Chapter 81: Carelessness Leads to Being Robbed at Home

The profession of the brothel owner, I believe many people are familiar with it. It appears with a high probability in numerous film and literary works, especially in martial arts works, perhaps only second to the innkeeper.
In general, people usually assume that a "laobao" refers to the owner of a brothel.
This understanding is partially correct and partially incorrect.
In the familiar history we know, during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, there were indeed a few "tangzi" (brothels) where the big boss was the "laobao" herself. However, if we go further back in time, the more distant it is from the present, the less common this situation becomes, until it approaches zero.
The actual situation is that until before the Ming Dynasty, almost all owners or "major shareholders" of brothels of a certain scale were male, sometimes there were more than one boss, but instead, there were several shareholders controlling together. As for official kilns like the Jiaofangsai, it belonged to the imperial industry.
So, the old bustards, in most cases, are not "boss ladies," but "general managers" responsible for managing the brothels, and they are just employees working for the shareholders.
Currently, the "Wang Mama" mentioned by Ding Buzhou is one of the old brothel madams in this Starlight Building.
Since the term "one of" is used, it naturally implies that there is more than one old madam here, which is to be expected considering the level, scale, and the high threshold of serving clients in this Starlight Building. One madam would definitely be overwhelmed, so having up to eight is not excessive.
After a while, when Sun Huang and the others were getting a little bored of drinking tea, "Madam Wang" who received Ding Bu Zhi's instructions appeared on time.
This Madam Wang, who is in her early forties, has a face and figure that would not be considered impressive even if she were twenty years younger. However, until five years ago, she was still the top courtesan at a small brothel in the capital, all because of her rare ability - being naturally friendly with people.
There is a kind of people in this world, who may not have extensive knowledge or experience, their conversation may not be elegant or humorous, and even their appearance may be ordinary. But when you meet them, you will feel an instant connection, and you can have a great conversation, even discussing things that you normally wouldn't mention.
This is a kind of talent that doesn't make much sense, a kind of innate affinity, but it does exist.
You may not have seen many people like this, or haven't seen them at all, but if I were to mention the opposite example, I guess many people have encountered it...
Most of us have similar memories from childhood: when we were very young, we would encounter a distant relative during holidays or special occasions. You didn't know why, but just having them nearby, even if they were just sitting there, cracking sunflower seeds, would make you feel scared, disgusted, and unwilling to get close.
And this is a natural "ferocious appearance", the person may not have a bad personality in itself, but children can perceive and feel these indescribable things, of course, this perception also fades as we grow up.
Back to the point... "Aunty Wang" was hired by Ding Buzhuo with a high salary precisely because she possesses such talent.
And she is also the first choice for Ding Buzhuo to test some "targets".
"Hey! Everyone, why didn't you call me earlier when you were drinking tea here?" Wang Mama entered the room and shouted in this way.
Hearing the voice, Sun Yixie turned his head and saw a big aunt coming. He thought she might be the madam, but the way the madam spoke seemed to be mismatched with the style here.
"Who are you?" In any case, Sun Ge still asked the other party to introduce themselves.
"Here, everyone calls me Wang Mama, but of course you can call me something else if you want." Wang Mama said as she approached the table where everyone was seated.
Sun Yixie, Huang Donglai, Faning and Hu Wenzhen listened and pondered, thinking to themselves, "What else can we call her?" Should we call her Sister Wang? Little Sister Wang? Granny Wang? That would be even more inappropriate.
"Alright." Sun Yixie pouted and said, "Is Aunt Wang finally planning to introduce some girls to us?"
"Of course not~" Aunt Wang stood by with a smile, leaning in closer, and said to Sun Yixie, "This young man, you look like a regular visitor to brothels. So, let's not beat around the bush, how many do you want?"
Sun Yixie's face changed when he heard this, and he muttered in his mouth, "Tsk... How come the usual visitor of brothels is here? Don't sully my innocence..."
