I Married a Disabled Prince in Prison

Chapter 65

Yan Shuixin couldn't help but sigh in her heart: Xiao Yeheng, because of you, I, a highly educated medical talent from modern times, have turned into a real bandit.

She emerged from the back alley and proceeded to a dumpling shop diagonally opposite Yihongyuan's main entrance on Willow Street.

It could be because this street is full of brothels, hence there are many shops where young women can afford to spend money.

There are many stalls selling candied haws, rouge, gouache, and snacks.

Although brothels are not open during the day, the stalls require monthly rent, so all the vendors still operate their stalls.

There is an endless stream of pedestrians coming and going on the road.

Yan Shuixin chose a seat at the table and chair set up next to the dumpling stall and ordered a bowl of pork dumplings.

The vendor was a young man in his twenties, with average appearance and dark skin. He glanced at the patches on Yan Shuixin's body and reminded her loudly, "Girl, it's twenty cents for a bowl."

Yan Shuixin smiled, "Brother, do you think I'm someone who can't afford food?"

The young vendor smiled apologetically, "I worry too much. Businessmen can't live without customers. I am a small business owner, and I have no intention of looking down on others. However, these dumplings are usually only ten cents per bowl. Normally, vegetables and grains are sent to the capital, and most of them are shipped from Yuecheng in Dingzhou. Yesterday, the county magistrate ordered the east gate to be closed to catch the gangsters, so the grains and supplies shipped from Dingzhou could not enter the city. Other things are not urgent, so the price has not been increased yet, but food is the first to bear the brunt. I went shopping today and found that flour and pork has increased in price, as a result, the price of the dumplings I make had to rise accordingly."

Yan Shuixin just bought some medicine previously, but nothing else. She didn't expect that food prices would rise so fast. "In this case, those of us with ordinary backgrounds and surnames will only suffer more. Just bring me the dumplings. I'll eat a bowl given that you've patiently explained  the matter to me."

"Alright!" Said the young vendor as he cooked dumplings from the pot. "Customers from Yihong Courtyard across the street are coming like clouds. Madam Qin Xiu, the old madam, makes money quickly. I heard that yesterday, the top lady in the brothel received a customer for the first time, which earned three hundred taels of silver. With so many girls helping her make money, as well as money for drinks, the madam's daily income shouldn't be less than seven or eight hundred taels of silver in one day."

Yan Shuixin didn't mention the income of Yihong Courtyard should have been doubled this time. She saw the money in Qin Xiu's drawer with her own eyes. Suddenly she felt that this society was very real, and it didn't feel like she was walking through a book at all. It was like she had arrived in another unknown dynasty in history. In the novels that she had read before, It was not uncommon for brothel singers to earn a thousand or ten thousand taels of gold or whatever in a single night.

According to this young man, Yihong Courtyard is already the largest, best, and most expensive brothel in several neighboring cities. On the first night, when three hundred taels of silver bought the first-class lady, the price was almost astronomical.

She wants to inquire more about prices, wages, and other expenses in order to better integrate into ancient society. "Brother, how much do you earn in a month by setting up a stall?"

"I'm lucky and have some connections. I own a good stall and can make a net profit of five or six taels a month. Occasionally, the girls from Yihong Courtyard will give a few rewards, and I can make about nine to ten taels a month." He said with a bit of pride on his face, "Other vendors can only make two taels a month."