The two were conversing as they turned into the courtyard at the northernmost part of the alley. Upon entering, they saw a young man kneeling in the courtyard, repeatedly kowtowing. The two standing individuals—one with an unhappy expression and the other trying to please with a smiling face—were in conversation.
"Xiao Xi! Is it Xiao Xi? What's going on? What happened?" Qiao Ziqiu rushed forward, crouching down to help the person on the ground.
"Young Master! Young Master, it's really you! Young Master, you've come. Sob, sob..."
With a thud, the person who had just been helped up knelt down again in front of Qiao Ziqiu.
"Hey, what's going on? Who are you people? Mr. Yang is selecting people right now. Please wait patiently and don't disturb Mr. Yang's mood." The agent spent nearly half an hour trying to please today's important buyer. Because Xiao Xi insisted on bringing his frail elderly father, he annoyed Mr. Yang. It seemed the previous selection of three men and four women might all go to waste. Now, this guy with unknown intentions even brought an acquaintance. Mr. Yang was furious, contemplating various severe methods of discipline. If this business deal went sour, he would definitely vent his frustration on this fellow.
"Oh, hello. My surname is Qiao, the owner of North-South Trading. How about I buy this lad and his old father?"
"Humph, Chen Yaren, do you always conduct business with such integrity?" Mr. Yang, who had just been somewhat appeased, immediately darkened again.
"No, Mr. Yang, I don't know where this unfamiliar master suddenly came from. I don't recognize him at all. You've always been an esteemed patron. I wouldn't dare to cause any trouble for you. Please watch, I'll immediately chase them away." Chen Yaren spoke with flattery, adept at not overly offending other customers. He turned to Joe Er in a calm tone, "Are you Mr. Joe? As a businessman, you must understand the principle of first come, first served. Mr. Yang has already selected eight people for his daughter's marriage dowry. Xiao Xi is one of them. There's no reason for you to buy him right away. Please choose others later."
"I've said that I won't agree unless Xiao Xi can go with his old father. Now that the young master is here, Xiao Xi will only go with him! Young master, Uncle Fu, young master, please save Uncle Fu; he's on the verge of death. Young master, sob, sob..." Xiao Xi, thinking of Uncle Fu lying in the backyard with an uncertain fate, began to kowtow and plead.
The "old father" he mentioned was, in fact, Uncle Fu. Since their days in the Qiao family, they had addressed each other as father and son. Through ten years of being sold from one household to another, serving as servants or slaves, they had never been separated.
This time, on the way to Dongbin, they encountered several former servants of the Qiao family, experiencing moments of joy and nostalgia. It was a ray of light in their difficult lives. Little did they expect that Uncle Fu would fall ill. Several potential buyers had refused to take Xiao Xi, burdened by the sick Uncle Fu. The slave traders were willing to wait a few more days, but today, Mr. Yang explicitly refused Uncle Fu and insisted on buying Xiao Xi alone, leading to the current deadlock.
"Hmph, this ignorant wretch, even if I buy him, I won't let him be a dowry. But I hate disobedient slaves the most. Today, I'll buy him and show him how I, Yang Baibai, discipline someone as disobedient as him," the obese Mr. Yang was not one to be reasoned with, and North's attempts at diplomacy had no effect.
"Let? Ridiculous! A little girl who hasn't even grown into her face, what qualifications does she have to compete with me here? Find an adult who can control you to go back and be properly disciplined. If there's no one in your family, following this Mister Yang wouldn't be a bad idea; it might even help a little."
"You, have you eaten dung? Chen Yaren, I am the owner of Fuhai Tower. Today, I'm going to compete with you, the so-called big buyer. In business, the one who pays more wins. I'll take all the people he's interested in, no matter how much it costs. For every price you offer, I'll add double," the lady from Fuhai Tower retorted.
"You spit on that! The one who pays more wins, take a look at your shabby appearance. Do you think you can outbid the wealthiest man in Dongbin? Fuhai Tower owner, is today the day for me to hear a joke? You're just the owner of Fuhai Tower. Why not say you're the queen of Dongbin? Does Dongbin's king even know that Fuhai Tower has changed hands? Or that he has such a wild queen? No matter, I have plenty of time. I might as well take on the task of disciplining him on behalf of the king."
"Mr. Yang, congratulations on your daughter's upcoming marriage," said Xiangbei, trying to soothe the situation as he noticed Joe Er's impatience escalating. "Look, this is a joyous occasion. Taking Xiao Xi forcibly while he's still concerned about his ailing father wouldn't be auspicious, would it? How about letting him go with us, and you can choose another one? That way, everyone will be happy."