Chapter 5: Protecting Gu Yun, a beggar on the street, encountering a villain, and falling into the dust of a prostitute in a willow alley
The two of them stumbled downstream along the riverbank. Luo Guyun's leg wound was so deep it was visible to the bone, and he walked very slowly, leaning on a crutch. Fortunately, the river was clear and the fish were plump, so he wouldn't starve for the time being.
It was fine during the day, but at night the valley was extremely cold and damp, and lying on the ground was damp and icy. Luo Guoyun was worried that the cold and dampness would enter the child's body and make him sick, so when they slept, he let Xiao Xiangyue lie on top of him, and he used himself as a human cushion, wrapped in his only outer clothes and slept in his arms. Perhaps because of the terrifying experience of temporary blindness, Xiao Xiangyue was particularly afraid of the dark. In the dark night, she lay tightly on Luo Guoyun like an octopus, burying her head in his neck, not daring to move. Only when she felt his strong heartbeat and listened to his steady breathing could she fall asleep peacefully.
After seven or eight days of this journey, the road suddenly opened up before us, where a gurgling stream converged into a broad river. Villages scattered along the riverbanks. Upon inquiry, we discovered that this was already the border of western Sichuan, belonging to Yishun County. The river was called the Qingyi River. Lizhuang, located in Luling County, was situated downstream on the Qingyi River, more than two hundred miles away.
Luo Guoyun thought to himself that he had no money at the moment and needed to get some money for his journey. He touched the jade pendant left to him by his mother before she died and thought that he might as well go to Yishun County and find a pawnshop to exchange the jade pendant for some money.
The villages grew larger and larger. Xiao Xiangyue, having never been outside Alsophila Valley, found everything curious and asked questions. She watched with great interest as cows plowed the fields. When she heard they were going to a pawnshop, she inquired about what a pawnshop was. Luo Guoyun patiently answered the child's numerous questions, and the two of them chatted idly until they reached the official road leading to the county town.
There were people coming and going on the official road, some were carrying loads on their shoulders, some were delivering goods on donkeys. Xiao Xiangyue felt curious and looked around, but felt that her eyes were not enough to see enough.
A carriage was speeding towards them, and the child was looking around, unaware of the approaching danger. Just as they were about to collide, Luo Guyun flew forward and hugged him. The two of them rolled to the side of the road, barely avoiding the collision.
Luo Guyun groaned, and the wound on his thigh that had not yet healed was torn open, and blood gushed out.
"Brother Yun!" Xiao Xiangyue exclaimed, and hurriedly tried to cover the bleeding area.
Luo Guyun gasped in pain, his face pale. After a moment's pause, he gritted his teeth and stood up, leaning on his crutches. With Xiao Xiangyue's support, he limped forward. With every step, the wound oozed blood. Waves of dizziness washed over him, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans streamed down his forehead. He barely managed to reach the county gate.
"Brother Yun, why don't you rest here first, and Yue'er will go find a pawnshop." Xiao Xiangyue looked at him worriedly, and carefully helped him sit down in the shade beside the city gate.
"...Alright. Yue'er, go quickly and come back soon. Don't get lost." Luo Guyun hesitated. Xiao Xiangyue, though simple, was very intelligent. Seeing that this county town wasn't big, nothing should happen. He nodded.
Xiao Xiangyue took out a bamboo tube of clear water from her bag and carefully placed it to her lips: "Brother Yun, drink some water first. Yue'er will be back soon."
Yishun County wasn't large, but its location on a major thoroughfare out of Sichuan made it quite prosperous. Teahouses and wine shops lined the streets, along with numerous small vendors hawking their wares under large umbrellas. Xiao Xiangyue, preoccupied with Luo Guyun, ignored all else, only wanting to find a pawnshop as quickly as possible.
Passing by a pancake stall, Xiao Xiangyue's eyes were caught by the big golden and fragrant pancakes.
Well, this is good, I'll bring one for Brother Yun. Thinking in my heart, I reached out and took a pancake, preparing to put it in my pocket.
"One penny." said the boss.
"...Money?" Xiao Xiangyue was a little confused. He had never been out of Alsophila Valley and didn't know that sesame cakes had to be exchanged for money.
