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Chapter 5
Nie Qingyue muttered to herself, curled up in the corner, and before she could even see her surroundings clearly, she felt a soft body pounce on her. In the dim light, a pair of bright eyes blinked, staring at her with a mixture of surprise and worry.
Nie Qingyue chuckled. This girl must have gotten used to hugging her. "I'm fine." She rubbed her cheek against the little girl's face. The little girl seemed surprised that she could speak; her eyes, still red and watery from crying, were wide open. Nie Qingyue sighed, looking at her tightly bound hands. She couldn't even get her hands on this tender tofu.
The cellar wasn't large, with a dimly lit lamp on the far left. Beside it were two girls, a little older than the little girl, who seemed to have been trapped for much longer. They lay weakly on the ground, glancing at Nie Qingyue listlessly before slowly closing their eyes again, it was unclear whether they were asleep or unconscious.
The carbon dioxide concentration in the cellar must be very high; staying here any longer would probably be fatal. Nie Qingyue recalled that about an hour had passed since she left. Yan Shu should be coming by now. Her initial certainty had faded with time. Even though she had vomited up most of the medicine, the little she had swallowed still made Nie Qingyue feel uncomfortable; after all, this body had previously been a veritable medicine addict.
After lost in thought for a while, a scraping sound came from the corner. The solid stone wall had actually moved, and a person emerged from it. The man was in his thirties, with sickly pale skin and a sinister look in his eyes. He held a torch, illuminating the cellar brightly: "Get up, all of you! If you're late, I'll give you a beating!" He then kicked the two children sleeping on the floor. He seemed a little surprised to see Nie Qingyue, an adult, but his eyes caught sight of her bound hands, and he understood.
Nie Qingyue and the three children followed the instructions and walked behind the stone wall, with the man holding a torch at the back, urging her on. In the dim light of the torch behind her, Nie Qingyue now realized that the tunnel was natural; the stone walls on both sides were uncarved and unmodified, their jagged shapes somewhat terrifying. The house and the moving stone walls were probably built later, based on this tunnel.
The journey was long and gloomy. After about five minutes, Nie Qingyue's heart sank a little more with each turn. The exit was a cave entrance overgrown with weeds, where two carriages were already waiting.
"Are you planning to travel as dark as possible?" Nie Qingyue frowned. This should be the foot of the mountain; the eerie blue light wasn't as dense as it was on the mountainside. Before she could even get a good look at her surroundings, the man shoved her into the carriage. The already cramped carriage already had two girls who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old; now, with the four of them squeezing in, the discomfort was unimaginable. The little girl clung tightly to Nie Qingyue, both frightened and panicked, but the carriage didn't move forward immediately.
Nie Qingyue leaned against the carriage, closing her eyes and forcing herself to calm down. That person must be waiting for the woman called Thirteen Sister and the big man, which meant there was still time. She dozed off for a while, then woke up with a sharp pain.
Thirteen Sister, her face grim, held a lantern in one hand and a bundle of glowing herbs in the other, whipping her: "You brat, don't think you can get away with leaving marks along the way! Luckily, I found you early by taking a detour from outside." Nie Qingyue looked at the herbs, still long and straight, the ones she had scattered along the path she had followed.
Nie Qingyue frowned and lowered her head. The soft, bundled grass blades hit her body and hurt a little. She unconsciously shrank back to the corner of the carriage.
A man with sinister eyes walked over: "Thirteenth Sister, it's getting late."
"You brat, if you keep up any more schemes, you'll regret it!" Thirteen Sister finally threw down the herbs and turned to leave.
The front curtain closed, plunging the carriage into darkness. Nie Qingyue gazed at the scattered herbs inside, emitting a thin, faint glow—thirty-five of them—and seemed lost in thought. Suddenly, a jolt and the sound of hooves accompanied the carriage's movement forward.
Let's put Yan Shu aside for now. I was too impulsive after all. Nie Qingyue slowly closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind.
