Chu Jinjin was always cautious and didn't trust anyone, including the rough old woman who had been secretly taking care of Xiaohua. She personally escorted Xiaohua home.
She wanted to keep Chun'er company.
There are many maids in the house, but none of them seem to be the same age. The children prefer to play with other children.
After all that commotion, it was completely dark by then.
But that's perfect timing, Manyuan Spring has just opened for business.
The three burly men were incredibly obedient. As for the fat man, he had already been tied up with stones and thrown into a well, with the excuse that he had gone to another place. As long as Chu Jinjin didn't say anything, no one would be able to find out anything.
These days, it's perfectly normal for bandits, outlaws, and villains to go missing.
Especially someone like the fat guy who has offended countless people.
Chu Jinjin didn't care about any of that. Anyway, she hadn't killed anyone. She only cared about one thing. After getting into the carriage, she asked seriously, "How much can I sell it for later?"
The three burly men: "..."
One of them said cautiously, "It should, it should not be less than two hundred taels."
Chu Jinjin was somewhat dissatisfied: "Only two hundred taels?"
"A normal person would pay a maximum of one hundred taels." The burly man had imagined all sorts of scenarios where Chu Jinjin would make things difficult for him, but he never expected such a statement. He struggled to grasp its meaning. "Third Miss Chu, the owner of Manyuanchun doesn't know your true identity. Generally speaking, courtesans from official families only pay two hundred taels. You, you mainly come from a poor background..."
He broke out in a cold sweat after saying just a few words, afraid of saying something wrong and getting beaten up.
"Alright, two hundred it is." Chu Jinjin held out her hand. "Just give me two hundred."
Whether it's one hundred taels or two hundred taels, it's all the money she earned from selling herself into servitude, and she deserves it.
The three burly men felt that the expert was indeed an expert, as he could still think of such things at a time like this.
The three of them emptied their pockets and barely managed to scrape together two hundred taels.
Sending someone off to Manyuanchun isn't actually that complicated; the difficult part is getting the travel permit that represents their identity.
Sometimes when Fatty was busy, they would deliver the food separately, and they became somewhat familiar with him at Manyuan Spring.
The garden in full bloom had four tiers, brightly lit with lanterns made of hundreds of flowers, with a huge pink peony in the center, bathed in an ambiguous light.
The carriage stopped at the small back door.
The pimp who came out immediately lifted the curtain and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, this is pretty good!"
He believed that one should eat what one does, and that a garden full of beautiful women was not lacking, but the woman in front of him was not only beautiful, but also possessed a special charm that he couldn't quite describe.
The older, burly man, true to his nature, waved his hand impatiently: "What are you looking at? Can you make the decision? Go and call Mother Yang."
The madam of Manyuan Spring is surnamed Yang, and only she can make decisions on such important matters concerning the girls.
Upon hearing that a stunning beauty had arrived, Mother Yang rushed over excitedly in no time. She had applied an unknown amount of perfume, and the strong fragrance wafted over even before she arrived.
"Why are there only three of you? Where's Fatty?" Mrs. Yang asked in surprise. She was surprised that such a handsome fat man was not here. However, she was quickly drawn to Chu Jinjin and looked her up and down, occasionally pinching her waist.
The three of them were so frightened they were almost sweating. This was Chu Jinjin, after all.
They were afraid that in a fit of anger they might treat Yang's mother like they treated the fat man, and kill her.
Fortunately, it didn't happen.
Of course, Mrs. Yang had no idea what she was doing. She smiled broadly and said, "Not bad, not bad. Did Fatty tell you the price?"
The burly man, having already discussed it, replied curtly, "My lord said, I won't sell for less than two hundred taels."
Mother Yang's eyes widened: "What, two hundred taels? Is he crazy? He can't give it to me, he can't give it to me."
Chu Jinjin listened to their bargaining with her head down, seemingly numb.
Fortunately, Yang's mother was quite satisfied with her and the conversation didn't last too long.
After the three of them received the silver notes, Mother Yang affectionately took her arm and comforted her: "Lihua, think positively. Once you enter this garden of spring, you will no longer be yourself. Accept your fate. Who told us to have such a hard life?"
No girl would want to come to a place like this.
Despite the crying and fussing, this pear blossom is quite good, but it's alright. In a few days, she'll get used to everything.
Chu Jinjin nodded obediently.
If the madam were to use any underhanded tactics, she certainly wouldn't be able to control herself. What she needs to do now is quietly wait for the day the courtesan selection will take place.
Inside, the room was glittering with carved railings and jade steps, and the corridors and pavilions were exquisite. A woman in a pink gauze dress ran with a light laugh, followed by a greasy customer.
"Master Jin, what brings you here?" Madam Yang laughed heartily, shielding Chu Jinjin with her body and secretly winking at the woman.
She knew all too well what these men liked: they were fickle and easily bored, and they especially liked respectable women like Pear Blossom.
However, before becoming the top courtesan, one must guarantee their innocence, otherwise they cannot fetch a high price.
It was already late. Fatty Jin's gaze seemed glued to Chu Jinjin. He swallowed hard and asked, "The newcomer?"
"Master Jin, if you keep staring like that, Sixth Sister will get jealous." The woman called Sixth Sister giggled and pounced on him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I want to drink. How about we see who takes off their clothes the loser does?"
This usually trump card didn't work very well.
"Stop fooling around, we'll talk about it later." Jin Ye said dismissively, pushing her away and taking out a gold ingot. "Let her come keep me company."
That was a full ten taels of gold, equivalent to a hundred taels of silver.
Generally speaking, except for a few girls, a girl in Manyuanchun only costs ten taels a night.
Mother Yang's eyes lit up. This wasn't even the competition for the title of courtesan yet. If she could actually win the title, she would become a money tree.
She shook her head with difficulty: "Mr. Jin, I won't lie to you, this is indeed a new girl. If you really like her, you can bid for her when she's the top courtesan, but it's really not possible now."
Jin sneered, "I'm not the one who can be the top courtesan."
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