In the eyes of Miss Zhu and the maidservant named Xiaocao, Ning Que's current look was that he had been bewitched by the plump girl and had become a dumb goose that could not walk. The maidservant was even more displeased. She stared at the plump but delicate girl and said, "Dewdrop, this is what great-grandmother told you to do. Do you dare to disobey?"
Dewdrop was the most popular girl in the House of Red Sleeves. Although she did not participate in the Courtesan Belle competition for two consecutive years, she had always been popular because of her delicate face and fair skin. But even she did not dare to disobey Mistress Jian's order. She rolled her eyes and went forward to hold Ning Que's hand with a smile. She said, "Since it is a rule set by great-grandmother, I dare not disobey. It's just that I like this kid the moment I see him. I like the shy look of a kid the most. Come, follow me to the yard to play for a while."
Ning Que naturally did not object. He allowed her to hold his hand and walked along the stream to a small yard among the flowers and trees. Behind him, Miss Zhu only teased them in a low voice and did not stop them. Only the maidservant Xiaocao shouted, "Great-grandmother said that no one is allowed to do business with him!"
"Ah? Is that true? "
Ning Que was shocked and looked back. He thought to himself that with Mistress Jian's status in the world of brothels, if her words were to spread, all the brothels in Chang 'an would not do business with him in the future. How could he do that?
The maidservant Xiaocao looked at him proudly and said, "Didn't great-grandmother mean that?"
Ning Que was speechless. No wonder the history books said that the Emperor was not scary. Eunuchs who were used to passing fake edicts were the most annoying. Thinking of such a prospect, he could not help but cry in his heart. He felt endless sorrow and vicissitudes of life. But even so, he still had to follow the popular girl called Dewdrop.
After entering the small courtyard, nothing happened. Dewdrop sat cross-legged on the couch and ordered the maidservant to serve various fruits to Ning Que. She, on the other hand, leaned against the railing and ate melon seeds. She asked Ning Que about his meeting with Mistress Jian and the situation at the frontier fortress.
Ning Que had always been good at it. The taverns in the City of Wei and the casinos in the military camp were all good battlefields for him to practice his eloquence and observation skills. Tonight, he first faced Mistress Jian, then the little maidservant, and now he was facing the most popular prostitute in Chang 'an City. He was not afraid at all. He ate fruits and chatted naturally, as if he was at his own home.
Dewdrop did not notice that the topic had changed from the City of Wei to the City of Chang 'an after she had eaten half a plate of melon seeds. The topic had also changed from whether the barbarian girl was beautiful to what kind of people the guests of the House of Red Sleeves were, who was the most jealous, and whose wife was the most jealous.
It seemed to violate professional ethics to talk about the client's privacy. But to be honest, this was indeed one of the few extracurricular activities that the girls in the brothel enjoyed apart from music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and dancing. Dewdrop didn't find it strange at all. Instead, she talked more and more enthusiastically.
Ning Que lowered his head and picked fruits on the plate. He looked like he didn't care and was just casually asking and listening. But in fact, his ears had already pricked up and kept filtering the names that entered his ears. Suddenly, his fingers slightly stiffened.
"I've never seen such a henpecked man. He's a rank four or five official, but he has to disguise himself every time he comes to the brothel. And that guy is useless. He's only good at talking. No wonder he's the imperial censor with an iron mouth …"
The evaluation of the imperial censor with an iron mouth was actually used harshly by the girls in the brothel. Ning Que thought of the satisfied expressions of Zhang Yiqi's concubines at the entrance of the Zhang Mansion. Suddenly, an image of a white-haired imperial censor lying between the concubines' legs appeared in his mind. He almost spat out the fruit in his mouth and coughed continuously.
Dewdrop felt that her evaluation was inappropriate the moment she said it. She had hoped that the lad wouldn't understand the hidden meaning in her words, but she didn't expect his reaction to be so exaggerated. She then understood what was going on and couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed. She pretended to be angry and punched his shoulder. She blushed and said angrily, "What do you guys do in the border town all day? How can a kid like you know these things?"
After joking for a while, the maidservant walked over and whispered something in Dewdrop's ear. Ning Que looked out of the courtyard and knew that it was getting late. It was time to leave. He then stood up and bowed sincerely to bid farewell.
Dewdrop pursed her lips and thought for a while. She took out a silver ingot from the box beside the pillow and handed it over. She said with a smile, "This isn't a big red packet. But you shouldn't waste your time chatting with me. Don't look down on me. I don't know why, but I feel very happy talking to you."
Ning Que thought that it was natural. You had to pay attention to the way you talked to the guests. You couldn't be like me, who was lying on the couch like a village aunt and had to swear every few sentences. However, he also liked Dewdrop's straightforward way of talking, as well as … her beautiful face and plump body. So he didn't act pretentiously and took the silver ingot and said, "Just take it as a gift from my sister."
Hearing this, Dewdrop's eyes brightened. She went forward and held him in her arms. She rubbed his head and said happily, "Although I don't know why I want to look after you, you can come and see me when you are free."
She was engaged in the brothel business, while Ning Que was a young scholar. They could sit and talk to each other in the courtyard of the brothel. If they were somewhere else, they would be people from two different worlds. She was naturally happy to be called sister by Ning Que, but she didn't acknowledge him as her younger brother. Chang 'an women, even a prostitute, had her own bearing and pride.
…
…
When they returned to the shop on Lin 47th Street, Sangsang casually mentioned that two people would come to ask if the boss was in. Ning Que didn't care and asked Sangsang to boil a pot of hot water to warm her feet before he went to bed.
The lights went out and the room was dark. As usual, Ning Que hugged the pair of small feet, but his mind was recalling what he saw and heard at the House of Red Sleeves tonight. He first thought about the censor Zhang Yiqi, then more of Dewdrop's pink face appeared in his mind, as well as her soft and supple body. Especially when she hugged him and rubbed his head, the soft and supple touch and the orchid-like fragrance on his face seemed to still be there.
Thinking of Si Jing, he felt a little hot at this moment. Hugging Sangsang's small feet, he felt even hotter. When his knees touched the part that was thin now but would become plump in the future, he felt even hotter under the quilt.
People had to grow up eventually. It wasn't a good idea to continue like this. Ning Que lifted the quilt and sat up. Looking at the girl who was woken up, he smiled and said, "Chang 'an gets hotter earlier than the border town. It seems like we have to sleep in separate beds in advance."
Little Sangsang rubbed her eyes and said in a daze, "But there's no kang bed here. I feel colder than home."
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