only had to manage the fine work of regulating the stove. When pouding glutinous rice into rice cakes in the past, her tired hands ached, however A’Yuan was completely tenacious. When she stared at the completed sticky glutinous rice cakes and bean paste in her hands, her eyes would be practically gleaming.
Shen Shaoguang was finally able to expand her product range. The zongzi, glutinous rice cakes, and sour plum beverage were all made in advance and displayed for sale by the Lane Gate. Although A’Yuan didn't know how to make any of these, she was experienced at handling money. Moreover, her mental arithmetic was also surprisingly fast and accurate; it must have been honed while working in the grain store. Shen Shaoguang truly believed she had picked up a treasure.
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Note from Pure the translator: I forgot to explain this earlier, but the A’ is like a shortened nickname. For slaves, its just to simplify their name, but it can also be used as an endearing honorific.
Also, the steamed rice cake that A’Yuan was having should have been made with leftover rice, mashed into paste and resteamed into cake. Such a thing is cheap and filling, perfect for slaves of that time. There’s nothing of the like on youtube, but this is a similar, just a cleaner version: