C141 Half a month ago (1/2)

It rained half a month ago.

The business of the Beauty Pavilion was flourishing, the girls were buying customers, and the men were getting drunk.

There was a little fire girl named Li Shang. This name was given to her by her father. She was an Elementary Scholar who had read many books, but had died of lung disease in the winter.

Many people could not understand why the name ”Shang” would be used here. It did not have a good meaning.

When his father was alive, he told her it was in memory of her mother.

His father's death lasted until his death.

Many people had died from the plague in Li Shang's hometown. A child of her age had fled the village with her.

The child was also an orphan with no one to rely on. Two sad girls who had been through many hardships had to depend on each other for survival.

But how difficult it was for them to survive, begging in the streets, getting hired to plant seedlings, going up the mountains to chop wood … As long as it was within their capabilities, they had done it before.

Later, on a fortuitous occasion, the two of them were picked up by the brothel's bawd and sent to the Beauty Pavilion.

The bawd saw that they were still young and wanted to raise them for a few more years, so they became little girls who could barely eat their fill.

Shang had always been careful not to show off. She was young and very beautiful, but in a place like this, beauty was a burden.

As a result, she had been disguising herself as ugly, wearing tattered clothes and using black and gray to cover her face.

That girl was different. She showed the best to others, and very quickly, she became a real brothel girl.

She still remembered the night when the Begonia picked up the guest, when Li Shang was sitting in the kitchen, looking at the raging fire in the kitchen, her tears gushing out like a spring.

Why would the Begonia make such a choice? Was it not good to live on in cleanliness? Even begging again was better than being abused by a man.

The next day, the crabapple cannot get up from the bed. The old procuress knew that the two sisters were on good terms with each other, so she asked Li Shang to personally send her a bowl of porridge.

The Begonia was smiling as she finished the bowl of porridge. The first thing she said was: ”Liushang, do you blame me?”

Shang did not expect her emotions to change so quickly. One moment she was smiling, the next her face was stiff.

”Not surprising.” Shang shook his head, but his heart felt particularly uncomfortable. The present Begonia and he were probably not the same person anymore.

She became what men and women called a whore, a whore...

He was still that ordinary little flame girl.

”Actually, it's nothing. Really, after accepting this guest, I can make money, earn a lot of money, ransom myself, and leave this damn place with an inexhaustible amount of silver.” Although it was not as big as the other girls' rooms, it was more than enough to play with the guests.

”I know.” After Shang answered, he took the tray and left with a blank face, closing the door behind him.

A cry of pain came from the room. It was said that the guest last night had whipped her all night long. When she was eating the porridge, she had clearly seen the long red marks on her arm.

This kind of 'thrilling' night was worth fifty silver taels.

Since then, Begonia's business got better and better, but her reputation also got worse and worse.

Shang was in the kitchen, listening to the girls' discussion with mixed feelings.

”The Begonia sure is brave, even daring to snatch the Courtesan Belle's guest.”

”Yeah, that woman must have gone crazy from thinking about money.”

”I think so too. She has already been reduced to a prostitute. What does she still care about being innocent for?”