Liaozhai: A scholar should draw a sword

Chapter 203
After dawdling for a while, Gouzi finally took Wang Jiuma to see Yaoqin.

He told Wang Jiuma that Bu Dalang was Yaoqin's biological father, and because of the loss of business, his family fell into ruin, and he had no choice but to sell his daughter because he couldn't make it through.

In this regard, Wang Jiuma did not doubt it, after all, she had seen a lot.

These days, it is not uncommon for people to sell their wives, concubines, and daughters due to the pressure of life or some unavoidable reasons.

Back then, because she had several brothers and sisters and the family was too poor, her parents had no choice but to sell the child.

It seems cruel, but it is also forced by life. Adults and children can't starve to death, right?
If it is sold, the children will have a way to live, and the adults will get some money to make ends meet.

At that time, because of running around all the way, coupled with fright and worry, Yao Qin's body was a little sick.

Gouzi took this opportunity to hypothetically ask Wang Jiuma to diagnose for her, so as to avoid the root cause of the disease.

Yaoqin didn't think much about it, besides, Wang Jiuma was a woman, so she was even more unsuspecting.

While chatting with Yaoqin, Wang Jiuma checked her body, feeling more and more pleasantly surprised.

She has read a lot of people, and she believes that with a little training, Yaoqin will definitely become a popular oiran.

Next, he bargained with Bu Dalang and Gouzi, and finally agreed on 600 taels of silver.

Bu Dalang was so excited that he was about to faint, after all, had he ever owned such a large amount of money in his life?

On weekdays, there are some small money in my pocket.

It's a pity that Bu Dalang underestimated Gouzi's ambition.

The reason why Gouzi was so enthusiastic this time was because he owed a large amount of gambling debts.

As the saying goes, a monk who can run away can't run away from the temple. There are old people in his family and young people at the bottom. If the money is not paid, the family may be destroyed.

This time I earned 300 taels for nothing, which was actually enough to pay off my gambling debts.However, after paying off the gambling debt, there is not much money left.

Therefore, Gouzi was quite unwilling.

What he thought was, if he could also get the other half of the money, wouldn't he be able to live a better life in the future?

Of course, this is just his good idea.

It is very difficult for a gambler to get rid of his bad habits. Once he pays off his gambling debts and has 300 taels of silver in his hands, this guy may fall into it again someday.

Although Bu Dalang is idle, he seldom gambles, because he knows that once he becomes addicted to this game, it will be beyond redemption.

After getting the money, Bu Dalang proposed to spend a few more days in Linzhou Mansion, and he wanted to get to know the girls in Linzhou Mansion well.

But Gouzi disagreed.

Because he was in a hurry to go back and pay off his gambling debts, if he didn't pay back for one day, he would get one more day's interest, and rolling interest was quite scary.

Besides, even if Bu Dalang entertained him, it would still cost him money.

This guy has already made up his mind to cheat.

"Da Lang, we have so much money in our hands, if we are targeted by someone, we will be in big trouble. Losing money is not a big deal, but losing your life is a big deal.

Besides, there are too many rich people in Jianzhou Prefecture, spending money like water, our little money may not be able to withstand the toss.

Wouldn't it be better to go back to Jianzhou Mansion and find more girls to play with? "

Having said this, Bu Dalang also felt quite reasonable, so the two started their return trip that day.

On the way, the two checked into an inn.

When the sky was about to light up, Gou Zi tiptoed and got up, first found Bu Dalang's package, checked the money, then ran to pick up the teapot on the table and slammed it on Bu Dalang's head.

Gouzi thought his plan was perfect.

But it never occurred to him that maybe he had never killed anyone before, his hand trembled, and he smashed crookedly, and missed the vital point, but made Bu Dalang scream loudly and turned over suddenly.

In desperation, Gouzi didn't care much, so he picked up the pot and threw it at it.

The instinct to survive made Bu Dalang desperately resist, while shouting for help, Gouzi became red-eyed, jumped on the bed and desperately smashed the copper pot one after another until Bu Dalang's head turned into a watermelon, and then hurriedly threw the pot Throwing it away, he took the package and ran away.

Such a big movement naturally alarmed the customers in the shop.

Coincidentally, there happened to be three policemen in the store who were escorting a key criminal to stay here. After hearing the movement, two of the policemen went out with knives to check, and found that the dog was covered in blood, and rushed to the store in a panic carrying a package. courtyard.

Ever since, the two policemen chased after him, and with a flick of the knife, Gouzi was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground.

He got the stolen goods at the same time, so one can imagine his fate, let alone the money, he would also lose his life.

On the other hand, after Bu Dalang and Gouzi left, Yaoqin communicated with Wang Jiuma, and only then did she realize that she had been cheated, and cried to death.

Wang Jiuma heard Yaoqin sobbing and telling about what had happened, and then realized that she was also deceived. Yaoqin was not Bu Dalang's daughter at all, but was abducted and sold.

