I cradled a stack of paper money[1] in my hands, completely senseless⊠âŠthere were also ten brilliant gold leaves resting on the table, their veins and arteries delicately carved distinctly into the metal.
I swallowed a mouthful of drool.
Holding back the urge to jump on it all, I took a good look at his face. He had a rather apologetic smile. âI left in a hurry, so I didnât bring enough silver taels, but these should be enough to cover the sum of two taels of gold.â
I blinked a few times, poking at the mass. âThisâŠâ
âPlease tell us whatever is most convenient, young master.â He was a man with a sagely air, the sparkle in his eyes unusually moving. Occasionally, flashes of well-intentioned feeling flashed in his pupils as he gazed upon me.
I felt like an idiot, my thoughts all awhirl.
Two taels of silver.
In a flash, theyâd turned into two taels of gold.
I bit myself, then pinched a corner of my face, twisting the skin.
It hurt⊠âŠ
Then I quickly opened up my sleeves to accept the lot.
âYoung masterâs temperament is both generous and straightforward. Come, have a drink.â His face was wreathed in smiles as he stood up to pour more wine for me. A sweet fragrance rose from inside his sleeves, mixed with the unique odor that all men had, making me feel a little dizzy.
The more I looked, the more I thought this young master was quite handsome.
âThatâs right, itâs been this long but I still donât know young masterâs respected surname?â His magnanimous posture while pouring the wine had the elegant carriage of a young gentleman. It was obvious he had a good grasp of ceremony and propriety.
âShao⊠âŠâ
He stopped to look at me. My eyes did some quick calculations as I waved the cup between my fingers with a smile. âMy surname is ShĂ o, and my given name is Yu[2].â
While in the outside world, one must not only be a ruffian, but act shamelessly when the situation called for it.
If he knew the prices for these pills were so low in the surrounding shops, wouldnât he find me to cause trouble? I lowered my head to take a sip from my wine cup, raising an eye towards him. âAnd how shall I call you, young master?â
He smiled as if reading my thoughts. âThis oneâŠâ He slowly opened his mouth and spat out two words. âNon⊠âŠYu[3].â
Spit-take.
I didnât manage to hold it in, and spewed a majestic stream of alcohol.
â
I called myself ShĂ o Yu, and he called himself Nonyu (fooling around with Yu).
No matter how I listened to it in my head, it still sounded strangeâŠ
He lowered his head to rub off the bits of liquid on his robe, as if he didnât mind a bit. The next time he saw me, his eyes were like limpid pools of water. I shrank back, turning my body as I thought to myself. Was I being too suspicious? No matter how I looked at this, it didnât seem so simple.
He seemed to have seen through my misgivings, and put down the chopsticks he was using to offer me food. A smile flashed on his face. âI wonât hide it from young master. Iâm an imperial physician for the emperor that came here to search for valuable medicianl plants. Unexpectedly, I ran into you⊠âŠyoung master is very young, yet you have so many poisons and wonder pills on your person. Thus, I have a presumptuous request.â
He paused then, as if he found it difficult to speak. I lifted my eyelids to peer at him. I didnât say much, but docilely lowered my head to drink my wind.
It was good alcoholâŠ
Very savory.
Although it wasnât as clear and sweet as the one I brewed for yifu, it had a marvelous strength behind it. I gave it a whiff and smiled until my eyes were crescents, pouring myself another cup.
His expression seemed embarrassed as he stammered and sputtered. âI hope that if you have good pills in the future, you can save them for me.â
âNo problemâŠâ Two words, succinct and pithy.
An expensive fellow like you offered prices that exceeded the highest ones from other stores. Who else would I sell to?
He seemed extremely happy. âYoung Master ShĂ o really leaves a person refreshed and comfortable. To understand me so well makes me want to swear oaths with you as your sworn brother.â
Youâre mental.
Weâve only chattered a few words and you already want to be sworn brothers?
Pfft. Pah! I spat on the ground.
He actually pretended he didnât see a thing, and reached out with both hands to warmly grab my sleeves, refusing to let me go. His eyes kept a firm stare on my face. I wanted to pull away, but found that I couldnât.
