Why am I, a cook, always involved in cases?

Last night, Lin Zhiruo was immersed in a strange dream. The dream was like a review of the past... No, to be more precise, it was a reappearance of those fragments that may have actually happened.

She couldn't confirm its authenticity or whether it had really happened.

(Perhaps it was taking care of that woman that brought back memories of the past.)

In the dream, an adult woman looked down at Lin Zhiruo from above. Her hair was messy and her cheeks were thin. She stared at her with a pair of bright but longing eyes.

Her makeup was ruined, rouge smeared carelessly around her lips.

The woman stretched out a hand and tightly grasped Lin Zhiruo's left hand.

The hand was shaped like a maple leaf and was covered with tiny dents.

Her right hand was tightly gripping a sharp knife, and her left hand was wrapped with layers of red, wet cloth strips. The cloth strips swayed gently in the wind, and a faint smell of rust filled the air.

Lin Zhiruo made a weak sound like a cat's meow from her throat, and she realized that it was her own crying.

The woman pressed her left hand on the quilt, raised her right hand, her twisted lips trembling, and tears welled up in her red and swollen eyes.

(Foolish woman.)

Then the woman swung the knife and chopped down.

"Oh, are you sleepy? You have to wait a little longer before you can rest."

Henghua whispered to the yawning Lin Zhiruo.

Although her tone was polite, this old lady was actually not easy to deal with.

Therefore, Lin Zhiruo quickly sat up straight and polished the silver tableware until it sparkled.

I felt listless the day after returning from vacation. This was entirely my own fault. I must not use the nightfall as an excuse to slack off.

"I'm not sleepy."

Lin Zhiruo smiled bitterly, thinking to herself that it was all because of that slightly weird dream.

She thought that as long as she was busy as usual, she would soon forget about it. However, the dream inexplicably lingered in her mind.

Lin Zhiruo's bitter smile revealed a hint of something that was not like herself.

As she clinked the dishes back home, she heard footsteps in the hallway.

Beeswax candles have been lit in the house, indicating that the owner is about to return.

Quan Wushuang walked through the living room and into the kitchen.

Henghua was putting the dishes into the plates that Lin Zhiruo had wiped clean as new.

"This is a gift from that weirdo. You and Henghua can enjoy it together."

Quan Wushuang placed the wine jug on the table.

The weirdo he was referring to must be the annoying official who had been teasing him recently.

Lin Zhiruo pulled out the cork, and a sweet and sour citrus aroma filled her nose. It must be fruit juice.

"So it was given by a weirdo."

There was no emotion in Lin Zhiruo's voice.

Quan Wushuang walked into the living room and lay down on General Zhimou's bed, while Lin Zhiruo added some charcoal to his brazier.

Seeing that the charcoal was about to burn out, Gao Zhongcheng quietly left the table.

He must have gone to get more charcoal; he was indeed a diligent man.

Quan Wushuang scratched his head rudely, his eyes falling on Lin Zhiruo.

"Are you familiar with the regulars at Hongxialou?"

This sudden question made Lin Zhiruo feel confused.

"If you're referring to guests who behave ostentatiously."

“Who are the regulars?”

"I must keep this secret."

Lin Zhiruo's cold answer made Quan Wushuang frown.

He seemed to realize that his way of asking the question was inappropriate, so he changed his tone.

"...So, how can you lower the value of a prostitute?"

There was an inexplicable solemnity in his words.

"The steward asked an unpleasant question."

Lin Zhiruo sighed softly.

"There are many ways, especially for high-class prostitutes."

The top prostitutes only need to receive customers a few times a month, and the work is not heavy.

Popular prostitutes do not receive customers frequently, but those secret prostitutes who have a hard time making a living need to receive customers every day.

The higher the status of the prostitute, the less she likes to show up in public.

The less they appear, the more their value will be raised by the pleasure seekers themselves.

They learned poetry, singing and dancing, and entertained guests with their talents.

In Hongxialou, apprentice prostitutes will receive comprehensive training and will be divided into those with outstanding appearance and bright future and the rest.

The latter will start to receive clients after their first appearance, exchanging their bodies for money rather than their talents.

Women with potential will start by serving tea, and those who are good at observing people's expressions and are smart and clever will see their value continue to rise.

Then, the shop would deliberately reduce the number of appearances of popular courtesans, in order to create those courtesans who would spend a year's worth of money just on tea tasting.

Therefore, some prostitutes never allow their clients to touch them before they are redeemed.

This can only be said to be men's romance. Everyone longs to be the first person to fold flowers.

“The most valuable flowers are those that remain untouched.”

Lin Zhiruo lit a stick of incense that had a calming effect.

Lately, she had been burning incense to relieve Quan Wushuang's fatigue, but today, the incense seemed to help Lin Zhiruo as well.

"Once it's broken, its value will be halved. Furthermore..."

Lin Zhiruo took a deep breath, inhaling the calming aroma into her lungs.

"If I can make her pregnant, then her worth will be completely gone."

Lin Zhiruo thought that her words were emotionless.

However, she felt as if she had had a nightmare.