Chapter 84 Why Were You Hiding Here?!

The thought of Ruan Qingyan being forced to fight these lascivious tycoons today made Qiu Yelan feel like she was sitting on pins and needles. “He always told me he has enough money, but whether or not he can handle the situation is a big problem. The people over here credit gold as mud. Those who carried silvers to the lake were shy to uncover their box!”

She couldn’t help asking Jiang Yashuang, “How much can a winner get in this competition?”

“How should I know?” answered Jiang Yashuang in surprise.

Realizing Qiu Yelan was not satisfied with his answer, Jiang Yashuang paused for a while and continued, “But it must be a lot. My brother always doesn’t care about how much he spends in daily life. But the result of this competition is also beyond his control.”

Young master of Jiang Family was not short of money.

Qiu Yelan calculated in her heart. She felt more desperate upon her calculation. “My brother must have to pay much for this activity! Ling Zui, you dumbass!”

The first boat has been approaching the Yunyi Restaurant while they were talking. It was sunny with the soft wind. The lake was clean as well. Yunyi Restaurant was built along the lake. The Yunyi Restaurant was a little higher than the deck of the boat. Standing on it, they could enjoy the view.

Qiu Yelan saw four or five beautiful girls standing on the deck. They were playing chess, playing instruments or looking at the distance. Although they were young, they demonstrated their flirtatious smiles to the audience.

“The spring House, the boat of the Spring House is coming!” cried the people downstairs. People flooded to the lake. Some of them standing in the first row even were pushed into the lake.

“The president of Qingfeng Ji, Gu Shizong donates twenty pieces of fine silk and 5 kilograms of gold to the Spring House!” a loud raucous voice shadowed the noise passed to every corner.

And then, several rich people crowded to the boat, holding boxes of fine silk and gold to the boat. Plenty of uniform strong men were kneeling on the boat, attempting to catch everything people handed over to them.

The boats following the boat of the Spring House came one by one. The sound of those who counted the donations passed to ears from time to time. As soon as the boat of the Spring House rowed away, the boat of the Yunyi Restaurant came. Suddenly, sound like rain on a roof passed to ears. Qiu Yelan thought it was raining all of a sudden. Actually, it was people sitting on the second floor who threw their ornaments to the boat.

Some frivolous youth standing on the second floor were flirting with the girls on the boat. Obviously, the girls had been taught how to handle this situation. They just kept silent and smile, responding nothing.

Seeing the boat of the Spring House off, Qiu Yelan asked curiously, “As we can throw things to the boat, why should they carry the boxes to the bank and hand them to the boat? Even the heavy stuff like gold can also be lifted to the boat from the second floor. Why did people not do like that?”

Pondering for a while, Jiang Yashuang said, “I did not attend this event before. I guess the reason is that they want to show off their wealth before others.”

… Sure. They were rich. Every rich man preferred to show off.

If they just stood on the second floor and threw boxes of gold to the boat, their names would just be called out by someone. That was not the rich people wanted. If they carried the boxes of gold and crowded to the lake, people around must be jealous of their wealth. That was the feeling they wanted.

They surely would not let the opportunity to show off leave!

Qiu Yelan thought that the questions she asked before were childish. So, she immediately diverted the topic, “The girls on the boats are beautiful and slim. It’s a pity they work in brothels.”

Hearing what she said, Jiang Yashuang looked at her with a funny smile. Qiu Yelan thought that it’s not a big deal while Jiang Yashuang was smile at her, “I think that some of the girls on the boats are older than you.”

“…” Qiu Yelan was completely speechless.

After a while, the second boat was nearing slowly — Qiu Yelan paid close attention to the boat as she heard people downstairs cried that this was the boat of the Jinpa Pavilion.

It might be because the star in the “Jinpa Pavilion” who preferred to be cold, the girls on this boat were pretty but cold. They did not pose frivolous gestures to attract people. Instead, they stood or sat on the boat, posing like virtuous girls.

Some fine silk had been stacked on the boat of the “Jinpa Pavilion” — As per the rules, they were not allowed to be moved inside even no extra room on the deck. The more money they received, the more followers it demonstrated they would have.

Qiu Yelan felt obliged to help Ruan Qingyan. So, she took off all ornaments on her body, throwing them to the boat.

Looking at her childish action, Jiang Yashuang smiled, “Your Grace, you like the girls on this boat?”

“I’m afraid that my brother might bankrupt because of Young Earl Ling!” said Qiu Yelan angrily. “My brother hasn’t married yet! And he also has grandpa to support!”

If she had known that there were so many crazy rich people attending the Courtesan Competition, she would have impeded her brother to attend it.

“To be honest, the ornaments you just threw is worth thousands of dollars. It’s not a big deal to them.”

“How can we build a thousand miles without a single step forward?” said Qiu Yelan seriously. “Don’t look down thousands of dollars? There were even people throwing tens of dollars!”

She sighed while she was speaking. “The jewelry would not be in my hands if it were valuable. You see, it is plain and hardly used in the past.”

Jiang Yashuang said, “It’s about the Old Princess Lian’s dowry list?”