His eyes were shining. âI never thought Little Brother Shaoâs internal energy was so deep and vast.â
I glanced over and saw his finger resting over one of my acupuncture points.
CursesâŠ
I waved him off and backed up a few steps, clasping my hands together. âItâs nothing, my martial arts skills are shallow at best, not worthy of any mention.â
He laugh good-naturedly and pulled me over again, speaking softly. âEverything in this town is good, besides the people pretending to sell good meat with dog meat[3]⊠I took a stroll today and actually saw the pharmacies selling Nine Fragrances Green Tea pill for only three taels of silver, how could that be possible?â
It was actually very possible, because Fang Hua usually sold them for one or two taels.
I looked at the sky.
I gave it a despicable look at that sky, and shrugged off the hand resting on my shoulder.
After expressing his heartfelt sentiments, his feelings turned towards depression. He grasped my hands and gave a loving glance at the bottle of pills on the table, saying leisurely, âItâs only Brother Shaoâs pills that are the genuine article, and himself and honest, upright person.â
â
Inside my heart, I was crying.
I felt oppressed to the point of beating my chest with my fists.
Nice people⊠âŠwere really easy to swindle.
He was certainly a piece of work.
âThatâs right, I wanted to ask you about something⊠âŠa certain matter.â It seemed like he remembered something. He made a motion to invite me over to my seat, rolling up his sleeves to pour me another cup of wine. As his eyes swept across the scene, they caught on to a sight downstairs, enough to forget the cup of wine even after it overflowed.
âLord Nonyu?â
âIâm really sorry! Please pardon meâI didnât splash your robes, did I, Brother Shao?â He withdrew his gaze to mysteriously inspect our surroundings, before scooting closer. âDo you know any men with a mole over this spot?â
He dipped his hands in the wine, a long and slender finger dabbing at a corner of his eye, where the tears would come from. I raised my eyebrows in interest.
âYouâre looking for someone? Itâs rare to see anyone with a mole on there.â
Really rareâŠ
He was using his right hand to point at the spot by the right side of his face. Yifuâs mole was under his left eye.
However, even if the mole had been in the exact same place Nonyu indicated, I still wouldnât have told him anything.
âIâve heard at court that a legendary person who disappeared around these parts a few decades ago has reappeared. So, I made a special trip just to find them. Do you know⊠âŠthey say thereâs a type of beast called a Fang Hua that can take on the appearance of humans. Although I donât really believe this queer beast exists, I thought Iâd give it a try.â He shook his head with a bitter smile. âHis Imperial Majesty has been ill these recent years, and no medicines have been effective. An official like me should help to shoulder his lordâs burdens, so I wanted to search the area where the Fang Hua Beast has appeared before, to see if thereâs any Fang Hua Woord.â
âIsnât the Fang Hua Wood capable of dispelling a hundred poisons?â
Could it beâŠ
He gave me a surprised look. âBrother Shao really is experienced and knowledgable, youâre even aware of things like this.â
â
How could I not know. Everyday thereâs someone telling me in my ear.
I could only clasp my hands and reply modestly, âYouâre too kind. As a student of poisons, of course I would know about their natural enemy.â
He smiled in understanding, but I couldnât smile back. Could it be that the current emperor was suffering from an illness caused by poisoning?
If news of this spread, itâd be hard to keep things peaceful.
With yifuâs temperament⊠âŠit was still better to restrict his visits outdoors.
âThen, how long does Lord Nonyu plan to stay around here?â As I poured myself more wine, my chopsticks picked up another bite and I chewed for a bit.
Only silence greeted me.
I raised my head and saw he was looking downstairs, an extremely focused expression on his face. My heart skipped a beat.
Iâm finished. It couldnât be that yifu had come out for a strollâŠand was seen by this guy?
But heâd never come here out of his own will, unless the Heavens started flooding the Earth.
It was still hard to be sureâŠ
Aish, this was irritating.
I suddenly stood up, narrowing my eyes as I followed his gaze to the same direction. There werenât many people on the streets, but the mood was still livelyâŠ
It was mainly because some building had opened for business and a few pretty girls were standing at the doors, gorgeously dressed. They waved their handkerchiefs around, hands adjusting their hair as they hailed lords and young masters and gentlemen.
