The Blessed Farm Girl Has a Spatial Storage
Chapter 87: Niu Lili Appears Midway

Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Niu Lili Appears Midway

Therefore, she kept her head down as much as possible, trying to minimize her presence, terrified of being recognized by Niu Lili.

At this moment, Niu Lili was smugly strutting among the maids, her gaze sweeping from left to right, then right to left.

She constantly muttered, "This one’s too pretty, don’t want her. This one’s too ugly, no." Immersed in her selection, she hadn’t yet noticed Zhao Ya.

Suddenly, Niu Lili pointed at one of the young girls. "Mother, let’s take this one!"

Hearing Niu Lili make her choice, Zhao Ya subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

The Human Trafficker woman glanced at the young girl Niu Lili had chosen and said with a smile, "This one is thirty taels of silver."

Niu Lili, worried her mother would refuse due to the high price, quickly urged, "Mother, let’s get this one, please?"

However, Lady Zhao didn’t pay immediately. Instead, she stepped forward to examine the young girl. "What’s your name, and what can you do?"

The young girl whispered, "My name is Hong Tao. I can do cleaning and sweeping."

Lady Zhao nodded and asked a few more questions.

Meanwhile, Niu Lili was still scanning the maids when she suddenly gasped and cried out, "Mother, Mother, come quick! Isn’t this Zhao Ya?"

Hearing this, Zhao Ya’s heart sank.

Lady Zhao walked over, glanced at Zhao Ya, and said in surprise, "Well, look who it is! Zhao Ya, what are you doing here? Were you sold?"

Niu Lili, however, had changed her mind. She declared smugly, "Mother, I don’t want the one from before. I want her! I want Zhao Ya as my maid."

Lady Zhao put on a hypocritical expression, took Zhao Ya’s small hand, and tutted. "TSK TSK. You poor thing. Seeing how pitiful you are, we’ll just buy you and take you home."

Grandma Jin Hua, standing nearby, had already realized that this family seemed to be Zhao Ya’s relatives.

So, she spoke up, "My lady, this young girl is different from the previous one. She’s better looking and knows embroidery, so her price will be higher."

Hearing this, Lady Zhao looked as if she’d been slighted. Her expression immediately soured, and she glared unhappily at Grandma Jin Hua. "What do you mean by that? Are you saying I can’t afford her?"

Grandma Jin Hua didn’t get angry. She replied with a smile, "My lady, please don’t be upset. That’s not what I meant. I’m simply stating the facts."

Lady Zhao crossed her arms and said arrogantly, "Fine, tell me. How much is she?"

Grandma Jin Hua gestured. "One hundred and fifty taels of silver."

Lady Zhao’s expression stiffened. She looked at Grandma Jin Hua doubtfully. "You’re not trying to trick me, are you? She’s just a young maidservant; how could she possibly sell for that much! Don’t think I’m ignorant. Young girls like her only cost twenty to fifty taels of silver!"

Lady Zhao was full of confidence. Before coming, she had inquired about the prices of maidservants other ladies had bought, and they were indeed in that range.

Hearing this, Grandma Jin Hua laughed. "My lady, you wrong me by saying such things. Though they are all young maidservants, different goods command different prices, you know? Take this young girl, for example..."

As she spoke, she pulled Zhao Ya forward. "Just look at her features, her overall quality! Moreover, this young girl is clever and sensible, with an untarnished background. She’s currently learning embroidery. If she stays with me a while longer, she could sell for several hundred, even a thousand taels of silver in the future. To tell you the truth, I’m rather reluctant to part with her. One hundred and fifty taels is a very reasonable price."

Grandma Jin Hua wasn’t deceiving her. A young maidservant with good looks, favorable conditions, and an untarnished background could indeed be sold to a family of high officials or nobles to serve as a personal attendant to the young masters and mistresses. Fetching hundreds or even thousands of taels of silver was truly no exaggeration on her part.

Lady Zhao was stunned for a moment. To spend one hundred and fifty taels on a maidservant—truthfully, she was rather reluctant.

Although her husband’s family was in business and had some money, they could only be considered well-off, not truly affluent. So, for a moment, she hesitated.

But Niu Lili, at her side, was fixated on Zhao Ya, stubbornly refusing any other young girl. "Mother, I want her! I want her!"

Lady Zhao could only try to coax her. Just then, Zhao Dong and the others arrived.

As soon as they entered, they ran into Lady Zhao and her daughter—quite a coincidence.

Seeing Zhao Dong and Sun Mei arrive at such a place with three children, Lady Zhao instinctively assumed they were there to sell them. She immediately began to mock and ridicule them. "Well, well! Isn’t this Second Brother? What are you doing here...?"

As she spoke, her gaze shifted from Zhao Zhitong to Zhao Cheng and Zhao Yu. Then, she said incredulously, "You can’t be here to sell children, can you? Heavens, are you planning to sell Eldest Brother’s children, or your own daughter? You’re truly shameless! Tell me, was it you who sold Zhao Ya?"

If Second Uncle sells Zhao Zhitong, I’ll buy her straight away, Niu Lili thought, her eyes gleaming as she stared at the girl. She’ll definitely be cheap! And the thought of Zhao Zhitong serving her tea and attending to her every need made her incredibly happy.

Zhao Dong and the others had barely stepped inside and hadn’t yet had a chance to speak when Lady Zhao unleashed a torrent of humiliating accusations. Sun Mei and Zhao Dong’s expressions turned grim.

Sun Mei, her face cold, said frostily, "Fourth Sister, watch your mouth! How could we possibly sell Eldest Brother’s children? We are not here to sell children!"

Lady Zhao didn’t believe her and scoffed, "What? Don’t tell me you’re actually here to buy a young girl?"

She sneered as she spoke. A family of paupers, poor as dirt. They probably can’t even feed themselves, yet they’re here to buy a maidservant? Even I don’t believe it when I say it.

Meanwhile, Grandma Jin Hua, who was standing to the side, had already discerned their relationship from their conversation.

Because Zhao Dong had previously given her money several times to look after Zhao Ya, she had a favorable impression of his family. She smiled and asked, "Are you here to see Zhao Ya?"

With that, she called Zhao Ya over.

Sun Mei nodded at Grandma Jin Hua. "Not just to visit this time. We’re here to buy Zhao Ya’s freedom."

Everyone was stunned by her words.

One hundred and fifty taels—how could a farming family possibly afford that?

Lady Zhao, especially, looked as if she’d heard the most ludicrous joke, her shock mixed with utter derision. "Buy her freedom? Second Sister-in-law, you can’t be serious!"

Her words had barely faded when Sun Mei took a money pouch from her robes and handed it to Grandma Jin Hua. "Grandma Jin Hua, please see for yourself. This is exactly one hundred and fifty taels of silver, no more, no less."

Lady Zhao was initially astonished. Then, she recalled the letters her three children had sent her, mentioning that Second Brother’s family had made a fortune selling tofu. Could it actually be true? she wondered.

She immediately rushed forward and shouted, "Grandma Jin Hua, her freedom can’t be bought by them! I’m the one buying Zhao Ya!"

Niu Lili, who had been dismayed because her Second Uncle and Aunt weren’t selling Zhao Zhitong, instantly brightened upon hearing her mother’s words.

Lady Zhao, meanwhile, had already pulled a silver bank note from her robes. "Grandma Jin Hua, I’m buying this young girl!"