"Ha! After coming here, what innocence are you talking about?" Wang Mama was also not polite, she picked up her finger and lightly tapped on Sun's temple, not sure if this counted as playful banter or actual physical contact.
At that time, the four people at the table were astonished, thinking that this old woman really doesn't treat herself as an outsider, and this Xinghui Building does indeed have something about it.
"Mother hen!" Sun Yixie was a bit annoyed and embarrassed by the other party's "teasing". However, he didn't know why he couldn't get angry at Mama Wang. So he could only raise his voice and shout in frustration, "Enough of that! First let your troupe's leading performer come and dance for me!"
In fact, these two sentences spoken by Sun Yixie are considered ignorant remarks in most high-end brothels in the Great Ming Dynasty, because during that time, it was impossible for someone like a top-ranking courtesan to be summoned by a single word from you. On the contrary, you had to go and request to see her, and even then, she might not be willing to meet you. She would first observe you from the shadows, assessing your appearance, education, speech, as well as financial capabilities, among other factors. After considering all these aspects, there might be a chance for you to meet her. Then, you could gradually transition into more refined activities such as music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. If you displayed well, only then would both parties have the possibility of engaging in more explicit activities.
However, what I didn't expect is...
"Hey, that's right." At this moment, Aunt Wang replied with a happy smile, "I knew that you, young master, are experienced. You even know that Qian girl excels at dancing."
"Ah?" This time, Huang Donglai laughed too. He immediately teased Sun Ge, saying, "Sun Ge, did you use a pseudonym before?"
"Get lost! I've never been here!" Sun Yi swiftly denied it, after all, he really hadn't been here.
"Actually, it doesn't matter. We're all men, so what's the big deal if we've been here before or not," said Fanning, trying to smooth things over. "But to be honest, even though I haven't been here myself, I have heard of the famous Qian Meimei, the headliner of Xinghui Tower, known as the 'Number One beauty in Jinhua'."
"The gentleman speaks the truth," said the mother on the other side, taking over the conversation. "However..." she suddenly looked troubled, "today is truly unfortunate, as Miss Qian is currently unwell and unable to receive guests..."
"Okay, okay, I know your tricks." Sun Yi Xie interrupted before the other person finished, "First, you pique my interest, then you try to deter me with various obstacles, and you wait for me to say 'pay more money' myself, and then you negotiate the price with me. Finally, when we reach a satisfactory price, you go and hire someone, right?"
"Uh... sir, you really know your stuff," Mrs. Wang hesitated for a moment before saying, "Usually, I do use the method you mentioned, but... today, Miss Qian is really uncomfortable."
"Tsk tsk tsk..." Sun Yi impatiently waved his hand and made a spitting sound. "Alright, that's enough, stop pretending. Just tell me how much money you want."
"This... it's really not about money..." When Wang Mama replied, her entire head tilted and she forcefully pressed it down a few degrees to demonstrate sincerity.
"What's the matter?" Sun Yi asked unhappily.
"It's about hemorrhoids," Aunt Wang explained helplessly, deciding to be frank.
"Hmm..." Sun Yi was dumbfounded upon hearing the answer and couldn't come up with any response for quite some time.
"Um..." Hu Wenzhen, who was the most normal and reliable in the room, spoke up, "How about we find another girl instead?"
Although his words did not completely ease the awkward atmosphere on the scene, it could be considered as a step down.
"Oh, that's easy to say," Mrs. Wang said, "May I ask how many girls each of you would like for company?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the door of the room suddenly opened with a bang, and then a man in his forties, tall and with a friendly face, walked in from outside.
This gentleman is also known as Yu Jianli.
As soon as Yu came into the room, he immediately responded to Mrs. Wang's previous statement: "Bring two, those over 18 are not wanted!"
Dear everyone, you can tell by listening that he is a regular customer. As soon as he comes in, he doesn't waste any words and asks for two glasses of high-quality liquor worth 18 taels each.
What? Are you asking why this kind of thing can also be sold for eighteen taels?