"Go away, little beggar, where did you come from? You have no money and you still want to eat sesame cakes!" The boss snatched the cake from the child's hand angrily. Seeing the black claw marks on the cake, who else could he sell it to? He became even more angry and shoved the cake back to him, roaring: "You are so unlucky today, take the cake and get out of here quickly, don't delay my business!"
Xiao Xiangyue pinched the pancake, reluctant to eat it, sniffed it, put it in his pocket, and continued looking for the pawnshop. After walking a few steps, the sound of the erhu from the corner of the street attracted his attention.
A ragged, blind old man, with a broken bowl in front of him, played a tattered erhu, humming a tuneless tune. Occasionally, passersby would throw a few copper coins into the broken bowl.
Is this... a beggar? Xiao Xiangyue had never seen a beggar before, but she had read about them in the novels in Sun Taiyi's study. Huh? Could he make money this way? Her thoughts began to stir.
Just now, when Luo Guoyun was explaining to him what a pawnshop was, he was thinking, this jade pendant was left by Brother Yun's mother, it would be a shame to pawn it. If... he could make money this way, he wouldn't have to pawn the jade pendant!
Xiao Xiangyue begged the blind old man for a broken bowl, found a street corner with more pedestrians, squatted on the ground, took out the bamboo flute that Luo Guyun had helped him carve from his waist, and started to play.
Clang! A dirty bare foot stretched out in front of him and kicked over the broken bowl. A fierce voice exploded above his head: "Where did you come from, you little beggar? How dare you steal my territory!"
Xiao Xiangyue looked up and saw a girl with disheveled hair, wearing a tattered red floral dress, and with messy long hair on her head like a bird's nest, standing in front of her, looking very aggressive.
"Your... territory?" Xiao Xiangyue was puzzled. Her big, dark eyes stared at the girl innocently.
The girl was stunned for a moment by the clear and innocent eyes... This little brat, at first glance, was a pushover, clueless, and powerless, so he shouldn't pose any threat... With her experience of traveling all over the world, the girl quickly made a judgment in her mind. She immediately put away her arrogance and sat down next to Xiao Xiangyue, nudging him with her shoulder: "Hey, you're not from here, are you? What's your name? How old are you?"
"My name is Xiao Xiangyue. Everyone calls me Yue'er. I am ten years old this year." Xiao Xiangyue introduced herself to someone for the first time in her life, very solemnly.
"My name is Zhang Jianmei, and I'm twelve years old. I'm older than you, so I'm your boss." The girl was very outgoing and quickly accepted him as her younger brother.
After exchanging names, they became friends. Xiao Xiangyue told him the whole story of how she came here. At the end, she took out the jade pendant she wore and shook it, implying that she had come here to pawn it.
Zhang Jianmei was horrified. She covered his hand that was shaking the jade pendant, looked around cautiously, and said in a low voice, "Are you stupid? Why are you waving such a valuable thing on the street? Are you afraid that thieves won't notice you?" She pointed at the bamboo flute in his hand and said, "Can you play this?"
"Yeah." Xiao Xiangyue answered honestly.
Zhang Jianmei's eyes rolled, and she came up with an idea: "Forget it, let's do it together. You play the music, and I collect the money. We'll split the money 50-50, and we'll each take half."
Being able to play music certainly had its advantages. Zhang Jianmei used to squat on the street all day begging for a few coins. But Xiao Xiangyue's whistling made passersby notice the two disheveled children and sigh in pity. In less than half an hour, they had earned over a dozen copper coins.
Xiao Xiangyue, still thinking of Luo Guyun, pocketed her half of the money and stood up to leave. The girl, having tasted the sweetness of the situation and thinking of their future business partnership, took the initiative to follow him.
Passing by a pharmacy, Xiao Xiangyue stepped in and asked the shopkeeper, "Uncle, do you have any medicine to treat your injuries?"
"The best medicine for wounds, nine cents." The boss threw over a plaster without even looking up.
Xiao Xiangyue counted the copper coins on him. He had just bought two pancakes and only had seven coins left in his pocket. He was in a dilemma. The girl took out two copper coins from her chest and handed them to him: "Here...you will give them to me tomorrow..." As if to say, you can return them to me tomorrow.
Xiao Xiangyue had no concept of "borrowing" in her mind; she simply gave it. Before she could finish her words, she thanked her sister, took the copper coin, and smiled sweetly. The girl's next words were choked back, and she felt a pang of pain...
