The afternoon was sweltering, and there were few people out wandering the town or browsing the shops. By the time Song Fengsui entered the cloth shop, there was hardly any business.
Madam Xu was tallying the accounts at the counter. Hearing footsteps, she looked up and immediately spotted Song Fengsui. The young man who had accompanied him before was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he was accompanied by a tall, broad-shouldered man holding up a large umbrella and patiently sharing it with him.
From a distance, Madam Xu had assumed the man was Song Fengsui’s servant. But once he drew closer, his face seemed familiar. Only then did she realize that he was Duan Yan, the owner of the town’s ironworks—and Wang Quan’s employer.
Madam Xu hurried around the counter and quickly instructed an attendant to prepare tea for the two guests before smiling warmly and going to greet them.
“It’s been some days since we last saw Young Doctor Song. I’ve been wanting to ask you to come by for a chat, but never managed to find the right opportunity. I’ve been stretching my neck and peering out from the shop all day, and at last, today I’ve finally waited for you.”
Song Fengsui smiled. “Madam, there’s no need to worry. I’ve simply been too busy running around treating people and collecting supplies.”
“Listen to you, Young Doctor Song,” Madam Xu said with a mild reproach. “It’s only a few lengths of thread and some scraps of cloth. Even if I gave them to you, what harm would there be? I was only afraid you might look down on them.”
She opened her mouth, clearly wanting to tell Song Fengsui something private, but with Duan Yan standing beside him, she found it difficult to speak.
Seeing this, Song Fengsui took the initiative. He suggested that he accompany Madam Xu inside to look at some fine fabrics, while Duan Yan stayed outside to drink tea and wait for him.
Once they entered the inner room, Madam Xu could no longer hold herself back. She grasped Song Fengsui’s hand.
“Doctor Song, your diagnosis truly was miraculous! My husband and I have been married for so many years without a child, and it really was his condition that was the problem!”
After Madam Xu had gained a new understanding of the situation that day, she had gone home and, once the doors and windows were closed that night, tactfully broached the subject with her husband.
At first, her husband—who was ordinarily a mild-tempered man—had become furious upon hearing her words. He accused her of consulting quack doctors outside and believing anything they told her. She had pleaded with him bitterly, crying and speaking sorrowfully of how, if they did not find another way, his mother would surely use their childlessness as an excuse to cast her out. She had even begun looking into another woman for him.
Madam Xu’s husband was deeply attached to her. The two of them had grown up together on the same street. How could they possibly bear to part?
After struggling and wavering for some time, Madam Xu’s husband finally gritted his teeth and agreed to see a doctor.
“We secretly found a doctor in town whom we knew to be discreet. He tactfully told us that there was indeed something wrong with my husband’s health, but he still refused to accept it. He was afraid that, in a small place like ours, the doctors’ skills might be limited and the diagnosis might not be reliable. So the two of us made a special trip to the county seat as well.”
“After that, everything was confirmed beyond doubt. Fortunately, we discovered it in time. The doctor said that we aren’t particularly old yet, and that after treatment and a period of proper recuperation, we should still be able to have children. If we had waited any longer, his condition might have become untreatable. With more years behind us, having a child would have been much more difficult.”
When they returned, they brought back a large quantity of medicine. Old Madam Xu was displeased when she saw it. After years of taking tonics and medicinal herbs without producing a child, she believed that no amount of treatment would help and became even more hostile toward Madam Xu.
Madam Xu had never intended to announce her husband’s private ailment to everyone. Unfortunately, one day, after he had taken his medicine, his mother happened to see him. She immediately caused a commotion, assuming that Madam Xu had become brazen enough to force her husband to take some concoction of her own.
After such a scene, the matter could no longer be concealed, and the entire family learned the truth.
Old Madam Xu could not accept it. She wept day and night for two or three days before finally coming to terms with what had happened. Later, she sought out Madam Xu and apologized profusely to her daughter-in-law. To reassure her, she swore that she would never again suggest bringing another woman into the family. She even took out a box of valuable personal possessions and gave it to Madam Xu as compensation, along with a key to the shop’s accounts room.
