Wu Wei and Cuiwei had no idea when they had fallen asleep in each other’s arms. When they awoke, the sun was setting in the west, and the bustle of voices drifted in from outside the window.
Accustomed to the quiet of the mountainside, Wu Wei and Cuiwei were initially puzzled. But then the unfamiliar furnishings came into view, and they remembered that they had moved.
Before sleep, Wu Wei had coaxed her with soft words for a long time, and a full night’s rest had eased much of Cuiwei’s anxiety. The two rose and slipped on their shoes, then went together to the window. They pushed it open, and there before them hung half a blazing red sun, slowly sinking toward the distant city walls.
The sight left Wu Wei and Cuiwei stunned. It was so vast, so fiery, so captivating.
Wu Wei couldn’t help but recite, “The setting sun at the ancient city’s corner—raise a cup and stay awhile.” In that moment, she suddenly understood why the ancients, faced with such a beautiful sunset, felt compelled to compose a poem.
Cuiwei lowered her gaze slightly, a faint smile curving her lips. She recited in turn, “Dawn skies, dusk clouds—walking or sitting, I think of you.”
The sunset’s glow bathed the two women at the window in a soft, warm light.
Wu Wei turned to her in delight, gazing at Cuiwei with eyes full of joy.
Who could have imagined it? This eloquent woman by her side had once been a trembling girl in the Charity Mortuary, too afraid to even meet her own eyes.
“Third Sister, you’re wonderful. Having you… it’s wonderful.”
Cuiwei smiled and turned her gaze back to the setting sun. The two stood there quietly, silently, until the sun finally vanished behind the walls. Smoke rose from chimneys in homes across the city, the pedestrians on the street below thinned out, the daytime vendors packed up their stalls, and a new wave of night market sellers took their places.
Taizhou City had no curfew. The public order here had always been good, and the people lived peaceful, prosperous lives. As a frontier region, it imposed fewer restrictions on merchants than the Capital Region, so business owners had it easier.
Second Lady Liu emerged from the adjacent Oil Pressing Workshop and walked to the middle of the street. She looked up and called, “Third Sister! Weiwei! Rested well?”
Wu Wei and Cuiwei leaned out in unison. Second Lady Liu waved with a smile. “Come down for dinner—at the Oil Pressing Workshop! The food’s all ready.”
“Coming!” Wu Wei and Cuiwei replied together.
The two freshened up simply and changed into clean clothes. They descended to the rice shop, where the shopkeeper and clerks greeted them warmly. Business had been booming lately, with a steady stream of customers buying rice. Even at this hour, three or four groups were still haggling with the clerks over prices—more buyers than sellers, though.
Wu Wei and Cuiwei exchanged greetings with everyone. Wu Wei glanced around and asked, “Where’s Zhang Quan?”
The shopkeeper replied, “Back to you, boss—Zhang Quan’s gone to pick up a shipment.”
Wu Wei was mildly surprised. She went behind the counter and asked softly, “Didn’t he just get back a few days ago? How’s he off again so soon?”
The shopkeeper opened the thick ledger and pointed to the grain reserves column. “To answer the manager, ma’am—our shop’s stock can last maybe half a month at most. Zhang Quan calculated the route; leaving now and riding hard, he’ll arrive just as the city gates open. He’ll spend the whole day buying and loading up, then head out before they close. So he always sets off around this time.”
Wu Wei nodded and took the ledger to flip through it. The rice shop was doing very well. After setting aside funds for goods and the grain in storage, they had about two hundred taels in liquid assets—pure profit.
Of course, this was thanks to the connections Gao Ningxue had helped establish.
Bulk purchasing from suppliers saved Wu Wei a great deal on costs. Even selling at Taizhou’s average price, there was still handsome profit to be made.
Wu Wei closed the ledger and said to everyone, “It’s about that time. Once we’ve served these last customers, we’ll close up. You’ve all worked hard today—go home and rest well.”
Everyone acknowledged her words. Wu Wei and Cuiwei—the Embroider Maiden—left the rice shop and headed to the Oil Pressing Workshop.
Zhang Shuisheng’s place had closed early. The workshop’s routine was to take orders in the morning, press the oil in the afternoon, and shut down once the day’s work was done, waiting for customers to pick up their oil the next day.
Zhang Shuisheng had a strong build and had hired a sturdy helper. They didn’t make a fortune, but there was steady income every day, and life was comfortable.
The moment they stepped into the Oil Pressing Workshop, the rich, appetizing aroma of oil filled their noses.
Second Lady Liu beckoned Wu Wei and Cuiwei to the back courtyard, where Old Lady Liu was already waiting. A table had been set up in the yard, laden with over a dozen dishes—meat and vegetables, fish and fowl.
Old Lady Zhang smiled and waved them over. “You two, sit here. Third Sister, next to your mother; Weiwei, next to Third Sister. We were just waiting for you—come on!”
“Coming!”
…
The meal was a joyful feast.
The happiness of reunion softened Old Lady Liu and Cuiwei’s unease about leaving home. Everyone had eaten their fill, though the wine wasn’t finished yet.
