The daytime Fengping City buzzed with hustle and bustle once more, with street vendors already selling summer treats.
The season was just right—the summer sun was bright without being scorching, and in a few more weeks, when the heat truly set in, strolling out like this wouldn't be nearly as pleasant.
Yun Lou bought a cup of bamboo-tube green tea from a cart and took a sip. It tasted good—refreshing and clean, just right for cutting through the heaviness—and she picked up another two cups for Yinyin and Zhong Shi.
Yinyin accepted hers cheerfully, but Zhong Shi kept his hands behind his back and hung his head.
Yun Lou held the green bamboo tube out and waved it in front of him. “Don't want it?”
Zhong Shi shook his head.
Yun Lou was curious. “Why not?”
Zhong Shi said nothing, his fingers behind his back clenching nervously.
Before leaving, his master had told him: don't take anything from the master’s household, even if the master offers it freely, you must refuse, because rich folks are mostly hypocrites and don't really mean to give.
But the mistress had already held it out right in front of him. If he refused, would she get angry? And if she got angry, would she send him back? If he were sent back after just one day on the job, his master would definitely be furious.
Yun Lou looked at the young man before her and saw a bead of sweat roll down his handsome, clean-cut face.
She frowned in confusion. “Are you that hot?”
Zhong Shi’s forehead was beaded with fine sweat.
“You don't like this drink? Then never mind.” Yun Lou withdrew her hand and passed it to Yinyin instead. “Hold onto it, and give it to Zhao Shitou later.”
Zhong Shi pressed his lips together, drooping his head, a little deflated. Then he suddenly heard the mistress ask, laughing, “How do I say ‘I'm very hot’?”
Zhong Shi was blank for a moment, then realized Yun Lou was asking him a question. Slowly, he made a hand gesture.
Yun Lou's eyes lit up, and she asked, “Then how do I say ‘I'm very cold’?”
Zhong Shi made another gesture.
Yun Lou seemed to find these gestures, each carrying a different meaning, quite fascinating, so she kept asking as they strolled. Every object, every word had its own corresponding sign. Zhong Shi walked beside her, his hands moving so fast they nearly blurred.
He thought glumly to himself: was this because he had refused her kindness earlier that she was deliberately messing with him?
Every time he gestured, he felt like every person on the street was staring at him, and his back hunched a little more.
Before he knew it, the mistress turned her head and asked him, “How good are you with the Bian family spear? How do you compare to Bian Yu?”
Zhong Shi was about to answer on reflex, but his fingers stopped mid-motion.
Yun Lou laughed. “Just say it, then.”
Zhong Shi hesitated, then slowly gestured: I've only learned three-tenths of my master's skill. Constable Bian is far more skilled than me.
When he finished, he was surprised to find that the mistress had actually understood his answer.
Yun Lou nodded approvingly. “Three-tenths is still impressive. Let me see a couple of moves next time.”
Since she couldn't watch Bian An wield his spear, she might as well see his disciple's skill.
For some reason, realizing the mistress had understood his gestures made Zhong Shi feel a little happy inside.
They wandered through a few more streets before arriving at the jewelry shop that Yun Lou had most wanted to visit. Silver bells hung under the shop sign, with a string of jade beads dangling below, glittering brilliantly in the sunlight, chiming melodiously whenever the wind blew.
Yun Lou was captivated at once.
She had loved things that sparkled since she was a child. Back when she couldn't afford gold or silver jewelry, she would go to the riverbank to pick up pretty, shiny stones.
Back among the Xiren, she'd had a box dedicated to stashing stones—worthless pebbles and priceless gems mixed together, packed full to the brim, buried in the mountains outside the city along with her personal savings.
Too bad she'd had to leave in such a hurry and hadn't been able to dig it up.
The shopkeeper saw her fine clothes, with a maidservant and pageboy behind her, and immediately pegged her as a big-spending customer. He hurried over with a grin. “What might madam like to see? We just got new stock yesterday—the latest styles from the capital. Would madam care to have a look?”
The whole empire looked to the capital for fashion, that dragon-land of prosperity everyone admired, but Yun Lou wasn't interested.
She declined the shopkeeper's recommendations and browsed the shop herself.