However, she spent a whole 600 taels of silver, so she can't be in vain, right?
So he also told Yaoqin the truth.

"I won't hide it from you until now. I bought you for 600 taels of silver. This is a sales contract. You can see for yourself..."

Yaoqin subconsciously took over the contract and saw that it was so, she cried even more.

After she cried for a while, Wang Jiu's mother comforted her: "Speaking of it, I'm not a hard-hearted person. But I spent 600 taels of silver, which is not a small sum.

Besides, the whereabouts of your parents are unknown, and it is impossible to say whether they were killed or not.

Otherwise, you should settle down with me first, and I will ask someone to inquire, if your parents are fine, then let them redeem you back.

If you don’t believe me, you can also write a letter yourself to someone you know to ask about the situation..."

Yaoqin thought, this is probably the only way.

After thinking about it, she wrote a letter to Yan Xiucai who had taught her to read.

However, the experience this time also made Yaoqin mature a lot. In the letter, she did not explain her actual situation, but only said that she was separated from her parents, and now she is temporarily living in a family in Linzhou Prefecture.

What she wanted was to make sure whether her father and mother returned home safely, and if she did, she would explain her situation and wait for her parents to come to the state capital to redeem her body.

After waiting for nearly a month, I finally got a reply.

As soon as the letter was opened, she recognized Mr.'s handwriting, and she was a little excited.But when he saw the content, he almost fainted.

She never expected that this time the family would encounter such a catastrophe.

But this time, the disaster was caused by her uncle.

Yaoqin's uncle belongs to the kind of person who likes to be greedy for cheap things, and because of this, he was used by others, and Xu Yizhongli let him sneak into the inn to steal things.

Yaoqin's uncle didn't know that what he stole was actually a secret document from the imperial court on border defense.

And the person who used him was the spy of the enemy country who had been lurking for many years.

It is precisely because of this that Yaoqin's uncle was taken into a prison by the government to be tortured and tortured, and a large family was also implicated.

Including Yaoqin's family was also sealed up by the government, and the government is still searching for the whereabouts of Yaoqin's family to confirm whether their family has been bribed by secret agents.

In the letter, Yan Xiucai persuaded Yaoqin that he believed that Yaoqin's family could not have any relationship with Xizuo.

But once this kind of thing is caught by the government, it is difficult to say clearly. I advise her not to go home for the time being, and wait until the limelight passes.

In the end, Yaoqin was asked to burn the letter after reading it, so that no evidence could be left.

After reading the letter, Yaoqin burned the letter in tears, and then fell ill and lay in bed for more than ten days.

During this period, Wang Jiuma was quite considerate, finding a doctor for her, decocting medicine, and cooking porridge, which made Yaoqin feel a little bit of warmth.

After recovering physically, Yaoqin took the initiative to talk to Wang Jiuma, saying: "Jiuma, my parents have not been found, so it seems to be a bad luck.

I have nowhere to go but to stay.

But Jiu Ma, you can let me do other things, even chores, but...but I...I will never sell my body. "

Wang Jiuma sighed: "It's up to you, if you are talented enough, you can also sell your skills without selling yourself.

From now on, I will treat you like a daughter, and I will teach you what should be taught to you.

But there is one thing I want to remind you, in the wind and dust, anyone may meet, you have to be mentally prepared and learn how to protect yourself skillfully. "

"Thank you Nine Mom."

At this point, Yaoqin also accepted her fate.

In short, as long as you don't sell your body, it doesn't matter what you do.

After that, Wang Jiuma changed Yaoqin's name according to the usual practice, and recognized Yaoqin as a righteous daughter, and followed her as Wang, with a single name and a flower name of Mei Niang.

After that, he tried his best to teach Mei Niang all aspects of experience, as well as the rules and etiquette in the world.

They also hired someone to teach Meiniang how to play and sing.

Although Meiniang is good at piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, what she has learned before are all more elegant things, not all guests will appreciate them.

Therefore, you have to learn some singing and dancing suitable for the wind and dust, so as to please the guests.

Wang Jiuma placed high hopes on Meiniang, not only tried her best to pass on her years of experience, but also invited some famous musicians and dancers to teach Meiniang.

In a blink of an eye, more than a year later, Meiniang turned 14 and officially debuted.

As soon as he debuted, with his outstanding appearance and talent, coupled with Wang Jiuma's vigorous publicity, he quickly became famous and attracted many romantic talents. talent.

Poems and songs are hard to beat Mei Niang.

Playing the piano, making tea, singing, dancing, wine tasting... all kinds of talents are not inferior.

Therefore, in just half a year since her debut, Meiniang was dubbed the "Oiran lady", and Wang Jiuma couldn't help but smile from ear to ear.

This shows that her eyesight is good, and the money and energy she spent were not in vain. She is finally proud, and it is much better than her previous expectations.

