Chapter 138: The Foshan Trip, Part Four

He declined Shucui’s offer to find him another companion, instead sending a note out with the clerk, presumably to arrange a meeting with an acquaintance. Liu San, seizing the opportunity, quickly led Shucui away. Bolstered by the condom and alcohol swabs so graciously provided by Huang Tianyu, his courage had suddenly surged.

“Little Huang,” Liu San slurred, slightly drunk, “you should take good care of this, uh, little friend.” He then guided Shucui back to his room and firmly shut the door.

Huang Tianyu groaned inwardly. Liu San, you old herbalist, you really know how to pick them, leaving me with the loli. Though he called himself a “loli-con,” he didn’t have the nerve to blatantly assault a child.

As he wrestled with his conscience, Qianqian had already poured a cup of wine. She untied a pink handkerchief from her sash, delicately wiped the rim of the cup, and offered it to him with both hands.

Though she was a girl of the night, her manners were gentle and refined. Huang Tianyu felt a growing fondness for her. He took her hand and asked, “How old are you?”

Qianqian smiled shyly. “Why do you ask, sir?”

He had assumed she wouldn’t understand his broken Cantonese, but to his surprise, she spoke a clear Mandarin with a cadence similar to the modern Nanjing dialect. Being able to communicate lifted Huang Tianyu’s spirits considerably.

“Is it a taboo topic?”

“No taboo,” Qianqian replied softly. “I am fifteen.”

Fifteen. Was that a child or a young woman? A difficult question. He recalled Yu E’shui explaining that in ancient times, a girl over thirteen was considered an adult, free to marry. At fifteen, she might already have a child or two. But then he pictured Qianqian in the modern world, still in middle school… Her slender waist, flat chest, and large, pitiful eyes made it impossible for Huang Tianyu to bring himself to “pounce.”

And yet, to refuse a meal served right to his plate seemed a terrible waste. A fierce battle raged in Huang Tianyu’s mind.

Just then, sounds began to emerge from the adjacent room—the faint, rhythmic moans of a woman, punctuated by Liu San’s deep, guttural roars.

While he hesitated, Qianqian had already refilled his cup and was offering it to him on her handkerchief.

“No more for me, I’ve had enough,” Huang Tianyu said with a smile, his head already spinning.

“Hmph, just drink it,” the girl suddenly demanded, her willow-leaf brows shooting up, her almond eyes wide with an unexpected fire.

Not wanting to lose face, Huang Tianyu drank another cup. As they say, wine gives a man courage, especially of the amorous kind. Though the girl before him looked like an undeveloped child, his demonic hands couldn’t help but reach out. But as he moved, his body suddenly went limp and weak, and he slumped to the floor. A single thought flashed through his mind: “Not good!” The various underworld tricks Yu E’shui had described in his social studies class flooded his memory…

Qianqian looked down at Huang Tianyu, who lay on the floor like a dead pig, his eyes wide with disbelief, and snorted triumphantly. She tilted her head back and propped a leg on a stool.

“No matter how cunning you are, you still fell for this old gal’s trick!”

Though she called herself “this old gal,” her expression was still childish. Looking at the paralyzed Huang Tianyu, a playful, mischievous look appeared on her face.

“Alright, old man, let’s see what interesting things you’ve got.” She tucked the corner of her skirt into her belt and began to rummage through Huang Tianyu’s baggage. His limbs were numb, and he couldn’t move an inch. He cursed his luck inwardly: Not only did I not get any action, I ran into a female robber. Thankfully, he hadn’t brought any modern equipment or weapons on this trip, or the loss would have been catastrophic.

“Huh? What’s this?” Qianqian pulled a glass jar from his bag. Huang Tianyu recognized it as his Lao Gan Ma chili sauce—his last jar, a precious reserve for spicing up bland local food. The young girl gripped the jar, turning it over and over, studying it for a long while before tapping it curiously on the headboard. Huang Tianyu’s heart pounded with anxiety. He wasn’t worried she’d discover anything from the jar—the label had been removed before D-Day—but that she would break it. If it broke, it was gone forever.

Finally, Qianqian managed to twist open the lid. She had probably never seen a screw-top before and examined it with fascination. Seeing the jar full of red, oily, chopped plants emitting a peculiar aroma, she couldn’t resist sticking her tongue out and licking the oily surface. She immediately frowned and spat repeatedly. “Pah! Pah!” Red chili peppers had only recently been introduced in the Ming dynasty, and few people ate them. It seemed she wasn’t accustomed to the spicy assault on her palate.

Couldn’t you at least dip a finger? Who licks it directly? How am I supposed to eat this now? Huang Tianyu cursed silently.

