135 Chapter 135 Buying Labor (2)
“If it weren’t for Uncle Liu’s introduction, I would’ve thought we were at the wrong place.” Gu Chengrui smiled and shook his head.
Zhou Ying rolled her eyes at him and said, “You know it very well, don’t you?”
“Television media left such a deep impression, after all.” Gu Chengrui quickly raised his hands and said.
After hearing what she said, she also thought of the pimps in most TV dramas who tried to solicit customers, especially the women who stood on the street in war movies.
Soon, Granny Ma led a group of people in. There were men and women, young and old, and even babies.
It seemed that Granny Ma was a good person. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have kept a baby.
Then, she realized something unusual. How could a labor dealer sell babies? Thus, she asked, “Granny Ma, what’s the deal with them? Why are they bringing a baby with them?”
“Don’t mention it. One of them was pregnant two months ago, but I have to take them in no matter what. They are officially enslaved people.
“Official slaves?”
“Yes, from the South. The doc.u.ments said they were illegal salt traders in their clan, and I don’t know any more details.
When Zhou Ying heard this, she immediately remembered the Gu family’s incident, and they seemed to have suffered the same fate of being exiled.
Now that she thought about it, it was lucky that the Gu family was only raided and exiled. If they were made into officially enslaved people, they would never be able to see the light of day again.
At the same time, Gu Chengrui also realized that and suddenly felt a wave of fear.
The Ming Dynasty’s official slaves were servants used by the officer’s families and were people who were lower than the general till-death contract servants. They were the same as slaves, animals, and people who were unimportant even if they died.
The main takeaway was that they would be slaves for generations without any freedom other than an official special pardon.
“Are they all official slaves?” Zhou Ying asked after calming down.
“No, only this family of three. The rest are not.”
“That’s good.” Zhou Ying stood up and glanced at the crowd. “Regardless of whether you’re a man or a woman, those who can cook, step forward. The cooking I’m talking about is not just cooking normally; you must at least have some unique skills.”
As soon as she finished speaking, only two women and a man stood out from the group.
“Is there no one else?” Zhou Ying asked again.
Then, another man stood out from the crowd but was hesitant, and it was apparent that he was in a dilemma.
“What’s wrong? ” Zhou Ying pointed at him and asked, “Do you know how to cook or not? ”
“Yes, I was a chef before, but….”
“You are hesitating about our employment, right? Tell me, where did you work as a chef?” Gu Chengrui said.
“I was a chef in a prominent family in the capital before, but I was sold because I offended someone.”
“We want to open a restaurant. Do you want to do it or not?”
“Open a restaurant?” The man’s eyes immediately lit up.
He didn’t want to be a servant to a prominent family anymore. It would be fine if it were a harmonious family, but if it were a family with many disputes, he would have to live in fear every day for fear of being used by others.
However, he feared his skills would be wasted if it was an average family. It would be best if he could enter a restaurant.
“Sure, but I’ll have to bring my wife and children along.”
After that, he pulled out a woman and a seven or eight-year-old boy from the crowd.
“Alright, stand to the side first.” Zhou Ying glanced at the two of them and nodded after ensuring they were clean and tidy.
With two men and two women, she didn’t want to hire any more chefs. She went up and picked three neatly dressed young men and said, “Granny Ma, just these few.”
“Old Liu introduced you, so I won’t waste my time haggling. The three women are worth 10 taels each, the five-strong laborers are worth 12 taels each, and the child is worth 5 taels.” At this point, Granny Ma counted with her fingers and concluded, “95 taels in total.”