Chapter 10

The north wind had howled throughout the night.

The room remained bitingly cold, yet perhaps because she now had a goal and a sense of direction, or perhaps because she was finally beginning to adapt to her new environment, Yang Manniang slept remarkably soundly that night.

It was not until the fifth watch that she stirred, awakened by the rough, gravelly voice of the night watchman announcing the clear weather and the rhythmic clanging bells of the night-soil carts.

She rose nimbly, washed, and combed her hair. From the wood ash beneath the stove, she unearthed the potatoes she had buried the night before. After she and her younger brother, Yang Shilin, each ate one, she changed into her clothes, wrapped herself in a sheepskin jacket, and stepped out to work.

Their workplaces were not far apart. Yang Shilin was a young courier for the Xiang Family Gazette, with the newspaper office located near the Temple of King Wucheng on the Imperial Street. Bianjing was a city of thriving commerce and a vast floating population; with such a wide pool of labor, shops set high standards for their employees. For a boy of his age, unable to handle heavy manual labor, this was the most respectable job he could find. Usually, one had to pay a deposit of one hundred wen to lease the papers from the office to sell. There were no performance bonuses or commissions. The Xiang Family Gazette was published five times a month, and he worked five days a month, earning twelve wen per day for a total of sixty wen. In winter, the office provided an additional five wen as a charcoal subsidy.

The wind was so fierce that a single gasp would chill one’s stomach until it trembled. Thus, the two siblings said little, each pulling their sheepskin jackets tight and burying their heads against the gale. After walking for more than half an hour, they parted ways at the entrance of Panlou South Street—one to the newspaper office, the other to the Fan Pavilion.

After checking in as usual, Yang Manniang changed into soft-soled shoes and headed to the second floor. She tidied her appearance before the bronze mirror and began another day of labor. She had just finished cleaning the candle holders in two private rooms and was stepping out to fetch water when someone called out to her.

"Manniang!"

The girl who approached was delicate, dressed in a light pink, chest-high ru-skirt, her hair styled in a double-coiled bun tied with red ribbons. This was the uniform of the apprentice songstresses at the Fan Pavilion. It was Liang Lele.

Liang Lele was a year older than Yang Manniang and served as an apprentice songstress in the West Building. Her family also rented a place near Nanxun Gate, in Wanping Alley, just one street away from the Yang household. She had parents and a younger brother named Liang Fei. Because of her striking looks and natural musicality—and her love for the pipa—her parents had sent her to the Fan Pavilion, where she learned her craft while performing under a master. Though she had not yet graduated, she earned a monthly stipend of two hundred wen as an apprentice.

Unlike the maids, the songstresses were provided with room, board, and seasonal clothing by the Fan Pavilion. Their benefits were far superior to those of Yang Manniang. However, every coin had two sides. Liang Lele’s master was a stern, middle-aged musician. In these times, respect for teachers was paramount, and the relationship between master and apprentice was rigid; once an apprentice had kowtowed to a master, she had to follow the master’s every arrangement, save for marriage. Without permission, she could not return home as she pleased; otherwise, a beating would be the lightest of punishments.

Thus, whenever Liang Lele received her pay, she would seek out Yang Manniang at the West Building to entrust her with taking the money home. Today, however, was not payday, and Yang Manniang was puzzled to see her.

"Sister Lele, why are you here?"

"I have something I need you to take home for me! Recently, quite a few scholars have submitted new lyrics at the Middle Building. Lady Wan'er has taken a liking to one and intends to compose a new melody. My master has to go to the Middle Building today to accompany Lady Wan'er, and I must go with her. You know how they are—they lose track of time and food when composing, often taking half a day or more. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to slip away, so I came to find you early."

As Liang Lele spoke, she handed over a plain-colored purse. "Yesterday, Master Gao, Master Xiang, and the Imperial Son-in-law Cai were hosting guests at the Peony Pavilion. They requested Sister Susu to perform, and I went along to play the pipa for her. Hehe, the young masters were incredibly generous with their tips! Sister Susu even received a jade bracelet of exceptional quality. She was so happy that she gave us thirty wen as a reward. Please take this home for me!"

"Alright," Yang Manniang nodded, tucking the purse away.

"Oh, and here, have this!" Liang Lele smiled, producing a palm-sized victory cake as if by magic. It was square, about the size of a mahjong tile, topped with a mysterious red powder that looked incredibly appetizing. "Eat it quickly; I saved it just for you!"

Seeing Yang Manniang hesitate, Liang Lele urged her, "You know the matrons of the Four Departments and Six Bureaus; they check us every day like we’re thieves. If you don't eat it, you'll never be able to sneak it out."

Yang Manniang was well aware of the rules: staff were forbidden from taking anything from the restaurant, not even a single thread. To be caught was to be treated as a thief and handed over to the authorities. Though the Fan Pavilion hosted wealthy guests who thought nothing of silver, and the leftover food and pastries were countless, ninety-five percent of the leftovers went through established disposal channels, and the remaining five percent were perks for the senior managers. The menial servants and maids might occasionally get lucky enough to share a few scraps, but they had to consume them on the premises. Taking anything home was impossible.

Yang Manniang didn't stand on ceremony. Having only eaten a roasted potato for breakfast and having walked and worked ever since, she was famished. The victory cake was small, but it was sweet and chewy, packed with honey and red bean, and far from dry.

