Could this be love?
Zhang Chunfeng stood so close to the man, whose face was full of smiles, as they entered the brothel one after the other.
Lee Soo-man seemed frozen in place, not knowing why he was staring intently into the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. Why was Zhang Chunfeng there, and with a man no less? And why were they wearing similar clothes?
Countless thoughts swirled in Li Xiuman's mind, all of which boiled down to the idea that she and that man were truly as intimate as husband and wife.
Lee Soo-man's heart sank until he felt his arm being patted, at which point he came to his senses and met Jang Chun-chun's cheerful smile.
"Wife, candied hawthorns," Zhang Chuntian said.
Remembering Li's words, Li Xiuman immediately spent money to buy Zhang Chuntian a string of candied hawthorns. Zhang Chuntian's eyes were full of excitement, and he opened his mouth to take a bite, but stopped when he touched the candied hawthorns.
"What's wrong? Eat." Lee Soo-man asked.
Zhang Chuntian handed the candied hawthorn to Li Xiuman, saying, "Wife, eat first."
Li Xiuman shook his head. The last time he ate this kind of sweet was more than 20 years ago, right after Shen bought it back. He hadn't eaten it since his family became poor. Looking at the bright red candied hawthorn, he was lying to himself when he said he didn't want to eat it.
Having been poor for so long, my instinctive reaction to anything that asks for money is to refuse.
Zhang Chuntian disagreed, saying, "I have to be good to my wife. She has to eat first. If she doesn't eat, I won't eat either."
Li Xiuman was taken aback. Although he knew that Zhang Chuntian only had a vague understanding of the definition of a wife, these words still warmed his heart.
Being good to him? That's rare after all these years.
"You eat it, Chuntian. I really don't like it. Be good, eat it quickly, and we'll go to the pharmacy." Li Xiuman gently ruffled Zhang Chuntian's hair.
Although Zhang Chuntian's physique, appearance, and skin color are quite different from Zhang Chunfeng's, his nose and hair are remarkably similar. Normally, men's hair is coarse and stiff, but Zhang Chuntian's hair, like Zhang Chunfeng's, is black, soft, and stringy, making one want to touch it.
"No, I want my wife to eat!" Zhang Chuntian raised his voice like a child, which made Li Xiuman hurriedly pull his hand, afraid that Zhang Chuntian would throw another tantrum in the street.
Unable to resist his stubbornness, he finally opened his mouth and ate a candied hawthorn. The bright red hawthorn was coated with a layer of white sugar that had been boiled for a long time, and it tasted sweet with a hint of sourness. His tongue, which usually only ate simple food, was truly captivated by this flavor and chewed it again and again, lingering with longing.
After eating one, Li Xiuman pushed the candied hawthorn to Zhang Chuntian. Zhang Chuntian laughed happily, swinging her hand that was holding Li Xiuman's freely. The two walked closely together toward the herbal medicine shop.
Little did they know that this scene was being witnessed by Zhang Chunfeng.
The second floor of Zuixianlou.
Zhang Chunfeng stood by the wide windowsill. On the table were newly served dishes from Zuixianju, including drunken crab roe, squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, and steamed crucian carp. Each dish could have been bought with a whole bunch of candied hawthorns. But Zhang Chunfeng had no appetite at all. He could only watch the two people standing on the street, sweetly sharing a candied hawthorn, holding hands, and stroking each other's heads.
My eyes hurt from looking at it.
She turned away irritably, and Zhou Zhengdu immediately poured her a cup of peach blossom wine.
“Chunfeng, I’m so happy that you’ve come with me today,” Zhou Zhengdu said. He was the only son of the current county magistrate, and although he was three years older than Zhang Chunfeng, he had passed the imperial examination with Zhang Chunfeng’s guidance. In those days, passing the imperial examination was extremely difficult; one in a thousand was already a feat, and many people took the exam year after year until they were fifty without ever passing. It was only because Zhou Zhengdu and Zhang Chunfeng had studied together at the Li Family School for three years and had developed a good relationship that Zhang Chunfeng tutored Zhou Zhengdu in his spare time.
Although Li Family School was the best school in the area, Ancheng was small and couldn't compare to wealthier places, so the teachers were generally of average ability. This year, out of more than four hundred students at Li Family School, only Zhang Chunfeng and Zhou Zhengdu passed the provincial examination. Zhou Zhengdu had long admired Zhang Chunfeng, and with Zhang Chunfeng's help, he passed the provincial examination. In the next few months, Zhang Chunfeng continued to tutor him in poetry and literature, and they were just waiting to go to the capital to participate in the metropolitan examination in March of the following year.
