Chapter 28

Liu Handong took the basin and put it back on the ground, saying, "No need, I don't like that kind of thing."

Huanxi bit her lip and said, "Big Brother, don't look down on me. I'm clean. This is my first time serving a customer."

Liu Handong was somewhat shocked and said, "Why would you do this? Are you being forced? I can take you to the police."

Huanxi quickly said, "No, no, I'm doing this voluntarily. Sister Mei is a good person."

Liu Handong frowned and said, "You're still a student, right? Is there something wrong at home? Why are you doing this?"

Huanxi's eyes suddenly turned red, and she lowered her head, saying, "I'm a high school student. I didn't get into college. My mother has been bedridden for ten years, and my father is seriously ill and can't afford the hospital. My younger brother is in his first year of high school. If I don't earn money, our family will be ruined."

Liu Handong said, "Can't you do something else? Why do you have to do this?"

Huanxi said, "I don't even know how to use a computer. What kind of job can I find? Sister Mei said this job pays quickly, and she was willing to take me in, so I came."

Liu Handong said, "You won't earn much money in a small hair salon. Sister Mei is just leading you astray. I'll go talk to her!"

Huanxi quickly pulled Liu Handong, "Big Brother, Sister Mei is a good person. She said she would let me intern in the hair salon first, and once I gain experience, she would recommend me to a bathhouse or a high-end club, where I could earn a lot of money."

Liu Handong laughed in frustration, wanting to say something but suddenly found himself speechless. Standing there and talking was easy, but if he put himself in Huanxi's shoes, with her parents seriously ill, her brother in school, and the family in dire poverty, with everyone being cold and indifferent, and only Sister Mei being warm and helpful, what right did Huanxi have to be picky? What capital did she have to remain pure and virtuous?

The weight of life had made a pure girl fall into depravity and become a prostitute, which made Liu Handong feel a lump in his throat.

"Big Brother, don't go. If you leave, someone else will come. You're a good person, please buy me," Huanxi pleaded. She didn't cry, probably because she had already cried all her tears and accepted this reality.

Liu Handong asked her, "How much did Sister Mei sell you for?"

"Two thousand yuan."

Two thousand yuan for a girl's first night, the price was shockingly low. Either Sister Mei was a bad businesswoman, or she had deliberately hidden the price. However, Liu Handong didn't want to pursue this; it was her normal business.

"Two thousand yuan, all for you?" Liu Handong continued to ask.

"Yes, she will give it to me tomorrow, and I can send it home. Big Brother, please don't go. If you leave, the next person could be anyone."

The hair salons and massage parlors on Tiezha Street were the lowest-level consumption places, with customers mainly being low-income groups such as drivers, construction workers, low-level thugs, and retired elders. There weren't many customers willing to spend thousands of yuan. This might be why Huanxi hadn't been sold yet.

If Liu Handong didn't buy her first night, the next customer could be a fat old man or a rough and dirty truck driver, possibly with a sexually transmitted disease and a bad temper. In short, Huanxi's fate was uncertain.

Liu Handong thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I won't go."

Huanxi's face lit up with joy, "Big Brother, take a shower, I'll get the things."

She turned around and took out a roll of toilet paper and a brandless condom from under the pillow, probably bought in bulk from a street store for couples.

Liu Handong quickly said, "I'm tired, let me rest for a while."

He kicked off his shoes, got into bed, and soon started snoring.

Huanxi was in a dilemma, put the things in the drawer, took the basin outside, gently closed the door, and sat quietly, watching Liu Handong sleep.

The sound of lovemaking from the next room continued. Shanpao was in a particularly good mood today, having eaten a lot of lamb kidneys, and was incredibly vigorous, going in and out seven times.

Huanxi turned off the light and fell asleep in a chair.

When she woke up, she was already in bed, her clothes untouched, covered with a towel blanket. Liu Handong was lying on two chairs, snoring loudly.

Huanxi lowered her head, and a tear fell to the ground.

...

The next morning, Shanpao stretched and came out of Sister Mei's room, feeling refreshed. He looked up and saw Liu Handong doing push-ups on the ground, muttering, "998, 999, 1000!"

"Big Brother, your form is different. You bounce up and slap the ground," Shanpao asked in confusion.

"This is the American Navy-style push-up," Liu Handong explained.

"So fancy. What about the American Air Force?" Shanpao asked with a smile.

"Slap the ground above your head," Liu Handong took the towel Huanxi handed him and wiped the sweat off his bronze-colored skin, which had many scars.

"You've been in a lot of fights?" Shanpao marveled.

"Not from fighting," Liu Handong put on a T-shirt and said calmly.

"How else could you get them?" Shanpao didn't believe it.

"From battles," Liu Handong put on his clothes and motioned for Shanpao to come to the front yard. The hair salon girls usually slept until noon, and the roller shutter was closed, making it very quiet.

"Shanpao, lend me some money," Liu Handong said.

Shanpao said without hesitation, "Sure, how much?"

"Three thousand first," Liu Handong said.

Shanpao took out a stack of money, counted out three thousand, and handed it to Liu Handong, winking and saying, "Did you have a good time last night? The girl was a virgin."

