12 Ch. 12: Brothel

System looked at the bandaged hand of Wan Xiaomei and felt its invisible stomach turn. The young girl had not hesitated in the slightest, immediately finding a large stone a few sizes bigger than her fist and bringing it down mercilessly upon the back of her hand. It did not break in one blow, although the sound of rock hitting flesh was disconcerting. Wan Xiaomei had to hit it one more time, then another, each hitter noticeably harder than the last before a faint crack echoed through the alley and the young daughter's face turned red.

But once Meifeng had personally bandaged the appendage and patted Wan Xiaomei on the back, one would not know the pain she had suffered as she happily whistled alongside Meifeng as the girls meandered the snow-covered streets of Jiangnan. Meifeng in her own way was very pleased with her new subordinate and mentally claimed the young girl as her own. The daughter was very scrawny as was her own body, however, she had long run out of the cold, uncooked buns she had taken from the dead poachers.

The jangle of copper coins from within the worn knapsack drew Wan Xiaomei's attention like a bloodhound latching onto a scent. Her head whipped towards Meifeng, a feverish excitement in her eyes, the kind that appears when one truly appreciates the value of money.

"Money? You have money, kind benefactor?" she said with palpable joy. Despite robbing the streets rather successfully for the past few days, her targets were usually those who roamed the streets without guards and attendants, average citizens with only a few strings of coins or a worn pouch of broken silver. Nothing that could feed her for long in the expensive metropolis of Jiangnan.

Meifeng gave a short nod, delighting Wan Xiaomei. The mysterious girl pulled the coins from her bag and handed them to Wan Xiaomei.

"Go buy us something hot to eat," she ordered before Wan Xiaomei darted off like a dog that had been let from its chain.

"Master, what is she takes the opportunity to rob you?" System questioned, watching Meifeng's new subordinate disappear into the thrush of people. Meifeng settled to the side and waited, a small figure covered in dirt that no one noticed. Before long a figure with a bright smile scampered back to her side obediently with two steaming hot buns.

"Ah, so warm! My hands were so cold but this bun is already warming me up!" Wan Xiaomei exclaimed gleefully. The scent of beef wafted into the two girls noses and despite her best efforts, Meifeng's stomach still grumbled. She was a carnivore through and through, after all.

"Let's eat," Meifeng said curtly and the two dug into the simple buns with the same vigor one would consume a luxurious meal served on jade plates.

By the time Wan Xiaomei was licking the last sliver of green onion and oil from her finger, Meifeng had long consumed her bun and was looking around the streets as if searching for something. Her gaze was fierce and direct, startling anyone who accidently got caught in the crossfire as her pretty, fox eyes danced over the food stalls and bustling stores without missing a single detail.

"Kind benefactor, what are you looking for?" Wan Xiaomei asked nervously as the spell of a warm meal began to fade. She had taken to addressing Meifeng as kind benefactor, which Meifeng did not mind either way, instead almost finding the description amusing.

Meifeng did not answer. She turned towards Wan Xiaomei, the full force of her charming gaze startling the girl, even under the dirt and grime that obscured her face.

"Wan Xiaomei, do you trust me?" she asked in a gentle and lilting tone that was somehow still audible over the loud outdoors. Since it was winter time, it was already beginning to grow dark and street hawkers began to light their lanterns and lamps. For two young women on the streets, the sight served as alarm bells to move to a safe place for the night before unsavory creatures began to roam.

"Y-Yes," Wan Xiaomei replied bravely, although her face displayed a little fear. Meifeng was satisfied.

"Good. Then follow me," Meifeng said without divulging any information. Even System found itself a little nervous as it watched Meifeng move through the streets as if she was born and raised in the thriving merchant city. If there was one word it had to describe its Master as, it would be unpredictable.

Wan Xiaomei noticed this unusual quality as well. "Do you know Jiangnan well?" she asked.

"No. I know people," Meifeng replied without looking back.

Indeed, Meifeng had never been to Jiangnan before but she was following a scent. A thin, but heavy fragrance, seductive yet cheap, and growing stronger with each step. Perfume, lots of it. And as the daylight waned, there was logically only one place women would gather at night.

"Master..." System whined fearfully as the first woman's laugh carried over the dying crowd to the trio.

Wan Xiaomei too heard the laugh and felt all her senses bristle. She could not help but take a step back as a large brothel came into sight. More and more women in bright, vulgar colors stepped out of the house and tantalizingly called for men who were prowling the streets, their white breasts revealed even in the winter chill.

"W-what is this?" she asked as her steps came to a full stop.

Meifeng looked back once, only once at her new subordinate. Wan Xiaomei didn't say anything again.

"Master," System squeaked again, "These are ancient times. Working in a brothel is not good for your long time goals."

He too enjoyed a little bit of silent treatment.

