Chapter (10) The Great Hunter's Infiltration of the Brothel
The largest brothel in the port city was actually a branch of the famous "Huan Hua" pleasure house based in the capital. It was by no means small. While the port city couldn't compare to the capital in size, it was the first stop for maritime merchants and luxury tributes from overseas. Consequently, wealthy tycoons and members of the nobility were frequently spotted in this city.
For this reason, the Huan Hua branch in this city was not a place to be trifled with.
With his low social standing, the original Bai Li could never have caused trouble in the port city, let alone afford to enjoy himself at Huan Hua. However, fate intervened because the small brothel in the town near their village also happened to be a subordinate of Huan Hua.
While the small town brothel wasn't exactly a direct branch of Huan Hua, it maintained close ties and acted as an underling to the port city's establishment.
Since the original Bai Li spent most of his time at the gambling dens and brothels in the small town, the underworld figures there knew this "piece of trash" well. Similarly, because Nanxiang villagers often frequented the town, it was common knowledge that Bai Li had two incredibly adorable little ge'ers. Rumors also flew about how much the original Bai Li disliked his own family.
Huan Hua didn't just deal in pleasure; they also operated as human traffickers. Although the country was peaceful, the system of slavery still existed. While the Emperor strictly forbade forced slavery, it was still legal for people to sell themselves or for parents to sell their children. Thus, Huan Hua branches across the country would pre-purchase young girls and ge'ers to train. The highest quality ones were sent to the capital, while the rest became courtesans in the provincial branches.
The children sent to the capital would become top-tier courtesans or "playthings" for powerful noble households. Some were even bought solely for the purpose of bearing children, and in such cases, ge'ers were more "useful." This was because a woman's fertility could be unpredictable, but for a ge'er, their pregnancy potential could be estimated by looking at their birthmark.
Xiaofu and Xiaowu had exceptionally beautiful birthmarks that were impossible to hide, and their faces were undeniably charming. This was exactly why the small town brothel had alerted the Huan Hua in the port city. Following the tip, Huan Hua had secretly sent scouts to Nanxiang village to observe the children, and they were extremely satisfied with what they saw.
It's important to note that because the laws were so strict and the Emperor forbade forced slavery, Huan Hua couldn't just take children by force. Even if they liked a child, they couldn't buy them without consent. However, seeing that the original Bai Li was a notorious low-life who buried his life in gambling and debauchery, they saw a perfect opportunity.
They offered the original Bai Li a hundred silver ingots and a one-night stay at the port city's Huan Hua in exchange for the two kids.
A hundred silver ingots was a huge sum, but if one ever wanted to buy those kids back from Huan Hua later, even a hundred gold ingots wouldn't be enough. Being the trash that he was, the original Bai Li was overjoyed. He even thought to himself that this was a way to get back the hundred silver ingots he had spent on Xiao Han's dowry.
In this land, children are considered the property of their parents; if the parents agree, the sale is legal. After selling Xiaofu and Xiaowu without even blinking, the original Bai Li even asked if they would buy Xiao Han as well. Technically, a wife is also the property of the husband, so selling her wasn't strictly illegal, though it sat in a legal gray area. Since a high price had been paid for Xiao Han, one could argue he was "bought with money," making a resale possible. However, Huan Hua feared the complications and refused to buy him, which actually made the original Bai Li angry.
Huan Hua obtained the "life contracts" for the two kids but stated they would only come to collect them once they turned seven. However, since they held the contracts, they could come whenever they pleased.
This was exactly what worried the current Bai Li. As long as those contracts remained with Huan Hua, he could never be at peace. He would constantly worry about the day they would come for the kids. Furthermore, Huan Hua had a strict rule: once they had a "contracted person," they never sold them back to the family, no matter how much money was offered. They prioritized their clients above all else. Left with no other choice, Bai Li decided he had to break into Huan Hua.
Bai Li cautiously approached the back of the Huan Hua building. As a night establishment, this was their peak business hour. The madam in charge would be busy introducing courtesans to guests. From the original Bai Li's memories of when he sold the kids, he could estimate where the madam's private office was located.
The building was two stories high and quite large, but the back was silent and shrouded in darkness. Bai Li began to silently scale the wall. This wasn't difficult for him. In his previous life, he loved rock climbing and had practiced scaling smooth surfaces as a hobby.
