Susu, along with two others, followed Mrs. Zhao into a carriage, where there were already three or four other girls aged seven or eight, all seemingly from official families.
The original character rarely went out, so she didn't recognize them, but Eleventh Lady and Twelfth Lady, being legitimate daughters of the third and fourth branches, recognized some and immediately burst into tears.
Mrs. Zhao paid no attention to them, only watched with cold eyes. Susu huddled to the side, feeling Mrs. Zhao's gaze sweep over to her.
The carriage slowly traveled for half an hour before arriving at a place, a small courtyard with two entrances. The girls got off the carriage and entered the courtyard, where there were five or six other similar-sized girls, purchased by another woman.
Standing in the courtyard, Mrs. Zhao said coldly: "You are all daughters of wealthy families, most familiar with the word 'rules,' so there's no need for me to waste effort teaching you. Tomorrow, we'll head south, and anyone who acts up will be beaten to death without mercy."
Mrs. Zhao looked at the trembling little girls and softened her tone: "I'm not heartless. I won't harm you. We won't go to those dirty places, only to wealthy families, where with your looks and manners, there's always a way forward."
After speaking, she had the lady beside her take the girls inside. Forget about hot water for bathing; everyone gets a basin of warm water to wipe off, and must change out of their clothes into uniform coarse cloth garments, though they can keep their own undergarments.
Dinner was a bowl of coarse rice porridge and a white loaf of Mantou. After supper, it was dark, and a dozen little girls crammed onto one large communal bed, each with just a thin quilt. Fortunately, there was warmth from the fired kang.
Susu thought she wouldn't be able to sleep, but within a couple of minutes, she fell asleep, dreaming she was still the ordinary person who rented an apartment for two thousand yuan a month, exhausted yet free.
The struggle for the throne led to confiscations and revocations not just of Capital's noble officials, but implicated countless locals as well.
The carriage carrying girls grew from one to two, then three and four, totaling more than thirty to forty people.
Besides the driver, each carriage had a matron and two strong men, with every girl allocated two bowls of water and two palm-sized mixed corn and white bread shard snacks daily. Although unappetizing, they were better than the hard, black bread shard snacks served in the women's jail.
Apart from scheduled bathroom breaks, getting off the carriage was prohibited. Some attempted to escape, but none succeeded beyond a few steps before being captured.
Mrs. Zhao did not hit or curse, but starved instead, cutting everyone's food supply in half. Susu crouched in a corner, touching the silver note and jewelry on her, eating quietly whenever possible.
Susu was not in the same carriage as Eleventh Lady and Twelfth Lady. Her carriage companions were purchased later and didn't seem like all official family members. Several were farm girls from the suburb, yet they were quite beautiful. Two slightly older girls, around ten years old, were either sold due to large families or by a stepmother, seeing Susu's good looks and frailness, managed to converse with Susu.
Traversing the main road for several days, they then boarded a boat, where Susu realized they were traveling from Capital to Tianjin, suggesting a journey on the Grand Canal. In Tianjin, several familiar faces to Susu were gone, including Eleventh Lady and Twelfth Lady from the Ruan Family, presumably purchased.
The merchant ship stopped at ports, where some girls disembarked, some returned, and some never did. Along the way, Mrs. Zhao continued to buy maids, rough-workers, and skilled women.
Susu secretly observed; it seemed that Mrs. Zhao's brokerage was considerable, enough to charter an entire merchant ship.
Whether it was Susu's illusion or not, every time Mrs. Zhao disembarked people, she sized Susu up but never had her leave the ship, as if assessing Susu's health.
When halfway through the voyage, no official family women bought in Capital—besides Susu—remained.
After spending nearly a month on water, they finally arrived at the destination—Yangzhou.
The familiar faces for Susu dwindled to two—those two farm girls from the suburb. Susu now knew their names: Daya and Tao Hua, both distinctly grounded.
Susu refrained from mentioning her background, only sharing her nickname, Susu. Discussing her origins brought an expression of sorrow and heartache. The girls only commented: "Never have we seen someone as beautiful as Susu; making her sad feels like committing a crime."
The background issues naturally passed, and Susu adapted to their ways, now speaking with a rural tinge to her standard Capital accent.
A group of a dozen little girls and seven or eight women were carted from Yangzhou Port to a small house in Yangzhou City by two carriages, where servants had hot water and clothes prepared, this time a complete set from inside out.
Though she had worn her little dudou for nearly a month and a half, it was filthy, yet Susu still secretly tied it and her belt to herself. It was now November, the thicker clothes concealed them well.
Provided garments included dirt-resistant coarse cloth cotton jackets and pants, with a vest outside, albeit only five or six-tenths new, thankfully clean.
After drying their hair, the girls helped each other tie two small buns, then were led to the courtyard where Mrs. Zhao lectured again: "Tomorrow, the Song Family in Yangzhou Prefecture will select maids. The Song Family not only has mountains of Silver, but the masters are exceptionally kind to servants. Remember the rules taught these days. Whether chosen or not depends on your fortune."
Susu recalled the rules learned on the boat, which were essentially simple, summarized in seven words: "Speak less, act more, don't stare aimlessly."
Big families rarely purchase outsiders; instead, they have children born into servitude. If one family releases some due to deceit or laziness, new blood is needed to replace them.
Once Mrs. Zhao finished lecturing, she let the servants take the girls inside, still on large communal beds, wooden planks lay with quilts. Then each girl was taken to meet Mrs. Zhao individually. They returned saying Mrs. Zhao merely warned them not to disgrace her at Song Mansion.
Finally, it was Susu's turn...