20:‘Help me, good lady!’
They say that a family’s honour is worth a fortune, but clearly, having a fortune in one’s pocket is far more practical. Having spent almost all the silver she’d earned over the past few days on a single iron pan, Tao Qinghe rose even earlier than usual.
As usual, she hawked her wares along the main street before wandering through the alleys a few times. Thankfully, after a few days of building up her business, she now had regular customers looking after her trade. Having sold most of her pastries, she went to stake out the area near the Zhou family’s bakery.
Before long, a burly man emerged from the pastery shop empty-handed. Spotting him, Tao Qinghe set off in pursuit.
“Are you looking to buy some pastries, sir?” she asked eagerly after they had walked a few paces.
Hearing her voice, the man stopped immediately, turned round and glared at her. “How do you know I’m buying pastries?”
Seeing his menacing expression, Tao Qinghe couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated, though she didn’t let it show. She replied, “I saw you coming out of the shop, so I thought I’d ask.”
The man merely snorted coldly at her explanation. “So it seems you’re in the habit of lurking outside the shop to poach customers?”
That was a thoroughly unreasonable accusation. She’d clearly only been hoping to snap up a bargain—how could that be considered poaching customers? Just as she was about to explain, the man spoke again: “ ‘Now I’ve caught you red-handed! To dare poach business from Zhou’s Pastry Shop—don’t you know your place?’ No sooner had he finished speaking than he reached out to snatch her basket. “Come along to the county magistrate’s office—I’ll make sure this little thief is locked up in the dungeon!”
Tao Qinghe had no intention of playing along. Seizing the moment before he could grab her, she darted out of the way. What else was there to figure out? This man must have been sent by the bakery to frame her!
She protested, “You’ve misunderstood. I wasn’t standing at the bakery’s door selling my pastries, nor was I blocking anyone from entering. How can you possibly say I’m poaching customers?”
The man had merely been looking for an excuse to arrest her; why would he listen to her explanations? He glared furiously at Tao Qinghe. “Save that for the county magistrate!” With that, he grabbed her arm again and began dragging her along forcefully.
Tao Qinghe was not one to back down; she grabbed the man’s arm in return, trying to fight back. Yet although the original owner had been a strong woman, her body had been weakened over the years; she hadn’t even been able to eat a proper meal every day, let alone contend with a man as burly as an ox. Before long, she too began to run out of strength.
The man, who had initially been surprised by Tao Qinghe’s strength, now sensed her grip weakening. He said nothing more, merely dragging her towards the entrance of the pastry shop.
Tao Qinghe realised the situation was dire; if she were dragged into the shop, she would be unable to explain herself. She immediately cried out for help: “Help! Someone’s being kidnapped in broad daylight! Uncles and aunts, please help!”
The street, which had previously been rather quiet, suddenly erupted like a pot of oil being thrown onto a flame at the sound of her cries. Passers-by of all kinds looked up to see a man forcibly dragging a woman along, seemingly up to no good. A kind-hearted soul immediately stepped forward and shouted, “What on earth are you up to, you scoundrel!”
The man paid no heed, merely continuing to drag the person along. Seeing his brazen behaviour, the onlookers hurried to block his path, preventing him from moving any further.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve been selling pastries peacefully on the street, yet this man claims I’m stealing business from the Zhou family’s bakery!” As she spoke, she scanned the crowd until she spotted some familiar faces, then called out again, “That old man selling vegetables must know the truth. I’ve merely been hawking my pastries on the street these past few days—how could I possibly be taking their business?”
The old man who’d suddenly been singled out froze for a moment, then, realising what was happening, chimed in: “This young lady has indeed been selling pastries on the street; we’ve seen her here every day for the past few days.”
Hearing someone take her side, the man immediately glared at them: “Is it any of your business what happens at the Zhou family’s shop? If you know what’s good for you, move out of the way!”
