Time Travel: Brothel Maid

Zhou Fangye had just come out of Zhuxian Lane, feeling a little depressed.

It was obvious that after the misunderstanding was resolved that day, Yingniang's attitude towards him had improved, and they even made love intimately. He thought that they would be happy from then on. However, he would have thought that after just one day, Yingniang's attitude became unpredictable again, sometimes close and sometimes distant, sometimes hot and sometimes cold, and she seemed very conflicted.

Zhou Fangye returned to the Zhou Mansion with a frosty face, feeling very embarrassed. He also wanted to give Yingniang a legitimate status, but he had not yet married a wife, and he took a courtesan from a brothel as a concubine, which his family could not tolerate.

He wanted to stay the night today, but Yingniang refused. If this continued, when would Yingniang be able to get pregnant? When would he be able to ask for mercy from his father and mother?

As soon as he entered Zhou's mansion, the servant waiting at the door came forward and saluted. When he learned that it was his mother looking for him, he walked towards Wenyuan Courtyard.

After asking about his mother's well-being, Zhou Fangye asked, "Mother, are you looking for me? Is there something wrong?"

Zhou looked at her son, who was dusty and tired, and said distressedly, "You've been busy in the government office all day. Have you had any food?"

"Don't worry, mother. Your son has already eaten."

"Ah, you don't have a close friend in your room, how can I not worry about you? If you get married, there will be someone to take care of the trivial matters in your life, and then I won't have to worry about this."

Zhou Fangye smiled bitterly, "Mother, you don't have to worry. My son is already grown up and will not have to take care of his body."

Zhou continued to nag tirelessly, "Every time I asked you to marry, you always refused. Now I can't let you keep dragging it out. You should end your mistress. When you discuss marriage, if people know that you have a mistress who is a prostitute, it will be bad news."

Zhou Fangye felt a headache, "Mother..."

Before he could finish his words, his mother interrupted him abruptly, "You don't have to give me any more useless excuses. This time I am determined to choose a good marriage for you. If you don't want to piss me off to death, just send that brothel girl away!"

Zhou Fangye came out of Wenyuan Courtyard. His legs felt as if they were filled with lead and his steps were so heavy that he could hardly walk.

He felt more tired than ever before. His mother's words were still ringing in his ears, mixed with Yingniang's sad sobbing that day, ringing in his ears non-stop, tearing his heart in two.

Yingniang...what should I do with you?

-

It was already dark when Xiao Guoer returned to Zhuxian Lane.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I heard her shouting excitedly, "Sister, Yueya, Aunt Zhou, come and see what good things I brought you!"

In the past two days, the atmosphere in the courtyard has been a little subtle. Yueya and Zhou Pozi can see that the relationship between the eldest girl and the second girl is not as close as usual. Although they are anxious, they can do nothing.

Hearing Xiaoguo'er's happy shouts, I couldn't help but feel secretly happy in my heart, thinking that maybe the rain would stop and the sky would clear up.

He hurried out of the kitchen and saw the second girl with her usual cheerful smile on her face. He breathed a sigh of relief and took the wide-mouthed porcelain bottle from the second girl's arms.

Crescent Moon asked curiously, "What's in this?"

Yingniang heard the voice and came out of the main room. She stood at the door and watched Xiao Guoer in the yard answer Yueya's question with great joy, "It's something you've never seen before!"

Yueya was even more curious. She was the youngest and always impatient. She was about to lift the lid to find out what was inside. However, Mrs. Zhou held her back and scolded her, "The eldest lady hasn't even seen it yet, how come you've already taken a fancy to it? You're so rude!"

Yueya curled her lips. She had not been such an unruly person before. It was because the eldest and second daughters were both good-natured people. She had been living with them in this small courtyard for a long time and gradually forgot those rules.

Yueya ran to the main house holding the porcelain vase. When she passed Yingniang, she said heartlessly, "Big Miss, come and see the good things that the second lady brought back!"

Yingniang smiled gently, nodded and said "OK."

But she didn't move until Xiao Guoer came forward, took Yingniang's arm, and said with a smile, "Sister, why aren't you curious at all? Come in and take a look, Yueya can't wait."

The two men were followed by Mrs. Zhou and walked into the main house together.

Yingniang touched the hand on her arm and felt relaxed for the first time in the past two days.

When she entered the house, she saw Yueya looking at her expectantly, silently urging her to lift the lid quickly, and she couldn't help but smile.

Several people stared at the wide-mouthed porcelain bottle, wanting to see what the "good stuff" the second girl was talking about was.

As Yingniang's delicate white hands gradually opened the lid of the wide-mouthed porcelain bottle, the dark red fruits and green branches and leaves slowly appeared.

The ice has completely melted into water, but the lychees soaked in the water still look fresh.

None of them had ever seen lychees before, and they all looked puzzled.

Yueya asked first, "What is this? It looks like a fruit."

The three of them turned their eyes to Xiao Guoer, waiting for her to answer their questions.

Xiao Guoer no longer kept the secret and slowly said, "This is... lychee."

"Lychee?" The doubt in Yueya's eyes did not diminish, and she repeated the new term she had never heard of before. Although the Zhou Mansion was also a family of officials, they had never been honored by His Majesty to be rewarded with lychees, and the servants had never seen or heard of them.

Mrs. Zhou also looked curious, but she just stared at him calmly without asking any more questions.

When Yingniang heard the word "litchi", her eyes lit up.

She was knowledgeable and had heard of this extremely rare fruit, but had never had the pleasure of seeing it. Now that she suddenly saw it, she was naturally shocked.

"How did you get this?" Yingniang knew that this thing was not something that ordinary people could have. Even the nobles in the palace might not be able to eat one. It all depended on whether His Majesty would reward them. If they were favored, it would be easy, they could get one or two as a reward; if they were not favored, they would not even be able to see it.

Xiao Guoer giggled, "Someone gave it to me. It's priceless. Come and try it." As she spoke, she fished the lychees out of the water, pulled the dark red fruits off the branches and leaves, and put them in Yueya and Zhou Po's hands, one for each of them. She then put the remaining two into Yingniang's hands.

Yueya and Mrs. Zhou both stared blankly at the fruits in their hands, holding them carefully for fear of accidentally dropping them.

They couldn't believe it. Such a small fruit was worth a fortune? And the second girl gave it to them so casually?