As they were talking, the Kunlun slave had already dressed herself.
She thought her disguise was perfect. She tugged at a few loose strands of hair to cover her face, then looked around furtively, planning to smear some ash on her face.
However, Grandma Sun was a very clean - loving person, and the room was spotless.
Just then, Li Ying pushed the door open. The Kunlun slave's hand froze awkwardly in mid - air, stiff as a stone.
"Don't be nervous. We're all women. I won't make things difficult for you," Li Ying said quickly when she saw the girl was panicked, trying to calm her down.
"Although I don't know why you disguise yourself as a man, I'm not interested in prying into others' privacy. I bought you because I have jobs for you to do. If you're not willing, there are dock laborers who don't care about your background. You can go there and work hard to earn your freedom."
She put down the pepper cakes and continued, "I'm not sure about your taste, so I made some according to my guess. These pepper cakes still taste good even when they're cold, and they're easy to carry. If you want to leave, take this basket of dry food. Once you've saved enough silver, come to me for your deed of freedom anytime."
With these words, she left, which worried Grandma Sun.
"A Ying, she's just a girl. How can she go to a place like the dock!" Grandma Sun exclaimed.
Li Ying just winked at her without saying a word.
This girl could disguise herself as a Kunlun slave and had hidden in the slave market for so long without being noticed. She must not be stupid and would surely weigh the pros and cons.
Sure enough, after frowning and thinking for a while, the girl nodded and bowed to Li Ying without hesitation, and called out stiffly, "Boss!"
Seeing that the girl was willing to stay, Grandma Sun felt relieved. After the girl gobbled up the pepper cakes, Grandma Sun arranged a room for her to sleep in.
The girl's name was A Man. When she was a Kunlun slave, she might have been hungry and sleepless every day. Now that she finally had a place to stay, her breathing soon became calm and steady.
Grandma Sun was old and liked a lively atmosphere. Now she finally let out a sigh of relief and said, "Fortunately, with A Man's help, even if she can't do heavy work, at least you can take a bit of a break."
Li Ying just smiled without saying a word.
It was obvious that A Man was still wondering if Li Ying was a wise master, and Li Ying, on the other hand, was also assessing whether A Man was a loyal servant.
The next day, Li Ying deliberately took A Man to the dock to let her see the stir - fry business.
A Man had a pair of bright and beautiful eyes. Even without makeup, she was quite eye - catching in the crowd. She didn't want to attract attention, so she still dressed as a man.
Just as the fishing boats were coming into the harbor, the dock was extremely bustling. The laborers gathered in groups. When they saw Li Ying from afar, they quickly greeted her.
"Sister Li, you've come just in time! That kid Yang Er is here again!"
Yang Er was surrounded by several servants from Tianxiang Tower. He felt like a rich man and was very proud. Looking at Li Ying and A Man behind her, he sneered disdainfully.
"Sister Li is here? Women in your fishing village are short - sighted. You don't want to sell your seafood to Tianxiang Tower. But when we come to buy the fishermen's catch, you can't stop us, right?"
An older laborer whispered in Li Ying's ear, "The fishermen have been out at sea for several months and just came back. They don't know the situation in the village. Take the pomfret for example. My wife asked about the price yesterday. It's seven wen per catty, but Tianxiang Tower only offers five wen. Isn't that price - gouging?"
The fishermen had been drifting at sea for several months and were exhausted. They just wanted to sell their catch quickly, get the silver, and go home to their wives and children. Moreover, if the fish were delayed for too long, they would lose their freshness and fetch a lower price.
Seeing Yang Er from the same village acting as an intermediary, no one objected. They quickly made a deal. Yang Er proudly ordered the laborers to carry the fish. The old laborer couldn't say much and had to go first.
"Sister Li, you look so sneaky. Are you trying to stop our business at Tianxiang Tower?"
Before the words were finished, several servants from Tianxiang Tower immediately surrounded Li Ying.
Li Ying squinted her eyes slightly. Were they deliberately looking for trouble?
Yang Er sized up A Man. He guessed this was the Kunlun slave Li Ying had bought.
