Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
After the madam walked away, Meng Yingying pondered for a moment. She finally understood what Zhou Xiuqi meant. Even if they stayed there and did nothing, the plot would still unfold, and these things would eventually be known to them.
“Li Youde, syphilis,” Meng Yingying murmured. There must be some connection. She looked at Zhou Xiuqi, who was sitting in his seat, drinking tea. Kong Fusheng composed himself and returned to his business. He was about to speak when a man dressed as a scholar approached. He stopped in front of them without saying a word, then suddenly leaned closer to scrutinize them. Meng Yingying remained motionless, letting him examine her. She immediately recognized him as the storyteller from last time. Kong Fusheng, however, felt extremely uncomfortable. He had heard that some men in such brothels had homosexual tendencies. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but contort his face. Shen Qingshan chuckled.
“You look familiar, Taoist priest,” she said. Meng Yingying glanced at her; she was now completely dressed as a man, a spirited young man. Zhou Xiuqi quietly put down his teacup, placed his hands on his lap, and looked at him: “Tell me the story of Xinghua Village.” He spoke frankly.
Shen Qingshan unfolded her folding fan, covering her lips, and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh dear, you can't mention that." Zhou Xiuqi took out his money pouch and placed it on the table: "I have money." He said coldly, while Meng Yingying was dumbfounded. "You didn't say that last time you came. You clearly said you had no money. Good heavens, you don't care about money when it comes to important matters, but you're stingy when it comes to buying me a few groceries. You stingy male lead, you're the stingiest male lead I've ever seen."
Shen Qingshan remained calm, took the money pouch, glanced at it, folded the fan, tapped it twice in her hand, and raised the fan to call out, "Bring some dishes." The maid responded, and Shen Qingshan sat down, drank a cup of water, and then said, "We can talk after the dishes are served."
"My name is Shen Qingshan. What are your names, fellow Daoists?" she asked.
Zhou Xiuqi gathered his sleeves and composed himself: "This Taoist wanders aimlessly, without a name or surname." Meng Yingying and the others understood this obvious attempt to probe his identity. When traveling, if you can't speak well, it's best to choose not to speak at all; this is the wisest choice. Kong Fusheng, who had been feeling uneasy, became much quieter, silently drinking water.
Shen Qingshan smiled and asked, "Then how should I address you?"
Zhou Xiuqi said, “Call me whatever you like.” He spoke in a very formal manner, and Shen Qingshan shook her head and smiled.
"Are you all so bad at conversation?" Shen Qingshan said. Meng Yingying couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Do you know about what happened in your building just now?"
Shen Qingshan's expression changed, and she twirled the fan in her hand: "If you're asking me about this, then I have nothing to say."
"Between money and life, I value life more," she said.
Seeing her expression, Meng Yingying realized she must know something. Could there be some other secret hidden in this brothel? Hua Liu and Li Youde were connected. Li Youde used to frequent Cui Xiang Lou, but with his wealth, he couldn't possibly afford to spend a night with Hua Liu, who was the top courtesan here. But that didn't rule out a connection between the two. Suddenly, no one spoke. Shen Qingshan observed them discreetly, while they avoided eye contact with her. Although her eyes were beautiful peach blossom eyes, they always seemed to hold a calculating quality.
He looks too shrewd.
"The dishes are here, Mr. Shen." The maid raised her hand, and the people behind her carried the dishes to the table. Shen Qingshan nodded, "Thank you."
“When I tell stories, I usually like to go on a slow and deliberate way, but some of you don’t like to listen to nonsense, so I have no choice but to get straight to the point.” She shook her fan, causing her hair to flutter in the breeze.
"More than a decade ago, Xinghua Village was a paradise in the hearts of many people. When people encountered setbacks in their lives, they would go to Xinghua Village, buy a jar of Butterfly Fragrance Wine, and sit under the apricot trees. The reason why Xinghua Village was able to be so secluded from the world was because of its village chief, Shouquanli."
