She actually understood Yu Yi’s real concerns. After walking a few steps, she suddenly remembered something: “Yi’er, does that rich merchant know you have redeemed yourself?”
“Huh?” Yu Yi was stunned by her mother’s question. Which rich merchant?
“Didn’t you say yesterday that a rich merchant often comes to listen to you play the qin and sing, and always gives you a lot of silver?” Yu Song looked at Yu Yi reproachfully.
Yu Yi suddenly remembered that when explaining the source of her money yesterday, she had casually mentioned a rich merchant. She quickly shook her head: “I have not told him. He should not know.”
Yu Song seemed a bit regretful: “If he goes to the courtesan house, he will find out. What a pity…”
Yu Yi said: “What’s there to be pitiful about!”
“What does he look like? What is his character? What business does he run?”
Yu Yi was greatly troubled by her mother’s inquiries about the “rich merchant”. When asked about his business, she suddenly thought of Bo Shi, but she had never seen Bo Shi’s appearance. How could she fabricate his looks out of thin air? To make her mother give up asking about “that merchant”, she said: “He already has a wife.”
“
Unexpectedly, Yu Song said: “Although you have kept yourself pure, having been in the courtesan house, it’s not easy to marry a man of suitable background who will treat you well. If that merchant truly dotes on you, even being a concubine would be good.”
Yu Yi quickly said: “That merchant is very old. He truly only comes to listen to me play the qin.”
Yu Song sighed and finally stopped asking.
Two sisters walked to the table. Yu Yi poured a glass of water and handed it to Yu Xin, but noticed she wasn’t drinking. Sensing Yu Xin had something to say, she lit the lamp, sat down next to her, and asked, “Xin’er, do you have something to tell your sister?”
Yu Xin held the cup for a while before whispering, “Yi Jie, your teaching house… is it… is it…”
Yu Yi, guessing what she wanted to ask, said, “No. My teaching house is about playing the qin and singing to earn silver.”