She picked out several gold hairpins and earrings, all crafted by unnamed artisans, watching which made the shopkeeper quite disappointed.
Thought he'd landed a big customer, and all she'd chosen was the stuff that didn't command high prices.
He was muttering privately when he heard Yun Lou ask, “How much for these beads?”
The shopkeeper followed her gaze to a tray of jade pieces on the lowest shelf of the cabinet. They weren't exactly jade—more like leftover scraps from making jewelry, polished into round shapes by his idle craftsmen and left there just to take up space.
This was the kind of thing too shabby even for a gift, but she actually wanted to buy it? What a mark.
The shopkeeper's face instantly bloomed into a flower-like smile. “Madam has a fine eye! These pieces are rich in color, intricately polished, sourced from all the great jade-producing regions. Just this one tray alone—in the hands of a skilled silversmith—could make at least ten pieces of jewelry!”
He chuckled and held up a hand. “If madam truly wants them, this tray goes for just five taels of silver. Consider it my way of building a good bond with madam.”
Yun Lou carried the tray over to the counter, picked up one lake-blue stone, and held it up to the slanted sunlight. It had a small flaw or two, but the light passing through it was dazzling, and the beauty easily outweighed the imperfections—far more translucent than the stones she used to pick by the river.
She said, “Wrap it up for me, then.”
The shopkeeper could barely hide his delight. “Right away! I'll wrap this up for madam at once. And these pieces too—I'll wrap them all and throw in a discount. Do come back and visit my humble shop often!”
Yun Lou was digging out her money pouch when a crisp voice rang out from behind the cabinet. “Hold on!”
Everyone turned to see Cui Lingyi, dressed in an apricot-yellow cross-collared jacket and skirt, storming out with an air of menace. Her sapphire-set sword still hung at her waist, and a white magnolia hairpin sat askew in her dark hair. She was as bright as an apricot blossom, too lovely for words.
Yun Lou's eyes lit up, watching her stride right up to the counter. Cui Lingyi first shot Yun Lou a fierce glare, then aimed a withering glance at the shopkeeper whose smile had frozen, slamming her hand onto the counter, making the jade pieces jump.
“You thieving, black-hearted scoundrel of a shopkeeper! This pile of rubbish no one would even take for free—and you dare charge five taels?! This street is full of honest tradesmen—since when did a den of swindlers pop up here? Say one more word and I'll call my father right now to shut down your shop!”
“My little mistress!” The shopkeeper nearly fell to his knees. “I beg you—Miss Cui, I was wrong! I was momentarily blinded by greed. Please just spare me this once—”
And with that, he quickly scooped up the jade pieces and the jewelry in a bag and shoved it at Yun Lou. “Take it, madam, all of it—a gift, to make up for my offense.”
Yun Lou looked at the shopkeeper, then at Cui Lingyi.
Looking so long that fury rose in Cui Lingyi, who snatched the bag from the shopkeeper's hands and shoved it into Yun Lou's. “Just take it!”
Yun Lou accepted the bag, beaming. “Thank you, Miss Cui.”
Cui Lingyi kept her face stern, her voice stiff. “Next time you buy something, be more careful with your eyes. At this rate, heaven knows how many swindlers will fleece you!”
Yun Lou: “Mm-hm, mm-hm.”
Cui Lingyi: “???”
Why was she doing the whole ‘mm-hm’ thing again?!
Cui Lingyi still shuddered at the memory of her last "punishment." First, Pei Xu had given her a stern lecture, then her father had scolded her mercilessly when she got home, and she'd been confined to her quarters for a whole month. Just hearing that word now made her tremble.
Pei Xu was already married. No matter how much she bristled at the fact, she had no choice but to accept it. When she'd seen Yun Lou walk in earlier, she'd immediately ducked behind the curio shelf. She truly didn't want to run into Yun Lou.
But watching the woman get swindled by that shady shopkeeper, Cui Lingyi simply couldn't stand by. She charged out to set things right.
Yun Lou noticed she seemed genuinely angry and spoke in a soft, gentle voice: "Miss Cui, are you out shopping too?"
Cui Lingyi rolled her eyes. "No kidding!"
