Weeping Willow

"Now, out of all the fine establishments in this here district, I'd say this one is the best of the best." Jiang Manyou said, as if announcing some great truth.

He grabbed Wan Qiushou and Wuxian by the shoulders, pulling them forward as he marched on ahead.

Qiushou struggled slightly before giving up after failing to break out of Jiang Manyou's embrace. Wuxian, on the other hand, didn't even consider it, looking around with curiosity instead.

Back in Dong'an, he had visited the red light district along with Mian Ji and Xiao Chong. It was also the first time doing certain activities for all three of them.

He started off comparing the two places in his mind, noting how back then, street girls would loiter around the entrances to their establishments, or how hostesses would sit higher up on the balconies, maxi dresses teasingly raised.

Here, on the other hand, seemed little different to the upper class district they came from. While it was obvious where they had arrived, given the signposts on the way and all around the place- as well as the names of some of the whorehouses, without those things, Wuxian wasn't sure he'd be able to tell the districts apart.

Though, there was an increase in women with good figures and heavy makeup, however Wuxian did not often pay much attention to these things. At least, not until very recently.

As they stopped in front of an establishment which Jiang Manyou claimed to have frequented often and rated very highly, Wuxian held in the urge to sigh.

Before, he'd gone out with Mian Ji and Xiao Chong. Now, it was Jiang Manyou and Wan Qiushou. Three men, but only one was the same.

'But am I really the same? How much have I unknowingly changed since back then?'

Wuxian swiftly cleared his thoughts in a practised manner. The best method to avoid depression was cultivation. Second to that was keeping one's mind preoccupied with other things.

He looked up at the large nameplate that hung above the entrance.

"Weeping Willow?" He read aloud.

Jiang Manyou nodded.

"This is undoubtedly the best in the entire district. It's not like the lower class establishments the common people frequent. 

The girls here have class- the only ones who work here against their will are people working off their debt or from fallen aristocratic families. The rest are all voluntary."

Wuxian shook his head, but before he could speak, Wan Qiushou spoke first.

"Forced labour is abhorrent." He stated quietly.

Wuxian looked over.

"I didn't think about it before, but I don't know how comfortable I am with sleeping with somebody who can't say no." He agreed.

Jiang Manyou waved his hands quickly.

"No no no no, you guys misunderstand. The reason why this place is the best is precisely because every single girl here is allowed to say no. In fact, there are many girls here who sell only talents, nothing else." He explained.

Wuxian sceptically raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Is that even possible?" He asked.

"Mhmn, not only that, the owner is a woman too. You see, her story is actually quite interesting. To put it simply, after being captured and forced to work, she eventually earned enough money to buy her freedom. But when she did so, not only did she not leave the business, she moved up to higher class ones. Eventually, she set up the Weeping Willow, giving favourable treatment to all the girls that work here. Pretty much every working girl wants to get a job here and those that can, do."

This time Wan Qiushou surprisingly took the initiative.

"Let's go." He said simply, taking the lead to enter.

Jiang Manyou was thoroughly shocked, his expression plain for all to see.

Wuxian was shocked too, but to a lesser extent. After the talk they'd had previously, he'd made it a constant and active effort to not mentally assign the tag 'brain damaged' to Qiushou.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" He chuckled, following Wan Qiushou in.

Upon entering the Weeping Willow, Wuxian was instantly taken aback.

The place looked more like a palace than anything else. Though, he hadn't actually seen a palace before, he was just going off of imagination.

On each wall hung various different paintings. They each depicted women, fully clothed, engaging in various activities. In one, a woman was reciting poetry to a crowd atop a mountain peak. In another, the woman played the zither under the bright full moon.

Not only that, but there were actually real people playing instruments as well. The relaxing sound of strings being plucked and strummed emanated through the air, albeit a little faint, becoming muffled through the walls.

It would be truly shocking if there was a full orchestra playing in the reception room after all.

At the front desk sat a young girl of perhaps 15 or 16 years old. She was well dressed, a lavish circlet sitting on her head, braided hair swinging in the air as she grooved to the music.

'They even have kids here.'

The girl, hearing footsteps, became alert. She quickly grabbed a hold of a quill, dipping it in ink and flipping open what appeared to be a guestbook.

Since Wuxian was standing closer, the girl spoke to him first.

"Hello, what kind of services are you interested in tonight, sirs?" She asked cheerily.

Wuxian was about to speak, but then realised that he was the only one out of the three of them who couldn't speak common. He quickly pushed Jiang Manyou to the front.

"Brother Jiang, I can't speak common, though I can understand it. You're also more experienced than myself and Wan Qiushou, so I think it would be best for you to go first." 

Wan Qiushou nodded in agreement, but said nothing.

Jiang Manyou clicked his fingers. He then waved at the girl familiarly.

"Hey, little Tan, how are you this evening?" He greeted softly.

The girl smiled widely in response.

"Hello brother Jiang, long time no see. I'm doing well today, sister Yan taught me how to play 'Graceful Swallows' today!"

Jiang Manyou clapped encouragingly.

"That's excellent! Then I'll have to make sure and listen to one of your performances one of these days." 

Little Tan raised her small left hand.

"Pinky promise!"

"Pinky promise." Jiang Manyou replied, hooking their fingers together and giving them a firm tug.

He then gestured to Wan Qiushou and Wuxian.

"This is Wan Qiushou and this is Sihai Wuxian. Do you need help writing their names?"

Little Tan shook her head quickly.

"No, I've been learning lots of new words recently. And I'm the only one checking in guests today, so it doesn't matter if I write the names wrong, so long as I remember what they look like." She answered, scrawling down their names on small wooden tablets before handing them over.

Little Tan looked up at Jiang Manyou, "I guess you're here for sister Lian then?" She asked teasingly.

