spoiled brat

Chapter 43, Section 42: Flying Catkins (Part Two)

“Logically speaking, a famous prostitute like her should be able to live a life of luxury by serving high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants. But she wants to make big money and doesn’t care about small money. She often steals business from her sisters. She has no shame or morality, only money in her eyes,” Yun’er said disdainfully. “It’s as if there’s a ghost chasing her, forcing her to work desperately to make money.”

"It costs a lot of money to redeem oneself from the brothel. Prostitutes who want to redeem themselves usually cherish themselves and don't sell themselves cheaply in order to climb the social ladder." Zhao Zhao paused for a moment, "Her desperate measures seem strange."

"Who cares about her?" Yun'er turned over and soon started snoring.

The next day, just as the moon set, the sun, like a fireball, shot into the sky.

The girls looked at the scorching sun and complained incessantly, a thousand times unwilling to get into the carriage. But urged on by the lame old woman, they still squeezed in like little chicks.

The carriage was crowded and hot, like a steamer. Just as Zhao Zhao was about to get on, the old woman stopped her: "Little girl, why don't you sit with them? Come with me."

Zhao Zhao helped the old woman walk and asked, "Did Grandma Sun send you?"

The old woman nodded: "You're one of us, so of course we should take better care of you."

This refers to the relationship between Steward Sun and Madam Yu. Zhao Zhao understands.

That's why she felt increasingly uneasy. Why hadn't she taken care of her a few days ago, but was now trying to build a relationship with her? The reason she was called here now was probably related to Wang Liuer, whom she was about to meet.

Once inside Steward Sun's carriage, Zhao Zhao was immediately enveloped by the cool air emanating from the ice chest, which instantly dispelled the summer heat. She thanked him, but didn't dare drink the cool tea that the old woman poured for her.

Seeing her reserved demeanor, Steward Sun said gently, "Zhaozhao, were you feeling hot the other day?"

Zhao Zhao quickly said she wasn't hot.

Manager Sun grasped Zhao Zhao's hand and smiled, "She's a patient and good girl. If you want to make a name for yourself in our line of work, patience is the most important thing."

“Grandma is absolutely right.” Zhao Zhao was very obedient and passed the message to Steward Sun: “Last night I heard them talking about Wang Liuer, discussing why she became the top courtesan in just half a year. They attributed it to the word ‘patience’.”

"But besides that, you also need to meet a benefactor who appreciates you and a sister who is willing to help you." Manager Sun changed the subject, "Since you've heard them talk about Liu'er, you should know who her biggest client is now and how she got in touch with him, right?"

Zhao Zhao thought to herself, "They're here. They're probably going to introduce the two of them." She replied, "I haven't heard of them before."

The old woman sitting silently to the side suddenly spoke up: "Liu'er's biggest customer is our brothel's god of wealth, the second most powerful figure in Yunzhou..."

Before he could finish speaking, Steward Sun interrupted, "It's the third one. That family has arrived, and Lord You has been pushed down one seat."

Without them needing to explain further, Zhao Zhao guessed that the family referred to was the Ning Prince's Mansion, a member of the imperial family and thus ranked first.

Counting down, naturally comes the prefect who governs a region.

Lord You, who ranks third, is most likely a military commander.

The rumbling of the wheels suddenly stopped, and the coachman knocked on the door: "Manager, we've arrived."

Manager Sun frowned and said to Zhao Zhao, "Zhao Zhao, stay in the carriage and don't come out." After saying this, he and the old woman got out of the carriage.

Zhao Zhao nodded in agreement, but wondered to herself why she wasn't allowed to leave. Looking out the window, she saw more than a dozen carriages crammed into a lane, almost blocking the main gate of a wealthy family.

It has no plaque, but it is built to be very grand and magnificent, most likely the private residence of some official in exile.

The old woman dared not disturb them, and without even ringing the gong, she limped over to each carriage, announcing, "Get ready and come down."

Zhao Zhao immediately understood why Manager Sun had brought a large group of people. Such practices were common in the brothel: when the first prostitute left, the madam would arrange for the next one to take her place; this was called "renewing the lamp."

Although continuing the lantern business could also make money, who would be willing to eat someone else's leftovers? Everyone got off the carriage and cursed their bad luck.

