Chapter 3, a thoroughly unscrupulous merchant

Upon thinking of this, he became pleased with himself and could not help but laugh heartily towards the sky

Your contract period begins tomorrow and ends one year from today. You will rise at the hour of Yin and sleep at the hour of Zi each day. (Luo Xiaoyi's face turned pale: It seems that the sleeping time is less than two hours?)

Alas, I, who have been wise throughout my life and have always been a person of discernment, have unexpectedly been deceived by beauty, and in a daze, signed a contract of servitude! I can only lament that I am truly too hungry!

Something seems off

Luo Xiaoyi swallowed hard, her small, dark hand trembling as it pressed against her pounding chest. Oh my, such beauty is truly a feast for the eyes; I am so happy, incredibly happy!

Lan continued to smile charmingly and said: "This young master offers you these two sets of clothing, each priced at 100 wen. You can return the money to the tavern when you have it."

He walked up to him and patted his shoulder forcefully. With each pat, Luo Xiaoyi shrank down a bit more! By the time he had patted three times, Luo Xiaoyi's body had mostly slipped under the table, with only his upper body and his face, which was dark with a hint of bluish-gray, still above the chair

The corners of Lan He’s mouth lifted slightly as he saw Luo Xiaoyi rubbing her shoulder, her face contorted in pain, revealing her teeth in a grimace, and a fleeting glimmer of amusement flashed in his handsome eyes

As I was scolding myself with great enthusiasm, at the height of my excitement, a voice from outside called out: "Xiao Yi, have you finished washing up?"

Just as he finished the last sentence, he was momentarily taken aback, his eyes blinking a few times, and he muttered to himself: "Lan is so handsome, but he must have some issues with his romantic life. Perhaps I should find someone else, yes, just change it. Oh dear, let’s say he marries a fat, old, ugly woman with power, and then is oppressed and tormented to the point of committing suicide"

Lying in the large bathtub, Luo Xiaoyi stretched out his little head and looked around. His gaze was not driven by fear of others hearing the curses on his lips, but rather by the concern of being secretly observed

Luo Xiaoyi's lips trembled, and miraculously, a layer of green emerged from her darkened face. Lan looked at her curiously and said with a gentle smile, "You don't need to be too grateful; the cost of the two hundred wen for the clothes will incur interest, but it's not much, at most three wen a month." Now it has turned into a debt of eight wen each month!

Xiao Guang was impatiently pacing back and forth outside the door. The young master, seeing that Luo Xiao was extremely dirty, ordered five buckets of water to be placed inside for him to wash up. He had already been inside for more than an hour, and the wait had become truly intolerable.

He stood up and waved for Xiao Guang to come closer: "Xiao Guang, after Xiao Yi finishes his meal, take him to wash up and change into our Qianli Xiang's waiter uniform." He turned to Luo Xiaoyi with a charming smile, his snow-white teeth gleaming, still a sight to behold. However, Luo Xiaoyi shivered, feeling an inexplicable sense of fear as if facing a hungry wolf in the cold of the twelfth month.

Just as he was pacing back and forth in annoyance, the door creaked open. Xiao Guang turned his head casually, and upon doing so, he was taken aback.

Tsk tsk tsk, shaking his head, Lan looked at the untouched food with a hint of regret and said: "It seems that Xiao Yi has eaten too much and has actually fallen asleep in happiness. Xiao Guang, you should take the food to Sister Yang to feed the pigs."

"Those with the surname Lan, we are irreconcilable!"

The voice sounded a bit impatient. Luo Xiaoyi hurriedly called out: "Alright, alright, it's fine."

Bang—this is the sound of the chair rocking

In a state of bliss, Luo Xiaoyi's eyes sparkled with a radiant glow, as if entranced and intoxicated.

This... ? ... After working like a horse or an ox for a month, in the end, I still owe five wen. ? ? I swallowed once, and suddenly realized my mouth was dry; the flood that had just been overwhelming had turned into a desert.

Lan turned around in shock, watching as Luo Xiaoyi slid down to the floor beneath the table, gasping for breath. The chair he had originally sat on had long since fallen to the ground in a glorious manner

When there are guests, you are the waiter; when there are few guests, it is your responsibility to clean the tables, chairs, and floor of the restaurant, as well as wash the dishes and utensils. Additionally, if you accidentally break a teacup, you will need to work an extra month to compensate.

Indeed, your wages amount to ten wen per month. Considering that you have your two meals here and that this young master also provides you with accommodation, the total for food and lodging comes to fifteen wen per month. This young master, taking into account your helpless situation, will allow you to owe him five wen each month, to be settled at a later date

As his heart beat like a drum, a gentle and melodious voice slowly emerged: "Xiao Yi, do you not know how to read? Allow me to explain the contents of this contract to you.

Lan and the languidly lazy glanced at Luo Xiaoyi, then lowered their heads to look at the contract: "Hmm, there are still some stipulations on this, but I shall not read them aloud. You will come to know them in due course."

He finally stopped patting Luo Xiaoyi affectionately, took a step forward, and the clear and crisp voice once again resounded: "By the way, from now on, what this young master says cannot be questioned. Those who fail to respond to this young master's inquiries in a timely manner or do not comply with this young master's orders will have one meal deducted for each offense. If anyone dares to retort or make any small movements, they will be prohibited from eating for three days. If there is an intention to escape, their legs will be broken and they will be handed over to the authorities!" If anyone dares to retort or make any small movements, they will be prohibited from eating for three days. If there is an intention to escape, their legs will be broken and they will be handed over to the authorities!

Lan cast him a sidelong glance that seemed to be both a smile and a smirk. This glance truly was a smile that could bring forth a hundred charms, rendering the entire banquet hall devoid of color in the presence of wine and meat

Rubbing off a piece of black mud from her body, Luo Xiaoyi scolded fiercely, "Hmph! You, with the surname Lan, do you think that by exploiting us like this, we would be afraid? Damn it, you better fall to your death while walking, choke to death from thirst, or get a venereal disease from sleeping with a woman!"

"Bā Tōng" is the sound of the human body hitting the ground

Something is very wrong

Luo Xiaoyi no longer drooled, her eyes no longer sparkled, and her body no longer felt soft; yet her heartbeat quickened even more. However, this time the quickening of her heartbeat brought no sense of electric happiness, only panic.