Jiang Manyou, this grizzled and toned man, blushed in response. He turned bright red at the mere mention of a name.

Wuxian had to do a double-take upon seeing this, glancing away and then looking back, as if to reset his vision. Even Wan Qiushou shot a look at Jiang Manyou, something more behind his usual bland expression.

"Well, it wasn't so hard to guess, was it?" Jiang Manyou laughed, self-deprecatingly.

Little Tan shrugged smilingly before turning to address Wan Qiushou and Wuxian.

"How about you two?"

Wan Qiushou looked at Wuxian, before his gaze shifted to the red Jiang Manyou quizzically.

"What does she mean?"

Seeing the weird stares he was receiving, Jiang Manyou cleared his throat.

"As I mentioned outside, not all the girls here sell their bodies. People who visit here can either choose to come and chat with the girls, listen to music or pay for a 'good time'. The caveat is that you do not choose which girl you do it with- it's the girl that chooses you. So, you have to pay to either chat or listen and then there's an extra fixed fee for the 'good time'."

He rubbed his stubbled face.

"And if you're terribly unattractive, there's a chance that no girl chooses you, and you'll leave slightly poorer and still a virgin. Oh, they also serve alcoholic beverages too. Those require additional purchase."

Wuxian nodded thoughtfully. This unique kind of brothel was pretty interesting. 

'Though, perhaps it shouldn't be classified as a brothel anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if they end up adding a wine and tea tasting section later too.'

"How much does it cost then? Individually speaking." Wuxian asked.

"Ten taels for a chat, twenty for music and five to 'get lucky'." Jiang Manyou replied.

Wuxian's brows raised.

'Back in my day, ten taels was one year's salary as a lieutenant… either the value of silver has dropped or this establishment only caters to the upper class. It's possible that both are true.'

"Compared to the other two options, the third option seems… a little too cheap, doesn't it?" He asked curiously.

Jiang Manyou grinned sheepishly.

"The girls accept tips and high paying repeat customers tend to get picked more often so… don't expect to only pay five taels."

"That makes sense."

He then considered his options. Out of all three options, the seemingly cheapest option could most likely end up the most expensive. Plus, despite having suggested going to the red light district, it wasn't like he was that starved.

With the introduction of Shui Qianyue into his life, the prospect with sleeping with a stranger for money, with no feelings involved, seemed a little uninteresting.

Also, it was expensive.

'And I am in debt.'

Wuxian asked another question, "do any of the girls speak ancient tongue?"

Jiang Manyou winked. "You'd be surprised."

"Then I'll just go for a chat."

He half expected Jiang Manyou to pressure him into picking the third option too, but surprisingly, the man turned away and asked Wan Qiushou for his picks as well.

"A chat. I'm poor." Wan Qiushou said succinctly.

"I'll pay for you tonight. Go wild." Jiang Manyou encouraged.

Wan Qiushou gave him a suspicious glance.

"You're not lying?"

"No. Not at all. Look at me, when have I ever deceived you?"

"Many times."

"Uh… ahem, well not this time. I promise." 

He paused. Seeing Wan Qiushou's unmoved countenance- though, it truly was difficult to read the man's expressions, he continued.

"If I'm lying, I'll stop seeing miss Lian."

"Deal. I'll pick all the available options then."

Jiang Manyou began to regret his words. Wan Qiushou had begun to change recently, his actions were becoming more and more unpredictable as of late. He wore an expression that seemed to say, 'eh? Didn't you agree too fast?'

Wan Qiushou spoke again, "Will you pay for the drinks too?"

Jiang Manyou felt immense regret. His face turned from red to green and he clutched onto his money pouch tightly, as if someone would attempt to snatch it from him at any moment.

"Y-yes."

"Good. Little Tan, you heard what we just said. I want all three services and all drinks I purchase to go to brother Jiang's tab."

"Right away~" Little Yan replied gleefully.

Wuxian looked on, amused. Then, he nudged Wan Qiushou.

"Oh, right. Sihai Wuxian would just like a chat. Don't worry about his fees, I'll pay for them too." The man said tonelessly, each word driving a blade deep into Jiang Manyou's heart.

Jiang Manyou had a black expression on his face.

"Motherf*cker, you said you're paying for him, but who's paying for you, huh?"

Wan Qiushou turned to face him, undaunted. Despite their similar heights, he seemed to be looking down on the older man.

"You owe me one thousand taels," He stated bluntly, continuing slowly, "Last week's steamed pork buns tasted good. Out of the one bite you took, did it taste like it was worth a thousand taels? Was it worth it?"

"W-wait, Little Wan, no, Senior Wan- please, anything, I'll do anything- hey! Come back here motherf*cker! Son of a b*tch!"

Ignoring the green-faced Jiang Manyou, Wan Qiushou waved goodbye to Little Tan and entered the main room of the brothel.

"Ignore him. Let's go." He said.

Wuxian nodded, silently noting to himself to avoid annoying Wan Qiushou in the future. 

'How petty. But as a beneficiary, I can't complain.'

As he walked past Jiang Manyou, he patted the man's back.

"Better luck next time, brother Jiang."

"F*ck you." 

Wuxian chortled, swinging the wooden pendant around his index finger as he left the reception room.

Watching the two leave smugly, Jiang Manyou stared at the ceiling, recounting the life choices that led him to this moment.

"Hehehehe, green brother Jiang is funny~" Little Tan giggled, legs swinging happily, eyes squinting into two upwards crescents.

Jiang Manyou suppressed the urge to cuss at her, taking deep breaths of air instead. After returning to his normal complexion, he let out a sigh.

"Next time, I'm not bringing any hard-boiled sweets for you."

"No… brother Jiang is mean…"