The courtesans were worldly women. They had sharp eyes and long memories, and they understood immediately what becoming a manager in this cooperative truly meant.
It meant wealth.
In their line of work, they had entertained silk merchants and grand magnates who ran silk workshops. Every one of them was richer than most officials. Even a minor supervisor or shopkeeper in a silk workshop would be decked out in gold and silver, spending money with careless extravagance.
Those were the people the courtesans once had to flatter and please.
And now, Shi Kefa was suggesting that they themselves could take on such roles.
Could such a vast fortune really fall into their hands?
"Wait," they warned themselves. "Do not celebrate too soon."
Almost at the same time, a cruel realization surfaced in every mind.
The supervisors and shopkeepers in silk workshops were wealthy because they were free people. They earned wages for their work.
But they were different.
They were indentured.
They were slaves.
Any money they earned would be handed over to their masters.
At the Pear Garden, earning silver was never difficult. A flick of a finger, a coy smile, and dozens of taels could be coaxed from an official or noble. Yet what did it matter. Every single coin would be taken by the Pear Garden.
This was the sorrow of slavery.
Just as these thoughts weighed heavily on their hearts, Shi Kefa spoke.
"Any young woman who stays here to manage the Anqing Yingjiang Sericulture Cooperative will not need to go to Shaanxi. I will tear up your indenture contract here and now."
The women gasped.
Several nearly cried out "I agree" on the spot.
But they stopped themselves. They were not foolish. An offer that sounded too good often hid a hook. They steadied their breathing and forced themselves to listen until the end.
Shi Kefa continued calmly.
"I can guess that most of you wish to have your contracts torn up immediately so you can remain here. However, I must tell you this. Whether for your safety or your future prospects, staying here does not compare to going to Shaanxi. Shaanxi has already eradicated banditry. Governance there is clear, policies are enlightened, and society is stable. Here in Anqing, everything is only just beginning. The Huangmei water bandits are still active. Zhang Xianzhong's rebel forces continue to harass the region. The local official networks are deeply entrenched and tangled. It is nothing like Shaanxi, where matters can be settled with a single word. Furthermore, resources here are not abundant."
The women were completely bewildered.
Had Jiangnan not long surpassed the Northwest in prosperity?
Was Jiangnan not famed for enlightened thought and cultural openness?
Did it not possess far greater resources?
"When Huguang prospers, the empire is well fed."
By what measure could Shaanxi possibly compete with Anqing?
They could not understand Shi Kefa's reasoning.
Shi Kefa did not elaborate further.
"In short," he said, "I have said all that needs to be said. Whether you choose to go to Shaanxi or stay here is up to you. One more thing. The cooperative does not need more than ten managers. Staying here will not be easy. You will have to compete, based on your abilities."
That final sentence instantly sobered the room.
Xue'er and Chen Yuanyuan were equally stunned.
Could something like this truly be happening?
Chen Yuanyuan whispered, "I am still too young. I cannot possibly stay on as a manager."
She was only twelve years old, and she knew her limits.
Xue'er hesitated.
She did not want to go to Shaanxi. To her, it sounded like a den of monsters. If she could stay here, especially if her indenture contract was truly destroyed, she would immediately escape the shadow of those so called demons.
"I must try," Xue'er said firmly. "If he really tears up my contract, then perhaps this whole demon matter is nothing more than our own fear. At the very least, I can see Sister Yuanyuan safely off to Shaanxi."
Chen Yuanyuan nodded. "Go ahead and try, Sister."
And so, the selection began on the spot.
Shi Kefa personally conducted the evaluations. He did not test them on music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, or prose. Those talents were useless here. What he examined instead was literacy and arithmetic. He focused especially on whether they could keep clear and accurate accounts.
After one round of evaluation, the result surprised no one.
Xue'er ranked first.
Her reading and arithmetic were excellent. More importantly, she had grown up in a family that cultivated mulberry trees and raised silkworms. From feeding the worms to reeling silk and weaving cloth, she understood the entire process intimately. She was the ideal candidate to lead the cooperative.
In the end, ten women, including Xue'er, were chosen to remain.
Before everyone, Shi Kefa produced a box filled with indenture contracts. He selected ten and said solemnly, "I will now tear these up. From today onward, you are free. You are no longer indentured."
The ten women stared at the contracts in his hands, barely daring to breathe.
At that moment, Xue'er stepped forward.
"Lord Shi," she said, bowing. "There is something I do not understand. I ask for your guidance."
"Oh?" Shi Kefa replied. "Ask."
"It was the Prince of Qin's heir who purchased us," Xue'er said steadily. "The Emperor was even alerted and sent eunuchs to the Pear Garden to oversee the matter. Everyone knows we were bought to become the Prince of Qin's heir's concubines. These contracts should be with his steward. How is it that they are now in your hands? If you tear them up, will it truly count? If one day the Prince of Qin's heir's people arrive, claiming you destroyed the contracts without authority, and demand that we be seized again, what are we to do then?"
Her questions came one after another, precise and unflinching.
Shi Kefa was briefly stunned.
Standing nearby, the Dao Xuan Tianzun who specialized in naval warfare, and who had remained silent until now, could not help but smile inwardly.
Interesting. This girl's thinking was remarkably thorough.
In this era, how many people truly believed in the sanctity of contracts? An indenture contract was little more than a formality. If the Prince of Qin's heir chose to ignore it and use power to seize them again, whether the paper existed or not would make no difference.
If the Emperor wished, new contracts could be issued at any time. Who would dare object? What official would risk his position for the sake of a few courtesans?
Shi Kefa raised the box slightly.
"The fact that these contracts are in my hands," he said, "means that the Prince of Qin's heir and I are acting in agreement. If I tear them up, he will honor it."
He looked at Xue'er and continued, "You have lived in darkness for too long. You have never seen true light, so you do not dare to trust easily. But tell me, what harm is there in trusting me once? Even if your trust is misplaced, could your lives possibly become worse than they already are?"
Xue'er bowed deeply and said no more.
Shi Kefa took up the ten indenture contracts and tore them apart.
Shredded.
They were only ten thin sheets of paper, not a thick stack. With a few quick motions, he ripped them into pieces and scattered them aside. Then he said solemnly,
"You have regained your freedom."