As moving day approached, there seemed to be an endless list of tasks to complete.
After dinner, Ying Xiaoman decided to go out while there was still some daylight left, making the most of her time.
Though Tongluo Alley wasn't in the best part of town, Doctor Li, who often made house calls, was skilled and reasonably priced. She wondered if she'd find such a good physician after moving to the north side of the city.
She lowered her hanging basket and tucked away a standard one-guan paper note, planning to get some extra medicine for her mother.
And for Seventh Young Master's hand, too.
On her way back, the fading light had allowed her to see clearly that the white cloth wrapped around Seventh Young Master's left palm was stained with a light trace of blood. It clearly wasn't "almost healed" as he had claimed.
She'd need to pick up some extra ointment for external wounds as well.
By the time she reached the riverbank, night had fallen completely. After ten consecutive days of clear weather, the once dangerously surging waters had calmed, leaving behind a gently flowing river.
An official boat was once again silently moored in the middle of the river. Many sword-bearing men patrolled the deck, and a lantern hanging at the front of the cabin displayed three large black characters: "Ministry of Justice."
Ying Xiaoman's steps suddenly halted.
In the past, when she was unaware of her enemy's connection to the Ministry of Justice, she could walk past this double-decked official vessel without concern. Now, with her guard up, her eyes were still fixed on the bright yellow lantern displaying "Ministry of Justice," but her body had instinctively crouched down.
She concealed herself in the shadow of the stone railing along the riverbank.
Tonight, there were no black-clad "water ghosts" fishing for bodies in the water. Instead, two officials stood conversing at the bow of the boat.
The lantern hung high above their heads, illuminating their figures clearly. One wore the crimson robes of an official, while the other was dressed in purple brocade.
As she made out their faces, Ying Xiaoman's pupils suddenly constricted.
The man in the purple brocade robe, with his narrow hawk-like eyes and sturdy build, was none other than her enemy whom she hadn't seen in days. That dog official was on the Ministry of Justice boat again!
Looking more closely, she was startled to realize that the official in the crimson robe, with his effeminate features and frail physique, looked somewhat familiar... Wasn't he the Eighth Young Master Yan who had emerged from Changle Alley earlier that morning?
Her enemy was meeting with his own brother. What mischief were the Yan brothers plotting on this official boat?
The sound of water lapping against the boat was faint, and their conversation barely audible.
"...There are too many prying eyes at the yamen. Out here on the water, with no one around, it's indeed easier to talk..." The speaker was Eighth Young Master Yan in his crimson robes.
"Who told you to speak?" Her enemy's low voice carried more clearly over the water.
Eighth Young Master Yan froze, then quickly bowed deeply, almost to the ground. The wind carried his words faintly:
"...This lowly official misunderstood... I didn't know the purpose of tonight's meeting here..."
"I arranged to use your boat, not to meet you," her enemy said in a deep voice, waving his hand impatiently. "Get off the boat."
Eighth Young Master Yan's effeminate face showed a look of restraint.
The great families of the capital were strange indeed. These brothers addressed each other as if they were strangers, with one constantly referring to himself as "this lowly official."
Was it because they were wearing official robes and standing on an official boat?
Ying Xiaoman's mind raced. So, her enemy's thirty-five brothers might not be very close to him after all?
If that was the case, perhaps she wouldn't have to face all thirty-six of them alone?
This thought distracted her momentarily. When she refocused, the lanterns on the bow were still lit, but Eighth Young Master Yan in his crimson robes had disappeared. Only about a dozen well-built, sword-bearing men remained, following her enemy's every step.
She mentally estimated the length of her grappling hook and rope, concluding that she should be able to reach the boat from the riverbank.
On a dark, windy night by the river, if she were to use her grappling hook to climb aboard the ship...
Ying Xiaoman's eyes gleamed in the darkness. A thrilling scene gradually formed in her mind—
In the dead of night, a young woman clad in black stealth clothing nimbly climbs up, a door bolt tucked into her belt, silently scaling the official boat to hide in the shadows of the rear cabin.
The dog official would surely return to his cabin to rest at some point during the night.
Once the cabin door closed, she could strike with the door bolt, finally exacting her revenge. Then, under the cover of darkness, she could silently climb back to the riverbank...
"Hey, you on the bank! I'm talking to you!"
A sudden shout from behind startled Ying Xiaoman so badly she nearly slipped into the river. Her wandering thoughts snapped back to the present, and she instantly darted behind the stone railing at the river's edge.
Two figures stood a few paces away.
It was dark, and neither party had lanterns, so they could only make out each other's silhouettes. The voice belonged to a rough-sounding man.
The other party was also startled, "Why are you hiding? I'm not here to rob you in the dark. Do you live nearby? Come out, I need to ask you about someone."
Ying Xiaoman, worried about being noticed by her enemy on the boat, refused to show herself. "Just ask your question," she said.
Her clear, melodious voice carried on the night wind, startling the man who had called out. He muttered, "How strange. Running into a young lady by the river so late at night."