Someone who knew the full story quickly interjected: “ “Everyone, you’d best step aside. If we offend Mr Zhou, we might not even be able to set up our stalls in future!”
The pastry shop owner actually has that much influence? If she were to be dragged in, she’d likely be skinned alive!
Tao Qinghe began to panic. She was still crying out for help, yet the onlookers seemed to be dispersing. Seeing this, the man gloated, “Dare to offend Mr Zhou? You little thief, just you wait!”
As she was dragged towards the pastry shop’s entrance, Tao Qinghe’s voice grew hoarse from shouting, yet the people on the street seemed oblivious; no one stepped forward to intervene. Just as she had exhausted all her strength and could no longer resist,
Clop, clop, clop! The sound of hooves echoed through the air.
“Halt!” someone shouted loudly.
Tao Qinghe turned her head to see a young woman riding a fine horse galloping towards them. In the blink of an eye, she had reached the pair.
The young woman wore her hair in a high ponytail and was dressed in a neat, practical outfit. Holding a long whip pointed straight at the man’s face, she demanded, “What is your relationship with Shopkeeper Zhou? How dare you follow him in his misdeeds!”
The man had never seen the rider before, but though the young woman’s attire was simple, the fabric was clearly of high quality. In particular, the fine horse she rode appeared to possess a certain intelligence. In the blink of an eye, he had weighed up the pros and cons: this was clearly someone he could not afford to offend!
Lifting his head once more, his face now wore a fawning smile. “You’ve misunderstood. This country girl stands at the cake shop’s door every day soliciting customers; it’s really getting in the way of business, so Shopkeeper Zhou sent someone to sort things out.”
“How dare you spout such nonsense!” Tao Qinghe wrenched herself free of his grip and glared at the man in protest. “Customers are coming out of the shop—am I not allowed to approach them and ask a question? If I really dared to stand at the shop door and block people’s way, would you have waited until today to arrest me?”
Seeing his lie so easily exposed, the man immediately tried to cover Tao Qinghe’s mouth, but no sooner had he reached out than his hand was lashed aside with a sharp crack.
“Ah!” With a cry of pain, the back of his hand swelled red in an instant.
“Who gave you the nerve to lay a hand on anyone under my watch?” The girl turned back towards the shop and lashed out with her whip, shouting, “How much longer does Shopkeeper Zhou intend to hide?”
Ever since the manager of Zhou’s Pastry Shop had discovered Tao Qinghe lurking nearby to snatch bargains, he had harboured a deep resentment. The very next day, he had tracked down this idler, intending to settle the matter quietly. Little did he expect to run into this trouble-maker from the provincial capital! Now that he had been called out by name, there was no hiding; he had no choice but to steel himself and step outside.
“What… what wind has blown you here?” ” Manager Zhou looked up at the person on horseback with a fawning expression and protested, “It’s really that girl’s fault—she’s been lurking outside the shop all day. Tell me, is that any way to do business?”
“If I were truly doing business right outside your door, would you really need to send someone in disguise to catch me?” ” Tao Qinghe eyed the short man before her coldly. With such a narrow mind, no wonder he wasn’t tall!
Shopkeeper Zhou looked at Tao Qinghe with a gaze as venomous as poison, yet his face wore a false smile. “Well… it seems there has been a misunderstanding, young lady. If that is the case, I shall offer my apologies.”
Before Tao Qinghe could reply, the young woman holding the long whip spoke first: “Is a simple apology enough? Had I not come here today, I fear this young lady would never be able to set foot in Baiyi County again!”
Such harsh words sent a chill down Tao Qinghe’s spine. She was merely selling some pastries—how had things become so terrifying?
“How dare I! How dare I! My Zhou family has run a shop in Baiyi County for many years, always conducting our business with integrity. You really are overstating the matter.” Seeing that she had cut straight to the heart of the matter, Shopkeeper Chen hastily denied it.
