Jiang Xiaohu, the poorest, laziest, and most useless man in the world, actually married a wife who fell from the sky—a wife as beautiful as a flower! She was good-looking, skilled in martial arts, and the eldest daughter of the Lan family, a family that had been friends of the Jiang family for generations. Some people inquired in private and found out that her maiden name was Lan Xinyue.
Actually, Jiang Xiaohu has always been lucky and popular with women, so it's not surprising that he picked up a beautiful wife. But this incident still excited the whole city because this beautiful wife turned out to be a tigress. In less than two days, Jiang Xiaohu was thoroughly subdued, his face bruised and swollen, and he dared not go to the brothel to find his lover again.
However, this Miss Lan and Jiang Xiaohu do share a common interest: gambling.
This news has just come out. The difference is that Jiang Xiaohu's gambling results in frequent debts and being thrown out, but his wife has an exceptionally good luck. It is said that since noon today, the young couple has been in Qiufeng Hall. The wife is the banker and the husband is her companion. They have been gambling until now, and it is almost dark. According to reliable sources, the two have scared away nearly sixty customers.
Another major event was the arrival of Qing Si, the top courtesan at Xin Qing Lou.
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It was dusk, and the flower boats on the river were coming and going, their reflections on the water making them exceptionally beautiful. The banks were bustling with activity, a dense crowd of people, with countless eyes fixed on a particular flower boat on the river. Unfortunately, the thin curtains on that boat were hanging low, and the people inside were barely visible. Occasionally, maids would come and go, and two old women were rowing the boat outside.
A young man in brocade robes walked slowly in, accompanied by a tall, thin man in blue robes, and two guards in brocade robes behind them.
The young master looked at the river and said, "There's plenty of water in Jiangnan, and the night view is indeed better than where we are. No wonder there are so many people at night."
Liu Bai hurriedly said, "We don't usually see this many people. There have only been more recently. They must all be here to see Miss Qing Si. She likes to take a boat trip on the river."
The young lady Qingsi of Xinqinglou is not only beautiful, but also skilled in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. She is learned, understanding, and gentle. Every guest who talks to her is full of respect. However, this young lady is arrogant and no guest has ever stayed overnight in her room. A wealthy merchant once offered a thousand gold pieces to stay with her, but was ultimately turned away.
The young master remembered and laughed: "I have heard of her. A woman who is both beautiful and talented is naturally proud. It is not surprising that there are such pure courtesans in brothels."
Liu Bai shook his head: "It's not that she's exceptionally talented. What's extraordinary is that, it's said, every guest has to roll up their sleeves and let the maid examine them before they can become her intimate companion and talk with her."
The young master asked curiously, "Could this be her quirk?"
Liu Bai laughed: "Some guests have jokingly asked her about it before, but she didn't get angry and just laughed it off."
The young master became interested: "This woman is quite interesting. No wonder so many people want to meet her. I wonder what her background is?"
Liu Bai shook his head: "She's just a courtesan, who would bother to ask about such things?"
The young master seemed to be deep in thought.
Liu Bai probed, "Young Master, do you wish to..."
Before she could finish speaking, the young master let out a soft snort: "Little girl!"
Looking up, a small figure in a black robe and cloak, limping along the wall under the cover of night, suddenly spotted the young master, lowered his head, and turned to run away.
.
One foot was wearing a black boot with gold trim, exquisitely crafted and small and lightweight, but the other foot was desperately pulling back. Although it was concealed by the hem of her clothes, it was still easy to notice that she wasn't wearing a boot, only a snow-white sock was showing.
Qiu Lingling sat in the chair, her face flushed in the lamplight, occasionally glancing at him furtively.
The young master remained silent, his expression indifferent.
Liu Bai dared not look any longer and retreated to the doorway.
Qiu Lingling said softly, "Don't be angry. I didn't mean to that day. I saw it..." Her head gradually lowered, and she didn't continue.
The dignified third young master of the Yi family was left on the street by a little girl. After looking at her for a long time, he finally sighed. Who could make a little girl react so strongly? Do you even need to ask?
"Where are the shoes?"
Qiu Lingling mumbled, "I lost."
The young master suppressed a laugh: "Gambling at Qiufeng Hall?"
Qiu Lingling blushed even more and hummed in agreement.
Who did you lose to?
"Jiang Xiaohu's wife."
"Miss Lan?" The young master finally smiled. "I heard she won quite a bit today. Didn't you use the method I taught you?"
“I did use it, but she could too,” Qiu Lingling said, somewhat unconvinced. “I was not going to lose, but a woman in red came and messed things up, and I lost.”
The young master nodded: "What does it look like?"
Qiu Lingling hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice: "She's very beautiful, many men were stunned by her beauty..."
The young man's heart skipped a beat: "Why would she go against you? Did you offend her?"
Qiu Lingling said indignantly, "Because Jiang Xiaohu's wife refuses to gamble with her, she only gambles with me. I don't like her either. She likes to seduce men. Jiang Xiaohu already has a wife, but she still deliberately tries to provoke him."
A smart woman wouldn't speak ill of another woman in front of a man. This young girl is too naive and straightforward. The young master shook his head: "That's Jiang Xiaohu's wife's business. Why are you so angry?"
Qiu Lingling fell silent.