To put it simply, while Bai Li's parents were wealthy, his elder brother was groomed as the sole heir. His parents wanted Bai Li to grow up as a "spoiled second son" who simply spent money and lived a useless life. What Bai Li could never understand was that while they wanted him to be "ruined," they couldn't accept the fact that he was gay.
(AN// In some ancient wealthy families, only the eldest son was chosen as the successor. To avoid inheritance battles, the other sons were encouraged to live lives of indulgence. Bai Li's family was traditional and wanted him to be useless so he wouldn't challenge his brother.)
However, Bai Li was born with a curious mind and a high capacity for learning. Even in school, his results surpassed his brother's, which displeased his parents. Eventually, Bai Li began to understand his parents' wishes. He stopped showing his true abilities at school and hid them from his parents, spending his time learning new things that actually interested him.
He never imagined those skills would be so useful here.
He was furious that the original Bai Li had sold the little ge'ers, but it didn't matter. He could take those contracts back. He knew martial arts and was skilled at climbing. Even if there were guards at the madam's office, he wouldn't be afraid.
Bai Li climbed until he reached the second floor. He poked a hole through the paper windows with his finger to peek inside. Whenever he saw people in the middle of "intense battles" (lovemaking), he moved on. When he finally found an empty room, he broke the window latch and slipped inside. The wood made a sound when it snapped, but he was very careful, and the loud music from downstairs masked the noise.
Even though Bai Li knew where the madam's room was, he didn't go straight for it. There might be guards at the door. While the sound of a breaking latch might not be heard between rooms, it would definitely be heard if he tried it right in front of the door. If that happened, the whole port city would know about his break-in.
Bai Li watched for shadows from the dark room, then stepped out and walked toward the madam's office with a calm, steady gait. While there were many people downstairs at night, the upstairs hallways were relatively clear. Luckily, he didn't run into anyone.
From a corner, he spotted two burly men guarding the madam's door. He ducked back, tore a piece of his clothing to mask his face, and made a slight noise to lure them. When one guard came to check, Bai Li knocked him out with a few swift strikes. He did the same to the second guard who came to investigate the noise. He then dragged both of them into the madam's room and whispered.
"Brothers, there's no personal grudge between us, but I'm in a difficult spot."
If the villagers ever found out he had sold the little ge'ers, the Bai family and Xiao Han would be beyond devastated.
He loved his new life too much to let that happen.
Inside the office, Bai Li lit a small lamp. He rummaged through the cabinets and found boxes of jewelry, as well as a small chest containing nearly a hundred life contracts. The boxes were locked, but Bai Li knew how to pick locks. He used a few hairpins he found in the room to do the job.
When he found the two contracts with Xiaofu and Xiaowu's names on them, he prepared to leave but then remembered something. It wouldn't look good if only these two specific contracts went missing while the gold and silver were untouched. Since the two little kids were quite distinctive, the madam would realize they were missing very quickly.
So, Bai Li looked back and forth between the jewelry and the chest of contracts. Finally, he picked up the entire chest of contracts. He didn't want to steal money for no reason, but all these contracts belonged to children Huan Hua had pre-purchased. Many were sold by trash parents like the original Bai Li, though some might have been sold due to genuine family hardships.
"Alright, you poor kids. Uncle Bai Li will save you this once. If your trash parents sell you again, that's just your fate."
With that, Bai Li jumped out of the madam's window and fled Huan Hua quickly.
Since entering this body, he had become a great hunter, and now he was a great thief. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
"Huan Hua... I know you spent money on these contracts, but just consider this a forced act of charity for once."
Once he was far away from Huan Hua, he started a fire and burned the entire chest. Before tossing them into the flames, he double-checked the contracts for his own little ge'ers to be sure. He then disposed of the ashes and ran back to the inn. The whole operation hadn't taken long at all.
The Bai and Jiang families each had a room. When he entered his room, his father and eldest brother were sound asleep. Just as he was about to lie down, his father woke up.
"Second son? Are you just now going to sleep? I told you those 'scraps' (internal organs) weren't worth it. Anyway, go to sleep. We have to head back to the village early in the morning."
Bai Li replied with a smile, "Yes, Father." He lay down, but a grin remained on his face for a long time.
Those contracts had been like a fishbone stuck in his throat. Now that they were cleared, he had no more obstacles. Even if his parents or Xiao Han found out one day, there was no physical evidence left. They couldn't take the kids away, and he could simply deny everything.
