Chapter 3: A Bitter Bargain

A gnawing unease settled in Xiang Chen’s heart. He clutched the hem of his clothes, cold sweat beading in his palms.

He furtively glanced around, assessing his predicament. In this desolate, uninhabited place, his short legs wouldn’t carry him two steps before he was recaptured.

Should these two knock him unconscious or tie him up, his fate would be even more dire.

Xiang Chen dared not make a rash move, yet he was unwilling to passively endure his situation.

Thus, he covered his face, feigning tears, and called out for his mother, his cries growing louder with each sob.

Uncle Ma grew impatient with his wailing. He strode over in three quick steps, his palm raised, ready to strike.

Auntie Ma quickly intervened, stopping him. She whispered, “Why hit his face? Such a handsome child, like something out of a New Year’s painting. How much could he be worth if you damage him? That’s not a smart move.”

Uncle Ma lowered his hand, frowning. “This little brat’s crying is irritating me. How about we just gag him?” He started to look for something to use.

Auntie Ma scoffed softly. “Watch this,” she said. She grabbed both of Xiang Chen’s arms, her fingers digging into the tender flesh of his upper arm, twisting a section with force.

A shudder ran through Xiang Chen as tears streamed from the corners of his eyes. This was no act; the pain was searing.

Just as he was about to cry out, Auntie Ma stared at him. “Cry once, I’ll twist once. Go on, keep crying.”

Xiang Chen pressed his lips together, daring not to utter a sound. The woman’s grip was immense; her hands clamped onto his arms like vises, rendering him immobile. He could only endure her pinching and twisting.

“Heh, your method always works,” Uncle Ma remarked to Auntie Ma.

Auntie Ma merely lifted her eyelids, a look of disdain on her face. “They’re just a few brats. We’ve handled plenty before, even tougher ones than this, and I always get them to behave. You, too, stop always thinking of using your hands. If you injure the child, their value drops.”

Uncle Ma flashed a fawning smile at Auntie Ma. “Sister San, you’re right. I’m new to this, a bit rusty, you know. You’ll have to guide me more in the future. We’re family, after all.”

Xiang Chen pricked up his ears, realizing then that these two were not actually a couple. It seemed Auntie Ma was the dominant one in their partnership.

“That depends on your performance,” Auntie Ma stated. “My word alone doesn’t count.”

Uncle Ma nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, I understand. We need to go see Boss Lei first—”

“Shut up!” Auntie Ma snapped, cutting him off sharply. “You dare to say anything that comes to mind? Are you trying to get yourself killed and drag me down with you?”

Uncle Ma flinched, pulling his neck back. He glanced around nervously, then forced a smile. “There’s no one around, is there? Just a couple of kids who can’t understand what we’re saying.”

Seeing Auntie Ma’s continued displeasure, he quickly slapped his own mouth lightly twice, apologizing. “I have a foul mouth, Sister San, please don’t take offense. Look, I even brought my own girl along; my sincerity is undeniable. Sister San, please put in a good word for me. Your brother will surely repay you in the future.”

Auntie Ma let out a soft snort. She glanced at the little girl sitting woodenly in the ox cart, disdain evident in her eyes. “A mere girl, what’s she worth? Fortunately, she resembles your wife. If she looked like you, I wouldn’t take her even if she were free.”

She then eyed Xiang Chen, a triumphant look on her face. “It’s a good thing we were lucky enough to pick up this boy along the way. With his looks, he’s sure to fetch a good price.”

Uncle Ma wasn’t offended by the mockery; he merely continued to offer ingratiating smiles. “Sister San, you’re absolutely right…”

As the two of them chatted idly to the side, Xiang Chen dared not run. He could only strain his ears, hoping to glean more information.

What he heard sent a chill down his spine. Good heavens, this was a human trafficking ring, and it seemed they had a leader named Boss Lei.

And this Uncle Ma, how utterly depraved, selling his own daughter. But then again, as human traffickers, they likely possessed no conscience to begin with.

Before long, a rustling sound emanated from the woods. Auntie Ma nudged Uncle Ma, signaling him to investigate, while she settled into the driver’s seat, her hand tightly gripping the whip.

Shortly after, Uncle Ma returned, accompanied by three others: two women and one man.

