Nowadays, people have relatively few entertainment activities, so the evening is a good time to go out for a walk after dinner and to find some gossip. Many elderly women and men are holding palm-leaf fans and standing on tiptoe to watch the excitement!

Before she could react, Qin Sanniang was startled by a shrill female voice, “Oh dear, you old woman, you are so unreasonable! I’ve never heard of a girl who enters our ward being able to leave! Besides, even if she wanted to leave, she would need money! Look at you, what valuable thing do you have on you? This girl cost me ten taels of silver! Can you afford it?”

The onlookers began to whisper among themselves. Qin San Niang roughly understood the cause and effect of the matter. It was probably that the girl from this family had been sold to this brothel by some unknown reason. They had tried to get the child back but to no avail, which led to this commotion.

However, judging from the situation, it seems that the girl was not sold to the building by her family, otherwise why would they make such a fuss? Thinking that the girl might also have been abducted, Qin San Niang felt a pang of sadness. If A Nan and A Zhi had not been found back then, would the outcome have been the same?

Judging from Gu Qingshan's appearance, he didn't seem to be leaving. Could it be that he too had a change of heart? Sigh, his sworn brother is all talk and no action.

Before Qin San Niang could finish her sigh, she heard a cry from the other side, "Grandma, save me!"

"My grandson! My grandson!" The old woman's cries were hoarse and shrill, and one could tell from her voice just how reluctant and helpless she was.

"Oh dear, I'm getting old, and I can't bear to see scenes like this," an old woman murmured in the crowd, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Hey, who can argue with that? But the child is already in that fake mother's hands. Getting him out won't be easy. Even if he does get out, he'll have to go through a lot."

Dasheng also calls nannies "fake mothers," which is quite an accurate term!

"What a menace! I don't know what these neighborhoods are still standing for! Those officials should just wipe them all out!"

"Oh dear, you woman, you mustn't speak recklessly. These music halls are officially approved by the government. If the officials hear this, they'll surely give you a good beating."

"What music hall? Aren't they all still the kind that sells sex? How can they still be the music halls of the previous dynasty?!"

"Be careful what you say!"

...

Hearing the crowd's criticisms, the fake mother remained unfazed and said, "Gentlemen, our Jieyufang is a renowned high-class music hall in Jiangzhou. How can you people just casually mention it? If you have nothing else to say, then hurry up and leave. It's getting late, don't delay my business!"

The middle-aged woman, also known as the madam, coughed lightly and glanced behind her, her meaning clear: she wanted the pimp to take the girls inside!

Today's batch of goods is really good. Although they are still young, just by looking at their frame and figure, they will look great when they grow up!

Although the term "thin horse" (a euphemism for prostitutes) doesn't yet exist in Jiangnan, these "fake mothers" (or "prostitutes who take in girls") are still willing to raise young girls. The girls they take in are quite pretty, around eleven or twelve years old, and after another two or three years, they can become successful! Alas, even the most beautiful courtesans will eventually age and lose their charm! Their bloom is short-lived; there's nothing that can be done about it! The "fake mothers" must be prepared for the worst!

Upon receiving the madam's order, the pimp dragged the five or six girls inside.

The family was still standing in front of the door, and judging from their posture, they seemed determined not to give up! The pimps were also in a dilemma. They were just out there to make a living, and not all of them were strong and healthy. Look at that family, those three tall and strong brothers were really not to be trifled with!

The older child also thought of the time when his younger siblings were abducted, and felt a pang of compassion...

None of them noticed that Lu Song had already unknowingly squeezed forward into the crowd!

Gu Qingshan frowned, and suddenly saw a familiar figure.

"Where did Asong go?" Da Wa had already realized that Lu Song was missing. He no longer had any other thoughts in his mind. If Lu Song were to disappear as well, he would be sad for the rest of his life. Lu Song was his best friend in the world.

"Qingshan, is something wrong? Could that family be the Lu family?" In the short time that followed, Qin Sanniang's mind was racing. Although she couldn't remember the Lu family member's voice clearly, she seemed to have heard that person call out "Shao'er" just now. She vaguely remembered that the Lu family had a girl whose name contained the character "Shao," and she wasn't very noticeable. She always stayed close to Old Lady Chen, but she was quite pretty...

Given Gu Qingshan's behavior just now and Lu Song's sudden disappearance, it wouldn't be difficult for Qin Sanniang, with her high level of professional competence, to figure out the reason.

Gu Qingshan nodded; his older sister's intelligence was always on point.

"Go on, Da Wa. Your mother won't abandon them!" Not only did she know Lu Song, but she had also been raising that child for some time, and he was a very sensible boy. It was only natural that she wouldn't stand idly by!

Pushing through the crowd, Qin San Niang finally saw what was happening inside. The madam was wearing an orange brocade bodice, with a purple gauze robe and a light blue shawl over it. She had several gold hairpins on her head and her face was painted with the most fashionable makeup of the time. At this moment, she was looking at the pimps with dissatisfaction and angrily said.

"Drag these beggars out of here right now! If you can't even do this much, what am I supposed to do with you?"

Seeing that the madam was truly enraged, the pimps had no choice but to step forward, since these country bumpkins didn't possess much real skill anyway! Although the prefect was now forbidden from arbitrarily killing refugees, if they could determine that these people were inciting a disturbance, the government probably wouldn't pursue the matter...

"You lowly commoners, our Jieyufang is not a place for you to cause trouble! If you know what's good for you, get back here right now, or we'll have to take action and hurt the women and children in your families!" The leader of the pimps approached step by step, thinking that although these strong men were not easy to deal with, the old, weak, women and children would be hard to escape.

Sure enough, the three Lu brothers looked at their children and wives with some hesitation in their eyes. If it were just them, it would be fine, but what about them? Their parents were getting old and couldn't bear such a shock. Everyone couldn't help but focus their attention on Lu Dingtian.

Old Man Lu, dragging his heavy body, bowed deeply and clasped his hands in a hoarse voice, "Heroes, madam, Shao'er is our family's only daughter. She was indeed sold here by outsiders; it wasn't our family's original intention. But since the deal is done and we can't find the thief, we can only beg you to have mercy and return the child to us. Of course, we know you paid for her; just name your price, and our family will give it to you even if we have to sell everything we own."

Hearing this, the madam turned around to look at him. The old man spoke with reason and evidence, and did not seem like a scoundrel. However, he looked emaciated and was probably about to die. He looked really pitiful!

But their daughter was pretty and very obedient, so she liked her quite a bit.