Chapter 38: Asking the Autumn Wind When It Will Draw Its Sword

Several days later, the rainbow faded, the rain cleared, and colors suffused the area, making it bright.

One morning, the market at the east side of the county town was bustling.

The blue-stone slab road had been soaked by rain for several days; stepping on it felt soft and soggy, with water seeping out of some cracks, and if one wasn't careful while passing, their shoes would get drenched.

On the road, people came and went—those carrying loads on poles, baskets, or pushing carts—all crowded together, hoping to take advantage of the early market's crowds and hustle to sell a few more copper coins.

But when the crowd grew, naturally someone would cut in line.

The vegetable seller's pole rested against the fish seller's barrel; the leafy greens still dripped water, the carp in the barrel flopped about, and splashed droplets landed on the shoe of the woman nearby carrying a vegetable basket.

The woman lowered her head, glanced, muttered "you little death-bringer," but didn't stop, hurrying to find an empty spot to sell her vegetables.

The tofu stall was set up at the intersection; the vendor called out, lifted the wooden lattice, and the soft, white tofu steamed, its aroma drifting far and straight to the nose.

The vendor swiftly sliced the tofu, whereupon a drooling urchin clamored for the mother buying tofu to first feed him a bite to quell his craving.

In the market rang the clanging of iron being forged, children's shouts, the donkey's snorting, the haggling cries, and from upstairs the sound of bamboo poles pushing open windows to air out quilts...

All these sounds mingled together, creating a lively scene all their own.

Two idle women stood under the roadside cloth canopy.

One wore a blue-gray jacket, her head wrapped in a cloth, carrying an empty bamboo basket—her vegetables had already sold out.

The other wore a blue cloth shirt, sleeves rolled to the elbows, hands clasped in front, as if stealing a moment of leisure from work to get some fresh air.

Upon meeting, the two women who had known each other since youth, the one in the blue-gray jacket immediately stepped over:

"Hey, older sister, it's been a while since I last saw you."

The woman in the blue cloth shirt replied with a smile:

"No, it's almost ten days! You haven't come these past few days to get cooling jelly from me to sell—so you switched to selling vegetables?"

"I haven't set up shop."

The woman in the blue-gray jacket laughed along, waving her hand:

"It rained nonstop for five days, the weather turned considerably cooler; I thought, when it gets cold, who'd still eat that? So......"

The woman in the blue cloth shirt nodded:

"That's true; with this autumn rain, the weather turns chilly quickly. This morning I even added a lined jacket."

The woman in the blue-gray jacket sighed:

"Exactly! I was thinking of going to town these few days to stock some other goods, seeing as the weather's getting cold, then I could trade in some warm food...... My husband's health, you know it too, older sister—our whole family depends on me to keep things running."

The woman in the blue cloth shirt nodded again, perhaps feeling reluctant, hesitated a moment, then finally spoke:

"If you're interested, why not get your supplies from me again?"

"I've been mulling this over the past few days, but when I went to my former supplier, I discovered the owner is quite clever! In hot weather they sell cooling jelly, in cold weather they sell rice noodle sheets!"

"Those rice noodle sheets are made much like the cooling jelly, naturally fragrant, with an extra cooking step, served hot. The owner right there made us a bowl called 'Sour and Spicy Noodles,' added some seasonings, and the flavor...... is a delicacy we've never had in our little town!"

The woman in the blue-gray jacket's eyes lit up instantly, and she immediately began asking for details......

The two continued talking as someone walked by nearby.

It was a young maiden, walking at a steady pace, making her way through the crowd and brushing past the edge of the cloth canopy.

The woman in the blue-gray jacket, her mind full of new business, glanced up, paid no heed, and kept speaking.

The young maiden walked a few steps forward, her receding figure falling into the gradually rising sun.

She was neither tall nor short, yet her shoulders and back were held straight.

She wore a faded moon-white outer garment over a blue shirt and skirt; the fabric wasn't fine, having been washed several times, the edges slightly faded, but clean and neat, without a single crease.

At her waist hung a square wooden block, and the tassels on her belt were braided neatly, showing fine craftsmanship.

Her hair was tied in a simple bun, with only a plain silver pin inserted, plain and unadorned.

She carried a tightly wrapped parcel of cowhide paper, her steps steady, neither hurrying nor looking around.

But when she passed the fish stall, a splash of light rose from the large fish in the wooden tub, yet she always nimbly turned aside to avoid it.

The tofu vendor was cutting tofu for a customer, the knife hitting the board with a solid thunk, yet she didn't even lift her eyelids.

It was as if...

all external disturbances were not worth mentioning.

One step, two steps.

The sun finally climbed to its zenith, shining on the maiden's face, at last making her features distinct.

Her brows and eyes were beautifully shaped, curved, as if perpetually smiling.

Yet upon closer look, that smile was faint, hovering on the surface, never reaching the depths of her eyes.

The corners of her mouth slightly upturned, so even when not laughing she seemed to be smiling.

Her nose was delicate, her lips slightly thin, and when pressed together they formed a slight upward curve.

One couldn't pinpoint what was special, yet anyone who saw her couldn't help but glance again.

She walked on for several dozen steps, from the market's east end to its west end.

The bustling sounds faded behind her, the road narrowed somewhat, and the buildings on either side grew lower and more dilapidated.

A few households had laundry hung out at their doors, colorful garments dripping water drop by drop.

A yellow dog lay sprawled on the doorstep, eyes half-closed in the sun; as she passed, its ears twitched but it didn't open its eyes.

Finally, she stopped in front of a household's door.

It was an utterly ordinary house in the western part of the city.

Earthen walls with stone tiles, the base of the walls seeped with old, lingering dampness, fostering a thin layer of moss.

The walls had some cracks, patched with mud unevenly, line after line, like a few centipedes crawling.

The windows were wooden lattices papered over; the paper had yellowed somewhat but wasn't torn, patched in places, the patches neatly trimmed.

The door was made of old planks nailed together, the paint long worn away, revealing the wood's natural color, dull and gray, darkened by rainwater.

The door sill was low, worn smooth; the middle was slightly sunken, worn down by long years of traffic. The door frame projected a short eave above, its tiles neat and tidy, a few new ones darker in color, as if just replaced.

Under the eave a wooden peg was nailed, holding a bamboo-woven basket; the basket was empty, its bottom lined with an old lotus leaf.

Du Shanü paused at the door for a few breaths, taking it all in.

Such a desolate, neglected doorway would be considered ordinary in a commoner's home.

But for a Chief Clerk, this is absolutely unacceptable.

Although the southern lands lack many places of pleasure and luxury, the annual stipend is paid regularly, so living an ordinary life is certainly no problem.

Unless......

The other party is an upright official with clean sleeves and empty pockets.

After mentally reviewing every detail of the past few days' thoughts, she took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock on the door.

【Thud—thud—thud—】

Soon a voice from inside replied, asking:

「Who? 」

Du Shanü steadied her breath and asked with a smile:

「May I ask, is this the residence of Chief Clerk Chen Weifang? 」

?? The strongest worker Afang is here! (*^▽^*)