“Yes, I have got it. As you mention it, I should thank you for introducing “Tianya” to me.” said Qiu Yelan, pursing her lips. “But my uncle is ill recently. I will talk about it with him later.”

Jiang Yashuang paused for a while, saying, “It was my family who got you into this. If you encounter difficulties in the future, don’t hesitate to tell Cousin He. She will help you.” Jiang Yashuang knew that Qiu Yelan did not know He Shuijin very well. He reminded her, “Cousin He has been responsible for the account of my family three years ago. She knew very well about whom my family is familiar with.”

Qiu Yelan took a glimpse at him with a surprise — A general account, even if it were an overt one, would not be handed to a mediocre person, allowing for the power of Jiang Family.

Not only was He Shuijin a girl, but she was not a family member of the Jiang Family. It made Qiu Yelan curious about the relationship between He Shuijin and the Jiang Family. She thought that Jiang Yashuang was a gentleman. He would not be angry even if she said something wrong. So, she asked discreetly, “Young Lady He is so capable?”

“Cousin He is the niece of my third aunt. She is also fiancee of one of my brothers.” said Jiang Yashuang. He did not get angry. “Originally, the general account was held by my third aunt. But she is getting older and older. On the other side, Cousin He is good at those things. So, we assign it to her upon the permission of my grandmother.”

Qiu Yelan exclaimed, “Wow, Young Lady He must be very, very smart and capable!”

Jiang Family was a powerful family with many sons and grandsons living together, He Shuijin must show her competency. Although she was the niece of the third aunt of Jiang Family and future daughter-in-law, she would not get the position only approved by the lady of Marquess Qin and the third aunt. He Shuijin must be talented in every respect. That was to say, she must be a business genius!

Her guess was true. Jiang Yashuang smiled and said, “You are so right.”

Three boats had rowed away while they were talking. The next one with three girls posing on it demonstrated its specialty. All the girls were wearing a solid color shirt. That was: pomegranate red, oil green, lake blue, respectively. Even the hairpins matched the dress color perfectly.

The three girls were standing on the deck with shyness, looking around.

It was the first time Qiu Yelan saw girls wearing like this. She felt curious. “These three girls are pretty. Much better than the girls in the boats of the Spring House and Jinpa Pavilion.”

“No wonder the ancients preferred to be akin girls to flowers.” She pointed to the girl wearing a pomegranate red shirt. “This girl was pretty, just like the flower she is wearing.”

Jiang Yashuang looked at the girls Qiu Yelan was talking about. He said lightly, “It’s just the color of the dress that attracts people! She is not pretty at all. I think that a girl like you wearing a plain dress is more…” speaking of this, he stopped immediately, looking at Qiu Yelan awkwardly.

Qiu Yelan was looking at the girl in red. She did not react to his remark in the first place. She jolted out of her mind when she had eye contact with him. She was not sure what he said was his true meaning or only a joke. So, she looked at him for a while, and then snarled, “Why did you compare me with those girls?!”

“Sorry. I did not mean to offend you. Your Grace. I just thought that the girl in red is just so so.” said Jiang Yashuang immediately. He now felt so wronged. He did not intend to flirt with her. He just said what he wanted to say.

The critical point was that his true meaning, to anybody, was a flirt.

Qiu Yelan looked at him suspiciously for a while. He did not seem like the man who had a crush on her for a long time. She felt relieved and said, “If you have something to say, just say it! Why did you compare me with them? I think that if you dress a lady’s shirt and stand on the deck, you will certainly be more beautiful than them!”

Jiang Yashuang smiled, thinking, “I just said what I wanted to say, which already had put me in a dilemma.” So, he said bitterly, “I apologize. It’s my fault. Beg for your forgiveness!”

“I don’t think this guy meant to take advantage of me….” So, Qiu Yelan complained about his rudeness for a while. She forgave him after safeguarding her image like “I am a girl who pays close attention to my reputation.”

After finishing the awkward conversation, they both looked at the boats outside again. Suddenly, a sound passed in while they were watching the boats.

Hearing the sound, Qiu Yelan said nothing except standing up and walking quickly to stand behind Jiang Yashuang like a maid.

Jiang Yashuang immediately picked up the two teacups, throwing them out of the window with water inside still.

They hurried to adjust their dresses. Jiang Yashuang immediately behaved like a young master from a powerful family. He attempted to be composed and say with an impatient tone. He was preparing to deride the people who would come in and get them out of the room as quick as possible — So, they could escape!

Yet —

In a minute, the door was opened. But instead of a group of people rushing in the room in a stormy manner as expected, a girl cautiously probed into her head.

What Jiang Qisheng saw was two persons inside. One was sitting on a chair while the other one was standing behind him. Seeing them, Jiang Qisheng, who was apprehensive in the first place, turned furious immediately!

She screamed in a low voice, “You two — What are you doing here?!”

Tao Peibin entered the room while Jiang Qisheng was screaming. Her pretty face was full of sorrow and hatred. “Jiang Yashuang, Commandery Princess Ningyi! You both…?!”

In the room of the “Binghu Xianyu,” Jiang Yashuang and Qiu Yelan were shocked by the situation, unknowing what to say.