FRGNM -Chapter 303 Sold by His Own Son

“Well… east, south, west, north, or center—whichever we pick is the one!” Yi Zhui suddenly pointed at the slanted road ahead and gritted his teeth. “That way! Anyway, we’ll just head back later. Let’s go!”

Over the city moat, arched bridges stretched across as people hurried along—some pulling carts, others carrying goods on their backs. Soldiers stood guard at the gates, strictly inspecting anyone who entered, preventing any suspicious figures from slipping in.

Inside the city, rows of blue-stone tiled houses rose and fell in height. The stone steps were cold, the river waters clear and quiet, forming a scene of exquisite beauty.

Cries of vendors filled the air. The sugar-painting stall was crowded with children. The seated vendor scooped molten sugar and casually danced his ladle across the pristine white slab, forming one beautiful pattern after another. The surrounding children clapped in delight, tugging at their parents to buy sugar figurines.

“So lively! Brother Yi Zhui, is that tasty?” Yi Meng’s bright, watery eyes stared at the sugar figurines. She watched the children holding them, and saw a strong man lifting his child with one hand, seating the child on his shoulders as they walked away with a sugar figure.

Yi Zhui held Yi Meng’s small hand and scanned the crowd. “Don’t rush, let me take a look. Seems sweet. Come on, let’s go.”

Pushing past the children on both sides, Yi Zhui looked at the sugar figurines ahead. “How much for one?”

“Not expensive—one tael of silver,” the vendor laughed. Seeing how pretty and well-dressed the two little ones were, he casually produced a dragon and a phoenix made of sugar, fixed them onto bamboo sticks, and quickly handed them over.

“Mmm, it’s delicious, Brother Yi Zhui!” Yi Meng eagerly took hers and bit into it.

Undoing the pouch at his waist, Yi Zhui took out a silver ingot. Having rushed out in a hurry, he hadn’t brought any small change—this alone was enough to buy the entire stall.

The vendor was startled. Thinking they were young nobles from some aristocratic family, his mouth twitched. “Um… young miss, young master, this is a small business. Do you have smaller silver? I… I can’t make change for this.”

“Well… I don’t have any other silver either. This, this…” Yi Zhui helplessly opened the pouch and poured out all the gold and silver inside. The smallest denomination was still that single silver ingot.

Almost instantly, everyone’s gaze focused on Yi Zhui—like hungry tigers who hadn’t eaten for days. Gasps sounded everywhere, jaws dropping in disbelief. For these two children, money meant nothing. Growing up on Liuli Island and Qiongyu Immortal Island, silver was no different to them than the large stones in the back mountains.

Before the vendor could even speak, two burly men squeezed in from the side. One of them patted the stall table and chuckled. “Little friends, no small change? No problem—I’ve got some. I’ll help you pay now, and later I’ll take you to get change, how about that?”

“Fifth Master, th-this is just two children…” the vendor said shakily. One glare from the burly man silenced him immediately.

Yi Meng lowered her head and looked at the men while chewing her sugar figurine, speaking indistinctly. “Why do we need change, Brother Yi Zhui? Let the rest be a tip. Aren’t we going to Yihong Courtyard to have a look? Don’t waste time—if Dad and Mom find us, we won’t get to play!”

“That makes sense. Here, take it!” Yi Zhui directly stuffed the silver ingot into the vendor’s hands, quickly scooped the remaining silver back into his pouch, then turned and took Yi Meng’s hand. Their purpose in coming out this time was to deal with Jiang Yu inside the storage ring.

“Oh, so you two are heading to Yihong Courtyard? Perfect—we’re familiar with it!” The two burly men hurried over, though inwardly they were stunned. This was the first time they’d ever heard of children going to Yihong Courtyard—how ridiculous.

Still, the two kids looked wealthy enough. And besides… they could always sell them to the brothel’s madam.

“Really? Then lead the way. This is your tip,” Yi Zhui said, casually tossing another silver ingot over. As a young master of Qiongyu Immortal Island, he naturally believed in clear rewards and punishments. On the island, whenever someone did well, he rewarded them—though usually with pills, not silver.

The two men’s eyes lit up. They exchanged a glance and quickly positioned themselves around the children, leading the way.

What a pity…

Passersby couldn’t help but shake their heads. It looked like two more children were about to be bullied by the local thugs.

That place of pleasure truly lived up to its reputation. Even before entering, a group of flirtatious women leaned over the railings, beckoning to customers. The strong, pungent fragrance nearly made Yi Zhui vomit up his breakfast.

“Only these kinds of people would like a place like this,” Yi Zhui said, pinching his nose and clutching his stomach. From last night until now, aside from one sugar figurine, he hadn’t eaten anything else.

“Oh my, where did these little brothers and sisters come from?” the women giggled. “Wang Wu, where did you bring them from this time?” It was their first time seeing such exquisitely pretty children, and a crowd immediately gathered around.