I clicked my tongue.
Tch. Iâve spent half my life wearing nothing but menâs robes. Iâd never seen such pretty dresses, where the waist was a waist and a butt was a buttâŠwhen they swayed, the vision was extremely flirtatious.
Was this the âembroideryâ thing yifu was talking about?
No wonder their business was boomingâŠ
Unconsciously, I spoke my words aloud as my eyes bore forwards from staring.
âAyeâŠâ A light sigh reached me. âBrother Shao, thatâs not an embroidery business.â Nonyu raised his head and studied me thoughtfully. âItâs a pleasure-seeking house for men. I heard itâs one of the best, called the Tipsy Breeze Courtyard.â
âI know, itâs a place to drink alcohol. Does your lordship visit it often?â
He sighed again and turned away. I could see his brows knitting together. âItâs not as simple as that. Such an outstanding, distinguished place still has its share of vile and despicable things. Itâs not a place for virtuous men or scholars to go.â
I understood.
After going around in circles, he finally admitted that heâd never gone before.
I smiled and said nothing, pouring myself a shallow cup of wine as I closed my eyes. Suddenly, a shadow drifted past me as a servant went to whisper something in his ear.
âBrother Shao, I have some business to attend to, so Iâll go on ahead.â
âAll right.â
He stood up and smiled at me, sleeves swirling in the wind. It was a beautiful sight that I couldnât my eyes away from. But he really was a man of action. In the space of a blink, he had vanished with his servants from my sight.
I stayed by myself upstairs, eating and drinking, extremely happy.
I wiped away the oil on my hands against my sleeves and made my way downstairs like some big shot. The golden leaves weighed in my hands as I considered how to report my expenses back home.
Suddenly, I saw a few of the people from next door⊠âŠthis figure, why did it look so familiarâŠwasnât this Nonyu? Just when I was about to walk up and say hello, he was escorted by a few people into the Tipsy Breeze Courtyard.
â
I thought of how heâd spoken out so righteously:Â âSuch an outstanding, distinguished place still has its share of vile and despicable things.
That face, that energy, that sacred light shining on his intelligent face, exactly like a scholarly sage, his words filled with all the traditional virtues[5]⊠âŠhe was simply Confucius reincarnated.
How could he flip-flop so quickly?
I rubbed my chin.
Looks like this Tipsy Breeze Pavilion definitely had its share of unspeakable merits. I slowly walked towards a vendorâs stall just opposite the Courtyard and leaned against a door. In the end, I couldnât resist peeking in the direction of that building.
âYoung masterâŠâ
âYou master, are you interested in any of my wares? Why donât you buy a painting for the trip back?â
Someone tugged on my sleeve.
Ah⊠âŠ
I looked back and happened to see, above the vendorâs booth, a large, expanded vision of the stall-keeperâs⊠âŠlong-suffering face.
It scared me out of my wits, enough to send my heart pounding. My eyes shifted, and saw the booth was full of paintings of beautiful women. This kind of beautyâŠ
But, their looks still fell short of mine.
My mouth was flat. âI donât want these.â
That guy tugged on my sleeve again, and I saw the stall-keeper give me a smile as he refused to let go. Instead, he spoke in a smaller voice, âYoung master⊠âŠyouâre not only distinguished, but attractive and intelligent as well. I knew you were a gifted scholar as soon as I saw you.â
After speaking, he even glanced over at Tipsy Breeze Courtyard, laughing as if he understood everything. âI know want you want. Youâre a pleasure-seeker, right?â
What kind of pleasure?
I blinked⊠âŠ
Itâs fine if I didnât understand.
While one was out, one had to keep oneâs cool⊠âŠ
I smiled.
The stall-keeperâs eyes grew brighter.
He hurriedly waved me over, turning around to check the surroundings before pulling out a book from beneath the paintings.
âI have the goods for sale at this price.â He furtively raised up three fingers. âThis is good stuff, freshly done by the painters in that buildingâŠâ
I took a glance.