Madam Xu’s life was now smoother than she could have imagined.
Listening to her recount her family affairs, Song Fengsui understood that she was sharing all this because she was truly grateful to him. He was happy for her as well.
“No matter what hidden ailment or stubborn condition it may be, one must never avoid seeking treatment. The earlier it’s examined, the earlier it can be treated.”
“Yes, yes.”
Madam Xu was so delighted that she could hardly keep her hands still.
Once she had calmed down a little, Song Fengsui finally explained the purpose of his visit.
He took out the embroidery he had carefully wrapped. “This handkerchief took quite a lot of time to embroider. Just look at it—it’s been several days from start to finish.
“But the work is extremely labor-intensive, and the lady is very particular. Every time she begins, she has to wash her hands first. In weather this hot, her hands start to sweat not long after she picks up the needle. She’s afraid the sweat will stain the embroidery, so she has to wash her hands again. It goes on like that over and over, which is why it took so long.”
“A lady with such patience and cleanliness is truly rare,” Madam Xu remarked.
As she spoke, she opened the bundle. Thinking of how Song Fengsui had treated her, she had already decided that, as long as the embroidery was passable, she would accept it and provide the materials as requested.
If she taught the embroiderer to make small items such as handkerchiefs, then even if the workmanship was somewhat lacking, she could simply sell them at a lower price. There would always be poor girls and young men from modest families willing to buy them. It would not cause her much trouble.
But when the unassuming gray hemp bundle was unfolded and the handkerchief inside was revealed, Madam Xu’s gaze was instantly drawn to the palm-sized summer lotus embroidered in one corner.
The stitches were fine and dense. The lotus, heavy with morning dew and still in bud, looked almost real—so lifelike that it seemed to transport the viewer into the scene itself.
Even when Madam Xu and her husband traveled to the prefectural city to purchase stock, they had to visit one of the most renowned cloth shops before they could see goods of such quality.
Clearly, Madam Xu had not expected the embroidery to be this exquisite. She carefully picked up the handkerchief and said to Song Fengsui, “How is it that there’s an embroiderer with such remarkable skill in our area? Why have I never heard of her before?”
Song Fengsui gave a soft laugh without answering. Instead, he said, “Madam Xu hasn’t seen the best part yet.”
With that, he gestured for her to turn the handkerchief over.
“Oh!”
Confused, Madam Xu did as he instructed. The moment she saw the reverse side, she cried out in astonishment.
“This—is this double-sided embroidery?”
The side she had just admired bore a lotus. Ordinarily, even when an embroiderer had excellent needlework, the back of the design would merely be kept neat, with no tangled or disorderly stitches. But this handkerchief had a lotus on one side and autumn chrysanthemums on the other, both embroidered with equal brilliance. There was no true front or back at all.
Her husband often traveled to purchase goods. On the farthest trip he had ever made, he had once seen a piece of double-sided embroidery at an estate in the prefectural city. He had returned home and described how vivid, exquisite, and ingenious it was. Even after all these years, he still mentioned it from time to time.
Madam Xu had long dreamed of seeing such work with her own eyes, but had never had the opportunity. Who could have imagined that today she would not only see it, but hold it in her own hands?
The more she examined it, the more she adored it. The admiration in her eyes could no longer be restrained.
“It’s truly magnificent. Truly magnificent!”
Song Fengsui wore a calm, composed smile. His mother had been born in the prosperous, wealthy Jiangnan region, where beautiful clothes and exquisite silks were everywhere. Even there, her needlework had ranked among the finest. How could her embroidery possibly be anything but excellent?
Yet a sudden realization came to him: wealth and glory might one day fade away, but a genuine skill would remain solid and true. It would not disappear simply because prosperity had.
That was why, no matter whether one was rich or poor, one should cultivate oneself and diligently learn one or two practical skills. If wealth fell away, one would still have the means to make a living instead of being left utterly helpless. And if poverty turned into wealth, one still needed real skills to hold on to that fortune and go farther in life.
“If this embroidery were put in my shop, who knows how many wealthy families would fight to buy it! No, this is truly a treasure. I must keep this handkerchief for myself.”