Yun Lou wasn't fazed. She remained all smiles. "Is there any jewelry Miss Cui fancies? I'd be happy to buy it for you."
It was hard to stay angry at someone who refused to lose their smile. Yun Lou's gentle, demure manner actually made Cui Lingyi feel a bit awkward. She muttered, "I can afford my own things. Who asked you to buy them for me?"
"I'll pay! I'll pay! I'll pay! The shop offended the young lady today, so it's only right that I make amends!" the shopkeeper cut in quickly, wrapping up the trinkets Cui Lingyi had picked out earlier. He wiped his sweat and forced a smile. "Miss, madam, please do come again!"
Cui Lingyi gave a disdainful snort and turned on her heel to leave.
Yun Lou watched her retreating figure — slender as a willow waist — and waved a hand. "See you next time, Miss Cui!"
Cui Lingyi: "..."
She quickened her pace and broke into a little run.
Yinyin, who had spent the whole time on edge worrying that Cui Lingyi might suddenly draw a sword, finally breathed a sigh of relief. She patted her own chest and said with lingering fear, "Madam, Miss Cui really is fierce. I thought she was going to cause trouble for you, but actually, she turned out to be kind of nice."
Yun Lou smiled. "Come on, let's go."
They next waited in line at the pastry shop on the east side of town to buy some crisply fried chestnut cakes. Yun Lou glanced at the sun and saw it was nearly noon, so she decided to head to Xuanji Hall to fetch Pei Xu after his shift.
She'd been in Laifeng City for this long, and marriage was already done, yet aside from a fleeting glimpse last night, she'd never actually gone to Xuanji Hall to take a proper look.
Yinyin led her to the hall. From a distance, they could see a crowd gathered out front, loud voices raised in argument.
Someone making trouble?
Zhong Shi frowned and moved to intervene, but Yun Lou stopped him. "Hold on. Let's watch first."
The three of them avoided the main entrance and slipped into a side alley instead.
Though they had no idea why their madam wanted to spy, both Zhong Shi and Yinyin followed along.
In front of the medical hall sat a young man in coarse clothes, with shifty triangular eyes and a mouth full of yellow teeth. He had "good-for-nothing thug" written all over him. He was shouting at the top of his lungs: "Xuanji Hall crows about saving the world every day, yet you won't even treat my mother's little ailment! It's all fake virtue, all lies!"
From the doorway came Le'an's sputtering, furious voice: "Liu Laizi! Say that again if you dare! Your mother's been sick for half a year, and in that time, how many times have you come to Xuanji Hall to mooch medicine? Have you ever paid a single copper? Dr. Chen has gone to your house three times to see her — did he ever ask for a single fee? It's your own gambling that keeps making your mother sick, and now you want to blame us?"
Liu Laizi had clearly come prepared to be shameless: "You lot take care of the refugees at the City God Temple, so why won't you take care of my mother? Master Pei, don't hide in there. You're a learned man, aren't you? Come out and judge. Just tell me one thing: will your hall treat my mother's illness or not?"
The gathered crowd was shocked by the man's nerve. Some spoke up in outrage, heaping curses on him; others, sitting comfortably on the sidelines, suggested the hall just hand over a dose of medicine to be done with it.
Le'an rolled up his sleeves, ready to slap Liu Laizi, when Pei Xu's calm voice drifted out from inside the hall: "Le'an, have Dr. Chen prepare some medicine for Madam Luo."
"Steward!" Le'an was nearly bursting with frustration. "Why even bother with this kind of ingrate? All he'll do is take an inch and ask for a mile. Give him once, and he'll be back again!"
Pei Xu said something else inside that couldn't be heard, and Le'an shot Liu Laizi a venomous glare before stomping inside. A moment later, he came back out and hurled a wrapped packet of medicine right at the man's face. "Get lost!"
Liu Laizi scrambled up from the ground, grinning, and dusted off his clothes. "Thank you kindly, Master Pei!"
Ignoring the jeers around him, he swaggered off with the medicine, swinging it carelessly.
Yinyin spat at his retreating back. "Shameless scum! He only got away with it because our steward is too kind-hearted! Hey, madam, where are you going?"
Yun Lou crooked a finger behind her, tossing a word over her shoulder: "Follow me."
