Immortality begins in Goose City

Chapter 36 Zhao Fumin Sells His Daughter

In the north of the city, there is a factory area surrounded by high walls.

Even from a distance, you could hear the rhythmic clanging of metal and the deep rumble of a steam engine coming from inside.

The air was filled with the mixed smells of burning coal and heated metal.

Armed guards stood watch at the gate, but upon seeing Hu Wan and Huang Shujian, they immediately let them pass with utmost respect.

Upon entering the factory area, the noise became even more intense.

Inside the huge factory, the furnaces roared, and the workers, shirtless and drenched in sweat, were busily operating various machines.

Some were forging gun barrels, some were machining parts, and some were assembling bolts.

On the assembly line, brand-new rifles and Mauser pistols are being manufactured.

Huang Shujian glanced at it and saw that the scale was quite large, and the workers were well-trained and highly efficient.

"Young Master, this way please." Hu Wan led the way, a smug look on his face.

"Our arsenal can produce a hundred Hanyang rifles and fifty Mauser pistols a day!"

A middle-aged man in overalls and glasses jogged over, bowing and scraping repeatedly to Hu Wan and Huang Shujian.

Hu Wan introduced, "This is Manager Sun from the arsenal."

"Steward Sun, the young master would like to see if we can forge a good knife here?"

"A knife?" Manager Sun pushed up his glasses, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Butler Hu, young master, we mainly manufacture guns and cannons here. The blueprints, machines, and materials are all made according to gun and cannon specifications."

"I have no problem with forging swords... but as for forging a sword that can cut through iron like mud, I dare not guarantee it."

"We lack top-notch swordsmiths and the corresponding secret techniques here."

Huang Shujian nodded, indicating his understanding.

Armor factories pursue standardization and output, which is not the same as hand-forging precious swords that pursue ultimate performance.

His gaze swept across the factory building, and he suddenly noticed at the very back there was a separate workshop with its doors tightly closed and windows covered by thick curtains, so he couldn't hear anything coming from inside.

"What's that over there?" Huang Shujian pointed.

Manager Sun's expression changed slightly, and his eyes darted around: "There's nothing worth seeing over there..."

Hu Wan, observing the situation, sensed that Steward Sun's attitude was unusual and was about to reprimand him.

A flat voice came from the side: "There's really nothing to see here."

Everyone turned their heads and saw that Hu Qian, the steward of the inner palace, had silently appeared not far away. He was still wearing that dark gray robe, and his face was expressionless.

Upon seeing him, Hu Wan immediately toned down his arrogance and bowed his head, calling out, "Uncle."

Hu Qian ignored Hu Wan and walked straight to Huang Shujian, bowing slightly: "Young Master, what's piled up inside are metal slag and toxic chemical waste. The smell is unpleasant and bad for your health."

"If young master wants a suitable weapon, this old servant knows a place to get one."

"Oh? Where?" Huang Shujian asked.

"In the south of the city, there's Zhao's Blacksmith Shop," Hu Qian said. "The shopkeeper is called Zhao Fumin. He has inherited his craft and is the best weapon forger in Goose City. In previous years, many martial arts figures came to him to have weapons made."

Zhao Fumin?

Huang Shujian immediately remembered.

Isn't this the owner of the land where Consort Dong's tomb was yesterday?

He also said he wanted to send his daughter over...

What a coincidence?

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps approached.

Xiuer ran breathlessly into the factory area, found Huang Shujian, and whispered, "Young Master! That Zhao Fumin, with his daughter, is waiting at the gate of our mansion! They say... they want to see you, Young Master."

……

Huang Shujian led his men back to the Huang family manor.

From afar, one could see a group of onlookers gathered on the open ground outside the side gate of the mansion.

In the arena, Zhao Fumin was desperately protecting a slender young woman with her head down, who was bowing and pleading with the men on horseback in front of her.

The man riding the horse at the head of the group was none other than Ba ​​Qing, the son of the county magistrate.

"Zhao Laowu!" Ba Qing pointed at Zhao Fumin with his riding whip, his tone unfriendly.

"Paying back debts is a matter of course! You owe me thirty silver dollars, how long have you been dragging your feet?"

"If you can't come up with the money today, we'll take your daughter as collateral!"

"Young Master Ba! Young Master Ba, please have mercy!" Zhao Fumin pleaded, almost kneeling. "Give me a few more days! I'll definitely find a way! I only have one daughter, I can't..."

He didn't owe Ba Qing any money at all, and knew that this was just Ba Qing's pretext to retaliate against him for siding with Huang Shujian yesterday.

But he couldn't explain it clearly and could only beg for mercy.

"Grace period? I don't have that kind of free time!" Ba Qing impatiently cracked his whip. "Men! Take his daughter away!"

Two burly guards behind him immediately stepped forward.

Just then, Zhao Fumin caught sight of Huang Shujian and his group approaching out of the corner of his eye. As if grasping at a straw, he shouted, "Young Master Huang! Young Master Huang Shujian!"

This shout drew the attention of Ba Qing and the people around him.

Huang Shujian walked closer, his gaze calmly sweeping over Ba Qing and his two guards, finally settling on Zhao Fumin and his daughter.

"Young Master Ba, what a show of power," Huang Shujian said indifferently.

When Ba Qing saw Huang Shujian, his brows furrowed and a hint of gloom flashed across his face.

He suppressed his displeasure and forced a smile: "So it's Young Master Huang. What, are you also interested in this girl, Young Master Huang?"

"I wouldn't call it interest," Huang Shujian said. "However, Zhao Fumin's daughter was sold to me yesterday."

"Young Master Ba, you can have money, but you can't touch him."

"Sold to you?" Ba Qing sneered. "Young Master Huang, empty words aren't enough. Where's the contract of sale? Show it to me."

Huang Shujian smiled, said nothing, and simply extended his hand.

Xiuer, who was standing next to him, was very quick-witted. She immediately took out a small hard-covered notebook and a fountain pen from her bag and handed them to Huang Shujian.

Huang Shujian took it, tore a page from the notebook, and started writing.

The pen tip scratched across the paper, making a soft, rustling sound.

Soon, a simple yet clear contract of servitude was written.

The document states that Zhao Fumin voluntarily sold his daughter to Huang Shujian as a servant and will never go back on his word.

Leave a space at the end for your signature.

Huang Shujian handed the paper to Zhao Fumin.

"sign."

Zhao Fumin looked at the still-wet ink on the paper, then at his daughter who was trembling with fear, and then at Ba Qing across from him, whose face was growing increasingly pale. His facial muscles twitched, and his eyes were full of struggle.

Finally, he gritted his teeth, took the pen, and signed his name crookedly. Then, he bit his thumb hard and pressed a bright red fingerprint on his name.

He then grabbed his daughter's finger and pressed his fingerprint onto the indenture.

After doing all this, Zhao Fumin seemed to have all his strength drained away, and he handed the indenture back to Huang Shujian with both hands.

Huang Shujian took it and looked at Ba Qing.

"Now, Young Master Ba, are there any more questions?"