A Word To Heaven

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Over a thousand taels of silver had turned into two copper coins in the blink of an eye. Xu Yan’s mouth hung open in disbelief.

With his intelligence, he could see the underhanded tricks the dealer had been using in secret, but he hadn’t expected them to have this additional move up their sleeve.

Those three bailiffs hadn’t come early or late, but arrived precisely when he was about to win over a thousand taels of silver to disrupt everything. They were clearly in cahoots with this gambling house.

The common people couldn’t fight against officials, and besides, they couldn’t win even if they tried.

Dejected, they left the gambling house. Xu Yan and Mei Sanniang looked at each other with bitter smiles. Two copper coins weren’t even worth the original twenty taels of silver.

At least twenty taels could have fed them for a long time. Two copper coins could at most buy one meal, and that would be steamed buns with pickled vegetables.

Returning to the dilapidated tavern, Xu Yan didn’t mind much. After eating his fill, he would just lie down and sleep. Little Black was even more carefree, squeezing together with Xu Yan. As for whether there would be food tomorrow, that was tomorrow’s problem. Wasn’t there a saying: “Tomorrow after tomorrow, tomorrow we’ll catch wild rabbits”?

With his special skills, the little Taoist would never starve in this lifetime. As long as the rabbits and pheasants in the mountains didn’t go extinct, Xu Yan could eat his fill every day.

He wasn’t worried, but Mei Sanniang’s mind was in turmoil.

A woman guarding a dilapidated tavern couldn’t do any business, let alone support a household. She had been a young lady from a wealthy family, but now that she’d been driven from home, if she lived like a beggar, what face would she have to meet those family members who looked down on her?

Unable to sleep all night, the red-eyed woman sat in the tavern’s main hall until dawn, when someone actually came to the door.

The visitor wasn’t here for drinks. Besides, the tavern didn’t even have a complete chair. Unless they were blind or a beggar, they would have to be an acquaintance.

The visitor wasn’t blind or a beggar, but truly was one of Mei Sanniang’s acquaintances—Li Gui, whom they had met in Li Family Town.

“Third Sister, how did you end up moving here? You were so hard to find!”

Li Gui had come alone, his expression showing regret. The third young lady of the Mei family used to go out wearing gold and silver, surrounded by servant girls. Now she had fallen to this state.

Li Gui had just finished his business and returned to Fengshan City. The Li and Mei families were old friends. As soon as he returned, he learned of Mei Sanniang being married off. Later, at the large gambling house in the west of the city, he found Shen Liu, who had lost until his eyes were red. After giving him ten taels of silver, he learned about Mei Sanniang breaking her engagement. After searching left and right, he finally found Mei Sanniang in this dilapidated tavern.

Seeing her old friend, Mei Sanniang sighed deeply and shook her head with a bitter smile.

Li Gui had a good relationship with Mei Sanniang. He had grown up following her around as a child and regarded Mei Sanniang like his own sister. The Li family had long seen that Mei Sanniang wasn’t favored by the Mei family. The elders wouldn’t interfere, but Li Gui decided to come visit. Whatever he could help with, he would do his best.

“Has Third Sister decided to establish her own household?” Li Gui looked around the tavern with interest. “The place isn’t small, just too run-down. With some fixing up, it would definitely be a good location. Third Sister must be short on money.”

At the prime age for shrewdness, since Li Gui could run business for his family, it showed he could already handle things independently. How could he not see Mei Sanniang’s difficulties?

“This tavern is all your Third Sister has left in the world,” Mei Sanniang said with a bitter smile.

“I knew Third Sister was someone who doesn’t like asking others for help.” Li Gui spoke while taking out a bank note worth exactly three thousand taels from his chest. “A small token of little brother’s regard. I hope it can solve Third Sister’s urgent needs.”

Three thousand taels wasn’t a small sum. Ordinary common families couldn’t earn this much money in several lifetimes. Looking at the bank note in her hands, Mei Sanniang’s eyes reddened.

