RPAGF Chapter 88 Liu Rushi Goes Shopping
Chapter 88 Liu Rushi Goes Shopping
Chapter 88 Liu Rushi Goes Shopping
Liu Rushi was strolling down the street with Shuiyu by the hand, attracting the attention of many passersby.
"Hello, Ms. Liu, may I have a word to say?" Geng San stopped Liu Rushi and said.
"Um...you're a judge for the competition?" Liu Rushi asked, somewhat annoyed.
“You’re right, Ms. Liu. I am Geng San. I have met you before. May I ask how much gold you have? Is ten thousand taels enough?” Geng San was quite straightforward and stated his purpose immediately.
In the Ming Dynasty, if a customer took a liking to a courtesan, he only needed to fund a grand ceremony and give the brothel a large sum of money to secure her service exclusively for that customer. This process was called "shulong." The amount of money required for shulong varied depending on the social status of the woman being swayed. Ten thousand taels of silver was certainly commensurate with Liu Rushi's status.
"Hmph! Wang Wenzhou sent you to ask this? Tell him to stop dreaming!" Liu Rushi snorted coldly and pulled Shuiyu away.
"Master Liu, how about 20,000 taels?" Geng San hurriedly chased after him. He could only use 10,000 taels of silver at the moment. Any more, and he would have to ask Li Jinshui and the others to help him.
Geng San always remembered Wang Wenzhou's kindness in recognizing his talent. Seeing that Wang Wenzhou was fond of Liu Rushi, he shamelessly went to Wang's door. When it came to flattering Lord Wang, Geng San was second to none.
"Get out!" Liu Rushi cursed.
"Master Liu! We can talk this over properly! Name your price!" Geng San chased after her.
“Tell Wang Wenzhou! I’d rather sleep with a pig than with him!” Liu Rushi said angrily.
Seeing that Liu Rushi was angry, Geng San didn't dare to say anything more and quickly walked away. He wanted to go and discuss with Li Jinshui and the others what to do about this matter.
After chasing away the annoying flies, Liu Rushi strolled around for a while. Since she hadn't eaten breakfast, she felt a little hungry. Seeing a tea stall by the roadside, she sat down, intending to have some tea and snacks.
This tea stall was run by Zhao Zhengxi's mother, Li. Li had poor eyesight to begin with, and Zhao Zhengxi, being a filial son, had secretly stolen some of his dowry money a few days ago to buy medicine for his mother's eye ailment. After a few doses of the medicine, Li's eye condition improved.
With nothing to do at home, Li set up a tea stall outside her door. There were so many people in Hanshan City now; a small tea stall could earn several hundred coins a day on a good day. Zhao Zhengxi's family was getting better and better; last night, he even took his mother to see the courtesan competition.
"Young master, would you like some tea?" Madam Li asked.
"Two bowls of good tea, and a few plates of snacks," Liu Rushi said.
"Ah! Miss Liu! Please forgive my old eyesight, I didn't see clearly," Madam Li said hurriedly.
"It's alright." Liu Rushi smiled slightly.
Madam Li glanced at Liu Rushi a few more times. Miss Liu was indeed beautiful; no wonder Wang Qingtian had taken a liking to her. "I must say a few words about this," she thought. "Wang Qingtian is such a good man; Miss Liu won't suffer if she marries him!"
"Please, Miss Liu!" Madam Li placed tea and several plates of snacks on the table.
"Thank you!" Liu Rushi nodded in thanks.
Li did not leave, but asked, "Miss Liu, is there anything else you'd like to order?"
"No!" Liu Rushi waved her hand.
Li walked away, and a moment later returned with several plates of fruit on the table.
Liu Rushi frowned and said, "I didn't want any fruit!"
"I'll treat Miss Liu to this meal; you don't need to spend any money!" Madam Li said as she sat down.
Liu Rushi was somewhat puzzled. She could understand if the man was being so attentive to her, but why was this old woman acting this way?
“Miss Liu, please forgive my bluntness. I would like to know why you hit Wang Qingtian yesterday?” Madam Li asked.
"Hmph! Wang Wenzhou doesn't treat us women as human beings. The girls in the courtesan competition are clearly just playthings for men!" Liu Rushi sneered.
"Oh... Miss Liu, how could you say that? Wang Qingtian is such a good man!" Li complained.
"Haha..." Liu Rushi suddenly burst into laughter and asked, "Grandma, how much money did Wang Wenzhou give you?"
"Huh?" Li was completely confused.
"Stop pretending, you were sent by Wang Wenzhou, weren't you?" Liu Rushi asked.
Madam Li shook her head repeatedly and said earnestly, "I have only met Wang Qingtian once..."
Li recounted in detail the day it rained heavily, and how Wang Wenzhou went to visit him.
As Li spoke, she became more and more excited, "What kind of county magistrate is this! He even sent rice, noodles, and meat..."
Liu Rushi frowned repeatedly as she listened. How could Wang Wenzhou, who was full of foul language, be so loving towards the people?
After Li finished speaking, Liu Rushi asked with some disbelief, "Grandma, is it true?"
“How could this be fake? In our Hanshan County, who doesn’t call Lord Wang ‘Justice Wang’? Many families worship Lord Wang and pray for his blessings. My family started worshipping Lord Wang a few days ago too!” Madam Li said in a serious tone.
“Wang Wenzhou is clearly a shameless lecher!” Shui Yu said.
"Oh dear! Young lady, you can't talk about Wang Qingtian like that! If someone hears you, you'll be cursed to death!" Li complained.
Shuiyu pouted and muttered, "He's clearly a lecher!"
"Actually, Wang Qingtian can be a bit unreliable at times. Everyone in Hanshan County knows that..." Li began to recount Wang Wenzhou's past "foolish" deeds, such as being beaten as soon as he arrived in Hanshan, and spending a thousand taels of silver to book the Zuihualou brothel...
Liu Rushi listened silently, feeling puzzled, and asked, "Grandma, what is the meaning of all this you are telling me?"
Li said with a smile, "Miss Liu, Wang Qingtian likes you, you should marry him!"
"..."
Liu Rushi finally realized that the old lady must be an actress hired by Wang Wenzhou.
Liu Rushi took out some loose silver coins and placed them on the table, saying, "Shuiyu, let's go."
"Miss Liu, I won't take your money!" Madam Li said quickly.
"Hmph! You old liar!" Liu Rushi didn't even turn her head, and pulled Shuiyu away.
Under the bright sunshine, the number of pedestrians on the street gradually increased. Street vendors also began to set up their stalls and start doing business.
Liu Rushi frowned deeply, unable to understand what was wrong.
As she left the tea stall, whenever she encountered something she liked, whether it was from a shop or a small stall, not a single vendor asked her for money. They all smiled and said kindly, "Miss Liu, if you like it, just take it! It's free!"
If all the shop owners were men, that would be understandable, but many of them are female shop owners. Some older women even ask directly: "Miss Liu, when can I drink your wedding wine with Wang Qingtian?"
If it were just one or two people, Liu Ru would definitely assume they were shills hired by Wang Wenzhou. But every shop she encountered acted this way. That didn't make sense; even if Wang Wenzhou were that bored, he wouldn't use so many people.
Liu Ru was very curious about Wang Wenzhou. He knew a little about Wang Wenzhou, as Zhang Shize and the others had mentioned him. But the current Wang Wenzhou's status in the hearts of Hanshan Baixin was completely different from the silly fat man Zhang Shize and the others had described.