Chapter 21: 021 — The Mahjong Reformer

The next day, early morning.

Dongfu, a maidservant of the inner compound, quietly arrived at the Loyal Diligence Compound.

The imperious Madam Ling, upon hearing the news, immediately went out to welcome her, ingratiatingly saying, "What errand brings Miss Dongfu here? Is it something concerning the Governor?"

Dongfu, expressionless, said slowly, "By the young madam's order, I have come to fetch a girl from your place."

"May I ask which girl?" Madam Ling inquired.

Dongfu said, "Zhao Zhenfang."

Madam Ling's face showed displeasure, but she instantly recovered her smile and promptly scolded the maid beside her: "Why haven't you gone to bring Zhao Zhenfang here yet!"

"No need, I will go myself." As she spoke, Dongfu had already stepped forward.

Madam Ling hurried to keep up, making conversation: "Miss Dongfu rarely visits the Loyal Diligence Compound. Why not have a cup of tea before you leave? A few days ago, my husband went to the Gongbei Court to attend upon the master, and the master rewarded him with two taels of fine Hehong tea."

Hehong tea is a local specialty of Yanshan, already sold worldwide and quite sought after by European nobility.

"Fine tea bestowed by the master — I am afraid a mere maid like me is not blessed enough to enjoy it," Dongfu said, looking straight ahead. She walked slowly to the eastern wing and gently knocked on the door. "Is Brother Han in?"

Zhao Han pushed the door open and came out: "That is me. My greetings to you, Miss."

Dongfu finally showed a smile and introduced herself: "Brother Han, my name is Dongfu. I am the young madam's maidservant."

"So it is Miss Dongfu." Zhao Han bowed with clasped hands in salute.

Dongfu stated her purpose: "I have come to bring Sister Zhenfang to the inner compound."

Zhao Han welcomed her respectfully: "Please, Miss, come in and sit."

"Very well, I shall sit for a while." Dongfu smiled and entered the room.

Zhao Han added, "Madam Ling, please come in."

This form of address alarmed Madam Ling, and she glanced instinctively at Dongfu.

Dongfu had already entered the room and did not look back, as if she had heard nothing at all.

Madam Ling followed in uneasily, looking around at the furnishings, and said loudly, "This is a bit shabby. Even the washstand is broken — who knows how many years it has been in use. I will have someone send a new one later."

Zhao Han said, "Many thanks for your kindness, Madam, but I am merely a household servant. My person is not so delicate."

"Don't call me Madam — are you trying to shorten my life?" Madam Ling grew even more solicitous. "Brother Han is valued by the young master and young madam. If you are still using a broken washstand, wouldn't that reflect poorly on the young master and young madam?"

As they spoke, Zhao Zhenfang took the initiative to pour water for the guests.

Chipped porcelain cups, an old earthenware pot, ordinary cooled boiled water.

Dongfu picked up a cup and drank, while sizing up Zhao Zhenfang. She remarked approvingly, "She is indeed well-behaved and sensible."

Madam Ling seemed somewhat disdainful. She picked up the chipped cup but did not drink, yet felt awkward putting it down. She even found the stool dirty and broken, fearing it would soil her clothes, so she stood there holding the cup and smiling, which also conveniently allowed her to show her deference to Dongfu.

After two sips, Dongfu set the cup down, took Zhao Zhenfang's hand, and said, "Come with me, little sister."

The brother and sister had talked it over the night before. Zhao Zhenfang said reluctantly, "Second Brother, I am going now."

"Go on. Be good and obedient," Zhao Han encouraged.

He escorted his sister all the way to the gate of the inner compound, then returned alone to the Loyal Diligence Compound. Madam Ling had long since vanished.

Qinxin, Jiandan, and Jiupo — that trio of inseparable cronies — came together to offer their congratulations.

The inner compound had almost no male servants. The maidservants there truly ate and slept alongside their masters.

Though they seemed to lack presence and rarely showed themselves, any one of them who came to the Loyal Diligence Compound had to be carefully attended to by Madam Ling.

With his little sister taken into the inner compound, not only did her own status rise a hundredfold, but even Zhao Han basked in the reflected glory.

Did Zhao Han need to bask in reflected glory?

He simply admired the young mistress, Madam Lou, somewhat. She wielded both grace and authority without arousing resentment.

Having his little sister taken into the inner compound to be trained could be seen as a reward, or as holding a hostage.

Whether it was grace or authority was entirely up to Zhao Han to decide.

……

That afternoon, Zhao Han was diligently studying the Great Ming Code.

He had forgotten to return this legal text when he left Jinghai County, and the old clerk at the county office had been too embarrassed to ask for it back.

Suddenly, the maidservant Moxiang arrived at the eastern wing to deliver an order: "Qinxin, Jiandan, Jiupo, and Brother Han — pack your gear immediately and head for Yongping Town!"

The inseparable trio, who had been playing cards in the room, instantly flew into a flurry, frantically packing for the assignment.