“Third Sister accepts the Li family brother’s kind intentions. I’ll consider this money borrowed. Within two years, Third Sister will definitely pay it all back.”

“Third Sister is being too formal. Ah, fine, have it your way. But when you open for business, I must come to show my support, haha.”

He truly was a benefactor. When Xu Yan rubbed his eyes and got up, he heard the commotion outside. By the time he came out, Li Gui had already left. Seeing Mei Sanniang dancing with joy in the main hall, he thought she was having some kind of fit and hurried over to check. Not only did he get scolded, but he also had to help her hire craftsmen.

With money, things became easy. Watching the dilapidated tavern transform day by day, Xu Yan was also overjoyed. He spent all day mixing with the masons and helping out.

Although he liked eating and sleeping, the little Taoist wasn’t lazy. When there was work, he would compete to do it. Besides, once the tavern opened, Xu Yan would have a good place to eat and drink for free.

The main entrance was renovated, and the tavern was not only built up to three stories, but also had a long corridor leading to the back courtyard. The back courtyard had an even more exquisite small building. Each private room was filled with fragrant aromas. Both buildings were crafted like palaces.

Every time he saw this tavern he had helped build, Xu Yan felt happiness fill his heart.

His master was gone, but now he had gained a Third Sister, so he had a relative in this world. As for the girls or seductive women that Third Sister often brought back from outside, Xu Yan had grown accustomed to it.

Young ladies from wealthy families naturally needed servants to attend them. It was just that Third Sister had bought too many maidservants—over thirty of them now.

Three months later, Plum Fragrance Tower on Willow Street in the eastern part of the city was finally completed.

Standing at the main entrance, Xu Yan had been forced by Mei Sanniang to change out of his Taoist robes and now wore fine silk clothing. At his young age with red lips and white teeth, he looked like a young master from an aristocratic family, smiling as he gazed at the plaque above the building.

Plum Fragrance Tower—what a pleasant name.

A three-story tavern—so tall!

Xu Yan was immersed in the beautiful future of free food and drink when firecrackers beside him were lit by someone, crackling loudly. Smoke and dust rolled at the entrance as neighbors came out to watch.

The opening had begun.

Willow Street was just one of the lanes in the eastern part of the city. People came and went on the long street, bustling with activity. There weren’t many shops on both sides of the street, but Plum Fragrance Tower stood out prominently, the most eye-catching establishment on Willow Street.

When a business opened, customers would naturally come. Xu Yan’s job was to serve as a doorboy, greeting guests at the entrance. This kind of work only required a smiling face—no need to say much, as servants would naturally attend to customers once they entered.

Smiling was the easiest thing, especially silly smiling.

The grinning little Taoist put on a harmless smile at the entrance. His brand-new clothes looked quite festive. Some generous customers even threw handfuls of copper coins at him—more than ten copper pieces.

Finally finding a good job, Xu Yan’s smile became even more cheerful. But as more and more customers arrived, his smile gradually became more and more stiff.

It wasn’t because he was tired of smiling, but because he heard some conversations between customers at the entrance.

“Brother Li, please, please! Haha, today little brother is hosting. Let’s discuss our business at this Plum Fragrance Tower. I hear their dancing girls are beautiful as flowers. Once our business is settled, we can drink until we’re thoroughly drunk. Having beauties for company—now that’s true pleasure!”

“Ah, Master Qi, long admired, long admired! Please, please come in! This Plum Fragrance Tower just opened. I heard they even poached the top courtesan from Jade Red Tower, haha.”

“Master Su, slow down a bit. It’s only noon, and this brothel just opened. Why are you in such a hurry?”

The endless stream of wealthy customers were all men—not a single woman among them. Looking at the diverse crowd, Xu Yan’s jaw nearly dropped to the ground.

Brothel?

Wasn’t Plum Fragrance Tower supposed to be a tavern? How did it become a brothel?

I’m a Taoist! How can I live in a brothel!