It's simple, because all the tea here is ridiculously expensive, so using those ridiculously expensive tea leaf scraps to make high-quality tea scraps, isn't that the price for it?
"Eh? Isn't this Uncle Yu (note that Aunt Wang is calling him 'Uncle Yu', not 'Uncle', as the pronunciation and meaning of these three words are different from what the storyteller said) here? What are you doing...?" Aunt Wang still didn't realize that these four people in front of her were waiting for Yu Jilian's departure, so she was a bit confused.
"No problem, these guys are all my buddies." Yu Jianli was also not polite and boldly took a seat.
This guy, as mentioned earlier, is a 'big friend' in the world of martial arts, quite similar to Meng Changzhi's style, so this maneuver can be said to be effortless for him. Anyway, as long as he pays for the bill in the end, no one would mind.
Firstly, Yao Jilian and Fan Ning have known each other for a long time, and they have a deep friendship as they have been through thick and thin together with Shuangxie.
"Long time no see, everyone, hehe... hiccup..." As Uncle Yu took his seat, the others turned to look at him and noticed that he looked slightly drunk. It seemed that he was late today probably because he couldn't extricate himself from drinking elsewhere.
"Hey, who is this?" However, Yuanchi gradually realized that he didn't know one of the people sitting at the table even though his alcohol tolerance was quite high. Despite being slightly tipsy, he quickly determined that there was one person he didn't recognize.
"This is Mr. Hu Wenzhen." Huang Donglai introduced him.
"Oh... Nice to meet you, I am Yu Jianli." Yu Jianli hesitated slightly, finding that he had indeed never heard this name before, so he used "nice to meet you" instead of "I've heard of you."
"It is an honor to meet you." However, Hu Wen knew about Jiulixi gradually leaving, so he could use "It is an honor to meet you." Because just before Mr. Yu arrived, he had already heard the nickname "Master of Prostitution" being mentioned by the other three people, and he immediately showed his respect for this nickname.
"Uh... sirs," Aunt Wang saw that they had rearranged the tables themselves, so she didn't bother to say more and instead asked, "Should I serve tea to Master Yu first, or...?"
"Do you still want tea?" Sun Yixie didn't understand the true meaning of Yu Jianli's earlier phrase "two more", so when he heard Wang Mama mention tea again, he was almost jumping up to bite someone, "Are you guys a brothel or a tea house? Can't you stop? Mr. Yu just said it, he wants two! So do we!"
"No, no, no..." Unexpectedly, at this moment, Faning interrupted, "Brother Sun, you should hold off for now. Since Mr. Yu is here, let me finish talking to him first." He paused and added, "If you are really in a hurry, have them bring the food and drinks first, have a few sips to calm down."
"Motherfucker! Why are you making it seem like I'm the only one who is so anxious?" Sun Yixie became more and more annoyed. At that moment, he looked at Huang Donglai and said, "Huang, say something."
Next second, Huang Dong got up in an instant.
Everyone thought he was rising suddenly to make a profound remark, but instead he quickly walked over to Mrs. Wang and whispered, "Oh my god, suddenly got a stomachache, can you tell me where the toilet is?"
…………
After lighting a stick of incense, I go into the neighboring room.
Ding did not stay and was peeping through a hole hidden behind the calligraphy and painting on the wall, observing the situation in Shuang Xie's room.
This is his habit - he is accustomed to having his subordinates make contact with the other party before he personally meets them, while he observes in secret.
Only by doing so can he stand in the perspective of an observer rather than a party involved, to form a first impression of the other party and thus develop a set of strategies for dealing with them.
Only when he is fully prepared, will he meet the other party formally.
Today is no exception.
However... at this moment, Ding observed the conversation between Shuang Xie and Wang Mama from a hidden place for a long time, and eavesdropped on the "business" discussion between Faning and Yu Jianli for a while, but the conclusion he came to was: it's better not to see these people.
There is no reason other than Ding Buzhu has not seen anything extraordinary in the renowned "East Harmonizing West Poison" in the martial arts world.
