Mother and daughter embraced, moved to tears. The matter of marriage remained unsettled, temporarily set aside.
But the move was indeed imminent.
Ying Xiaoman left early in the morning. Firstly, there were many errands to run before moving; secondly, to avoid Yan Erlang.
Moving was a big deal. Early in the morning, she went to the carriage depot to rent vehicles. Gritting her teeth, she paid half a tael of silver to rent two sturdy donkey carts, arranging for them to arrive at her door the next morning.
One task down, many more to go.
Seventh Young Master's left hand injury hadn't healed, and she feared the few packs of external medicine at home wouldn't be enough. After leaving the carriage depot, she headed to the riverside doctor's house.
Doctor Li was seeing patients at home when he saw Ying Xiaoman, dressed in plain clothes, enter. He asked curiously, "Has your mother's dizziness returned?"
Ying Xiaoman replied, "It's not for my mother, but for someone else at home. We're moving in a day or two, and I think your medicine works well, so I'd like five more packs of the external medicine."
Doctor Li's eyelid twitched, "He's still at your house? Wasn't he supposed to leave when you moved?"
Ying Xiaoman told the truth: "We've decided not to send him away. He'll continue to stay with us after we move to the new house."
"Suit yourselves," Doctor Li shook his head, but quickly expressed regret.
"You're moving so soon? I won't be able to have you help with fish cleaning anymore. Miss Ying, you're truly skillful and clean when it comes to preparing fish."
"We'll be too far from the fish market, so I won't be doing that anymore."
Doctor Li had lived in the Capital City for a long time and was knowledgeable. Ying Xiaoman had always admired him, so she took the opportunity to humbly seek his advice while he prepared the medicine.
"When we move to the north of the city, we want to start a new business. My mother wants to open a breakfast stall selling tofu pudding, but I think it's too strenuous and worry she'll fall ill. What do you think, Doctor?"
As expected, Doctor Li didn't support the idea: "Your mother is getting on in years, her health isn't what it used to be. She gets dizzy easily when tired. The tofu pudding business is too demanding, don't let her do it. The money earned won't be enough to cover medical expenses. If you could rent a shop in the north of the city and have your mother manage it, the business wouldn't be as tiring..."
He suddenly paused, remembering the family's financial situation, "Renting a shop requires quite a bit of capital. Your family, ahem, might find it challenging."
The speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart. As Ying Xiaoman listened, she recalled the family savings her mother had revealed to her the night before.
The dowry money saved for her was a full eighteen taels. Should that be enough to rent a shop?
"What about an embroidery shop? Mother is skilled at embroidery. If we rented a small shop for her to manage, would that be a good business?"
Doctor Li wasn't optimistic about embroidery. Every woman knew how to embroider, and there were too many skilled embroiderers in the Capital City. Even female Taoist priests in temples opened shops selling collars and cuffs.
"To be honest, the embroidery business isn't easy in the Capital City. Have you thought of any other business?"
This time, Ying Xiaoman thought longer.
"Doctor, as you know, I used to go hunting in the mountains with my father back home. I'm good at slaughtering sheep and cattle, skinning animals. Fish cleaning is nothing compared to that."
She muttered softly, "But my mother won't let me help at butcher shops. She says all butchers are burly men and worries something might happen to me."
The doctor sighed, "What business does a young lady like you have helping at someone else's butcher shop! Those who wield knives as butchers are often rough people! If you have money to set up an embroidery shop for your mother, why not set up your own meat stall?"
Ying Xiaoman was taken aback.
There were many women selling fish in the fish market, but all the butcher shops in the neighborhood were run by strong men. She had never thought about renting a butcher shop and running it herself.
"Let me think about it..."
Doctor Li rarely opened up to people like this. The butchery trade in the Capital City attracted all sorts of characters, and he was genuinely worried the young lady might go down the wrong path and ruin her life at such a young age.
"To be frank, Miss Ying, your price of thirty wen for cleaning a fish isn't cheap! Just a few steps from the fish market, you can find people who clean fish for twenty wen, or even fifteen wen. So why do I always come to you for fish cleaning? Why do so many people specifically seek you out?"
Ying Xiaoman wasn't quite sure herself.
"You're being kind to support my business, Doctor. As for the others, I don't know. My mother says many of them are rascals, perhaps..."
Doctor Li shook his head repeatedly: "In business, being attractive certainly helps draw customers. But how long can you rely on looks? Many regular customers seek you out because your fish cleaning skills are both quick and good. You look like a delicate young lady who's never done a day's work, but when you pick up that knife, you scale and debone in no time, digging out the innards from the bloody water. That efficiency is rare!"
Ying Xiaoman said, "Brother Zhang next door is also efficient at cleaning fish. He also scales and debones quickly, and only charges twenty wen. But his business isn't as good as mine."