Finding the chili sauce unappetizing, Qianqian tossed the jar aside and pulled out Huang Tianyu’s underwear, undershirts, and socks. She examined them with avid curiosity, setting aside a new undershirt and a few pairs of nylon socks while discarding the rest. She then found a pouch of silver fragments and copper coins—his travel allowance—and unceremoniously stuffed it into her blouse.

Next, she found a jar of ketchup he had brought for his steamed buns. Having learned her lesson from the chili sauce, she opened it quickly and, once again, licked it.

A strange expression crossed Qianqian’s face. She smacked her lips, savoring the sweet and sour taste. Suddenly, her face lit up, and she carefully wrapped the jar up, apparently deciding to keep it.

Huang Tianyu cursed his rotten luck. Why does this little thief want everything, even my undershirt? I’ve heard of men who have a thing for women’s used underwear, but never the other way around.

In the end, even his Holy Ship brand notebook and pencil were swept away. She used his bedsheet as a makeshift bundle, but when she tried to sling the messy package over her shoulder, it immediately fell apart, spilling everything onto the floor.

“Damn it!” Qianqian stamped her foot, her face a mask of frustration. She quickly knelt to gather the items. Suddenly, a voice called from outside, “Manager Huang! Manager Huang!”

Huang Tianyu was overjoyed. Someone was here! But his body was weak, his tongue useless; he couldn’t call out. He struggled to rock his body, hoping to knock over the chair and make a noise to alert them that something was amiss.

“Don’t move!” Qianqian knelt, a small, gleaming dagger suddenly in her hand, its point resting against his throat. A cold sweat broke out on Huang Tianyu’s brow, and he froze.

“Manager Huang is asleep. What is it?” Qianqian called out, her voice surprisingly steady.

“The front desk is here to clear the dinner table…”

“No need. Come back tomorrow.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The voice outside faded away. Qianqian let out a breath, put away the dagger, and said, “Sorry, Manager Huang. I didn’t mean to rob you, but a girl’s got to get by on the road. Please forgive me. As for Sister Shucui, I tricked her. You’d better not report her to the authorities! Or else…” She threatened him with a raised fist. “You’ll be sorry!”

At this point, Huang Tianyu could only accept his fate. At least the losses weren’t too great. Whatever this Qianqian’s story was, he just wanted her gone.

Qianqian blew out the candle and crouched beside him for a moment. A strange, sweet fragrance drifted to his nose, making him itch with inappropriate thoughts. Is this the so-called scent of a virgin? Or one of those synthetic human chemicals the perverts in the science department are always talking about? As his mind wandered, Qianqian must have decided the coast was clear. She stood up and quietly slipped out the door.

The little menace was finally gone. The more Huang Tianyu thought about it, the more frustrated he became. Liu San was probably still going at it with Shucui. That guy has a wife, and I don’t even have a girlfriend. My ‘life secretary’ is a promise that never materializes, I live in a dorm with electricity rationing—I don’t even have a decent environment for… private time. He finally gets a chance to indulge on a business trip, and this happens. Why was his luck so abysmal? As he was wallowing in self-pity, a commotion erupted outside—shouting, running, the sounds of a scuffle, and then a woman’s piercing scream. The lights came on.

He was still wondering what was happening when the door to his room was thrown open. Chen Tong rushed in, shouting, “Manager Huang! Manager Huang!” He scanned the room, saw him on the floor, and quickly dragged him out. Seeing that he was weak and unable to speak, Chen Tong helped him onto the bed.

A crowd of people then poured into the room. Liu San pushed Shucui in front of him. Her hair was disheveled, she wore only an outer robe over her bare feet, and her hands were tied behind her back. She looked terrified, as if she’d been dragged from bed mid-tryst. A moment later, Qianqian was shoved in by several inn clerks, her hair undone and a rope noose around her neck. Her bundle of stolen goods was brought in as well.

The moment Shucui entered, she dropped to her knees, kowtowing and begging for mercy. She claimed she wasn’t with Qianqian, that Qianqian had approached her to partner up, and she had only agreed out of pity. She begged Liu San to let her go and not hand her over to the authorities. “Shucui is willing to serve you with all my might, for free.”

You wish you could pay your debt with your body, Liu San thought, but I don’t have enough condoms for that.

The inn manager and clerks also spoke up for her, saying Shucui had been singing here for two or three years and had never caused any trouble. This time, she must have been momentarily foolish. They pleaded with Liu San to be lenient.

Liu San knew she had little to do with it; she had just been used by Qianqian. “Write a confession!” he commanded.

Shucui readily agreed, but since she was illiterate, a clerk wrote it for her, and she pressed her thumbprint on it.

Liu San then turned his attention to Huang Tianyu. He checked his eyelids, opened his mouth to smell his breath, and tested his knee-jerk reflex.