A Little Gift

When it came to selling fresh, dewy flowers, the lotus flowers with buds were the most popular. The fresher and prettier they looked, the more expensive they were.

When the fiery outlines of gilts were paired with tulle, the more attractive the color, the brighter the finish, the more unique the design, the higher the price.

The betting tables had been set up. It didn’t matter whether you were placing your bets on Yicui Court or Miaoyin Place, whether you were betting on the hot and sexy or the sweet and innocent. All bets were welcome.

Even the book stalls kept in line with the theme and only sold plays about courtesans.

From the seventh day of the seventh month, it seemed like every street in Luanze was suddenly talking about the boat courtesan competition.

“I’m betting on Yicui Court!! Miss Wushuang’s eyes… she doesn’t have to do anything! She just has to sit there and that’s all it takes to hypnotize me. Nobody else can take the top spot!”

“I’m betting on Wenxiang from Miaoyin Place! The fragrance on her body is the only one in the world! Her eyes are so seductive, she’s so good at talking, and she knows how to dance too! Even if I can’t get to second base with her, just chatting with her is a luxury! It’s said that even the most hot-tempered of customers would feel soothed after entering her room and agree to anything she says!”

“I’m betting Miaoyin Place too! I’m betting on Yuetao! Miss Yuetao can do the Sogdian Whirl dance! Her figure is as slim and gentle as the moon, and her full bosom are like peaches, and can’t be held with just one palm! Sleeping on them is like sleeping on a pillow! It’s so comfortable, it’s impossible to compete with her!”

“I’m betting Miaoyin Place too! But I’m not betting on Wenxiang or Yuetao, but Hanxin! Nobody can compare to her flirtatious expressions and her skills in bed!”

“I’m betting on Wenxiang!”

“I’m betting on Yuetao!”

“But I heard that Miss Wenxiang isn’t feeling well lately. I don’t know if she’d be able to dance.”

“I’m sure she can!”

Song Caitang had only come out for a stroll with Guan Qing and her ears echoed with talk about the boat courtesans.

These women were young, but they were very skilled. They could play instruments, sing and dance.

“…Caitang? Caitang, what are you thinking about?”

Guan Qing was holding up a golden hair pin embedded with rubies against Song Caitang’s hair, but Song Caitang didn’t respond to her, so she waved the hair pin in her face, “What do you think? Is this one nice?”

“Of course! Anything you choose looks nice. I like it very much,” replied Song Caitang with an apologetic smile, “I got distracted listening to everyone talk about the courtesans.”

Guan Qing held up some more pins against Song Caitang’s head and felt that they all looked nice and had trouble deciding which one was better, so she pointed them out to the sales assistant, “Wrap all those up for me.”

“Sure!”

The sales assistant smiled brightly and went to pack all the items Guan Qing wanted. She frowned and said to Song Caitang, “You think they’re enjoying life? They’re all pitiful women! They’re suffering because of all these men. If they didn’t lust after beautiful women and kept their desires in check, this job would even exist. You wouldn’t have so many pitiful young women doing this for a living.”

Her speech seemed a little emotional.

Song Caitang paused to give it thought and understood.

The boat courtesans and the fancy boats they operated out of were all considered maritime businesses. And anything that operated in the waters would be connected to the Green Gang somehow.

“Leader Cao patronizes the boat courtesans?”

“Which popular one in Qingling River has he not patronized?” Guan Qing scoffed, then narrowed her eyes at Song Caitang, “Why are you suddenly bringing Cao Zhang up for no good reason?”

Song Caitang didn’t have the best answer for her, but she couldn’t just make something up either, so she cleared her throat and said, “Well… boat courtesans are considered a maritime business, so I couldn’t help but connect them…”

“That’s true, they’re all maritime businesses.”

Guan Qing had spoken flatly, but Song Caitang could hear a murderousness hidden in her cousin’s voice.

Thankfully, Guan Qing did not do anything nasty to Song Caitang and continued shopping happily with her. She bought stuff for Guan Wan too.

“Are you serious about moving to the waterside pavilion? I’m warning you – there are a lot of insects over there, and there’s water everywhere, so if you fall in, you could be in danger.”

Song Caitang smiled, “It’ll be fine. I’ve got some of the finest insect repellent and I can swim too. If you’re still worried, you can get more servants to watch over me.”

“You’re always so disobedient, that’s why I worry,” Guan Qing glared at her, “Can’t you just spend your days eating, drinking, sleeping, playing and wasting money like other daughters of wealthy families? I’d worry a lot less that way.”

Song Caitang whined cutely as she hugged Guan Qing’s arm and managed to coax Guan Qing into laughing.

In the past, she would never have imagined that one day, she would learn how to whine cutely like that.

After all, she was Song Caitang and was often called a workaholic. She grew up as an orphan with no family, no friends and no boyfriend, focusing on nothing but her studies, then her work. She didn’t know or care about the behavioral habits of cutesy girls.

