Chapter 38: Methods

A tiny creature, about an inch long, crawled out from the damp soil around Xiao Hua’s roots. It was thin and soft, with no clear head or tail, moving slowly and sluggishly.

Hehe… Liu Liwa grinned. It was getting dark, and the earthworms that lived in the soil, active at night, had emerged. Watching it wriggle and twist, Liu Liwa’s smile grew wider.

According to unscientific folk tales, eating live loaches could cure hepatitis. Now, this earthworm and the loach were both soft-bodied creatures—one lived in muddy water, the other in soil—and their habits were quite similar. Liu Liwa had been worrying about how to “cure” Shen Zuijin’s illness, and this seemed like a heaven-sent remedy!

Liu Liwa chuckled as he picked up the earthworm. It was only as long as his index finger, pale pink all over, and barely thicker than a strand of hair. It was probably a newborn baby earthworm, squirming restlessly in his hand as if frightened.

Liu Liwa whispered soothingly, “Don’t get too excited. I’ve got a great job for you, guaranteed to make you forget all your troubles. Oh, wait—I forgot, you’re hermaphroditic, but experiencing a different species once in a while is good for your growth and development!”

Liu Liwa quietly held the earthworm, feeling it wriggle and crawl around in his palm. The sensation was tingly and itchy, and he believed Shen Zuijin would be very pleased—not only would it help cure her illness, but it would also bring her joy.

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He picked up Shen Zuijin’s underwear and underskirt and hurried into his small room. The young masters and ladies who seemed to be busy washing clothes or fetching water had actually been watching his every move. When they saw him carrying the woman’s undergarments on his head into his room, they all shuddered and began imagining endless wild scenarios about what he was doing inside.

In reality, Liu Liwa was very straightforward. He entered the room, locked the door, and spread out Shen Zuijin’s underpants. Undergarments rarely had obvious stains and didn’t really need washing, but women, especially those in a Pleasure House, liked to keep clean. They often changed their underwear daily, and Shen Zuijin was no exception. The only part that needed cleaning was where the “black stain” had soiled it.

He had seen Sister Feng’s condition before, which was much worse than Shen Zuijin’s, so he wasn’t bothered by it at all. His bathwater was still there, so he simply washed away the “black stain” on the underpants, then sprinkled some of Qin Wan’er’s scented powder over them. Everything was set.

The so-called underwear and underskirt were the inner garments of that era—essentially separate sleepwear. However, these were made of real silk, smooth and delicate against the skin. But silk had its drawbacks—it was prone to snagging. Sometimes even a fingernail could cause threads to pull, just like Shen Zuijin’s underpants. Near the left thigh, a few fine silver threads had pulled loose, shimmering brightly. Nearby, there was also a black “thread,” the two colors complementing each other.

Liu Liwa threw away the black “thread” and carefully examined the two pulled white silk threads. This required delicate work and precise control of strength. The two threads, thin as hairs, had to be tied into a knot to secure the earthworm, while still allowing it to wriggle freely. It also had to ensure that after a certain amount of time, the earthworm could break free. It was almost like making a time bomb.

However, as the saying goes, what’s difficult for some is easy for others. This seemingly complicated task requiring patience and care wasn’t too hard for Liu Liwa. Everyone had seen Furong’s S-dance, and she often had wardrobe malfunctions while performing—either her skirt slipping or the strings on her top breaking. All of this was Liu Liwa’s handiwork. As her Agent, he had to come up with more suitable performance plans and publicity stunts to make her famous. In today’s entertainment world, female stars were busy showing off their cleavage, baring their backs, flaunting their legs, wearing lace, and having see-through outfits or mishaps. If Furong also went for low necklines and exposed backs, she would have no advantage. The only benefit would be attracting diet pill companies to ask her to shoot ads.

However, if everyone else was revealing skin and you weren’t, you’d be too unconventional. So, Liu Liwa decided to design a series of “accidents”—either a bra dropping or a strap breaking. All of this stemmed from his nimble fingers. Especially when it came to straps, the knots he tied were unique—designed based on body mechanics. They started tight, then loosened gradually, eventually causing the strap to break or fall off. This was the culmination of Liu Liwa’s cleverness and wisdom, his patented technique.

The earthworm in his hand wriggled and squirmed, much like Furong’s S-dance, and in fact, even more graceful than Furong’s. Liu Liwa carefully tied the two silk threads into a knot, securing the earthworm inside. He tested several different tension levels and finally chose one that would allow the earthworm to break free in about five minutes. By nature, these creatures sought out dark, damp places to inhabit, and these were Shen Zuijin’s underpants—the dark, damp spot would be…

Liu Liwa didn’t leave in a hurry, nor could he hand this set of underwear and underskirt to Shen Zuijin alone, as it would arouse suspicion. He had to wait until all the other clothes were washed and dried to give them to her together. He also needed to make sure she would wear them; otherwise, all his efforts would be in vain.

Just then, a commotion arose outside. He opened the door and saw, wow, more than ten men and women draped in Shen Zuijin’s colorful clothes running around the yard. The sun had lost its warmth, the evening was windless, and the kitchen staff preparing dinner wouldn’t allow them to move around recklessly. The only option was this “human-powered wind” method.

Everyone was putting in a lot of effort, hoping to win Shen Zuijin’s favor. Not only did they wash the clothes clean, but they also worked hard at “drying” them. Some of the young men with good lung capacity even blew on the wet clothes to dry them—quite creative.

They had seen how Liu Liwa pleased Yang Xiaosi and got a private room to live in, so they were working extra hard. If they could please Shen Zuijin, maybe the men would be kept as lovers, and the women… also kept as lovers!

Unfortunately for them, the rules of Intoxication Pavilion were strict—workers in the back were never allowed to go to the front. So, they couldn’t face Shen Zuijin directly. Once the clothes were dry, they could only try to curry favor with Liu Liwa. Without material gifts, they resorted to flattery, which made him quite pleased. Earlier, he had taken Sister Yanhong’s bribe, and now with others buttering him up, he started to feel like he held a high position—at least a deputy section chief.

With everyone working together, the clothes dried quite quickly. Liu Liwa sneaked some more of Qin Wan’er’s scented powder and sprinkled it on every garment, making sure Shen Zuijin wouldn’t notice anything amiss. To everyone else, the scented powder was just another way Liu Liwa was trying to please Shen Zuijin. One young lady, eager for a better life, shed her modesty and rubbed against Liu Liwa, making him feel weak and tingly. Her condition was that he sprinkle more scented powder on the clothes she had washed, so Shen Zuijin would remember her more favorably.

This story tells us that to get by in life, besides working hard and being diligent, you also need a spirit of sacrifice!