It was the tail end of November, and the capital was as cold as it got. That morning the courtyard water vat wore a thin sheet of ice.
Great Feng styled itself the one true orthodox realm of the Nine Provinces, so the capital's climate should have been temperate continental monsoon. In a climate like that, winter without heating was brutal.
"In this era, paupers freezing in the streets is only to be expected," Xu Qi'an sighed, regretting that his physics and chemistry had never been up to snuff. A transmigrator who truly knew his sciences could start a farming juggernaut—a real way to help the common folk. The sun hung high and tepid. A fair young maiden led her five-year-old sister through the busy market street, her autumn-water eyes darting left and right. The little one wore a pale green dress, flower vines blooming across sleeves and collar, the loose cuffs giving her an air of immortal grace.
Xu Qi'an couldn't help but recall the costume beauties of his past life—the women of this era dressed far too conservatively.
"Wait—I just thought of a money-making scheme. What if I improved the clothes, made women's garments prettier, more alluring..." a bright idea struck him.
For a split second a flood of epoch-defining women's wear flashed through his mind: cutouts, black stockings, suspenders, peek-a-boo numbers...
Stop. Just stop. I'd be dragged off to the Meridian Gate and beheaded!
After a month of shared days, Xu Lingyue's view of her cousin had changed a great deal. In the past, thanks to Aunt's influence, the original owner had liked none of his younger siblings except Second Uncle's little bean. At first Lingyue would greet him as "big brother," but after being cold-shouldered again and again, she'd settled for a nod.
Now their relations had warmed. The pretty elder cousin held her sister's hand as she walked, deliberately keeping two body-lengths away from Xu Qi'an.
The little bean was entranced by everything in the street and kept trying to wrench free of her sister's grip.
"Candied hawthorn! Candied hawthorn!" she called out.
"Trying to lose your teeth, are you?" her sister scolded, dragging her onward.
The Xu household had been through ruin; their money had run dry, and Xu Lingyue had no copper coins to buy her sister a skewer.
Xu Qi'an trailed behind, watching the girls—mostly the elder one. Tall and willowy, with a maidenly mix of innocence and budding grace, like a willow shoot just unfurling.
"Big brother, big brother!" the little bean panicked, dragging her feet as she fought her sister's pull.
Xu Lingyue bit her lip, exasperated.
"Big brother didn't bring silver either... but we'll have some soon enough," Xu Qi'an soothed his little sister. As he spoke, his foot trod on something hard: a dull sliver of broken silver.
He bent, picked it up, weighed it in his hand. A qian, sure enough. Over the past month, the frequency with which he'd picked up loose qian of silver had become frankly absurd.
Xu Lingyue's eyes went wide. He found silver?!
That settled today's pleasure-house ticket... He hadn't gone for two days, simply because he'd found no money. Xu Qi'an pinched the sliver and headed for the peddler. "Give me three skewers of candied hawthorn."
"Coming right up," the dark-skinned peddler grinned, unhooking three skewers. "Six copper coins."
The sliver couldn't be split, so the peddler ran to a shop to break it, keeping six coins and handing back ninety-four copper coins strung on a length of cord.
Great Feng's monetary system ran one tael of silver equal to eight qian equal to a hundred wen. Gold sat outside the currency as a luxury—a destitute family might go its whole life without touching a piece.
Xu Qi'an took the coins and the skewers. He bit into one, then handed one each to his two sisters.
Xu Lingyue accepted hers with shy reserve. "Thank you, brother." She took a bite, her big eyes curving into crescents—the sight that hits a straight man in the softest part of his heart.
Xu Qi'an nodded. The little bean was already chomping away.
"Big brother, is your candied hawthorn sweet?" Xu Lingyin asked, cheeks puffed out.
"You want some, don't you?" Xu Qi'an called her scheme out.
"Huh? How did you know?" the little bean was taken aback.
Xu Qi'an let out an "hmph." "Eat too much and bugs grow in your mouth."
"What kind of bugs?" the little bean's face turned wary.
