"Hibiscus Tent" 01

February is just the beginning of spring.

The chill of late winter is about to dissipate, and the spring rains have been falling continuously for days. The whole Kyoto is shrouded in the spring cold, and the little buds that have just emerged in the streets and alleys seem to be having a hard time.

Under such circumstances, the Huaxianglou in Qinghe Lane seems to be like spring all year round, with flowers blooming every day.

The earth dragon is burned in the building every night, so warm that as soon as you step into this place, you will completely forget the cold outside, the dancing on the high platform, the sound of the piano, the warm fragrance of nephrite in your arms, everything is full of lust and extravagance, and you are drunk and dreaming. .

Right now, at the height of Xu, Huaxianglou is the busiest time.

Several women dressed in professional clothes gathered at the corner of the corridor on the third floor. They poked their heads and looked at the door of the Blue Flower Pavilion opposite. The door was wide open, and maids and servants were coming in and out. Even Mother Shi was pacing back and forth with her sleeves rolled up.

The woman in the bright red dress lowered her voice and said, "Have you heard? Li Er heard somewhere that there was a new beauty in the building, and he broke into Muxiang Pavilion while drunk. It seems that he is going to do something hard. Here , his head was smashed and he fainted immediately."

As she spoke, she pointed at the Muxiang Pavilion not far away.

As soon as he finished speaking, the girls' eyes widened, and it took them a while to come back to their senses.

One of them sighed: "Muxiang Pavilion, is he the new one?"

"Who else besides her?" After saying that, the woman muttered: "I heard that Qiong Niang is a rare beauty, but I don't know what she looks like that can make my mother tolerate her stubbornness for two months."

Someone sneered: "What's the use of that? If you beat Li Er, her good days will be over."

This Li Er is a lunatic, but he is also a lunatic that even Mother Shi cannot afford to offend.

Shen Shitiao sat stiffly in front of the bronze mirror, and the words outside the room floated into her ears one by one. Her fingers on her knees subconsciously tightened the hem of her clothes.

The girl's dress in the mirror is messy, and the trace of blood on her sleeves is shocking. On her white neck, there is a face like a delicate flower with no blood, her pale lips are pressed tightly, and her eyes seem to be filled with a layer of mist. Beautiful and touching.

Anyone who looks at it will feel a bit of pity and pity in their heart.

At this time, there were two soft sounds from the half-open door, and then it was pushed open with a "squeak".

The visitor's name is Qiong Niang, she looks about twenty-five years old, has a graceful figure, wears an emerald green printed skirt, and has two green emeralds under her ears that sway with her steps, making her look very aristocratic.

She walked closer and placed the sandalwood tray in front of the dressing table. On the tray was a set of clean clothes and a brown medicine bottle.

Qiong Niang looked her up and down before saying, "Take off your clothes and I'll give you some medicine."

Hearing this, Shen Shiting's stiff body finally showed some reaction. She endured the pain in her shoulders and neck, and raised her hands to untie the silk belt around her waist.

For a moment, a piece of snow-white shoulder and neck was exposed. Upon closer inspection, it was covered with dense pinholes, which were very porous.

Shi's mother always kept a straight face when punishing the girl, and was also taboo about leaving traces on her body that were difficult to erase. However, the pinhole was so small that it was painful and secretive to prick her body. Over time, it became Huaxianglou's "family law".

It's just that maybe it's been a long time since I've seen her deal with such a heavy hand.

Qiong Niang secretly took a breath and put a hand towel soaked in hot water and wrung out on the injured area, which made the girl in front of her tremble all over, but she couldn't hold it back.

She frowned and said: "You said you hit someone wrong, but it was Li Er. He was the second son of the Duke of Guo, Tianhuang, the Empress's nephew, and Mother Shi always wanted to please her in every possible way. Man, now that you have your head smashed, it’s no wonder that my mother is ruthless today.”

While speaking, Qiong Niang was spreading the medicinal powder on her fair shoulders and neck. The girl straightened her back in pain and groaned. For a moment, her eyes were closed tightly, and the scene just now appeared in her mind——

The man with a hideous scar on his face swaggered in through the door while carrying a wine bottle. The smile on his face was disgustingly greasy. He grabbed her chin with one hand, and the scar magnified in front of her eyes, and then magnified...

Like a twisted, man-eating centipede.

Then there was a "bang" sound, the vase shattered on the floor, and the man's blood dripped on her sleeve.

Shen Shiting suddenly opened her eyes, breathing rapidly, and took a few deep breaths.

Qiong Niang thought she was in pain, so she couldn't help but be gentle with her hand movements, and said kindly: "Sooner or later, you have to serve others, whether it's Li Er or others. If you make your mother angry this time, it's best if you can figure it out on your own and eat less."

Kutou, if you are still stubborn, she has plenty of ways to treat you."

What this means is that if you figure it out yourself, you still have a choice as to who to serve. If you can't figure it out, you won't even have a chance to choose.

She bit her lower lip tightly, but finally couldn't hold it back. Her tears fell one by one like broken beads, and she clenched her hands tightly as if resigned to her fate.

Qiongniang was silent for a moment. They all came here like this. She knew how difficult it would be for an innocent little girl to accept such an unclean fate.

Suddenly, there were two "tuk-duk" sounds outside the door, and the little maid next to Shi's mother squeaked: "Miss Qiong, mother said that if you give Miss Shen good medicine and there is no serious problem, she will be taken to Shangshui Pavilion.