Zhang Shuisheng and his father cracked open a jar of murky rice wine and pulled Wu Wei over to join them for a few cups. With a grin, Zhang Shuisheng pointed at the courtyard wall. “In a few days, I’m thinking of putting up some trellises on the wall and clearing a vegetable patch. Vines along the base, low-growers out front. Our yard’s plenty big, Weiwei… why don’t you two make one too?”
Old Lady Zhang chimed in. “High time for it. Your father and I slaved away on the farm our whole lives—we can’t stay away from the soil. Sure, we help sift beans and seeds every day, but it leaves us restless. A garden would give us something to do. We could raise a few chickens too—the bean dregs and seed husks from pressing oil are too good to waste. Chop up some greens and mix ’em in for feed.”
At the mention of “raising chickens,” Wu Wei turned to look at Cuiwei with a smile. The latter knew exactly what was on her mind and blushed, shooting Wu Wei a soft, reproachful glance.
Seeing Wu Wei and Cuiwei say nothing, Old Lady Liu—who was already enthusiastic—spoke up. “I think it’s a great idea. Can’t keep buying vegetables every day—that’d eat up all our silver! The yard behind the rice shop is big, twice the size of our old one. A garden would fit perfectly.”
With even Old Lady Liu on board, how could Wu Wei and Cuiwei refuse?
…
After the meal, Wu Wei and Cuiwei offered to help clean up, but Second Lady Liu shooed them away. Old Lady Liu stayed behind, though, saying she wanted to chat with Old Lady Zhang. The two elders were new to Taizhou City with no old friends here, and it was natural they’d feel lonely.
Wu Wei and Cuiwei returned to the rice shop, which was now closed. Wu Wei picked up the ledger to double-check the books. The shopkeeper doubled as the accountant, borrowed from Cao Tianwang, and he kept impeccable records—detailed and accurate. Still, Wu Wei verified everything before setting down her brush.
Cuiwei said in surprise, “Weiwei, you can do the accounts?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“You’re amazing, Weiwei!” In the Liang Dynasty, bookkeeping was a challenging skill. Accountants commanded fine salaries.
Wu Wei glanced at the big Chinese numerals in the ledger, then at her own scratch paper calculations. She said to Cuiwei, “Want to learn?”
“Me? Could I?”
“Of course. I’ll teach you a really simple method—no abacus needed, and you’ll get it all straight!”
“Really?”
“Mm-hm!”
…
Afterward, Wu Wei wrote the big Chinese characters for one through ten on scrap paper, annotating them with corresponding Arabic numerals. She told Cuiwei, “Third Sister, memorize these numbers—they stand for the ‘digits.’ Once you’ve got them down, I’ll teach you the calculations.”
“Okay.” Cuiwei never doubted Wu Wei’s words.
…
Night fell.
Wu Wei and Cuiwei had long since gone to bed, the room pitch black.
The third watch’s clapper sounded, the night market dispersed, and the city grew silent. Only the occasional distant bark of a dog broke the quiet.
Yet at this hour, the Northwest Gate—rarely used in Taizhou City—was quietly opened from within by Taizhou Prefecture Soldiers…
In the darkness, the city guards spoke briefly with the leader of the soldiers outside. Then, troops began escorting wagons covered in oilcloth into the city, one after another.
The caravan took over an hour to fully enter, following a pre-planned route through quiet backstreets that saw little traffic even by day. Some paths were barely wide enough for a single wagon.
The entire convoy then vanished into an abandoned mine—a site long exhausted, its hill hollowed out, leaving only a vast empty field and some undismantled temporary sheds.
The soldiers unloaded the wagons’ cargo and returned the way they came, exiting Taizhou City through the Northwest Gate before dawn.
With a deep rumble, the long-sealed gate shut once more, as if nothing had happened.
…
In Prince Yi’s Mansion, the study candle burned all night.
As dawn broke and morning light filtered in, the candle was finally snuffed out.
In the study, Prince Yi sat alone in a square-backed armchair, his index finger absently toying with the Yang Green Jade Thumb Ring on his thumb.
It was not until his longtime personal attendant appeared in the courtyard—having followed Prince Yi for many years—that the man hurried to the outside of the study and reported, “My lord, this subordinate has returned.”
“Come in.”
Receiving the order, the man pushed open the door and entered. He approached the desk, knelt, and kowtowed with a joyful expression. “My lord, great news!”
Prince Yi raised an eyebrow. “Rise and report.”
“Yes.” Only then did the man stand. He pulled a thick ledger from his robes, placed it on the desk, and respectfully slid it toward Prince Yi. Then he took two steps back and continued, “Last night, this lowly one had all the harvests from the prince’s estates this year, along with the private fields, transported to the location Your Highness specified. Here is the ledger for Your Highness’s perusal.”
Prince Yi drew the ledger closer. He casually flipped open a page and glanced at it before turning to the final page. Seeing the total recorded there, shock flickered in his eyes. He murmured, “It truly has such remarkable effects?”
The man standing before the desk quickly agreed. “Yes, this lowly one personally oversaw the count and verified it without error. I came specially to bring Your Highness the good tidings!”
Prince Yi nodded. “Transport the grain there in batches, secretly, to the storehouses. What of the situation outside?”
“In response to Your Highness, Qinglu County, Clear River County, and Qingyuan County have suffered the worst drought. They’re all but barren, with barely a kernel harvested… The other six neighboring counties have also been hit by drought, though not as severely as these three.”
