“What about Yan’er? Is she also an information broker?” Zhao Si asked with a smile, turning to Ying’er, though his gaze was instantly drawn to a rockery standing right in front of them. The rockery appeared to be made of Taihu stone rugged in shape, steep in form, roughly two zhang long and eight chi high. Its stern and imposing presence completely blocked the view of anyone approaching.
“Not at all! Yan’er’s nickname is ‘The Despair of Gold.’ She is cold and arrogant. It is only thanks to the many visitors involved in wrongful convictions in Cenzhou City that she manages to make a living,” Ying’er said, leading Zhao Si around the left side of the rockery.
“What does ‘The Despair of Gold’ mean?” Zhao Si asked, holding Yun Qing as they walked around.
“It means that even gold despises Yan’er because it cannot move her! Oh, never mind! See for yourself, Master Husband!” As soon as they rounded the rockery, Ying’er tucked her hands into her sleeves, stepped aside, and gestured for him to look.
Zhao Si fixed his eyes on the scene, instantly dumbfounded by the furnishings before him.
He saw two straw prayer mats, several strips of white funeral banners, and wisps of pale blue smoke curling into the air. Five paces away stood an incense table topped with an eight-inch bronze sacrificial tripod. Three sticks of incense burned inside the tripod, and behind it were rows upon rows of ancestral spirit tablets—so densely packed that they were impossible to count at a glance.
“This… this…” Zhao Si was left speechless. In his mind, the worst accommodation the Appreciation of Autumn Pavilion could offer would be a hard bed and a thin quilt. Who would have thought that behind the rockery, Yan’er had set up a full mourning hall?
“Perhaps we should move to your Mouchun Pavilion instead?” Zhao Si tried to negotiate with Ying’er.
“Master Husband, please don’t! Ying’er is scared too! Besides, Miss actually likes this room.” Ying’er covered her eyes with her hands, guided Zhao Si forward to bow before the spirit tablets, and then quickly turned left. “Miss says the tablets belong to Yan’er’s uncles, aunts, and close friends. Knowing they are here actually brings a sense of peace.”
“Surely other guests wouldn’t think the same way?” Holding Yun Qing, Zhao Si followed Ying’er in bowing before the tablets, then quickly hurried along behind her as she turned left. Beyond the turn lay a narrow stone corridor, sealed on the top, bottom, and sides, with an open hollow space in the middle just wide enough for a single person to pass through.
As Zhao Si walked through the corridor with his head bowed, he heard Ying’er say, “Indeed they do. There are even guests who wanted to pay large sums of silver just to enshrine the spirit tablets of their own ancestors in Yan’er’s room.”
“How much were they offering?” Zhao Si asked, curious.
“A thousand taels of gold!”
Zhao Si chuckled. “Then Yan’er certainly has her own clever ways of making a fortune.”
“Master Husband, you have misunderstood. When Yan’er heard about the thousand taels of gold, she immediately broke one of that guest’s legs. That is how she earned the moniker ‘The Despair of Gold.'” Ying’er shrugged her shoulders and slowed her pace.
“What happened afterward? Didn’t that guest come looking for revenge?”
“He did come looking! He brought another three thousand taels of gold and promised to marry Yan’er.” Ying’er waited for Zhao Si at the exit of the stone corridor.
“Did Yan’er agree?” Zhao Si called out from a distance.
“Why don’t Master Husband take a guess?”
“She didn’t.” Zhao Si reached Ying’er’s side.
“Hehe. Master Husband is certainly reasonable.” Stepping out of the stone corridor, Ying’er sighed with a hint of regret. “Yet I scolded Yan’er for nearly half a month because of that incident! Where on earth can you find a husband who is both affectionate and wealthy?”
“What did Yan’er say?” Following Ying’er out of the corridor, Zhao Si saw that five paces away, the left side of a carved wooden bed pressed against the wall. To the right of the bed stood an empty weapon rack, beside which was a tea table holding a purple clay teapot. Next to the tea table stood a wardrobe as tall as a person, and right beside the wardrobe was the exact spot where Zhao Si was currently standing.
Zhao Si thought to himself that as far as the eye could see, there was not a single decoration truly excessively austere.
At the same time, Ying’er’s ongoing chatter filled his ears: “Yan’er said, a husband’s duty lies in matters of the world, and when given the opportunity, he should strive to be a great man. As for the foul and petty squabbles of the inner courtyard, they are nothing more than utter nonsense.”
“Fascinating!”
Zhao Si approached the wooden bed, gently laid the person in his arms down upon it, removed her embroidered shoes, pulled up the quilt, and took off her hair ornaments.