The night passed in darkness.
Indeed, comparison reveals the difference; the carriage's bumpy ride throughout the night left Nie Qingyue feeling like her bones were about to break.
Nie Qingyue looked at the slightly brightening morning sky and tried to stretch her muscles. Every time she heard her bones crack, she missed the seemingly simple but actually very shock-absorbing carriage that Yan Shu had rented even more. She had closed her eyes all night but had hardly slept. Fortunately, she didn't get carsick; otherwise, being as nauseous as the girl in the same carriage would have been an ordeal beyond description.
Not long after the carriage stopped, the people were herded off. Several girls and children in one carriage were unsteady on their feet and nearly fell. Another carriage also had some young and beautiful maids and girls alighting. Thirteen Sister directly lashed them with a strip of cloth she had found somewhere; the blow left no marks on the skin, but it stung terribly.
Nie Qingyue intentionally or unintentionally shielded the little girl, lamenting inwardly when this would end. After receiving a beating with a soft whip and being pushed and shoved inside, Nie Qingyue realized he was standing at the back gate of a large courtyard. And so, the group of people were locked into a simple room.
Looking around the empty room, devoid of even a table or chair, Nie Qingyue suddenly realized that true poverty was nothing special. Choosing a relatively clean-looking empty spot, Nie Qingyue and the little girl sat down together.
There were sixteen people in the room, all beautiful women or girls. They all sat weakly against the wall, their faces filled with sorrow. Among them, a tall woman in white stood in the center, hesitating as if she couldn't find a seat.
Nie Qingyue shifted his body to make room for her. She didn't look familiar; she must be from another carriage.
"Thank you." The beautiful woman in white smiled, her bright eyes and white teeth curving her lips, and sat down next to Nie Qingyue.
Nie Qingyue blinked in surprise as she listened to the beautiful woman's clear and melodious voice: "You didn't take your medicine?" It seemed that only she and the woman in white could talk among the people in the room.
The beautiful woman smiled and shook her head. Although she looked tired, she didn't have the same look of utter despair as other women. "My name is Shu Song. What's yours?"
Nie Qingyue was somewhat amused and exasperated. What was this all about? It was like they were making new friends in times of trouble. She rolled her eyes and touched the knot on the beauty's hands with her bound hands as a gesture of shaking hands: "My name is Nie Xiaoyue." Of course, she couldn't give her real name. Not to mention whether others would believe that she, the daughter of a prime minister, would be kidnapped and sold here in simple clothes, if they did, her father's official position at court would inevitably make enemies, and falling into the hands of someone with ulterior motives would be more than just kidnapping.
"Is it the 'yue' of 'moon' or the 'le' of 'music'?" the beauty tilted her head, her face as beautiful as a peach blossom, her eyes sparkling like autumn water, leaving Nie Qingyue and the little girl stunned. Regardless of gender, Yan Shu was also a beauty, but her expression was too calm. Although she often smiled, it was gentle and polite, stopping short of anything else, with an invisible aloofness and sternness. Unlike the beauty before them, whose beauty was so captivating that she could make fish sink and geese fall from the sky, her gaze radiant and unrestrained.
“The ‘Yue’ in ‘surpassing’.” Nie Qingyue immediately rubbed against her like a kitten. She used to be lazy and indifferent to making friends, but after being reborn and meeting someone she liked, she was no longer reserved. Besides, she really liked this beautiful woman’s personality.
"Look, that woman in purple over there is my cousin, Shu Yan." The beautiful Shu stretched out her jade-like arm and introduced a purple figure not far away. Noticing Nie Qingyue's puzzled look, she sighed and added, "Shu Yan doesn't like to talk and has a rather aloof personality. It's less boring sitting with Xiao Yue."
