A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

After they finished eating the porridge, they returned to their small covered boat to rest for a while. Gui'er was still worried because they had to work later, but Taohua said that it was getting late and the boat was already busy. They were two newcomers, thin and weak, with pale faces and wearing tattered clothes. The madam would not let them embarrass themselves in front of the guests, so they could sleep. Gui'er finally felt relieved and closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

After sleeping for who knows how long, the sound of music gradually came into the darkness. Someone was singing a little song, someone was playing rock-paper-scissors, and there was the sound of clinking glasses. From time to time, there was also a noise and the sound of glasses breaking. Gui'er sat up in panic. Taohua said, "Don't be afraid. There are more than a dozen flower boats nearby. If the guests get drunk at night, they will inevitably cause trouble. We can just sleep on our own."

Gui'er lay down again, listening to the melodious music that slowly rippled across the water. She couldn't help but think of her past life, the days before the car accident, as if it were a lifetime ago...

"Bang", "Snap", "Well, you little bitch, you dare to take the board?"

"Oh, sir, calm down, calm down, I want Miss Qiuju to sing a solo song for you!" "You little bitch, how dare you argue with a guest? Ah Jiu, drag her out and beat her."

Gui'er and Taohua sat up suddenly. This time the sound was very close. It should be from the flower boat next to them. From the sound, it was He Ergu's.

Something must have happened on the flower boat, but Taohua and Guier didn't dare to ask. They just sat there and listened with their ears perked up. After a while, they heard the sound of "pa, pa" which was probably slapping.

Then one girl cried and begged for mercy, "Mom, please forgive me. I know I was wrong. Please forgive me this time."

The voice was clearly Jinlian's. He Ergu was still cursing, "You ignorant thing, you've offended Lord Long. I won't forgive you."

"Mr. Long, please calm down. For my sake, have a drink." The voice should be Qiuju's.

The noisy sounds at the back gradually died down, and the sounds of singing, drinking, and rock-paper-scissors came from other flower boats one after another. Taohua and Guier looked at each other in silence and fell into a deep sleep again.

The next morning, Taohua and Guier got up early. Guier's head started to hurt again. She felt that the wound might have become inflamed, but there was not even a mirror here. She could only lean over to look at her reflection in the water. She found that there was a very thick scar on her head from the forehead to the brow bone. It was very obvious. When she touched it with her hand, the flesh was turned outwards. She asked Taohua if there was any medicine here or if she could see a doctor.

Taohua said in surprise, "Aunt He wouldn't let people like us see a doctor. Forget about the medicine. I'll find some wood ash for you to apply later."

Gui'er had no choice but to give up.

Although it was a headache, the work still had to be done. The two were about to take the two large buckets of clothes to wash like they had yesterday when one of the burly men guarding the flower boat suddenly stopped them and said, "Mom wants you to come over."

Taohua and Gui'er followed the large man uneasily onto the boat. The madam was sitting on a mahogany chair, legs crossed. Seeing them approach, she forced a smile from her droopy face and said, "You two have been with me for some time now. I've treated you well, providing you with food, shelter, and clothing, but this place is still a low-class place. Now I've found a better place to go. Who of you would like to go?"

Taohua and the others looked at each other, not knowing what she meant and not daring to say anything. Suddenly, the madam beckoned Gui'er to come forward. Although Gui'er was afraid, she had no choice but to slowly walk up to her. She reached out and pulled back Gui'er's bangs. Seeing the thick scar, her face suddenly changed. She slapped Gui'er to the ground and cursed, "You little slut, how dare you hide this from me? How can you do business with a scar like that on your face?"

Gui'er covered her face and dared not say a word. She struggled to her feet. The madam was about to come forward to hit her, but Qiuju, who was standing beside her, said, "Mom, she's still young and doesn't understand these rules. Please forgive her."

The madam finally gave up and sat back on the mahogany chair, frowning as she said, "Originally, I was thinking that the two of them would take the place of Jinlian, and that Lord Long would probably be able to accept that. But now that she's in this state, I'm afraid that won't work."