"Because Jin has a wife, why would those women try to seduce him?" The young master smiled and said, "You're wrong. If Jiang Xiaohu weren't so lustful, no matter how much those women tried to seduce him, it wouldn't have mattered."
Qiu Lingling's face turned pale, and after a long while, she murmured, "Do you also have many women?"
The kitten asked so directly? The young master's lips twitched: "No."
Qiu Lingling glanced at him, suspicious.
The young master remained unfazed and gestured for her to look at Liu Bai: "If you don't believe me, ask him."
Qiu Lingling turned to Liu Bai.
I have no principles. I'm doing a good job as the manager and I don't want to go down and sweep the floor right now. Suppressing his guilt, Liu Bai nodded with a look of grief and indignation. "Young master, you're lying to the death. Why are you dragging me into this? This innocent act, don't you feel any guilt at all?"
Her big eyes dimmed, and Qiu Lingling said softly, "But men all have many women, my father did too."
The young master explained, "If a man is willing, of course he can."
Qiu Lingling fell silent.
.
The young master frowned and suddenly said, "Don't provoke her anymore, that woman in red."
Qiu Lingling was silent for a moment, then took out a bracelet: "I stole her bracelet."
The young master chuckled.
Qiu Lingling then took out two more pieces of jewelry: "These belong to Jiang Xiaohu's wife. It's because she deliberately made me take off my shoes in public."
The young master asked, "Why did she try to embarrass you?"
Qiu Lingling mumbled, "...I pretended to be an old woman and swindled her out of her money."
The young master laughed: "You were in the wrong first."
Qiu Lingling pursed her lips and laughed, explaining, "Actually, I really like her. I just wanted to tease her. She's really amazing. Jiang Xiaohu is so obedient; he doesn't dare to go looking for other women anymore."
Liu Bai turned his face away, trying his best to suppress a laugh.
The young master covered his nose with his folding fan and coughed. What a brilliant excuse! Even a kitten wants to be a tigress. That's not good.
"I'm leaving now."
"I'll have someone take you back."
Qiu Lingling turned her face away: "I'm not going back."
The silly kitten is running around everywhere at night, and the chances of it getting into trouble are too high. The young master sighed, "It's not fun outside. Why don't you stay here? Brother Yi will gamble with you, how about it?"
"OK."
"I lost, so I'll give you a pair of shoes." The young master looked at the delicate little foot.
Qiu Lingling thought for a moment, then took something out of her pocket: "This is all I have. If I lose, I'll give it to you."
The young master was moved: "A fire toad?"
Qiu Lingling blinked: "Yes."
The fire toad is extremely yang; no wonder the little girl survived after being poisoned by "Half-Moon Dew." The young master suddenly realized, "Is this the one that Baili Ying had back then?"
Qiu Lingling nodded: "Jin and I came to steal it."
The young master shook his head: "Such a big bet is worth more than just a pair of shoes. Fine, if you lose, you can owe it to me for now and pay me back tomorrow."
"No cheating allowed!"
.
In a daze, time flew by, and another day was about to pass. In the evening, the sky was overcast. A pretty woman rushed out of the restaurant, looking around at the entrances of various alleys. Her eyebrows were raised and she stomped her feet in frustration.
"Jiang Xiaohu! Jiang Xiaohu——"
"Don't shout, he's been asked to leave."
The woman looked up and saw a girl in black sitting in the tree.
"It's you?"
"It's me. Your husband was just asked to leave by a woman."
Her pretty face turned from white to red, and the woman, suppressing her anger, asked, "Which woman?"
The girl in black didn't answer, but blinked and asked, "Are you Miss Lan? What if you find him but he doesn't come back?"
Miss Lan clenched her fist, feigning smugness: "He wouldn't dare?"
"Is he really afraid of you?"
"Of course, if he doesn't come back, I'll beat him up."
"Beat him up?" The girl in black asked in surprise, then seemed thoughtful. "If you beat him up, will he listen to you?"
"certainly."
"He told you to beat him up?"
"He can't beat me," Miss Lan said, feeling a little guilty at the thought of her reputation as a tigress. "Where is that bastard?"
"He's in Xiyun Street Alley, at the place where the woman in red was at Qiufeng Hall yesterday. I'll go wait for you there." The girl in black tossed her a crumpled piece of paper and ran off.
.
The tigress was indeed formidable. Jiang Xiaohu obediently abandoned the woman and followed his wife home. Qiu Lingling returned to Jin Garden, only to find the Wealth Protector Yue Yiping and others outside the garden.
"Did he really come back?"
"The leader left after finishing his meeting."
Where did he go?
"Tonight, the sect leader will personally go to retrieve the Thousand-Year Warm Jade Cup of the City Lord of Tianshui," Yue Yiping explained. "That Thousand-Year Warm Jade Cup was bought from beyond the pass. It was escorted by the Eight Water Gods along the way and only arrived in nearby Qingjiang City this morning. Shui Fengqing has already led people to greet it. I heard that their journey was very urgent and they did not stay in Qingjiang City for long. They are probably not far from here."
Jiang Xiaohu had said that Tianshui City Lord Shui Fengqing was an enemy of the Thousand Hands Sect! Qiu Lingling suddenly remembered and asked anxiously, "Do we really have to steal that cup?"