The older woman appeared slightly older than Auntie Ma, while the younger woman seemed to be in her twenties, supporting the older one.

The man, around the same age as the younger woman, was tall and stout, carrying a large burlap sack, and had a rather simple, honest look about him.

The trio followed Uncle Ma. Auntie Ma lifted her eyelids, glancing at the younger woman. “Sister Wang, what’s the meaning of this? Bringing two helpers?”

The younger woman quickly explained,

“Oh, no, it’s nothing like that. This is my mother and my man. My mother wanted the child, so she had to see them, right? And for us two women, carrying so much grain alone wouldn’t feel safe. That’s why I brought my man along. Please bear with us.”

“Alright, fine.” Auntie Ma hopped off the cart. “What’s the old lady’s name?”

The older woman wasn’t truly old, perhaps in her fifties, but in this era, that was considered having one foot in the grave.

“My mother’s maiden name is Chen,” Sister Wang interjected, then nudged the silent Old Lady Chen beside her. “Mother, she’s asking you a question.”

Since their arrival, Old Lady Chen had been staring at Xiang Chen without blinking, her gaze like that of someone admiring a precious treasure. Xiang Chen felt goosebumps rise on his skin.

Nudged by her daughter, Old Lady Chen snapped back to attention, her eyes still reluctant to leave Xiang Chen. She answered irrelevantly, “Satisfied, very satisfied…”

Auntie Ma had already noticed Old Lady Chen’s gaze fixed on Xiang Chen. Hearing her words now, everything became clear. Although she had originally intended to sell the scrawny boy in the back to this family, this child, picked up along the way, seemed to have some connections. It would be better to offload him sooner rather than later.

She mused this inwardly, but her expression remained impassive. Instead, she feigned ignorance of Old Lady Chen’s intentions, leading her to the back of the cart and pointing at the dark, thin boy.

“This is the child. We specifically chose him according to your requirements. He’s just five years old, no family left, just him. No one will come looking for him, guaranteed.”

Old Lady Chen took one look and shook her head. “No, not this one. I want this one.” She pointed at Xiang Chen, her tone firm.

If she hadn’t seen Xiang Chen, Old Lady Chen might have thought the other child was acceptable. He was thin, but which child wasn’t thin these days? With food, he’d gain weight.

But now her mind had changed. This child next to her was so lovely, fair-skinned and tender, just like the chubby babies in New Year’s paintings.

And she hadn’t initially thought of it, but to send him to their fourth son’s family, he needed to look like a city child. This one did; this was the one she wanted.

Xiang Chen hadn’t expected the old lady to want to buy him. But upon reflection, human traffickers were ruthless. With his small stature, running was certainly out of the question.

If they discovered the small pouch hidden in his clothes, it would be even worse. It might be better to be sold and then make his plans.

Of course, he wasn’t foolish enough to beg these people for help, claiming he was kidnapped. Anyone buying a child from traffickers surely knew the child’s origins were questionable.

“This one won’t do,” Auntie Ma said, feigning reluctance.

“This child has already been promised to someone else. They specifically asked for one who looked like a city child. We put a lot of effort into raising him like this. Look, he’s only four, but look at his height, his plumpness…”

Auntie Ma said, pinching Xiang Chen’s cheek. His chubby, baby-faced cheek immediately reddened.

“Oh, don’t pinch him!” Old Lady Chen had already begun to think of Xiang Chen as her own grandson, eager to buy him and send him to her son’s family.

“Our family also needs a city child!” The old lady’s eyes were fervent. “This child is going to be sent to the city; he absolutely must be like this one.”

“No, we’ve already made arrangements with the other family,” Auntie Ma insisted, feigning great difficulty.

Old Lady Chen’s daughter, seeing her mother immediately taken with the child, had also been observing him for a long time. She agreed the child was truly well-born, delightful to look at. Not just her mother, she herself wanted a child like this.

Now, seeing her mother and Auntie Ma arguing endlessly, Sister Wang interjected,

“Big Sister, look, there’s a first-come, first-served rule, isn’t there? We saw this child first, so please give him to us. As for the other family, you can raise the one in the back a bit longer. Wouldn’t that satisfy both parties?”

“Easy to say,” Auntie Ma grumbled. “Raising a child costs grain, you know.”

