“Yes, yes.” The woman nodded, mincing over toward Gong Xinyue and Feng Jiu’er with an exaggerated sway of her hips.

She’d already sized it up — the girl about to be sold was a true beauty.

Delicate features, a figure with all the right curves, a waist like a serpent — top-grade merchandise indeed.

The only flaw was, wasn’t her skin just a touch too dark?

The woman came up beside Gong Xinyue and Feng Jiu’er, her body nearly pressed against Gong Xinyue’s.

“Young master, is this…?”

“My cousin. An unmarried girl, still pure as a flower,” Gong Xinyue said, stepping aside to avoid the woman’s advance.

“If you want her, name your price!”

“Cousin, do you really mean to sell me off?” Feng Jiu’er said, eyes brimming with tears, looking utterly pitiable as she gazed at Gong Xinyue.

“I’m taking you somewhere you can live well — don’t you understand?” Gong Xinyue reached out and pinched Feng Jiu’er’s waist.

Feng Jiu’er cried out softly in pain, and tears slid down her cheeks.

“Cousin, I—”

“Enough of this racket!” Gong Xinyue snapped, clearly out of patience.

To the woman watching, Feng Jiu’er truly seemed like someone who’d suffered a terrible wrong, while Gong Xinyue came across as a fierce, hot-tempered cousin.

At Gong Xinyue’s shout, Feng Jiu’er lowered her head at once, weeping silently.

“What’s going on?” Qiao Mu turned back. “Why all this crying and fussing?”

Qiao Mu reached out and lifted Feng Jiu’er’s chin, forcing her head up.

“Look at you. Working the fields all day, tanned dark as coal — what does your mother think, seducing my uncle back in the day with skin as fair as snow, and here you are?”

“Cousin’s bringing you along to enjoy life. You won’t have to work the fields anymore, and your skin will lighten up in no time.”

“You’ll eat well and dress well in the city — what more could you want? Now hurry and wipe those tears!”

Qiao Mu gave Feng Jiu’er’s head a rough shake before letting go.

“But, cousin, I…” Feng Jiu’er pulled out a handkerchief, her body still trembling.

“No buts!” Gong Xinyue barked. “This is what your mother owes our family!”

Qiao Mu had deliberately lifted Feng Jiu’er’s face like that just so the woman could get a good look.

Their little cousin was, without question, top-grade merchandise.

If Qiao Mu hadn’t been worried about Feng Jiu’er’s face being recognized in a place like this, doing a deal like this, she never would have darkened her own skin to this degree.

Feng Jiu’er wept even harder, her body shaking, still crying without a sound.

This “cousin” Gong Xinyue seemed even fiercer than Qiao Mu.

Suddenly, “he” raised a hand, utterly out of patience. “Cry again and I’ll beat you to death!”

“Don’t!” The woman immediately grabbed Gong Xinyue’s arm. “Don’t hit her. Once she’s through our door, she’ll be just fine soon enough.”

“Who said she’s definitely going through your door?” Gong Xinyue shot the woman a disdainful look.

“This town has plenty of brothels. A girl as lovely as my cousin will go to whoever pays the highest.”

“Brother.” Qiao Mu patted Gong Xinyue’s shoulder lightly, leaning in close and lowering her voice.

“Every brothel in this town belongs to the same owner. Let’s talk this through properly — we’re bound to get a good price.”

Qiao Mu didn’t speak loudly, but standing this close, the woman was certain to hear every word.

“Exactly.” The woman gave Qiao Mu and Gong Xinyue a coy, sidelong glance.

“Every brothel in this whole town, just one owner — and ours is the biggest one here. If you don’t sell to us, who else would you sell to?”

“And how much can you offer?” Gong Xinyue asked, his expression showing no sign of softening over the matter of the single owner.

“Keep my cousin fed a few more days, let her skin lighten up, and she’s bound to become famous across all of Blackpool territory.”

“If you offer a good price, we’ll leave her with you. If not, we can always try another town!”

The woman seemed to have sized up this “second brother’s” foul temper and didn’t take offense.

“Then tell me — what price would satisfy you?”

The woman had seen every kind of storm in this line of work, but she’d truly never come across someone so ravishingly beautiful yet so innocent and lovely all at once.

“Bring your owner here to meet us,” Gong Xinyue said with a wave of the hand, gripping Feng Jiu’er’s arm firmly.

“What do you take yourself for?” “He” eyed the woman coldly.

“A common brothel woman — what right do you have to negotiate with me? If we can’t meet your owner, this deal is off!”

“Brother.” Qiao Mu frowned. “She never said the owner wasn’t available. That temper of yours…”

“I don’t have time to waste!” Gong Xinyue remained just as disdainful.

The woman glanced at Feng Jiu’er again and decided not to take Gong Xinyue’s arrogance to heart.

“Why don’t we do this — you three come inside first, and I’ll arrange a private room for you to settle in.”

“It’s getting late, and you haven’t had dinner yet, have you?”

“Honestly, it’s not that I don’t want the owner to come out personally — I’ll have to ask about that. I can’t give you an answer right now.”

“Fine, go arrange it,” Qiao Mu said generously.

“This…” Gong Xinyue frowned.

“Brother, let’s eat first. I’m hungry.” Qiao Mu cut off Gong Xinyue, shot him a glance, and pulled Feng Jiu’er along.

Seeing this, the woman turned at once and waved. “Please, sirs, please, right this way.”

She looked Feng Jiu’er’s figure up and down, her eyes growing brighter and brighter.

The three of them were led to a private room, and the woman personally brought over wine and food.

“My lords.” The woman fanned herself with a heavily perfumed fan and came up beside Qiao Mu.

“Would you like me to find you a few—”

“Get out!” Gong Xinyue’s voice cut in coldly.

The woman’s smile vanished at once, and she stood up.

“Very well, very well. Please eat first, I’ll go check on things.”

“My lords, to be honest, our madam has taken quite a liking to your little sister. She asks that you wait just a while longer.”

The woman glanced once more at Gong Xinyue’s stern face and decided not to linger.

She smiled faintly, turned, waved a hand, and withdrew along with the others.

“Starving,” Qiao Mu said the moment she heard the door close, dropping all pretense of manners.

She pulled a cloth-wrapped box from her waist and took out several different silver needles, testing them in the food and the wine.

Finding nothing wrong, Qiao Mu put the needles away and began eating heartily.

Feng Jiu’er and Gong Xinyue said nothing more either, picking up their bowls and chopsticks to eat.

Once Qiao Mu was about half full, she looked up at Feng Jiu’er.

“Jiu’er, do you think we’ll get to meet this person?”

“Not tonight, that’s for certain,” Feng Jiu’er said, shaking her head.

“If not tonight, we’ll wait it out — it’ll happen eventually,” Gong Xinyue said, setting down her chopsticks and wiping the oil from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.

“Jiu’er, your face — it’s holding up fine?” She turned her head to look at Feng Jiu’er.

Gone was the unreasonable, fierce manner from moments ago.

Feng Jiu’er looked at her, lips curving slightly. “It’s fine. It’s quite waterproof.”

Gong Xinyue studied her cheeks carefully and nodded, satisfied.

“Jiu’er’s beauty really isn’t something a layer of powder can hide.”