"Dinner's ready! Dinner's ready!"

Zhang's mother had a very loud voice; she banged a large ladle against the wooden basin until it almost shattered, making an extremely loud noise.

"If you're not fully awake, eat your meal before you go back to sleep. You need to keep something in your stomach every day, otherwise you'll suffer when you get old!"

She chattered downstairs, making sure every girl could hear her. This was also why there was no infighting at the brothel; all the elders treated everyone equally, showing their care directly and warmly.

The care that most people have never experienced is here.

Chunying loves to stay in bed, probably because she was cold when she was little and her body feels very heavy during the day.

"I really don't want to get up, Ping'er."

The girl on the bed parted her red lips slightly, her eyes glistening with tears, like a spoiled kitten. Her hair was a little messy, showing that she wasn't a very still sleeper.

"You can't not get up, girl. We have to eat first, then come back to sleep. Get some rest so we can live to be a hundred."

Chunying covered her eyes with her hands, the sunlight shining on her hands, she wanted to grab it but couldn't.

"Court ladies live to be a hundred? You have quite the nerve."

Part of the reason she chose Ping'er as her maid was that the little girl was carefree and loved to laugh. Seeing her smiling every day made Chunying feel at ease.

"What's wrong, girl?"

Ping'er helped Chunying on the bed to put on her undergarments, talking as she did so.

"We're people with something to look forward to now, don't you want to see our little girl get married and have children?"

She helped Chunying up and continued speaking.

"I've been thinking about it. When I'm old enough to be a girl, I'll save up a lot of money to buy her a dowry when she gets married. It'll be one of the most expensive dowries in the neighborhood. Then, you can add some more, making us even more prestigious than me."

The maids in the building were all young girls, thirteen or fourteen years old. They would take on whoever they served, and when they reached a certain age, their name tags would be hung up.

Most of the patrons at the brothel were refined officials, wealthy merchants, or affluent scholars; those seeking sordid pleasures dared not venture there. Everyone knew the county magistrate visited every two weeks, and who would be foolish enough to come looking for trouble?

Lunch was served separately for men and women. The girls didn't need to dress too formally; most of them just wore a light jacket and a cloak when they came down.

"Why are you serving roast suckling pig today, even though it's not a holiday or festival? Zhang Ma?"

Willow Catkins was the first to come downstairs. She was as graceful as a willow branch, with a face like Daiyu, and a waist that was both supple and slender. She was the most talented singer and dancer in the brothel. When Huo Xiaolong first saw her, he thought Lin Daiyu had descended to earth.

"We bought the piglets several days ago, and yesterday our little one finally found her parents, so we're celebrating today."

Liu Xu smiled bitterly after hearing this. She had found her parents and was about to leave. What parents would want their daughter to stay in a brothel for long? The girls came down one after another and sat around the table. Mother Cen also came out with her little girl and took her seat at the head of the table.

"We should definitely celebrate for our little one! What a joyous occasion! Now you'll have three more people who love you!"

Mother Cen said while holding the little dumpling

"Dinner's ready!"

The other girls would only start eating after Cen's mother had started eating.

The finished roast suckling pig has a bright red color, like amber. The skin is crispy yet melts in your mouth, without any excess oil. The meat is tender and juicy, and tastes especially delicious dipped in white sugar.

"tasty!"

After Little Girl finished eating the pig that Aunt Cen had piled up for her, Aunt Cen distributed a piece to each of the girls present. Some wanted to maintain their figures, while others were just too embarrassed to eat. After all, a small pig wasn't very big, and it wasn't enough for more than twenty girls to eat their fill. Besides, this was for a little girl; how could they possibly compete with a four-year-old for food? However, Aunt Zhang's cooking was truly delicious, even better than before. They wondered if they could afford to have Aunt Zhang cook it a few more times; they could just buy their own pig.

"The roast suckling pig smells especially good today, Lao Zhang, how did you make it?" Mrs. Cen asked.

"No difference from before?"

"Oh, right, the piglet was separated from the chick. I also stewed the chick; we'll have some chicken soup after we finish eating."

There were four bowls of vegetarian dishes on the table. Although they were called vegetarian dishes, the meat was about half and half in each dish. Mother Cen never skimped on these things. She lived one day at a time and didn't care why she had to make herself suffer.

"Yesterday, my little girl said she wanted to feed the chicks, and Er Ya said she also fed the pigs. I figured she probably wanted to eat them, so I cooked them all for her."

Huo Xiaolong had just finished distributing roast suckling pig to everyone, carrying her little legs, and had just escaped from the flower bushes when he heard Zhang's mother say these words.

"ah?"

The little dumpling froze, wondering what would happen if it was poisonous. It had already eaten it all, swallowed it all.

"How about we call a doctor?" the little girl suggested.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Liu Xu picked her up and held her on her lap, asking.

"I gave them water yesterday, but what if... what if they got sick from eating it?"

"How could it cause illness if you only gave it water?"

"That's right, it's alright, don't worry, Ya Dan'er."

"Is it water from the well in the backyard?"

The girls were all chiming in with their own opinions, and the little girl was getting a little anxious. Better safe than sorry. In her past life, she didn't have many ways to relax or have fun; she was afraid of quiet, and the TV at home was always on.

She only heard the terms "time travel cheat" from TV dramas; she hadn't watched the plot and didn't know what use they were.

"no"

The little dumpling lowered its head, picking at its fingers with a hint of self-reproach.

"Given to me by someone in my dream"

She was afraid—what if something happened to these people? This feeling was called worry. Nobody took her seriously; after all, she was just a kid, her mind always wandering.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!