The thought of potentially passing the imperial examination with Zhang Chunfeng again and securing an official position—far more prestigious than his father's county magistrate—made Zhou Zhengdu, and indeed the entire Zhou family, practically idolize Zhang Chunfeng.
Zhou Zhengdu usually wouldn't use any of the gold, silver, or jewels he acquired, especially anything new and valuable, and would send them all to Zhang Chunfeng. Zhang Chunfeng was dutiful in his teaching, but Zhou Zhengdu sensed that Zhang Chunfeng's attitude towards him was merely one of obligation. Zhang Chunfeng rarely spent time with him on ordinary days. Even when they ate at the Zhou family home, Zhou Zhengdu's mother was always present.
Today is Zhou Zheng's birthday, and when he sent out invitations, everyone thought Zhang Chunfeng wouldn't attend. In previous years, the two were classmates, and Zhang Chunfeng had never even wished him a happy birthday. Unexpectedly, this year, Zhang Chunfeng not only attended but also invited him to dinner at Zuixianlou Restaurant.
Although he would definitely have to pay for it, Zhang Chunfeng hadn't prepared any gifts at all. He didn't say "Happy Birthday" but instead said, "This year we'll go to the capital together to take the imperial examination. I guarantee you'll pass with flying colors."
These words carried a promise, an invitation, a guarantee, and a bright vision of traveling together to Beijing in a few months.
In Zhou Zhengdu's heart, these words were hundreds of times more important than any "Happy Birthday" from anyone else in the world.
Because, according to custom, he should have invited many people to his birthday banquet, but he declined them all and only accompanied Zhang Chunfeng to Zuixianlou.
Zhang Chunfeng sat in the chair and drank the Peach Blossom Promise.
It has a sweet taste with a slight spiciness, and warms the stomach and spleen.
"Let's get someone to dance for us," Zhang Chunfeng ordered, then began to eat on his own.
Upon receiving the order, Zhou Zhengdu first had a group of dancing women brought in. Each of them wore a pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), held a pipa (a Chinese lute), and danced gracefully. After the group finished dancing, Zhang Chunfeng shook his head.
"We've already seen women dance; why don't we invite male prostitutes to dance instead?"
Zhou Zhengdu was slightly surprised. At this age, there was no difference between men and women, but he still preferred women from the bottom of his heart and did not quite understand the hobby of keeping male prostitutes among the people around him.
He couldn't quite figure out why Zhang Chunfeng wanted to summon male prostitutes. Did she want to see men? But Zhou Zhengdu was right beside her! Was she ordering male prostitutes to accompany the woman she admired? Zhou Zhengdu remained silent for a long time.
"Why is Chunfeng so interested today?" Zhou Zhengdu asked tentatively.
"I've never seen anything like it before, just wanted to broaden my horizons," Zhang Chunfeng said casually, but he was actually lying.
Every year on the fifteenth of the month, Zuixianlou would arrange for male and female singers to dance on the central stage on the first floor. This dance was free to watch, and Zhang Chunfeng had seen it several times.
Watching someone dance is dancing, but asking someone to accompany you is being accompanied.
After drinking the wine, Zhang Chunfeng inexplicably recalled delivering medicine to Li Xiuman yesterday, noting her two straight white legs and bare buttocks.
She knows about love, but she doesn't understand it. When she thinks of someone like this, is she thinking of his body, or of him as a person?
Hearing Zhang Chunfeng's words, Zhou Zhengdu realized he had never seen anyone dance before. He was also intrigued and summoned a male courtesan.
Six slender male courtesans, all dressed in emerald green gauze robes, their faces heavily made up. Zhou Zhengdu glanced at them lazily, thinking they weren't much better looking than himself.
The leading man spoke in a clear, melodious voice, like a nightingale: "My name is Qingyue, and I will perform a dance for our honored guest."
Zhang Chunfeng nodded, thinking that the voice was indeed quite nice, and that it would probably have a special charm when they were in bed together and their feelings were intense.
Qingyue was probably quite famous here; she had a slender waist and a long neck. As she danced, her dress fluttered gracefully, her movements fluid and natural. When she turned, a smile played on her lips, and she gave Zhang Chunfeng a seductive look. Zhang Chunfeng nodded repeatedly, while Zhou Zhengdu angrily opened and closed his gold-threaded fan.
