Chapter 23 Chapter 10: When I saw the slave sale, I had some thoughts, so I was going to go back

"I don't want to go out alone, you lead the way, take me to play." Miss Alice said as she ate small glutinous rice balls, which were filled with red bean paste and tasted sweet.This is "premature", which means eating early snacks.The situation is the same as in Europe, with the same mouth, teeth, and dental bones. Some people eat coffee, browned bread, and milk cakes, while others eat potato and rice soup. Another person was also eating glutinous rice balls at the table.Who is this person, I will not explain it here.But you readers, with a good memory, will remember who this man was.If your memory is not good, then even if I say by name here that this is someone or someone’s brother, you will still forget it after a while.

This him, seeing Alice had an opinion, whether to agree or not, kept silent for the time being, just smiled, as if he still had to listen to the readers' opinions before making a decision.Let's help him think about it.To go or not to go?Should there be a guide or something here? Readers can always put forward their opinions for discussion.Let Alice go alone, leave Mr. Nuoxi, leave Yibin's second brother, (except this time, I will never say whose second brother it is!) See the waterwheel, see the godmother, see Yes...but that's not going to work!There are many beautiful things in this place, it must be more than that.Moreover, in this place, dogs can bite people at will, just like British and American sailors who have drunk enough soda have the taste of beating people at will.In addition, horses can also kick people at will, and cows can also touch people at will, bullying students alone.Beasts who engage in these acts of pride and debauchery are what society considers acceptable.

Alice was once chased by a cock, how dangerous! (The Chinese are afraid of foreigners. Dogs, oxen, and horses, alike, do not know how to be tolerant and polite.) So it seemed almost an adventure for Alice to go out alone without a protector. However, there is nothing to be afraid of when you go to the Miao land, and the dogs of the Miao people also know how to be afraid of the Han people.This place has never heard the news of the Miao people bullying the Han people, and there have never been such stories.They have mouths, hands and feet, and tough heads (that can knock down a wall). But the mouth is only made for eating rough mountain grains, and it is not as flexible as the Han people. It is impossible for them to tell lies and deceive people with their mouths; and they cannot bite people.The Miao people's feet are only used to run across mountains and ridges. How can they compare with the two hind hooves of a horse in this place.

(And the head!) Yes, and the head.There is really no use for this thing other than the most suitable beating for a master!The Miao people in this place are more docile than dogs or horses.The local officials rewarded the Miao people as slaves, so they came down as slaves. ...In this case, Alice will not be in any danger if she goes to Miao's place. Alice wanted to go to Miaodi very much, because she didn't forget what Miss Yibin said for her. She wanted to shake hands with King Miao, identify with Princess Miao, and learn singing from Miao song girl. Miao people are good, but fortunately they treat people honestly.They look like "people", but they only seem to be people.They don't have all the wisdom of human beings, but they don't have the virtues of a well-dressed Chinese and Western gentleman in a coat.

You should try to go to the seedling field to have a look. The question is whether Alice can get close to the Miao people by herself. In fact this is not possible.She can no longer ask for directions with tips, nor can she ask directions with "I'm British".Mr. Nuoxi's old friend Mr. Habu put forward the common sense of tipping in his masterpiece, but it can only be applied to the metropolis of China, and it is not possible to do it in the rural areas of Miaojiang.They Miao people know the meaning of making money abroad, which is to grab a sum of money from a foreigner. This money is like a reward from heaven, but it is just a common dream, and it is more absurd than the story of the chicken laying golden eggs. , so they cannot accept real foreign money.You are British, if you try to scare him, he is not afraid, because he only believes in Bodhisattvas.Their shamans, apart from saying that monsters and cave gods should be respected and feared, have never said that foreigners have the same spells as monsters.

If no one leads the way, how can it work? When it came to the point where someone had to lead the way, he who was eating glutinous rice balls should naturally ask Alice to ask again, explain the reason for accompanying him, and then he agreed. Let's skip some unimportant things that we already know, and see what they saw when they went to a new place. ... Following a group of businessmen, they walked to Shipaixi.Shipaixi is a market that sells raw and cooked goods every five days. There are many seedlings here.It seems that seedlings are easy to manage because they don't bite people, so there is another place for slave trading besides all transactions here.On one side are human traffickers from various big cities, and on the other side are parents with their children. (These parents come to this place to sell a daughter, and they can return two piglets.) Both sides carry large scales, and the scales are used to carry them. Made of lumber, it is as long as a small mast, and there are copper stars embedded on the pole, which is very beautiful.As far as the Miao people are concerned, most of them are the little slaves carrying the big iron scales; (it is precisely because of this that they appear to be strong and disease-free slaves!) There are also brokers, who can really be called celebrities and dignitaries, which are worthy of admiration!Their impartiality, their courage and courage, their responsibility, it is impossible to say that he is no more important than a county governor.When there is a dispute between two parties on the scale, his ability to profit from it should be more than that of a county governor.

