Time Travel: Brothel Maid

Yongxing Street is bustling with traffic and people coming and going, presenting a thriving scene.

Shops from all walks of life still opened their doors, welcoming visitors from all directions, and were not affected at all by the disappearance of the Eighth Prince.

There was a crowd of people in front of the lottery shop, and customers were coming in like clouds.

Xiao Guoer and Tang Xi both entertained the endless stream of guests with warm smiles on their faces.

In the spice shop nearby, a handsome young man holding a folding fan stood by the side door, looking at the lively scene next door with a faint smile on his face. The red fire jade pendant under the fan was swaying, and was held in the hand of the owner from time to time to rub and play with it.

After a moment, the young man instructed the servant beside him, "Make a pot of tea and send it to the next door. Also, bring some lychees that were just delivered to the Tang residence this morning and send them over with ice water."

The servant hurriedly trotted off to work as the young master had instructed.

Seeing that the lottery shop's business was getting more and more prosperous, Xiao Guo'er couldn't help but think of opening a branch. She had saved up a lot of money now, enough to rent another store. After opening the branch, it would be best to hire a few more employees.

We just need to think carefully about where to open the branch, but one thing is certain, the new store must be farther away from Yongxing Street, otherwise if the customer base does not change, there will be no point in opening another branch.

There is no rush for this matter. She has enough money now, so she can just slowly look for a new store.

The most urgent matter now is the matter between Yingniang and Zhou Fangye.

Oh... these two people really give her a headache.

Xiao Guo'er was thinking about what happened yesterday and was concerned about the difficulties Yingniang would face in the future. She worked listlessly and absent-mindedly, and her hands' originally swift movements gradually became slow.

Tang Xi keenly caught the change in the young master's mood and state, and said sympathetically: "If you feel tired, just go to the back and take a rest. I am the only one who can do the work here."

Xiao Guo'er was in a depressed mood. After responding in a low voice, she slowly stood up and walked to the back and sat down. She stared straight at Tang Xi who was busy in front of her and began to be dazed.

Her eyes were staring blankly, and no one knew what she was thinking. It was as if she had encountered an unprecedented problem and was unable to find a solution.

It wasn't until a tray was placed on the table in front of her that she came back to her senses.

On the tray was a wide-mouthed white-glazed celadon vase with a lid and a long-spouted teapot.

Wisps of hot steam are coming out of the spout of the pot, and the faint fragrance of tea mixed with water vapor enters the nose, making people feel refreshed and invigorated.

Xiao Guoer raised her eyes and looked at Shun'er who was standing opposite her with a red face and said, "The young master asked me to bring some lychees and tea. He also told me that if I eat lychees, I should wait for half a cup of tea before drinking tea, so as not to damage my spleen and stomach due to the sudden change of temperature."

After saying this, he didn't wait for Xiao Guo'er's reply, but bowed and walked out.

Xiao Guoer looked at Shun'er, who had been stiff and unnatural ever since he saw her true face, and shook her head helplessly.

My eyes returned to the exquisite wide-mouthed porcelain vase on the table. Are there lychees in it?

She hasn't eaten lychees for a long time, probably more than ten years. Since she came here, she has never even seen what lychees look like.

In modern society, lychee is not a rare fruit, but in this era, it is an extremely precious thing.

Litchi, pronounced as “li zhi” in Chinese, means “to leave the branch”, which means the fruit cannot last long without being separated from the tree.

Although it tastes delicious, it is not resistant to storage. Lychees are mostly produced in the south, especially Lingnan.

Lingnan is nearly 800 miles away from the capital. In an era when transportation and fresh-keeping conditions were very limited, it was very difficult to eat a lychee. Most of them were offered as tribute to the emperor, and only the concubines in the harem and the close relatives of the princes and ministers could be rewarded. But even if they were rewarded, they were only measured in pieces, one or two... Getting a lychee was the highest honor.

But Tang Jingchen actually brought her a small bowl of lychees...

The Tang family's extravagance once again overturned her cognition.

Xiao Guo'er's eyes sparkled green and her mouth started to drool. As soon as her hands touched the edge of the wide-mouthed porcelain bottle, she felt a chill spread to her fingertips, bringing a burst of coolness that penetrated her heart in the hot summer.

When the lid is opened, a light fragrance wafts into the air. Small, slightly rough, dark red fruits that look like fish scales are dotted among the green branches and leaves, soaked in ice water together, and they look as fresh as if they had just been picked.

Xiao Guoer was about to reach out to take it, but she seemed to remember something and closed the lid again. She stood up and lowered the curtain in front of the table from the hook to block the view from outside, and then she sat down again with peace of mind.

This curtain is like a barrier, isolating Xiao Guoer into an independent space. She only lowers the curtain when she is doing account calculations or resting.

She slowly opened the lid of the porcelain bottle again, carefully took out one of the lychees, and gently peeled off the rough dark red outer skin. The crystal clear flesh stood at her fingertips, tempting and mouth-watering.

Xiao Guoer put the flesh into his mouth, and the sweet and rich juice burst in his mouth. This wonderful taste flowed down his throat, leaving a trace of sweet ripples in his heart.

She sighed with satisfaction and pleasure. This long-lost taste really made her miss it.

There were ten lychees in total. Xiao Guoer only ate five and left five. She wanted to give them to Yingniang, Yueya, Zhou Pozi and Tangxi so that they could all have a taste. She gave two to Yingniang and left one for each of the remaining people.

After putting the lid back on, Xiao Guoer lifted the curtain and walked out.

After saying something to Tang Xi, he turned around and went to the spice shop next door.

Xiao Guoer stepped lightly into the threshold of the spice shop. This was not her first time here. She knew that Tang Jingchen often wandered around this shop and often sent Shuner to bring her some things, sometimes fragrant tea and exquisite and delicious snacks; sometimes sweet and juicy fruits or sweet and tempting candied fruits. There were many such things, which were considerate and heartwarming.

The owner and the clerks of the spice shop were already very familiar with her, and were always polite and friendly whenever they saw her.

Xiao Guoer stepped into the shop. The waiter who was serving customers in the shop saw that it was her and smiled and nodded at her without saying much. It seemed that he was used to seeing the young shopkeeper from next door coming to see their young master.

Xiao Guoer smiled back and walked to the backyard of the spice shop as if she were familiar with the place.

Tang Jingchen usually handles things in a room in the backyard. In fact, he didn't come here often before. Before her lottery shop opened, he only came to this spice shop once every ten days or half a month.

Nowadays, he is here almost every day. The Tang family has many industries and a big business, so there are many things to deal with. So Tang Jingchen set up a room in the backyard to handle daily affairs.