He did not notice the changes in her expression and simply continued his speech . “This Luo Hanjin… Wasn"t he found guilty of committing depraved acts on children a few years ago? This piece of news got entirely blown up, and many children at the welfare center were discovered to have received varying degrees of s.e.xual a.s.saults – simply outrageous . That welfare center was registered under an individual . While the place operated under the pretext of a "welfare center" back then, unbeknown to the public, the people working there were selling innocent and young children to rich people as playthings . In other words, they were rearing thin horses . ”

“What do you mean?”

Regaining her senses, she failed to grasp the meaning of his words .

"Rearing thin horses"? What does that mean?

The man had a look of surprise on his face . “Don"t you know the meaning of "rearing thin horses"?”

“I"m not sure . Something to do with thin horses, perhaps?”

“It has nothing to do with horses at all! You"re not unsure of its definition – you"re simply clueless about it . Ha ha . What an innocent child!” A corner of his lips rose, which quickly blossomed into a grin . “The thin horses of Yangzhou – have you heard of them?”

She turned her head left and right cluelessly .

He, thus, explained it to her . “Currently, in the entertainment industry, there are many popular groups . Don"t be deceived by their dazzling appearances, for they actually have investors backing them . For example, the in-demand members of the group SWEETGIRLS are, in fact, a bunch of "thin horses" that the record company is grooming . Many rich men like to play with girls that are "growing up"– it"s a current trend in the high society . ”

“What exactly does "rearing thin horses" mean, then?” She was befuddled by his explanation .

“This has to be explained from the start . In the past, within the water towns of Jiangnan, there were many young girls who have received special training to serve rich men as their mistresses . These girls have pretty features and thin physiques – hence the name "thin horses" . During the Ming and Qing dynasties, "rearing thin horses" became such a profitable investment a majority of people engaged in the activity . ”

He paused to look at her before he went on with his explanation . “Similar to choosing products, those people in that business carefully selected poor and young girls from all over the country . Those with better physical appearances were trained to have many talents . They were adept at the Four Books and Five Cla.s.sics, lute-playing, chess, calligraphy, and painting . Eventually, they were sold off to the rich as mistresses for a high price . However, not all "thin horses" were that lucky . Those who did not get selected were sent to brothels . Those songstresses found along the Qinhuai River were originally "thin horses" . ”

She took this story with a pinch of salt as she could hardly believe that such a thing had happened in the past .

Noting her skepticism, he said with a chortle, “That private welfare center used its name to take in orphans and secretly picked out those good-looking ones . Some were sent to the rich with their prices clearly marked . ”

She squeezed her brows . This world apparently had many dark secrets she was unaware of .

She was truly horrified .

During her dark childhood at the welfare center, she had her share of seeing Luo Hanjin"s filth and shamelessness .

Fortunately, Yun Yecheng appeared and took her away from that h.e.l.lish place of misery . She was thus eternally grateful to him!

If it had not been for his timely arrival in her life, she would probably have turned out differently .

In the time she was in a trance, Qin Zhou had brought over his home-cooked porridge . He set up the table attached to her bed and presented the porridge and side dishes to her . He said smilingly, “You must be hungry . Ha ha! Come and have a taste of this specially prepared plain porridge by Sir Qin Zhou for you . I"ll let you be the judge of my cooking skills!”

She shockingly asked, “You made this for me?”

“Who else, then? I realized that you haven"t had your lunch . Since you slept through the entire afternoon, you must be famished now!”

“Thank you!” She pressed her lips together, thankful for his thoughtfulness .