When the door closed, a plainly dressed woman stood nervously in front of the screen.
Uncle Wen had said that a powerful boss wanted a woman with a clean background. She needed money, so she came. But she did not know what the boss wanted to do, and thinking about it made her scared.
A cold voice came from behind the screen.
“Have you heard of Pei Shuye, the Third Scholar?”
“Yes, I have heard of him.”
He was very famous in Ningbo these days.
People were already singing songs about him in the streets:
“Third Scholar, Third Scholar, away for five years, now home again. Moon Lake willows, river waves, whose daughter does not think of him? Third Scholar, Third Scholar, lights fill Ruyi Harbor. Pearl feast, bright makeup, how many girls dress for you…”
Everyone talked about him everywhere, or they felt out of date. The woman did not know why this man mentioned him.
“I want you to marry him and become his wife.”
The woman blushed in anger. “Sir, why are you joking with me?”
Everyone knew that many noble girls wanted to marry him. A poor woman like her could never dream of that.
“Do you think I am joking?” The voice was calm, but it made her feel afraid.
“Really… marry the Third Scholar?” The woman was confused.
“Only in name, for one year.”
The woman was shocked. “After one year, where can I live in Ningbo?”
“I will give you enough money.”
The room became silent.
Outside, Xu Miaoxue was walking fast along the wall, thinking how to pretend to be a prostitute and mix into the crowd. When she turned into a narrow corridor, she saw Aline of women.
These women were dressed simply, not like the women in the alley. They wore plain clothes, loose hair, and kept their heads down. Xu Miaoxue ignored the footsteps behind her and stopped to watch them. With her current look, it was easier to blend in with them.
Just then, a woman came out of a room angrily, as if something inside had upset her. The women behind her were confused.
Xu Miaoxue had an idea. She threw her veil into the corner, pulled her hair loose, wiped dirt on her skirt, and pinched her palm to make tears come out. She now looked like a poor girl crying.
She quietly went to the back of the line and said nothing, only cried.
A woman in front asked, “Sister, why didn’t I see you before? Why are you crying?”
“I secretly went to the front door to look. The man inside is so strange… There seem to be many torture tools in the room… it’s so scary…”
Before she finished, they heard a cup breaking in the room. It sounded like proof. The women’s faces turned pale, and one of them grabbed her skirt in fear.
Inside the room, the servant Qinshan was cleaning the broken cups.
Behind the screen, the Sixth Master shook his head and stood up.
“Waste of time.”
Qinshan became anxious and stopped him. “Sixth Master, don’t leave yet. You have only seen a few. Your request is strange. Normal places can’t find such people. Isn’t my condition reasonable?”
The Sixth Master said nothing.
“Good women are gentle and won’t cause trouble. Those who need money are easy to control. Those who are so poor that they sell themselves will do anything. Isn’t this right?” Qinshan said confidently.
The Sixth Master sat back down, clearly bored. “Fine. Tonight is wasted anyway.”
When Qinshan left the room, he still said, “Master, there are more people coming. You are fishing, waiting for the willing ones.”
Just as he finished, the door opened and a woman entered. Qinshan quickly left.
Xu Miaoxue had scared away the woman before her and took her place.
As soon as she entered, she heard someone shout in the corridor, “How dare you disturb Sixth Master! If Uncle Wen hears, he’ll break your legs! Leave now!”
Candlelight shone through the paper screen and showed a tall, unclear shadow. He did not move or even look up, just leaned back in his chair and tapped the armrest slowly. The noise outside was clearly because of him, yet had nothing to do with him.
Who was this Sixth Master? What did he want? Could she escape this room?
But there was no time to think. She closed the door. For now, she was safe.
She looked around. This was one of the better rooms in the alley. Outside was dirty, but inside was neat. There were dishes and snacks on the table. The broken cups had been cleaned, but water marks were still there.
On the table was a blank contract. It only said “Contract” and “Payment: three hundred taels.” It did not say what kind of contract it was. Below were lines for both names. It looked strange.
Now Xu Miaoxue understood why others were afraid. A blank contract meant the owner could write anything. You could buy a slave for very little, yet this man paid three hundred taels. Everyone knew that good luck does not fall from the sky.
But Xu Miaoxue did not care. She was not afraid of bad men. She was only afraid of poor ones. In her eyes, this was a fat golden lamb.
She smiled. “Sir, what is this contract for? To take the blame for someone? Exile? Or—”
“Marriage,” Sixth Master said shortly.
She was shocked. That was unexpected.
Marriage sounded cold and scary when he said it.
“Sir, are you joking? You can get any woman you want. Why pay for one?”
“I have special tastes that normal people can’t accept,” he paused, then said, “The marriage lasts one year. In that year, you lose your freedom and must obey me.”
He had no patience after the earlier women, so he did not explain much and only said scary words. He did not expect her to agree.
But Xu Miaoxue laughed, her eyes cold.
She was sure now—he was just a rich man who liked to play with women.
For women, marriage is a big life matter. One year like this could ruin a woman’s whole life. Yet some men think money lets them control women.
“I agree,” she said.
The Sixth Master raised his eyebrows and finally showed interest. He leaned forward slightly.
“Come closer.”
Even behind the screen, she felt his high, judging gaze.
She knew he was suspicious. Others ran away, but she agreed so easily.
But she could not let him see her face.
She imagined herself as a fish on a cutting board.
He told her to come closer, so she slowly took off her shoes and socks, stepped on the cold floor, and walked toward the screen.
There was a small gap under the screen. The Sixth Master saw her white feet stop there. There were small scars on them, signs of a hard past. She curled her toes slightly, as if nervous and shy.
Like she was trying to show loyalty in a clumsy way.
Their shadows overlapped on the thin screen, blurred together.
The Sixth Master smiled lightly.
He wanted to move the screen and look at her, but then he felt it was enough.
This was the person he wanted.
“Put your fingerprint on the contract. There is money in the box to your left.”
Xu Miaoxue put her shoes back on, went to the table, opened the box, and counted the money loudly like a greedy person. Then she pressed her fingerprint on the paper and handed it behind the screen.
A hand reached out and took the contract. The hand was long and strong, with veins showing. She saw black clothes at the sleeve and recognized him as the man from the boat.
At least his hands looked decent.
But she had no interest in seeing his face. If she saw him, he would see her too.
“Go tell your family. When the time comes, I will send someone for you,” Sixth Master said calmly. “No matter what I ask you to do, you must keep silent.”
“Or?”
“You will die.”
It sounded half like a joke, but the pressure was real and cold.
Then he moved. The door opened, and light and noise came in for a moment.
“Sixth Master,” Xu Miaoxue called.
He stopped.
“Can I eat the food on the table?”
A poor woman only cares about eating and living. She kept acting till the end.
Actually, he already believed her. She did not need to say this, but she wanted to tease him.
“Mm,” he replied and left.
He walked away quickly, mixing into the crowd but still looking separate from it.
Xu Miaoxue smiled silently. Men are so confident. He left without even looking at her face. In their eyes, women’s obedience is natural.
Thanks to this “god of wealth,” today was a great harvest. With Zhao Jin’s money too, she earned seven hundred taels in one night.
Once she disappeared, who could find her?
She should have happily eaten all the food, because she was truly hungry after the long night. But when she sat down, the food tasted like nothing. A strange emptiness stayed in her heart.
Today was lucky, but luck would not always come.
She was still far from her real goal.
After eating, it was time to go home.