"Knock knock knock--" Although the door was open, Zhan Yongwen did not walk in directly, but knocked on the door three times.
After a while, a hunched-backed old man came out, "Hey! Isn't this Mr. Zhan? Why are you here so early today?"
Zhan Yongwen smiled and pointed at Huang Wanzhen beside him and said, "Bring a friend over for a bowl of noodles."
Huang Wanzhen's eyes widened in confusion. "Eating noodles?"
The old man didn't look directly at Huang Wanzhen's face. He bent down and held out his hand, "Master Zhan, please come in, Miss. Our noodles are a must-try."
Zhan Yongwen nodded seriously, "Well, your noodles are indeed delicious."
Huang Wanzhen didn't dare to stay too far away from Zhan Yongwen. When she saw him walking inside, she hurriedly followed him.
When she walked in, Huang Wanzhen did not look around, but only glanced around with the corner of her eyes. Various gorgeous palace lanterns and chandeliers were hung on the ceiling, giving a vague and mysterious feeling.
"Not many people are eating noodles today, so Mom should have time to accompany me. I haven't seen you for a long time and I miss you very much. Please ask Mom to come out." After saying that, Zhan Yongwen slapped three dollars on the table.
Huang Wanzhen saw this and silently remembered it in her heart, thinking that she had to report to Editor Zhan when she got back. She couldn't ask others to do things for her and then have them fill in the blanks.
"Okay, Mr. Zhan, please wait a moment. I will go and call for you right away." The old man bent down, took the three dollars with a smile, and walked straight in.
Huang Wanzhen followed his figure, looked inside, and asked quietly, "Is there a yard inside?"
"Well, it's not big, it's a small patio. There is a small two-story building opposite with eight rooms on the upper and lower floors." As Zhan Yongwen said this, he helped Huang Wanzhen pour a cup of tea on the table.
Huang Wanzhen only watched, but she dared not touch it. She had read many novels in her previous life, and knew that the things in this brothel might contain drugs. She cherished her life very much and dared not waste even a single cent.
"Oh my! Master Zhan is here! Sorry for not welcoming you." A heavily made-up woman walked in from behind. Huang Wanzhen looked over and gritted her teeth in disgust, thinking, "How could this woman put on so much makeup in such a short time?" "Does she even sleep with makeup on? Isn't she afraid of damaging her skin?"
Zhan Yongwen laughed, "Mom, please sit down and have a bowl of noodles with me."
The two of them exchanged a few words and joked with each other, while Huang Wanzhen sat aside without saying a word.
After a while, the old man came back with a tray in his hand. On it were a plate of peanuts and a plate of cold-boiled pig ears.
With a smile on his face, he put it on the table, turned around and left again.
"Mom, I want to ask you something. Is there a girl named Xiuqing living in your building?" Zhan Yongwen picked up a peanut and put it in his mouth.
The woman, however, went straight for the pig's ears and said, "Wow! Xiuqing is such a nice name. Where did Master Zhan hear it from?"
Zhan Yongwen didn't hide anything and pointed at Huang Wanzhen with his chopsticks. "This young lady said that her family originally had a servant named Xiuqing, who was sold here, and she wants me to be a middleman."
"Mom, please give me some face and invite the girl out to have a few words."
The mother was quite comfortable with the old-timer Zhan Yongwen, but felt a little awkward when she met Huang Wanzhen's gaze. "If you ask me, since you've come to our teahouse, it means you're destined to be with me. I treat girls like my own daughters. Just relax, young lady, and don't dwell on it."
Huang Wanzhen thought for a few seconds and said softly, "Xiuqing has a miserable life too. I always want her to have a better life. She can't enjoy the prosperity of the world. As long as she is willing, I will do my best to let her live an ordinary life."
The madam lowered her head and glanced at her. "Oh! That's a nice thing to say. Then why did she come to me? It's because she has no food to eat elsewhere."
Huang Wanzhen didn't explain much, but just lowered her head slightly and said as if in repentance, "It's our fault."
The madam's shoulders relaxed at these words. She casually threw her chopsticks on the table and angrily said, "Everyone has a miserable life. Do you think you're a living Bodhisattva who can save people from suffering? There are so many people in the world with miserable lives. Can you save them all?"
This was full of gunpowder, but Huang Wanzhen's expression remained unchanged. "I don't know many people in the world, but I met Xiuqing in the mortal world. I hope my mother can satisfy my selfish desires."
"Yes, aren't you a selfish person?" The madam picked up the chopsticks and stirred them in the plate. After a while, the table was in a mess. "Pa——" she slammed the chopsticks on the table.
"I won't eat anymore. I don't have an appetite just looking at it."
Zhan Yongwen smiled and took out another three dollars from his pocket, "I'll treat Mom to something else."
The anger on the madam's face disappeared, and she returned to her normal appearance. She looked at Zhan Yongwen lovingly, reached out to take the dollar, and threw a coquettish glance, "Thank you, Mr. Zhan, for the reward."
After that, he shouted towards the back door, "You bastard, why don't you go and invite Xiu'er over?"
When Xiuqing saw Huang Wanzhen wearing a dress, she covered her mouth in disbelief and tears fell to the ground.
"Can I go over there and talk to Xiuqing?" Huang Wanzhen pointed to the corner in the east.
The madam turned her eyes towards that place and flicked her handkerchief. "Go ahead, don't wait any longer."
"Hey!" Huang Wanzhen responded crisply, stood up, grabbed Xiuqing's arm, and led her to the east.
"Were you sold here by Axiang?" Huang Wanzhen asked in a low voice.
Xiuqing burst into tears and nodded continuously.
Huang Wanzhen patted her shoulder and said, "Calm down first, and cry later."
Xiuqing wiped the tears from her face with her fingers and said, "My brother-in-law sold me for seven dollars."
Huang Wanzhen nodded, indicating that she understood, "Do you want to come with me?"
Xiuqing nodded like a chick pecking at rice, "Yes, I do. I dream about it."
Huang Wanzhen didn't agree immediately, but asked, "In your situation, if you go out, you will face rumors and gossip, and you will most likely not be able to return to the Huang Mansion, and your livelihood may also become a problem. Are you still willing to go out?"
Xiu Qing's eyes were filled with pleading, "I do, Second Miss. When I first came in, I really wanted to die, but I didn't have the courage. Later, those stinky men tortured me, and I never resisted. I thought, let it be, it's okay if they kill me, then I don't have to suffer here."
"Everyone's fate is predetermined. If I could choose, I would rather my mother hadn't given birth to me. That way, I wouldn't have to live in this cannibalistic world and suffer all the hardships and humiliation."
Huang Wanzhen squeezed her hand tightly and said, "I know you've suffered a great crime. As long as you are willing, I will redeem you."
"Plop--" Xiuqing knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to Huang Wanzhen.
Since there was hope for life, why didn't she seize it? God didn't want her to live, but she insisted on living. When she was with the young lady, she was still a valuable animal. Here, she was not a living thing at all, just a toy to be trampled on at will. She didn't want to be a dead thing. After she got out, as long as she could survive, she would be willing to live like an animal.
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