Two hours had passed, and Xiao Xiangyue still hadn't returned. Luo Guyun waited anxiously at the city gate, craning his neck to watch. He saw him and a girl running towards him. I call her a girl because of her messy long hair and red floral dress; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to tell...
"Brother Yun!" Xiao Xiangyue shouted from a distance, her face flushed with excitement. She ran over and quickly pulled out the pancakes and medicine. She chattered about what had happened since she left.
Luo Guyun was dumbfounded. He hadn't come back for so long... He'd become a beggar?
"This is my new friend, Zhang Jianmei." After saying this in one breath, Xiao Xiangyue remembered to introduce her to Luo Guyun.
Zhang Jianmei looked at Luo Guyun and said shyly, "Brother Luo, you just arrived here. Do you have a place to rest? If not, why don't you... come with me to the dilapidated temple in the east of the city and stay there?"
Zhang Jianmei was from southern Hunan. Six months ago, she had left her hometown with her mother in search of her father. When they reached this place, her mother fell ill and passed away. Without finding her father, the girl became a street beggar. She begged for food during the day and rested at night in a dilapidated temple east of the city.
The two children supported Luo Guyun and limped to the dilapidated temple.
After coming out of the Alsophila Valley, Luo Guyun and Xiao Xiangyue both slept in the wilderness. They were very satisfied to have a dilapidated temple to take shelter in. There was a spring next to the temple where they could wash.
Zhang Jianmei, who had been wandering alone for six months, was delighted to have two companions. Though she was dressed in rags, she was still a girl. She deftly took off Luo Guoyun's bloodstained clothing, washed it, and hung it out to dry. Luo Guoyun was just worrying about Yue'er having no blanket to cover herself with after washing her coat. Then the girl pulled out a piece of rags from somewhere and brought over a pile of dry straw.
The two of them settled down in the dilapidated temple.
While Luo Guyun was recuperating, Xiao Xiangyue went out to the streets with Zhang Jianmei every day to beggars. He saw that although the girl was young, she was smart and experienced, bold and capable, and had a lot of experience in the underworld, so he let Xiao Xiangyue go with her without worry. When the two children were together, they could beg for dozens of coins. In addition to daily food, there was still money left for him to make medicine for his injuries. After seven or eight days of recuperation, Luo Guyun's injuries had gradually improved, so he planned to buy some dry food and continue on the road with Xiao Xiangyue. He wanted to pawn his jade pendant and rent a carriage, but Xiao Xiangyue firmly refused. Luo Guyun thought that after walking for more than two hundred miles, it would take ten days or half a month to reach the destination, so he gave up.
As I was packing up, I saw Zhang Jianmei, her face filled with panic, running breathlessly: "Brother Luo...Oh no! Yue'er has been kidnapped!"
It turned out that the two children had been begging on the streets playing music for the past few days. They had long been targeted by two small-time thugs in the county town. Some beggars are children begging while adults hide in the dark. After observing them for a few days, the thugs realized that these two little beggars were not accompanied by adults, so they became bolder. Seeing Xiao Xiangyue's handsome appearance, they were sure to fetch a good price, which made them even more tempted.
The two thugs claimed the child had stolen something and were taking him back for questioning. They tried to drag him away from the street. The child screamed for help. It was common for beggars to steal things, and the people around them didn't think much of it and didn't intervene. Zhang Jianmei fought back desperately, punching and kicking the thugs, and finally biting them hard before she escaped. Xiao Xiangyue, however, was small and weak, so she was dragged away.
Luo Guyun was shocked and angry as if struck by lightning.
After catching her breath, Zhang Jianmei continued, "While I was struggling, I thought I heard one of the villains mutter, 'This kid is so pretty! She'll definitely fetch a good price if we take her to a red-light district.'"
"Red Light Lane?" Luo Guyun took a breath of cold air.
Yishun County was located on a major route out of Sichuan, a frequent stopover for merchants. Consequently, it offered numerous venues for pleasure. South of the city lay a red-light alley, dotted with dozens of brothels, large and small, housing both prostitutes and prostitutes. Every day, red lanterns shone brightly, slow songs and erotic dances filled the air, and men and women embraced each other, creating a bustling atmosphere.
