Zhao Yunxiang was so furious she nearly burst into tears on the spot. “You, the one surnamed Song! You’re so handsome—how can you be blind to what’s right in front of you? Feng is always pretending to be sweet and playing the victim. Be careful, or she’ll trick you into losing everything!”
“Third Miss Zhao, there’s no need to concern yourself with me.” Song Zhi gave a cold laugh, his disgust for Third Miss Zhao growing. “Besides, I really am blind now.”
A maid helped Zhao Yunxiang to her feet. She didn’t know Song Zhi, but even dressed head to toe in rough hemp, he still had an air of nobility about him. She didn’t dare provoke him, so she vented her anger on Feng instead. “Just you wait! I’m going home to tell Mother that you’ve been carrying on with another man while you’re still in mourning[1]Traditional filial mourning in China often involved visibly plain clothing, frequently unbleached or coarse cloth, with restrictions tied to the deceased person’s relationship to the mourner. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3717508_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3717508_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });! Let’s see how she deals with you!”
Unable to contain her fury, she ground the jade token underfoot until it was smashed to pieces. Then she remembered Feng’s marriage arrangement with Shopkeeper Su, and the bitterness in her heart eased a little. “A woman as shameless as you could never find a husband! Only that old man Su would take you! When Old Man Su dies, you’ll have to be buried with him!”
Crying and sniffling, Zhao Yunxiang left with her maid.
Song Zhi frowned and turned around, only to see Feng crouched there, picking up the remaining shards of the jade token.
“Ah!”
A shard pierced Feng’s finger. Blood welled up, and she let out a pained groan.
Caihuan rushed over, heartbroken. “Miss!”
Good heavens.
To win Number Twelve over, Miss was willing to pick up sharp shards and cut her own hand.
How moving.
Miss had even resorted to a self-injury ploy[2]A stratagem in which someone deliberately suffers harm or feigns suffering to gain sympathy or deceive another person. It is associated with the traditional Thirty-Six Stratagems. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3717508_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3717508_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. She must really want Number Twelve—
Song Zhi hurried over. “Don’t pick those up—”
Feng’s eyes were red-rimmed, blood still welling from her finger. She looked up at him, and two streams of tears ran down her cheeks as she wept pitifully. “Young Master Song, I’m sorry… It’s all my fault for destroying your token… If this delays your return home, I’ll never be able to atone for it, even if I die a thousand times.”
“This isn’t your fault, Miss.” Song Zhi helped her up, then used his blind cane to push the shards farther away. “It’s all right. Get up first. Don’t hurt your hand.”
Feng stood and wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.
Song Zhi remembered what Third Miss Zhao had just said and frowned. “Is Miss Zhao betrothed?” Then he recalled that she was still in mourning. He had never imagined that in this world anyone would discuss marriage before the mourning period was over, an act so contrary to propriety. “That Shopkeeper Su…”
Miss Zhao’s eyes were lovely, yet her expression was stubborn. “This has nothing to do with you, Young Master. Don’t involve yourself in my troubles. Just focus on recovering from your injuries and wait for your servants to come for you—”
But Song Zhi wouldn’t let it go. He turned to Caihuan, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Miss Caihuan, you tell me.”
Caihuan knew it was her cue. She worked herself into the mood, sniffing. “The one in charge of the Zhao family now is Miss’s stepmother… With Master dead, of course she wants to marry Miss off as soon as possible! She keeps trying to push all sorts of filthy men at her—farmhands doing hard labor at the docks, a widower in the west of the city who beat his wife to death, an old man with one foot already in the grave. The more vile the man, the more likely she is to send him Miss’s way!”
“Enough!” Feng rebuked her, brows knitted. “Why are you telling Young Master Song all this?”
She turned back to Song Zhi, her voice tense. “Young Master Song, none of that is true… Mother hasn’t mentioned any of this to me. Caihuan is the sort who hears one thing and believes ten… You needn’t pay her any mind. Didn’t you say you wanted a blind cane made? I know a shop. I’ll take you there—”
Song Zhi nodded and, in the end, didn’t press her further.
Zhao Jinfeng felt a sinking sensation.
Damn it.
Number Twelve was still rather hard-hearted.
A beauty was trapped in a mire, yet the hero hesitated and wouldn’t come to her rescue.
She must not have played the self-injury ploy well enough.
Usually, a self-injury ploy couldn’t stand alone; it had to be paired with a beauty ploy[3]A tactic of using romantic or sexual attraction to influence someone, familiar from Chinese strategic lore and fiction. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3717508_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3717508_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); to work.
But unfortunately… Number Twelve was blind.
