Chapter Six

The universal translation for this expression was "No way, idiot, stay over there."

The first thing Zhu Bafu did every day upon entering the door was shake out every single copper coin from all over his body, and the men's clothing he changed out of had to undergo strict inspection and screening by Zhu Xiaojiu to ensure he was not secretly hoarding private money, from the outer robe down to the undergarments, not even sparing his folding fan, because he once had a record of tucking silver notes inside a paper fan to pull the wool over people's eyes. Except for his breechcloth, all of his clothing had to be handed over through the closed door, and only then was he allowed to change into makeup and women's clothing.

He wore a wide-sleeved lotus-trimmed skirt, layered over a high-collared, waist-cinching small jacket, with his waist-length hair hanging loose, perfunctorily adorned with a couple of cheap patterned tassel hairpins, his embroidered shoes revealing embroidered ball-shaped toes, and he strode over to the dining table, sat down in a chair, picked up his chopsticks and held his bowl, shoveled down a huge mouthful of food, and was just about to swallow when a single sentence from Zhu Xiaojiu choked him into a fit of coughing.

"A man wearing women's clothing—how strange."

Cough, cough, cough! Cough! "How can you be so hard to please? You say I have no manners when I wear men's clothes, and you say it's strange when I change into women's clothes. What on earth do you want?"

"Then don't wear men's clothes and pace back and forth in front of my eyes." Ignoring his protest, Zhu Xiaojiu continued picking up food and eating on his own.

Zhu Bafu frowned in protest. "Then how are we supposed to earn silver taels to go out?"

"I can earn silver taels too."

"Relying solely on the silver taels you make doing odd jobs as a little bookboy at Dongxu Mansion is simply not enough for old man and the others to get by over there."

"... " Zhu Xiaojiu fell into a rare silence, hopped his small body down from the chair, took out a small jar hidden under the bed, and carefully counted and tallied. "The silver taels this time should barely be enough. Did that fiancé of yours tell you when his caravan will be returning to the capital?"

Zhu Bafu cast a sidelong glance, picked up a slice of pickled vegetable, and chewed on it. "What fiancé, alright? We broke off the engagement eight hundred years ago, and he's already been married for over half a year—what fiancé. Bah."

"Huh? Judging by your sour tone, did you really want to marry him back then?" Zhu Xiaojiu teased and hummed. Speaking of that not-so-glorious past, neither of them felt any embarrassment or depression, as if they had simply grown used to it.

"A wealthy young master of the capital, with both wealth and good looks—why wouldn't I want to marry him? Xiaojiu, you tell me, what on earth was I thinking back then? To just let him call off the engagement like that. That's right, Li Luyang! His old man is the richest merchant in the capital, with a family fortune worth tens of thousands of gold and tens of thousands of mu of fertile land. If he knew that I'm now reduced to tightening my belt to get through the days, what pride did I need back then, what kind of airs was I putting on? I should have crawled there or clung to him to marry him!" Thinking back to those years, she was also a fine official's daughter who had been betrothed to a renowned wealthy young master. Yet nowadays, the wealthy young master was still a wealthy young master, except the young mistress had been replaced by someone else. Ah, remembering those stirring years of the past, how could a person not be filled with sorrow and shed tears!

"Well, that would be wonderful. Anyway, old man's side is also lacking silver taels to grease palms. When you go deliver the money, just bring it up to him and say you still want to see if he'll take you in. If you successfully pass the recruitment, we'll also save ourselves the hardship. In my view, it's quite good. I'm just afraid he's not interested in the male version of you anymore."

"Go on with you, what kind of rotten idea is that? The man is married, married, married."

After the fall and ruin of the Zhu household, when she settled the engagement with him, he became betrothed to someone else, and they were officially married half a year ago.

Originally, when she was betrothed to him, the two of them had barely interacted, and on the few occasions they did run into each other, they only nodded in awkward acknowledgment. But after the engagement was broken off, perhaps because the breakup left him feeling guilty, or perhaps because he still remembered the past ties between their two families, he did not completely cut off relations. Not only did he treat her well, but he also helped her out with a great deal.

"So I'm saying, good men are all married and belong to someone else. As for the ones left over, they're either playing with men or playing with women. This world is truly terrifying! My fate just grazed past me and slipped away. Xiaojiu, I want to drown my sorrows in alcohol!"

"Hmph, hehe. No way." He curled his lips in a dry laugh. Broaching romantic and sentimental pastimes like drowning sorrows in alcohol was something poor families couldn't afford to play with. "If you knew things would turn out like this, why did you brush him off back then when Li Luyang offered to sponsor us with silver taels?"

"One doesn't accept rewards for no merit. Why take someone else's silver for no reason?"

Zhu Xiaojiu shook his little head with a worldly sigh. Since he clearly couldn't lower himself to accept charity from others, why bother putting on such a stubborn front? "Tomorrow, make sure you take these silver taels and bring them to him. Have him pass them along to old man and the others."

"Mn. I know."

"Wear women's clothing!"

"... "

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Chapter Six ### The next day.

Putting on a veiled hat, changing into the only pure-snow silk long gauze dress left behind after her family's ruin, letting down a head of plain hair without a single pearl hairpin, Zhu Bafu turned and looked at himself in the mirror for a while. Ever since her home was raided and confiscated, she had rarely touched this dress. The only few times she wore it were to go see Li Luyang. Perhaps it was because she couldn't put down her pride, or perhaps it was a spirit of stubborn unwillingness to admit defeat, but she simply didn't want to look shabby and destitute in front of an old acquaintance from the past, as though she were wagging her tail and begging for pity.

She lowered her head and walked briskly toward the affluent noble district at the very center of the imperial city, trying her best not to attract anyone's attention, and sneaked her way to the back door of the Li Estate.

The back door of a great and influential household remained grand and imposing. Brightly colored potted peonies of various hues were lined up neatly in a row along the corners of the wall, two large lanterns bearing the character "Li" hung on either side of the tall gate, and the high threshold lay right before her eyes, making the estate gates feel all the more difficult to enter. There were servants keeping watch here as well, but whenever it wasn't the day for him to meet with Li Luyang, Li Luyang would dismiss the others and come alone to the back door to see her.

She tightly gripped the purse in her hand, which contained the silver taels this time that she was going to entrust Li Luyang to take out of the capital for business and deliver to old man.

With a creak, the heavy wooden door swung wide open.

A dark blue cloth shoe stepped across the threshold, walked lightly down the steps, and strode toward her as she stood by the door.

She waved at Li Luyang through the thin gauze, only to see him reach out and gently lift away the gauze veil draped over her head. A handsome face with delicate eyebrows and clear eyes was sharply magnified before her eyes. His gaze was deep, the corners of his lips curved upward slightly as he stared at her intently, his fingertips lightly brushing against her temples.

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