Nie Qingyue nodded in understanding, then discreetly glanced over and saw Shu Yan dressed in purple. Shu Yan seemed to notice Nie Qingyue's gaze, and suddenly raised his head to look at her. Nie Qingyue quickly turned her face away to look at the little girl. She couldn't see Shu Yan's face clearly, but when she saw those calm, dark eyes, she held her breath for a moment.
She leaned against the little maid and murmured, "Little girl, I'm telling you, in this house, only your little sister Nie is the ugliest. Little sister Nie has suffered a setback." As soon as she finished speaking, the beautiful Shu burst into laughter, her voice melodious and gentle, like the tinkling of jade pendants.
Nie Qingyue looked over with tearful eyes and a sorrowful expression. Shu Meiren, overjoyed, pinched her cheek with her clumsy hand: "Little Yue, you're so cute."
"Well, tell me. When a woman isn't pretty, you should praise her for being cute." Nie Qingyue looked back at the little girl with a pitiful expression, and saw that the little girl's worried brows relaxed slightly after being amused, and she smiled.
Nie Qingyue was quite confident in her appearance in this life, but her confidence stemmed from its ordinariness. In her previous life, even if she wasn't stunning, she was still considered a pretty girl in school. Now, apart from her bright and clear eyes, her other features were truly plain and unremarkable. Overall, she looked like an unremarkable passerby. This was one of the reasons she dared to come along; she certainly wouldn't be the one to be sexually assaulted, and even if she were sold to a brothel, she would at most be a menial worker.
Nie Qingyue had a young maidservant to his left and the beautiful Shu to his right. Although they were a feast for the eyes, they couldn't fill his stomach. Helpless, he closed his eyes and fell asleep as fatigue and drowsiness overwhelmed him.
He was awakened by the aroma of food. Nie Qingyue opened his eyes groggily. Thirteen Sister, the burly man, and the sinister-looking fellow were all there, and some unfamiliar faces stood guard at the door. "Eat properly, then wash your face with the water in the basin on the ground and rest to recharge. If you don't obey, you won't get any food and you'll get a whipping!" Thirteen Sister warned as she untied the knots binding the women's hands, then distributed the food one by one, omitting Nie Qingyue. Nie Qingyue understood and continued to play dead in the corner.
"You brat, you're not worth much money anyway, so don't waste my money on food." Thirteen Sister sneered at Nie Qingyue in the corner and left the room with the others.
"You can't be so disrespectful." Nie Qingyue sighed and was about to go back to sleep when two spoonfuls of food were brought to her. She tilted her head and saw it was the beautiful Shu and the little maid.
"Xiao Yue, I can't eat that much." The beautiful Shu looked at her with a smile, and the little girl nodded in agreement.
Nie Qingyue nodded, ate a mouthful of rice from the little girl, and two spoonfuls of vegetables from the beautiful Shu. He patted his stomach and said, "I don't like green peppers or eggplants." Then he went back to sleep.
The two people beside her stared blankly, knowing her good intentions but not knowing how to persuade her.
Nie Qingyue stared blankly at the ceiling, reminiscing about the clear soup and side dishes Yan Shu had ordered. This was supposed to be her last lunch; once she was full and energetic, she'd probably sell it. Suddenly, a splash of crimson appeared before her—it was Shu Yan. She didn't speak, just sat quietly beside her eating. Nie Qingyue lay there, gazing at her blankly, thinking that a beauty was indeed a beauty; even eating a meal was so beautiful.
Uh, the beauty seems to be a picky eater, setting aside the vegetables and meat slices and only eating white rice and eggplant. The vegetables and meat slices are so innocent, Nie Qingyue cried out inwardly. Just as the beauty finished eating, took a sip of soup, and was about to push the tray away, Nie Qingyue unconsciously tugged at the beauty's sleeve. The purple-clad beauty looked at her calmly, and Nie Qingyue scratched her head, "Uh, accidental, accidental."