Over the years, Ding Buzhu has encountered many so-called "martial arts heroes" who are not worthy of their reputation. In fact, there are probably more of these people than actual heroes. As a result, after a while, there are some people he looks at but doesn't feel like meeting.
Furthermore, after hearing the name Shuangxie today, he immediately became interested, and the main reason is not because he wants to get to know these two younger generations, but because about half a month ago, his intelligence agency intercepted information from a counterpart in the Green Forest Road called "Whispering Wind Tower". The content of the information was that the long-lost "Silkworm-Seeking Ring" reappeared in the martial arts world several months ago, and the person who possessed it at that time was Sun Yixie.
So, Ding immediately went to check the whereabouts of Shuanghui, but when he learned that the two had gone to Japan, he could only temporarily put this matter aside.
Until... tonight.
Tonight, Sun Yixie did not wear the silver finger guard on his hand. After returning to the Central Plains, he no longer needed to have something constantly worn on his person to maintain any translation spells. Besides, neither he nor Huang Donglai had any knowledge of the martial arts legend associated with this finger guard, so he casually placed it in the inn's luggage at the moment.
Ding couldn't help but hide in the dark and watch these two guys. He didn't find anything special about them and didn't find the "Search for Silkworm Ring" in their hands, feeling bored.
Then, he listened to what Fanning and Yu Jianli were going to discuss, and it turned out that it was just... Yu Jianli asked Fanning to help repair weapons, that's all.
Originally, the "Silver Sword" that Yu Jianli bought from Fanning was damaged in the autumn of last year in the capital city. Yu Jianli went to find Fanning and asked him to find a way to repair it... everyone knows the efficiency of handling things in ancient times. If you ask someone to do something that you don't even have a clue about, it's reasonable to give them a few months to reserve. Moreover, communication and transportation were not very convenient at that time, and coincidentally, both of them didn't have a fixed residence. Therefore, they used the classic method of "meeting on the first day of a few months later in a certain place" for their reunion, which has brought us to today's meeting.
Upon hearing this, Ding realized that their main business was just this?
"Golden Sword and Silver Blade" are well-known weapons in the martial arts world, but if you want to say how powerful these two weapons are, they are not that impressive.
The Silver Sword is indeed a great sword, comparable to extraordinary iron, and can be considered a unique weapon. But if you want to talk about sharpness, there are too many swords that can be compared to it. In the Wujian Villa back then, swords of this level could be purchased by weight.
In some sense, the fame of the Silver Sword is partly due to its comparison with the Gold Sword.
Of course, what makes the Gold Sword interesting is not that it enhances the user's combat power to the level of a magical weapon. It is because it is a true "gold sword" that has a certain proportion of real gold mixed with other metals in its handle, guard, blade, and scabbard. It is crafted with superb craftsmanship, resulting in a stunning appearance. Therefore, it is not only a good weapon but also a highly valuable jewel.
Of course, this Golden Saber is no longer in the possession of Jianli, and is even no longer in the martial arts world, as it has been bought and collected by a wealthy collector.
In any case, even if these two things were to appear here, they wouldn't catch Ding's attention, so Feng Ning is not someone worth paying attention to or making friends with in his eyes.
As for Yu Jianli, as I said, he is a regular here. I've seen him before, but we only nodded at each other and didn't have any interaction.
As for Hu Wen-zhi, he hasn't been in Central Plains for twenty years, and he wasn't famous back then. Ding Bu-zhu doesn't have any information about him, so he can only be treated as an unknown pawn.
After calculating the accounts in his mind, Ding couldn't help but want to give up and return to his room to drink and take a nap.
However, he was a person skilled at seizing opportunities. Despite feeling that the chances of success were small, he still thought of and ordered the implementation of an idea that could be tried out and wouldn't pose too much danger if it failed. He sent a few subordinates to secretly go to the inn where Sun Huang was staying at this moment, to search their luggage...