Transmigration: The Farm Life of a “Fool”

There was only one human trafficker in this town, who lived in the east of the city. With Housekeeper Zhuo leading the way, they took the familiar path and found him.

The human trafficker was surnamed Wu. Housekeeper Zhuo introduced Xu Ran and Zhuo Yun and added that it was Xu Ran who wanted to buy a person. His condition was that the person should be a Ge’er with the experience of giving birth or taking care of pregnant spouses.

Trafficker Wu replied hurriedly, “No problem, no problem. I have plenty. Let me bring some here now.”

Then he brought a few Ge’ers here. As people who had been sent away by big families, they had given birth or served pregnant spouses before, which met Xu Ran’s request.

However, Xu Ran was not satisfied. Most people from big families were fastidious but incompetent. No matter why they had been sent away, Xu Ran didn’t want to take any of them, lest that they would behave like masters before him and Liu Tong in the future. He disliked the tricks of big families most.

He shook his head at Trafficker Wu and said, “I don’t want these people. Do you have other people here?”

After saying this, he felt that this was like going to the shop to buy something. The feeling was a little bad.

Seeing that Xu Ran didn’t want anyone, Trafficker Wu brought another group and introduced, “These people were sold by their families because their families were too poor to have enough food to eat. They are poor souls.”

These people were really pathetic. All their clothes had patches, and they looked obedient and weak-willed as if they had been born to be bullied, but this was in line with the honesty of country people.

Xu Ran picked some and asked them a few questions, but he started to frown after asking them. Their answers were completely not what he wanted, which meant that these people did not meet his requirements.

He and Liu Tong were good-tempered, but he knew one of the poor’s habits: they catered to their master’s will and were quite greedy. Although these people looked well-behaved now, no one knew what they would become in the future. Dissatisfied, Xu Ran didn’t choose anyone and shook his head at Trafficker Wu again.

Having seen Xu Ran’s act, Trafficker Wu almost thought that Xu Ran had come here to find fault. However, when he found that Housekeeper Zhuo and Zhuo Yun hadn’t said anything and that Xu Ran had been serious to choose just now, he suppressed his anger.

He said to Xu Ran, “Gentleman, I only have these people who meet your requirements.”

Finishing speaking, Trafficker Wu immediately patted himself once and then looked at Xu Ran a little hesitantly.

Gazed by him, Xu Ran became irritable and asked, “If you have something to say, just say it!”

Trafficker Wu said, “I still have one more person who meets your requirements, but he is not to be sold alone. He has a husband, and the two of them must be sold together. This person has just lost his child but has a good character. No one is more suitable than him to serve your spouse.”

Before Xu Ran could say anything, Zhuo Yun helped him reply, “Bring them here! If they are suitable, we will buy them.”

Trafficker Wu brought them here soon. The man was very tall but didn’t look like a person from the south, and his spouse was protected by him in his arms, so his appearance couldn’t be seen clearly.

Xu Ran was quite satisfied with the man’s behavior. At least, the one who knew about protecting his spouse could not be so bad.

Xu Ran took two steps forward and came to the two people. After clearing his throat, he asked, “I heard Mr. Wu say that your child has just passed away. I want to know the thing you met that led to your child’s death?”

Hearing Xu Ran’s words, the man held his spouse in his arms even more tightly and looked at Xu Ran vigilantly, but he didn’t utter a word.

Xu Ran felt helpless and said with a softened tone, “I don’t mean anything else. I just want to know if it was your fault or someone troubled you. What should I do if I buy you but bring danger to my family? Your child was innocent, and my family members are innocent, too.”

The man’s lips moved, but still, no words came out after a long time. It seemed that he was not good at talking.

His spouse in his arms pushed him, the man loosened his hold a little, and his spouse came out of his arms.

Then, Xu Ran saw the person’s appearance clearly. He was soft and weak, but there was no fear on his face. Looking at Xu Ran, he said, “Gentleman, please rest assured. We came from the north to look for our relatives, but we happened to meet a pack of wolves on the way. Our child was taken away by the wolves. He was only five years old,” he said, wiping his tears.

Xu Ran rubbed his nose with embarrassment. Remembering his two kids who had just turned six, he looked at them apologetically and said, “Sorry, I don’t know, but don’t grieve too much.”

The spouse said with a smile, “It doesn’t matter. It has passed. We two sold ourselves. At that time, I was injured by the wolves. In order to heal my injury, my husband sold himself to a human trafficker and said that anyone who wants to buy him has to buy both of us. The buyers didn’t think I met their standards. We had been sold from place to place before we came here.”

Xu Ran believed him inexplicably after hearing his words. Although he knew that they hid some details of their identities, he was going to buy them. Standing in their shoes, he thought that if he and Liu Tong were like this, he would also risk his life to protect Liu Tong.

