Through the change in Grandma Qin's tone and actions, Qin Junyao could now conclude that Grandma Qin had a request for her.
Could it be that her grandmother was short on money?
"Grandma, are you short on money?"
Grandma Qin was still contemplating whether to cut out a small paper figure and write Qian Duo's name on it, then bury it under the pickle jar. Qin Junyao's question brought her back to the matter at hand.
"Ah, Liu Rong, Liu Yu, go prepare some food for your madam."
After the room was cleared, Grandma Qin looked at Qin Junyao with a smiling face.
Qin Junyao felt a prickle of unease under Grandma Qin's gaze. "Grandma, just say what you want."
"Ha, alright, Yaoyao, when you came back, did you see the refugees queuing up at the village entrance for numbered tokens?"
Qin Junyao nodded. Grandma Qin mentioning it reminded her that she had wanted to ask about it too.
"These numbered tokens are for easier management. I discussed with Miss Ling before about providing porridge for the refugees when they arrived, to prevent any unrest."
"I didn't expect them to be more numerous than we thought."
"I see many of them are laborers. You've bought so much Gobi and desert; aren't you planning to cultivate crops and grow saxaul? You can hire them for the work, and we'll just provide food and drink."
Seeing Qin Junyao nodding in agreement, Grandma Qin continued, "Of course, there are also those who don't want to work and are selling their children."
Qin Junyao understood. Her grandmother was buying more people.
After buying those children last time, Grandma Qin's silver had dwindled. Qin Junyao gave her a monthly allowance which was enough for daily expenses, but buying many people was out of the question.
"Grandma, how many did you buy this time?"
Grandma Qin put down her fan and moved her chair closer to Qin Junyao. "I haven't bought any yet. Aren't we discussing it now?"
"You know, I'm not getting any younger. I need someone to attend to me, right? My waist isn't good, so I need someone to help me move things. I need someone to drive for me when I go out. And..."
Qin Junyao initially thought her grandmother wanted to buy maids. But when she heard about moving things and driving, it sounded like her grandmother wanted to buy male servants.
Grandma Qin suddenly became cheerful, as if she had thought of something. "Yaoyao, by that calculation, shouldn't I have four or five people attending to me?"
"Let me tell you, hehehe," Grandma Qin couldn't help but chuckle with joy. "There are a few young men who escaped from the northwest city. Oh my, they are truly good-looking. They sold themselves. They're perfect in every way, except they're a bit expensive."
"Hua Niang knows those few people and said they're fine. Hey? You said Hua Niang went to save you, right? She was gone for several days and came back saying she was visiting a friend. I didn't suspect anything about her."
"Wait, Grandma, let me process this," Qin Junyao interrupted Grandma Qin's sudden tangent.
"Grandma, you mean you want to buy a few young and handsome men to serve you."
Grandma Qin patted Qin Junyao's shoulder. "What are you saying? It's you, the filial granddaughter, who should gift your grandma a few people to serve her."
"It just so happens that they are young and handsome men."
"No," Qin Junyao chuckled at Grandma Qin's words. "Grandma, how could I be so improper as to gift you young, handsome men to serve you?"
Grandma Qin's smile faded, and she raised her eyebrows. "What? You've been gone for over a month. I've managed everything at home and outside. The farm was short of hands, and I helped you brainstorm ideas."
"Now you're unwilling to send me a few people?"
After speaking, Grandma Qin turned her back to Qin Junyao.
She knew it. Her son was unreliable, and her granddaughter was no better.
She was old and just wanted to look at young men to brighten her eyes. Just as old men in their seventies and eighties could buy pretty young girls as maids, what was wrong with her buying a few young men?