The parents and elders of the slaves brought the slaves from various places and put the slaves by their side (there was no need to use ropes at this time).The city folk who do this kind of business are not completely laymen.They know all the ways, so as not to be fooled and lose money.They know all about the large scale that uses twenty taels to make a catty. On the goods, the slaves are often asked to hug their coats to check whether there are sores or scars.He asked the slave again in Miao dialect to see if he was dumb.The slaves are also asked to walk a few steps to see if their legs and feet are flawless. Most of the slaves are between three and eight years old.Under such circumstances, these innocent children are completely baffled, they just behave in a manner to be inspected by others, and they are obsessed with seeing their parents discussing prices with others.When it's time to tie her up with a belt and hang her on the hook of the scale, or ask her to hide in the bamboo cage prepared by the broker, ready to be weighed, most of them still see these people smiling strangely.Once the price was agreed upon, the agent used the usual method to bring out some candy and the like, and coaxed the child aside so that the responsible persons of the two parties could sign the deed printed on coarse cotton paper and pay the money.At this time, the more sensible child saw the seriousness of the matter from his parents' eyes, and began to cry softly.However, this is not a problem, even if you cry, you will never dare to cry loudly!Because in front of the Han people, crying is not something that can be done casually. This is something that a seedling before being a slave will understand as soon as it is born.

Alice saw these things when she came to the field, and watched them for a while. Today's market is about 80 pennies a catty at least to 260 pennies a catty, because the average price of slaves is three to ten pennies.Although there are also differences between good and bad goods in addition to fatness, the market must not exceed five hundred cash. There are quite a few human traffickers who come here to buy goods.But in the afternoon, the market still has a gradual downward trend, which shows that the production of slaves in recent years has gradually fallen into the appearance of excessive production.Too much production is really scary.Although slaves are spread all over the country, only the upper class can enjoy the blessings, and the status of slaves is established by law, and they will always be slaves. The seedlings who are originally suitable for slaves, and some smart and learned people's plans are added, I am afraid it should not be Scared.But isn't there another reason for fear? ... After all, it seems that people have to recall the impact of the civil war in recent years.

Due to the prolongation of the war and the severance of transportation, the output of slaves decreased, and the Miao people who lived by raising their children and selling them for a little money had an even more tragic fate.At present, even though the revolution has been successful, and the event of cracking the soil and conferring titles on rewards for meritorious service is imminent, the restoration of traffic is of course possible, and the slow sale of slaves is only a temporary situation.But recently, how will Miao Zi, who wants to earn some money by selling her children, deal with this day?After the success of the revolution, the period of construction has come. Aren’t there many smart and learned people who are advocating the abolition of prostitution for the sake of the country’s dignity?If prostitutes are really abolished, there are so many upstarts in these countries, these famous and powerful people in society, the needs of aunts and concubines will naturally increase, and the sales of slaves will certainly increase, that is for sure.However, the abolition of prostitutes can be achieved simply by expelling them. Will there not be those smart and learned people who think that slavery is a disgrace to the Republic of China, so they also prohibit it?

All the Miao people are not allowed to have the opportunity to study or work, and they are not allowed to live in big towns. They are only driven to live in the mountains and live their lives simply. They have to pay food for the country, donate money, pledge to buy non-repayable military bonds, let the burden of work be exhausted, and die when they are old. This is the favor of the Han people to the Miao people.Donations are too heavy, and the harvest is not good every year, so they sell their own children to the Han people as slaves at a very small price, and they will be kept by the masters for life. the favor of man.They took the Han people and the fate given by the heavens, and they didn't know how to resent Ai and live with grief and indignation, because they were seedlings, not human beings.They feel that they are seedlings, not human beings. What should be thanked is that the senior officials of the Chinese state in the past era regarded these things as different, and wrote them on the law with the blood of massacres, so they followed them and followed them.But considering the matter of abolishing prostitution, isn't the opportunity for these stupid things with flat noses and big feet to be slaves soon to be lost because of the international dignity of the Republic of China?The successful revolution of the Republic of China does not require the existence of slaves, nor does it require the existence of seedlings. This is true.All their fate is to perish, and their existence is like a kind of dishonorable story. All citizens should feel this way.It is a shame to be in the same country as Miaozi, and I think this is a good citizen. Yes, this is the truth, and it will probably be officially advocated by someone soon.

