Chapter 6, "Young Master"
When she finally landed back on the ground, Hengbo realized that the child in her arms had woken up at some point and was looking at her with his big, round eyes. Hengbo felt a surge of tenderness in her heart, reached out and touched his hair, and then hurried towards the place of the festival.
Fortunately, the woman who had cried out earlier was still there, and a number of constables had come to question her.
Hengbo didn't go forward, but put the child down by the alley. The child didn't know what had happened, and was still holding tightly to Hengbo's clothes, staring blankly at her, as if asking her why she wasn't flying anymore.
Helpless, Hengbo pointed in the direction of his mother. The child saw his mother crying and came to his senses. He subconsciously ran two steps in that direction, but immediately turned back to look at Hengbo.
But Hengbo had disappeared without a trace. The boy rubbed his eyes and looked around again. When he couldn't find her, he hurriedly ran towards the woman.
Hidden in the shadows, Hengbo watched from afar as the woman tightly embraced her child, whom she had lost and then found again. The woman's expression was as if she had rediscovered her entire world. Hengbo was slightly lost in thought for a moment before preparing to leave.
But when she turned her head and saw the young man in white clothes wearing a white fox mask deep in the alley, she suddenly understood where the strange feeling that had been lingering in her heart since the beginning came from.
It turned out that she had been so focused on finding the child that she had forgotten about the young master.
Hengbo's heart skipped a beat. Feeling a little guilty, she hesitantly took small steps forward. But was it just her imagination? Why did he suddenly seem a little taller?
She didn't realize that she would appear exceptionally docile when she felt guilty, and at this moment she was cautiously gesturing to the person opposite her: "How long have you been waiting for me?"
The eyes behind the white fox mask were slightly upturned, as if they didn't understand her meaning. Hengbo scratched his head, then pointed to the mother and child who had reunited, then to the low house where the child had been hidden, and finally patted his chest, quite proudly.
The eyes that had been staring at her with suspicion finally curved down, and the "young master" in front of her gestured with his hands as well: "You're really amazing."
Hengbo was delighted to receive his feedback and didn't hold back his praise: "You're amazing too, you learned sign language very quickly."
The "young master" smiled and shook his head.
After all that commotion, it was late at night, and the people celebrating on the street were gradually heading home. Hengbo was used to taking the lead between the two of them, so she didn't notice the slight hesitation of the person who should have followed closely behind her as she strode forward.
But he hesitated for only a moment before slowly following behind.
Hengbo "confessed" to him her regret at not being able to see the courtesan's true face. The "young master" couldn't help but chuckle as he watched her sigh after taking three steps. He simply blocked her path with his fan and gestured to her, "Go now, go see the courtesan."
However, he did not receive a reply from Hengbo. Following her lowered gaze, he saw the folding fan in his hand.
This fan was actually a concealed weapon he carried with him. Its advantage was that it was unexpected, and he thought Hengbo had seen through it.
Little did Hengbo know that he was secretly thinking to himself that the young master was quite talented at begging. After all, the young master didn't have this fan when they came out together, so he must have just bought it. And this fan didn't look cheap.
Fortunately, the easygoing Hengbo only sighed inwardly for a moment before being immediately tempted by his suggestion to see the courtesan, and readily agreed as if afraid he would change his mind.
After all, without the young master to lead the way, how would she know where to see the courtesan?
Seeing that Hengbo didn't seem interested in asking about the fan, the "young master" didn't bring it up himself. He dutifully led the way for her, while Hengbo lagged behind him by half a head, following closely like a chick following its mother.
Although he didn't turn around to look at her, he could imagine the little mute girl's joyful appearance from the light footsteps behind her. He subconsciously opened his fan to hide the smile on his lips, but when the fan ribs touched the mask on his face, he remembered that he hadn't even shown his face, so why should he hide it anymore?
This year's chosen courtesan is Yanran from Zuiyingfang. Zuiyingfang is located in the West Market, and because it is surrounded by shops that operate during the day, it is particularly conspicuous at night. Hengbo had never set foot in a brothel in the previous eighteen years, only knowing from stories that it was a place of pleasure and debauchery. But no matter how much she had imagined it, she only truly understood its meaning after seeing it today.
The room was decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, and brightly lit. Not to mention the underfloor heating that burned so brightly without emitting a trace of charcoal smell, the sheep placenta paper used to cover the windows alone was worth more than a thousand gold pieces.
Inside, a row of brightly dressed young women laughed and played, even the maids who greeted guests smelled wonderfully fragrant. Because the charcoal fire was burning brightly, most of the girls were wearing only light clothing, their clothes and hair swaying in the breeze, a dazzling display of colors that truly dazzled Hengbo's eyes.
Hengbo was seeing this scene for the first time, and felt like he couldn't even walk properly. He didn't dare to look around and just mechanically followed the young master with his head down.
The young master turned around and stopped. Seeing her timid appearance, he found it somewhat amusing. She had just been eager to see the courtesan, and he had thought she was incredibly bold. But now that they were actually there, she had become shy.
He couldn't help but laugh again. For some reason, even though it was the first time he had met this little mute boy, he had laughed more times than he had in the past month.
Hengbo felt as if his brain had been soaked in the scent of cosmetics, making his thinking sluggish. He didn't even realize when the person in front of him had stopped, and he crashed straight into them.
