Chapter 113: Death of Aunt Gui (7)

"What else can we do if we don't play chess?" Shuangjiang glanced at the people at the table and said angrily, "We're confined to our rooms all day long, and we can't even leave the yard. If this continues, we won't be able to do anything during the day."

"Shh..." Bai Lu whispered, "Don't say anything. The girl is already unhappy about being grounded. Don't mention it to make her angry."

Frost grumbled, "Our girl has a good temper and won't get angry."

Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've seen Shen Miao angry. Let alone angry, she didn't even show any obvious emotion. In the past, Shen Miao, though a bit of a fool, had distinct emotions: happy when happy, sad when sad. But now, even the maids couldn't understand her. If human growth begins slowly, then Shen Miao's transformation seemed to have occurred overnight.

How it became like this, from being simply cowardly to being indifferent, no one knew.

"Bai Lu." As she was speaking, she heard Shen Miao calling her name, and Bai Lu quickly stepped forward to answer.

"You can pawn the gold jewelry in the silver jewelry box in the cabinet sometime." She said without turning her head.

"Yes," Bai Lu answered quickly, then froze for a moment. "But young lady, I just pawned a box of jewelry yesterday. This is the last box."

“It’s alright,” Shen Miao put down the chess piece, “After all, it won’t be used. After you pawn it, give the banknote to Jingzhe and ask Guyu to come in.”

Bai Lu responded and went out, but she felt a little confused. Shen Miao was in a hurry to pawn the jewelry, which seemed to mean that she was in a hurry to use the silver. She wondered what the silver was for?

Happy House was the largest restaurant in Dingjing City, situated in a prosperous area. Opposite Happy House stood a cluster of brothels. After banquets at Happy House, high-ranking officials and dignitaries would often seek pleasure in the brothels across the street. Brothels were divided into several tiers. The more prestigious the brothel, the higher up the building. At the top were the courtesans who sold their art but not their bodies. Below them were the girls of high renown. The lowest tier was the ninth-class brothels. These brothels were not worthy of being called "lou" or "yuan," but rather "ban" or "xiachu."

The "Sanfuban" (三福班) was a low-class brothel across from the Happy House. Its frequent inhabitants were low-class laborers, and sick, dying girls were often thrown out onto the street. Beggars would take these girls home, perhaps to vent their anger or perhaps because their clothes could fetch a penny. In short, compared to the exquisite Happy House, the Sanfuban (三福班) was a living hell.

Near the window of Happy House, a young man, his white sleeves spotless, frowned as he looked across at the Sanfu Troupe, where new servants were being thrown in. The girls struggled and cried, wondering which master had sent them there. Some young servants were so beautiful that jealous mistresses would sell them to the Sanfu Troupe to prevent them from climbing into the bedchamber.

"How cruel," the young man in white shook his head. Although his tone was one of pity, he had no intention of going down to help.

The young man opposite him, dressed in purple and with an imposing air of nobility, simply poured his wine and said calmly, "The person has already entered Prince Yu's mansion. Whether we can find him or not is still unknown."

"What if we can't find it?" The young man in white turned and looked at him.

"Keep looking." The young man in purple raised his lips and smiled. His evil smile was so handsome that the courtesan who was playing the stringed instrument next to him couldn't help but lose his concentration and played a wrong tune.

Seeing this, the young man in white smiled mischievously and said, "Xie San, your charm is even greater now. All the beautiful women are attracted to you. How can I live?"

He sighed deeply. Actually, the young man in white was also very handsome, but compared to the young man in purple, he lacked that lazy nobility. The young man had a lazy look, but his eyes were sharp, like the blazing sun in the sky, naturally dazzling. Standing beside him, even the natural light was obscured.

"Gao Yang, if you like it, I will...give you a room later, how about that?" Xie Jingxing glanced at him.

"Forget it," the young man in white, Gao Yang, quickly waved his hands and smiled bitterly. "A beautiful woman should be admired from afar, not to be played with. I don't have the energy for that. But you," he took a sip of wine, "are young and unrestrained, so how could you not have a confidante by your side? Mingqi, if you wanted one, there would surely be crowds of people rushing to join you."

"A close friend," Xie Jingxing smiled, "How do you know she's not a skeleton?"

"Don't make it sound so scary," Gao Yang pointed at the brothel across the street, "Look how cute the girls upstairs are. Those skeletons are boring."

Xie Jingxing followed his gaze and suddenly stopped, a hint of surprise flashing in his black eyes.

"Why is it him?"