Madam Xu carefully caressed the handkerchief. Women and those born male but raised as women had an instinctive fondness for such things, and that was precisely what made them so charming.
“I must pay the embroiderer. Yes, that’s right! Double-sided embroidery is so rare and precious. Since this was merely a sample she brought, I can’t just keep it for nothing!”
Seeing Madam Xu so delighted that she seemed to have lost all sense of direction, Song Fengsui caught hold of her.
“She said she wanted to thank Shopkeeper Xu for giving her a chance. Without it, she truly would have had no way out in her current desperate circumstances. If you like this handkerchief, Madam Xu, she would be happy to give it to you as a meeting gift. In the future, the two of you can work together honestly and fairly.”
“T-That wouldn’t be right. Young Doctor Song must have seen plenty of the world and should know that double-sided embroidery is extremely expensive. Even a handkerchief like this would fetch at least ten taels of silver outside!”
Madam Xu continued, “As Doctor Song said, this lady is down on her luck and must be short of money. Otherwise, she likely would not have sold such exquisite embroidery. I certainly shouldn’t accept it for nothing.”
“The shopkeeper is kindhearted, and the lady has her own principles. Since she has already made her intentions clear, you needn’t refuse any longer,” Song Fengsui said. “When she brings more embroidery next time, she may have some additional requests. Whether you agree will be up to you then.”
“Doctor Song, feel free to name them.”
“Double-sided embroidery is difficult to make and cannot be rushed. The amount delivered each time will therefore be very small. Also, the lady must not reveal to outsiders that the double-sided embroidery is the work of an embroiderer from our area. It would be best to say that she obtained it through connections elsewhere.”
Madam Xu listened carefully, then nodded repeatedly. “The requirements you’ve mentioned, Doctor Song, don’t seem to benefit that lady so much as they benefit my shop. To put it bluntly, if I announced this, it wouldn’t only be the cloth merchants in our town fighting to hire her. Even people from the county might come. Besides, rare things are valuable. Everyone understands that limited quantities make goods more precious.”
Song Fengsui nodded. “Fortunately, that lady doesn’t want to attract attention either. This way, both sides get what they want.”
After hearing this, Madam Xu tactfully refrained from asking about the embroiderer’s identity and instead discussed the important matter: the price she would pay for the goods.
For each handkerchief, the shop would provide the finest cloth and silk thread, while the lady could choose whatever design she wished to embroider. Once the finished piece was delivered, Madam Xu would additionally pay her eight strings of cash as compensation.
Afraid Song Fengsui might refuse, Madam Xu added, “I’ve only ever run a small business and have never sold an expensive item like double-sided embroidery. For now, I’ll buy the goods at this price. If they sell well, we can raise the price later. What do you think, Doctor Song?”
Song Fengsui had some idea of the going rate. The price was not especially high, but neither was it unfairly low. The work might be excellent, but in a small place, it was not certain that people would be willing to spend so much. Since Madam Xu was running a business, it was only reasonable for her to be cautious.
“Very well.”
Duan Yan had watched the people enter the back room, but after a long while, they still had not come out. He had already finished two cups of tea. If he had owned a watch, he would probably have checked it a dozen times by now.
He was afraid of disturbing Song Fengsui while he negotiated with Madam Xu, and besides, Song Fengsui was still angry with him, so he did not dare urge him. But when no one appeared for so long, Duan Yan began to worry that something might have happened. In the end, he could no longer sit still. He rose and called over a shop assistant, intending to have him go inside and ask, only for the two men to emerge just then, laughing together.
Seeing this, Duan Yan sat back down patiently and continued drinking his tea.
Madam Xu gathered all the materials for Song Fengsui and wrapped them up, reminding him that if anything was missing, he could come and ask for it. The shop could also have a worker deliver the materials to them.
Once everything was settled, Duan Yan went forward and took the bundle into his own hands.
Madam Xu secretly looked the two men over, a smile tugging at her lips, and cheerfully saw them out.
“Were you waiting long?” Song Fengsui asked Duan Yan after they left the shop.
