FENG YU JIU TIAN VOLUME 14 CHAPTER 6.2
Lie Er almost exploded in anger while he secretly watched the man with the whip (the one selling the clay dolls). Memorizing his face, Lie Er clenched the doll in his hands and walked away.
There were plenty of people buying, but the goods were in short supply. In less than an hour, more than twenty large boxes of goods were sold out. Those who were able to buy one, carefully carried their large bag containing “Xi Lei’s Duke Ming” and left happily. As for those who couldn’t buy one, they left in disappointment.
When the crowd gradually dispersed, the huge sweating men seized the money in hand and gave it to the man with the whip. They threw some of the broken clay dolls into the river and decided to head out for a few drinks.
Lie Er followed them to the brothel as they threw several pieces of coin onto the table. Following people was an old task he did in the past and following these not so bright men was quite easy for him. He had long forgotten to find a vacant room to stay and while following these men, he overheard them calling their leader, “Brother Xiong.”
Lie Er called the waiter over, gave him some money and asked, “Who are those men causing a racket over there?”
The waiter accepted the money and answered carefully, “Over there is Brother Xiong and his men. Well, in fact, he is one of the rifraffs in Fan Cheng. He normally would cause a commotion around town, but rarely comes here. It’s strange though, how they suddenly became rich. I don’t know who has given him the idea of making Xi Lei Duke Ming clay dolls to sell, but everyone loves them and even fight over them. He naturally made quite an amount and now comes to this brothel and call for some female hostess to serve him wine…”
When Lie Er heard the “clay dolls of Xi Lei Duke Ming” his veins darkened, and he smirked, “I wouldn’t expect those kind of stuff, and even for people to fight over it.” If His Majesty were to know about this, he would definitely swallow whole all those buyers.
It seems like some people are not afraid of death.
That year when Lie Er was a spy in Yong Yin palace, the first priority was to conceal one’s emotions. Having mastered the skill, even with a body filled with anger, the waiter of the brothel was not able to see a trace of it and answered Lie Er, “Of course many people rush to buy it. Some love it so much they keep it in their possession. Other merchants would buy it and sell it to nearby towns. When the business started, only merchants from this town would buy it, now more and more people from different cities are coming here. Ever since Tai Can left the port of Fan Cheng, it’s because of these Xi Lei Duke Ming that there is a bit of life. I heard that some people buy it here for seven taels and bring it to another place to sell it for 1200 taels each. Aiya, only noblemen in the capital could be able to afford it! Brother Xiong and his men sure made a good profit.”
As he spoke, he helped pour some wine for Lie Er. While stooping he said in a low voice, “Don’t think that those dolls are for kids, they are for adults. When the clothes are taken off is when it looks the most beautiful. Ah, just imagine, if Duke Ming looks like that, won’t his body be just as beautiful?”
Lie Er was boiling with rage, just a little more and he would have beaten the waiter’s face into a pulp. However, since he is alone in Fan Cheng, he cannot casually reveal his identity. Clenching his teeth, he smiled, “Hearing you say that, even I can’t help myself and would like to buy one.”
“You could wait until tomorrow.” The waiter smiled, “Every day the items are sold out.”
“Tomorrow, my boat will come for me.” Lie Er threw out a few more money, “I think Brother Xiong might have a few left at his house. I could spend a large amount to buy some of it. So would you happen to know where his house is?”
The waiter took the money and smiled with more enthusiasm, “I know, I know! Everyone knows where Brother Xiong’s house is.” He immediately gave up Brother Xiong’s address and even directions to get there from the brothel, which road is more convenient and how to recognize Brother Xiong’s family members, all the details were reported to Lie Er.
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Sorry for the super long wait, I’ll probably summarize the rest of this chapter to head on to the last chapter of the Volume with Feng Ming and his crew on the rough sea encountering He Di.
Thank you Fern and Joyce for proofreading this portion. =) ~ Christy