Yunyue Brothel was Li Fugui's property. It was safest to go to the private room there and tell Mu Qing that they had nothing to do with each other.
When Jiujiu arrived, Mu Qing had been waiting for a long time.
The day before yesterday, he was walking on the bridge. Suddenly, a child rushed out and bumped into him. Before he came to his senses, he heard a splash. Then someone grabbed his clothes and said that he had bumped into the river and wanted him to pay for it with his life.
Although it was also an undeserved disaster, it was true that he had knocked the young lady into the river. Therefore, Mu Qing still followed the maid to their house to see if the young lady was alright.
However, what happened next made Mu Qing a little confused. The person who came was the young lady's father. He didn't tell him what happened to the young lady. Instead, he said that he had bumped his daughter into the river. His daughter's reputation was ruined and he wanted him to take responsibility.
In all honesty, although he was the one who knocked the girl into the river, he really didn't see the girl. Moreover, he didn't even see what she looked like. It was fine for him to pay for the medical expenses, but for him to marry the girl as his wife was absolutely out of the question.
Furthermore, he had just passed the county level examination, and because of his handsome appearance, there were already many people who wanted to marry him. Originally, he thought that there was something wrong with him, so he came over. Now, he felt that this matter couldn't be a scheme by this family, right?
Maybe the young lady didn't fall into the river, but just an excuse to pester him.
But now, they mentioned him by name. Mu Qing could only endure the anger in his heart and said that he needed to discuss the marriage with his parents before he could get away.
Back home, Mu Qing discussed with his mother for a long time.
Mu Qing was unwilling to marry this troublesome young lady. His wife must be a well-educated lady from a noble family. How could she be the daughter of a vulgar businessman? Even if she offered him a lot of money, he wouldn't agree.
But Mu Qing's mother, Li Cuilian, thought much more than Mu Qing.
On the one hand, she was old now and her eyesight was a little dim. There were some problems with many of the embroideries she made some time ago.
If it weren't for the fact that Mu Qing had just passed the county level examination, they would probably have to redo it for Mu Qing's sake.
She was a woman, and the only way to make money was by selling embroidery. Although Mu Qing had been admitted as a scholar, she had no other benefits except for one liter of rice and one tael of silver per month for meals.
Although one liter of rice a day was enough to keep him fed and warm, and one tael of silver could be used to maintain his household expenses, Mu Qing was a scholar. Naturally, he couldn't be as casual about his clothes as before. Furthermore, many social interactions required money. Compared to these, one tael of silver was inevitably not enough to make ends meet.
Mu Qing had been reading and writing all these years. He couldn't carry anything on his shoulders, and he could even cook porridge. Other than writing letters for others, he didn't have any ability to make a living.
Furthermore, because he was a scholar now, he couldn't continue to write letters for others for the sake of his reputation. This way, there was no way to earn money.
From a scholar to a scholar, he had to spend more and more money, but there were fewer and fewer ways to make money. Not to mention marrying a wife and having children, he couldn't even maintain his daily life. Now that Li Fugui was willing to marry his daughter, it was a matter of timely help.
In just a moment, Mu Qing's mother asked Mu Qing to agree to Li Fugui's proposal.
Mu Qing's mother softly told Mu Qing about the money she had to spend over the years and her current physical condition. In the end, she concluded that he must marry Li Fugui's daughter.
Mu Qing was a poor and pedantic scholar. He looked down on merchants. Now that he had to lower himself to marry Jiujiu because of money, he was ten thousand times unwilling.
But just as Li Fugui thought, the reason why Tao Yuanming didn't bend over for five buckets of rice was that he had rice to eat, while Mu Qing was about to starve to death on the streets. Integrity was something that could be used to deceive others, but compared to life, life was naturally more important.
Mu Qing only hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.
Mu Qing's mother could see the displeasure in Mu Qing's heart. She moved closer to Mu Qing's ear and whispered, "My son, don't be upset. The reason why we married that woman was only because we wanted to borrow her money. When my son becomes the top scholar and brings glory to our ancestors, we'll pay her back whatever she spent. When that time comes, what kind of woman would my son be unable to marry?"
She wanted to borrow Jiujiu's dowry to support the family and let Mu Qing have the money to study. After Mu Qing became the top scholar, she wanted to kick Jiujiu aside.
Hearing his mother's comforting words, Mu Qing felt a little better.
Yesterday, when Li Fugui invited him to the Yunyue Brothel for a gathering, Mu Qing arranged for him to wear his best clothes. After dressing up, he went to the Yunyue Brothel to wait.
However, Mu Qing had been waiting at the Yunyue Brothel since early in the morning. After waiting for four hours, Mu Qing's patience was wearing thin. Just as Mu Qing was about to wave his sleeves and leave, the door was pushed open from the outside. Then, he saw Jiujiu dressed in red.
Jiujiu's red clothes were bought by Li Fugui at a high price of dozens of taels of silver. The material of the clothes was light and swayed slightly when Jiujiu swung her sleeves. It made Jiujiu look like a ball of fire that pierced one's eyes.
Although Mu Qing was a scholar, he had only worn coarse linen clothes in three colors: black, grey, and green. This was the first time he saw such a flame-like red. He was instantly captivated and couldn't help but look at Jiujiu.
Jiujiu's face was a little immature, but her high eyebrows and sharp eyeliner gave her a sense of sharpness. Not to mention the flame-like lipstick on Jiujiu's lips, it made the originally youthful Jiujiu look a little unapproachable.
Mu Qing had thought that Li Fugui would come. When he suddenly saw Jiujiu, a woman with sharp features and a noble temperament, as if she had walked out of a painting, his eyes went blank. When he came back to his senses, his cheeks were a little red. He lowered his head, not daring to look at Jiujiu.
In the past, Mu Qing had always felt that he was a scholar and didn't have any reason to climb up the social ladder. However, at this moment, when he saw Jiujiu, who was as dazzling as a flame, he only felt that he was exceptionally poor.
Just as Mu Qing was thinking about whether he should leave, he heard Jiujiu speak, "Are you Mu Qing?"
Suddenly hearing Jiujiu call out his name, Mu Qing's face was a little puzzled. However, he still stepped forward and cupped his hands, "I am Mu Qing. May I know who Miss is?"
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