Cen Ji hesitated when Wen Moyin was mentioned.
Ban Lan felt she could barely maintain her smile, so she said, "Cen Qi, don't let your senior sister down. She's so good; you can't disappoint her." With that, she turned and quickly left.
Go ahead, you might be able to rescue your senior sister faster without me.
Goodbye, Cen Qi.
*******
As I left the clinic, the sun was already high in the sky.
Banlan wandered aimlessly on the street. When she got tired, she found a step and sat down with her back against the wall.
The streets of the small town are bustling, with pedestrians coming and going in a lively and noisy manner, but none of the noise belongs to Banlan.
Ban Lan felt that her name did not live up to her reputation; she was more like a speck of black and gray in this colorful world.
She sat there for a long time, until the stars filled the sky, until passersby turned to look at her. When she came out of Shiya Mountain, she was still wearing a bright red dress. Although it had faded a bit from washing over the past few days and was torn in a few places by tree branches, it was still bright and dazzling, attracting attention. Annoyed by the stares, Ban Lan simply closed her eyes, but the whispers and gossips continued unabated.
Ban Lan's patience vanished completely. She looked up at the sky with a keen interest.
So those who were looking at her also looked up at the sky in surprise. Those who hadn't been looking at her before saw several people inexplicably craning their necks to see what was going on in the sky.
Ban Lan looked up at the people craning their necks to look up, let out a cold laugh, stood up, patted her skirt, and strode away.
She missed Huang a little; Huang told her she should learn to be a woman.
Ban Lan suddenly stopped.
There are so many women in this small town, she can't possibly see them all. The woman Huang is referring to must be one who makes men swoon.
Nothing could drive a man wilder than courtesans.
brothel
For the first time, a beautiful young woman swaggered into the Shengge Tower.
The madam of Shengge Tower had never seen a woman enter a brothel as if she were strolling down the street. She watched the woman look around freely, as if the entire Shengge Tower belonged to her.
Ban Lan did indeed swagger in. She knew what a brothel was, but that didn't mean she had to sneak in.
When people saw Ban Lan, a woman who was visiting a brothel with such an air of nonchalance, they all turned to look at her, forgetting to greet her.
The madam was the first to react, and quickly stepped forward to take Ban Lan's arm: "Oh, is this young lady here to see someone?"
The madam had a strong scent of perfume, but it wasn't the kind of vulgar perfume; instead, it was a sweet floral fragrance.
Ban Lan sniffed, finding the smell not too unpleasant, but it made her nose a little itchy after a while. Men probably get itchy noses too, right? As she thought this, Ban Lan pulled her arm away and said, "Hmm, looking for someone."
The madam immediately understood: So he's come here to catch his lover.
The madam had seen too many of these kinds of things and dealt with them smoothly. "Men come to our building every day, as numerous as hairs on a head. I wonder which one you've chosen, young lady?"
Ban Lan was taken aback: "Who said I was looking for a man?"
The madam was even more stunned than she was: "No, if you're not looking for men, then are you looking for women?"
Ban Lan nodded: "Yes."
The madam's smile vanished, replaced by a twitching expression: "The girls at our Shengge Pavilion don't do that kind of business..."
Ban Lan was too lazy to listen to her rambling, so she tossed her a silver ingot and said, "If you have silver, why wouldn't you do business? Go, find the most...most...most womanly woman in your building to serve you."
"Huh?" The madam stared wide-eyed, her face filled with disbelief.
Ban Lan thought she hadn't understood, so she repeated it loudly again.
“I said, call over the most feminine woman in your building.”
The entire building filled with women fell silent instantly.
Ban Lan glanced around and realized that she seemed to be the focus of countless eyes, which suddenly gave her the urge to swing a bench.
Having already garnered enough attention from passersby on the street, and now being stared at by numerous brothel customers, Ban Lan suddenly found the people in this city utterly detestable. With a flick of her right foot, she grabbed a round stool and, without even looking, tossed it at a brothel customer on the second floor.
After a soft "Ah," Ban Lan looked up and scanned the room: "Who's still looking?" As soon as she said that, all the busybodies immediately looked away, some looking in one direction and others in another, but none of them looked at Ban Lan.
The madam was stunned. She glanced at Ban Lan's protruding chest, and after confirming she was a woman, she took a small, fearful step back, saying, "Auntie, you are incredibly strong, but we can't afford to pay for all the broken stools..."
"What divine power? I just swung it too much when I was a kid," Ban Lan thought to himself.
Seeing that the madam was still dawdling, Ban Lan said with dissatisfaction, "With so many girls in your brothel, isn't there one who's free?"
"Yes, yes," the madam said, noticing the girl's impatient expression. She quickly took the silver and turned to make arrangements, muttering to herself as she went, "Oh my goodness, I really don't know which girl will be willing to go..."
*******
Upon entering the room, a woman draped in a light veil greeted them.
The woman had an oval face, with a gentle smile in her eyes. Although she wasn't a stunning beauty, she was still graceful and charming, like a sweet and delicious pea cake.
"Oh, is this young lady here to chat with Moyue?" Moyue smiled sweetly, reminding Banlan of the floral scent on the brothel madam.
"Uh, I guess so," Ban Lan said.