Doctor Li insisted it wasn't the same, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly why. After wracking his brains for a while, he could only say, "It's not surprising for a man to be good at cleaning fish, but it's rare for a young lady. If you were to open a meat stall, your business would surely thrive."
Older doctors tend to be talkative. As he prepared the medicine, Doctor Li continued to advise, "Listen to your mother's advice. A nice young lady like you shouldn't work in someone else's butcher shop..."
Even after walking far from the doctor's house with five packs of external medicine, Ying Xiaoman's head was still buzzing.
When she finally became aware of her surroundings, she found herself standing on Dongming Bridge.
Ying Xiaoman: "..."
The bridge was crowded with people. She turned back, struggling to squeeze off the bridge. Halfway through, she was stopped by a young man dressed in white scholar's robes. With a flushed face, he introduced himself, his family background, and asked where she lived, if she was a local of the Capital City...
Dongming Bridge wasn't far from the Imperial Academy, and there were many young scholars. Ying Xiaoman had been stopped more than a few times. Without waiting for him to finish, she said directly, "I'm from a fish-cleaning family, and I'm already engaged." She left the stunned scholar behind, quickly walking towards a row of shops on the street.
These Imperial Academy students came from various backgrounds. Most would stop pursuing her after hearing "engaged," but a few would still persist on the street. However, she had never encountered one who followed her all the way to the shops.
Ying Xiaoman sought out a familiar Tea Doctor's shop. She didn't go in, just stood under the awning, her entire body hidden in the large shadow, watching the scholar on the street looking back every few steps, leaving with a sense of disappointment.
A moment later, the Tea Doctor came out from the shop to the awning. Ying Xiaoman apologetically said, "Go about your business, I'll leave soon."
It was a pleasant spring day with gentle winds. The tea shop's windows were adorned with a row of colorful pinwheels to attract business, spinning merrily in the breeze.
The Tea Doctor handed over a conical hat, "Young miss, please take this. Those Imperial Academy students are young and impetuous, often causing trouble on the streets. If you dislike their wild talk, remember to wear this hat when you go out."
Ying Xiaoman put on the hat and thanked him gratefully.
"No need for thanks," the Tea Doctor smiled discreetly, "Young miss, you're not meant for obscurity. If you achieve wealth and status, don't forget me."
Ying Xiaoman: "?" The Tea Doctors in the Capital City were too learned; she couldn't understand what he was saying!
The tea at the tea shop was too expensive to sit and drink, but having received the Tea Doctor's kindness, she had to support his business. She looked around and pointed to the window of the tea shop, saying with emotion, "I'll buy a pinwheel."
With one hand carrying a medicine bag and the other holding the newly bought colorful pinwheel above her head, the girl in plain clothes walked briskly northward to her new home, accompanied by the whirring sound of the spinning pinwheel.
Zhi had never left Tongluo Alley. When they moved to the new house, she would surely be delighted to find a beautiful large pinwheel inserted below the window, spinning merrily in the wind.
As luck would have it, the housing agent was in Seven Scholars Lane today.
A neighboring house opened its narrow door halfway, and a plainly dressed housewife stood at the doorway, conversing with the agent outside.
From a distance, she heard the agent sigh, "The custom for houses in this area is to collect two years' rent in advance, with twenty-four months' deposit, refundable at the end of the term. Considering that the Shen family serves in the government, I've convinced the landlord to make an exception and only collect one year's rent, with the second year payable monthly. Two strings of cash per month isn't much! Madam Shen, you're the wife of an official, destined to receive an imperial title. How can you accept government salary on one hand and delay rent payment on the other? Madam Shen, search your conscience, can you sleep soundly in this house at night?"
Ying Xiaoman, hearing "official's wife" from afar, was startled and stopped five paces away.
But the colorful pinwheel in her hands was eye-catching. The agent turned his head, noticed the movement, and smiled.
"Ah, it's the young miss from the Ying family. You'll be moving in soon, right?"
As they faced each other, the neighboring Madam Shen's fair face suddenly flushed red. She nervously tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing unadorned earlobes. The Shen family's door closed silently.
The agent, who had earned a hefty commission from the Ying family's transaction, eagerly came over to help Ying Xiaoman open the door, placing the pinwheel by the window.
Ying Xiaoman, still pondering the words "official's wife" she had overheard, asked the agent, "The neighbors next door..."
"Next door is the Shen family. The master of the Shen household is remarkable, an Imperial Censor serving in the Censorate, with a reputation for integrity! Hehe, his household is also clean as a whistle, without a penny to spare."
There was a hidden meaning in the agent's words, but Ying Xiaoman didn't catch it. She stood under the osmanthus tree, her gaze slightly unfocused.
She quite liked this new house, a quiet and pleasant residence, conveniently located near her enemy's home. But how could her neighbor be an official's residence?
She had moved here to kill the dog official. Officials in the Capital City all knew each other, who knew which official might be a friend, colleague, teacher, or student of her enemy, Yan Rongshi...
