It was an old courtyard-style house with three entrances and exits, originally the residence of a wealthy family in Tang Town. That family made a fortune outside and moved to the city, selling this old house to Li Meiniang, who turned it into a brothel.

  Li Meiniang was a plump, middle-aged woman who greeted everyone with a honey-sweet smile. When Zhong Qi entered the Xiaoyao Pavilion, Li Meiniang also gave him a honey-sweet smile, even though she was using a toothpick to clean her nails at that moment.

  A young woman wearing an old qipao with a split seam at the hem stood behind her, gently patting her back. Her oval face looked haggard, her eyes dull and lifeless, with dark circles and slightly swollen eyelids. Her thin lips were pale and devoid of any color.

  Li Meiniang smiled sweetly at Captain Zhong Qi and said, "Captain Zhong, you came so early today; please sit, sit!"

  Zhong Qi noticed that the small bck mole at the corner of Li Meiniang's mouth twitched slightly as she spoke. He thought that if Li Meiniang didn't have that mole, she would be quite charming. But Li Meiniang often boasted about the mole at the corner of her mouth, saying that a fortune teller had told her long ago that because she had this mole, she would be free from worries about food and clothing for her entire life.

  Zhong Qi said, "No need to sit; I'm not feeling well. Let's go inside!"

  Li Meiniang said to the woman behind her, "Fei'e, why aren't you quickly taking Captain Zhong into the room? The right-side room in the main hall just got a new mat today, so take Captain Zhong to that room."

  Yang Fei'e hesitated for a moment, but under Li Meiniang's urging, she finally led Zhong Qi to the right-side room of the main hall.

  Li Meiniang called out, "Feng Feng, why aren't you coming out to give your old dy a back rub? Lying in bed like a corpse without any guests, huh?"

  After bringing Zhong Qi into the room, Yang Fei'e knelt down with a thud. Zhong Qi was taken aback and said, "Fei'e, what are you doing? Is someone bullying you? Tell me who it is, and I'll get revenge for you!"

  Tears streamed down Yang Fei'e's face as she clung to Zhong Qi's thigh and said, "Brother Zhong, would you let me go tonight? You've come to me drunk these past two nights, and you've hurt me so badly. You grabbed my lower body and tore it apart, making me bleed a lot. It hurts so much. Brother Zhong, please wait until I'm better to sleep with me. You can do whatever you want with me, but please let me go tonight."

  Zhong Qi, upon hearing Yang Fei'e's words, not only felt no sympathy for her but instead became furious: "Damn bitch, what are you nagging me for? Your pain has nothing to do with me. I'll come when I want, and you'll accompany me then. You were born to serve men, and if I don't do it, someone else will! Get your ass on the bed now; I can't wait!"

  Yang Fei'e said pitifully, "Brother Zhong, please let me go this time; I'm really in pain!"

  Zhong Qi said viciously, "You stinky bitch, I told you to crawl onto the bed; don't py dead here with me!"

  Yang Fei'e said tremblingly, "Captain Zhong, please kill me; I don't want to live anymore!"

  Zhong Qi kicked her, grabbed her, and threw her onto the bed. He stripped off his clothes and lunged at her, tearing off the qipao from Yang Fei'e's body and throwing it to the ground. Yang Fei wasn't wearing a bra or panties, exposing her pale skin. Zhong Qi spread Yang Fei'e's legs apart and entered her. Yang Fei'e gritted her teeth, tears streaming down her face. Zhong Qi growled as he struggled with her, but soon, his manhood went limp.

  Zhong Qi tried a few more times but couldn't get erect again.

  He let out a wail, grabbed his hair tightly with his hands, tugged at it, and then cried bitterly.

  Yang Fei'e knew in her heart that Zhong Qi's impotence was reted to You Wuqiang. Zhong Qi wasn't like this before; he was not only very vigorous in bed but also had some little romantic gestures. After they were done, he would stay and joke around, unlike the other clients in Tang Town who would just pay and leave in a hurry. In the past two or three days, Zhong Qi had changed into a different person, becoming like a devil, making Yang Fei'e feel utterly miserable. Yang Fei'e thought to herself, "This is karma! You, Zhong Qi, will have your day too!"

  Yang Fei'e's face was covered in tears, but a mysterious smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

  Zhong Qi suddenly pulled his hand out of his hair and reached for Yang Fei'e's private parts, grabbing them forcefully: "You filthy bitch, how dare you mock me? I won't let you off easy. I'll kill you!"

  Yang Fei'e screamed in agony, "Ah—Zhong Qi, you won't die a good death..."

  This night was very peaceful for Song Ke, so peaceful that he could hear the gurgling stream outside the town. But he couldn't hear Yang Fei'e's cries or the snoring of You Wuqiang, who was sleeping in the coffin shop.

  He was thinking of a woman. Although she was so far away that he couldn't reach her, it seemed as if he could smell the French perfume on her, as if he could reach out and touch her smile, which bloomed like a rose.

  -------

  A fishy smell spread through the upstairs of the painting studio. Gradually, as Song Ke's longing for that woman deepened, the fishy smell became stronger, drifting down from the staircase and seeping through the gaps of the tightly closed windows.

  The oil mp flickered, like a breath of life barely hanging on.

  Song Ke called out, "Wake up, wake up..."

  Gradually, Song Ke fell asleep amidst the calls.

  The oil mp flickered like a bean, gradually extinguishing as time slowly passed. At this time, the mp went out, and a faintly visible old face emerged from the smoke rising from the wick. The upstairs and downstairs of the painting studio were plunged into darkness. Outside the window, a dog whimpered. Song Ke vaguely felt a slight movement under the bed; his limbs were immobilized, as if bound by ropes.

  Song Ke felt someone standing by his bed, his scalp tingling, and he immediately woke up. He tried to move his limbs but couldn't, so he opened his eyes wide in the darkness, trying to see the person standing there. But he couldn't see anything, just like he couldn't see the many secrets hidden in the darkness. Song Ke's breathing became heavy.

  A long sigh came from the darkness.

  Yes, Song Ke indeed felt someone standing by the bed, so close that they could touch his face with just a reach. The chill emanating from the darkness hit him like a wave. Song Ke couldn't control himself, his lips trembling slightly.

  Song Ke's body couldn't move. He tried to see if he could speak. He opened his mouth and said, "You are the old painter Hu Wenjin, right?"

  A desote voice floated into Song Ke's ears: "I am not Hu Wenjin. My name is Zheng Qiulin. You must know Zheng Mashui from Tang Town, right? I am his father."

  Song Ke said, "How did you end up here? Why don't you go home and sleep?"

  Zheng Qiulin said, "I have always been in the painting studio. It was Hu Wenjin who brought me here. I can't go back home. My son Zheng Mashui has long forgotten me."

  Song Ke felt increasingly cold: "Can you help me light the mp? That way, I can see your face and talk to you."