Encounter at the Red Blossom Pavilion

"Oh, you naughty boy, already missing your wife!" Tang Shi chuckled, "You're my only precious son, of course I'm thinking of you! Soon we'll buy land, build a house, rent out the fields, and just collect rent while enjoying a life of luxury!"

Tang Shi was daydreaming about her life as a landlady when Zhang Zhuzi, drunk as usual, stumbled in, clearly looking to pick a fight with her again.

But Tang Shi stood her ground this time, ignoring Zhang Zhuzi completely, and dashed away like a flash.

Zhang Zhuzi, surprised that Tang Shi actually dared to run, cursed and chased after her, but she had vanished without a trace. Left with no one to hit, he found it boring and went back inside to sleep soundly.

Zhang Zhaocai, annoyed by his father’s behavior, went off to the village to play with his gang of mischievous kids.

Zhang Zhuzi was sleeping soundly, completely unaware that someone was hiding on the roof.

Lingdang squatted on the beam, flicking small stones swiftly, one of which hit Zhang Zhuzi right on the forehead, waking him up.

"Damn it, who dares hit me!" Zhang Zhuzi jumped up, holding his forehead, looked around but saw no one, mumbling curses, "Am I dreaming or did I see a ghost? Whatever, back to sleep!"

Just as Zhang Zhuzi was about to lie down, he heard a thud— a brick by his bed had fallen. When he looked, he found several silver ingots hidden in midair where the brick had been!

Zhang Zhuzi’s mouth dropped open in shock as he quickly pulled out the silver ingots!

"Oh my goodness, where did all this silver come from? I’ve never seen so much money in my life! I’m gonna be rich!" His eyes sparkled as he stuffed the silver back and ran off, muttering, "I’m finally turning my luck around!"

Zhang Zhuzi ran all the way to Qingmiao City, feeling rich with the silver in his pocket. He strutted proudly, almost floating as he walked. First, he gambled a few rounds at the casino and, surprisingly, won three taels of silver!

Elated, Zhang Zhuzi eagerly stormed into a high-class brothel in Qingmiao City.

He was entering such a high-class place for the first time, and when he saw the beautiful women inside, his eyes went wide.

The madam saw this country bumpkin’s clueless eyes but, seeing the silver, sent an aging, fiery woman from the brothel to accompany Zhang Zhuzi.

Even though she was an old, washed-up woman, to Zhang Zhuzi she was a goddess, a thousand times more beautiful than his shriveled old Tang Shi!

Zhang Zhuzi immediately grabbed the woman, feeling ecstatic as they went upstairs, eager to get down to business. But on the stairs, he unexpectedly ran into someone he knew.

Su Shimao wore a long robe, half his hair covering the characters tattooed on his face, followed by the brothel’s top courtesan.

Zhang Zhuzi saw the courtesan with Su Shimao and then looked at the old, faded woman with him, feeling immediately jealous and unbalanced.

Su Shimao also saw Zhang Zhuzi but clearly didn’t want to talk, immediately walking around him, only to be blocked by the drunken Zhang Zhuzi, who slurred, "Yo, Su Shimao, top scholar, what are you doing in a place like this? Isn’t your Su family broke, living off Su Li’s family, and yet you have money to drink and entertain courtesans?!"

Su Shimao was publicly humiliated, his face burning red as he glared fiercely at Zhang Zhuzi: "None of your business! Get lost!"

Then he dragged his courtesan to the back courtyard to listen to music.