It's not that everyone at Zuixianlou is particularly clever; even the male prostitutes who sweep the floor are incredibly perceptive! Yet this Qingyue dares to be so oblivious, spending all her time on serving people in bed and failing to notice Zhou Zhengdu's expression at all!
Qingyue didn't realize it either. He only thought Zhang Chunfeng was beautiful and had an extraordinary temperament. During the dance, he ended up dancing next to Zhang Chunfeng.
Her legs, hidden in her trousers, lightly touched the chair next to Zhang Chunfeng. Qingyue looked at Zhang Chunfeng with alluring eyes, bit her lip slightly, then lowered her head. With her delicate fingers, she lightly lifted her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), revealing half of her fair and tender calves, which tempted Zhang Chunfeng to touch them.
Just as Zhou Zhengdu was about to get up in anger, the five male courtesans who had been dancing immediately sat down beside him. This was how it was always done at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion: the head courtesan served the master, and the others served the less important ones. Although Zhou Zhengdu was paying for the service, since Zhang Chunfeng was sitting in the main seat at the octagonal table, everyone naturally assumed that the top courtesan would serve Zhang Chunfeng.
Zhou Zhengdu had always preferred men, but now he was being forced to hold hands and have his arms around the waist by the men on either side of him. Just as he was about to shoo them away in disgust, a piece of Longjing cake was stuffed into his mouth, leaving him unable to speak for a long time as he could only keep chewing the cake.
Qingyue's smooth legs swung on the stool, and she gave Zhang Chunfeng another wink. Then, with a slight twist of her waist, she plopped down on Zhang Chunfeng's lap. Her slender waist swayed in Zhang Chunfeng's arms, and her two hands deftly picked up the Peach Blossom Wine Cup on the table, filled it with wine, and then brought the cup to Zhang Chunfeng's lips with her mouth.
Zhang Chunfeng didn't take the drink with his mouth, but reached out and drank it. Qingyue thought Zhang Chunfeng was being reserved, so she took his hand and wrapped it around her waist.
Qingyue is considered a top courtesan, so her waist is naturally slender and flexible. Half of the light gauze on her body has been removed, revealing most of her beautifully shaped shoulders.
Zhang Chunfeng carefully examined Qingyue's face. Although she was not as alluring as Li Xiuman, she was still clean and refreshing. With such looks and such demeanor, anyone would be tempted.
Zhang Chunfeng had his arm around Qingyue's waist, his eyes fixed on her beautiful shoulders, but he felt nothing at all.
She felt as if her hand was on someone's waist, without any excitement, as if she were placing her hand on a piece of wood. The waist was long and the wood was long and the same. Zhang Chunfeng couldn't understand what kind of feeling those people had when they touched someone's waist and laughed heartily.
Zhang Chunfeng tried applying a little pressure to Qingyue's waist, and she could feel that the person's waist was extremely slender. Logically speaking, I should have been overjoyed at this moment.
With such a beautiful woman in my arms and fine wine at my side, why shouldn't I enjoy myself to the fullest?
Zhang Chunfeng couldn't understand it, but he felt a bit forced and tasteless looking at Shang Qingyue's seductive gaze.
"That's enough, go down." Zhang Chunfeng suddenly spoke.
Zhou Zhengdu had already swallowed four Longjing cakes, and he almost choked to death from the perfume on the male prostitute, and even more so from the Longjing cakes.
Qingyue glanced at Zhang Chunfeng, puzzled. He actually liked Zhang Chunfeng's face, and it was no loss to have such a patron accompany him. He really didn't want to leave.
Zhang Chunfeng, however, remained firm, saying, "What are you standing there for? Get out of here, and the money will still be paid."
These words made it clear that they couldn't accompany him today, so the male prostitutes had no choice but to bow and leave.
Zhou Zhengdu seized the opportunity and immediately grabbed the tea on the table, drinking it in large gulps. He then swallowed the pastries from Zuili and cleared his throat.
"Spring Breeze, these male prostitutes are really clueless! And they're not much prettier than me."
At this moment, Zhang Chunfeng raised his head and stared intently at Zhou Zhengdu.
Because in her early years she only thought Zhou Zhengdu was stupid and dull, and that he studied so hard every day but still couldn't even pass the imperial examination, she never looked at this stupid man's face very carefully.
Looking at him closely today, she suddenly realized that Zhou Zhengdu was indeed quite good-looking.
With fair skin and a tall figure, she has a beauty mark under her eye that adds to her charm.
Zhang Chunfeng pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "Come here and sit on my lap."
A few words spoken so casually startled Zhou Zhengdu that he spat out all the tea in his mouth. His ears turned red, and he hurriedly wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.
