The female guests gasped in surprise and then muttered curses under their breath.
"What kind of song and dance troupe is this? Not a single one of them is any good. Only those men who are as stupid as pigs would be willing to be coaxed into handing over their money."
"Exactly! Talking about being pure and innocent, she's nothing but a prostitute who roams around! She really thinks she's a human being!"
"The Marquis of Xinting is really unlucky. How did he get entangled with these filthy things?"
"I don't know. I heard they just came from the north. Maybe it was the Marquis of Xinting who got into trouble while rescuing people."
"That should be it. I've heard that Marquis Xinting is famously cold-blooded and indifferent to women. So many noble ladies in Xindu have left him unmoved, why would he take a fancy to these courtesans?"
Such conversations were commonplace in the courtyards and wooden houses.
The men were also feeling guilty, so they ate lunch outside and didn't dare to come back.
As the sun began to set, the individual travelers left early.
Perhaps eager to go back and gossip, the guests in the wooden house and courtyard gradually left.
The valley was unusually quiet, so the women quickly did a thorough cleaning.
The village chief, worried, pulled Li Lao Er aside and asked, "Will today's events affect your future business?"
“No,” Li Lao Er shook his head, reassuring the old man, “Uncle, don’t worry. Once the news spreads, outsiders will only speak well of us, and there will even be more female guests in the future. After all, it’s bathing in a public place, so female guests will definitely have many concerns. After this commotion, everyone will know that our hot spring valley has a good reputation, and they will feel more at ease coming to visit.”
The village chief was finally relieved, but couldn't help grumbling, "They don't look like respectable women to me, but they keep saying they're guests of the Marquis... What if it's true? Won't the Marquis be angry?"
"Uncle, don't worry about it." Li Lao Er couldn't help but laugh as he thought of his younger brother being dragged away by the ear by his sister-in-law.
"Last night, the fourth brother made it clear that when they went into the mountains to retrieve the books, these women would stay in the caves and ask to come down the mountain with them. The fourth brother and his men were too soft-hearted and agreed. These women caused the fourth brother and his men a lot of trouble on the way. When they arrived at the dock, they happened to run into the Marquis who was there to meet them. That troupe leader probably had his eye on the Marquis and wanted to find a backer, so he kept pestering them."
"The Marquis ignored them completely and went straight to war. How could he possibly let them stay in our village? I guess these women wanted to act first and ask for permission later, forcing the Marquis to take them in."
The village chief was astonished and shook his head repeatedly. "The world is going to the dogs. Even if these women have it tough, they shouldn't be so calculating. Luckily, the Marquis isn't here, otherwise it wouldn't be as simple as just beating them up and kicking them out."
"Yes, it's best if we stop them. Otherwise, if we provoke the Marquis to take drastic measures and word gets out, people will probably say that the Marquis is cruel."
"Let's build a thatched shed and a wooden fence at the entrance of the valley in the future, so that not just anyone can be let in."
The two of them discussed it briefly and then called it a day.
Soon, it was completely dark. Some people were left to guard the valley, while the rest went home to eat and rest.
At the Li family's dinner table, Li Laosi held his daughter and clumsily fed her egg custard, trying his best to appear very busy. He would occasionally steal a few glances at his wife, smiling ingratiatingly yet aggrievedly.
Jiayin wiped the custard off her nose and tried her best to help her father.
"Dad, I want to eat rice porridge."
"Dad, I want to eat vegetables!"
"Dad, I want to eat meat!"
Li Laosi was sweating profusely, but he was willing to do it all.
Grandma Li couldn't bear to see her son like this, so she hugged her granddaughter, tapped her forehead, and said, "Lazy girl, all you do is make your dad suffer."
Jiayin stuck out her tongue and replied crisply, "Fu Niu is helping her mother get revenge!"
Everyone laughed upon hearing this, saying, "Our Fu Niu is so clever; she even knows how to protect her mother."
Tao Hongying's eyes reddened. She lowered her head and kissed her daughter, then turned and glared fiercely at Li Laosi. "Fortunately, I still have my daughter and son. Otherwise, I'm afraid I would have watched that vixen enter the house and been kicked out to become a divorced woman."
"No, no!" Old Li wished he could dig out his heart and liver to show his wife and daughter.
This time he learned his lesson. From now on, he'll avoid even female rabbits while hunting, let alone women!
Old Mrs. Li pleaded for her son, "Forget it, Hongying, the fourth son is just a blockhead. If he dares to do anything stupid again, I'll break his legs without you even having to tell me."
“Yes, break both legs!” Fu Niu nodded emphatically.
She also believed that her father was innocent, but it would definitely be good to give him a wake-up call.
Li Laosi looked miserable. "Mother is right, I'll never dare to do it again. From now on, I'll even tell the sex of any flies that land on me!"
Tao Hongying was so angry that she laughed, and she couldn't keep a straight face anymore, so the matter was over.
Li Laosi wiped the sweat from his forehead and breathed a long sigh of relief; he was finally able to survive.
But what he didn't know was that, because of the woman's false accusation, all the men in the village were being implicated, being scolded and berated by their wives and mothers, who feared they had been bewitched by the female demon...
The next day was a fine day. When the sun rose over the eastern hilltop, the entrance to the valley was still bustling with traffic.
All the guests who had made reservations had arrived. It seemed like there were more female guests today, and even a few little girls as young as seven or eight.
The village chief was really looking forward to it. He wandered around the valley entrance for a while with his hands behind his back, and then went back to check on the melon field, satisfied with what he saw.
Everyone continued their busy work as usual, putting yesterday's events behind them.
Five or six days have passed in the blink of an eye. In Xinduli, an elegant little courtyard in the south of the city has been rented at a high price and cleaned and decorated anew.
Because the people coming and going were all beautiful women, and the sounds of string and wind instruments could often be heard, it aroused the curiosity of passersby, who would often tiptoe in to peek inside.
On some occasional days, the courtyard gate would open early, and a beautiful young girl would stand guard at the gate, ready to welcome guests.
But even when the sun was directly overhead, there wasn't a single sparrow in front of the door!
In the courtyard, Hua Ruyue, dressed as beautifully as a fairy, asked with a grim expression, "Have all the invitations really been sent out?"
A woman replied, "Master, they've all been sent out. Young Master Wu and Young Master Liu, among others, have personally promised to come and support us."
Hua Ruyue frowned, and just as she was about to speak, a commotion suddenly broke out at the door.
The women were all delighted, exclaiming, "Oh, they're here! They're here!"
As they spoke, they crowded around Hua Ruyue and walked out. But as soon as they reached the second gate, they were greeted not by any young masters or noblemen, but by a group of burly servants!
Hua Ruyue and the others' expressions changed; they all sensed that something was wrong.
Before they could even ask a question, the servants stepped forward, grabbed their hair, forced them to the ground, and stripped them of their clothes, leaving them only in their undergarments and trousers.
Hua Ruyue and the others screamed and fought desperately, shouting, "Who are you people? What right do you have to hit people? Help!"
Unfortunately, the servants didn't respond at all. They quickly tied them up, dragged them outside the gate, and forced them to kneel on the ground.
The commotion drew a crowd of locals and idlers.
Someone, unable to stand by and watch, asked, "What's going on here? Why are they bullying a group of women!"
The servants ignored them, picked up some wooden buckets, opened the lids, and poured the contents onto Hua Ruyue and the others.
A foul stench enveloped Hua Ruyue and the others, covering their faces and bodies. Something indescribable clung to their hair, making one want to vomit.
The onlookers' expressions changed, and they retreated several feet with a loud thud!
Served at midnight~~
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