He couldn’t see how beautiful she was.
Zhao Jinfeng quickly reviewed her strategy for dealing with Number Twelve over the past few days. The whole way back, she didn’t mention her stepmother or marriage again. Instead, she focused only on his return home.
In negotiations, the more you wanted something, the less you should ask for it outright. You had to wait for the other party to offer it.
She had the patience to take the lead in this game of cat and mouse—
“It’s a shame the jade token is broken. How will you recognize your servant now?”
Song Zhi had already replaced his cane with one that suited him better. The three of them were riding home in an ox cart. At her question, he showed no concern. “My servant and I got separated around Meng County. Even if he searches from village to village, it’ll take him no more than half a month to find me. The jade token’s broken; that’s all. Don’t worry about it, Miss.”
Zhao Jinfeng put on a look of relief, a faint smile appearing on her lips. “As long as it hasn’t caused you any trouble.”
With her back turned, she gestured to Caihuan.
Caihuan signaled that she understood.
She’d go back and keep an eye out at the village entrance for any strangers looking for him. If anyone showed up, she’d set the dogs on him.
Song Zhi sat in the swaying ox cart, gripping the blind cane that suited him. In the corner beside him lay the cane Zhao Jinfeng had previously “stolen” for him.
He was aloof by nature, and his acquaintance with Zhao Jinfeng was nothing more than a chance meeting.
And he was Heaven’s favored son[4]A Chinese literary expression for an exceptionally gifted, privileged, or promising person; it need not mean a literal divine appointment. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3717508_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3717508_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, destined to be no more than a passerby in Zhao Jinfeng’s life. He truly shouldn’t involve himself in her troubles. Besides, there were countless unfortunate people in the world. Was he supposed to save every one of them?
Zhao Jinfeng had saved his life. He could give her some money, prepare a generous gift of thanks, and perhaps do one more thing for her within his means. Then their paths could part.
If Zhao Jinfeng asked, he wouldn’t be unwilling to help her.
But…
She hadn’t asked.
After turning it over and over in his mind, Song Zhi found he couldn’t be at ease. At last he asked, “That Shopkeeper Su… is he the owner of the grain shop across from the money house[5]A traditional financial business that might exchange, store, lend, or transfer money; the precise services varied across periods. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3717508_1_5').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3717508_1_5', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); we just visited?”
Though Song Zhi couldn’t see, while taking out the banknotes he had noticed a sticky, greasy gaze from behind.
The man was greeting customers in his shop while darting glances at Miss Zhao and him. Miss Zhao had clearly noticed, too; as they walked, she had instinctively edged closer to him.
Zhao Jinfeng was taken aback.
Then the corners of her lips lifted slightly.
Taking Number Twelve to the money house across from Shopkeeper Su’s shop had been well worth it. She had expected Shopkeeper Su to try snatching a woman in broad daylight and make the conflict worse, but the old bastard had kept his nerve. He hadn’t even come over to touch her little hand.
Zhao Jinfeng was very disappointed.
She’d already set the stage, but the villainous male supporting character[6]A self-aware web-fiction term for an antagonistic man who is not the main male lead. Feng is interpreting events through romance-story conventions. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3717508_1_6').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3717508_1_6', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); refused to make his entrance.
It seemed Number Twelve had noticed Shopkeeper Su earlier, but had waited until now to bring him up. Zhao Jinfeng began to think deeply about what was making Number Twelve hesitate.
Could it be… that he was already betrothed back home?
That would be a problem.
She, Zhao Jinfeng, might be a green tea[7]Modern Chinese slang for a person who presents as innocent or gentle while acting manipulatively, often in romance plots. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3717508_1_7').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3717508_1_7', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, but she would never touch meat that was already in someone else’s pot…
She’d have to find a way to ask around without being too obvious.
As Zhao Jinfeng considered how to answer, Uncle Zhang, who was driving the cart, spoke first. He flicked his whip lightly against the ox’s rump, then turned his head. “Well, young man, your eyes are better?”
“Elder, I can see when things are close by—”
“Then you saw that old bastard Su, too? Oh, let me tell you, he’s a lecherous old devil! I may have had a talking-to from Jinfeng this morning, but I’ve still got a warm heart, so I have to say a few words. That old bastard can’t take his eyes off Jinfeng. I’m afraid he’ll come calling to ask for her hand as soon as her mourning period is over! Jinfeng’s mother is a heartless woman. She won’t care what happens to Jinfeng—”
Zhao Jinfeng gave Uncle Zhang an approving thumbs-up in secret.
Uncle Zhang knew how to talk—and how to say plenty.
References[+]