"Old Woman Wang, look, I've brought you my niece. Name your price."
Jiang Wan felt herself being carried for quite some time, the jolting making her want to vomit. Before she could, she was put down.
A rough old hand felt her face, then pinched her all over.
"So small, she might end up being short. And her mind isn't sharp either. If she's hard to sell, she'll end up back in my hands."
The disdain in the other party's tone made Jiang Wan feel a surge of anger. Short? She was a full one meter sixty-eight!
Wait!
Who was trying to sell her? Were they tired of living?! She, a mighty female powerhouse from the apocalypse, being trafficked and then criticized!
It infuriated her! She'd beat these curs until they couldn't find their teeth!
But why couldn't she move? And why were that person's hands so big?
Jiang Lao Er said obsequiously, "Old Woman Wang, my niece is only five and a half. She'll grow when her time comes. Although her mind isn't very sharp, look at her face, so delicate. Once she grows up, she can easily fetch a good price. Please add a bit more, two bags of millet is really too little."
He had risked being beaten to death by his elder brother's family to steal this fool and sell her for grain.
He couldn't be blamed for being heartless. The drought for the past two years had yielded no harvest. Their family had run out of food days ago, and keeping such a fool was a huge burden.
He was doing this for the good of the family.
Old Woman Wang withdrew her hand, not even lifting her eyelids. "She's only five. It'll take at least ten years for her to grow up. How much silver will I have to spend to raise her! It's two bags of millet, take it or leave it. If not, take her away."
"Take it, take it!" Jiang Lao Er dared not haggle further and quickly agreed.
Two bags were better than none.
Old Woman Wang eased her expression. "Don't think I'm heartless. Given the current market, where else would you find someone willing to trade two bags of millet for a fool besides me! This girl will be with me, and I guarantee she won't starve. I'll find her a good family in the future and let her live a good life."
Jiang Lao Er rubbed his hands and said, "It's precisely because I know you're kind-hearted that I brought her to you. It's her good fortune to be with you."
Old Woman Wang was pleased with his attitude and had people bring over two bags of millet and a deed of sale.
Jiang Lao Er didn't even look at what was written on the deed of sale, pressed his thumbprint, took the two bags of millet, and left without looking back.
Old Woman Wang grinned after he was far away, then pinched Jiang Wan's chin, examining her left and right. "This girl, though a fool, is truly rare in appearance. If I sell her to the brothels in Qingzhou City, I can earn at least ten taels."
Earning ten taels of silver from two bags of millet in such a short time was a deal hard to find even with a lantern.
Jiang Wan suddenly opened her eyes and looked at Old Woman Wang with a naive expression. "Which brothel are you selling me to?"
Old Woman Wang didn't react at first and casually replied, "Naturally, the biggest brothel in Qingzhou City... Hey, how can you speak, girl?"
Didn't the Jiang family's youngest daughter not even know how to speak, being a fool? But with her clear eyes and articulate speech, she didn't seem like a fool at all.
Could it be that the Jiang family was mistaken?
That would be wonderful! Now she could earn at least five more taels of silver!
But before Old Woman Wang could be happy for long, a chubby little fist smashed into her jaw.
Old Woman Wang, who had lived for decades, never knew that a five-year-old child could hit so hard! With that punch, she felt her face being knocked askew.
"Oh, my heavens! Quickly, grab this damned girl! I'll skin her alive today!"
Jiang Wan leaped up from the ground and shouted, "You want to skin your auntie? Dream on! Today, your auntie will show you what the power of a strong person is!"
While she couldn't move earlier, she had quickly figured out her current predicament.
She had transmigrated, from an apocalypse full of zombies to this unknown time and space, becoming the foolish daughter of a farming family. It was a time of famine, and the Jiang family had run out of food days ago. Jiang Lao Er and his wife had wicked intentions and, while the foolish daughter's parents and siblings were away, brought her out to sell to this Old Woman Wang.
The foolish daughter was born with divine strength. Jiang Lao Er and his wife feared they couldn't subdue her, so they got medicine from Old Woman Wang beforehand. Who knew they accidentally poisoned the foolish daughter to death, and she transmigrated into her.
Thinking that she, a mighty female powerhouse from the apocalypse, was traded for two bags of millet, Jiang Wan was furious. She leaped forward and pounced towards Old Woman Wang.
Old Woman Wang was plump and not young, her movements very slow. She tried her best to avoid Jiang Wan's attack but was powerless.
Jiang Wan pounced onto Old Woman Wang and raised her small fists, smashing them down on her head.
Old Woman Wang cried out in pain, "Oh, they're killing me! Are you all dead? Come and help!"
Her accomplices rushed over to help, but a furious roar came from outside the door, "Anyone who dares to touch my daughter today, I'll take their life!"
The group turned to see a group of people carrying hoes running from outside. The leader of this group was a couple, followed by three young men in their teens. They were all sweating profusely, their eyes looking like they wanted to devour people.
Behind the couple, a man who had been beaten bloody was following. Upon closer inspection, it was Jiang Lao Er, who had just left with the millet!
Old Woman Wang's group was no pushover either. Those who engaged in the business of human trafficking were all scoundrels. Seeing that the Jiang couple dared to snatch their person, they ignored Old Woman Wang and grabbed clubs, charging at the couple.
Jiang Lao Er quickly retreated in fear.
The Jiang family members were not people to be trifled with either. Holding their hoes, they met the charge, and a group of people began to fight.
But they hadn't had enough to eat for days, and they had used up all their strength running. How could they possibly defeat those strong thugs? Seeing that the family of several was about to suffer a loss.
At this moment, Jiang Lao Er not only didn't help but even wanted to sneak away.
Who knew that as soon as he turned, he saw Jiang Wan standing there, a small figure, grinning. "Uncle Er, where are you going?"
Jiang Lao Er was stunned. How could this fool speak?
Jiang Wan stepped forward and kicked his leg. "Stay here honestly and wait for me to deal with those杂碎 before I settle accounts with you!"
Jiang Lao Er fell to the ground with a thud, clutching his kicked leg and rolling on the ground.
Jiang Wan directly stepped over him to her parents who had been knocked to the ground. She grabbed Chen Yuezhi's hoe, let out a loud shout, and swung the hoe at the thugs.
She was short and plump, and her movements were a bit clumsy, but her strength was immense.
One strength overcomes ten skills.
Before the thugs could react, their legs were hit squarely by the hoe.
They all felt the sound of bones cracking and then fell to the ground, screaming.
Seeing that no thugs were still standing, Jiang Wan dropped the hoe and walked towards Old Woman Wang, who had been beaten into a pig's head.
Old Woman Wang was so scared that she crawled backward on the ground, screaming, "Don't come any closer!"
Jiang Wan stepped on her clothes, preventing her from moving. "Give me that deed of sale!"
Old Woman Wang was so beaten that she doubted her life. How dare she refuse? She quickly took out the deed of sale. "Here... here it is."
Jiang Wan extended her chubby little hand, snatched it, and looked at it. It was all in traditional Chinese characters, many of which she didn't recognize, but she could recognize the two characters 'Jiang Wan'.
Her little chubby hands tore the deed of sale into pieces in a flash, then threw it on the ground and stomped on it several times with her strong little feet. Once she was sure it could no longer be restored, she turned to the stunned Jiang couple and showed a brilliant smile. "Dad, Mom, brothers, let's go home."