He then fell into a happy sleep. Early the next morning, they began their journey back to the village.
While everything was going smoothly for them, Xiao Han and the two kids back at the village were having a difficult time.
After Bai Li left, Lei Xi had come to cause trouble. She acted polite at first, but soon showed her claws, openly demanding that some of the money should be given to them when Bai Li returned. How could Mo Xi (Mo Hua) accept that? If the Xiao family had been kind to her son's family in the past, she wouldn't have minded. But the Xiao family had acted as if Bai Li and Xiao Han didn't exist for three years, and now they wanted a share of the money? Did Lei Xi have no shame?
Even though the money hadn't reached the village yet, the fight between Mo Xi and Lei Xi became quite heated. Eventually, Tu Xi had to intervene and disperse the crowd using the Village Elder's name. As she left, Lei Xi loudly cursed at Xiao Han for not speaking up for her.
In the end, a stepmother is just a stepmother; she could never become a true mother.
Mo Xi took Xiao Han and the little ge'ers to the Bai house. She had Xiao Mei sleep in her room and put the three of them in Xiao Mei's room. But the trouble didn't end there. At dinner that night, the Bai family's eldest daughter-in-law, Zhou Xi, started a fight.
The reason was that Xiaofu and Xiaowu each got a whole boiled pheasant egg, while her portion was just a soup with a few bits of egg mixed with vegetables. Zhou Xi complained that Mo Xi was being biased, arguing that since she was carrying a Bai family grandchild, she shouldn't be treated this way. This made Mo Xi furious. She was already angry from the encounter with Lei Xi, and now Zhou Xi was causing trouble. Mo Xi scolded her harshly. Normally, she wouldn't speak so sternly to this daughter-in-law who had struggled to conceive, but these eggs were brought over from Bai Li's house. Before leaving, Bai Li had mentioned there were eggs at his place and told them to eat them with the little kids.
Mo Xi hadn't even given eggs to the feverish Xiao Han or the youngest son, Bai Mei, just to avoid hearing complaints from Zhou Xi and Su Xi. Who would have thought Zhou Xi would act so petty over things meant for two-year-old children? The third daughter-in-law, Su Xi, didn't say anything, but she didn't touch her food either, signaling her silent support for Zhou Xi. This made Mo Xi's blood boil with anger. It seemed she had spoiled her daughters-in-law too much.
Mo Xi eventually told them that if they didn't want to eat, they should skip dinner entirely. This silenced the two women, but after Mo Xi went to bed, they went to find Xiao Han. Xiao Han was about to sleep, but he was bewildered when his sisters-in-law, with whom he was never close, showed up at his door. He never expected that people who had never spoken to him before would now come to insult and belittle him with sharp words.
Zhou Xi said: "The second brother's family is so lucky, aren't they? No matter how much trouble they cause for the family, they're still loved. If you have any secrets, please share them with us. We're feeling biased against all the time".
Su Xi added: "Eldest sister-in-law, what are you saying? Can't you see how lucky the second brother's wife is? Tomorrow, the second brother will return with hundreds of silver ingots. But... well, whatever happens, it's true the second family can make money now".
This was an open mockery of Xiao Han. Everyone in the village knew Bai Li didn't care about Xiao Han's family, so the idea of Xiao Han ever handling that money was impossible. Xiao Han didn't understand why his sisters-in-law were attacking him with these words. But if their goal was to hurt him, they succeeded. Xiao Han's face grew increasingly pale.
If you are married but not loved by your husband, you are nothing but a joke.
Hearing Su Xi's words, Zhou Xi sneered and laughed.
"Su Xi, it's not like you don't know the second brother. He loves women. I bet now that he has all that money, he'll bring back a second or third wife from the city. Some poor ge'er and his kids probably won't even be in his sight anymore. Who knows? He might even sell them off."
Su Xi's mocking laughter followed, but Xiao Han turned deathly pale. He had heard rumors in the village too—that once Bai Li ran out of money, he would sell him, Xiaofu, and Xiaowu. He had lived in fear ever since, and the thing he feared most in life was the word "sell".
After seeing Xiao Han's ghostly pale face, Zhou Shi and Su Xi felt satisfied and left. But Xiao Han couldn't sleep a wink all night.
He sometimes wondered... what would he do if Bai Li really sold the kids? When he realized he was powerless to stop it, it felt like a thin blade was slicing his heart into pieces.
It truly, truly hurt.