"The fat little white ones, all greasy and wriggling."
No sooner had he said it than she swallowed a mouthful of spit. Ha, that did it. Xu Qi'an bowed and offered up the skewer with both hands.
Xu Qi'an led the two girls strolling down the street, the splendor of the capital flashing past his pupils, yet he felt no joy. I found silver again... This isn't scientific! A police-academy man, he was razor-sharp about details that refused explanation.
"Could it be tied to my transmigration?" Before crossing over, he'd touched no antique, and no wizened old master had patted his head.
"So this is my golden finger? One qian every single day—exactly the cost of a pleasure-house visit? So me soaking up that pleasure house daily is the will of heaven?"
"First, break through to Qi Refining. Level up, observe, see what changes. When I get stronger, maybe I'll figure out this ridiculous luck."
He kept a wary eye on that weird fortune; if it were the System, he'd accept it gladly.
...
There was a bordello on this street called the Laurel Moon Pavilion—a third-rate bordello.
Thanks to the tutelage of Warden Wang and the rest, Xu Qi'an had picked up an abundant education in bordello lore. A bordello's name-suffix revealed its grade: first- and second-rate ones favored "Courtyard," "Hall," or "Pavilion"; third- and fourth-rate went by "Troupe," "House," or "Shop"... circle that, it's important!
It wasn't even noon, yet the ladies had opened early. A cluster of painted beauties leaned over the second-floor railings, smiling sidelong at passersby. When they spied someone in silk, they'd wave a handkerchief: "Kind sir, do come up for a little tipple."
...Even a third-rate bordello charged a minimum of two qian in wine fees just to get in the door, and sharing a bed ran from five or six qian up to a tael or two... Xu Qi'an did the sums and confirmed he couldn't afford such pleasures—his whole fortune was a few taels. He watched the twittering beauties above and sighed from the heart: "Back then, young, in thin blue robes, riding askew by the tilted bridge, while a whole building of red sleeves waved me up!"—the dream of every man alive.
"Brother's poetic talent should be put to better use," Xu Lingyue said flatly, silently wondering if her second uncle was right—that her eldest brother was the true scholar of the family.
"Big brother, the ladies upstairs are so pretty," the little bean piped up.
"Of course. Anyone in business has to dress presentably," Xu Qi'an answered.
"What business are they in?"
"Selling abalone."
"Abalone real?" The little bean's eyes went round, refusing to budge.
"Brother!" Xu Lingyue stamped her foot, half-shy, half-annoyed. Xu Qi'an glanced at her. What are you angry about—don't tell me you actually got the joke?
He left the bordello behind, and they came to a stall selling fish-ball snacks. The drifting aroma rooted the little bean's feet. Xu Lingyue stole a few glances and swallowed quietly—the Xu family had lived frugally since prison, sometimes three days without meat, and she was at that age when her body stretched tall, craving meat above all.
"Wait here. Your brother will buy you some."
The stall was small and the line long, so Xu Qi'an had the girls wait and squeezed to the front.
"Big brother is the best," the little bean said, swallowing, and glanced at her sister.
Xu Lingyue held her sister's hand and watched Xu Qi'an's back, the corners of her mouth tugging up before she knew it.
Before long he returned with three portions in oiled paper packets. And as he drew near, he saw four or five retainers surrounding Xu Lingyue. They didn't touch her, only joked and jeered.
The sixteen-year-old maiden was like a doe caught in a snare, shielding herself as she struggled to break free of the ring, only to be shoved back, frightened nearly to tears.
The retainers roared with laughter.
Nearby, a young master in fine brocade sat astride a tall steed, watching the show like a spectator at a play.
Seeing her sister bullied, little Xu Lingyin scurried up to the young master, flung her small body forward—and burst into tears, unleashing a sonic attack.
"What a racket." The young master raised his riding whip, then froze, cruelty flickering in his eyes. He yanked the reins, forcing the horse to rear, and drove its hooves down at Xu Lingyin.
Xu Lingyue let out a shrill, heartrending scream.