The beauty nodded, saying nothing, and followed her example, lying down against the corner of the wall and closing her eyes to rest. She simply moved the food bowl she was about to push away slightly towards Nie Qingyue. Looking at the beauty's peaceful sleeping face, Nie Qingyue felt a warmth in her heart, and at the same time, couldn't help but swoon. Just as she was about to pounce on her, a question suddenly occurred to her:
Will she become the lowest-priced item or a buy-one-get-one-free deal at the upcoming "selling herself" event?
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Chapter 6
As it turns out, Nie Qingyue's self-awareness was quite reliable.
Sixteen girls stood in the inner courtyard, facing the fierce gazes of various groups, their bodies trembling weakly like fallen leaves in the autumn wind. Of course, Nie Qingyue was not among them.
She surveyed the human trafficking black market with great interest. The area was heavily guarded, and the customers were all wealthy and powerful. "Even under the most enlightened political rule, there is still a dark and corrupt side," Nie Qingyue sighed, patting the little girl's shoulder reassuringly.
Most of the men who bought young women were fat, pot-bellied, wealthy businessmen, while the pretty young girls who were just beginning to show promise were mostly targeted by heavily made-up, motherly older women.
The little girl seemed to have fetched a good price, and Thirteen Sister couldn't stop smiling. Nie Qingyue fawned over to the seller, saying, "Sister, please take me with you, this little girl is my cousin." The madam looked at her suspiciously, but seeing the little girl clinging tightly to Nie Qingyue, she believed her and frowned, "Why would I buy an ugly girl like you for a brothel?"
Nie Qingyue was stunned by such a direct question. She paused for a few seconds, then immediately put on a big smile: "I can run errands, do laundry, cook, and do odd jobs! This girl is stubborn, and I'm afraid something will happen if I'm not around. Sister, please take me with you." Nie Qingyue could almost see her own pitiful goosebumps falling to the ground.
The madam looked impatiently at Thirteen Sister and asked the price. Thirteen Sister raised her eyebrows and gave a cold laugh as a final blow: "One coin."
In an instant, Nie Qingyue seemed to feel that the inner courtyard had become a little quieter.
Nie Qingyue's smile remained unchanged, but in her mind, she was reciting the standard roaring pose: "You can't do business at a loss! You've already gone through so much trouble to bring me here, you should at least add a few coins to the cost, right?!"
Shu, the beautiful woman, who had been standing behind a wealthy businessman with a wronged and unwilling expression, immediately pretended to be internally injured after hearing the words "one wen" and seeing Nie Qingyue's expression of utter despair. Her whole being, from head to toe, seemed to say, "What should I do if I really want to laugh? My conscience and friendship tell me I can't."
Alright, since the beautiful Shu had smiled, she'd concede. Looking back at Shu Yan, standing beside a kind-faced old man, her clear, serene eyes blinked at Nie Qingyue, her surroundings seemingly undisturbed by the passing clouds and falling flowers. But, but why did Nie Qingyue clearly see a subtle smile in the beauty's eyes?
Nie Qingyue suddenly felt that buying one and getting one free on scrap materials was actually a very honorable thing.
Money exchanged for person.
The young maidservant looked at Nie Qingyue, who had seemed to want to drift away with the wind since getting into the sedan chair, and gently shook her hand. "It's alright." Nie Qingyue touched the maidservant's tender cheek, inwardly groaning. Compared to the maidservant, she was old and faded, but a single coin was the price of half a meat bun! How could she bear this? Thirteenth Sister was definitely going to take revenge on her!
Nie Qingyue lifted the sedan curtain and watched as the sedan passed a multi-story, ornately decorated building. A huge gilded sign in front of the building read: "Forget-Worry Pavilion." In her memory, the most famous brothel in Mojing was called Drunken Dream Pavilion. Drunken Dream and Forget-Worry—could they be owned by the same person? Before she could finish marveling, the sedan turned into an alley next to Forget-Worry Pavilion, seemingly indicating that she would have to enter through the back door.
