Yu Dong originally wanted to go to Song Yixu's restaurant and look for help but then halfway through she changed her mind. These days she has been relying on Song Yixu and Sister Xi more and more, though the two of them were nice to her but that was purely because Yu Dong was capable and brought many advantages to them.
True, there might be good feelings involved somewhere but Yu Dong understood that their relationship was mostly contractual. She had to be more self-reliant than just rushing to sister Xi for every little thing. Or else she might end up owing a lot to Sister Xi, and that might affect their business relationship.
In the end, Yu Dong walked around the black market where the selling and buying of slaves usually took place. At first, she wanted to hire someone, but then she realised that hiring someone for a job could be more disadvantageous to her than beneficial. Firstly, if she hired someone, it's possible that someone might bribe that person, after dealing with Qiu Bai she could more or less understand that the man was a stage five clinger and wouldn't let go of her family so easily. And secondly, if she bought someone instead of hiring them, then she will have their slavery documents and it will make it impossible for them to run away like a hired help.
She knew that slavery was wrong and so was buying humans, as a modern person she was indeed uncomfortable with this but - she was also in a lurch. It was better to take all precautions rather than cry after things went south.
Yu Dong circled around the slave market but couldn't find a good woman who looked both sturdy and honest. The traders hardly sold women as they were not in demand but instead, they sold young mers who looked tender and fresh and might bring them, good customers. A few of them did have some women slaves but they didn't give Yu Dong what one might call ' honest vibes', so Yu Dong had to walk out of the black market with a disappointed face. She was really upset, looks like she have to hire someone.
As she was thinking about whether to go and ask Sister Xi to introduce a good human trader who focussed more on selling good and honest workers instead of running a ' prostitution racket' in the name of selling slaves when she heard a loud ruckus coming from the end of the street. Surprised, she turned in the direction from where the sounds were coming and busily asked an old woman " aunty? What's wrong, did something happen? Why is the street blocked like this?"
The old woman was someone who was watching the show for quite some time, she patted Yu Dong's arm and gossipily explained " an hour ago, Lang's owner kicked her out of her house together with her mer and daughter. If everything was fine then nothing would have happened but a few months ago Lang was harmed by her own sister and then together the stepfather and her sister kicked Lang out of their house even Lang's mother didn't stop them. Ever since then, Lang was working in this shop but aish, her luck is just too rotten. Her mer just managed to save her life but then her daughter fell sick, Lang and her mer don't have any money left to treat their daughter and by the looks of it that girl might die any day now. They sold their lives to the owner of this shop and hardly receive any pay, with such a measly amount no doctor would see them"
From a short way away, a quarrel could be heard.
Harmed? Saved by her mer... This, didn't she hear it before?
" three times in a month! You tell me how can your head be so thick that you made another one of my customers run away? Are you trying to kill me or do you not know how this business is supposed to be run?" a fat woman with gold-rimmed glasses and tight-fitting red qipao was glaring down at the woman who was kneeling in front of her.
Lang was a thin-looking woman though she was tall and sturdy, she looked really sick with all the sufferings she have gone through in the past, behind her, her mer was standing carrying a small girl of around five or six.
Lang bowed her head and answered in a low voice " Mommy Jiang, it's not that. I will never try to do something like that, the customer - she tried to cop a feel of my husband, how could I sit still? As a wife, it's my responsibility to protect my husband... I didn't want to hit the customer but the circumstances forced me to "
Mommy Jiang sneered and kicked Lang hard on her shoulder making the latter fall on her back. The mer who was holding his red face daughter shrieked before he fell next to his wife, anxious searching for any severe injuries " wife, wife you don't have to - I can, Qian Qian can suffer this much for you"
Zhu Qian was a soft-spoken man, he couldn't see his wife being beaten because of him and hurriedly persuaded his wife to stop fighting mommy Jiang. The woman was so ruthless, and she was cruel as well if his wife fought with mommy Jiang then he might not even get to see his wife's body later on! Instead of that, he might as well suffer a bit!
Mommy Jiang swept her gaze at Zhu Qian who was trembling while supporting his wife, and smirked " is it that customer's fault of your husband's? Just look at him, the way he sways his hips when he walks, at every turn he would bite his lips, isn't he suggesting something immoral to the guests? How can it be their fault? It's clearly his! For him to act so lasciviously, I think he just wants to do it with those customers as you can no longer satisfy him!"
Zhu Qian panicked, such things how can the mistress say such things? He was a father and a husband, if such things got out then his reputation would be ruined! Who will give his daughter his son to marry and what will happen to his wife if people believed in the rumours and thought that he gave his wife a green hat - this, this was too much! Zhu Qian was in so much despair that he wanted to jump off the shop's roof and commit suicide to prove his innocence!