Manager Sun was usually kind, but he could never stand the prostitutes being petty. He said with a stern face, "You think you're all celestial goddesses picking and choosing? The magistrate of Puyang County lives here. He could feed you for three to five years with a wave of his hand!"

No one would turn down money, so everyone immediately quieted down, some applying lipstick, others straightening their clothes. Once they were all done, the old woman and Steward Sun went up the steps and gently knocked on the door.

As soon as the door opened, Steward Sun said politely to the servant, "Did the magistrate sleep well? Please inform him that I have come to take Liu'er away."

"Just wait." With that, the servant closed the door. The summer heat was intense, and the cicadas' chirping was irritating. Under the blazing sun, the girls began to sweat, their beautiful faces blurred and indistinct in the heat, as if they were melting.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, footsteps finally sounded from inside the door.

The old woman coughed, and the girls immediately straightened up like flowers.

The heavy gate was pushed open, and eight servants walked ahead to clear the way, standing straight on both sides of the steps.

A moment later, intimate laughter rang out in the courtyard: "My lord, I'll be showing off in front of everyone later..."

"What are you afraid of? You get shy sometimes too."

Looking through the main gate, there's a screen wall separating the scene from the actual sex act, but the swaying figures on the ground and the panting of men and women are enough to spark the imagination.

Manager Sun and the old woman were experienced people who had seen a lot, so they remained calm and waited respectfully at the door.

The girls were all experienced in such matters, so instead of being ashamed, they found it funny.

Someone whispered mockingly, "What's the difference between this and a dog on the street? The more people look at it, the more excited it gets."

Some people wondered, "I wonder how alluring Wang Liu'er is, that we'll have to use her again before she leaves."

Zhao Zhao was also curious. The lattice window was right in front of the main gate, making it easy for her to peek behind the screen wall. What would the most beautiful courtesan in the brothel look like? Elegant? Alluring? Zhao Zhao's thoughts soared, and she imagined Wang Liuer as a femme fatale from a storybook.

The tone was set too high, and when the county magistrate, dressed in loose clothes, came out carrying a woman in his arms, he was somewhat disappointed.

Her flushed face wasn't particularly striking; she was pretty but not beautiful. Her only allure lay in the affected flirtatiousness on her face.

Her clothes were made of the finest peony red fabric, which looked good on Wang Liuer's slender figure, but her beauty was extremely gaudy.

Before they could even step out the door, Steward Sun greeted them with a beaming smile: "Your Excellency, have you been satisfied with Liu'er's service this past month?"

The magistrate was very pleased with the service and nodded, saying, "You have good taste; I don't know where you found such a treasure."

He held Wang Liuer in his arms with great affection and instructed, "Steward Sun, take good care of her on the way, and don't let her wear out my little Liuer's feet."

Bound feet? Only then did Steward Sun notice that Wang Liuer was wearing a pair of newly made embroidered shoes, and the smile on his face froze for a moment.

It was common for courtesans from the brothel to go out and answer calls, but they always went cleanly and returned safely. However, Wang Liuer had been in Puyang County for half a month and had secretly bound her feet.
Wang Liuer nestled in the magistrate's arms and said softly, "Grandma Sun, it's all my fault for not informing you first."

What a clever tactic of acting first and informing later!

Manager Sun was displeased, but his expression remained unchanged: "It's alright, it's alright..."

Wang Liuer stroked the magistrate's chin and said softly, "Your Excellency should let me down now."

The magistrate grinned smugly: "How could I bear to let you touch the ground?"

He carried Wang Liuer down the steps to the first carriage, pushed open the door with one hand, and a cool breeze hit him. There was a pretty girl sitting on the cushion, with a plain face, black hair and green clothes, who was a sight to behold.

Zhao Zhao thought to herself, "Oh no!" The male dog was staring straight at her, his eyes filled with greasy desire; he probably had his eye on her.

"Your Honor!" Steward Sun squeezed forward with a smile, trying to block the magistrate's view. "Please let Liu'er in; it's time to choose a girl!"

The magistrate stood outside the carriage, staring at Zhao Zhao in a daze, unable to look away from her, his mouth practically watering.

Wang Liuer, nestled in his arms, chuckled softly and tapped his brow: "My lord, have you taken a fancy to this young lady?"

The magistrate snapped out of his daze, placed Wang Liuer in a seat inside the room, and pointed at Zhaozhao, saying to Steward Sun, "No more picking, no more picking, this is it!"

(End of this chapter)