Let's talk about what kind of mood Alice and her companions are watching here. She looked at this and that, she wondered why these little slaves were better than pigs and lambs.When piglets and lambs are sold, it is inevitable to scream and jump, but slaves have never been like this.Some sheep are bought by people and are reluctant to part with their mothers, so they bleat and slap the owner who bought it with their horns at will. Most of the little slaves here will only smile unnaturally after being told by the broker to weigh her. ——Of course Alice admits that there is no other way to do it except laugh, but this smile is always very special. As for my partner, I have seen a lot.If you have seen too much, don’t be tempted, that’s okay.Having seen a lot, and knowing that this is one of the common ones, I have some deeper feelings than the present one. Seeing that Alice seemed very sorry for a little girl, he said, "Let's go." Alice said "no".She also smiled, forcedly, just like the smiling girls she saw. Alice and her companions seemed to have their attention fixed on the girl whose price was being discussed.The girl is so small, with a yellow face, thin hair, and a pair of round eyes, she is no bigger than a doll.It looks like it's only three years old.But when the agent asked her age on behalf of the buyer, he said, "Zhu ("six" in Miao language) in a low, round voice almost like that of a doll." The manager laughed loudly and indulgently, and said, this little thing is amazing, she said she is six years old, is this believable?The crowd laughed too. Of course it's only three years old.Three-year-olds should say "no", everyone agrees. But the slave was annoyed by everyone's disbelief. She asked her father in Miao dialect, asking him to find evidence. The broker also asked the father how old the slave was. The middle-aged thin man with the appearance of a long deer, said in a half-life guest, "five years and four months old." "Price?" The father couldn't agree to come out, and lowered his head in thought.It seemed to be thinking about another thing.He was embarrassed and dared not tell the price.So the daughter spoke to the manager in Miao dialect.She said: "...Zhu Gulai Dayang Qian ("six yuan" in Miao language),... Gulai,..." She couldn't explain clearly, so she compared it with her hand, which was as small as something made of rice flour. , making a ring with both hands, it doesn't seem to be describing foreign money. So some people laughed, because the comparison of this gesture can be said to be that there are only ten coppers worth twenty.At present, the market for slaves, no matter what, two hundred yuan is just the price of a lamb. Although a person is not as good as a lamb for drinking, there is still a market after all, so it is not so cheap after all. The father first bowed his head and hesitated to say the big price, but now he heard someone laughing at two hundred dollars, so he said to the manager in a daze, this is the last child, and he is going to sell it for ten dollars .And the ten yuan was pre-allocated by him. He burned one yuan paper in front of the mother's grave, paid back five yuan, sent three yuan to the Bodhisattva, and used one yuan as travel expenses to go to Guizhou Province to serve as a soldier.But what a scary number it is.When the number was said, the broker stuck out his tongue and made a fool of himself.The rest of the traffickers are not surprising, because there is nothing terrible about shouting high prices, only for the goods. "Ten dollars?" asked A, because the amount seemed to him almost absurd. "Yes, it's worth ten dollars. She's very cute. If you don't believe me, try it—Po, Po, walk like the ladies in the city." The child gave Alice a shy smile, and walked in the middle of the crowd.It's like singing in an opera. After walking for a while, I don't want to leave. When I see the public smiling at Alice, Alice can only smile at her. "Tell them, master, what's your name, please say it well." As the father ordered, the doll said, "The name is Po, and the surname is Wu." One of the traffickers asked, "Is there any grandma?" "No. Father, grandma has gone to the dirt and slept, hasn't she?" "A Bao, you can sing, and I went to the first stanza of spring." She sang in time again, it was Miao Ge.It is a song to send spring.Alice was the only one who understood what the children sang, though she was the only one who did not understand what it meant. After singing, it was time for the slave buyer to compare the price of the goods. He said that he should try weighing the goods first, so that he could bargain. The father said he couldn't weigh it.The reason is that this daughter is no better than other daughters, and it can't be done in terms of weight. "Brother, sixteen taels are on the right scale!" "I don't sell catties, even if you give me five hundred dollars per catty." "How can we settle accounts without weighing them first?" "There are goods here!" "Trying the scale, you can also have a plan." "That won't work. People are here, just look!" In the end, both sides seemed to be able to do