Seeing that Song Fengsui was finally willing to speak to him again, Duan Yan quickly replied, “No. You’d been inside for so long that I was worried something had happened.”
Song Fengsui gave a soft snort. “You’re always assuming something’s happened to me.”
“When have I ever wanted something to happen to you?”
The concern had come from his subconscious. Everything that had happened in the book made him unable to stop worrying and remain cautious.
“How did it go with Madam Xu?”
“Quite well. Once my mother sells the embroidery in a few days, she should receive a fairly substantial payment. Then I’ll invite you to our home for a meal. That can make up for the meal we owe you from before.”
Hearing that arrangements had already been made, Duan Yan’s brows relaxed slightly, and he agreed readily. “All right!”
Several days later, Duan Yan’s grain shop finally opened with gongs and drums. The brothers at the ironworks even brought out a dragon to perform a lion-dragon dance. Their dancing was hardly graceful, and they nearly smashed several earthenware jars, but it was lively enough. People throughout the city heard the commotion and learned that a new grain shop had opened beside the ironworks at the edge of town.
Duan Yan first transported the grain stored at his three farmsteads to the shop. This emptied the farmstead granaries so that, after the autumn harvest, they could be cleaned out and used to store the new grain once it had been dried.
He neither raised nor lowered his prices deliberately. They were the same as those in the other shops in the city. Nor did he offer any opening-day discounts or come up with any gimmicks. As a result, the business was visibly dreadful.
The other grain merchants in the city secretly watched the spectacle and laughed at him. Duan Yan paid them no mind, but Third Son Qian was even more concerned about the shop’s business than Duan Yan himself. Every few days, he would come over under the pretext of official work, either checking the tax accounts or conducting an inspection.
He had been waiting for Kong Youhua to deal with Duan Yan, and his failure to see it happen left him deeply dissatisfied. Thus, he tried to use tax matters to interfere with Duan Yan’s business.
Unfortunately, the grain shop already had almost no business to begin with. Third Son Qian could find no discrepancy in the tax accounts, and there was hardly any business left to decline. After making several such trips, he grew too lazy to waste any more effort.
Song Fengsui had originally intended to think of some way to help Duan Yan, but he noticed that Duan Yan spent most of his days running around the farmsteads, usually seeking out elderly farmers to speak with. His thoughts clearly were not focused on the grain shop. Song Fengsui more or less guessed that Duan Yan’s true ambitions lay elsewhere and that the shop was probably just a front.
He did not press the matter. He was busy himself, traveling among the various farmsteads to treat the villagers.
Only Old Man Duan went into the city twice. Each time he saw the state of the business, he returned with a long sigh and a worried expression.
Another six or seven days passed. Song Fengsui took two double-sided embroidered handkerchiefs to Madam Xu’s shop and exchanged them for sixteen taels of silver.
In high spirits, he bought meat and vegetables in the city, intending to invite Duan Yan home for dinner.
He went to the shop to look for someone, only to discover that not only was Duan Yan absent, but even such capable men as Lin Er and Tie Er were nowhere to be seen. Wang Quan alone stood there, anxiously glancing toward the road as though waiting for some news.
“What happened? Where has everyone gone?”
Wang Quan said, “Tie Da, Gou San’er, and the others have returned. Unfortunately, Third Son Qian is the one on duty at the checkpoint today. That bastard must have learned that our herb-gathering team would be coming back into town and deliberately went there to make trouble.”
“Someone secretly sent word back. Big Brother took some men over to lend them a hand.”
Song Fengsui hurriedly asked, “How long ago did they leave?”
“Not very long.”
The checkpoint was not far away. Hearing this, Song Fengsui immediately intended to go over and take a look. After walking a few steps, he seemed to remember something and turned back. “Who did he take with him? Did he bring anyone from the constabulary?”
“Only some of our own men.”
Song Fengsui frowned. Turning to Wang Quan, he said, “Do as I tell you and go take care of something…”
At the checkpoint, a considerable crowd had gathered.
