Chapter 427 Ways to Help Others
Even now, the Great Zhou Dynasty still has many ancient rituals.
Not to mention that the Zhou court established by Empress Wei Zhao always considered itself the legitimate successor of the Zhou Dynasty from the pre-Qin period, and naturally vigorously promoted the ancient Zhou rites.
Leaves were an essential item for the people of Weizhou to celebrate the beginning of autumn.
During the autumnal ceremony in the Great Zhou court, when the Grand Historian reports to Her Majesty the Empress that "autumn has arrived," a hundred-year-old paulownia tree planted in the deep courtyard of Shangyang Palace will drop one or two red leaves, which will be presented to the Empress as an auspicious sign.
As for whether the fallen sycamore leaves fell spontaneously or intentionally, that's not important.
This red leaf will then be cut into a flower shape by the ladies-in-waiting, and Her Majesty the Empress will wear it herself, tucking it diagonally into her hair, to complete her autumn makeup, and lead the way in participating in the autumn celebrations held at the palace.
Thus, this "Autumn Begins Makeup" style, like the plum blossom makeup that had recently spread from the palace and was popular in Chang'an and Luoyang, became fashionable and was sought after by ladies and commoners of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
On the bustling street, Ouyang Rong glanced at the little girl in the tattered red coat carrying a basket and saw that she was selling these sycamore leaves cut into flower shapes.
There are many maple forests in the mountains near Xunyang City, but sycamore leaves are rare. I wonder where the little girl in the tattered red coat picked them from.
However, she was quite clever. On the sycamore leaves cut into flower shapes in the basket, she wrote love poems or lamentations from women in their boudoirs. Her handwriting was delicate and pretty, and she was quite presentable.
It was dusk, and the ladies and young women in Xunyang City who had been enjoying the autumn scenery and chrysanthemums were returning home wearily.
The little girl in the tattered red coat could only carry a basket and run around the streets, hawking her wares. Coupled with her pitiful appearance as a poor girl forced to work, she was a victim of poverty.
This smooth, quick combo is sure to hit the soft spot of sentimental, sheltered, artistic young women.
Indeed, no matter the era, women's money is always the easiest to earn.
Or rather, it's the men around women who are the easiest to make money from.
The same was true at the moment. Xie Lingjiang and Qin Ying were picking out red leaves from the paulownia tree around a bamboo basket, while Ouyang Rong glanced at the little girl in the tattered red jacket behind them.
"How much is one?" he asked gently.
Just as Li Dalang spoke, the little girl in the tattered red coat lowered her head, not daring to look at the distinguished guest. Now that Ouyang Rong had spoken, although she still didn't fully raise her head, her eyes timidly rolled upwards to look at Ouyang Rong.
Although her face was thin and her blond hair looked somewhat malnourished, her eyes were unusually large. Her dark pupils couldn't hide their clear and bright appearance. When she secretly observed strangers, she looked like a fawn drinking water by a lake, ready to run away at any moment if danger came her way.
At this moment, whether it was because Ouyang Rong's voice was gentle, or because of his felt hat and black clothes, which did not exude the same noble air as Xie Lingjiang, Li Dalang, and Qin Ying, but rather made him seem more like a follower, he did not put much pressure on people.
Huang Xuan whispered, "Thank you... thank you for your patronage, five coins a piece."
After speaking, her gaze fell on the handsome face of the young man in black clothes under his felt hat, and then she silently looked away.
Based on her past experience selling goods on the street, she knew that most of the handsome men were her subordinates, while the noblemen and young masters were usually plain-looking, either fat and big-eared or dignified and serious. It depended on what they did for a living. The temperament of wealthy merchants and high-ranking officials was also different, but they were certainly rarely fair-skinned and handsome.
As for the noblewomen and their families, it was quite the opposite.
A woman who is good-looking must be of noble birth, either rich or noble. Needless to say, her clothes and appearance are excellent. Just look at her hands. A woman who has never done housework must have fair hands, painted with nail polish, and her nails must be neatly trimmed.
