Free Web NovelThe spring breeze rustled the beaded curtains of the small courtyard, causing them to chime with a lingering sound, like a tremor from the heartstrings.
There were thirteen guests in total; normally, there would have been ten.
But Xiao Li had the power of money, so these rules didn't matter at all. One couldn't expect the rules of a pleasure-seeking establishment to be too strict anyway... Yet, as Li Mo was led in by a maid, he was momentarily stunned.
It wasn't because of anything else, but because of the furnishings in the room.
There were no chairs in the small courtyard, or rather, no normal chairs. The guests were sitting on... beautiful women with exquisite figures, their limbs propped on the ground, their bodies arched like bridges, as if they had practiced some kind of Iron Plank Bridge martial art.
Their Faces were also painted with ink, but one could still discern their beautiful features, the kind that would draw glances on the street, yet their expressions were numb, as if their Faces were not skin, but masks.
They were human stools.
Not just stools, but many other objects were also like this.
“This...”
Li Mo's brows were furrowed very deeply.
“Hehehe... Young Master Li has never been to Dijin, so he doesn't know.”
The madam waved her handkerchief and beckoned over a human stool:
“You'll know if you try it. It's warm and soft to sit on, and you can play with it at will. The high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital all keep many of them at home.”
“But they... are people!”
An unparalleled sense of absurdity rose in Li Mo's heart.
Everything before him challenged his innate worldview, one that had grown up under the red flag.
“You can use them as you please. How can you be the same as them? They are fortunate, many people want to suffer this hardship but don't have the opportunity.”
The madam found Li Mo's shock and indignation hard to understand. She said:
“Serving as stools, chamber pots, and spittoons for nobles for a few years, earning enough money to settle in Dijin, is better than being a lonely ghost.”
“How expensive is the land in Dijin? There's no place to be buried even after death.”
“...”
An unnamable fire surged in Li Mo's heart, followed by a sense of powerlessness.
This was wrong, but they were willing, for a better life.
However... at this moment, a guest dressed in silk laughed: “This Young Master, if you can't even adapt to this, then don't go to the restroom later. I'm afraid it'll scare you. If you need to pee, just hold it in!”
“Don't hold it in all night and develop some illness!”
“Hahaha...”
At these words, the other guests also laughed mockingly, and the small courtyard suddenly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Li Mo realized that people in Dijin seemed to be accustomed to this.
Those sitting on human stools and those serving as human stools didn't feel that what they had always followed was problematic.
Xie Xuan opened his mouth, but felt it was blocked by something invisible, unsure of what to say.
“Shut up.”
A cold voice suddenly came from beside him, very brief.
But the courtyard fell silent for a moment.
Ice Cube's cool, clear gaze turned to the madam, who shrank ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) her neck, feeling a chill all over. This Young Master's noble Qi was overwhelming; he must have a very significant background.
Several normal chairs were brought out.
Just as they sat down.
From behind the courtyard's screen, a graceful figure walked out, her voice preceding her arrival:
“Who is so disrespectful to me, to make things difficult for my guests here?”
The guests who had just been suppressed by the ‘Young Master Han’ and couldn't lift their heads immediately sat up straight. They were all regular patrons.
Although they hadn't 'eaten', the business was still about goodwill.
As the owner of this place, Lady Hua Nongying would certainly side with them... “Oh, it's Young Master Li gracing us with his presence. Had I known, I should have personally gone to greet you...”
Hua Nongying's watery eyes looked at Li Mo, her spring-like Face perfectly expressing surprise, mixed with a hint of shyness.
All the guests: “?”
They hadn't seen this guest before. Wasn't he just handsome? What the heck was going on!
Xie Xuan: “?????”
Seeing those expressive, charming eyes, his gaze under his straw hat became infatuated for a moment, but then quickly turned particularly complex.
After all, she wasn't secretly flirting with him.
No, something was wrong.
Did Hua Nongying already know Li Mo? Could it be that Li Mo actually wanted to come himself!