Before she could even take a good look around, a wave of perfumed scent hit her, and the cloying floral and fruity fragrances made Nie Qingyue frown. Did people in ancient times not have nasal allergies? If the backyard was like this, wouldn't the front yard and inner hall be suffocating?
After being assigned rooms and tasks, Nie Qingyue was pushed to do laundry before she could even catch her breath. In the madam's words, "Running around the inner hall like this will only disgust the customers and scare them away. Stay in the inner courtyard and do laundry." Nie Qingyue's newly recovered health was once again reduced to its lowest point.
She silently scrubbed the clothes, suppressing her curiosity. The legendary haven of pleasure, where a thousand pieces of gold could buy a taste of luxury; blatant prostitution! Had the era of lust truly begun in ancient times? Nie Qingyue squatted and washed clothes all afternoon, and felt dizzy as soon as she stood up. This Miss Nie's delicate hands clearly showed she'd never done any housework; just washing clothes had made them wrinkled and peel.
Nie Qingyue rested against a pillar in the inner courtyard pavilion. Her family had always been strict with her, teaching her various skills and knowledge while also cultivating her life skills. If the original Nie Qingyue had been abducted, she probably wouldn't even be able to do laundry.
...Without incident, it was dinnertime again.
The people in the Forget-Worry Tower are all obsessed with looks. Nie Qingyue, observing the small details, came to this conclusion.
Why is it that Chunhua, also a lowly maid, gets chicken, vegetables, and fish balls, while she only gets two small pieces of dried radish? Nie Qingyue glanced at the old woman delivering the food at a 45-degree angle and slunk away. Chunhua may be prettier than flowers, but she was still cheap labor bought for a penny; this is unfair.
Nie Qingyue clutched her stomach, covered with a slightly moldy blanket, and sighed at the coldness of the world. Should she sneak out for a walk, or sneak out for a walk? Nie Qingyue put her words into action.
The outer courtyard was brightly lit, filled with the sounds of bamboo flutes and stringed instruments, and girls dressed in their finest attire chatted softly. Nie Qingyue watched for a while, feeling somewhat bored, and vaguely saw the madam seemingly approaching from this direction. She quickly ran towards the inner courtyard. It was too late to go back to her room. Where to hide? Nie Qingyue sighed and hid in the bushes behind the pavilion, feeding the mosquitoes.
She had just crouched down when she discovered another person was already hiding inside. Startled, Nie Qingyue used the moonlight to make out a young man, dressed in fine clothes, wearing a jade crown, with red lips and white teeth. Nie Qingyue blinked; this man didn't seem like a womanizer. Could he be that courtesan's lover? The man also looked at her silently, seemingly trying to guess her identity.
After the madam left, Nie Qingyue quickly jumped out and waved her hand, "The ladies' rooms are over there, please make your way. I'm in a hurry to go back to sleep." Then she slipped away as fast as she could. If the madam went to check the servants' rooms, she'd be in for a beating.
The next morning, Nie Qingyue, her back aching, shuffled out of the yard to collect the laundry. They were all night owls, indeed; so early in the morning, you couldn't even see a single hair on their heads.
There was a rustling sound of fabric, and then her waist was suddenly encircled tightly. Nie Qingyue didn't even need to look down to imagine the small, dark head in front of her waist.
After taking the medicine and resting overnight, the little girl was able to speak again. Her slight hoarseness couldn't hide her original crispness and tenderness. With a few more days of rest, her voice would surely be as beautiful as a nightingale's. Nie Qingyue sat in the pavilion eating the pastries the little girl had given her, listening to her tired and scared rambling on and on about how she had been practicing her standing and sitting postures all afternoon.
“I reckon it’ll be time for music, chess, calligraphy and painting soon,” Nie Qingyue muttered to herself. “It’s like they’re going to keep her as their future top performer.”
