“Ugly Girl! I have other things to do, so I’ll be leaving now! If you have any difficulties in the future, come find me in Taoli Village!” Ye Qingcheng looked for a while, then stood up. She still had two babies to feed and had already delayed too long.
“Madam…” Upon hearing this, the Ugly Girl quickly stood up and walked over eagerly. “Madam, does your household need a rough maidservant? I am capable of anything, I can do all the dirty and tiring work, and I don’t ask for wages; just one meal a day is enough!”
The Ugly Girl felt that the Madam was a good person, and she couldn't miss this opportunity.
Ye Qingcheng looked at the girl for a moment, sizing her up. “Then tell me about your basic situation!”
She happened to need a maidservant to order around, and since she could afford to support one, taking her in wouldn't hurt.
“I… my name is Ugly Girl, I am fourteen years old this year, and I grew up in this ruined temple…” The Ugly Girl became a bit flustered, not even daring to look directly at Ye Qingcheng.
“Fourteen? Are you sure?” Ye Qingcheng couldn't quite believe it. She looked a bit shorter than the girl, yet this girl was supposedly a year older than her current body! The girl was good in every way except her eyesight; she couldn't even tell her age and kept calling her Madam.
“Sure, my grandfather told me my age; I am indeed fourteen this year!” When asked about her age, the Ugly Girl stated it with certainty.
“Fine, following me is not impossible, but you must sell yourself to me. Are you willing?” Ye Qingcheng had grown up in an environment of deceit in her previous life, so her cautious nature was already perfected. Arriving here, she still retained the Original owner's lifestyle and upbringing, so she didn't find the concept of selling oneself wrong.
Upon hearing this, the Ugly Girl immediately knelt down again with a thud. “This slave is willing to sell herself to Madam!”
She knew about this because people occasionally came to their place to select servants. She previously had two older sisters who were taken away by noble people to be maids. They would sometimes return to bring them food and mentioned the matter of being a slave in a wealthy household.
So, she and Ya Dan'er kept it firmly in mind, hoping for an opportunity to sell themselves to a wealthy family as slaves to earn a living.
“Get up!” Since Ye Qingcheng had decided to take her in, she wouldn't stop her from kowtowing, because even slaves needed rules and order! Otherwise, nothing would be proper.
“Thank you, Madam!” The Ugly Girl thanked her and stood up, then looked back worriedly at Ya Dan'er.
“Let her come along too!” Ye Qingcheng said lightly, then walked toward the carriage first.
The Coachman had been waiting for a while. Seeing Ye Qingcheng approach, he quickly opened the carriage curtain for her. Ye Qingcheng slipped into the carriage, waiting for the two of them.
The Ugly Girl didn't react at first, but once she did, she became incredibly excited and rushed toward Ya Dan'er. “Did you hear? Madam said you can come too! Quick, quick! I’ll help you up!”
Ya Dan'er also looked as if she couldn't believe it, with tears welling up in her eyes.
This was something the two of them had agreed upon early on: if there was a chance, one would go, and then they would figure out a way to help the other.
That’s why the Ugly Girl had approached Ye Qingcheng without hesitation to be taken in. They never expected both of them would be taken away at the same time, meaning they wouldn't have to be separated anymore. This day was truly their lucky day; even though they had been beaten, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
As the two were getting excited, the Six Maids suddenly felt their food was no longer appetizing. Two of the four older sisters who took care of them had already left, and now these two were leaving too; they felt a bit panicked.
They gathered around, tears streaming down their faces, but they dared not cry loudly, fearing that if the noble lady didn't take the two older girls, their lives would become even harder after they left.
“Don’t worry, your sister will come to see you if there’s a chance! You must behave yourselves. Remember what your sister told you—don't go to places you shouldn't! You’ll get beaten, understand?” The Ugly Girl helped Ya Dan'er up and gave instructions to the remaining Six Maids. “Also! You must all squeeze together to sleep at night; don't be alone!”
The Six Maids cried even harder upon hearing this, nodding desperately, holding their little broken bowls, with uneaten food still in their mouths, and clothes patched in various places.
Ye Qingcheng was an only child in her previous life and didn't understand the bonds between siblings, nor did she have close female friends. In this life, although she had several siblings, they were not from the same mother, and the Original owner had no memories of deep sibling affection.
However, she was moved now. The Ugly Girl, despite barely having enough to eat herself, could take care of these six little girls, and watching them, it was clear they obeyed her every word.
But she had no place to house them if she took them back now. Her own small, dilapidated room was barely big enough for the two of them because Emerald had died, freeing up her room for the two girls.
So, she couldn't be too soft-hearted. Moreover, she wasn't sure when that Scum Father would send another assassin, and bringing so many little ones along was too dangerous.
“Hurry up!” Thus, she urged them coldly.
The Ugly Girl and Ya Dan'er dared not delay, quickly comforting the other girls one last time before running over.
Originally, the two were going to sit on the carriage shafts, but Ye Qingcheng called them inside.
The Six Maids followed behind, crying for a long time. The two dared not lift the curtain to look outside. Ye Qingcheng closed her eyes, pretending to doze; she was feeling a bit soft-hearted, but now wasn't the time to take them along—she hadn't even settled herself yet.
Just like that, the three of them returned to town. Ye Qingcheng paid the Coachman and hurried toward the market with the two girls.
It was already afternoon, and the number of people in the market had significantly decreased; some stalls had already packed up.
Ye Qingcheng searched for quite a while before finding someone selling goats. There were three goats tethered in front of the stall, and the seller was an old man with a scruffy beard.
Ye Qingcheng quickly walked over to inquire, “Old man, do you have any goats that have just given birth to lambs?”
She had originally wanted to buy a cow, but after looking around, she couldn't find any for sale. After asking around, she learned that cows couldn't be bought or sold casually; one needed to apply to the government, which was very troublesome.
Furthermore, those without land couldn't get the application approved.
“Young lady wants to drink goat milk, right? This old man does indeed have one. She gave birth to a lamb the day before yesterday, but you have to buy her along with this little lamb!” The old man stroked his beard and said mysteriously.
“Deal! How much Silver?” Ye Qingcheng readily agreed. She was in a great hurry to get home, so she didn't haggle with the old man over the price.
“This goat had two lambs. Together, it will be two taels of Silver!” The old man held up two fingers.
“Who are you trying to fool? A goat is worth at most one tael of Silver, and two lambs are worth two hundred coins at most! You’re asking for two taels of Silver?” Before Ye Qingcheng could speak, the Ugly Girl following behind spoke up indignantly.
Although she was just a beggar, she walked the streets and alleys every day, so she was quite familiar with the local prices. Seeing this old man trying to cheat her Madam, she naturally had to speak up.