Chapter 9: Hua Que Lou
905 Words
Hua Mama turned to Long Dan and said, "Young Master Long, this wench was disrespectful to you..."
Long Dan interrupted loudly, "You keep calling others wenches, but who’s the real wench here?"
Hua Mama was momentarily speechless, realizing her inappropriate language. Quickly, she plastered on a smile, "Oh, my tongue is just too loose! Please don’t take offense, Young Master!"
Long Dan’s commanding demeanor left me in awe. Her ability to switch between personas from the 21st century was impeccable, and I couldn’t help but smile inwardly.
With a cold snort, Long Dan said, "Leave this girl to me. Is that alright?"
She held her head high, not even glancing at Hua Mama.
Hua Mama's eyes widened, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She stammered, "Of course, but..."
Long Dan impatiently demanded, "Is it yes or no? Just say one word or two, how hard can it be?"
Hua Mama nodded vigorously, "Of course, it’s yes!"
"Good, we need to rest now, you may leave." Without waiting for Hua Mama to respond, Long Dan pushed open the door.
Hua Mama looked at me, "But Young Master Wu said he had questions for me."
"He does. But you started talking about wenches! If there’s anything, we’ll discuss it tomorrow." Long Dan turned her back to Hua Mama, staring at the wall in silence. I gestured for Hua Mama to leave, who grumbled as she exited, leaving the maid behind.
Once Hua Mama was gone, I clapped my hands and laughed, "Long Dan, you’re amazing! Didn’t see that coming!"
Long Dan chuckled, "I just couldn’t stand her voice any longer. Quick and decisive, that’s the way to get rid of her!"
The maid was still kneeling and trembling. I helped her up, "Don’t be afraid, we won’t hurt you."
Tears streamed down her face as she stood, terrified. Knowing she now belonged to Long Dan, she shuffled towards her, stammering, "Y-young Master, h-how can I serve you?"
Long Dan frowned at me, "You know more about the Shen Chui Kingdom’s society, talk to her."
I asked the girl, "What’s your name?"
"I’m Mei Jin. Mei as in beautiful, Jin as in today," she replied softly.
Long Dan and I exchanged glances, then burst out laughing, "There’s ‘Mei Jin’ here too! Does that mean we’re in America?"
Mei Jin nervously said, "Young Master Wu, if you don’t like my name, you can change it."
I laughed, "No, it’s a nice name! Don’t change it."
I thought it would be comforting to hear her name every day. Not bad at all!
"Mei Jin, don’t be afraid. Young Master Long is a good person. He won’t harm you and will protect you."
Mei Jin reacted as if she had heard something terrifying, waving her hands, "No! No! No! Mei Jin doesn’t need protection!"
Her attitude annoyed me. I shouted, "Just listen, don’t talk! Do you hear me?"
Mei Jin froze, nodding fearfully. The way people in this society reacted to authority was frustrating.
Calming down, I said, "First, from now on, you belong to Young Master Long."
I glanced at Long Dan, who stuck out her tongue. I smirked internally, planning to tease her, but maintained a serious expression. "Whatever Young Master Long asks, you must try your best to fulfill."
Suppressing my laughter, I continued, "Second, remember that your life was saved by Young Master Long and me. So, you must be loyal to both of us. We are not bad people, keep that in mind!"
Mei Jin nodded vigorously. I added, "When no one else is around, you don’t have to serve us. We’ll consider you a friend. Got it?"
Mei Jin, confused by my contradictory statements, nodded. Long Dan gave me a thumbs up, mocking my inconsistency.
Once spoken, words can’t be taken back. Clearing my throat, I said, "I have some questions for you. Can you answer them?"
Mei Jin replied, "Please ask, Young Master!" I shook my head, "Don’t call me Young Master, just call me Wu Lan."
Mei Jin softly repeated, "Wu Lan, Wu Lan..."
I asked, "Where exactly are we?"
"This is Hua Que Lou," Mei Jin answered promptly, showing her quick adaptability.
"What kind of place is Hua Que Lou?" I couldn’t help but laugh at the name, suspecting it was either a brothel or something similar.
"Hua Que Lou is a top-tier establishment where noble ladies and wealthy women watch male performers. It’s the most prestigious performance house in the kingdom," Mei Jin explained.
"What’s our status here?" I inquired further.
Mei Jin pondered briefly before answering, "You two are top-tier male performers. Such performers are rare in the entire kingdom. Today was your first performance. If you hadn’t impressed the ladies, you would have been sold or killed. But with today’s success, your value has soared, and your future looks bright."
Long Dan and I were both stunned, realizing how close we had come to death. Thank goodness for our luck!
From Mei Jin, we learned about the comprehensive system of male performers in Shen Chui Kingdom. There were four levels: Red House, Blue House, Purple House, and Green House. Red House, where we were, was the highest, housing elite performers. Most performers were captured and trained from the lower classes. Our initial performance had intrigued the women because first-timers often made amusing mistakes, making the ladies laugh heartily.
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