Luo Guyun and Zhang Jianmei rushed to the red light alley in a hurry, asking from house to house to look for the person. There were so many places, and it took a lot of time to go through each one. Luo Guyun was extremely anxious, and he wanted to turn the street upside down immediately. Just when he was getting anxious, he saw a charming woman standing in front of a brothel called Yihonglou. She was laughing so hard that her body was shaking. She was bragging to the madam of the neighboring house: "Wow, I bought her for ten dollars and sold her for five hundred dollars in a blink of an eye. You can tell me my taste... I'm really lucky today... But then again... I've lived half my life and this is the first time I've seen such a pretty girl... I really can't bear to let her go..."
Hearing this, Luo Guyun didn't waste any words. He took out the knife from his waist, stepped forward, put it to the woman's throat, and said in a deep voice: "Tell me! Where is the child now?"
This woman was none other than the madam of Yihonglou. She'd inquired about Xiao Xiangyue's status as an orphan when she bought her, only then had she dared to boast about her. Unexpectedly, someone would come knocking on her door the next moment. Seeing the gleaming knife pressed against her neck, she trembled with fear and exclaimed, "West of the city...West of the city...Wang, the richest man, bought her!"
After Xiao Xiangyue fell into the hands of the thugs, she was taken directly to Yihonglou. The madam, a man of great experience and experience, knew the moment she saw the child that she would be a future moneymaker. She immediately agreed on a price and sent the two thugs away. She summoned a girl dressed in red and green and took him downstairs to wash and change clothes.
Xiao Xiangyue was confused and had no idea what was going on. Although she was anxious, she didn't know where she was. She thought Zhang Jianmei would definitely report the news, and Brother Yun would definitely come looking for her. So she sat quietly in the hall.
Several attractive girls gathered around him, chattering in a flurry: "Oh, what a handsome boy! Look at his eyes, so watery, even more alluring than a girl...his face...tsk tsk..." As they spoke, one woman reached out and pinched and touched his fair, tender face. Xiao Xiangyue was at a loss, his face flushed crimson, and he dodged left and right. The strong smell of powder made him sneeze loudly.
A fair-skinned man passed by the door, and the girl called out, "Jade waiter, come and take a look at this kid! In two years, you might not be able to keep your position as the top performer!" The fair-skinned man leaned over to take a look, snorted coldly, "Tsk... Her hair hasn't even grown out yet!" and left with a flick of his sleeves.
The girls burst into laughter.
Amidst the commotion, a fat, big-eared man in his fifties, dressed in a brocade gown, walked through the door. The madam hurried to greet him, her powdered face wrinkled with a smile. "Hey, Boss Wang! What brings you here today?"
Boss Wang owns over a dozen salt wells and a fleet of hundreds of horses, transporting goods for merchants traveling north and south. He's the richest man in Yishun County. Rich people naturally have refined tastes, and the average, vulgar woman won't be impressed. The only ones who might be interested are those who prick the tenderest, freshest young girls to open their virginity. I've been bored for a while now, so I came over to see what new stuff they have.
As soon as Boss Wang entered, he noticed the adorable Xiao Xiangyue. He stepped closer and took a closer look, completely captivated by her stunningly beautiful face. Boss Wang was a seasoned prostitute, and had seen many beauties... Though still young, she would surely be a stunning beauty once she grew up...
The madam was a keen observer. Seeing Boss Wang's drooling face, she understood: "I spent fifty...fifty dollars on this child! After two or three years of training, I'm afraid the threshold of this Yihonglou will be broken down by people!"
"Five hundred dollars. I'll take the man away," Boss Wang offered. The madam, delighted by this offer, smiled from ear to ear. She took the note and happily escorted the man out the door.
Luo Guyun and Zhang Jianmei hurried to the mansion of Wang, the richest man in the west of the city. A wealthy family is unlike ordinary people. The vermilion lacquered gate is guarded by servants, and surrounded by high walls. Within the walls are layers of courtyards, with pavilions, towers, ponds, and water corridors faintly visible. Luo Guyun frowned. Looking at the situation, forcing in was definitely not an option. If he alerted the enemy, they might hide or move the person away, making it even harder to find them. Luo Guyun has always been a man of courage and strategy, flexible and adaptable. He is not the type to act rashly. Now that he is in a dangerous situation and Yue'er's safety is at stake, he is even more cautious. After a brief thought, he decided to report it to the authorities first. If the authorities did not intervene, he could wait until dark and then sneak into the mansion to search for the person.
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