Naked men and women hugging each other. The scenes were unbelievably obscene. Flipping through the pages, I discovered, oh⊠âŠevery single picking had them embracing each other, just in different positions.
Now I was amused.
I fished out some silver before sticking the book inside my robes.
âTake care, young master.â
I nodded my head and turned around, my mood unbelievably happy as I walked down the streets. Humming a tune while I walked towards home, my image was that of a perfect like a big shot.
âYifu.â
âHan ZichuanâŠâ
The rooms were quiet, but I seemed to hear the melodious sounds of a qin[6] floating over. My heart slowed, and the smile on my face disappeared. After some hesitation, I walked towards the jade pool in the bamboo forest in behind the backyard.
Occasionally, a gust of wind would fill the cool air with a sweet fragrance.
A jade-colored pool with water so clear you could see to the bottom, a few stalks of bamboo, standing tall and slender. That was all there was, besides the two people there.
Han Zichuan had his head lowered to play the qin. Behind him stood Fang Hua, instructing him with his fingers.
The sunlight seeped past the bamboo woods to shine upon them both, dazzling slightly. A fresh gale blew past, lifting their sashes in the air as flowers fell like rain.
A white robe was spread out beneath the two as if they were celestial beings. Their eyebrows as slender as spring willows, their eyes as lucid as autumn waters.
I felt pain from the depths of my heart, and took a few steps back.
But my footsteps faltered, and I nearly fell into the jade pool as my body wobbled sideways. The chilly water ended up soaking through my shoes and socks. My body lost all of its strength, and my mind turned blank as I sat down by the pool.
The sound of the qin ceased abruptly.
âShaoâer, so youâve finally comeâŠZichuan and I waited for a long time.â a light, soft voice sounded by my ears.
Not only did I feel unhappy, but rather distasteful all over. I stayed dazed for a while before hurriedly getting to my feet. I dusted off the dirt and called out in a very unwilling voice, âYifu.â
Perhaps I had moved too quickly, but all the objects in the front of my robes came tumbling out.
It was like water and flowers flowing in all directions.
A thin book fell down with its pages open, soaking in the pool.
âWhat are you doing just standing there, your things fell down.â I didnât catch when Fang Hua made his way behind me, but he was trying to help me out of good intentions. A hand reached out as he bent down. Before the book could sink underwaterâŠ
âŠhe fished it up with his hands.
I wanted to hide its contents from him⊠âŠbut he actually shook the water droplets free, and flipped it open to take a look.
Iâm screwed. Those were the pornographic pictures Iâd just bought today⊠âŠ
-o-
[1]paper money (é¶ç„š) ïŒyin piao, or silver draft, a form of paper money in ancient times.
[2] ShĂ oâŠYu (é”ç) ïŒitâs tricky to tell in English, but originally Shaoâer went with the name given to her by her yifu, which was Shao (ćș). But since that word has the same pronunciation as âspoonâ, she went with another one that sounded similar. ShĂ o (é”) is also a surname, while Yu (ç) means jade. You can click on the speakerphones in the Chinese links to hear the difference in pronunciation.
[3] Non Yu/Nonyu (ćŒç) ïŒ(see the Chinese link for pronunciation) this name is a bit funny. We already know Yu is jade, but non is one of those words that stands in for âto doâ in the Chinese language. It could also mean to âplay withâ or âfool withâ, so in this case his name might mean âplaying/fooling (around) with jadeâ. Considering Shaoâer disguised herself as Shao Yu (Shao Jade), wellâŠyou get why Nonyu was smiling now? uwu
[4] sell good meat with dog meat (çŸèäč°çè) ïŒyangrou mai gourou. Actually, yangrou translates to âlamb,â but used in this context, itâs an euphenism for good-quality meat. Nonyu uses this idiom to express his disbelief that the pills being sold at the pharmacies are really those so-called rare, unusual types.
[5]all the traditional virtues (ä»»æéćŸ·) ïŒrenyi daode, the traditional virtues of compassion, duty, propriety and integrity. Used in this idiom, they have a sarcastic, hypocritical meaning.
[6]qin (çŽ) â this may or may not be a zither, depending on the number of strings.