Ning Zikun was somewhat bewildered by Song Tianyao's attitude. "Aren't you police officers?"
"They are, but I'm not. I just happened to be here today looking for a wig to make," Song Tianyao said to Ning Zikun. "Where are the indentures of those three girls?"
"They're all with me," Ning Zikun said. "They're all unrelated people, so there's absolutely no risk. I bought them for two thousand yuan each; they're very expensive."
Song Tianyao pulled a cloth bag from the other man's long robe. Inside, as expected, were all the necessary items: bank deposit slips, three contracts of indenture, a phone book with numerous phone numbers, and so on. Song Tianyao casually tore off the contracts and turned to Yan Hung, asking, "How many wives do you have?"
"Three. There's a tigress at home, and two outside," Yan Hung said.
Song Tianyao then looked at Lam Kong: "How many wives do you have?"
"Including my girlfriend, I have six or seven long-term dates, but I could handle three more." Lan Gang said energetically as he watched Song Tianyao tear up the indenture and prepare to divide up the three beautiful young girls.
"They'll die in bed sooner or later. None of these three are suitable for you two bastards with a harem. I'd better arrange them myself. Take the old man, Headless, to the detention center first. I'll send him there after I finish repairing his room at my factory. A-Hung, have someone take that Song Sidi to Sheung Wan." Song Tianyao patted the crumbs in his hand. "That's it."
"Big Brother, I thought it was a big case, but it turns out you're taking a concubine and Zhong is fighting three against one?" Lam Kong called out from behind Song Tianyao as he prepared to leave.
Song Tianyao glanced at Lam Kong and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I won't let you go for nothing. A-Hung has the 300,000 that Lui Lok sent. Take 50,000 from there, get some people to help you deliver a banner that says 'Criminal Buster,' and then find a few venues in Mong Kok that are willing to cooperate to put on a good show, get it published in the newspapers, and buy a commendation from the Police Force. It won't be a waste of your time, how about it?"
"Thank you, wow, crime buster! Thank you so much! Next Big Brother I visit you, I'll definitely bring you a seahorse to help you replenish your kidneys. Have fun! If three isn't enough, I can even introduce you to other women." Lam Kong's face practically lit up when he heard that he wouldn't have come for nothing and would instead earn an internal Police Force commendation.
"Mr. Song, where are you going?" Yan Hung asked as Song Tianyao was about to leave.
Song Tianyao said in a voice that sounded like that of a spoiled brat, "Of course I'll take the three girls first. They're terrified and need to be calmed down. I used to be Philanthropist's secretary, so this is something I'm good at."
Chapter 222 Sudden Outburst of Anger
With three obedient little girls who couldn't refuse, Song Tianyao got into his car. He glanced at the three girls huddled together in the back seat in the rearview mirror and asked:
Do you have any relatives in Hong Kong? I can take you there.
The other two dared not speak to Song Tianyao, keeping their heads down in silence. Only the young girl who had been singing in front of Lu Yu Teahouse shook her head. During her time away from Lu Yu Teahouse, she had only encountered Song Tianyao, someone she could barely be considered acquainted with. Hearing Song Tianyao's question, her eyes reddened, and she sadly said to Song Tianyao, "Master... Master sold me..."
It seemed that as soon as she said those words, the girl's heartache and sorrow at being sold off by her master, who was like family to her, along with the fear and anxiety she had been feeling all this time, all rushed to her mind in an instant, and she could no longer hold back and began to cry softly.
When she started crying, the other two girls also began to cry.
Song Tianyao didn't rush to start the car. Instead, he took a handkerchief from his suit pocket and handed it to the girls. Only after the three girls had stopped crying did he calmly inquire about their situation.
The three girls Ning Zikun bought were all daughters who had been raised and trained by blind men or musicians. The blind men and musicians were the girls' teachers. Most of them were bought by their teachers at a very low price from poor, remote areas where parents had to sell their children when they were three or four years old. The teachers would take them with them to learn their skills. When the girls got a little older, they would travel around to earn money for their teachers. Generally, when the girls were fifteen or sixteen years old, their personalities would gradually mature, and the teachers would no longer keep them by their side. They would worry that if they were old and weak, they would scold their apprentices and the apprentices would become independent and run away. So, they would often resell them, make a profit, buy another three or four-year-old girl to train again, or simply retire and return to their hometown.
The girls who were sold might be lucky enough to be kept as concubines by wealthy men, or unlucky enough to be sold off their virginity in Brothels, ending up in a living hell from which they could never escape.
The girl who met Song Tianyao while playing the pipa and singing at Lu Yu Teahouse had previously taken her master's surname, Fu, and only had a nickname, Xinniang. The other two were twins who had been adopted by a blind man who sang for a hundred families. Like Fu Xinniang, they had no formal names, not even surnames. The blind man only used two words from the opera lyrics as nicknames when he bought them: Shu Yan and Shi Yin. The older sister was called Shu Yan, and the younger sister was called Shi Yin.
The three girls didn't even know where they were from or who their parents were. After they finished their tearful explanation, Song Tianyao scratched his head. He wasn't a stud, and he didn't have the same kind of mentality as Lam Kong, who couldn't resist seducing and sleeping with beautiful women. For him, women were more like a pastime outside of his career. Having two or three women around and occasionally seeking pleasure was fine, but Song Tianyao couldn't bring himself to have a group of women around him, constantly taking supplements like seahorse and deer antler and indulging in lustful desires. Besides, although the three girls in front of him were pretty, they were clearly underage and malnourished, somewhat thin. He wasn't a beast and couldn't bring himself to take advantage of them.
Song Tianyao has already torn up the indentures of these three girls. In a few days, he will have Yan Hung help them register their household registration in the Police Force under the pretext of visiting relatives, and then they will be considered free.
"Is there really nowhere to go?" Song Tianyao asked again, seeing that Yan Hung and Lam Kong were already preparing to pack up.
The three girls continued to shake their heads.
"Alright, come stay at my place for a few days and work at the pharmacy. It's three yuan a day, room and board included. Once the factory opens, if you still don't have anywhere to go, you can work there."