Gou San’er had led the herb-gathering team back. Being a quick-witted man, he had sent someone ahead to find out who was recording tariffs and conducting inspections at the gate today. After making inquiries, they learned that Old Third Qian was there.
The goods had been brought back only after great difficulty, and they feared something might go wrong. Gou San’er had first sent someone on horseback to notify Duan Yan and have the people from the shop come to meet them. Only then did he approach slowly from behind.
Gou San’er had indeed guessed correctly. Old Third Qian was up to no good. Other merchant caravans entering the city merely had to register according to procedure and pay their tariffs before being allowed through. Their caravan, however, had been stopped.
“Old Third Qian, what do you mean by this? You’re not inspecting anyone else, yet you’ve singled out our caravan!”
Tie Da immediately lost his temper. Pointing at Old Third Qian, he cursed, “We bought nothing but legitimate medicinal herbs. If you delay the planting, can you afford to compensate us?”
Old Third Qian wore an official uniform, a warrant plaque hanging at his waist, and held a ledger in his hands, putting on an officious show.
“Lately, there have been merchants with sticky fingers sneaking contraband into the city, so inspections have been tightened. Since you claim you’re transporting medicinal herbs, all the more reason for us to search you carefully! What if you’re bringing some kind of poison into the city to carry out some harmful scheme? Who will bear responsibility then?”
With that, he raised a hand. “What are you all standing around for? Search everything thoroughly! If anything is missed, it’ll be said that we failed in our duty!”
As he spoke, the men Old Third Qian had mixed in among the legitimate officers rushed forward, opened the cargo chests, and began digging through and rummaging among the seeds inside.
The men from the Duan household hurriedly tried to protect the goods, but they did not dare come to blows with the officers. Otherwise, the situation would only become more serious, and they would be blamed despite having done nothing wrong.
Old Third Qian, however, still did not feel satisfied. He suddenly tipped over a chest of old medicinal root cuttings, scattering them across the ground. In the confusion, the men stomped down hard, snapping several of the precious roots.
“These old medicinal roots cost us a fortune!”
Tie Er was furious, and even Gou San’er, who was usually the most composed of them all, could no longer contain his anger. Herbalist Ye was even more distressed, carefully gathering up the broken roots.
Just as it looked as though a fight was about to break out, the sound of galloping hooves rang out. Duan Yan arrived with his men.
“What are you all doing?”
Lin Er leapt down from his horse and strode forward, shouting at them.
Old Third Qian turned around. Seeing the imposing group approaching, he frowned. He had not expected Duan Yan to receive the news so quickly. It had only been a short while, yet he was already here.
He slowly removed his foot from the old roots and let out a disdainful snort. “Well, if it isn’t Big Yan. You must be awfully free, to have time to come wandering around here. You’ve arrived at just the right moment. This merchant caravan appears to be yours. I was collecting the tariffs and inspecting the goods according to regulations, but they refused to cooperate. I wonder what you have to say about that.”
“If they truly refused to cooperate, then what do you have to say about these opened cargo chests and the goods scattered across the ground?”
Duan Yan said coldly, “No one can object to officers carrying out their duties according to regulations. But if you’re abusing your authority for personal reasons, then we have something to discuss! Why did you damage their goods while inspecting them?”
“They’re all a bunch of rough-handed men, not delicate young ladies with slender waists and gentle hands. Accidentally snapping a few branches is nothing unusual.”
As he spoke, Old Third Qian reached over and deliberately yanked up another handful of the carefully arranged medicinal roots. Then came a crisp snap.
“See? I barely used any force. In the end, this merchandise is simply—”
Before he could finish, Duan Yan’s foot slammed into him. Old Third Qian nearly went sprawling face-first into the dirt.
Apparently never imagining that Duan Yan would truly dare strike him, he flung down the ledger in his hand and lunged straight at him. “You bastard! You dare use your fists and feet against me? Have you forgotten the taste of the beatings I gave you back then, after all these years?”
Duan Yan raised a hand and caught Old Third Qian’s fist. The two immediately grappled and began trading blows.
Seeing this, the men on both sides rolled up their sleeves, eager to join the fight. But then they heard Duan Yan bark coldly, “No one is to move!”