Liu Handong said, "How much did you spend?"

"Don't ask. As long as Big Brother is happy, it's worth it."

"How much?"

"Two thousand. Sister Mei gave you a discount because you're handsome."

Two thousand yuan, Sister Mei didn't cheat Huanxi, which was decent of her.

Liu Handong took the money, gave it to Huanxi, and said, "Send it home. I can't help you much."

He turned and said, "Shanpao, let's go."

After Liu Handong and Shanpao left through the back door, Sister Mei came out in slippers. Shanpao had exhausted her last night, leaving her weak and tired. She was just dozing off when she was woken by crying. She got up and saw Huanxi crying, holding a stack of money.

"Girl, where did you get this money?" Sister Mei was puzzled. The money Shanpao gave her was still in her drawer.

"Big Brother gave it to me," Huanxi cried, very sad and determined, "Sister Mei, I don't want to do this anymore. I want to go home."

Sister Mei lit a cigarette and advised, "Girl, once you're in this business, it's hard to get out. The world is cruel, and actors have no morals. Don't be naive. Men just say nice things when they're excited, and you believe them? I've heard so many of these lies."

Huanxi looked up, "He didn't say anything."

"Didn't say anything?"

What a surprise!

"He didn't say anything, just gave me this money." Huanxi hadn't counted the money, but in her eighteen years, she had never seen such a thick stack of RMB.

Sister Mei took the money, counted it with her saliva, and found it was three thousand. Adding the two thousand she was supposed to give Huanxi, it was a total of five thousand, a significant amount.

This man was really generous. Could he have a crush on Huanxi? It was very likely. Although Huanxi had no chest or hips, her face was very pretty, and she was a virgin, which men particularly liked.

"Girl, bring me the broom," Sister Mei pointed to the broom in the corner.

Huanxi went over and picked up the broom.

Sister Mei's eyes were sharp. She immediately noticed that Huanxi's walking posture was the same as usual, meaning she was still a virgin. The man hadn't slept with her!

"Girl, didn't he sleep with you last night?"

Huanxi nodded, tears in her eyes.

Sister Mei was very surprised. How could a man in his prime, sharing a room with a young girl, not be tempted?

With Sister Mei's experience and intelligence, she couldn't understand this. She threw the cigarette butt away and cursed, "Stupid youth!"

...

On the way back, Shanpao was very happy, humming a tune. His dog meat restaurant was doing well, earning him several thousand yuan a month. Yesterday, he had a run-in with Zhao Yufeng, and his business was almost ruined. Fortunately, Liu Handong, despite their past, risked his life to help him, not only settling things with Zhao Yufeng but also forming a relationship with Huabao. In the future, no one would dare to cause trouble at the dog meat restaurant, and he could live a peaceful life.

They first went to No. 108 to pick up Xiaoyue. Liu Handong found his room had been cleaned spotlessly by Xiaoyue and said to Shanpao, "Your wife is so virtuous, you should stay out less."

Shanpao whispered, "Xiaoyue is pregnant. I occasionally go out to play, but I'm generally very proper."

Liu Handong accompanied them to the dog meat restaurant. The two brothers-in-law had just finished their police statements and had been up all night tidying up. They had chopped up the burned furniture for firewood, covered the blackened walls with newspapers, and the other losses were minimal. The pots, pans, knives, and rolling pins were all intact.

The two brothers, Sun Jikai and Sun Jiatao, talked excitedly about last night. They had been hiding behind the house with sticks, but had fallen asleep. When they heard the commotion, they rushed out to find the house on fire. They swung their sticks, knocked down the arsonist who was on a motorcycle, and called 110 and 119. They used the fire extinguisher and broom they had prepared to put out the fire before the fire truck arrived.

"You still have the nerve to talk. If you were more alert, the fire wouldn't have started," Shanpao scolded.

Xiaoyue was very scared. Last night, the alarms were ringing, and it turned out their store had been set on fire. She pulled on Shanpao's clothes and said, "Let's go back to our hometown. I don't want to do this anymore."

Shanpao said, "Women don't understand. This fire has made us truly root ourselves in this street. Of course, we should thank Big Brother the most."

Liu Handong said, "Don't call me Big Brother all the time. You're a few years older than me."

Shanpao said, "That's not how it works. Zhou Xingchi is still called 'Star Lord,' and Liu Dehua is still called 'Hua Zi.' In the world, seniority is not related to age."

Liu Handong said, "Whatever. You clean up slowly. I'm going to work."

"Big Brother, be careful. Come for lunch at noon," Xiaoyue said.

The three-wheeled motorcycle was parked in an alley behind the dog meat restaurant, locked to a utility pole. As Liu Handong walked over, a man was squatting next to the vehicle, reading a newspaper. Seeing him, the man quickly stood up, "Sir, is this your vehicle?"

Liu Handong said, "Yes, what's the matter?"

The man said, "Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, my brother's hand would have been crippled. Please accept this small token of gratitude." He took out a bag containing two packs of Hongmei cigarettes and four bottles of Huaijiang Special Liquor.