The madam vaguely overheard Li Wenzhuang mentioning wanting to redeem himself, and her heart clenched in fear: Could it be that Tong Nian really went with this young master Li? Her taste was seriously questionable! Other girls, when looking for someone to redeem them, would at least find someone good-looking…
She knocked on the door quickly, calling anxiously, "Niannian! Niannian!"
"Go open the door!" Chu Nian said to Li Wenzhuang.
"Hey!" Li Wenzhuang didn't feel anything was wrong with being ordered around like this. On the contrary, he was happy and quickly responded before going to open the door.
When the door opened, the madam forced a smile on her fat face and said, "Young Master Li, why have you been in Niannian's room for so long? You... Niannian only sells her art, not her body."
Li Wenzhuang: "I know, Niannian has always been like this! I was just kneeling there..." He stopped mid-sentence, realizing that if he said he had been kneeling there massaging Niannian's legs all night, his father would probably be furious and might even break his legs. So he quickly changed his tune: "I mean, we just chatted there for a little too long! Don't worry, you'll get your money back!" As he spoke, he took out two large silver ingots from his money pouch and handed them to the madam.
The madam took it, but still a little worried, she craned her neck to look into the room and called out, "Niannian, are you alright?" The implication was that Chu Nian had lost her virginity.
Chu Nian: "Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine. Now that you've taken the money, why don't you hurry up and order someone to prepare breakfast for Young Master Li, so that he doesn't think we're neglecting our guest."
Honestly, she was starving!
Seeing that she was doing well, the madam was somewhat relieved and turned to order someone to prepare breakfast. However, on the way, she heard some girls talking about Tong Nian and Li Wenzhuang, which made her worry again.
Therefore, she ordered breakfast to be set out in a separate small hall and asked a servant to call Young Master Li to eat in this small hall, while she wanted to personally examine Chu Nian's body.
Unexpectedly, the servant rushed back and whispered to the madam, "Granny, Young Master Li said he wants to dine with Miss Tong. Also, the way Young Master Li looks at Miss Tong... is indeed a little different."
Although the servant was young, he was used to seeing patrons at the Cuihong Brothel, where they were always well-served, like Li Wenzhuang, who woke up early in the morning. Therefore, he also suspected that Tong Nian had lost her virginity.
The madam's face darkened: So Tong Nian was covering it up! She had calculated everything, but she hadn't anticipated that Tong Nian would prefer someone like Li Wenzhuang, a fat, big-eared man. But, there are prices for chatting and listening to songs, prices for spending the night, and even prices for servants, especially since servants are divided into different grades…
The madam felt increasingly cheated as she calculated the situation, and though she gritted her teeth in anger, she put on a smiling face and returned to Tong Nian's room. There she found Tong Nian sitting in a large chair, with Li Wenzhuang standing to the side, fanning her with a fan and a fawning smile.
Upon seeing this, the madam unconsciously turned to glance at the servant. The servant then gave her a wink, meaning: Does this look like you don't have that?
The madam's face darkened slightly, but she was in business, and besides, Young Master Li was wealthy and powerful, so she couldn't afford to offend him. She could only keep a smiling face and shuffle over.
“Young Master Li, breakfast has been prepared for you in a very elegant room next door. Please go and have your breakfast first. I’ll have a private chat with Niannian and then we’ll be there shortly.”
The madam thought her words were quite considerate, but Li Wenzhuang didn't appreciate them at all, saying, "Niannian hasn't eaten yet, how can I eat? If you have something to say, just say it now! No, hurry up and put the food on the table, Niannian can eat while you talk."
Seeing his reaction, the madam could only keep giving Chu Nian meaningful glances, but Chu Nian didn't even give her a second look, as if he hadn't noticed her attempts to signal at all.
Li Wenzhuang was already getting anxious and shouted, "Hurry up and go! Didn't you hear me? Are you afraid I won't pay you?" As he spoke, he took out a silver ingot and placed it on the table.
When the madam saw that this ingot was even bigger than the two she had just been given together, her eyes lit up. She reached out to take it, but Li Wenzhuang was faster. He snatched the ingot back into his hand and said calmly, "Where's our breakfast that we've been longing for?"
The madam chuckled, her body shaking with laughter, and said, "Young Master Li, look at you like that, as if I don't give our family a meal. She's our top courtesan, and for the sake of the money, I, as her nanny, can't possibly mistreat her!" She then winked at the servant and shouted, "Hurry up and tell the servants to bring the food up!"
The servant acknowledged and hurried off.
The situation inside the room was being spied on by a group of girls, who began to discuss it amongst themselves. Some of the favored girls even dared to stop the servant and ask what was going on inside, whether the boy had been aroused or not.
Without the madam's order, the servant dared not speak recklessly, and just gave a perfunctory reply before going to tell the maids to set the table.
Among the girls was one with delicate features and a good figure. Unlike the other girls who were dressed up in flamboyant ways, she stood out as clean and refreshing among the group of beautiful women. She just craned her neck to look in their direction and didn't utter a sound for a long time.
"Feiyan, do you think Tong Nian got anxious because you stole her thunder recently? She was afraid she wouldn't be able to sell her body for a good price, so she quickly gave herself to that young master Li?" the girl Yao Huan said to her.
This pretty and clean-cut young woman was none other than the female lead, Zhao Feiyan. Seeing the mocking look on Yao Huan's face, she couldn't help but sigh and say, "Don't talk nonsense. When did I steal Tong Nian's thunder? She's the top courtesan at Cuihong Pavilion!"
Yao Huan covered her mouth with her fan and laughed, "Don't be modest. I heard that many literati and poets outside love your poems. Your fame has already spread throughout the entire capital."
Zhao Feiyan felt that this person was trying to stir up trouble between her and Tong Nian, so she shook her head and said, "I don't think so. Besides, I don't think Tong Nian is the kind of woman who doesn't respect herself, so I don't think she would do anything foolish."
“Miss Zhao is absolutely right.” Suddenly, a clear female voice came from Tong Nian’s room, and Chu Nian came out.
Everyone was astonished to see Young Master Li following him so closely, as if Chu Nian were his master. Chu Nian, however, didn't even glance at him, but looked at Zhao Feiyan and smiled sweetly, "Miss, you've struck me as very kind. Would you be so kind as to invite you to have breakfast with me?"
Upon hearing this, Li Wenzhuang exclaimed anxiously, "Ah? You're going to dine with this Miss Zhao? What about me?"
He had barely uttered the words when Chu Nian glared at him, silencing him with a sharp look.
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