It would be too difficult to plan to kill the dog official while maintaining friendly relations with the official next door...
Ying Xiaoman's voice sounded distant: "Among the dozen or so neighbors in Seven Scholars Lane, apart from the Shen family next door who are officials, the rest should be ordinary families, right?"
"Who says so? The name Seven Scholars Lane is auspicious, many officials specifically choose to live here."
The agent immediately pointed out to her, "Two houses to the east, there's the Zhou family of the Ministry of Justice Chief Clerk; two houses further, the Zheng family of the Ministry of Revenue Senior Official. And the house beyond that, hey, is a colleague of the Shen family, another Imperial Censor!"
"..."
Seven Scholars Lane was home to so many officials!
After confirming that the Ying family would move in soon, the agent earnestly advised, "Recently, when taking carriages on the main street, stay away from Changle Alley. The Yan family there has had a major incident, and the guards at the alley entrance have started questioning and arresting people. Be careful not to offend them."
Her wandering thoughts were instantly pulled back, and Ying Xiaoman's heart rang alarm bells: "What happened to the Yan family?"
The agent lowered his voice and muttered, "The Yan family has had two consecutive murder cases! Half a month ago, a bloated floating corpse was fished out from under Dongming Bridge in broad daylight, drawing a huge crowd and causing quite a stir. Later, someone identified the deceased as a servant from the Yan family! And that's not all, the day before yesterday, I heard that another floating corpse was found in a downstream county a hundred miles away. When the body was brought back to the capital for identification, well, it turned out to be another servant from the Yan family! Many people are saying that Changle Alley has bad luck this year, and the Yan family's troubles might not be over yet."
Ying Xiaoman: "Hiss... That sounds ominous."
"Indeed it does!"
After a trip to the northern part of the city, her ears filled with news, Ying Xiaoman left in a daze to return home.
On her way back, she passed by Dongming Bridge.
She couldn't help but stop. The riverbank was lined with weeping willows, and pedestrians rubbed shoulders in the crowd. In such a bustling area filled with shops, a bloated floating corpse had been fished out of the river in broad daylight?
There were indeed many bodies traveling by water in the Capital City!
She had left early and was returning just after dusk. The sun had not yet set, its golden light illuminating the depths of the quiet alley.
As she approached the entrance of Tongluo Alley, she sensed something was amiss.
Two or three men were wandering around the alley entrance, all wearing dark blue robes and carrying swords. They looked like officials, their eyes scanning the surroundings.
Ying Xiaoman's heart tightened as she remembered Yan Erlang's visit the day before. She immediately slowed her pace, pulled her conical hat lower, and stood by the riverbank.
But the sturdy men dressed as officials across the street showed no sign of movement, neither approaching nor trying to engage in conversation.
Just then, several women carrying baskets of vegetables they had washed in the river approached Tongluo Alley. One of the bolder ones asked, "Who are you looking for?" The man opposite bowed slightly without replying, turned and stepped aside, making way for them.
His demeanor was neither servile nor arrogant, quite polite, and didn't seem like one of Yan Erlang's men looking for her.
Yan Erlang's search for her was a private matter, and he would have sent household servants, not men in official robes.
Ying Xiaoman pondered this as she quickly followed the women into Tongluo Alley. As she approached her door, she looked back and saw no trace of the officials at the alley entrance.
Many families in Tongluo Alley had noticed the officials wandering outside the alley. Her adoptive mother, feeling uneasy, mentioned it to Xiaoman in a low voice during dinner.
"Dark blue robes, carrying swords, black boots, they look like government men, but when asked who they're looking for, they don't respond. I asked several neighboring families, and they all say these men are different from the ones Yan Erlang brought to look for you the other day."
Her adoptive mother worried, "Child, with people coming one after another, and now even officials, is our alley about to face some great calamity?"
Ying Xiaoman was also puzzled. "I encountered a few of them when I went home. They even bowed and greeted me politely, not seeming like bad people at all. Perhaps it's about something else?"
A voice came from behind the tightly closed door of the west room, "Perhaps they are relatives and friends coming to seek me out."
Zhi was greatly surprised, lifting her head from her bowl. "Seventh Young Master in the west room, you have relatives and friends?"
Seventh Young Master's voice replied leisurely from the room, "Little girl, drop the 'west room' part, just call me Seventh Young Master. Of course I have relatives and friends."
Zhi obediently and sweetly called out, "Seventh Young Master." She was immediately tapped on the head by her adoptive mother, who said, "Mind your manners. How old are you? Call him Uncle Seven."
Zhi blinked her eyes in confusion several times.
Ying Xiaoman raised her hand and affectionately stroked the little head, "Who told you to interrupt? Be quiet and eat your meal."
After the three women of the Ying family finished their evening meal around the table, Ying Xiaoman picked up five packages of external medicine and pushed open the door to the west room. "Seventh Young Master, I'd like to discuss something with you."