“Whether you dare or not, we both know the truth! However, now that your Zhou family has offended this young lady, a simple apology will likely not suffice…”
With the matter having reached this point, there was no way to brush it off lightly. Shopkeeper Zhou’s expression grew even more grim. He furrowed his brow in thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, “I… I shall pay this young lady a hundred coins to buy some calming decoction.”
“Is Shopkeeper Zhou trying to fob off a beggar?” the rider on the horse asked with a sidelong glance. “One tael of silver.”
“But… in a whole day’s work, my Zhou family barely earns a few silver coins!”
“What business is it of mine how much your Zhou family earns?” She cracked her long whip once more, the explosive crack sending shivers down everyone’s spines. “Will you pay or not?”
Shopkeeper Zhou looked as though he’d lost his mother; with no other choice, he gritted his teeth and replied, “…I’ll pay!”
By the time he’d handed over the silver, Shopkeeper Zhou face was twisted with resentment. Tao Qinghe, however, took it without batting an eyelid. “In that case, thank you for the soothing concoction. Do remember to have a couple of bowls yourself to fortify your health.”
Hearing this, Shopkeeper Zhou clutched his chest in fury and ground out through gritted teeth, “Miss, you’d do well to be more cautious in your business dealings in future. Should such a misunderstanding arise again, there’ll be no one to help you!”
“You’d do better to worry about your own pastries,” Tao Qinghe retorted. “There are plenty of people who leave your shop empty-handed!”
Mr Zhou grip on his chest tightened with pain. He pointed at them but could not utter a word, merely glaring as the pair walked further and further away.
Once they had reached the shade, the young lady dismounted and smiled. “My surname is Tan, and my name is Yuewan. May I ask your name, young lady?”
“My name is Tao Qinghe,” she replied promptly, adding gratefully, “I’m so glad you were here today. Thank you for saving my life!”
“Are you from the countryside? That scoundrel is notorious for such schemes; everyone in Baiyi County knows it,” Tan Yuewan explained.
“I am indeed from the countryside. How is it that the authorities turn a blind eye to Mr Chen’s behaviour?” Tao Qinghe asked, looking puzzled.
Upon hearing this, Tan Yuewan merely shook her head and said meaningfully, “Mr Zhou certainly has his connections; otherwise, how could he be the only pastry shop in the whole county town?”
With things having been laid out so plainly, what else was there for Tao Qinghe not to understand? It seemed that in Baiyi County, officials and merchants were in cahoots, and those in power were actually turning a blind eye to the merchants’ misdeeds. No wonder the county town was so small and dilapidated!
She handed over the basket. “These are homemade pastries. If you don’t mind, Miss Tan, please take them home to enjoy whilst they’re fresh!” Having said this, she produced a cloth bag as well. “This silver is rightfully yours, Miss. Otherwise, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to make it home today!”
Ever since she’d stood at the bakery door, Tan Yuewan had caught a whiff of that distinctive aroma. She’d been wondering how that good-for-nothing had suddenly come to his senses, never imagining it was the handiwork of the young woman before her.
Now the scent was even more intense, and she didn’t stand on ceremony. She accepted the basket but pushed the cloth bag back, saying earnestly, “Please do keep the silver, young lady. I, Tan Yuewan, would never stoop to such petty deeds. However, these pastries do smell far better than those in the shop!” With that, she lifted the cloth cover and began to eat.
“Crisp and fragrant, sweet without being cloying,” she savoured them carefully, her eyes brightening. “Your skills are far superior to those of the pastry shop!”
“These pastries do indeed require a bit of ingenuity. If Miss Tan fancies them, do feel free to take some home to try!”
Swallowing the pastry in her mouth, Tan Yuewan couldn’t resist taking another bite. The soft, chewy and fragrant flavour filled her entire mouth, and she let out a satisfied sigh.
When she came to her senses, the warmth in her gaze towards Tao Qinghe deepened. “Young lady, having already offended Manager Chen today, it may prove difficult for you to continue trading in this county town. Might you consider trying your luck in Huailing Prefecture instead?”