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“Okay, okay, okay, I’m in, I’m in—”
Their enthusiasm far exceeded Su Biluo’s expectations.
As soon as she finished speaking they crowded around her, creating a huge commotion as they vied to hand over their tael of silver.
The three girls were nearly knocked down and Moonglow and Vivid were flustered. Su Biluo called out, “Line up, line up! If you don’t line up you won’t be accepted! How can we keep track of who’s paid and who hasn’t like this? Everyone line up!”
The crowd settled down at once and formed a queue along the street.
Su Biluo was elated as Moonglow and Vivid took their money. So many people, hundreds at least, which meant hundreds of taels of silver. They would be able to have two sessions, a morning session and an afternoon session. They could rake in 1,000 taels a day, that’s 30,000 in a month. Hahaha…
It was as if gold and silver were raining down from the sky. Su Biluo’s eyes were sparkling, buried in gold and silver light.
“Madame, I’m going too!” Suddenly, a charmingly sweet voice interrupted her sweet dream.
The mountains of gold and silver one by one disappeared, abruptly replaced by a devastatingly beautiful little face.
Wa-wasn’t this the beauty who had been looking down from the window earlier?
“You are…” Su Biluo had to confirm her suspicion.
“Liu Ruyan.”
Her powdered cheeks were even more fair and tender due to her bashfulness. A tael of silver lay in the palm of her hand. She didn’t look like a woman who had fallen to the world of prostitution, but like a budding young lady from a respectable family. Her clear eyes shone like a glittering princess out of some fantasy.
“You too?” Su Biluo asked reflexively.
Actually, she didn’t mean anything by it, but Liu Ruyan’s face reddened like rosy clouds and she lowered her head and stammered, “Madame must dislike that this servant is a from the pleasure quarters… This silver is clean, I only sell my performances, not my body.”
Her hand remained firmly held out in front of Su Biluo, who actually felt bad for her. She snatched the silver in the girl’s hand and bumbled out, “No no no, you’re mistaken. You paid, so you can go. If you’re free later on, you can come to our Neverland and have a meal and drink some tea. We’re a business, all rivers flow into the sea. Everyone is equal.”
“Thank you, Madame!” Liu Ruyan curtseyed, her posture like a willow branch trembling in the wind.
Su Biluo said, “Take your place in line.”
Liu Ruyan did as instructed. Her arrival caused quite a disturbance among the crowd.
Su Biluo took a deep breath. So many people the first time, there were too many for the three of them to handle. She sent Vivid back right away to take the silver back and record it in the ledger and have Mo Di dispatch a few pageboys to help organize the ranks.
Before long the whole contingent was heading resolutely out of the city, and in less than an hour approached the training grounds.
A cold chill assailed them as soon as they entered the forest. They all couldn’t help but shiver.
This was Mo Zichen’s domain alright. The atmosphere here was identical to his.
A few jackdaws cawed as they flew by, startling the crowd who now looked scared.
At this moment, not only did they all regret it, even Su Biluo’s calves began to tremble.
In the distance, Su Biluo could see the training ground enclosure. She gritted her teeth and took off running ahead, yelling, “Hubby, Hubby, it’s me, it’s your wife—”
Before she finished speaking, several arrows whizzed toward her. She paled with fright.
“Ahhh—” She covered her head with her arms and squatted, hoping the low bamboo fence before her would provide her some cover.
But those arrows seemed to have eyes as they dropped, heading straight for her.
The Courtyard 