Jinlian, who had been standing in the corner, suddenly rushed forward, knelt on the ground, and cried to the madam, "Mom, please find a way for me. I don't want to go with the bandits."

Gui'er and Taohua were shocked when they heard this. Gui'er asked, "Are they planning to sell us to the bandits instead of Jinlian?"

Everyone present was stunned. They didn't expect that Gui'er, a nine-year-old girl, would say such words so calmly. Taohua next to her was already trembling with fear.

He Ergu cleared her throat and said, "Actually, it wouldn't be a bad idea for you to go and follow Lord Long. He's the second-in-command of Qingfeng Village, feared by everyone in the surrounding area."

"Since it's such a great place, how can we take Sister Jinlian's place?" Gui'er said calmly.

With a slap, Guier was slapped again. She felt that both sides of her face were burning.

The madam pointed at Gui'er and scolded her, "How dare you, little bitch, you talk too much? I've raised Jinlian for three years. She'll be out working soon. How can I give her away for nothing?"

Jinlian also hurriedly said, "Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Mom." Only then did Guier see clearly that there were several slap marks on Jinlian's face, and it was also very swollen.

He Ergu frowned and said, "Even if I wanted to keep you, Lord Long is not blind. These two little girls are skinny and withered, and one of them is even disfigured. They look so weak that I don't know if I can support them. If he saw them, he would definitely not agree."

"Then why don't we change their clothes and put some powder on their faces? Maybe we can cover it up." Qiuju said on the side.

The madam pondered for a moment and said, "Okay, let's give it a try. If it doesn't work, we'll talk about it later."

Qiuju brought Taohua and Guier to her own room on the second floor and took out some of her old clothes, wanting them to wear them. Unfortunately, the two were too thin and could not wear the clothes worn by teenagers. She could only ask Jinlian to report to the brothel owner, who reluctantly sent someone out to buy new clothes for them.

Qiuju took out her duck egg powder and applied it to the two of them. Gui'er took a look and found it to be similar to modern loose powder, except that the texture was a bit coarser. She focused on covering the scar on Gui'er's forehead with a thick layer of powder, then applied rouge and put on the new clothes that the madam had sent someone to buy from outside. Since they were all leaving, the madam was reluctant to buy them silk, so they still wore coarse cloth clothes, but they were new and made of floral fabrics. In this way, although they looked more heavily made-up, the two of them looked much more delicate, like two porcelain dolls carved from delicate jade.

The madam was reluctant to let them go, and frightened Jinlian so much that she knelt down and begged. Later, the madam thought that she had raised Jinlian for many years and she had learned a skill, so she could earn more money for her, so she decided to let them go.

Just as they finished all this, someone outside reported that Lord Long had arrived. The madam had no choice but to hurry downstairs with the group. When they reached the first floor, they saw four or five people in black robes standing there. The leader was a man wearing a top hat and a satin robe. Although he was called Lord Long, he was very thin, with triangular eyes, a flat nose, and a chin like a shoe horn. The madam hurried forward, bowed, and said with a very flattering smile, "Lord Long, you are here. I have been thinking about this Jinlian for most of the night. She is stubborn and simple-minded. She is really unmanageable. Coincidentally, we have two new little girls here. They are delicate and charming. I thought of giving them to you to replace Jinlian to serve you. What do you think?"

The Dragon Lord's triangular eyes darted around at Gui'er and Chahua, and he sneered, saying, "They don't look bad, but they're too young. When will I be able to use them?"

The madam quickly said, "Don't be fooled by their small stature. They're actually already 12. They're just poor and have nothing to eat, so they're a little thin. Now that they're with you, they have access to all kinds of delicacies. They've naturally grown up quickly."

Long Ye pondered for a moment, perhaps thinking that two would be better than one, so he said, "Well, let them both follow me."

Taohua was so scared that her hands and feet were shaking. Guier (Song Xinxin) thought this was also an opportunity. It was better than becoming a prostitute here. She could just find a chance to escape later. So she took Taohua's hand and followed the group of people.