Chapter 100 The Magistrate's Style

Lin Yuesha was taken advantage of by the women who surrounded her, some plump and some slender. One of the courtesans pinched her cheek, and then her hand involuntarily climbed up to her.

Suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, Lin Yuesha dodged left and right and called out, "Granny Feng, I have come here specifically for Miss Ziyuan."

The implication was clear: get rid of these mediocre women, I don't care for them.

"They've come for Shion again."

The women inevitably became discouraged and lost their enthusiasm for pursuing her.

"Young masters, unfortunately, Ziyuan has guests today and will not be receiving guests."

Granny Feng glanced upstairs and replied helplessly.

She manages Zuifenglou, but not Ziyuan.

Two years ago, Ziyuan took the initiative to come to her door, and Granny Feng was amazed by her beauty.

There was no contract between Ziyuan and her. Ziyuan came to Zuifeng Tower as the top courtesan, and the money was split 50/50, but Granny Feng could not restrict her freedom.

The others were not qualified to negotiate with Granny Feng, but Ziyuan was different. Just looking at her face was enough to make Zuifeng Tower a huge success.

Granny Feng immediately agreed. She had considered forcing Ziyuan to sell herself, but considering the consequences, she hesitated.

Unlike the other courtesans, Ziyuan can go to Zuifenglou's rival at any time and challenge Zuifenglou to a duel.

Thinking of the consequences, Granny Feng became much more obedient.

Ziyuan doesn't want to see guests, so even if Granny Feng wanted to earn this money, she wouldn't be able to.

"Then let's find a girl who's good at singing folk songs."

Lin Yuesha frowned, quite impatient. She tilted her head and added, "The coachman who just brought me here said there's a girl named Huamei who sings folk songs well, she's the one."

"Young master, your eyebrows won't turn out well."

Granny Feng paused for a moment, then replied with a smile.

"Why not? Ziyuan has guests, and Huamei has guests too. Are you deliberately making things difficult because you think I can't afford it?"

Lin Yuesha threw out ten taels of silver without batting an eye, but her heart was bleeding.

Ten taels of silver! That's enough to buy so many spiced melon seeds. Being a spendthrift like that is no fun at all.

"No, young master, we're in business, how can we refuse anyone?"

Granny Feng picked up the silver and explained with a radiant smile, "A few days ago, a wealthy merchant from out of town redeemed Huamei from her servitude, and she is no longer with our Zuifeng Tower."

What Granny Feng said matched the information the coachman had gathered, so Lin Yuesha didn't ask any more questions for fear of arousing the old woman's suspicion.

Since we're already here, we can't just walk out like this. We should at least hire a girl to sing a little tune.

"Then find a girl to sing folk songs for me, and bring some tea, as well as a dish of spiced melon seeds and a dish of roasted peanuts."

Lin Yuesha shook her sleeves and was about to go upstairs. She really didn't want to stay here anymore; even breathing was difficult.

Moreover, Jiang Baozhu was not used to it and was bound to give herself away if she waited any longer.

Granny Feng is a shrewd person; we won't get anything out of her, so we'll have to find another way.

Thinking about the losses from this trip, even though it wasn't her own money, Lin Yuesha was still very unhappy. She had to get some compensation for the time wasted.

"We have tea and snacks, and we're not short of melon seeds and peanuts, but what are spiced melon seeds and roasted peanuts?"

Granny Feng humbly sought advice, explaining that she kept guests at her place not only because of the girls, but also because of the wine and food.

She was unaware that new local delicacies had appeared in the county, which was very important to her.

"Such a big place, and you don't even have these two snacks?"

Lin Yuesha stared in disbelief, then said angrily, "Granny Feng, are you taking advantage of me because it's my first time here?"

"How could that be? Guests are always welcome!"

Granny Feng genuinely didn't know about the two dishes, so she hurriedly inquired about them.

"The spiced melon seeds are salty and fragrant, and the roasted peanuts are the best snack to accompany wine. They are the favorite food of our County Magistrate Zhang. It is strange that your Zuifenglou does not have them."

Lin Yuesha unknowingly brought Lord Zhang out again. She touched her chin. Lord Zhang accepted the spiced melon seeds and roasted peanuts she gave him. He had to give his family a shout-out.

The fact that it's the same style favored by the county magistrate makes it very convincing.

"Young master, don't worry, I'll have someone buy it right away. You'll definitely have it next time you come."

Granny Feng patted her chest and assured them, then hurriedly instructed her subordinates to buy the spiced melon seeds and roasted peanuts as soon as possible.

The food that the county magistrate likes is of such high quality! Zuifenglou doesn't have it, and was looked down upon by a mere bald brat.

When they arrived at the private room upstairs, Jiang Baozhu was still dizzy. She gave Lin Yuesha a thumbs up but couldn't say a word.

I knew Lin Yuesha was clever, but now I realize that using the word "clever" is an underestimation of her.

"Sister Baozhu, don't you think it's a coincidence?"

Lin Yuesha narrowed her eyes; it was highly likely that the two of them would return empty-handed this time.

Granny Feng confirmed that Huamei had been bought by a wealthy merchant from out of town, whose background was unknown. In this vast world, who knows where Huamei went!

Besides the thrush, the person who knows the most about the magpie's son is probably Granny Feng.

"It's very suspicious."

Jiang Baozhu was extremely anxious. If she couldn't get the answer, the lowly magpie would truly gain status through her son, and the Jiang family might actually have to accept that boy of unknown origin.

In the red-light district, courtesans have their own rules for survival, and shrewd women like Granny Feng are well aware of these rules.

Before the two could reach a conclusion, a veiled courtesan carrying a pipa entered the room.

"This humble woman, Liu Xu, greets the two young gentlemen."

Liu Xu gave a slight curtsy, then sat opposite the two, plucked the pipa, and began to sing and play to herself.

Liu Xu's voice is gentle, but the song she chose is very melancholic, making people feel inexplicably down.

"stop!"

Jiang Baozhu was already in a bad mood and couldn't stand such mournful sounds, so she said in annoyance.

"Young master, do you not like it?"

Behind the veil, Liu Xu's eyes were red and she looked like she could cry at any moment.

"I don't like it. I want to hear something cheerful, not mournful."

Lin Yuesha wondered if all the flower maids were like this? They paid money, so they had to follow the rules; they weren't there to attend a funeral.

They cried and wailed when even simple requests couldn't be met, as if they had committed some heinous crime that angered both heaven and man.

"But... Liu Xu only knows this one song."

Liu Xu wiped away her tears, then suddenly knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly to Jiang Baozhu and Lin Yuesha, pleading, "Please, young masters, don't tell Granny Feng to replace me! I beg you!"

Lin Yuesha: "..."

Paying money to suffer is undoubtedly a description of her and Jiang Baozhu.

Whatever Liu Xu's predicament was, it was none of Lin Yuesha's business. She wasn't the kind of person who would rescue a fallen woman from her misery. Not making things difficult for Liu Xu and accepting her bad luck was her biggest concession.

"Okay, get up. Just sit here and let's talk."

Lin Yuesha gestured for Liu Xu to get up and repeatedly assured her that she would not change the person. Only then did Liu Xu stop crying and relax a little.