"Spring Breeze, what are you saying?"
"I need you to do me a favor. Come here."
Help? Zhou Zhengdu didn't know what kind of help he was getting by sitting on her lap. But seeing Zhang Chunfeng's serious expression, Zhou Zhengdu slowly walked over.
He looked down at Zhang Chunfeng's legs and recalled that over the years, his only contact with Zhang Chunfeng was once when he injured his wrist and could not hold the brush tightly when writing. At that time, the autumn examination was approaching, and Zhang Chunfeng had to hold his hand and help him copy to improve his memory.
To this day, Zhou Zhengdu still remembers that day. Two butterflies were perched on the peach tree outside the Li family school. A gust of wind blew, and the butterflies, along with the falling petals, fluttered down and gently landed in his heart. He truly wished his wrist was broken so that Zhang Chunfeng could hold his hand like that every day and help him write.
"Hurry up!" Zhang Chunfeng patted his legs.
"I... I'm a bit heavy, I'm afraid I'll hurt you," Zhou Zhengdu said nervously.
Zhang Chunfeng clicked her tongue, her tone already showing impatience. She had only wanted to see if Qingyue felt any desire while sitting on her lap, and she didn't want Zhou Zhengdu to feel anything now that he was sitting on her lap.
So he pulled Zhou Zhengdu up, and Zhou Zhengdu leaned to the side and immediately sat on Zhang Chunfeng's lap.
Unlike the previous handshake, this time it was real physical contact, and Zhou Zhengdu blushed immediately.
But then, he felt Zhang Chunfeng's hand sliding across his waist. Zhou Zhengdu was ticklish, but he didn't dare to wriggle in Zhang Chunfeng's arms. He remembered Qingyue's posture just now. He was, after all, the only son of the county magistrate; how could he wriggle in someone's arms like that male prostitute? So he endured the tickling and turned his head away so that Zhang Chunfeng wouldn't notice his unusual behavior.
Zhang Chunfeng touched it a couple of times, but her heart remained completely unmoved. Whether it was Qingyue just now or Zhou Zhengdu, sitting in her lap felt no different than hugging a piece of wood.
Qingyue herself didn't know him and had no feelings about him, which was fine, but she still didn't feel anything even though Zhou Zhengdu was so familiar with her.
"How do you feel?" Zhang Chunfeng asked abruptly.
"Huh?" Zhou Zhengdu opened his mouth, but his heart was about to jump out of his chest.
He didn't answer for a while, but Zhang Chunfeng had already noticed his blushing earlobes.
Zhang Chunfeng suddenly had an answer in her heart, and she pushed Zhou Zhengdu away.
"I suddenly remembered, where is the list of courtesans I asked for?"
Zhou Zhengdu was taken aback again. As soon as he arrived at Zuixianlou, Zhang Chunfeng asked the madam for the roster, but it hadn't been delivered yet. Zhou Zhengdu had completely forgotten about it.
He was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly urged them to get it.
A moment later, the waiter brought over two booklets. Zhou Zhengdu's face was still flushed, but when he saw Zhang Chunfeng open the booklets very seriously, he immediately hid his embarrassment, afraid that Zhang Chunfeng would notice.
These two booklets are the annual selections of the "Flower Queen" and "Willow Queen" of Zuixianlou since its establishment. The Flower Queen is naturally a woman, while the Willow Queen is a man.
Zhang Chunfeng first opened the book of courtesans, and after flipping through only a few pages, he saw "Shen Su'e".
She had an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, a petite figure, and wore a peony-patterned dress.
Even from the portrait in the book, one can see that this woman truly deserves the title of courtesan.
No wonder my sister-in-law is so beautiful; Madam Shen is indeed stunning.
Zhou Zhengdu assumed that Zhang Chunfeng wanted the list of courtesans to select a particular courtesan, so he took the list of courtesans himself and didn't want Zhang Chunfeng to see it.
Shen Su'e. Zhou Zhengdu, seeing that it was the courtesan who had been dead for many years, immediately relaxed, thinking that Zhang Chunfeng had no interest in the courtesan. So he pretended to open Liu Kui and casually flipped through it.
"Spring Breeze, who are you looking for?" Zhou Zhengdu was not interested in the man, his finger only lingering casually on the picture book.
Suddenly, Zhang Chunfeng's brow twitched, and he reached out and snapped the page that Zhou Zhengdu had turned to.
"Li Liuzhi?" Zhang Chunfeng took the man's booklet.
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