“Oh, Miss has fallen asleep again!” Ying’er stepped forward to look at Yun Qing, then looked back at Zhao Si. After glancing back and forth several times, she finally gritted her teeth, pulled an amber-yellow porcelain bottle from her sleeve, handed it to Zhao Si, and giggled. “Miss has had a weak constitution since birth, and ever since suffering a severe fright in her youth, she has suffered from insomnia. In the past, she always forgot to take her medicine, but now that she has Master Husband, she won’t even need it. I was originally the one keeping this medicine safe, but since Master Husband is so well-suited to managing Miss’s condition, I will entrust it to you.”
“Why didn’t I quite understand that?” Zhao Si shook the medicine bottle in his hand, remaining silent.
Ying’er explained, “Normally, Miss simply does not sleep. When she does need to rest, she must take a medicinal pill. A single pill can keep Miss asleep for four full hours. If Master Husband feels tired or wishes to sleep in the future, you can remind Miss to take one as well.”
“What about right now?” Zhao Si furrowed his brow slightly.
“Since she is already asleep, there is no need to worry about it now. Miss has a heavy mind; either she goes two or three days without sleeping, or she sleeps soundly for hours on end. Once Master Husband sees this more often, you won’t worry.”
“Understood.” Zhao Si flipped his hand to store the medicine bottle inside the lapel of his robe, then leaned over to tuck in the corners of Yun Qing’s blanket. After finishing, he stood guard at the foot of the bed for the duration of a cup of tea. Once he was certain she was indeed sleeping as deeply as Ying’er had described and would not wake up midway, Zhao Si stood up, called for Ying’er—who had been waiting on the side—and together they set off to look at residences in Cenzhou City.
When Zhao Si first led Ying’er out the door, he only knew that Ying’er was an information broker. It was only after the two of them stepped outside that Zhao Si realized she had found a true professional.
Following Ying’er through a series of ox-cart rides from west to east that spanned the better part of Cenzhou City, Zhao Si passed hairpin shops, rouge shops, garment shops, silk shops, steamed bun shops, wonton shops, pastry shops, and pawnshops… until the sun slanted westward, when they finally passed through Changshou Lane in the eastern district and arrived at a residence bearing a plaque that read “Qinshou Workshop.”
Stepping off the ox-cart at the entrance of the residence, Zhao Si saw that the main gate was tightly locked, with only a few scattered estate agents handing out booklets one by one.
Standing in place, Zhao Si was handed a copy. Taking a closer look at the cover, he saw the words “Blessed Residences” written upon it.
Zhao Si flipped open a page at random. A three-compound quadrangle courtyard was illustrated on the page, accompanied by brief notes specifying its location and price.
The owner of this Qinshou Workshop certainly knew how to do business! Zhao Si silently marveled. Just then, he saw Ying’er sitting on an oncoming ox-cart, her shoulders slumped and her expression mournful as she complained despondently, “Master Husband! We have arrived too late! It is already the hour of You, and this Qinshou Workshop won’t welcome guests until noon tomorrow!”
“Then let’s return first and come back tomorrow!” Tucking away the “Blessed Residences” booklet, Zhao Si joined Ying’er on the ox-cart and returned to Yulu Tower.
Upon returning to Yulu Tower, Zhao Si first went to the sixth floor to check on Yun Qing. Seeing that she was still fast asleep, he shared a meal with Yan’er and Ying’er, who had already prepared the dishes.
At the start of the meal, everyone except Zhao Si felt rather awkward. Once Zhao Si offered a few words of comfort, made quick work of a bowl of white rice with a few swift chops of his chopsticks, and turned to head toward the Appreciation of Autumn Pavilion, Ying’er and Yan’er finally began to eat.
Entering the Appreciation of Autumn Pavilion for the third time, Zhao Si no longer felt the timidity of his first visit. Walking briskly through the mourning hall straight to the bedside, Zhao Si used the candlelight from the tea table to gaze upon Yun Qing’s sleeping face.
Yun Qing had not yet woken up. The warm amber candlelight cast a soft glow over her porcelain-fine, delicate face. However, the slight frown between her brows beckoned Zhao Si to reach out a hand, though he ultimately pulled it back.
Midway through reaching and withdrawing, Zhao Si’s peripheral vision caught sight of Yan’er’s bed, which was only two feet wide.
Zhao Si pursed his lips in thought and couldn’t help breaking into a smile. Resigning himself to his fate, he returned to the mourning hall, retrieved a straw prayer mat, and placed it in front of the wardrobe. Extinguishing the candlelight, Zhao Si leaned against the wardrobe, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes.