Sister Wang immediately knew there was an opening. She quickly said, “In that case, we’ll add more. We originally agreed on fifty catties of cornmeal and ten yuan. We’ll give a little extra, add five catties of cornmeal, and the child is ours.”

“Five catties?” Auntie Ma raised her voice. “Five catties? You try raising a child like this for me with five catties! One hundred catties of cornmeal and fifty yuan, then you can take this child.”

Xiang Chen was dumbfounded. So he wasn’t even worth a single meal’s cost? What were these traffickers doing? Selling a child was less profitable than selling tea eggs on the street.

As he mentally grumbled, Xiang Chen heard the buyer haggle. Turns out he wasn’t even worth that much…

Eventually, Sister Wang and Auntie Ma engaged in a verbal battle, concluding with a deal of seventy catties of cornmeal and thirty yuan. If Auntie Ma hadn’t stubbornly held her ground, Sister Wang likely would have tried to bargain further.

Sister Wang called over her man, the one who hadn’t spoken, and had him place the burlap sack from his shoulder in front of Auntie Ma. “This contains sixty catties of cornmeal. You can weigh it yourself.”

She then called her mother over. Old Lady Chen set down the bundle from behind her, untied it, revealing some dried sweet potatoes and a cloth-wrapped item. Old Lady Chen carefully opened it, revealing some flour, slightly greyish.

“Flour!” Uncle Ma had sidled over at some point, exclaiming in surprise as he looked at the cloth-wrapped package in the old lady’s hands.

Old Lady Chen proudly yet reluctantly presented the package of flour to Auntie Ma. “These two and a half catties of flour are worth ten catties of cornmeal. You’re making a huge profit.”

“Old lady, you speak as if…” Auntie Ma said, taking it.

“If we were to exchange it, it wouldn’t be this price, but we won’t quibble over a few catties and ounces with you.” She spoke as if she hadn’t just been fiercely haggling over prices with Sister Wang.

Auntie Ma had her own calculations. She was about to go to the provincial capital to meet Boss Lei, and she needed to bring something to please him.

However, the last few children she sold hadn’t brought in anything particularly good. This flour, at least, showed some thoughtfulness; fine grain would be a nice treat.

Old Lady Chen then handed her thirty yuan. The transaction was settled, and she immediately tried to pick up Xiang Chen and leave.

But Auntie Ma suddenly stopped them. “You can take the person, but these clothes must stay.”

Xiang Chen’s heart jolted. He instinctively reached to cover the spot where his small pouch was hidden, then realized everyone’s eyes were on him.

He clenched his small fists, preventing any movement, and continued to feign an innocent, bewildered expression.

“What kind of reasoning is that?” Sister Wang gave a dry laugh. “Who doesn’t give a child clothes to wear?”

Clearly, she had noticed the good quality of Xiang Chen’s clothes. Aside from anything else, they had no patches.

Although a bit large, children’s clothes back then were passed down from older to younger siblings and often covered in patches, unlike Xiang Chen’s, which was clearly new.

Xiang Chen clutched the hem of his clothes, daring not to speak, wondering how much crying and fussing it would take to keep his clothes if they tried to strip him.

Fortunately, Sister Wang proved to be a strong negotiator. She managed to exchange his entire outfit for one yuan and the cloth used to wrap their cornmeal.

Xiang Chen sighed in relief. When Sister Wang came to embrace him, he obediently offered no resistance. This was the best possible outcome now.

He wanted to take revenge on the traffickers too, but looking down at his current small body, he decided survival was more important.

***

In the woods, Uncle Ma and Auntie Ma watched the group walk away, then drove their ox cart out.

Uncle Ma asked curiously, “Didn’t that child say his parents were in the city? What if they run into them?”

Auntie Ma didn’t even lift her eyelids.

“Who knows which ‘city’ that child was talking about? That road also leads to the provincial capital; it would be trouble if we took him there. Giving him to this family, even if they meet, we won’t be afraid. It won’t be easy for them to find us again.”

She turned to look at the two children in the back. “As for these two, the boy is best sold in the provincial capital. Once we rendezvous with Boss Lei, we’ll be heading to another province. Keep your girl for now; she can serve as a cover.”

“Sister San is right,” Uncle Ma nodded repeatedly.

The ox cart turned onto the main road, gradually fading into the distance.