Poor women don't have time to take care of their hands regularly.
For a little girl in a tattered red coat who had been struggling in the streets, a glance was enough to tell whether someone was rich or poor, making it a quick and easy way to make a selection.
After all, these wealthy, noble, and soft-hearted women were her target customers.
Ouyang Rong casually pointed to the red leaves of the paulownia tree in the basket:
"Did you write all these poems?"
Huang Xuan shook her head: "I didn't write it. Some of it is from books, and some I heard from others."
“I know, I’m speaking.”
"Um."
"Who taught you to read?"
Ouyang Rong had a lot of questions and kept asking them, which made Huang Xuan look at the young man in the felt hat leading the horse in front of her, and then turn her head to look at the aloof and taciturn nobleman in brocade robes behind him.
The young nobleman in brocade robes was about to pull out a bulging purse, which seemed to contain a lot of silver coins. However, he didn't pay much attention to the conversation between the young man in the felt hat and her. His attention was mainly focused on the two noble ladies picking out red leaves by the basket.
The young man in the felt hat increasingly resembled a protective follower, asking all sorts of questions.
Huang Xuan lowered her head: "There used to be a Taoist priest... a Confucian scholar who lived next door to my house. He often asked me to help him buy paper and ink, and taught him some characters in his spare time..."
Ouyang Rong nodded: "He is very eager to learn. His literacy and calligraphy skills are already comparable to those of children his age who attend private schools. This is truly commendable."
Huang Xuan shook her head, avoiding his gaze and instead looking at the two noble ladies selecting red leaves.
The two women had already finished their selections, so Ouyang Rong didn't chat any further. Turning his head, he saw that each of them had chosen a few red paulownia leaves, and Xie Lingjiang and Qin Ying had each picked out a white folding fan with poems inscribed on it. It was obvious who they were for.
Li Dalang was about to take out his silver coins, seemingly too lazy to make change, when Ouyang Rong quietly reached out, tugged at his sleeve, and handed him his own money pouch.
Li Dalang was taken aback, noticing a money pouch in his sleeve. Understanding his friend's meaning, he helplessly took out the corresponding amount of copper coins from Ouyang Rong's money pouch and handed them to Huang Xuan, not a penny more, not a penny less.
After buying their things, the four turned and left. Xie Lingjiang and Qin Ying walked side by side, admiring each other's new leaves and talking about them with great interest.
Huang Xuan was unaware that she had missed out on a generous tip. Selling two folding fans and several red leaves in a short period of time was already an unexpected bonus, and she had made a great profit.
The surrounding vendors, who were also watching, looked on with envy, and some of the acquaintances even made a few teasing remarks.
The little girl in the tattered red coat seemed not to hear. She carefully put away the coins, glanced at the sky, and without lingering, she slung her bamboo basket over her shoulder and ran ahead on her short legs towards the crowded flow of people heading into the city.
She wanted to make a few more deals before the sun set, and it would be even better if she could encounter another lavish customer like the one she had just met.
Ouyang Rong and his three companions were unaware of the little girl in the tattered red coat who was full of energy. Seeing that it was getting late, they discussed it and decided to go to a popular restaurant on the street. They sat down by the window on the second floor and ordered a table of dishes.
Ouyang Rong glanced at the red leaves that the two women had each chosen, on which were written delicate, small characters.
My junior sister bought seven tablets, and seemed to love two of them the most, unable to put them down.
"Look at yours..." Qin Ying leaned closer curiously and recited softly: "Plum blossoms newly adorned with laurel-leaf eyebrows, a lotus's charm emerging from the Jade Pool..."
There was another passage, and after she saw it clearly, she read it again: "Light robes like mist, jade-like skin like carved jade, a person deep in a painted pavilion."
"What did the Qin family's young lady choose?" Xie Lingjiang also looked at the red leaf between Qin Ying's fingers and said softly, "Last night her skirt was untied, this morning a spider flies away. Her makeup cannot be discarded, could it be that she has returned to her humble origins..."