But now, not only had she learned how to do that, but she was good at it and didn’t feel embarrassed about it. Perhaps…

This was what it meant to be family?

As her thoughts wandered, a commotion could be heard in the distance.

Guan Qing glanced over and narrowed her eyes.

“The new pacification commissioner really makes a big fuss out of everything, as though he’s afraid someone out there doesn’t know who he is.”

Song Caitang frowned.

Following the death of Lu Guangzong, the new pacification commissioner’s surname was Liu, and his name was Liu Qinian. He was a man who went strictly by the book, and the first thing he did as the new pacification commissioner was to clear the entire place of corrupt officials and create what he saw as a healthy culture in the community. He brought up the book written by the empress and the first thing he went after was the virtues that women ought to have.

He said that women ought to learn from the empress, because if the leading woman of the nation observed these things, the women of Luanze should take it upon themselves to understand these rules. Young, unmarried women should not walk the streets, and if it was absolutely necessary for them to do so, they ought to wear a hood over their heads. The mistress of the house had to take care of all household chores and was responsible for the morals taught at home. The elders were to help them with these things, to ensure that the women of Luanze became famous for being virtuous women whom every man from reputable and upright backgrounds would want to marry.

In order to achieve this aim, Liu Qinian got men to walk around and beat gongs. If they spotted any women along the streets, they would counsel them to stay home. If they heard that a woman was abiding by the rules, they would praise her. Heavy emphasis was placed on a woman’s fidelity and purity. He even said that he was going to build arches for the 20 most pure women, and erect them in the most prominent parts of Luanze!

Some people supported these moves and went around doing the same thing. But some did not like his ideas.

One example was Guan Qing.

She had to leave the house almost every day to take care of the family business, and she wasn’t married even though she was almost 20 years old, so she was definitely a target. Liu Qinian’s tactics annoyed her greatly and she had a lot to complain about him.

Song Caitang didn’t like this pacification commissioner very much either.

The installation of a new pacification commissioner was a big thing, so Wen Yuansi and Governor Zhang had been busy with this matter for several days. As a freelance coroner who was officially listed in the courthouse’s books, she had gone to greet him formally. And the look Liu Qinian had given her then…

Song Caitang was still unable to forget it.

There was despise, contempt, displeasure in his eyes, as though standing in the same space as her and breathing the same air as her was unbearable. As though he couldn’t wait to kick her out immediately. She was not welcome in such a place.

She had a feeling that if she ever had to work with him, he would definitely make life difficult for her.

But…

She wasn’t afraid.

If they could work together in peace and harmony, that would be best. But if he insisted on bullying her, she was going to show him that she was no pushover.

Once she got home, Song Caitang instructed Qingqiao and Qinxiu to pack everything and move house.

She had been eyeing that water pavilion for ages now. Her grandmother kept insisting it was too dangerous and the air was too humid, which was bad for health, so she only allowed Song Caitang to go there for fun but not to actually live there. But today, Guan Qing had finally agreed, so she wasn’t wasting any time in moving.

That night, she slept really well.

Water had turned out to truly be the safest place for her. She felt the most comfortable around water.

The only strange thing was, Zhao Zhi was able to find her regardless of where she lived.

Outside the window, Zhao Zhi handed her a bowl of dessert. Song Caitang stood on the inside of the window and ate the dessert as she spoke to him.

“It seems like you haven’t been around lately.”

“I’ve been looking for some people and busy with other matters.”

“Oh…” A gentle breeze blew a bit of hair into Song Caitang’s face, which tickled her nose. She naturally pulled the strands aside and tucked them behind her ears, “Did you find them?”

Zhao Zhi stared at Song Caitang for a long time before answering, “No. The people I’ve been trying to find are either dead or missing. I can’t get any clues on the matter I’m investigating.”

That was sad to hear.

Song Caitang sighed inwardly, “Are you still going to keep looking?”

Zhao Zhi had a resolute look in his eye, “Yes.”

“All the best then.”

The pavilion was surrounded by water, and the rippled reflection of the moon in the water made it look like there was more water than there really was.

Zhao Zhi was clearly uncomfortable. His brows were tightly knit, “Don’t you think it’s not very suitable to live in a place like this?”

“Nope.”

Song Caitang answered without hesitation. When she looked up and saw the expression on Zhao Zhi’s face, she burst out laughing, “I’m sorry, I choose where to live based on what I like. I don’t think about the preferences of other people.”

In other words, she didn’t think he would come.

Zhao Zhi’s eyelid twitched visibly.

But he pulled himself together quickly. “You noticed that the first time we met.”

She had noticed that he was afraid of water.

Song Caitang nearly spat everything out when she remembered how hilarious their first meeting had been.

“That’s because it was really obvious.”

Zhao Zhi shook his head, “You’re the only one.”