this business without doing it.In fact, both sides are willing to make this deal, because Po has already been favored by the traffickers. Therefore, the broker came out to make a round.Of course he was talking to the traffickers.He said that it is not a bad thing to weigh a little with a public scale.In fact, this capable person's estimation under his eyes is more accurate than many scales. If he were to guess a number, it would at least not exceed five catties.But it is a habit that you should fill in two catties on the contract, so it must be weighed.He brought up the habit to the embarrassment of the father. "Let's talk about the price first, and then weigh it." "Then let's talk about the price in foreign money first... Ten yuan, isn't it twenty-six tangs? Have you heard of any little girls worth twenty-six tangs recently?" This means too much. Indeed, Alice had never heard that a man was worth twenty-six pennies. Faust sold his soul to the devil, and it was probably less than that! "The goods are different." Although the father said this hard word, he couldn't help but feel discouraged when he thought of the twenty-six hangings, so he said, "You guys pay the same price!" The agent also said to the colleague: "It is a reason to pay another price." So someone offered a price of three yuan.At least three yuan, which is a generous amount.This first counter-offer has actually surpassed the price of other girls who are older than this one, which inevitably makes the rest of the parents envious. Seeing that there was a price paid, the agent stood in the middle of the field, dragged Abao's hand around, and said, whoever adds money, it will be his, please hurry up. Someone added it. There is a saying that four yuan plus one hanging. It's not something you can pickle and eat when you buy it, and it's worth nine yuan. Of course, parents should be happy!A three-year-old child, only three years old, how much does it cost the parents to raise it?Ask this young man to tell him how much money he needs for himself in a year. In addition to donations, apart from worshiping the gods, and in addition to giving filial piety to the township and land insurance, clothing and food are counted as the total account.Probably less than ten dollars. Now that the price has been agreed upon, the balance has been determined, and when the manager told everyone present about the slave's weight, it was the turn of all the other parents to stick out their tongues, and they were all shocked.The price of the slave has already exceeded the market price of three hundred Wen a catty, which is a rare high price recently.Although this little living thing can sing, walk, count one, two, three, four, five in Miao language, and know how to turn left and right, we should remember clearly that it is a number that is a little less than ten yuan! In Europe, it is common to pay ten pounds for a doll.However, if dolls are turned into slaves, it is like comparing European dogs to seedlings. Everyone understands that a dog should be more valuable than a seedling. We've made a deal, we've finished writing, and if Alice doesn't leave, do we still want Alice to be a middleman here? They were gone, and on the way the companion asked Alice if she felt anything. "Thinking about it," said Alice.Indeed, she has feelings.She was thinking. "Then try to talk about it." "Speak," Alice was about to say, when she saw a woman lead a piglet over, made a circle with a straw rope, tied the pig's neck, and hurriedly drove the pig home.She said, "Let's just stay here for a while and see what kind of rope they tie the necks of the slaves they buy." Stay down, ready to watch.All I saw were grown-up Miao women with silver and copper rings around their necks, but I never saw a human trafficker take a slave to his death. "That's weird. Could it be that they are afraid that they will run away, so they lock them up in cages, just like keeping sparrows, instead of tying their necks?" Companion laughed. Alice was baffled, because everyone turned around and looked carefully at all the bamboo cages and bamboo baskets on their backs, but there was still no slave. "Probably wrapped in cloth, isn't it?" She asked this question to her companion, who didn't quite understand it. Alice thought this was very strange.It is not surprising that people are not treated as human beings and bought and sold.The strange thing is what is the use of buying it?People are a kind of thing that has to eat and drink tea all day long. Is it possible to buy them to eat and drink tea at home?Little girls are things that can only cry. Could it be that some people think that the house is quiet, so they buy a girl to beat and torture her and cry all day long. Is this family interesting? ... Her feelings really cannot be expressed in a few words. She thought that the only way to finish the talk was to talk with her aunt, Mrs. Gregory Foyce, for three days and three nights, so she really came to what Miss Yibin said before, "If you want to go back "It's time. According to the first edition of Shanghai Xinyue Bookstore in December 1928