Ouyang Rong chuckled and interjected:
"Young Lady Qin only has one leaf, why did Junior Sister buy so many red leaves?"
"I like it, but I advise Senior Brother not to interfere too much. Besides, you don't teach me poetry, can't I learn it myself? This is also like looking up a book."
"The person turning the pages doesn't read the proper books, but only this one, right? How childish." Ouyang Rong shook his head.
“You’re the child.” She glared at her with her almond-shaped eyes.
Ouyang Rong smiled, casually picked up the bowl and chopsticks in front of Xie Lingjiang, picked up a long-spouted teapot, poured out a thin stream of steaming tea, and used it to wash the bowl and chopsticks.
Seeing this, Li Dalang, who was standing nearby, quickly followed suit and took Qin Ying's bowl and chopsticks to help wash them.
Xie Lingjiang rested her chin on her hands, her gaze sweeping over her meticulous senior brother as he washed the dishes. She suppressed a smile and suddenly asked:
"Which of these fragments of poems about red leaves is your favorite, Senior Brother?"
I like them both.
"to be honest."
"Hmm, I don't really like any of them."
Xie Lingjiang's expression wasn't surprised; she smiled gently and asked, "What about this one?"
As Ouyang Rong was cleaning the tea set, a folding fan suddenly appeared in his field of vision. Looking up, he saw that it was his junior sister handing it to him with a smile.
"Here, this is for you."
Qin Ying also handed a folding fan to the surprised Li Dalang, and at the same time turned her head and smiled, saying, "Sister Xie, I'm sure Young Master Ouyang will like this one."
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow, opened his folding fan, and before he could finish reading, Xie Lingjiang had already read it aloud in a soft, Wu-accented voice:
"The Zhou state was overjoyed, for the Rong state had gained a capable strategist."
Her eyebrows curved slightly, and she tilted her head as she said:
"Look what I found! Of the five white paper folding fans that the girl in the red jacket was selling, one of them had this sentence written on it. What a coincidence!"
Qin Ying smiled and said:
"Sister Xie, you may not know this, but the name Ouyang Lianghan is so famous in Chang'an and Luoyang. Which young lady in the capital doesn't want to meet the real Lianghan? It's become a fashion trend."
"The Zhou state rejoiced, and the Rong state had a fine writer." This line became a favorite topic of conversation among the ladies when they mentioned Ouyang Gongzi.
"It seems to be the same in Xunyang City. You can even find a folding fan on the street... Well, after all, Young Master Ouyang is the Prefect of this city, and everyone knows him."
Seeing her senior brother's helpless expression, Xie Lingjiang chuckled and playfully covered her mouth, saying:
"That young woman in the red coat probably never guessed that the person who bought her folding fan was none other than the real person in this poem."
Just then, a quarrel broke out downstairs. The four of them couldn't help but look out the window. On the street not far downstairs, pedestrians were gathering to watch the commotion.
In the enclosed open space, there was a familiar red figure.
It was that little girl in the tattered red coat from just now.
At that moment, a fat-faced manager and a skinny shop assistant rushed over from the street. Not far behind them, a middle-aged merchant stood with his hands behind his back, watching coldly with an unfriendly expression.
The fat steward shoved the little girl in the tattered red coat to the ground. Her palms were scraped raw by the rough floor, and the red leaves in her basket were scattered all over the ground, blown away by the autumn wind.
The fat steward picked up a handful of red leaves, examining them with a cold smile, and held them up as a gesture:
“Look, everyone, they’re all using Hanlei ink. This ink thief is a professional ink thief. I’ve already reported him to the owner.”
The skinny waiter took a red leaf from the fat manager, turned around and ran to the merchant with the folded hands, presenting it to him.
The merchant's face turned cold.
Seeing this, the fat steward threw Hongye onto the little girl in the red coat who was sprawled on the ground, and said something sharp and threatening:
"The landlord is very angry now and is preparing to hand you over to the authorities to accuse you of theft."