He was a bit confused, but thankfully, although he was a backup-lover-boy, he wasn't completely brainless. Li Mo had only just arrived in Dijin, and he had even brought Han Xianzi with him today. There was no way he could have known Hua Nongying for long.
“?”
Ice Cube narrowed her serene eyes, a slightly benevolent smile on her Face. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Under the table, her foot, encased in a boot, gently stepped on Xiao Li's instep.
“I'm a bit hungry.”
“What would you like to eat?”
Li Mo sat up straight.
To be fair, was Hua Nongying beautiful? Indeed, she was, and her alluring gaze and graceful movements could melt steel into pliable silk. buhua juese’s fourth rank was well-deserved.
But to be fair, this was definitely not the type that the upright Young Master Xiao Li liked!
Having been thoroughly beaten by the information age in his previous life, Young Master Xiao Li could put his hands on his hips and declare, ‘I could tell at a glance that you’re a bad woman...’
“Steamed buns, with extra seasoning,” Han Bingtuozi said softly.
“Eat less. Too much vinegar is bad for your stomach.”
Li Mo silently took out a vinegar dish from his System space.
“?”
Hua Nongying was taken aback.
She had never in her life seen a man, or rather, a male creature, who didn't even glance at her.
And not only that, but his attention was entirely focused on another man accompanying him.
I beg your pardon?
But someone with that kind of preference shouldn't come to a brothel. Moreover, Li Mo was also known as Wang Qi Dou Hun... Could it be that he simply... wasn't interested in her?
Her eyelid twitched, then quickly returned to its soft and charming appearance. She smiled and looked at everyone:
“Then, let the tea session begin.”
A tea session involved drinking games, or poetry, songs, and enjoying drinks.
Ultimately, whoever pleased Hua Nongying could stay for the night.
Actually, with other courtesans, even flower queens or chaste courtesans, staying overnight allowed for deeper interactions.
But Hua Nongying was different; she had no price. Staying overnight truly only involved singing and conversing, nothing else.
This was also intentionally done by Fengyue Small Building.
The more this was the case, the more her value increased day by day... After half an hour passed.
“This Li Mo...”
Hua Nongying praised the other distinguished guests, but her mind was elsewhere, her peripheral vision glancing to the side.
Everyone else also looked strange.
From the moment he entered until now, that Young Master Li had not participated at all, and he occasionally fed steamed buns to the ‘Young Master Han’ beside him.
What did you two come here for?
Were the steamed buns here so delicious that you paid an entrance fee of two hundred taels of gold just to eat them??
A mesmerizing rose-red flash flickered in Hua Nongying's eyes again.
Her fingers, holding the wine glass, turned slightly white.
This captivating flower queen had never imagined she would lose to a man.
“Next, a word is worth a thousand gold pieces.”
“This evening, I truly wish to hear a satisfying poem.”
Reaching this segment also meant that today's tea session was nearing its end.
“Brother Li! You've already come!”
Xie Xuan was truly anxious; he was even calling him Brother Li.
“I've already helped you see her...”
Li Mo sighed, finding that the System had no record of receiving feedback.
Well, Hua Nongying seemed to have not looked at Xie Xuan once throughout, probably not even knowing he had come.
Clearly, the investment had not been achieved.
“What is a word worth a thousand gold pieces?” Li Mo asked.
After Xie Xuan's explanation, Li Mo generally understood.
These were the two ways to stay overnight at Fengyue Small Building.
The first way was to write a poem that Hua Nongying appreciated, allowing her esteemed name to spread.
The second way was much simpler and more direct: the highest bidder wins.
It was nothing more than the words 'fame' and 'profit'.
“Uh...”
Li Mo was just about to say that the second method was more convenient; anything that could be solved with money wasn't a problem.
But then he glanced at the handsome Han Bingtuozi, who was expressionlessly eating the dark steamed buns.
“Brother Li, can you write poetry?”
Xie Xuan asked hopefully... PS: Ran out of time, there's a small section not finished yet, will add it later. frёewebnoѵēl.com
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