Gou San’er kept his wits about him and hurriedly called for Lin Er to hold back the Tie brothers.
Duan Yan had never paid much attention to the old grudges between Old Third Qian and his former self. Although Old Third Qian had reported him behind his back and deliberately provoked him several times, Duan Yan had had no time to bother with him so long as nothing serious came of it.
But now the man had mistaken Duan Yan’s restraint for weakness and grown increasingly brazen. Duan Yan could no longer tolerate it.
He seized hold of Old Third Qian and struck only the places that would hurt badly without leaving obvious marks afterward.
The butcher was no pushover, either. He had a certain viciousness in him, but he knew only how to throw his weight around, and his attacks lacked any real technique. Duan Yan easily dodged his blows and instead gained the upper hand.
After unleashing a flurry of savage punches, Old Third Qian realized that he could not do anything to Duan Yan. Despite his tall, heavily built frame, Duan Yan moved as nimbly as a loach and was exceptionally difficult to pin down. Old Third Qian, on the other hand, had taken several punishing blows.
With so many people watching, he could not even cry out.
Old Third Qian began to feel uneasy. The two of them had known each other since childhood and had often grabbed one another by the throat whenever they quarreled, so each knew the other’s methods extremely well. Yet now he found that Duan Yan could easily counter everything he tried, while he himself could not see through Duan Yan at all. The man before him felt strangely unfamiliar.
He stubbornly maintained his dignity and refused to stop, but neither could he overpower Duan Yan. This time, he was truly suffering.
“What kind of ruffians are you? You dare fight at the checkpoint in broad daylight! Stop at once!”
A voice shouted angrily as its owner approached. Everyone turned to look and saw Commissioner Qin arriving with several functionaries. Among them were even some of the patrol soldiers under Duan Yan’s command.
Commissioner Qin came forward and looked at the two men locked together. “Oh, honestly! You two—what sort of conduct is this? Stop fighting, both of you!”
Duan Yan gave a cold snort before finally releasing him. Old Third Qian was panting heavily, dizzy and seeing stars. For a moment, he was actually grateful that Commissioner Qin had arrived. Otherwise, he had no idea how much longer he would have had to endure that grim beating.
“Commissioner Qin.”
The two men respectfully greeted him one after the other.
The Tax Commissioner was furious. Someone had come to report that a disturbance was taking place at the checkpoint, but he had not believed it. He had brought people over to see for himself—and what a spectacle he had found.
Old Third Qian played the victim first. “Commissioner Qin, Duan Yan refused to cooperate with my inspection of the goods and even assaulted an official!”
Duan Yan dusted off his sleeve. “Sir, just look at the ground. If I hadn’t cooperated, how would the goods have ended up scattered everywhere—and broken at that? Old Qian claims I assaulted an official, but then how is it that the official was the one beating me?”
“You were the one who started it!”
“If you hadn’t struck first, why would I have struck back?”
“That’s enough!”
Tax Commissioner Qin’s ears were ringing. “A toll officer and an inspector getting into a fight in front of all these people—what kind of behavior is that?”
He angrily pointed at Old Third Qian. “You’re nothing but a thug!”
Then he turned around and ground his teeth as he scolded Duan Yan. “And you’re a street hoodlum!”
In front of the assembled crowd, the two men endured a thorough dressing-down from the tax commissioner. He declared that he would report the matter to Kong Youhua and let him see just what kind of nonsense these petty officials were getting up to.
It was bad enough that the men in charge had failed to set an example; they had even gotten into a public brawl. Fortunately, only the two leaders had fought, without a whole group of constables joining in. One could call the incident serious, or one could say it wasn’t—depending on how one looked at it.
Tax Commissioner Qin clearly didn’t want the matter to grow any larger. After giving them both an indiscriminate scolding, he ordered each of them to leave and told them not to report to the office to take on any assignments for the time being.
Hiding behind the others, Song Fengsui could no longer hold back a snicker. But when he saw Duan Yan limp over, he immediately straightened up and put on a serious expression again. “Where are you hurt? Is it serious?”