"It's delicious."

Seeing her praise, Liang Lele beamed with satisfaction. "Of course it is! It’s from the Honey Bean Studio! Didn't I tell you I was accompanying Sister Susu yesterday? She didn't just tip us; she shared a plate of these victory cakes with us, too."

Yang Manniang was moved. The pastries in the pavilion were plated delicately, with no more than six cakes per dish. Since Liang Lele’s master had another apprentice, each person likely only got two.

She was about to say something when hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor, followed by the voice of the deputy manager, Chang Qingnian: "Where is everyone? Light the lamps in the Qingzhu Pavilion! The guests are arriving!"

Usually, the private rooms on the second floor of the West Building did not receive guests until after the afternoon hour of Shen. Exceptions occurred only when the East and North Buildings were full, which usually happened on holidays or festival days. Qingzhu Pavilion was the room Yang Manniang was responsible for. With no time to waste, she bid a hasty farewell to Liang Lele and nimbly gathered her lamp and candle box to go light the room.

In this era, although glass existed, it was expensive and used mostly for small ornamental items like glass geese, grapes, horses, or hairpins. It was not used for windows, which were still made of oiled paper and translucent tiles. Because of this, one couldn't simply open the windows in winter as one could in summer. The indoor light was somewhat dim, so even during the day in winter, the Fan Pavilion required lamps and candles.

Yang Manniang had just finished lighting the candles when the guests arrived. The leader was a man in his thirties, stout and round, wearing a reddish-brown round-collared robe under a black fox-fur coat. A piece of jade the size of a pigeon's egg was embedded in his belt. The other two men were well-built and dressed just as opulently in blue and bean-green. Their attire alone signaled that they were not men who lacked silver.

However, Yang Manniang’s attention was not on the jade, but on the newspaper held by the man in the bean-green robe.

After the leader ordered dishes from Lu Yawei, he began to chat as if no one else were around while sipping tea. "Brother Zhu, have you seen it? The official gazette says there’s a snow disaster in Yingtian Prefecture. Many houses have collapsed, and quite a few people have died!"

The man in the bean-green robe took a sip of tea and shook the gazette in his hand. "How could I not? My family estate is there. My mother and my eldest son are staying there to look after the business. I don't know how they are or if anything has happened. I wrote to them these past two days, but I haven't received a reply, and the official gazette has no new information. It is truly heart-wrenching to wait like this."

The stout man nodded, looking worried. "Don't be too anxious. The information in the official gazette comes via the government courier stations, which is slow enough as it is. With the snow disaster blocking the highways, news is even slower. You should check the small gazettes. They survive by being the first to report, and most of them keep carrier pigeons and eagles in Yingtian Prefecture; they transmit news very quickly. Besides, for a major event like a snow disaster, once it’s in the official gazette, the small gazettes will follow up with the details."

"Ah! That’s right! Why did I forget about the small gazettes?" The merchant named Zhu’s eyes lit up. He glanced at Yang Manniang, who was finishing trimming the wicks and preparing to leave, and called out to her, "Little girl, go buy me a few small gazettes—one of each—and keep the change as a tip!"

As he spoke, he pulled a handful of copper coins from his purse and handed them over without counting.

Yang Manniang’s eyes brightened. Buying newspapers was a rare opportunity to earn extra money. Usually, such errands were given to the waiters or the idle helpers, but today, Yang Manniang had stumbled upon a lucky chance. She did not decline. With a beaming smile, she took the coins, informed the deputy manager, and ran to the first-floor locker room to put on her sheepskin jacket.

There were paper-sellers at the entrance of the Fan Pavilion, but most were hired by specific newspaper offices and only sold their own papers. To gather all seventeen small gazettes, she had to go to the bookstores on Panlou South Street. Yang Manniang trotted to the largest bookstore on the street, the Yayun Bookstore, spent thirty-four wen to buy all seventeen, and kept the remaining five wen as a runner’s fee. She ran all the way back, delivered them to the guests, and returned to her duties.

Because it was a holiday, guests were plentiful. The private rooms on the second floor were constantly turning over. Yang Manniang was kept on her toes, lighting lamps, trimming wicks, keeping the holders clean, and occasionally helping serve dishes when Lu Yawei was overwhelmed. She was so busy she didn't even have a moment to drink water in the pantry, and she had to swap with Maid Lu just to eat lunch.

Yet, busy as she was, her eyes remained sharp. She kept a close watch on the guests in Qingzhu Pavilion. Or rather, she kept a watch on the newspapers they had bought. She was certain that when these three guests left, they would not take the papers with them. After all, while recycling ten such papers might fetch a single wen on the street, the wealthy likely wouldn't bother with such pittance.

Yang Manniang didn't intend to recycle them; she couldn't risk the accusation of theft by taking them home. She simply wanted to read them after the guests left. After all, as the ancients said, "Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles." Although she had some understanding of the various gazettes from the original owner's memories, if she intended to serialize a novel, she needed to understand the landscape thoroughly. She couldn't just go in blind, relying on hearsay to pitch her work. That would surely get her thrown out.

Perhaps because her belief was so strong, her wish was fulfilled. The guests in Qingzhu Pavilion stayed until around the hour of You and then left. And, as she had hoped, they did not take the papers.

Yang Manniang joyfully picked up the newspapers they had left behind and began to read, scanning ten lines at a glance.