Many people had once dreamed of being born into a landlord's family as a spoiled young master, spending all day doing nothing but roaming the streets with a pack of lackeys and harassing respectable women.
Gao Qiu must have done countless good deeds in his previous life, because every part of his dream had come true.
As the youngest son of the Assistant Prefect of Tiandu, his status and background were far more formidable than those of a landlord's son. So Gao Qiu never wasted the resources and talent he possessed in this regard—whenever he had nothing better to do, he took a group of lackeys into the streets to seek out pretty girls who caught his fancy.
Tiandu was the imperial capital, and East Market Street was one of its main commercial and trade avenues. The crowds surged, carriages and horses streamed past, and prosperity flourished everywhere—a grand sight of an age of peace and plenty.
Gao Qiu wandered up and down the street with several lackeys, snatching a few fruits from one stall and pilfering a handful of pastries from another. Whatever he grabbed, he stuffed into his mouth. If it suited his taste, he swallowed it; if it did not, he smashed it into the face of the merchant, cursing that the goods were terrible and ordering him to get lost at once and never let Gao Qiu see him again—or he would beat him every time they crossed paths—
Sure enough, Gao Qiu had just taken a bite of a pear and found it sour and astringent, impossible to swallow. He hurled the remaining half at the fruit seller's head and cursed at the top of his lungs, "You filthy cur, what kind of pears are you selling—Is this a pear? This is dog shit! Get