Chapter 23 Chapter Two

"Bang, bang, bang..." I was still in a deep sleep, when I suddenly heard the sound of the small Yin gong, I sat up instinctively.Tian Gudao also woke up. It turned out that it was a ghost cub beating a gong in our ears, so we quickly stopped it. Open the window and look, the morning sun shines through the window.The sun outside was already a pole long. After we finished washing, Tian Gudao was still immersed in the atmosphere of yesterday's antiphonal song, and tilted his neck to look at the residence of Tian Xiaomei across the street. "Wow..." Gui Zaiyao pointed to the residence of Jietian Xiaomei. It turned out that he thought that we didn't win or lose in the game last night, and we had to continue the game in the morning, so he rang the opening gong.

Tian Gudao was reprimanding: "You son of a bitch, knocking on the gong early in the morning disturbed my sweet dreams. See if I don't spank your ass!" Tian Gudao got up and chased after the ghost cub.Ghost Cub Yao giggled and ran out. "Bang... bang bang..." At this moment, there was a knock on the door downstairs, Tian Gudao thought it was Wang Erya from the opposite side who came to the door to negotiate, and flew downstairs. When I opened the door, I saw that it was Ji Sanniang, the old bustard of "Duocuilou", the most prestigious brothel in Liye. "Duocui Building" is the largest sensual playground in Liye, where the most beautiful fireworks girls from Yongshun Prefecture and even Chenzhou Prefecture are gathered here, and even the singing girls who are not prostitutes are exquisite in art and beauty.In addition, the price here is transparent, children and old people are not deceived, they do not chop customers, do not deceive students, and there is an endless stream of guests, so it is very lively.There are romantic and famous officials who come from thousands of miles away, and there are often various good stories in the market, and they are widely recited.

Not long ago, there was a wealthy businessman who spent a huge amount of money to redeem a listed oiran here from the old bustard, envious of how many brothel women died. I wondered, how did Ji Sanniang, an old woman who runs a brothel, come to our place?Is there any relationship between brothels and exorcising corpses?Maybe the clients or prostitutes died in Duocuilou, calling us to chase away the corpses? In the areas of Chenzhou Mansion and Yongshun Mansion, Ji Sanniang is definitely a figure in heaven. When she was young, she was the oiran in the fireworks buildings in Yongshun Mansion and Chenzhou Mansion, and she had made many romantic men compete.It is said that at that time, a military officer in the state capital and a wealthy businessman fought for her jealousy.Later, a county magistrate in Yongshun Prefecture also offered to pay a lot of money to redeem her to go out and make her his own house, but Ji Sanniang did not agree, probably because she felt that she had fallen into prostitution and did not want to affect other people's lives and careers.

Ji Sanniang looked at us in a daze, a professional and sophisticated smile immediately appeared on the face of that young lady, and her half-glamourous and half-coquettish voice could catch water: "Oh, Mr. Leng, I heard about what happened to you last night. Some of our regular customers of Duocuilou also came to watch, they said that the antiphonal match between you and Miss Tian is really talented and beautiful, it’s so beautiful!" I replied: "Thank you for your love, San Niang is coming to the humble house, what can I do?" Ji Sanniang said: "Don't worry, Mr. Leng. I'm here to invite Mr. Leng and Ms. Tian to our Duocui Building to set up a ring, and to recite poems and sing duet folk songs again. Most of our guests in Duocui Building are businessmen, celebrities, dignitaries and dignitaries. And refined people, they are very interested in your performance! Of course, the main reason is that Mr. Leng is a handsome man, and Miss Tian is also a beautiful woman with both talents and looks."

I see!This Ji Sanniang is really good at business!She also wanted such an idea.I admire this old lady from the bottom of my heart. If such a vision can be realized, it will definitely add to the icing on the cake of her Duocuilou business. "Mr. Leng thanked Sanniang for her love and praise here, but Mr. Leng is just a poor mortician, who has no talent. I suggest that Sanniang find another high-level person. If there is disrespect, I hope Sanniang will forgive me a lot. "I declined Ji Sanniang's kind invitation. According to Zhu Yuke's rules, it is not suitable for people who drive corpses to show their faces. We chose to settle in the popular Liye, which is not in line with the rules of the corpse chasers.Besides, Miss Tian is also from a well-to-do family, and her family education is very strict, so she may not accept such an invitation.

Seeing my refusal, Ji Sanniang didn't give up, and continued to throw out all kinds of temptations. It seemed that she came prepared: "Mr. Leng is too modest. I heard that you are a scholar when you are in your teens. You should think about it, anyway. Don't worry. If that's the case, you and this brother Tian will come to Duocuilou to play in the future, and everything will be free!" When Tian Gudao heard this, his eyes lit up, and he immediately advised me: "Xiucai, you should also think about it, Sanniang is also kind." Seeing Tian Gudao coming out to agree, Ji Sanniang probably thought there was something interesting, and cast a grateful look at Tian Gudao, and then continued: "If Mr. Leng and Miss Tian are willing to show their respect, I will set up a grand antiphonal stage in Duocuilou. , clothed with red silk and green curtains, and set up a zither and pipa. In order not to neglect Mr. Leng and Miss Hetian, I also plan to place a huge Miao drum at the Song Contest, and spend a lot of money to invite Xiangxi Miao Drum King Long Cuihua from Qianzhou. Young Master and Ms. Tian cheered on the spot, making the atmosphere up."

