Liu Ruyan glanced inside the wall.
Pu Yunshan was carrying a bag of lime up the scaffolding, walking very fast, with Tuoba Mang carrying bricks behind him.
" Hongxiu, this guy is actually pretty good."
"I know."
Qin Hongxiu lowered her head.
" Sister Liu, I want to see Prince Yi."
Liu Ruyan smiled, placed the bronze stove on the stone stool by the wall, and slowly lifted the lid, revealing several pieces of roasted chestnuts inside.
"Do you want the prince to return the contract to Pu Yunshan?"
Qin Hongxiu's hand froze.
Liu Ruyan peeled a chestnut and gently blew on it.
"Want to return the sword tassel?"
Qin Hongxiu remained silent for a long time.
The wind was strong in the back alley, and the corner of the food box was blown gently against her leg.
He shouldn't have stayed in Yi Prefecture for my sake.
And what about you?
Liu Ruyan put the chestnut in her mouth and chewed it slowly.
"Am I planning to go back to the Flower-Between Pavilion, sell myself again, and pay him back a thousand taels?"
Qin Hongxiu's face flushed instantly.
Liu Ruyan looked at her.
"You're carrying food, a sword tassel stuffed in your sleeve, and your face screams 'I'm not worthy.'"
Qin Hongxiu bit her lip, unable to respond for a long time.
Pu Yunshan's voice came from inside the wall.
" Tuoba Mang, you've handed me the bricks backwards!"
"Bricks have two sides?"
"Nonsense!"
Hearing those few words of commotion, Qin Hongxiu's eyes welled up with tears, and she quickly turned her face away.
Liu Ruyan did not laugh at her.
He then peeled another chestnut and placed it in Qin Hongxiu's hand.
What are the girls who come from brothels most afraid of?
Qin Hongxiu stared at the chestnut in her palm without saying a word.
"I'm afraid my man will change his mind."
Liu Ruyan spoke for her.
"I'm afraid they'll throw it away after they've had their fun with it."
"I'm afraid the person who said they'd take you away yesterday will find you troublesome today."
Qin Hongxiu's fingers slowly tightened.
Chestnuts crumbled in my palm, tiny powders seeping between my fingers.
Her voice was hoarse.
"I know I only have seven or eight years left. In the Flower-Between Pavilion, there aren't many sisters who are over twenty-five who will remain."
"I have fine lines on my face, and customers think I look old."
"They've ruined their health, and Mom complains that they're just eating for free."
"Some were sold to brothels, some were sent to laundry rooms, and some got sick and were simply carried out of the backyard wrapped in a mat."
When she looked up, her eyes were already red.
"I've seen too much."
Today people may fawn over you, but tomorrow they may trample you into the mud.
" Young Master Pu thinks I'm good now because he's never seen any other clean-looking girls, nor has he seen me when I'm old."
"He might tolerate it now because I still look good, but he'll regret it when I get older, my face isn't pretty anymore, and my temper is bad."
Liu Ruyan listened quietly.
Qin Hongxiu gripped the food box tightly, her throat tightening.
I don't want to wait until that day.
I don't want him to look at me; it makes me feel disgusted.
"That's even worse than going back to the Flower-Between Pavilion."
"What? Is that true? Retirement at 25?"
A voice came from behind the artificial hill.
Qin Hongxiu and Liu Ruyan turned around together.
Gu Moran walked out from the other end of the stone path with his hands in his pockets, followed by Murong Xue, who was eating fruit, and Shen Ling'er, who was carrying a medicine box.
He had clearly heard a lot.
But there was not a trace of sadness on his face. Instead, he stared at Qin Hongxiu with eyes so bright that it made one's heart tremble.
Gu Moran walked up to her.
"Those girls you mentioned who got older and were kicked out of the building, do they know anything about massage and foot reflexology?"
Qin Hongxiu was stunned.
"Besides, they're used to all sorts of people. They should be able to tell who's really rich, who's here to cause trouble, and who's just drunk and talking nonsense, right?"
Qin Hongxiu nodded hesitantly.
"When they chat with guests, do they try to get information out of them?"
Qin Hongxiu nodded again.
Gu Moran clapped his hands.
"Isn't that a coincidence?"
"There just happens to be an empty shop in the south of the city. I'll buy it and give them a new place to stay."
Qin Hongxiu didn't understand what Gu Moran.
My wrist ached from carrying the food box, but all I could think about was "opening a new place to eat".
After finishing the fruit, Murong Xue threw the pit into the basket in the corner.
What shop?
Gu Moran pointed to the south of the city.
"Find a large shopfront, with a wide storefront and a large backyard, preferably located near a main commercial street."
"The front is for receiving guests, the back for arranging accommodations, and two additional rooms are reserved specifically for the girls to receive training in medicinal baths and massage."
Shen Ling'er's face darkened first.
"What girl? You want to teach flower girls?"
"No, no, cough, it wasn't me. I was asking you, Madam, to tell them the general course of the meridians, or you could draw a diagram for them."
Gu Moran turned to look at her.
"Traveling merchants often suffer from backaches, swollen legs, and insomnia. Who wouldn't want to find a place to spend a little money and have a pretty girl give them a foot bath and a shoulder massage?"
"I made them do proper handicrafts."
Shen Ling'er looked at him.
Gu Moran started counting on her fingers.
"Traders have money, wealthy households have money, and visiting merchants have even more money."
They stayed at an inn, drank, listened to music, and left after spending their money.
"Our place is different. Besides drinking tea and listening to music, they can also enjoy other services. If we let them get a membership card and top up their accounts, they can soak their feet, get a shoulder massage, and drink herbal tea every time they come. We also give them two hot towels. Wouldn't they want to come back again?"
Qin Hongxiu was completely bewildered.
What card?
"It means you have to hand over the money first, just like Mixue Ice City."
Gu Moran casually broke off a dry branch from the side and drew a few lines on the ground.
"Top up 10 taels and get five foot bath vouchers free."
"Top up 30 taels and receive 10 extra medicinal baths."
"Pay fifty taels, and I'll arrange a private room every time you come, with plenty of tea and snacks."
Murong Xue looked at the words on the ground and clicked her tongue.
"Besides having less money, what's the difference between your place and a brothel?"
"How can there be no difference?"
Gu Moran up.
"Going to brothels too often is bad for your health. Coming here is good for your health. What we want to do is maintain our well-being and live a healthy life. This is a legitimate business."
Gu Moran glanced inside the wall.
Pu Yunshan stood on the scaffolding, holding two bricks, being urged by Tuoba Mang to hurry up.
"The most important thing is to ensure these older single women have a place to eat, a place to sleep, and a wage."
"Those who are willing to do it, I will sign a contract; those who are unwilling, I will not force them."
Qin Hongxiu stared at him, her throat feeling like it was stuffed with cotton.
The girls in the Flower-Between Pavilion have no right to choose whether they want to or not.
I have to pick up whoever my mother tells me to pick up.
The customer pays, and then he has to smile.
Even if the older women are not as healthy as before, they still have to wear thick makeup when they sit at the table.
They never imagined that one day they would be able to make a living with their skills.
Gu Moran continued speaking.
"The shop will be called Yi Prefecture Foot Care Hall."
Murong Xue laughed first.
"Raising pigs, raising chickens, raising people, and now even raising feet?"
"Only when your feet are healthy can you go far."