"Rumor has it that there were twin sons in Shouquan Village. The younger son practiced martial arts, while the elder son studied literature. In order to allow his two sons to focus on their studies and martial arts training, he decreed that no villagers were allowed to leave the village and could only stay in Xinghua Village. Xinghua Village was surrounded by green mountains and clear waters, so naturally no one would say a word against it. However, a fisherman happened to walk into the village and discovered the delicious wine, Diexiang Brew, which made people linger. After leaving, he spread the word far and wide. As a result, more and more people came to visit because of its reputation."
"At first, Shouquan would drive them out one by one with a knife, but some of them, in order to drink the Butterfly Fragrance Wine, would plunder many books from outside and bring them to their eldest and youngest sons. Shouquan loved his sons dearly, so he agreed. Gradually, Xinghua Village became more and more famous, and many people came to admire it. However, the village chief of Xinghua Village stipulated that the villagers of Xinghua Village were only allowed to sell one hundred jars a year."
“The outsiders didn’t agree, so some people tried to bribe the villagers, but the villagers all said that only Shouquan knew how to do the final step of making Butterfly Fragrance Wine. So someone said, if he won’t give it to us, then we’ll just steal it. So some people went to steal it under the cover of night, but Shouquan was standing there, holding a knife and slashing them. The men fled in a sorry state, and after that, no one dared to do anything else.”
"Everyone thought that Xinghua Village would become more and more prosperous, until his eldest son, Shou Changyue, won the top prize in the imperial examination. Shou Quanli was overjoyed. Xinghua Village gave away free Butterfly Fragrance Wine that day, and many people came. Now no one dared to offend the village chief of Xinghua Village. In one day, he became the envy of everyone. Everyone said that Shou Changyue's future was limitless. He would definitely become a high-ranking official in the future. Everyone thought so, and Shou Quanli probably thought so too."
"But after the palace examination and the announcement of the results, there was still no news of Shou Changyue. Shou Quanli waited quietly. At first, some people comforted him, saying that maybe he was overlooked. Then, Shou Changyue was thrown back by a group of soldiers, naked and half-crippled. The soldiers said that he had cheated. Shou Quanli was furious and beat the soldiers out. In an instant, everyone was talking about it, and the dust stained this so-called paradise."
"All the commotion, the villagers of Xinghua Village initially praised him, but now that no one comes to Xinghua Village anymore, they start cursing Shou Changyue, saying that he has a tongue without bones, yet it chills people to the bone. Shou Changyue shut himself in his house and a month later, it was said that Shou Quanli's son had died. After that, Xinghua Village was forgotten. When people wanted to go back to it, they found that Xinghua Village, the entire village, had disappeared."
"But some people say that they saw Xinghua Village with their own eyes, and that the place is still the same as before, a paradise."
Shen Qingshan's lips were dry from talking, so he put away his fan and took a sip of water.
Zhou Xiuqi nodded: "Please prepare a car for us to go to Xinghua Village."
Shen Qingshan paused, holding the teacup, then looked up, shook his head, and smiled, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Zhou Xiuqi: "For more than ten years, you have been searching for the whereabouts of Xinghua Village. Why didn't you dare to go and find it?"
The teacup landed on the table with a sound that was neither too loud nor too soft. Shen Qingshan twirled her folding fan, and Meng Yingying could vaguely see something written on it, but she twirled it very quickly, like a turbine. Shen Qingshan stopped smiling and said coldly, "This is my private matter, and I don't think I need to tell you."
“I need a car, and all you need to do is give it to me. You don’t need to worry about anything else.” Zhou Xiuqi took out another money bag and placed it on the table with a clatter. It was quite heavy. Meng Yingying stared at the money and thought inappropriately, “Could the male lead actually be a hidden tycoon?”
Shen Qingshan reached out and took it: "Then I wish you a safe journey."
"Three days from now, at midnight, there will be a car waiting for you in the suburbs." After she finished speaking, she stood up: "I have other matters to attend to, so I will not continue with you all."
As Shen Qingshan's figure receded into the distance, Zhou Xiuqi also stood up: "Let's go."
Kong Fusheng breathed a sigh of relief; his stomach was bloated from drinking so much water. He rubbed his forehead and asked, "Senior Zhou, what are we going to Xinghua Village for?"
Zhou Xiuqi picked up his sword and said, "Grab the coffin."