Besides, nothing in his family was so valuable for others to conspire to get. The two’s identities probably had no impact on their family.

Xu Ran asked the spouse, “Are you willing to go to my home? My spouse is pregnant for two months, but I’m too busy to attend to him alone, so I came to buy people.”

The spouse didn’t agree but looked at the person behind him.

His tall husband was stunned for a moment but then nodded. Seeing it, the spouse smiled softly and said to Xu Ran, “Gentleman, we are willing.”

With the sudden appearance of one more person, naturally, Xu Ran had to prepare an extra budget. But he needed to buy anyway, and then buying two was not bad.

Since Housekeeper Zhuo was present, Trafficker Wu didn’t ask him to pay a high price. With thirty taels of silver paid, the two people were taken home.

Xu Ran also sighed with emotion, “What does it mean when the price is the same as that of Big Black?”

Many people held the view that buying two people and bringing them home meant that they would have two more people to feed. The investment was much more than that of buying cattle or horses, so few had truly bought people and brought them home.

Since he wanted to rush home, Xu Ran didn’t go to the Zhuo Mansion with Zhuo Yun and the housekeeper. Instead, he headed straight for the place where his carriage was parked with the husband and his spouse he had just bought.

Xu Ran asked their names and ages on the way.

The man’s name was Gao Quan, and the Ge’er’s was Shao Yu. Both of them were from the north. Gao Quan was thirty-three, and Shao Yu was three years younger than him. They only had one child, but he had been taken away by the wolves.

Xu Ran also told them about his family’s situation, especially their current living place. Since the rooms were not enough, Xu Ran meant to let Mr. Hu share the room with Tangtang and Guoguo, and Gao Quan and Shao Yu could live in one room. When their new house was finished, the situation would be better.

Gao Quan said nothing, but Shao Yu said that they would just need to make a bed on the floor, and that was enough. When they had been in the hands of the human traffickers, they hadn’t had quilts to keep warm even in winter. Therefore, as long as they had a shelter from wind and rain, it was great.

Xu Ran said, “I’ve brought you home, so I will treat you as my family, of course. The new house will be finished soon. You’ll have to make do with the condition in the next few months!”

Shao Yu waved his hand hurriedly and said, “What are you talking about, master? This condition is great.”

Xu Ran did not refuse this address. He needed something to suppress them, and this address was the best reminder.

When they reached the place where the carriage was parked, Foreman Li was already waiting, without anything in his hands. Presumably, he had put all the things in the carriage.

Seeing Xu Ran coming over with two people in shabby clothes, he was a little surprised and asked, “Xu Ran, you said you went to town for something. What are the two people used for?”

Xu Ran explained, “I came to town for the thing of buying people today. You also know that Liu Tong is pregnant, and I’m too busy to take care of her alone. Come on, let me introduce them to you. This is Gao Quan. This is Shao Yu. They are a couple.”

Then he pointed at Foreman Li and said, “This is Foreman Li. He is now building the house for my family.”

After knowing each other, the three of them all got on the carriage. Gao Quan and Shao Yu sat outside driving, while Xu Ran and Foreman Li talked inside and told them directions from time to time.

Gao Quan drove the carriage steadily and quickly. It was obvious that he was a very experienced coachman. Not to mention Xu Ran, even Foreman Li had found it, but Xu Ran didn’t say anything, so it was improper for him to ask anything.

When they were home, Xu Ran spent some time making an introduction and doing an explanation. Tangtang and Guoguo, who were still young, didn’t think anything was wrong, and Mr. Hu felt it unsuitable to say anything, but Liu Tong was different. Their plan was to hire someone, but now it had been changed with people bought and brought home. More seriously, two had been bought at a time. Therefore, he felt more or less uneasy.

But it was not suitable to ask Xu Ran in their presence. As for Xu Ran, he was busy helping the two settle down and moving Mr. Hu’s belongings to Tangtang and Guoguo’s room.

After he had explained to Tangtang and Guoguo prudently, the two kids became very generous. There was no enough living space in their house, so huddling together was nothing. Besides, they were small and didn’t need much space.

When Xu Ran and his companions came back, it was not noon. Xu Ran had told Foreman Li that they would eat with them at noon. Foreman Li had bought lots of vegetables. Even if a few more people came, the food would be enough.

Gao Quan and Shao Yu came to their home with nothing valuable, even without clothes to change.

They could not wear his or Liu Tong’s clothes, mainly because they had different heights. Xu Ran found a few old clothes that Xu An had given them before, asking them to make do with them now, but added that he would buy new ones in town in a few days.

Tangtang and Guoguo take Gao Quan and Shao Yu to get familiar with the things and various poultry in their house, while Liu Tong could only sit and chat with Mr. Hu, but he was so anxious that blisters were to appear in his mouth.

This situation didn’t improve a bit until he finally had the chance to talk to Xu Ran alone at night.