His companion sneered, "Don't get your hopes up. Just because she has a nice voice doesn't mean she's beautiful. What pretty girl would dare to walk alone at night? Any woman out at this hour is bound to be an old hag. Just ask for directions and be done with it."
The first man cursed, then indeed proceeded to ask for directions.
"I've heard there's a dainty beauty near the fish and bird market, commonly known as the Fish-Gutting Beauty. She used to set up her stall rain or shine, but lately she hasn't been there to gut fish for about ten days. Little girl, do you know where she lives?"
Alarm bells rang in Ying Xiaoman's mind. To be asked about herself face-to-face by a stranger—had they been inquiring all the way here?
"What do you want with her?" she asked cautiously.
The man grew impatient. "These poor folks from small households are all so crafty. Do you want money in exchange for information?"
He pulled out a handful of large coins from his pocket and held them out. "Take the money and quickly tell us where she is. Don't waste my time."
Ying Xiaoman was instantly angered. "How are poor folks from small households crafty?" she said sternly, trying to walk past the two men.
The other man reached out to block her path and sneered at his companion, "See that? She thinks you're not offering enough money."
The second man grabbed another handful of large coins and jingled them in his palm.
"Our master had a maidservant run away, and we're looking for her. That servant was very cunning. She turned on us as soon as she entered the household and disappeared without a trace. We heard that the Fish-Gutting Beauty from the southern fish and bird market, who used to gut and sell fish rain or shine, suddenly stopped doing business. It's possible she's the runaway servant our master is looking for, squandering the money she stole. Come on, little girl, take the money. You know where the Fish-Gutting Beauty lives, don't you? Tell us."
Ying Xiaoman finally understood everything.
Yan Erlang, whom she had encountered once in the east of the city in early spring, had been relentlessly searching for her. His pursuit had led him all the way to the fish and bird market in the south of the city.
The first man had called the poor folks from small households "crafty," while the second one added "stealing" and "squandering" to the list of accusations.
Ying Xiaoman glared at the twenty or so copper coins dangling before her, then reached out and unceremoniously grabbed all the money in her hand.
"Turn back north, then west. Who told you Kill Fish Beauty lives near the fish market? Her house is at Wazi Gate in the west of the city."
Yan Erlang's two lackeys set off in the dark to find Kill Fish Beauty at Wazi Gate. Walk until your shoe soles wear through.
She weighed the twenty-odd large coins in her hand, abandoned the two unfortunate men, and continued along the canal to the doctor's house.
After walking quite far, just as the canal was about to turn, she suddenly stopped in her tracks and glanced back at the river.
Under the bright lanterns of the official boat, Eighth Young Master Yan was no longer visible. Her enemy stood alone at the bow.
He clearly hadn't noticed the movement on the shore. His expression was even gloomier than before, his narrow eyes still fixed on the rushing river water.
That night, when she returned home carrying several heavy packages of medicine, Ying Xiaoman felt a bit uneasy because she had encountered both her enemy and Yan Erlang's men looking for her on the way. She went to the portrait of Guanyin Bodhisattva enshrined in the room and bowed a few times to ward off bad luck.
After finishing the incense offering, she came out to discuss with her mother: "I went to check the north of the city this morning. Everything is ready at the new house. Mom, let's move as soon as possible."
Her adoptive mother exclaimed, "So soon? We haven't packed yet, there are so many odds and ends in the house, we'll need to hire at least two carts. Zhi's mother's newly erected grave is outside the city, and Zhi needs to burn half a basket of gold and silver foil for her mother in person. We'll need to hire a cart to leave the city too. Everything costs money..."
Ying Xiaoman lowered the hanging basket and tossed in the twenty-odd large coins she had plucked from the hands of those two unfortunate men earlier. "We have enough money for the move. Seventh Young Master said he would settle his debt before we move, then we'll have over four strings of cash."
Her adoptive mother sighed, "That's easy for him to say. Four strings of cash is no small sum, we'll see."
"He'll pay it back," Ying Xiaoman said, putting away her mother's medicine and picking up a package of external medicine before pushing open the door to the west room.
Seventh Young Master was sitting by the window.
There was a low square table in the west room, originally placed against the inner wall to hold miscellaneous items. He had moved it himself, placing it by the window and finding an old cushion to put beside it.
On the table was a black pottery bowl half-filled with water, in which floated a few round, lovely, multicolored pebbles found by the river.
Night had fallen, and a small oil lamp provided light in the room, currently placed on the table.
Seventh Young Master knelt beside the low table, his long fingers toying with the pebbles in the water. His movements were leisurely, displaying a touch of elegance and poetic sentiment that seemed incongruous with the old table and chairs around him.
Ying Xiaoman had overheard a few poems outside the private school before. She couldn't articulate the exact artistic conception of the scene before her, but she found it pleasing to the eye.
Some people looked better in half-new, half-old blue cloth robes than those on the street in vermilion robes and brocade.
"Time for your medicine," she said, placing the medicine bowl on the low table.
Seventh Young Master was extremely self-aware. He got up to fetch the oiled paper for keeping accounts and the brush and ink, adding today's medicine cost himself. "Thank you, Miss Ying Xiaoman, for bringing the medicine."
