"He... doesn't want to elevate you, and still longs for that person. Sister Qing... why are you still like this?" Huang Daimei, seeing Xiao Qing's satisfied and happy demeanor, asked her in surprise.
"Xiao Qing is of humble origins, and has fallen into disgrace..." Xiao Qing replied with a smile, "Back then, Xiao Qing was bullied by scoundrels. It was Brother Fugui who saved me at the risk of his life. From then on, Xiao Qing was willing to serve him... to be an ox or horse, a maid or slave, all willingly. Sister Daimei, you don't know, after Brother Fugui saved me, he didn't ask for anything, and he didn't want me to serve him. It was I who shamelessly followed him, and in the end, he had no choice but to take me in. Therefore, Xiao Qing is already very satisfied with what she has today. As for whether he thinks of others, or if he has other women, Xiao Qing doesn't care at all. As long as he is in a good mood, Xiao Qing is also in a good mood. Sister Daimei, he is a kind-hearted person. Actually, he for me..."
Xiao Qing did not continue.
It was indeed like this back then. In the beginning, Zhou Fugui was adamant about not taking Xiao Qing into his household. He took her on the southern campaign, intending to help her find her family and arrange for her proper resettlement. However, during the southern campaign, the battles were too fierce and there were too many matters to attend to, leaving Zhou Fugui no opportunity to find Xiao Qing's family.
To have a concubine elevated and become a main wife was the desire of every concubine in this world, and Xiao Qing was no exception. But was this possible? Zhou Fugui took Xiao Qing as a concubine more out of pity than love.
Xiao Qing was, of course, very aware of this. And having been a woman of the brothel, to be able to reform and become a concubine was already a great fortune. Her fate was already quite good.
Not all prostitutes in this world were in the business of selling their bodies; there were also entertainers, such as musicians, singers, court maids, dancers, and so on. Xiao Qing was a singer, selling her art but not her body, yet she was still called a "prostitute" or registered in the Jiaofang by the world.
The so-called three religions and nine schools of thought. Women registered in the Jiaofang or women who had fallen into disgrace were at the very bottom of the lowest nine. The status of prostitutes was even lower than that of thieves and robbers. This made it very difficult for them to reform. Being able to reform and become a concubine was the best way to escape their fate.
As for most of them, when their youth faded and their beauty waned after the splendor had passed, they would either become nuns and spend the rest of their lives with a single lamp and ancient Buddha, or live alone, enduring hardships and joys by themselves, dying of depression, or even dying of starvation and cold, lying dead in the wilderness. Most of their lives were extremely tragic.
Therefore, Xiao Qing was extremely satisfied and happy at this moment. Moreover, her husband, her heaven, her earth, Zhou Fugui, treated her as a wife, not as a lowly concubine, and treated her better and better. He could barely bear to scold her on a daily basis.
Since this was the case, what else could Xiao Qing be dissatisfied or unhappy about?
A kind-hearted person? Huang Daimei scoffed at the mention of this.
Kind-hearted? When he was in Houqiu County, he had ordered the slaughter of hundreds of people. Was such a person kind-hearted? He was clearly a ruthless villain! Huang Daimei thought to herself with disdain. Even if, as Sister Qing said, he treated his concubines well, it only showed that he was a lecher...
"Dong... dong... dong..."
"I said, you two, stop making trouble, alright? Go, go away..."
When Xiao Qing and Huang Daimei reached the entrance of a courtyard, earth-shattering noises were heard from within.
"Sister Qing, I'm leaving..." Huang Daimei said to Xiao Qing in a panic, as the loud shouting from within was none other than Zhou Fugui's voice.
"Sister Daimei, don't you know that Brother Fugui invited you here?" Xiao Qing said with a smile, pulling Huang Daimei into the courtyard.
Huang Daimei could have broken free from Xiao Qing and fled, but she was very curious about what kind of mischief Zhou Fugui was up to in the courtyard. Thus, she was half-pulled and half-pushed into the courtyard by Xiao Qing.
In the former residence of Murong Hong, the King of Donghai, which was now the residence of the Grand Governor of Donghai, there was a large hot spring, or rather, a pond. The pond, which covered ten mu, was used by Murong Hong for raising fish, appreciating flowers, boating, and playing. In the hot summer, Murong Hong would even undress with his many concubines and maids to play in the water, enjoying themselves to the fullest.
Rows of willows and clumps of flowers were planted along the banks of the pond. The willows swayed gently, the flowers danced, and the clear water rippled. The pebbles at the bottom of the pond were clearly visible. The lotus flowers in the pond stood gracefully, in various colors. In the center of the pond, there was a lake island, with a plum blossom pavilion on it, its reflection in the water, creating a very beautiful scene.
Zhou Fugui, with his upper body bare and wearing only a short loincloth, his bare feet covered in mud, was wielding a shovel and digging with sweat pouring down his face. Liu Xia and Fei Yun, one holding a tea set and the other a large fan, were attending to him, watching Zhou Fugui and giggling.
Liu Xia and Fei Yun were both wearing floral coarse cloth dresses and headscarves, looking like two village girls...
"Ah? You scoundrel, why are you so shameless?" Huang Daimei exclaimed in shame upon seeing this, covering her face with her sleeve and scolding him.
