Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter 81: Retribution

“Whether you have the baby or not, I feel like I did something wrong in this matter.” She lowered her head sincerely, her voice low. “As the boss, I can also make mistakes. So you should keep this pork.”

"Oh." Seeing that there was really nothing wrong with it, he accepted it.

"In that case, I'll head back first. You should go back as soon as you're done cleaning; it's not safe to be on the road too late."

Qiu Jiaming continued to look at her expressionlessly, which made Ji Meiqing think that everyone knew what she had done.

However, she glanced at him a couple more times, still feeling uneasy, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he didn't have any other expression.

"Then I'll head back first. Brother Lu is waiting for me to cook dinner."

She gave a perfunctory reply and then left.

The pork was also sent over, with some croton powder added, as a kind of "compensation" for the past few days.

If Li Ming hadn't told her that the gossip circulating in the village these past few days was about her and Li Ming, Ji Meiqing probably wouldn't have noticed. However, upon hearing who was spreading the gossip, she gave a cold laugh.

Why gossip for no reason? He brought this upon himself, so he can't blame her for doing something rash.

She didn't go too far; it was just a lesson. He needed to understand what it meant to not say things carelessly or eat things carelessly.

After returning home and packing her things, she went to the city with Lu Yu. They probably wouldn't be back for several more days; after settling in, she needed to go to the porcelain kiln to pick up some goods.

She was busy making arrangements in the brothel. There were two square tables at the entrance, with many shelves on them, all according to Ji Meiqing's requirements.

After watching for a while, she went out. The temperature at the porcelain kiln was ready. She took out the porcelain stored at Boss Guan's place, and the remaining mass-produced pieces were sent upstairs.

Ji Meiqing carefully arranged them one by one, refusing help from those around her.

"Go upstairs and take a look first. The portraits outside are quite nice. Remember to put some flowers around them, but not too bright ones, so as not to give people a frivolous feeling." She stared at the shelves and casually stated her requirements.

Under Ji Meiqing's direction, everyone in the building was busy, and several potted plants were temporarily brought in from outside. Ji Meiqing glanced at them, then shook her head helplessly and rearranged the flowerpots.

After making final checks and ensuring everything was in order, she allowed everyone to rest briefly before preparing for the evening's business.

The auction didn't start until the evening, and in the meantime, she looked at her series of teapots in her room. She felt a little nervous and slightly dissatisfied.

Ji Meiqing finally relaxed a little as evening approached, her heart pounding with anxiety. However, she dared not relax too much, as guests began to arrive one after another.

The lanterns outside were lit, and seats were assigned to them according to the previous rehearsal. Once almost everyone had arrived, the mother, as the spokesperson, went on stage to explain the purpose of the day.

After rambling on and on about all sorts of random things, the important part finally comes.

A large group of girls came out one after another from behind, each carrying a tea set.

Ji Meiqing sat in the private room that had been arranged for her beforehand, watching the scene unfold below. She chatted with Lu Yu while cracking sunflower seeds.

Both of them stared intently at the introduction below. Although there wasn't much advertising, the posters placed at the entrance could be considered a form of promotion.

"Now, all the tea sets are on display. You may stand behind the yellow line to view them." She finished speaking quickly, then gestured for someone to pull up the prepared display stand.

Ji Meiqing took two mints out of her pocket and placed them in front of him. "Put one in your mouth. There's an aphrodisiac in here."

Lu Yu was taken aback. "You prepared this too?"

"It was a last resort." She chuckled dryly. "I was thinking of using a little aphrodisiac to confuse people."

The two continued to focus their attention on the display stand. Everyone in the private room came down and circled the display stand, because every half meter there was a girl holding a tray with a tea set on it.

I don't know if those people were looking at the tea set, the people, or something else.

Ji Meiqing stared for a long time, then her expression turned serious. This time, she probably wouldn't make any money.

Lu Yu didn't say much this time; the two of them watched the situation below together.

With a honey trap and some special tools, it's probably... unlikely to fail, but if something goes wrong... she can't afford to.

After waiting a while, the auction finally began.

Tea sets and wine vessels were laid out.

Ji Meiqing watched them bustling about, with prices starting at one hundred taels. People who came to brothels were either seeking pleasure, trying to appear cultured, or both, or simply venting their anger.

However, there are quite a few people who are just trying to appear cultured; they hold up price tags and then someone calls out a price.

Before long, the first set of cups and utensils was sold. Ji Meiqing's tense heart couldn't help but relax, and she began to pay attention to the second round.

By the end, Ji Meiqing was almost speechless. Her legs felt weak when she stood up, and she looked at Lu Yu, her voice trembling as she slowly said, "Quickly pinch me to see if this is real."

"It's true, they've all been sold." Lu Yu smiled faintly, his face showing joy for her.

Ji Meiqing was almost in tears, but faced with so much money, half of it had to go to the boss, and then she would split it 50/50 with the mother. Although the amount she received wasn't much, she could still be considered a small-time rich woman.

"Come with me." She packed her things and led Lu Yu to the back, where the mother was smoking a pipe, looking worried. Ji Meiqing approached and slowly asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." She glanced at Ji Meiqing, then put away her pipe and led them into the room.

"Thank you so much for today. The value of one of the girls in my building isn't even as much as one of your cups." She sighed, quite helplessly.

Ji Meiqing said modestly, "Not at all. It was just a coincidence."

The three entered the room one after the other. "The money won't be fully available until tomorrow. Miss Ji, please take a portion first, and come back tomorrow for the rest."

"Hmm." She didn't really care. She looked at the dimly lit room, then at the candle her mother had somehow gotten, and decided to go back to sleep as soon as she got the money.

She took out ten banknotes from her collection and placed them in Ji Meiqing's hand, explaining, "Here's three thousand taels. Take it first. Come back tomorrow when all the accounts are ready."

"Okay." She put the money away and was about to leave when her legs felt so heavy she couldn't move. Lu Yu instinctively reminded her to be careful... but when he turned around and saw Ji Meiqing who had already fainted, his heart ached terribly.