"Also, Brother Chen is my brother-in-law and also the landlord who unluckyly rented your house. If he hears about this, he won't rent the house to the thief again."
“Little thief, hurry back to your stupid old man, raise the money quickly, pay back the money you’ve stolen from Mo Ruchang over the years, then pack your things and get out of here. Brother Chen’s house will not be rented to that thief’s family.”
The little girl in the tattered red coat covered her bleeding, bruised hand, but upon hearing this, she forgot the pain in her hand.
She cried uncontrollably, explaining through sobs:
"I didn't steal the ink sticks from the warehouse. I only used broken scraps that were going to be thrown away anyway, but I picked them up and took them home..."
The fat steward wouldn't listen; he sneered.
"Look everyone, even scraps belong to the owner. So young and already stealing things, shameless! What will he be like when he grows up? Get out of the city with your father. I'd like to see which landlord in Xingzifang will want to rent to your family in the future. What a bastard, ptooey."
The little girl in the tattered red coat shook her head in protest, but was pointed at and whispered about by the crowd, her face pale and miserable.
The skinny waiter suddenly leaned over and said, "But the old lady at the brothel next door is willing to help you, you decide what to do..."
The little girl in the tattered red coat was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening, and her heart sank to ashes.
The manager and the waiter exchanged a glance, secretly amused. Just then, a voice rang out:
"Are there any more red leaves? I'd like some more."
The fat manager and the skinny waiter were taken aback and turned to look. A young man in a felt hat was walking down.
"What are you doing, kid? Mind your own business..." the fat steward said warily.
Ouyang Rong ignored it, tossed the money bag aside, walked over to Huang Xuan, squatted down, and stuffed the money bag into her hand.
"My young lady loves poetry and literature, and she quite likes the red leaves you sell. I'd like you to make some more, and we can send them to the Xunyang Prince's Mansion in Xiushuifang another day. Just tell them the name of Miss Xie from Jinling at the gatehouse, and someone will pay for them."
He bent down and picked up the red leaves from the basket one by one, while calmly giving instructions.
Huang Xuan stared blankly at the money bag that had fallen from the sky, bewildered by this sudden business deal.
Ouyang Rong filled the basket with all the red leaves from the paulownia tree. The young man adjusted his hat brim, got up, and left without ever glancing at the two fat stewards or meddling in other people's business.
When the fat steward and the skinny waiter heard the words "Xunyang Prince's Mansion" and "Miss Xie of Jinling", they stiffened for a moment, and then panic was visibly visible in their eyes.
Huang Xuan didn't care about anything else. She picked up the money bag, ready to turn around and beg for compensation, bowing her head and pleading for mercy, afraid that she and her father would be kicked out by the landlord and become homeless.
But in the next instant, she found that the fat steward in front of her suddenly apologized, nodded and swallowed his medicine, and spoke in a humble tone, no longer as fierce as before.
It's like a wolf turning into a sheep.
The skinny guy who was originally playing the stern role suddenly became incredibly enthusiastic, showing her concern and even bending down to help her up.
Huang Xuan shrank back, subconsciously resisting the two men's approach.
Upon seeing this, the fat-faced manager and the skinny waiter exchanged a glance. Immediately, they apologized profusely, one after the other, and then, with a pained look in their eyes, they took out all the silver they had and placed it beside her, bowing and begging for forgiveness.
A short while later, the two of them slunk away.
Not far away, the owner of the ink shop, who had originally come to question them, had already disappeared without a trace, and no one knew when he had run away.
The group that came looking for trouble came and went quickly, as if nothing had happened.
The passersby who stopped to watch the drama unfolded on different faces: some disappointed that there was no good show, some thoughtful, and some extremely envious.
Only the little girl in the tattered red coat remained, slumped on the gray stone road, her two bleeding little hands clutching her purse, covering her chest, her little face looking around blankly.
Finally, she stared blankly in the direction the young man in the felt hat had left, muttering to herself in a daze:
"Xiushui Workshop... Xunyang Prince's Mansion... Miss Xie..."
(End of this chapter)
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