The furnishings in the elegant tea room are in a small, fresh and elegant style.
While waiting for the waiter, Shen Tang played with the tea cup on the tea table. She has a bit of ADHD and is not used to an environment that is too quiet. Seeing that the shopkeeper was also passing the time in a daze, she couldn't help but ask questions that had puzzled her for a while.
"Shopkeeper, I have a question and I don't know if I can answer it."
When the shopkeeper heard her words, he trembled. His thoughts that had not drifted far away immediately returned to his physical body. He joked: "Is there anything I can answer? As long as the little lady doesn't ask about the old man and the family. That’s fine.”
Shen Tang: "..."
She didn't want to understand it immediately.
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Who wants to know the interesting things going on between you and your wife?
When the shopkeeper saw Shen Tang's weird and complicated expression, he suddenly realized that the painter in front of him was still a girl from Shiyi Er. No matter how exquisite the painter was and how skilled he was in secret play drawings, he shouldn't make such a colorful joke. He had no choice but to quickly skip the topic and ask instead: "What did the young lady just say? You have questions, right? Just ask, I will definitely tell you everything."
Shen Tang asked: "Will the county government encourage this kind of business? It stands to reason that national public officials should avoid this..."
The shopkeeper thought it was something wrong.
Upon hearing that it was a common-sense little issue, the shopkeeper was a little surprised at Shen Tang's "simpleness". This was common knowledge that everyone knew. Then I thought about it, this little lady was born with a pretty face, and there were no signs of rough work on her hands. She also had good painting skills. She must have come from a wealthy family before she fell into poverty. It is normal for her relatives at home to protect her from knowing these nasty things.
Thinking of this, the look in Shen Tang's eyes became a little more pitiful - this young lady's life must be too difficult, that's why she ran out to look for secret scenes. If this business deal goes well, the bookstore can also keep other drawing lists for her in the future.
The shopkeeper took a sip of tea and sighed again: "Well, this is a long story. In recent years, there have been constant natural disasters and wars everywhere, and the people's lives have been difficult. Those who have fields at home dare not plant them because they are afraid of being killed. Bandits are robbing people, and those who have no land are going to starve to death. You say, if the adults don’t have enough to eat or wear, how can they afford to raise more children?”
Shen Tang shook his head: "Of course I can't afford it."
The shopkeeper said: "So, if you can't support it, you can only sell it. When the county government saw that this was not possible, they said that they would build more hook-and-rail tile houses. Firstly, they could attract more foreign businessmen and make money, and secondly, they could settle down well. These children have been taxed so heavily for the past three years, and the superiors are forcing them to ask for tax money, and the county government can't withdraw it and can't explain it. If you do this, you can say... you can achieve multiple things with one stone."
Shen Tang's expression changed when he heard this.
I endured it again and again, but I just felt sick.
She asked: "Is this really what the county government means?"
The shopkeeper pointed in the direction of the center of Xiaocheng and said: "Of course it is, the notices are all posted like this. What do these nobles think, and what can ordinary people like us say? Actually, to be honest - if there is no war, there is no such thing! Now that there is such a mess, selling sons and daughters into Goulan House is actually a gift from these noble people."
Due to the special current situation and the strong encouragement from the county government, other businesses in Xiaocheng were not easy to do. Only the Goulan Washe business was making a lot of money, and business was booming every day.
Those people who couldn't survive were forced to sell their children and girls. The money from the sales was not enough to cover the expenses of a family for a few days. Instead, it fed the traffickers and Goulanwasha. Because there are more children to sell, these people have a wider range of choices to choose from. They work together to lower the price, and the parents of the children can only sell at low prices with tears in their eyes.
A decent-looking child can be taken away for at most twenty or thirty cents. What happens to him in the future depends entirely on fate.
After the shopkeeper finished speaking, he sighed again. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Shen Tang, who was lost in thought. He suddenly realized that he had said something to a child that he shouldn't have said. He immediately made amends and said, "Oh, this is all in the past. It's not easy to live in this world today." La."
As for whether to starve and be homeless, or to stay in the Goulan House and be transported to and from the city, the lives of the poor are worth less than grass, so there is no choice.
To put it bluntly, you can still save your life by staying in Goulanwashe - if God rewards you with a good face and a good figure, and you can still be popular and popular even if you are a top-notch person, even if you leave the grade at a young age, it will not matter. Those who have experienced "good fortune" are afraid of being slaughtered by those thugs, or being used as cannon fodder on the battlefield, or giving away their heads, or fearfully tending a few acres of barren farmland, and in the end the family will starve to death.
Shen Tang only felt that it was too heavy.
Seeing her sad expression, the shopkeeper thought about changing the topic and asked her: "Guess, how many men's restaurants are there in these five long streets? How many women's restaurants are there?"
How could Shen Tang know?
He said casually: "Half and half?"
The shopkeeper shook his head: "The men's hall accounts for this number!"
He made a "seven" sign.
It means seventy percent.
Shen Tang: "..."
The shopkeeper asked and answered himself: "You must be curious about why this is so? The answer is not difficult, you know - the person above me now was once the 'favorite concubine' of the leader of the Xin Kingdom, and there was a little girl named 'Nvjiao' Famous person. As soon as this 'female' was born, there were more and more men's shops and the business was getting better and better. He is now the head of a country, how powerful!",
The shopkeeper just had to award the "Most Inspirational Male Favorite in History" trophy to Zheng Qiao. It is really inspiring to be such a male favorite!
Zheng Qiao is also the idol of many male pavilions.
Shen Tang: "..."