It was obvious to Song Caitang, but not to anybody else.

Or at least she had been the only one who observed this so far.

“Why do people fear one particular thing?” Zhao Zhi’s gaze dimmed a little as he stared at Song Caitang, “Are you able to see why?”

Song Caitang put her bowl down, her eyelashes fluttering, “Since you ask…”

“Were you afraid of water before?” she asked Zhao Zhi.

Zhao Zhi shook his head.

“You suddenly became afraid?”

“Yes.”

“And you don’t know why yourself?”

“I seem to have forgotten some things.”

“Forgotten, huh…” Song Caitang paused to think seriously. If that was the case, he might have suffered a major blow or trauma. And in order to continue living normally, his brain shut out those memories.

“Those things must be very important to you.”

Zhao Zhi’s gaze flickered slightly, “Perhaps.”

Song Caitang really wanted to help Zhao Zhi to open up and talk more, but Zhao Zhi did not carry on the conversation. He clearly did not like talking about these things.

And since it was something so private and buried so deep in his heart, Song Caitang didn’t want to probe if he was unwilling to talk about it voluntarily.

Everything fell silent as a result.

The two of them accompanied each other, one inside the room, one outside the room. The moon shone down on them and the quietness was pleasant.

The night breeze and the sound of insects chirping made for a lovely nocturne. Listening to it quietly didn’t feel awkward at all.

It was a long time before Zhao Zhi broke the silence.

“Lu Guangzong’s case has too many implications. Whenever I come to something suspicious and try to investigate further, everything would hit a dead end. If it’s evidence I’m looking for, it’s gone missing. If it’s a person, then that person’s already dead… it’s all very suspicious.”

“Coupled with my personal matters, I’ll continue being very busy for a while and won’t be able to see you so often. Take care of yourself.”

As he spoke, he retrieved a very short bamboo flute from his sleeve and tossed it to her, “If you run into any emergency or you’re in danger, blow on it and I’ll come in no time.”

The flute was a little cold and it was very smooth and shiny. The underside had a few bamboo plants carved into the surface and it was really pretty. It even glowed slightly purple in the moonlight.

It was very faint, but it was definitely purple.

Getting bamboo to look this way had to be really difficult.

Like many other women, Song Caitang liked intricate, tiny, pretty little things. She really liked this delicate yet meticulously crafted bamboo flute. Her eyes lit up in surprise, “You’re giving it to me? Really?”

Zhao Zhi snorted and said in a slightly impatient voice, “Tsk, yes. I’m giving it to you, so it’s yours now. Remember to use it.

Song Caitang had a pleased smile on her face as she touched the little flute and looked it over several times, before suddenly remembering something very important.

“I… don’t know how to play a flute.”

It was really pretty, but she didn’t know how to actually get a tune out of it.

Zhao Zhi frowned as he stared in disbelief at her, “I’ve not seen you for a few days and you’ve exchanged your brains with someone else?”

There was no way such a short and tiny flute could be used as a proper musical instrument!

That finally dawned on Song Caitang and her face actually reddened in embarrassment. She cleared her throat, “Sorry, I got a bit too excited.”

Zhao Zhi moved his gaze away from her pinkish cheeks and turned to leave, “The Ghost Festival is just round the corner and there’ll be a lot of yin forces in the air. Be careful and don’t go out so much.”

Song Caitang was rather surprised. She didn’t expect Zhao Zhi to be… a superstitious man.

“I’m off,” said Zhao Zhi before he spread his arms and hopped off the ledge, disappearing out of sight before Song Caitang could respond.

Song Caitang’s arm was left in midair. She wasn’t in time to call out to him.

As she looked down at the tiny flute in her hand, she fell into deep thought.

Giving and taking made for a good friendship. Since Zhao Zhi had given her something, should she give him something in return too?

Somewhere else.

A large, intricately carved wooden bed covered in red silk shone with the iridescence of a pearl. It looked beautiful in the candlelight.

A young woman was lying on the silk, her hands tied to the head board and completely naked. Her body was covered entirely in wounds, and almost no part of her was untouched. A dagger was still sticking out of the left side of her chest.

Her makeup was long gone, and her red blusher was smudged all over her face. Her brows were no longer colored in and her eyes were wide open. The tears on her face had not dried completely and her pupils were dilated. She could not breathe, speak, or move.

She was dead.

A man lay on the long chair by the side with a satisfied look on his face even as he chastised the third person in the room, “You took so long to come. Hurry up and settle this.”

The third person answered, “Sir, you can’t be like this anymore.”

The man shut his eyes. His hands trembled, but it was hard to say if he was excited or afraid, “I couldn’t help myself…”

After a long time, he opened his eyes again and stared at the bright red blood from the young woman on the bed and licked his lips. A strange glow flickered in his eyes, “I liked her too much. I liked her so, so, very much…”