Moxiang handed Zhao Han a book chest: "Brother Han, this is your gear."

"Thank you for the trouble, Miss." Zhao Han smiled as he took the book chest.

Moxiang shouted toward the room: "Hurry up! Grab your gear and go — you can change clothes once you're on the boat!"

It seemed the mission was urgent.

"Coming, coming!"

The trio ran out of the room. Qinxin carried a zither on his back, Jiandan bore a sword, and Jiupo hugged a jar of wine.

Together with Zhao Han, they left through the Fei clan's side gate and jogged the whole way to Ehu Town, where someone met them at the dock to board the boat.

The passenger boat followed the Xin River downstream, the oars paddling urgently, as if racing madly against time.

Exhausted from the run, they lay in the boat catching their breath for a moment. Once Zhao Han had recovered, he asked, "What is so urgent?"

Qinxin guessed, "It must be the Governor. He changed his itinerary on short notice and wants to go sightseeing somewhere else."

Jiupo took out a comb and a red hair cord: "Brother, let me comb your topknot first."

"Why red?" Zhao Han was somewhat resistant.

Jiupo dangled the red hair cord and said cheerfully, "Red is festive."

Zhao Han asked, "Is there any other color?"

"How about this?" Jiandan handed over a dark blue hair cord.

"That'll do." Zhao Han grudgingly accepted.

Jiu Po combed Zhao Han's hair, while Ji'an Dan combed Qin Xin's hair, and soon they were done up in double-bun hairstyles — for the specific style, think of Nezha.

After doing each other's hair, they changed into their work clothes, and the four of them lay down in the boat, closing their eyes and chatting idly.

Qin Xin was already fourteen in nominal age. In two more years, he would be due for reassignment. He had no idea which unit he should go to, so he took advantage of the boat ride to ask his brothers for good suggestions.

Ji'an Dan suggested, "Go to the academy. First do two years of odd jobs in the library, then study under the masters for a few years, and you'll be able to work as a teaching assistant giving lessons to the children."

Jiu Po said, "Being a teaching assistant is easy and respectable, but you won't earn much silver. Better to ask for a post at a merchant house, or go to a paper mill. A head manager can get ten taels a month, and if you do well there's a bonus at year's end."

Yanshan was not only a trade distribution center, but also had many specialty products.

Yanshan's River Red Tea was sold across the world, and Yanshan's Liansi paper was also hugely famous — its papermaking industry could be traced back to the Later Han period.

Qin Xin muttered, "I want both ease and respectability, and to earn plenty of silver. Do you brothers have a way?"

Jiu Po couldn't help laughing. "There is a way."

"What way?" Qin Xin pressed at once.

Jiu Po gave detailed guidance: "Step out of the cabin, jump into the Xin River, get yourself reborn, and be a young master in your next life."

"Hahahahaha!" Ji'an Dan clutched his belly laughing.

Zhao Han couldn't hold back a smile either, and raised a thumb. "That is indeed a fine method."

Qin Xin could only roll his eyes in response, and flopped down dejectedly. "Ah, then I'll still go to the academy. At least I can keep my dignity for a lifetime."

"Enough talk. It's still a long way to Yongping — let's play cards to pass the time." Jiu Po pulled a deck of Mohe cards from his bosom.

This thing was the precursor to mahjong, but still in card form, divided into three suits: cash coins (dots), strings (bamboo), and myriads (characters).

The two-dot tile in mahjong very likely originally represented two cash coins, and the two-bamboo represented two strings of cash.

Zhao Han quickly figured out the rules, and mulled over how to improve it someday, because this early-version mahjong had only sixty cards — three sets plus a pair (eleven cards) and you could win.

After playing a few hands, it felt unsatisfying, because each suit had only two cards.

Since there were only two identical suit cards, you couldn't pong, and you couldn't kong either. What was the point of mahjong without a kong bloom?

Zhao Han suddenly asked, "Who else brought cards?"

"I have some." Ji'an Dan also pulled out a deck.

Zhao Han said, "Let's combine the two decks and play together. Everyone draws three extra cards at the start."

"How would that even work?" Qin Xin thought it sounded unreliable.

And so, Zhao Han gave hands-on mahjong instruction, and soon had the three of them utterly hooked.

There were already red dragons, green dragons, and white dragons, but unfortunately no east, south, west, or north winds yet.

At dusk, they finally reached Hekou Town.

But the boat did not stop. Instead, they lit lanterns, turned into the Yanshan River, and headed straight for the Yanshan County seat.

The four took out dry rations, sat around in the cabin, and ate flatbread with plain water.

They also burned the midnight oil, lighting an oil lamp to keep playing mahjong.

In the middle of the night they docked at Yongping Town. Everyone suddenly realized how late it was, hastily put away the mahjong, and fell fast asleep.

From Goose Lake to Yongping, this whole roundabout journey was purely because the Governor of Jiangxi had a whim and suddenly announced he was going to pay respects at Xin Qiji's tomb.

(End of chapter)