Kong Fusheng pressed further, "What is the connection between the coffin and Xinghua Village? The coffin was born from Zhao Qiao'er's womb and then hidden by Tan Yuhua. These two things have no connection." Meng Yingying had another question in her mind: what was the relationship between Li Youde and Hua Liu? Why would he bite a girl's face for no reason? Was it unrequited love? Was he forced? Or was he humiliated by Hua Liu and harboring resentment? Any explanation was possible. Meng Yingying subconsciously felt that if she understood the relationship, she could understand the connection between the two things. She glanced silently at Zhou Xiuqi, wondering how he knew.
Zhou Xiuqi did not answer Kong Fusheng's question. He walked quickly forward, and Meng Yingying quietly moved closer to Kong Fusheng and said, "Let's come here tonight."
Kong Fusheng almost couldn't help but exclaim, "Again?"
Don't you want to know what the connection is between these two things?
Kong Fusheng felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of that place: "Going to brothels too often will damage your cultivation."
Meng Yingying advised, "That's your master lying to you. The brothel is full of beautiful girls. Your master must be afraid that you'll break your vows and ruin your virginity training, so he won't let you go. Besides, we're going there to do serious business, not to play with the girls. Aren't you curious about the secret behind it?" She lowered her voice to avoid Zhou Xiuqi in front hearing, and Kong Fusheng scratched his head for a while.
Hesitantly, he said, "Alright then."
Back at the inn, in the main hall, Xiao Zheyu sat upright, with Cong Rong standing beside her grinding ink for her. Kong Fusheng saw them as soon as he stepped in, his expression turning somewhat unpleasant. Meng Yingying noticed what had happened between them; Kong Fusheng's expression darkened the moment he saw Cong Rong. Xiao Zheyu lifted her eyelids to look over. Zhou Xiuqi walked upstairs. Every day, he was either outside or upstairs meditating with his door closed, without fail. After that night, he had become somewhat avoidant of her.
Meng Yingying looked left and right, each lost in their own thoughts. She turned around and slipped into the kitchen, only to see A Jin's shoulders twitching in the corner. She quickly went over and asked, "A Jin? What's wrong?"
Ah Jin covered her face and cried, unwilling to speak. Ah Li came out, her expression somewhat awkward: "Why are you crying? It's just that you were rejected."
"She was rejected?" Meng Yingying turned her head and asked. Ali squatted down and patted A Jin's back, saying, "She liked that shopkeeper so much and wanted to marry him, but the shopkeeper rejected her without saying a word."
Ah Jin's eyes were a little red, and she said, "Ah Li, stop talking."
"I'll cry all my tears out, and I promise I won't embarrass myself like this again," she said, her voice muffled as she suppressed a sob. Ah Jin was the most decisive of the group of girls; she was the first to stand up that day, which showed that despite her gentle appearance, she was actually very straightforward. Being rejected now was probably just a feeling of shame, and she seemed to be fine after a few days. After offering a few words of comfort, Meng Yingying asked, "Ah Jin, have you considered the consequences of your decision to marry him?"
Ah Jin's eyes were red. She said, "What can we do after that? Although he is disabled, it's not that I can't take care of him. My father and mother both got through it. They just lived day by day, dealing with the daily necessities of life."
Meng Yingying thought for a moment and said, "You think this way, but do you actually like him?"
Ali watched her walk out of the kitchen and said with her head down, "So what if you like it, so what if you don't?" Meng Yingying was stunned and didn't understand why she said such a thing.
Ah Li's eyes were a little red. She said, "Ah Jin's mother is blind in one eye, and her father is bedridden at home. To take care of her father, her mother embroiders flowers at home every day and sells them. A few days ago, her mother advised her to find someone to marry. She didn't want to, but if she didn't agree, her mother would have more trouble. We seem free now, but we are not as free as you are."
“Miss Meng, we remember your kindness, but we really can’t be like you and choose to marry someone we like. When our parents tell us to get married, we have to get married. We are just ordinary people with parents and family behind us.”
"If we don't marry, we can be drowned by each other's spit."
She turned her back and left.
Meng Yingying never imagined that doing good deeds would be so difficult.
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