"Sister Nie," the little girl looked at her expectantly. "Don't worry, we'll have to live like this for several more years, but I won't sell you off so soon." Nie Qingyue patted her head. Several years? This body definitely couldn't take it for more than a few months. She had to find a way to take the little girl out legitimately.
The madam's shrill voice rang out: "Ugly girl, go wash my clothes. Are you itching to sit here and slack off?" With that, she pulled the little girl inside: "When your sister Ruoyun wakes up, go learn to sing with her." The little girl stood there, staring blankly at Nie Qingyue.
Nie Qingyue pinched her cheek: "Go on, learn it carefully and sing it for your little sister Nie when you get back." The little girl nodded and followed the madam away, looking back every few steps.
It has been proven that people will make mistakes and go crazy when they repeat the same boring work for a long time, and it has also been proven that the environment shapes people.
To avoid getting frustrated and slumped over her clothes like rags, only to be discovered by the early-rising girl, Nie Qingyue kept muttering to herself to distract herself: "I've definitely washed more clothes in the last two days than in the past year. This isn't how you experience life, Nie Xiaoyue. So that you can eat cabbage and chicken legs, I can't let myself go like this anymore, you know?"
Nie Qingyue draped her wet clothes over a bamboo pole, stretched out her slender arms, gripped the dangling fabric on either side, and twisted the pole, hearing only the soft, dripping sounds. She turned her head, and a young man in a moon-white robe was passing by her; from her angle, Nie Qingyue could only see his tall, slender back.
The wooden door of the opposite room was open, and stood a woman in a pink dress without any makeup. Her fair skin and delicate features were captivating, and she looked at the man walking towards her with affection in her eyes.
Hmm, could this be what they call a secret rendezvous and illicit affair? This person's back view looks like the man from the pavilion last night. The woman in pink happily took the young man's arm and entered the house, glancing at Nie Qingyue intentionally or unintentionally before closing the door.
Nie Qingyue scratched his head and quickly turned his back to indicate that he hadn't seen anything, secretly marveling at how clear and bright the woman's eyes were, unlike those of a woman who had fallen into the mortal world.
Life flows on like a river amidst endless clothes, moldy blankets, and unattainable chicken legs and cabbages.
It was only during meals and conversations with the maid that he learned the woman in pink was the Ruoyun the madam had mentioned. The little songs the maid sang to Nie Qingyue in her spare time were all composed and written by Ruoyun. Living under the same roof, constantly seeing each other in the inner courtyard, Ruoyun always smiled gently at Nie Qingyue, a smile that made him feel incredibly comfortable.
She must be a wise and insightful woman. Nie Qingyue listened to her compositions; they were melodious and elegant, and the lyrics left a lingering fragrance on the palate. The music was soft, clear, and melodious. Yet, a faint trace of sorrow and melancholy always lingered in the lyrics, and the lament of unrequited love overflowed between the lines.
Thinking about those songs, Nie Qingyue felt a pang of regret as she ate dried radish for seven days straight, and she had a strong urge to overturn the table. She ran to the kitchen to complain to the old lady who delivered the food, but the old lady just nodded and waved her away. The next day, the food in her bowl was replaced with long, thin, oily, and shiny dried tofu.
"Better to live without bamboo than to eat without meat." The pseudo-intellectual Nie Qingyue quickly gathered some writing materials and had her maid fetch some brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. The maid, already suffering from the daily torment of these things, readily agreed, and happily slipped out with the items during lunchtime.
Nie Qingyue, holding the somewhat awkward calligraphy brush, wrote with flowing strokes: "Help me deliver this to your sister Ruoyun." The little girl hesitated, looking at the two sheets of paper: "Sister Nie, is this really okay?"
“Who knows,” Nie Qingyue yawned and stretched, “I’ll give it a try for your little sister Nie’s vegetable and chicken leg rice.”
As a result, Nie Qingyue continued to eat only plain rice and dried tofu for three days.