I didn't make a sound, but I wanted to hear the whims of the old bustard. Seeing that I remained silent, Ji Sanniang thought I was acquiescing to what she said, and she said it more vigorously: "Mr. Leng, you can rest assured that I will do things. I am not a slave and I am lying. I, Ji Sanniang, do things. Either I don't do it, or I do it if I want to do it." The best. My Duocui Building is definitely the largest in Liye, the busiest business, and the most famous. Not only Yongshun Mansion, but also the surrounding Chenzhou Mansion, Yuanzhou, Jingzhou, Fenghuang, Qianzhou, Yongshun Guests from Suizhou and Huangzhou often visit here by water, and even celebrities and dignitaries from Changsha Mansion also come here..."

"That is, that is, we have heard for a long time that Ji Sanniang is very powerful!" Tian Gudao echoed from the side. Seeing that I still didn't say anything, Ji Sanniang thought that there was no clear remuneration, so she made it clear: "Mr. Leng, as for the remuneration, let's open the skylight and make it clear. How about a tael of silver for each match between you and Miss Tian?" Tian Gudao gently bumped me with his elbow from the side, and I understood what he meant.Tian Gudao is signaling that I agree to Ji Sanniang's invitation, because the conditions she offered are already very good.

The annual salary of a sixth-rank official in the Qing Dynasty was forty-five taels of silver, which was less than four taels of silver per month.In the year of Guangxu, a catty of pork cost only 20 Wen, and an acre of fertile land cost only seven to eight taels of silver.A few taels of silver or dozens of taels of silver is a big deal.To be honest, the terms offered by Ji Sanniang are really attractive. If so, it won't be long before I can pay enough to go to Changsha Mansion to rush for the exam.However, I was in a dilemma, so we became singers.I'm a scholar, it's not a good thing to be reduced to chasing corpses, if I go to a brothel to sell songs, it's not only an insult to the gentleman, but also an insult to the teacher.

Seeing that I was still silent, Ji Sanniang said, "Could it be that Mr. Leng is not satisfied with the remuneration? If you are not satisfied, we can discuss it, how about two taels of silver per game?" Tian Gudao heard this, and bumped me hard, implying that I agreed quickly. On the one hand, it is lured by a lot of money, and on the other hand, it is very contradictory to think of Confucius, the patriarch of scholars, who said "a gentleman loves money and gets it in a proper way". Seeing that I always kept quiet, Ji Sanniang was not discouraged, thinking that the conditions she offered could not impress me, so she continued to throw out the bait: "Mr. Leng, I know you are a scholar, and you have already been admitted as a student by the imperial court. Fame is also just around the corner. According to Mr. Leng's talent and learning, there is no problem in getting a fame in the exam. However, as far as I know, the atmosphere in the exam room is not right now. It's still a lot of work to get fame. If Mr. Leng is willing to cooperate with me, I can help you with accommodation. I also know a few people in the officialdom. Even the Changsha Mansion may still be able to talk, including you If you pass the next township test once, and you will win Juren, you can buy me a glass of sake."

"That's a good thing, scholar, and your fame will be accomplished in this way! Sanniang really has a hand that reaches the sky, amazing!" Tian Gudao replied, as if to thank Ji Sanniang for me. "Bribing the test, bribing the test! Ridiculous, ridiculous!" Suddenly, the ghost boy opened his mouth to speak, and Tian Gudao and I were startled!This little thing was born less than a month ago, and it has grown to be as tall as a seven-year-old child.At this time, he suddenly spoke again, which was really surprising.And the first time he spoke, his tone was as sophisticated as that of an adult, which is really unimaginable. Ji Sanniang's face was a little embarrassed after hearing what the ghost boy said, but she returned to normal in an instant, and touched the little bald head of the ghost boy: "Little thing, what do you know, the world is getting worse now, and people have to bow their heads under the eaves ! When you grow up, you will naturally know the hardships of the world and the dangers of the world..." Obviously, Ji Sanniang didn't know that the ghost cub was a soul boy.Otherwise, I'm afraid she will be shocked too. Before the ghost cub spoke, I was very disgusted with the statement that Ji Sanniang wanted to accommodate my scientific examination.I am very confident in my provincial examination, and I don't need to manage it at all.The most important thing is that our Leng family has always regarded "unsatisfactory and flattery" as a taboo in life, and my Leng family has always followed the family rules of "upright and upright, not bowing to fight for rice".My fifth uncle, Leng Sansi, was never able to get a title on the gold list because he refused to bribe the exam and refused to bow to vulgarity. The sudden reminder from the ghost cub just now made me even more sober.I even wondered if the Fifth Uncle Leng Sansi had possessed himself on the ghost cub to wake me up. Even though I knew that Ji Sanniang was doing it for my own good, I still dealt with it a few times and sent Ji Sanniang away. Ji Sanniang was a little disappointed, and she didn't want to let go of the last chance before she left: "Mr. Leng, you should think about it carefully. If you think about it, please contact me. If you have something to discuss..." When Ji Sanniang went out, I started to tidy up Tian Gudao: "Why can't you stand the temptation of color so much! How can a person who chases corpses go to a brothel to sing a big show? It's just a strange talent!" Tian Gudao argued: "It's almost different! Your name is Leng Yicai. If I change my name to Tian Bulei, then the combination of the two of us will be different. Actually, I was just thinking too much." It’s all just to earn some money. Besides, in this way, there is hope for your fame...Look, that old bustard seems to have gone to Xiaomei Tian’s residence across the street!" I opened the window and saw Ji Sanniang knocking on Tian Xiaomei's door. I cursed: What a hell!