CHAPTER 65: THE GIRL AT THE MARKET

Fortunately, this was the last stretch of uphill.

Once they got through it, the path started to slope downward. Once they were out of the mountain trail, they would see the river.

Following the riverbank all the way would take them to Solgok Village, and the market was located right next to that river.

By the time Bok Taejin and the others arrived, the marketplace was already crowded with people.

There were many who had come to buy things, and just as many who had come to set up stalls and sell.

Bok Taejin was a little worried they had arrived too late and wouldn’t be able to claim a good spot—would that affect their sales?

But Heo Taehyeon and Im Beomhyeon simply parked their carts wherever they pleased. The furs hadn’t even been spread out yet, let alone had they started hawking their wares, and already a large crowd had gathered, clamoring over prices.

Bok Taejin was dumbfounded.

Heo Taehyeon remained silent the whole time, only spreading out one pelt at a time, leaving Im Beomhyeon to handle the haggling. Once one was sold, he’d spread out another...

Apparently, Im Beomhyeon’s reputation as someone with formidable combat ability was well-known across the region. As long as he refused a price, no one dared to push their luck.

People wouldn’t even complain aloud—instead, they’d walk some distance away before quietly grumbling under the cover of the surrounding chatter.

Though Hwayang Village had brought quite a lot of furs, they sold out quickly.

Im Beomhyeon, holding a heavy bag of coins, weighed it in his hand and then casually grabbed a handful of copper coins to give to Bok Taejin.

"Here, take this and go wander the market. I’ve got to buy stuff for the village, and Taehyeon will stay here and watch the carts. Go ahead and browse, but keep an eye on the time and come back often. Once these two carts are full again, it’s time for us to leave."

Bok Taejin quickly agreed.

Im Beomhyeon took the money and disappeared into the crowd, while Heo Taehyeon stood motionless between the two carts.

After a moment of thought, Bok Taejin decided to explore the market too.

The market sold all sorts of things, though everything had a distinctly rural flavor.

Some were selling chicken and duck eggs, others were selling chicks and ducklings.

There were also hand-woven baskets, spools of thread, and bolts of cloth.

The biggest item Bok Taejin saw was an old yellow ox, and nearby someone was selling piglets.

Trading at the market didn’t necessarily require money—so long as both parties agreed, bartering was perfectly acceptable.

Bok Taejin had just been browsing for a while when he suddenly heard the heart-wrenching cries of a little girl.

Bok Taejin quickly followed the crowd to see what was going on.

But he couldn’t push his way into the innermost circle—he was young and shorter than the surrounding adults, and even on tiptoe he couldn’t see what was happening. All he could hear was the little girl crying louder and louder.

He thought about jumping up to get a glimpse, but there were too many people drawn over by the crying—how could he even jump?

All he could do was listen carefully to the voices coming from the center of the crowd, and slowly, he pieced together what had happened.

It turned out that a family, seeing their young daughter become mentally sluggish after a few days of fever, had decided to sell her off.

Coincidentally, an old bachelor wanted to buy the girl to be his wife, and he was negotiating a price with her parents.

The girl was hungry and wanted to eat, but her parents ignored her. She was starving and couldn’t help crying.

As more and more people gathered around, the girl’s parents paid even less attention to her and instead raised their voices, eager to auction her off for a better price.

Bok Taejin heard the girl’s mother shout loudly, "Just listen to her cry! So strong! And she hasn’t even eaten anything this morning! You take her home, she’s not only good to marry off—she can also work the fields! If we weren’t so poor, with a son to raise and no way to afford her, I’d never be willing to sell her!"

The old bachelor who had wanted to buy the girl was filled with regret. If he hadn’t haggled over those few coins earlier, he could’ve taken the girl home by now!

The girl’s mother wasn’t wrong.

One look at the girl and you could see she was sturdy and healthy—not only good for farm work, but also likely to bear many children in the future.

As for her being a bit slow in the head? Who cared? The more simple-minded, the easier to control!

Seeing more and more people coming over, the old bachelor didn’t dare delay any longer. He quickly said, "Let’s go with the price we just discussed! Sell her to me, no need to talk to anyone else!"

But the girl’s mother ignored him and kept shouting with all her might.

Indeed, other people had become interested and were checking if they had enough money. The old bachelor panicked. He grabbed the girl’s mother by the arm, his face full of hostility.

"Sell her to me! You made the deal with me first! I never said I wouldn’t buy! You can’t just sell her to someone else! We go with the price you named. 3 gold coins and 2 silver I’ll pay you right now!"

But the girl’s mother wasn’t easy to bully either. She shook him off fiercely and smacked his arm hard, then shot him a sideways glare.

"You didn’t act fast enough just now, did you? Look how many people want to buy my daughter now! If you really want her, join the bidding with the rest!"

The girl’s father also glared angrily at the old bachelor, clearly displeased by him getting physical.

The scene was getting more and more chaotic.