Someone with good deeds made up a poem of unknown style to describe Mei Niang:
"Among the girls, who seems to be as beautiful as Wang Meier, who can write, draw, compose poems, play music, sing and dance.

The West Lake is often compared to Xizi, even Xizi is not as good as it.Whoever is blessed to bathe her body is willing to die alone. "

Under the prestigious reputation, Meiniang's fame and limelight rose steadily, and she seemed to be one of the top oirans in Linzhou Prefecture.

Because of this, it drove the business of Wang Jiuma's yard, and was busy recruiting several girls, and even matched them with maids and buddies.

However, with such a great reputation, it is inevitable that some people will be ready to make a move, wanting to make a move for Mei Niang to groom her.

The brothel industry also has its own jargon, 13-year-old is called flower testing, 14-year-old is called flowering, and 15-year-old is called picking flowers.

Among them, a wealthy businessman surnamed Jin was the most generous, offering a high price of 1000 taels of silver in order to bloom.

At this price, Wang Jiuma was naturally moved.At the beginning, she spent 600 taels to buy Meiniang, and later she also spent a lot of money to train Meiniang.

1000 taels, basically all the money invested can be recovered.

As a result, when she ran to talk to Meiniang, Meiniang started to cry immediately, saying that Jiu Ma's words were not worth it, and she had agreed to be a performer instead of her body, why did she change her mind now?
He also said that if she had to be forced, she would rather die.

Seeing Meiniang's resolute attitude, Wang Jiuma didn't dare to force her. After all, Meiniang is now her cash cow, and it has also driven the business of the whole yard, even the other girls.

Therefore, Wang Jiuma hurriedly apologized and smiled: "Dear girl, don't be angry, I'm just asking casually, so I can say no to Mr. Jin."

"Don't ask about this kind of thing in the future."

"Yes, yes, don't ask, don't ask..."

Wang Jiuma left awkwardly, and ran to politely reject Master Jin, assuming that Mei Niang was still young, and she would talk about it when she grew up.

Although Master Jin is not reconciled, this kind of thing cannot be forced.

Besides, Wang Jiuma has some connections in Linzhou Mansion, and she manages all aspects very well. Most people would not dare to make trouble in her yard.

At first, Wang Jiuma set the price for the guests who came to meet Meiniang at ten taels of silver.

In other words, the starting price is ten taels, which includes basic tea, wine and dishes.

If the guests want to drink better tea and eat better food and wine, they can order additional dishes.

Later, as Meiniang became more and more famous, Wang Jiuma raised the price to 20 taels of silver, divided into three or seven.

Meiniang gets [-]% and Wang Jiuma gets [-]%. After all, she provides the venue and drinks.

In fact, many girls don't care about the share, especially some top cards and oirans.

The net worth of most oirans is comparable to that of rich people. It is impossible to earn that much money just by sharing the money, after all, their appearance will grow old.

Their income mainly depends on the rewards and gifts from customers.

Generally speaking, those who have the ability to come to find the oiran are mostly the children of rich families, or some talented people with a lot of money.

Some wealthy disciples can be said to spend money like water, as long as they are happy, they can spend quite generously, including gold, silver, jewelry, and jewelry.

Therefore, many prostitutes dream of becoming an oiran.

Just like scholars all over the world, they all dream of becoming the number one scholar.

Besides, there is an oil shop in the east of Linzhou Prefecture. The owner of the shop is called Zhu Laoshi. His wife died early, and he has no children under his knees.

Three years ago, a clerk named Qin Chong came to the store, and his mother died early. When he was 13 years old, his father went out with others to do business, but he never returned.

Qin Chong had no way of life, so he looked around for a living, and finally found Zhu Laoshi's oil shop.

Zhu Laoshi saw that Qin Chong was smart, studious and honest, so he wanted to train him, and when the time was right, he adopted him as his adopted son and let him inherit his family business.

Qin Zhong is grateful, and works hard on weekdays, practicing his skills hard.After three years of practice, he has developed a unique skill.

Others used measuring tools such as buckets to make oil, but Qin Chong didn't use measuring tools, he just took a ladle, and he could scoop up a lot of points just by his eyesight and feeling.

That's all right, the key point is that he also has an amazing stunt, find a gourd and put it on the table, and put a copper coin in the mouth of the gourd.

Qin Zhong scooped up the oil with a ladle and poured it down high, so that the oil was pulled into a thin line and poured into the gourd through the copper coin hole.

When the oil in the ladle was poured out, there was not a single drop of oil on the copper coins, and then the copper coins were removed to see that the gourd was just full.

Someone didn't believe in evil, and changed several gourds of different sizes, but the result was the same. Qin Chong only needed to glance at the size of the gourd, weigh it again, and shake it, and he could calculate in his heart roughly how much oil it could hold.

With such a unique skill, the business in Zhu Laoshi's store became more prosperous, and many people deliberately took a detour to come to get oil, just to see Qin Chong's unique skill with their own eyes.

……

(End of this chapter)