1 Bidding Commenced

Within a dimly lit room, a musky fragrance lingered in the air. It was quite an exotic sight; silk curtains and shawls draped elegantly across its expanse. A large rosewood table stood in the middle of the room, offering alcoholic beverages and bowls of dried fruits. Several low seats with comfortable cushions surrounded it. A little stage for performances was positioned at the front of the room, and yellow decorative lanterns hung from the ceiling to highlight it. 

The burning sandalwood incense was unable to cover up the scent of sweat and human musk that filled the air.

In the middle of the room were several men, some were seated while others stood nearby. They viewed the stage performance in a rather unreserved manner. A few of them were dressed in military attire, each with his hair tied up in a traditional knot. A metal chest plate with an engraving of their social rank guarded their form while a standard military sword was tucked at their side. The other inhabitants wore only simple garbs made of cotton or hemp. 

Cheers and shouts could be heard over the sounds of the pipa and flute players on the stage. The musicians, young, beautiful girls, were adorned in dresses made of pink, translucent material. Their lips were rouged, their eyes lined with color to accentuate their natural beauty. 

An elegant, mature woman ascended to the stage; her body garnished in a dark, sultry red dress. The room fell silent at her foreboding presence. She lifted her hand delicately up into the air for attention, showing her pale and dainty wrist draped with glittering jewelry. 

"As you all know, my respected gentlemen, tonight we have acquired new valuables for our fine establishment," she explained. 

Cheers had already begun to sound off in the background. The folks were eager for new nightly entertainment.

The woman in red smiled faintly as she presented her newly acquired wares. "Many of our new girls are young and untouched. The bidding will soon take place, starting with our lowest fees for our regulars, mid fees for deflowering the newcomers, and the highest fees for our courtesans." She winked playfully, and the crowd responded in excited whistles and shouts.

The bidding soon commenced. In preparation, the musical performers left the stage and the red-clad Madam escorted ten young girls out underneath the lanterns to be displayed. She described each of their merits, hoping the men would bid a higher sum.

A young, frail-looking girl named Li Meirong peeked through the white veil covering her face. She hadn't had the opportunity to figure out what was happening before she was forcibly dressed and rushed to the stage with the rest of the 'livestock'. 

By her side was the red-dressed woman, who slowly took the veil off of the girl to her left. Pointing out her physical characteristics,she described the girl as untouched. The winning bid for that girl was high, reaching close to twenty silver taels for her first night.

Li Meirong shuddered. There had to be some sort of terrible misunderstanding going on. She was so stressed out that she accidentally bit her bottom lip. This sudden discomfort brought her to a devastating realization: she wasn't dreaming! She spaced out as she recalled the events of the past hour. At one moment she was heading home from work. Just a regular twenty-five-year-old office worker from the suburbs. The next moment, she was stuck in this place, straight out of an ancient period drama. 

'Am I dead?' Her mind raced, trying to figure out what happened.

She remembered that it was an unexpectedly rainy day, everyone huddled up together while waiting for the train. With each passing second, she felt herself being shoved around in the crowd. Suddenly, she lost her footing and was about to tumble onto the railroad tracks. The last thing she could remember was the beaming lights of the train rushing towards her.