It was a pity that the girl was pale and thin, not at all as tall and powerful as an ordinary Kunlun slave. Instead, she looked like a sickly person. His contempt grew stronger.
"Sister Li, the laborers have taken Tianxiang Tower's order and dare not fight with us. Your Kunlun slave is a useless person. You can't count on her, can you?"
A Man frowned tightly. After hesitating for a while, she finally stepped in front of Li Ying.
She remembered that her duty after being bought was to guard Li Ying's house and protect her master. This was naturally her responsibility.
Li Ying saw A Man's straight back, which was like a taut bowstring. She felt a bit of relief in her heart.
She smiled faintly, reached out her hand to stop A Man slightly, and instead blocked A Man behind her.
"Oh, I didn't expect Sister Li not only to be good at cooking but also to be a heroic woman who remains calm in times of danger?" Yang Er's mockery was even stronger. He waved his hand and was about to order the servants from Tianxiang Tower to carry away the fishermen's catch.
As the tension in the air grew thicker, the laborers were afraid of offending Tianxiang Tower and didn't dare to act rashly. But they still couldn't help worrying about Li Ying.
"Picking on a girl, forcing a deal, and maliciously lowering the price. Tianxiang Tower is really regressing," a voice came from the crowd. Li Ying and Yang Er both looked up at the same time and saw Lu Xunguang walking through the crowd calmly.
His steps were very light but steady. He was dressed in black, looking like a nimble black panther.
"You're so weak that you can't even tie up a chicken, yet you want to be a hero to save the beauty? You're just like a mantis trying to stop a chariot or an ant trying to shake a tree. You're really overestimating yourself!"
He glanced at A Man and casually picked her up like a chick and threw her behind him. Then he blocked his broad back in front of Li Ying.
Li Ying's heart was like a fish jumping into a lotus pond. Her tense mood instantly became much calmer.
"Lu, listen carefully. If you dare to disrespect us today, you won't be able to get any orders from Tianxiang Tower in the future! This woman has already had a child. She's a cast - off shoe that no one wants. Are you sure you want to ruin your own livelihood for her?"
Before Yang Er finished speaking, there was a "snap" sound.
Lu Xunguang's fist drew a smooth arc in the air and hit Yang Er's chin heavily and precisely.
Half of Yang Er's face was skewed. A stream of blood gushed out of his mouth, along with a few broken teeth.
He was in so much pain that tears and snot ran down his face. He couldn't say a word and just groaned and rolled on the ground while covering his face.
"Get out of here quickly!"
Yang Er was so scared by Lu Xunguang's fist the size of a sandbag that he fled in a hurry.
Letting the defeated enemy go, Lu Xunguang withdrew his gaze and sized up A Man with a scrutinizing look.
"Miss Li, this Kunlun slave is timid and obviously a lazy good - for - nothing. She's not a good choice for a bodyguard. Tianxiang Tower won't let this go easily after today's setback. You'd better let me be your bodyguard."
He turned his head away in disgust, not wanting to look at A Man anymore. Then he took out a thin ledger from his bosom and handed it to Li Ying.
"This is the ledger for the dock box - lunch takeout. I've sorted it all out. Please take a look, Miss Li."
Li Ying was a bit surprised. She didn't expect Lu Xunguang to be so efficient.
She reached out to take the ledger and saw that it was really well - organized. Every transaction was clearly written down. What was even more remarkable was that Lu Xunguang, like her, used modern Arabic numerals, making the ledger easy to read.
"How do you know all this?" Li Ying was a bit astonished. As far as she remembered, Arabic numerals should not have been popularized in this era.
Seeing the surprise on her face, Lu Xunguang's eyes glinted faintly. He said casually as if it was nothing, "I saw some Arabian symbols in your ledger. By chance, I learned a bit about them. I'm here to show you if there are any mistakes."
If Li Ying wasn't mistaken, this man seemed to look at A Man proudly as if challenging her?
Wasn't he always cold - faced? Why was his expression so vivid now?
Looking at the accurate accounts, Li Ying's suspicion grew stronger. This man must have a very high background! Her small place might not be able to accommodate such a big shot!