.”

Shangshui Pavilion is Shi's mother's bedroom, I'm afraid Li Er's matter is not over yet.

Qiongniang said hello to her outside the house, then changed her clothes and kindly reminded her: "Mom is still angry, so please agree with her today. You will suffer the most loss right now, do you understand?"

Hearing this, Shen Shiting raised her hand to wipe the tears from her eyes, nodded slightly, and said thank you to Qiong Niang.

Qiongniang handed over the medicine bottle in her hand and said: "This medicine every time -"

"Every two hours, I know." She answered in a low voice.

Qiongniang was stunned for a moment, and then she remembered that this girl used to

It's a medicine shop. It's not surprising that he can inject small ears to treat eye infections, and he knows some medical theory.

If it hadn't been for changes in her family, even if she wasn't rich, she would still be able to live a stable life without worrying about food and clothing.

Thinking of this, Qiong Niang sighed slightly in her heart, what a pity.

As soon as the door of the house was opened, the sounds of fun outside that made people blush and make their hearts beat wildly entered their ears.

Shen Shitiao lowered her head, her eyes fell on the toes of her shoes, and the corners of her mouth and palms tightened. If the situation didn't allow it, she would even want to raise her hands to cover her ears.

Those words that were used to make fun of her were just dirty words, which was very embarrassing.

After passing through the corridor on the left side of the second floor, there is a grandstand on the right side. There are elegant seats next to the railings. The curtains around the seats are hung down. It is not possible to see clearly what is going on inside, but a few charming smiles can be vaguely heard from inside the curtains.

The little girl frowned and walked a little faster, as if staying here for a little longer would kill her.

Suddenly, Qiong Niang took her elbow and looked worriedly at the front, where a woman in a bright red peony dress was walking forward quickly.

Before Qiong Niang could open her mouth, the figure was already in front of her. She raised her hand high and then lowered it heavily, almost in one breath, and a crisp slap was lost in the commotion everywhere.

The force was too heavy, and Shen Shitai fell back a few steps, her ears buzzing, and she was a little confused for a moment.

Qiongniang exclaimed and shouted: "Wang Qin! Are you crazy? Mom wants to see her again!"

After saying that, Qiongniang noticed that there was a clear finger mark on Wang Qin's cheek, which was covered with a thick layer of makeup, as if someone had hit her.

Wang Qin glared at Shen Shitai fiercely and said with an angry smile: "Am I crazy? I don't even look at the good things she did. Now Mr. Li is awake and clamoring to see her! I suffered for her.

Slap, why can’t you come and ask for justice?”

When Wang Qin said this, his tone was angry and sour.

She has an average appearance. She only has a place in this flower house with so many beauties by dressing up and flattering her. She is able to coax Mama Shi to look at her more by serving her better than others. She is supposed to serve her tonight.

That generous Mr. Wei is the one!

When something like this happened, Mother Shi asked her to take care of Li Er.

Who is Li Er? He's just a madman from a noble family! She had taken care of her carefully and coaxed her gently, but in the end she didn't get a good word. Instead, she was slapped in anger. Now she is full of anger.

She looked up at Shi Ting's misty eyes, wishing she could have her face stained!

However, looking at Li Er's furious look, I am afraid that the delicate flower in front of me cannot bear Li Er's destruction.

Thinking of this, Wang Qin sneered and immediately grabbed Shen Shitai's wrist, "Since the Second Young Master wants to see you, how can you not go?"

Hearing the words "Second Young Master", a chill flashed across Shen Shitai's pale face, and she struggled to pull her hand out of Wang Qin's palm, "I won't go, please let me go."

"Why do you have the final say?" Wang Qin sneered, and then twisted her wrist harder.

This is the grandstand. Although the sound of piano and music can cover up the movement, she is afraid of disturbing the nobles in the seats. Qiong Niang glanced around worriedly. Just as she was about to separate the two people who were entangled, she saw that they were separated.

Falling a step backward——

Somehow, the pink pearl bracelet that had always been firmly attached to Wang Qin's wrist suddenly broke, and all the beads rolled to the ground with a clatter, jumping in all directions, which made people stunned for a moment.

For a moment, all three of them were stunned.

After a while, Wang Qin's eyes widened in disbelief, and he almost lost his breath, shouting angrily: "Do you know how valuable this bracelet is? Pick it up for me, one by one!"

Shen Shiting didn't move or say anything. He only opened a pair of red eyes and looked at her defensively.

Wang Qin had to admit that the girl in front of her was stunningly beautiful. Just standing silently in front of her was already very eye-catching.

She knew very well that she couldn't compare.

It is precisely because of this knowledge that the jealousy in my heart is out of control, like vinegar poured on the floor, and my whole body is filled with sour smell.

So, Wang Qin pointed at the pink pearls on the ground and vented her anger: "Are you deaf? I asked you to pick them up one by one -"

Before the words were spoken, there was a sudden "pop" sound, and a black gold folding fan flew across not far away. The handle of the fan barely scratched Wang Qin's earlobe, hit the wall, bounced back and landed at the feet of the two of them.

Several people in the corridor were startled. Wang Qin suddenly stopped talking and touched her earlobe blankly. She saw a trace of blood spreading on her fingertips. She swayed and almost lost her footing.

Before she could scream, a drunken and rambling voice suddenly came from the curtain three feet away from them:
Chapter completed!