When Zhao Si opened his eyes again, daylight filled the room. Looking at Yun Qing, he saw that she was still fast asleep. Figuring that the Grand Competition had exhausted a great deal of Yun Qing’s energy, Zhao Si got up, asked a young maid where guests could wash up in Yulu Tower, freshened up, and called for Ying’er to head back to the Qinshou Workshop. Before setting out, Zhao Si only hoped they would arrive before noon. To his surprise, just as he and Ying’er boarded the ox-cart and entered Changshou Lane, the cart driver shouted that there were far too many people and turned them right back the way they came.
Upon returning, Yun Qing was still asleep. Consequently, Zhao Si sat at the dining table holding a bowl of white rice and listened alongside Yan’er as Ying’er spent half the day scolding the coward of a driver who had fled from the scene.
When her ranting finished, Ying’er looked thoroughly depressed and huffed in frustration, “We aren’t going! We aren’t going! Master Husband, Master Husband, let’s not go tomorrow! Folks in town say that choosing a residence is all about auspiciousness. If we fail to pick one out tomorrow either, wouldn’t that bring terrible luck?”
Seeing that Ying’er was worked up, Zhao Si smiled and said, “Very well, very well! Then we won’t go tomorrow.”
“I will accompany Master Husband tomorrow instead.” Yan’er handed a pair of chopsticks to Ying’er and said to Zhao Si, “Master Cui said the Golden Wind Pavilion is moving over in three days. The matter of finding a residence cannot be delayed.”
“Then we shall set off earlier tomorrow.” Zhao Si nodded.
Ying’er fretted, “We can go, but when selecting a new residence, we must compare three different places and look at them over and over again.”
“Understood!” Zhao Si readily agreed and turned to head upstairs. Yan’er followed right behind him as they went up to the sixth floor.
Arriving at the top of the sixth-floor staircase, Zhao Si paused his steps, turned around, and asked, “Does Yan’er need something?”
“Nothing at all,” Yan’er replied expressionlessly. “Master Husband, please step aside. I live in the Mouchun Pavilion.”
“Ah.” Zhao Si stepped aside to clear the way. As Yan’er passed by her, she suddenly stopped and offered a parting reminder: “Master Husband, wake up earlier tomorrow. When heading to the Appreciation of Autumn Pavilion, take the right-hand path.”
Take the right-hand path?
After letting Yan’er pass and entering the five-compound Appreciation of Autumn Pavilion, Zhao Si decisively bypassed it to the right. On the right side stood a stone wall, in the middle of which was a stone niche holding a small, uncarved spirit tablet.
Daring to be bold, Zhao Si reached out and gave the tablet a gentle shake. The stone wall responded with a click and pivoted open, revealing a stone path lined on both sides with chrysanthemums of various distinct varieties.
Squinting as he looked closer, Zhao Si was actually able to recognize that on the left side, in order, were green chrysanthemums, ink chrysanthemums, and lavender chrysanthemums, while on the right side were white chrysanthemums, pink chrysanthemums, and mud-gold nine-linked rings.
Stepping onto the stone path, Zhao Si heard the stone door behind him shut firmly. After taking ten steps forward, he encountered a potted mud-gold nine-linked ring chrysanthemum. Reaching out to touch it, his fingertips were met with a biting chill.
It turned out to be carved from jade. Lost in thought, Zhao Si took twenty more steps before spotting another stone niche housing a spirit tablet set into a stone wall.
Reaching out to pull it, the stone wall moved in response, revealing a narrow doorway.
Pushing the door open and stepping inside, Zhao Si saw Yun Qing sitting up straight from the couch.
“My wife!” Overjoyed, Zhao Si hurried forward to greet her.
Hearing his voice, Yun Qing’s eyes lit up. She raised her arms to wrap them around Zhao Si’s neck, leaned close to his ear, and asked in a soft, gentle voice, “Husband, you’ve finally returned. Were the peach blossoms at the temple pretty?”
“Peach blossoms? What peach blossoms? Where are there peach blossoms?” Embracing Yun Qing tightly, Zhao Si had no idea what his wife was talking about.
“Why, these right here.” Yun Qing lowered her arms from around Zhao Si’s neck, drew a letter from her sleeve, and handed it to Zhao Si. “Earlier, while Husband was away, I found this on the floor. Assuming Husband had deliberately left it behind, I opened it to take a look, only to find it was a love poem.”
Zhao Si unfolded the paper and read the lines written upon it:
“Three thousand strands of worry, who knows what the bright moon illuminates? “At the banquet on the sixth floor within the temple, peach blossoms rest upon the nocturnal terrace.”
The poem was signed with the pen name “Bell at Night.”