Chapter 279 – Visiting a Brothel
Yan Xiaosi tapped on the counter.
“Shopkeeper, wake up.”
The shopkeeper opened his eyes and, seeing two handsome young gentlemen, immediately perked up.
“Young masters, what kind of seeds would you like to buy?”
Yan Xiaosi thought to herself that in late autumn, it was suitable to plant cabbage, greens, white radish, red carrot, and coriander.
“Shopkeeper, please weigh half a jin each of cabbage seeds, green vegetable seeds, white radish and red carrot seeds, and coriander seeds for me.”
“Young master truly understands farming. At this time of year, these vegetables are the best to plant. Once in the ground, you’ll have fresh vegetables in two or three months.”
The shopkeeper was chatty and enthusiastic, conversing with Yan Xiaosi while taking out a small scale.
He quickly weighed all the seeds Yan Xiaosi needed and sorted them by type, wrapping each vegetable seed in kraft paper.
“Young master, all your seeds have been weighed. That’s two hundred and fifty wen in total.”
Yan Xiaosi wasn’t in a hurry to pay. After thinking for a moment, he said to the shopkeeper: “Shopkeeper, do you have rice seeds? If so, please weigh another ten jin of rice seeds for me.”
The shopkeeper felt he had misjudged earlier—this young master didn’t understand farming at all.
“I do have some rice seeds left unsold from the first half of the year. Young master, why are you buying rice seeds now? It’s already late autumn, and before long, winter will come with snow. You can’t grow rice now.”
Yan Xiaosi wanted to test the spirit spring water in her Portable Space.
The spirit spring water could accelerate plant growth and enhance plants’ resistance to disease, cold, and drought.
By watering with spirit spring water, perhaps she could harvest a crop of rice before the harsh winter arrived and snow fell.
However, this was just her speculation. Whether it could be achieved remained to be seen. Either way, buying ten jin of rice seeds wouldn’t cost much money.
Murong Qinjian stood beside her, blinking emphatically, clearly agreeing with what the shopkeeper had just said.
Yes, indeed, who would plant rice at this time of year?
Yan Xiaosi ignored his spasmodic blinking and explained to the shopkeeper in a gentle tone: “Seeds can be stored for a long time. I’m buying them now to plant next spring. Shopkeeper, just sell them to me.”
“So that’s what the young master is planning.”
The shopkeeper smiled at his own overthinking and picked up the small scale again to weigh the rice seeds.
After weighing them, the shopkeeper put the ten jin of rice seeds into a medium-sized cloth bag and handed it to her: “Rice seeds are sixty wen per jin, so ten jin is six hundred wen.”
In Xize County, a jin of ordinary rice cost only ten wen, but seeds were more expensive, which Yan Xiaosi understood.
She promptly took out the money, handed it to the shopkeeper, and then left the store with Murong Qinjian, carrying packages of seeds large and small.
Murong Qinjian was huffing and puffing as he carried the ten-jin weight of rice seeds, giving her a resentful look.
“So I’m just your porter today.”
Having Doctor Murong serve as a porter made Yan Xiaosi feel quite apologetic.
After watching Murong Qinjian place the ten-jin rice seeds on the horseback, she smiled sweetly and said: “Elder Brother Murong, thank you for your hard work. I’ll treat you to a meal.”
Murong Qinjian enjoyed good wine but wasn’t particularly demanding about food.
He raised his eyelids and glanced at Yan Xiaosi: “Where shall we eat?”
There was a saddlebag hanging on the chestnut horse’s back, which Yan Xiaosi had specially attached that morning to hold small items.
Now it came in handy. She stuffed all the cabbage seeds, radish seeds, and green vegetable seeds into the saddlebag.
After finishing, she answered Murong Qinjian: “I mentioned it earlier—Yu Family Private Kitchen. I know the shopkeeper there. He’s honest, and the food tastes good too.”
“How’s their wine?”
This, Yan Xiaosi hadn’t really noticed.
Her current body was delicate and had long been lacking proper nutrition. Her digestive system was average and not well-suited for drinking alcohol. Moreover, as a girl, she was afraid that Ms. Zhong and the others would worry if she drank.
“I don’t drink much usually, so I haven’t paid much attention.”
She answered Murong Qinjian honestly.
Murong Qinjian looked at her as if she were an idiot.
Then, with slight disdain, he said: “As a man, you don’t even drink? Come, brother will take you for good wine and good food.”
Having made Murong Qinjian serve as a porter, Yan Xiaosi couldn’t refuse. Seeing that he had already mounted his horse and was heading in a certain direction, she had no choice but to climb onto the chestnut-red horse’s back, pat its rump, and follow closely.
The two rode slowly through the streets for a while until finally, Murong Qinjian pulled the reins and made a sound, stopping his horse in front of a well-decorated building.
Yan Xiaosi stopped as well, her gaze sweeping toward the entrance.
“Lanxiang Pavilion.”
The name was quite elegant. Could it be a wine house or tea house?
After a young attendant came to lead the horses away, Yan Xiaosi and Murong Qinjian followed another waiter into the main hall. Looking around at the inside, Yan Xiaosi realized this was no wine house or tea house.
The first-floor hall was spacious and elegant. In the center was a circular stage, surrounded by tables and chairs. A winding crimson staircase extended to the second floor, where hanging blinds adorned the corridor, concealing a row of rooms behind them.
Yan Xiaosi entered with uncertainty, just as a lavishly dressed woman with exquisite makeup and a somewhat plump figure approached with a smile.
“Oh, Young Master Murong, you haven’t been here for quite some time.”
Staring at the plump middle-aged woman, Yan Xiaosi’s mouth twitched violently.
Murong Qinjian had actually brought her, a woman, to a brothel.
Having lived two lifetimes, this was her first time visiting a brothel, and it felt quite thrilling.
The madam glanced at Yan Xiaosi, noticed the shocked and curious expression on Yan Xiaosi’s face, smiled, and then said to Murong Qinjian: “Young Master Murong, who might this be?”
Murong Qinjian said: “My brother.”
Yan Xiaosi surveyed the Lanxiang Pavilion from top to bottom and found that real-life brothels weren’t as lively as portrayed in TV dramas.
Perhaps it was because it wasn’t dark yet, not the peak hour for customers, or maybe because the instability on the western border of Great Chu had affected the brothel’s business.
Suddenly being addressed by the madam, Yan Xiaosi was startled and said to Murong Qinjian: “Elder Brother Murong, I don’t have money to pay for entertainers for you.”
Although she had just earned over a thousand taels of silver from selling grain, she thought that visiting prostitutes must be quite expensive. Her modest funds couldn’t withstand such extravagance. Besides, that money was her capital for getting rich.
Murong Qinjian was amused by her straightforward response.
No wonder the virgin Long Yu was interested in this youngster. This kid was quite interesting. If Long Yu hadn’t spotted him first, he might have developed a strong interest himself.
“Young Brother Yan, is this your first time in such a place?”
Yan Xiaosi didn’t understand why he suddenly asked this, and honestly nodded: “Yes, my family is poor. How could I afford to come to such places?”
