199, He and She (1 more update
This kind of place was specially designed for men, a den for squandering silver.
Once men entered, encountering so many beautiful women, they couldn’t help but sink into decadence, unable to resist indulgence.
By the time Xie Zhinuan and Li Hengyi had arrived, they had already been invited to sit down.
The beautiful girls with enchanting figures, carrying tea, applied delicate rouge and dressed up quite beautifully, their clothes fluttering brightly.
“My lord, my lady, please enjoy the tea!”
The voice was so sweet, Xie Zhinuan felt she might never be able to mimic it in her lifetime.
She had been to nightclubs and KTVs before, but the hostesses there couldn’t compare to these meticulously trained beauties.
“…” Her heart felt like it was melting.
When she looked at Li Hengyi, however, he sat upright as if unfazed,
reaching for the teacup and carefully lifting the lid to take a gentle sip.
The tea was fragrant.
This tea was no worse than what she had tasted at Li Hengyi’s.
“…” Xie Zhinuan turned her head to glance at Li Hengyi who also lightly sipped from his cup, then turned to the madam standing aside and said, “Bring over all the delicacies from the barge and start the music and dance!”
“Yes!”
The madam clapped her hands and the graceful women floated in from behind the drapes, swaying their hips and flickering with charm.
“…”
Such supple waists, such excellent dancing.
Xie Zhinuan watched with great interest, reaching for the pastries that were offered, nibbling away; when it became too sweet, she would take a sip of tea.
The sound of the zither was pleasant to her ears, and she felt that if she were a man, she too would be unable to resist sinking in, lingering and forgetting to return.
Li Hengyi glanced at Xie Zhinuan and, seeing her so captivated, couldn’t help but give a soft smile and signaled Yuanbao to reward the performers.
Yuanbao immediately pulled out a pouch and poured out some gold beans, which the madam eagerly scooped up in her hands.
“Thank you, my lord!” the madam beamed with a smile.
She had figured it out; the lord didn’t care for the song and dance at all. It was because the lady was enjoying herself that the lord had given out silver.
In this day and age, it was quite odd for a young master to bring a lady to enjoy the painted barge.
The madam tiptoed away, instructing them to serve more candied fruit for the lady, as girls tended to like such sweet things.
They also served Xie Zhinuan some ice jelly, cold and quite delightful.
“Mmm, this is good!” Xie Zhinuan said to Li Hengyi.
Li Hengyi chuckled lightly, his eyes filled with doting affection.
Although she did not have him in her heart, as she had yet to fall in love or her sentiments to awaken, she was willing to smile at him, to speak to him freely, and her treatment of him was different from that toward others.
Outside the barge, the madam was stopped by someone, “Madam, Young Master Xu has arrived!”
“…” The madam was surprised, “At this hour? But our barge has already been chartered exclusively…” After a moment of consideration, she said, “I’ll go talk to him.”
There were more boats than just this barge, and the two inside hadn’t requested Piaopiao.
Xu Xuanjin was famously known as a profligate in Fengping County. His family was wealthy, owning half the shops in Fengping. Today, he had come to the barge to bring his cousin Xuan Mu along for some distraction.
Xuan Mu’s face was stern, clearly not in the least willing, but pulled along by Xu Xuanjin, several attempts to shake him off failed.
“Alright cousin, I’ve already sent plenty of people searching to no avail. That Lady Nuannuan of yours…” Xu Xuanjin slung an arm over Xuan Mu’s shoulders, “Why should we search for a chaste woman in a sea of beauties? Listen to your brother; tonight, I will find you a peerless beauty. Do you know Piaopiao? Her face, her figure, that flavor…”
“She’s not the same!” Xuan Mu interjected softly, cutting off Xu Xuanjin’s words.
Chapter 200