Ying Xiaoman checked that the accounting was correct and put away the oiled paper. "Today is the last package of internal medicine. I've just brought five more packages of external medicine. The doctor said the penetrating wound on the back of your hand is severe. As the weather gets hot, be careful not to get it wet and infected, and watch out for lingering symptoms. Let me see your hand."
Seventh Young Master's left hand, wrapped in cloth strips, had been casually resting on the table, but upon hearing this, he withdrew it to his lap, saying lightly as usual:
"The wound has scabbed over and is about to heal. I can take care of it myself."
"Don't say it's 'about to heal,' your hand injury isn't healed," Ying Xiaoman insisted. "Don't hide it, let me see the back of your hand. I'll change the dressing for you."
But Seventh Young Master was unusually persistent, refusing to let her see. "The wound is unsightly, it would offend Miss Ying Xiaoman's eyes. Just leave the medicine here, I'll—"
Before he could finish, Ying Xiaoman had already grabbed his sleeve and pressed his injured left hand onto the wooden table.
She removed the bandage and wiped away the black herbal medicine with a soft cloth, revealing the angry red wound.
The scar tissue was newly formed, with unhealed flesh still exposed.
Her long lashes fluttered in shock. Ying Xiaoman muttered, "Is five packages of external medicine enough?"
"The tendons and bones have healed, the surface flesh is not a problem," Seventh Young Master said, taking a piece of fine white cloth to cover the gruesome scar on the back of his hand. His expression showed undisguised apology, "It's truly unsightly, how could I let you see it?"
Ying Xiaoman pushed away his obstructing hand again and began to carefully clean the wound.
How could a wound not be unsightly? What if it doesn't heal properly and his left hand develops complications? Seventh Young Master is still so young.
The Ministry of Justice's official boat had stopped on the river again tonight. She hadn't thought much of it at the time, but the more she recalled it, the more worried she became.
"Seventh Young Master, when you asked that fat guy from the black market to pass a message to your friend, won't that reveal your hiding place and lead those dog officials from the Ministry of Justice to come arrest you? If they take you onto the boat, tie you up, and push you into the water—you'd really die this time."
As she spoke, she applied more force in bandaging, causing Seventh Young Master to inhale sharply:
"There's always some risk in maintaining contact on both sides. But come to think of it, why would the Ministry of Justice come to arrest me? Miss Ying Xiaoman, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I feel you have many prejudices against the Ministry of Justice..."
"Not at all," Ying Xiaoman denied flatly.
But because her enemy worked at the Ministry of Justice, and she had just witnessed him rudely treating her brother on the Ministry's official boat, she actually harbored quite a few prejudices against the Ministry of Justice.
Lowering her head to continue bandaging, she muttered softly, "The Ministry of Justice is full of dog officials anyway."
Seventh Young Master: "Hmm... let's not talk about the Ministry of Justice. Let's discuss the fat guy from the Ministry of Punishments."
He changed the subject to the warehouse keeper from the Ministry of Punishments he had met in the black market, who was embezzling goods under his care.
"I fooled that fat guy by saying that my disappearance these past days was due to a secret investigation of an important matter. He believed it completely. To atone for his misdeeds, he will surely deliver the message immediately. By my calculation, my friend who works for the Ministry of Punishments should have received the message by now."
Ying Xiaoman burst into laughter.
She was still applying medicine to the wound, trying hard to hold back her laughter, but the mirth still spilled clearly from her curved eyes. "You lie so easily."
Seventh Young Master calmly handed her the gauze. "This isn't lying. It's just improvising."
"To ensure safety, the message only mentioned the south of the city along the river, without giving a specific location. My friend will search for me along the canal. Oh, and since the Ministry of Punishments and the Ministry of Justice work closely together, if he comes on a Ministry of Justice boat, please be kind with your words, Miss Ying Xiaoman. Don't call him... ahem, a dog official or anything like that to his face."
Seventh Young Master explained softly, "My good friend had a mild stutter as a child. It improved as he grew up, but he still doesn't like to speak in long sentences. His temperament is also somewhat solitary, and he's often misunderstood. If you were to insult him to his face, he probably wouldn't take offense himself, but his subordinates might take it upon themselves to arrest you in order to protect their master."
Ying Xiaoman didn't think she had the temperament to casually insult people. Why would she go and insult Seventh Young Master's friend for no reason?
She was more worried about another matter.
"I don't even know your friend. What if I mistake someone else for him and end up attracting people who mean you harm? I've only just managed to save you; I can't let you carelessly throw your life away again."
Seventh Young Master smiled by the window.
He was handsome, and when he smiled, his peach blossom eyes sparkled like a lake's surface rippled by spring breeze.
"Come closer, Miss Xiaoman."
As he spoke, he finished bandaging his wound and handed her a clean cloth. He took another one and unhurriedly wiped his fingers.
"I'll tell you the secret code I arranged with my friend, Eleventh Young Master. I'm entrusting you with my life, so don't tell anyone else."