Because she was wearing a mask, Hengbo felt as if she had bumped into a wall. It wasn't until she heard a low chuckle above her that she realized what she had done. In her dazed state, she only thought, "Why does the young master's voice sound so pleasant?"
They had stopped outside an exceptionally exquisite and elegant room. Two maids stood guard at the door, their eyes lowered. The "young master" took out a jade token from his sleeve, and one of them checked it before opening the door for them.
Before Hengbo could even ask where his jade pendant came from, he was stunned by the overwhelming wealth before him. From the outside, the room already seemed extremely luxurious, but he never expected it to be even more extravagant inside.
The beams were inlaid with luminous pearls larger than a fist, the furniture on the ground was all made of the finest sandalwood, and the decorations were either crystal clear glass products or gold-inlaid jade that exuded wealth. There were even pigeon blood ruby sculptures that could be used as tributes, and even the drinking utensils were made of silver.
Hengbo had seen a lot of the world before she was five years old, living in the palace, but the fact that all the wealth and power in the world was gathered in this small room still made her gasp in amazement.
The young master explained to her in sign language: "This is my room. Let's rest here for a while. Someone will bring Miss Yanran over in a little while."
Yokobo finally asked the question that he had suppressed several times: "You seem to be very familiar with this place."
The young master paused in his act of pouring tea for her, shook his head, first poured the tea and pushed it in front of her, then poured himself a cup, before gesturing slowly, "Not familiar, but it's just my family's property."
Hengbo:! ! !
Now she finally believed that the young master who casually asked for 30,000 taels of silver was not joking.
The two hadn't waited long when the door opened again. A woman dressed in a high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) appeared, accompanied by her maidservants, her head bowed as she walked forward. Perhaps because she was being paraded through the streets today, her hair was adorned with extremely elaborate and ornate ornaments. She wore several hairpins with tassels, not to mention numerous gold and jade hairpins. However, as the woman moved, these hairpins made not a sound, not even the slightest sway.
Upon her arrival, Hengbo only noticed the woman's excellent demeanor. It wasn't until she approached and raised her head that Hengbo realized her beauty was in no way inferior to her poise. The moment her face was fully revealed, the originally bright and imposing room seemed somewhat dim.
Before me was the face of an exceptionally beautiful woman, seemingly about the same age as Ruan Wangshu, yet unlike Ruan Wangshu, she didn't exude the gentle, serene beauty of tranquility. This woman was intensely passionate, like a burning fire.
While Hengbo was still staring at the other person, the young master had already put down his teacup and gently nodded to Miss Yanran.
Miss Yanran also gave a slight curtsy. She noticed Hengbo's undisguised scrutiny but was not angry, because she could not sense any malice in his gaze. She only felt that this girl was frank and lovely.
Hengbo became embarrassed first, and she quickly gestured, "You're so beautiful."
But halfway through the gestures, he realized that the girl in front of him probably didn't understand sign language, so he simply pointed to the luminous pearl in the room and then to her.
Miss Yanran was slightly taken aback. She glanced at the "young master" who was sitting quietly to the side, watching Hengbo with a smile. When she saw him nod almost imperceptibly, she suddenly felt a little sad for this girl she had never met before.
But seeing how hard Yokomami was trying to express his affection for her, she couldn't help but smile.
Hengbo breathed a slight sigh of relief when he saw that she didn't blame him for it.
Although Hengbo appears aloof, she is genuinely innocent and warm-hearted towards those she likes, and Yanran, who became the top courtesan, is naturally very skilled at interacting with people.
Even so, because of her pity for Hengbo, Yanran didn't even speak, but awkwardly and clumsily gestured to her little by little.
Seeing that the two girls got along very well, and although they sometimes had misunderstandings, they were both very interested, the young master stopped disturbing them and went to the inner room.
Yanran glanced at him briefly, but Hengbo was completely absorbed in the joy of having a new playmate and didn't notice his departure at all.
The young master inwardly sighed that this little mute was a heartless little thing, and slowly lay down on the rocking chair in the inner room, gently rocking back and forth.
However, less than a moment later, a man in black suddenly appeared from the shadows in the room that had been empty before the young master entered.
“Young master,” Black Wind said blankly, “I searched for you on Willow Street for a full half hour.”
The "young master" was taking a nap with his eyes closed, and only his clear, deep voice came from under the mask: "There was a little accident along the way, and I got stuck with a little mute."
If Hengbo were here, he could immediately tell that the timbre of this "young master" was different from that of the other young master. This person's voice was less clear and bright than that of a young man, and more gentle and magnetic than that of a mature man.
Black Wind ignored his sophistry and exposed him: "It was clearly you who abducted the young girl and brought her back to the neighborhood." At this point, his expression turned serious: "Young master, before you went south, the Pavilion Master carefully instructed that everyone who came near you should be thoroughly investigated. You should also pay attention and never put yourself in danger."
"Moreover, judging from this young girl's nimble steps and graceful movements, and the fact that she carries a weapon, she must know more than just a little bit of martial arts."
His dark eyes stared intently at the masked man before him. Seeing the increased seriousness in his tone, the "young master" also restrained his casual and unrestrained manner: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." He looked out at the dark night sky, as if speaking to someone: "The great task is not yet completed, and I will not abandon this life."
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