The Xu family is the strongest local wealthy family on the territory of Juzhou.

No, it's a little stronger than that, with Juzhou as the center, north to Yishui County, south to Rizhao County, west to Fei County, Yizhou, east to Zhucheng, such a large area, the strength of the Xu family can probably be ranked in the top three.

Therefore, every year when the Xu family opens a market, it can be regarded as a small festival for all the surrounding counties and districts.

On this day, the lord of the dock fort in the neighboring states and counties will send trusted cronies to carry a few strong fort people, or carry the burden; or pushing a chicken cart (wheelbarrow); Or lead the donkey and mule cart to the first tun of the Xu family to exchange the materials they need.

Even, within this range, the bandits in the mountains, as well as the homeless people who usually hide in the corner and are similar to savages, will come to Xu's house and exchange a little savings for some necessities.

More than a decade ago, Han bazaars followed festivals or solar terms, but now, everything is free from Tartar as the first priority.

The Tartars enter the pass to fight the grass valley, the time is naturally in the autumn high horse fat season, before the winter they will inevitably go out of the customs and go home, otherwise the war horses will lose fat, this is a very dangerous signal for the Tartars, because there are always other tribes on the side.

So, if one year, after late autumn, the Tartars have not come, then unless they are particularly unlucky, the Tartars will not come.

In addition, the Tartars will not come year after year, because the Central Plains is tired, and they can't grab anything at all when they harvest every year, and they can't even get back the horses and chews of the marching army. Therefore, the Tartars also know that there is a good harvest only after grabbing it every few years.

It's the same as fallow or nomadism.

Therefore, if you want to open a set, you basically have to choose the late autumn, when the winter snow has not fallen, there are no tartars at this time, and there is just some surplus food at home (if you don't have surplus food, you don't have to worry about not being able to catch the market, and you are ready to be a homeless person).

In the first two years, the Tartars did not come, and the dock forts accumulated a lot of goods.

This year, the Tartars came, but the looting ended very early (Juzhou was interrupted by Xu Shiyang halfway), Rizhao, Zhucheng, Yishui and the dock forts of the Juzhou generation suffered slightly (many places simply did not see the Tartars this year), which is equivalent to overcharging "three or five buckets" for every village along the way, so this year everyone has a lot of money on hand, and the market is more lively.

Before I walked to the place, just a little closer, I could feel the location of the market - the first tun north and south long street, the voices of people are boiling, rubbing shoulders.

On both sides of the road, people are next to each other, stalls are lined up, and all kinds of groceries are placed on top of each other.

There are fur sellers, although most of them are worthless rabbit skins, as well as dog skins and wolf skins, which are very common nowadays (from wild dogs and wolves that roam in the middle of the world, and they attack lone pedestrians and even small groups of homeless people, but they are also one of the sources of human meat and clothing).

There are those who sell food, mainly rabbits and pheasants caught by some hunters, all kinds of fish and shrimp caught in the river, and more commonly wolves and dogs, and the poor need to exchange these meats for coarse grains, so that there is a little more food.

There are also those who sell salt (this is mainly sold by the Xu family themselves, and there are shops, not stalls), and there are also ...... who sell cloth, fat, and needles and threads.

There's even a guy with a few copper hairpins on his stall! In these days, this is a great luxury for the people of Wubao, and the few peasant mothers who are hungry can't even move their feet.

This scene was bustling and lively.

Xu Shiyang was in the middle of it, and he actually had the illusion that it was peaceful and prosperous now, and it seemed okay to live like this forever.

Until he saw a large group of children kneeling honestly.

These children, both male and female, have a common characteristic that they are as thin as monkeys, with yellow faces, and they look like they are in a state of chronic malnutrition.

Each of them had a dead grass stuck in their heads, and their little heads were shrugged, as if they didn't care about their future at all, and they didn't have the liveliness of a child, but they looked like a bunch of zombies.

Xu Shiyang's chest seemed to have been smashed with a heavy hammer, and an unbearable sadness surged into his heart.

Children are the future of the nation, how can a nationalist tolerate them being spoiled in this way?

"These kids are yours?" Xu Shiyang endured his emotions, walked to a strong man holding a wooden stick and standing in front of the children, and asked coldly, "How much?" ”

The strong man glanced at Xu Shiyang, he didn't know this young man, but he knew the embarrassed old man Hu who was following behind, so he could understand who the angry foolish young man in front of him was.

"Little castle master, these ......, these people are indeed under it."

If someone else spoke to him in this tone, the strong man would probably kill someone.

After all, it was on the territory of the Xu family, and since this strong man recognized the castle master of the Xu family in front of him, he was not too presumptuous.

"How much?" Xu Shiyang asked again with a cold face.

"Hehe, these ......, these people are not suitable for the little castle master." The strong man squinted his eyes and smiled: "The small castle mainly wants to buy people, and there is a shop at the end of the bazaar, where there is a handsome little lady, and the owner of the small castle can go there to have a look." ”

"I ask again, how much?"

Xu Shiyang's tone already had a hint of calmness.

The strong man was not afraid at all, he didn't pay attention to Xu Shiyang anymore, but said loudly to the old man Hu behind him: "Old Hu, you just let your castle master make trouble like this?" Am I really going to sell it? ”

"Shopkeeper Zheng, wait a minute...... wait a minute, wait a little ......."

Old man Hu hurriedly came up to play a round game, he gently grabbed Xu Shiyang's sleeve, and said in the ear of the young castle lord:

"Young master, these ......, people, are useless, let's go and take a look elsewhere."

"Is it useful or not, you have the final say?" Xu Shiyang snorted coldly: "What did you call him just now?" Do you know him? Then you bargain with him, these children, I want them all! ”

The plasticity of the child is the strongest, although these in front of him seem very unenergetic, and the age is young, but it doesn't matter, it's just right.

Eat a few full meals, grow your body, and educate yourself for a few years, and these children who have suffered will be useful talents.

"Young master, these people are ...... and ......."

"What is it?"

"It's a vegetable man." The strong man took over the conversation with a smile: "The little castle master has such an appetite, can you buy so many people to eat?" ”

"Zheng shopkeeper you!" Old man Hu looked at the strong man angrily, a little annoyed that he openly picked up this kind of thing.

"Vegetable man?" Xu Shiyang paused for a moment, and only reacted after a while: "You sell human flesh in the Xu family's bazaar?" ”

"Hahaha, how fresh." Shopkeeper Zheng laughed and said: "This is not the first time, the little castle master, you rich and noble people don't eat it, but it doesn't mean that others don't eat it either." ”