The trio circled the brothel, not approaching close enough to rouse anyone's attention. And besides, who would cast a glance at them? They didn't stray from the edge of the road, walking towards the much less lively back entrance of the brothel.

Red streamers and golden lights made the brothel a sight for any wandering eyes, almost welcoming the vagrant, lonely souls who frequented the area with a little extra money to waste. It stretched towards you with outstretched fingers, the bright laughter and smiling women promising whatever it was you sought - companionship, a hard drink, raw sex.

The front was all washed away at the back of the building. The red paint was chipped and flecked, a single lantern lit within a backroom that could barely be seen from outside. As Wan Xiaomei and Meifeng loitered before the back of the brothel, Wan Xiaomei fancied that she could hear her heart pounding within her chest as her breath fogged the air.

It was completely dark now. Cicadas were at rest so the night was completely still as Meifeng slowly walked towards the unguarded back door, Wan Xiaomei following hesitantly behind. She stretched out a timid hand to grab onto the back of Meifeng's grubby shirt, which she noticed for the first time had suspicious brown stains on it. Her heart loosened further, as she pitied whatever difficult experiences her benefactor had undergone during her journey to Jiangnan.

A thin, reedy voice of a singing performer traveled towards the two girls are Meifeng opened the reed curtain guarding the back entrance miraculously without making a sound. She stepped in on padded feet, casting a sharp glance when Wan Xiaomei's errant step caused an old floorboard to creak. Wan Xiaomei sucked in a suprised breath as she took a look at the tiny, rarely used room.

Someone was there. A woman, dressed in the same, revealing garb as the women in front of the brothel, a faint scent of alcohol. It was clear that she too indulged in the same vices the brothel offered to its clients.

Wan Xiaomei marveled at how empty the lower area of the brothel was. From the throngs of people she had seen at the front, she would have assumed that the building would be crawling with workers and men alike. She followed Meifeng obediently, the heavy floral stench making her head ache as they descended a set of stairs painted with faded flowers. With one look, it was clearly where the workers prepared themselves to meet with clients.

Short tables lined the walls, with an additional row in the middle. A small copper mirror was perched on each, a luxury Wan Xiaomei had never indulged, and the young girl paused before one to touch her face with a mesmerized expression. It looked much thinner than she remembered.

"Don't be distracted," Meifeng said in an expressionless manner without even needing to look over her shoulder. Wan Xiaomei felt a little embarassed to be scolded, as while she wasn't certain of Meifeng's age, she certainly felt she was older than her benefactor.

A worn screen embroidered with mandarin ducks, a laughable sight within a brothel, sat in the corner and Meifeng headed straight for there.

"You bathe first," she ordered as they walked past the screen to see a a wooden bath, a faint steam still rising from it.

Wan Xiaomei shook her head. "I don't dare. You are my benefactor, please bathe yourself first."

Meifeng cocked her head to the side, resembling a confused pup. "Didn't you promise to listen to my every word?" she asked the blushing Wan Xiaomei.

Wan Xiaomei felt her heart warm at being treated with such consideration. She wasn't foolish enough to waste anymore words and undressed behind the screen, plopping into the water with an audible sigh. The water was indeed still warm. After days of freezing with an open air cage and running around Jiangnan with the thin clothes on her back, the sensation was heavenly.

"Aaah," the daughter sighed, "This is quite nice."

She only languished in the water for five minutes or so, using the time to wash herself and her hair. There were scented soaps set beside the bath and she used them too, enjoying the fragrance.

"Don't use the soap too much," Meifeng warned from behind the screen, once more managing to know what Wan Xiaomei was doing without peeking. "I don't want you to smell like a woman from a brothel."

"Yes," Wan Xiaomei said obediently, putting down the soap and using the small dish of flower petals set beside the bath. The fragrance was much lighter and fresh, it seemed her benefactor was right as usual.

As she quickly exited and dried, Wan Xiaomei moved from the bath so her benefactor could enter. She was curious to see what Meifeng looked like, as the dirt on her face and rat's nest hair made her features completely undiscernable. Meifeng's voice still carried the sweet precociousness of youth, she didn't believe that the person underneath could be all that bad looking.

"What should I wear?" Wan Xiaomei asked as she dried herself and wrong out her hair. She frowned as she picked at the ends of her hair. The split ends were telling her that she was in dire need of a haircut. Reflecting on the last time she had cut her hair, Wan Xiaomei's eyes stung as she remembered her mother's warm hands caressing her face and the way she had been so careful with the scissors so as not to hurt her. When she remembered that all that love and care had been a lie, her heart felt as if someone had reached into her chest and squeezed it.

Lost in the fog of memory, she did not notice that Meifeng had been speaking to her. Wan Xiaomei shook her head, dispelling thoughts of her greedy, no-good mother.

"Sorry," she said sincerely, unconsciously turning towards the speaker, "What did you say?"

Wan Xiaomei's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. "Be-benefactor?"