"Fuyao, who was that girl who applied the face mask for you? Grandma's too old to see clearly," an elderly woman with silver hair asked.
"Grandma, it's that singer, her name is Willow Catkins," Madam Liu said, pointing to the stage.
"Is it the girl you told us about when you came home, the one who was tricked by her stepmother and sold to the border town?"
Madam Liu nodded in reply.
Yes, that's her.
"I could tell from her voice just now that it was different. She spoke softly and gently, her voice was beautiful, and every word she said touched my heart."
Another old woman chimed in.
"Give her a tip..."
"Someone, bring fifty plum blossoms to Miss Willow Catkins."
Madam Liu spoke first, displaying great generosity.
Lady Liu rewarded Miss Liuxu with fifty plum blossoms.
Lady Liu rewarded Miss Liuxu with fifty plum blossoms.
The curtain had fallen on stage, and several girls bowed towards the upper floor.
"Thank you for your kind words, ladies."
There were no male customers at the Bai Ri Feng Yue Lou, and fearing to disturb the ladies who came to the brothel for beauty treatments, Zhou Ning'an left through the back door.
One night of passion, and no thought for the future.
This is the girls' rule.
If love between two people lasts forever
Why should it matter if we're together every day and night?
As soon as Young Master Zhou stepped out of the back door, he saw his own carriage, with Madam Zhou's maid standing beside it.
"Young Master"
Zhou Ning'an remained silent, watching the hand inside the carriage lift the cotton curtain.
"mother"
Madam Zhou looked at her son from inside the carriage and sighed.
"Didn't you just get home yesterday? Why didn't you have breakfast with your dad? He nagged me all morning, it was so nagging."
There was no blame in his tone towards Zhihua.
This put Zhou Ning'an at ease.
"It's not good for the child."
The man lowered his head and admitted his mistake.
Madam Zhou was helped down from the carriage by her maid.
"Go home quickly and get some rest."
"ah?"
Zhou Ning'an looked at his mother with a puzzled expression.
"Didn't you come here to arrest me?"
Madam Zhou glared at him
"Where did you get that big face?"
Watching his mother being helped by her maid towards the brothel, Young Master Zhou asked...
"Mom, where are you going?"
"I'm going to get a beauty treatment. Your Aunt Hu told me yesterday that Fengyuelou has launched several new ointments, so I'll try them out."
"ah?"
"you do not know?"
Zhou Ning'an shook his head, wanting to go with his mother again, just in case he could spend some more time with Zhihua.
He had just reached the door when he was stopped by the gatekeeper.
"Young Master Zhou, I'm sorry, but the brothel does not accept male customers during the day, is that alright?"
"ah?"
Young Master Zhou looked completely bewildered again.
"What are you 'oh'ing about? Get back here right now, you're making things worse."
Madam Zhou, supported by her maid, entered the brothel, leaving her own son standing at the door in the cold wind.
"Young master, let me take you home first," the coachman said.
What's going on?
Zhou Ning'an asked the driver
"The brothel caters to women during the day now. Many wealthy ladies come here. Didn't you hear the music playing inside just now?"
He is not deaf
Of course he heard it.
But he thought the girls were practicing their skills.
I didn't look at it closely.
"Okay... let's go home."
Madam Zhou had again sought out Zhihua today, but the young girl had just woken up and was still being served and washed by her maids.
She came to see Zhihua today for two reasons.
Firstly, I wanted to try the new ointment.
Secondly, I wanted to see what this girl meant by her son.
I'm really anxious about having a grandson.
When the young woman led the lady into the room, Madam Zhou knew that her son had stayed here the night before, and the safflower silk she had brought back from beyond the Great Wall was still on the table.
This safflower silk costs a hundred taels to make a small bottle. It's very good for women's health. I heard he brought back two jars. He just bought one for himself yesterday, and today I saw the other one here.
"What are you going to do today, Madam?" Zhihua asked.
Do them all for me.
"yes"
I heard today that the brothel has launched a new ointment, and many ladies have come to try it out. Once they've tried it and know what they like, they can just use it next time.
Now, apart from the facial treatments which are done by these girls, all other procedures are handled by the maids.
These young maids learned some acupressure points from Madam Cen and knew how to press and apply them for the most comfortable feeling.
Besides, it would be a waste of the girls' talents to do such physically demanding work. They would be better off using that time to perform their talents, which would earn them much more than such jobs.
"Has Miss Zhihua thought about her future?"
Madam Zhou's sudden remark caused Zhihua to pause slightly as she applied face cream.
"We'll just live one day at a time."
Zhihua's answer wasn't exactly positive or optimistic; it had a "what's the use" vibe to it.
At this moment, Madam Zhou's maid spoke up.
"Madam, the nanny just brought news that the managers of those shops on the main street have gone on strike with their waiters. What do you think?"
Just as Zhihua was about to stop, Madam Zhou raised her hand, signaling her to continue.
"If this were to happen to Miss Zhihua, what would you do?"
Zhihua chuckled softly.
"How would I know any of this? I'm just a courtesan."
The woman sat up; her plum blossom ointment wasn't ready yet. She took a silver note from her purse and said to the maid...
"Go downstairs and get an agate card."
"yes"
"If this were in your situation, what would you, Miss Zhihua, do?"
Madam Zhou asked again
It's true what they say, like mother and son. They do things exactly the same way. Someone bought a beauty salon membership from you, and you didn't even offer any suggestions. Isn't that going too far?
"If it were me, I would first agree to the manager's request, then place a capable and loyal person in the shop to oversee things. After about six months, once that person has learned how to operate the shop, I would find a pretext to oust the manager."
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