Almost overwhelmed by the scent of cosmetics, Yi Zhui—used to the smell of medicinal herbs—quickly pushed at the women. “It stinks! It stinks! Stay away from me, don’t touch me!”

“Oh? What’s stinky? These sisters are fragrant as can be!” Wang Wu laughed loudly. While Yi Zhui was being surrounded, Wang Wu deftly plucked Yi Zhui’s money pouch and slipped it into his own clothes, weighing it in his hand as he calculated its worth.

The flamboyantly dressed madam stepped out, her gaze sweeping over Wang Wu. She stroked her long hair and asked in a shrill voice, “Well, Wang Wu, what wind blew you here today? What kind of goods did you bring this time? Let me tell you—those two little girls you brought last time were ungrateful, slashed their own faces, and said they wouldn’t receive customers. I was heartbroken and locked them in the backyard.”

“Madam, take a look—these two!” Wang Wu laughed, pulling the two children out from the crowd.

If it weren’t for the fact that they didn’t know Dou Qi, Yi Zhui would have shoved them away long ago. He was truly suffocating from the fragrance. Yi Meng was panting heavily too—she hadn’t expected Yihong Courtyard to be so uncomfortable. When Jiang Yu was released later, wouldn’t he suffer even more?

“Oh my, whose young master and miss are these? So pretty, dressed so nicely. Where did you bring them from? If someone comes looking for them, what would I do then?” The madam’s eyes lit up. The two children were indeed beautiful, but ordinary wealthy families were not ones they dared provoke. Usually, they only dared accept girls from the countryside. Taking in these two might bring huge trouble.

Wang Wu quickly explained, “Nothing like that. They’re not locals. Look—do any of the local noble young masters and misses look like them?”

“Oh, little master, little miss, let me ask—where are you from, and what are you doing here?” The madam bent down with a smile, her thick makeup nearly dripping off her face.

Yi Zhui forcefully pinched his nose, suppressing the urge to vomit, and patted his chest. “Madam, stay farther away—I’m about to throw up.”

“Brother Yi Zhui, me too…” Yi Meng covered her mouth.

The madam’s expression darkened. “Do I really disgust you that much?”

“No—it’s the smell on you. It’s too strong. We… we came from very far away, just here to play. We’ll be going back before the sun sets today,” Yi Zhui said, calming himself as he looked up at her.

From very far away!

A cold glint flashed in the madam’s eyes. Fanning herself, she chuckled. “Then you must have set out early. Perfect—I have food prepared here. Would the young master and miss like to dine?”

“Perfect! I’m starving. Let’s go—if it’s good, I’ll reward you generously!” Yi Zhui said proudly.

The madam merely snorted and gestured for one of the girls to take them away.

“Wang Wu, what price are you asking for this batch?” the madam asked unhappily. Noble young masters and misses were born useless—unable to do anything. If taken in, they’d need to be raised and taught slowly.

Wang Wu rubbed his hands together and laughed. “Madam, you know us—we’re old acquaintances. No need to say more. It took me a long time to get these two. You heard it yourself—we brought them from very far away. Not easy at all.”

“Enough nonsense. Get to the point—how much? You two were drinking here last night, and today you’re telling me you went far away to kidnap them?” the madam said impatiently, rubbing her fingers.

Wang Wu quickly held up three fingers and laughed.

The madam’s face changed drastically. “For just these two, you want three hundred taels of silver?!”

“Oh no, madam, how could it be three hundred taels?” Wang Wu laughed, slapped his thigh, then raised one more finger. “It’s three hundred per person.”

“Go to hell! Six hundred taels for these two pieces of trash? Do you think I’m blind? Even the top courtesan of Yihong Courtyard wouldn’t fetch six hundred taels! And these two useless brats—I’d still have to spend money raising them! Do you take me for a fool?” The madam exploded in anger, slamming her fan to the ground.

Wang Wu shuddered. Just the silver in Yi Zhui’s pouch, when converted, amounted to several thousand taels—not to mention the banknotes inside, whose denominations he hadn’t even checked. Asking for six hundred taels should’ve been nothing, yet this madam was rejecting it outright.

For some reason, Wang Wu mustered his courage and shouted angrily, “Where the hell are your eyes? That price is already the lowest I’ll give you! If I sell those two kids elsewhere, they’d go for at least a thousand taels each! I’m giving you a discount because of our relationship, and you still don’t know quality! If you don’t want them, I’ll take them to Fengxue Pavilion across the street—they’ll pay at least two thousand taels!”

With money in hand, Wang Wu was confident. That amount would last him a long time, and he wouldn’t have to bow to this old hag anymore.

The madam was stunned. She never expected Wang Wu to curse back at her. Her old face twisted with anger—but then she thought again. The two children were indeed beautiful. If sold properly, they would surely bring in a fortune…