Moma Liangshan

Chapter 82 Tokyo's Top Leader, Year-End Planning

The late-night snacks at Fanlou were plentiful and exquisite. Wang Hao chose a bowl of eight-treasure lotus seed porridge, while Li Shishi opted for a bowl of rock sugar bird's nest soup. They sat facing each other on a brocade couch; a Suzhou embroidery table was laid out, upon which lay white porcelain bowls and celadon spoons. A moment later, two servants each carried a pearwood tray, on which rested a clay pot of porridge and a wooden spoon on a porcelain dish. One clay pot was black, the other white; the black pot held the eight-treasure lotus seed porridge, while the white pot held the rock sugar bird's nest soup. Each servant was accompanied by a maidservant, who carefully opened the lids of the clay pots and placed them upside down on one end of the tray. Then, they placed the wooden spoons into the clay pots, and finally, with both hands, lifted the porcelain bowls by the bottom and placed them on the porcelain dishes. Wang Hao watched this scene, lost in thought. Seeing this, Li Shishi asked, "Does your family have such refined etiquette, brother?" Wang Hao shook his head and said, "There are neither servants nor maids, just rough porcelain bowls, bamboo chopsticks, and a large brass ladle." As he spoke, a maid used a wooden ladle to transfer the porridge from the pot into a porcelain bowl, and then placed the porcelain plate back on the table. Li Shishi gently stirred the bird's nest soup and said, "I only want one bowl, brother?" Wang Hao replied, "The same as my sister." Li Shishi smiled, looked at the servants and maids, and said, "The rest is a reward for you, go!" The servants and maids bowed simultaneously and said, "Thank you for the reward, young lady and young master!" Then they left one by one.

The door closed again, and Li Shishi asked, "With over three million strings of cash in your pocket, what are your plans next, brother?" Wang Hao took a deep breath and said, "Return to Jiaozhou and open a shipping route to Liaodong." Li Shishi looked reluctant and said, "It seems it will be a long time before I see you, brother!" Wang Hao was unconcerned and comforted her, "Sister, you are free. If you get bored in Dongjing, you can always come to Jiaozhou for a visit!" Li Shishi shook her head and asked in return, "Brother, do you think that being the top courtesan is so easy?" Wang Hao was surprised and said, "Brother is ignorant and asks for your guidance!" Li Shishi said, "You only know that the huge city of Dongjing has a population of one million, but do you know how many brothels there are, how many performers there are, and how many courtesans there are?" Wang Hao shook his head and said, "Sister, please forgive me, brother doesn't know!" Li Shishi's smile faded, and she said, "There are seventy-nine brothels, nine hundred performers, and three thousand courtesans. If you add the maids who serve people, there are probably as many as five thousand." Wang Hao frowned and remained silent. Li Shishi continued, “There are rules in brothels. Whoever becomes the leader has the responsibility to look after the other girls in the brothel. A woman's youth lasts only ten years. Everyone has a youth and an old age. In youth, when the body is not yet mature and the mind is not yet formed, the leader will guide and protect the girls to prevent them from being deceived and abused. In old age, when the beauty fades and the body is no longer attractive, no one will care for the girl anymore. At this time, if no one supports her, she will be left alone and die a lonely old age. The leader will then have to fulfill his filial duty!” Li Shishi stared intently at Wang Hao and said, “I want you to make me a promise. If one day you achieve your lofty ambitions, I want you to defend the last shred of dignity of the women in brothels for me!”

Wang Hao stood up, opened the back window, looked up at the starry sky, and said, "I, Wang Hao, hereby swear that if I ever stand above ten thousand men, I will defend the dignity of the women of the brothel!" Li Shishi said from the side, "I'll swear this oath with you!" After making the oath, Wang Hao asked, "Sister, you think so highly of me, that I'm sure I'll rise to great heights?" Li Shishi replied, "The bright lights and intoxicating pleasures are most likely to bewitch people's hearts, but they are also most likely to reflect their true nature."