The next day, after selling pancakes, Shen Shaoguang took advantage of the mild sunlight to walk along the street, buying miscellaneous goods and vegetables while inquiring about shop rentals.

Business seemed indeed good in Chongxian Ward, as evidenced by the low turnover rate of shop rentals and sales. After walking around, Shen Shaoguang didn’t get much information about available shops for rent, but instead ended up buying a person.

This person wasn’t a stranger to Shen Shaoguang—A-Liu from the grain shop.

Though named “Liu” (willow), A-Liu had none of a willow’s graceful charm. She was a tall, plump girl about fourteen or fifteen years old, somewhat simple-minded, making the floorboards thunder when she walked, yet able to lift half a sack of grain with one hand. Shen Shaoguang often saw her moving and handling grain in the shop.

“You stupid wench, as dumb as an ox, only knowing how to eat! I should beat you to death!” The grain shop mistress pinched the tender flesh at the maid’s waist while cursing viciously.

The maid pouted but didn’t dodge or avoid the pinching.

This made the grain shop mistress even angrier. “Still making faces! Who do you think you are? You’re not that little vixen—you think that old demon will stand up for you?” Getting more enraged as she cursed, she simply grabbed the broom from the corner and started beating the maid indiscriminately.

The maid hunched her shoulders, covered her head and face, and endured the beating.

Shen Shaoguang couldn’t bear to watch and stepped forward to intervene.

The grain shop mistress stopped, panting as she measured out glutinous rice for Shen Shaoguang. The maid glanced at Shen Shaoguang, then lowered her head and began picking up the beans that had scattered earlier.

After buying rice, Shen Shaoguang went next door to buy vegetables and inquired about the maid called A-Liu.

“Her master took another maid, A-Xiang, from their household, and Mistress Xu is unhappy about it, so she takes it out on this simple-minded maid,” the vegetable shop woman exposed her neighbor’s private affairs in one sentence.

“The maid seems quite pitiful,” Shen Shaoguang steered the conversation back.

“Isn’t she? A few years ago during the Jiangnan floods, slave traders brought her from there. Mistress Xu bought two of them cheaply, hoping to have servants to use and sell for more money when they grew up. Now one has been taken by her husband, and this one grows more simple-minded by the day. She’s not clever at all—how could she fetch a good price? Mistress Xu truly lost money on this deal.”

“But I see this maid is quite hardworking.”

“Ah, but Mistress Xu can’t see that!” The vegetable shop woman sneered.

Shen Shaoguang came out carrying vegetables and saw A-Liu squatting by the grain shop door, munching on a steamed millet cake, with the mistress nowhere in sight.

“Why didn’t you dodge just now?” Servants were human assets, and the small grain shop mistress, calculating to the bone, wouldn’t seriously injure or kill her “asset.” Dodging could have meant fewer blows.

The maid glanced at Shen Shaoguang and mumbled, “The sooner the beating ends, the sooner I can eat.”

“…” This reasoning left Shen Shaoguang speechless.

Suddenly, Shen Shaoguang made a decision. “If I bought you, would you be willing?”

The maid stopped chewing her cake, staring at Shen Shaoguang with wide eyes. “Will you feed me?”

“All you can eat.”

The maid nodded, “Good!”

Shen Shaoguang nodded, “Eat up, I’ll go find your master.”

The shop had a storefront with living quarters behind, connecting three rooms and a small courtyard. Shen Shaoguang knocked on the courtyard door.

The grain shop mistress from earlier came out, smiling, “Does the young lady want to buy more grain?”

“I’m not here for grain. I wonder if the mistress would sell the maid who minds the shop outside?” Shen Shaoguang stated her purpose directly.

Having thought the maid was a burden, the grain shop mistress hadn’t expected anyone to inquire about her. She could barely contain her smile, though her words said otherwise, “I’ve watched this maid grow up, I’m truly quite attached to her.”

Shen Shaoguang couldn’t be bothered to play along with her act. “In that case, I won’t take what the mistress cherishes.” She nodded and turned to leave.

After Shen Shaoguang had walked about a dozen steps, seeing she was leaving, the grain shop mistress hurriedly called out, “Young lady, young lady—”

In bargaining, it’s all about patience and timing. Shen Shaoguang turned back with a smile, “What is it, mistress?”

“Please wait, we can discuss this further.”

Shen Shaoguang nodded but stayed where she was, waiting for the grain shop mistress to approach before smiling and saying, “Is the mistress willing to part with her now?”

The grain shop mistress smiled sheepishly.

“What price would you ask?”

Having lost the initiative in this transaction and fearing losing Shen Shaoguang as an easy mark, the grain shop mistress dared not ask too high a price. “Since the young lady has taken a liking to her, how about three thousand copper coins?”

Shen Shaoguang didn’t say it was expensive, just smiled and said, “This year, with drought followed by rain, the harvest won’t be good. When it comes time to collect autumn taxes, who knows how many people outside the city will be selling their children and servants.”

Shen Shaoguang casually made this ominous prediction, but the grain shop mistress took it seriously, remembering how she had bought the two maids cheaply during a famine year. Moreover, she was planning to sell these two grown maids and buy two younger ones to serve her, though this time she would choose more carefully.

After some bargaining, they finally settled on a price of two taels of silver. Shen Shaoguang went to get the money and insisted on going to the government office to complete the official sale contract. Then Shen Shaoguang smiled at the little maid following her and said, “Come with me.”

Shen Shaoguang bought her some daily necessities, bedding, and two sets of simple ready-made clothes, as her current clothes were unsuitable and she couldn’t fit into Shen Shaoguang’s clothes.

After returning, they first had a simple meal, then thoroughly bathed and washed her hair, changed into new clothes, and finally made her presentable. One naturally sees the good in what belongs to them—Shen Shaoguang thought the girl looked quite pretty when properly cleaned up.

A-Liu smiled foolishly at her and said, “Young lady’s soup noodles are delicious.”

“…” Still thinking about dinner just now, Shen Shaoguang nodded, “You have good taste!”

A-Liu smiled again, and after a while suddenly said, “Would the young lady give me a name?”

Shen Shaoguang raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“Now that I follow the young lady, I’m no longer Mistress Xu’s A-Liu.”

Seeing the little maid’s serious expression, Shen Shaoguang smiled, “Let’s call you A-Yuan then. Round face, very auspicious!”

A-Yuan nodded happily.

With A-Yuan’s help, Shen Shaoguang’s work became much easier. Previously, moving a stove had left Shen Shaoguang grimacing in pain, but now A-Yuan could easily load it onto the small cart. Before, when brewing sour plum drinks, there was no one to fetch water and tend the fire, but now Shen Shaoguang only needed to handle the delicate work at the stove. Previously, pounding rice cakes had left her hands aching, but now A-Yuan seemed tireless, staring at the sticky rice cakes and prepared bean paste filling with gleaming eyes.

Shen Shaoguang could finally expand her business somewhat. Pre-steamed zongzi, prepared rice cakes, and brewed sour plum drinks were all displayed at the ward gate. Though A-Yuan couldn’t make these items, she could handle money, and surprisingly, she was very good at calculations, probably from her time at the grain shop. Shen Shaoguang felt she had found a real treasure.