"Haha, Miss Huang is here?" Zhou Fugui stuck the shovel into the muddy ground by the bank and said to Huang Daimei with a smile, "Facing the yellow earth and turning your back to the sky, do you know how farmers work the land, Miss?"
"How... how... do they work the land...?" Huang Daimei asked, blushing and stammering.
"It's all like this..." Zhou Fugui replied, "Those who live in luxury do not know the hardships of poverty. The clothes of farmers are very precious. They rarely get new clothes throughout the year. When working in the fields, for the sake of so-called shame, should they let their clothes get soiled? If their clothes are soiled, what will they wear? Therefore, Miss Huang, not to mention like me, if they were to cultivate barren land in the wilderness, if there were no one around, they would even cultivate naked."
"Pah, are you lacking a few pieces of clothing?" Huang Daimei said, blushing and spitting at him.
"I don't lack clothes now..." Zhou Fugui nodded, "But Zhou is from Yan Yun and grew up on the frontier. Although I hold a high position now, how can I forget my origins? How can I not be frugal and seek extravagance?"
In broad daylight, he could spout such reasoning while exposing his bare skin in front of women. Huang Daimei was both amused and exasperated...
"Alright, General..." Xiao Qing draped a long robe over Zhou Fugui's shoulders and said with a smile, "She's a lady from a respectable family. You're being too much...?"
"Too much what?" Zhou Fugui said with a smile after tightening the robe.
Too shameless! The four of them thought in unison.
If Zhou Fugui hadn't given them a heads-up beforehand, Fei Yun might have erupted on the spot.
"What exactly are you digging?" Huang Daimei asked curiously, looking at Zhou Fugui, then at the pond, and then at Xiao Qing and the other two women.
"A swimming pool..." Zhou Fugui replied.
The pond could be used for swimming, but it did not meet Zhou Fugui's idea of a swimming pool, so he decided to make some modifications.
"Swimming pool? What is that?" Huang Daimei asked in surprise.
"A place for playing in the water..." Seeing Huang Daimei's disdainful look, Zhou Fugui said, "Miss Huang probably thinks that Zhou wants to emulate Murong Hong and play in this pond with his concubines, right?"
"Otherwise?" Huang Daimei asked, glancing at Liu Xia and Fei Yun again.
Interested in foreign women? Huang Daimei thought disdainfully.
"Humph!" Fei Yun snorted coldly.
She's just a daughter of a wealthy family in Donghai Commandery, yet she's so disrespectful to the General? And she even has a bit of the demeanor of a hostess? And she looks down on us sisters? Fei Yun thought indignantly.
"Doesn't Miss Huang know about training the navy?" Zhou Fugui gestured to Xiao Qing, Liu Xia, and the other two women to leave, and then asked.
"Put on your clothes first, and don't expose an inch of your skin in front of me," Huang Daimei said to Zhou Fugui.
"Are the neck and arms also not allowed to be exposed?" Zhou Fugui asked with a smile, "Wouldn't that make me a shrinking turtle?"
"Zhou Fugui, if you continue to be so frivolous, I'm leaving," Huang Daimei said angrily.
Han women and barbarian women were different. Even though Huang Daimei had traveled extensively with her father since childhood, and even though she was a woman of the martial world, deep down, Huang Daimei was still a Han woman who believed in propriety: do not look at what is improper, do not listen to what is improper, do not speak what is improper, do not act what is improper, and men and women should not touch each other.
Being able to converse with Zhou Fugui like this was already the limit for Huang Daimei, so there could not be any more inappropriate behavior.
"Oh, Miss Huang, please forgive me..." Seeing Huang Daimei's shy anger, Zhou Fugui awkwardly tidied his clothes, then smiled and said, "Zhou has been in Yan Yun and the frontier for too long, so I was a bit rude. Miss Huang, please do not blame me, please sit."
The reality was indeed as Zhou Fugui said. Having stayed in the north for too long and mingling with barbarians all day, he had indeed paid less attention to Han etiquette, especially towards women.
The children of the grasslands dared to love and hate. Some physical contact was quite normal, let alone exposing bare skin.
Of course, complete exposure without shame would also invite a saber...
The so-called sitting in this era was kneeling on the ground. Of course, there were also barbarian chairs, but barbarian chairs were not common in the Central Plains.
Zhou Fugui and Huang Daimei both knelt on a bamboo mat by the pond. Zhou Fugui said to Huang Daimei, "I have invited you here today to discuss an important matter."
"What important matter? Training the navy in this Carefree Pond?" Huang Daimei asked, and then couldn't help but laugh.
"To train the navy, one must first learn to swim. As the commander of an army, how can I not lead by example? Therefore, Zhou intends to practice swimming in this pond..." Zhou Fugui said, glaring at Huang Daimei.
"Oh dear, Grand Governor..." Huang Daimei couldn't help but laugh, "The sea and this small pond are not the same thing."
"Miss Huang often swims in the sea?" Zhou Fugui asked.
"You're the one swimming in the sea! I'm a respectable lady... How can you say that?" Huang Daimei said shyly.
It was not suitable to swim in rivers, lakes, or the sea while wearing a loose dress.
Huang Daimei felt Zhou Fugui's eyes lingering on her body with a lecherous gaze.