"What is your surname, young lady?"
"My surname is Mu, which means 'the end of the year'."
Mu? That's a very rare surname. As far as he knew, there wasn't anyone with the surname Mu in the tea business. However, if she really had good tea, he wouldn't mind buying it.
“My surname is Zhou, Miss Mu, you can call me Old Zhou. Then I’ll be waiting for Miss Mu’s fine tea.”
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with the shopkeeper, Mu Run and Hong Mi began looking at the fabrics for Hunan embroidery.
In the end, Manager Zhou gave them an extra 30% discount, a privilege usually reserved for regular customers. This showed that Mu Run's conversation with Manager Zhou earlier had left a good impression on him.
Even with a 30% discount, Redmi still felt the pinch, and more than half of her wallet was gone.
After leaving the Xiang Embroidery Workshop, Mu Run looked at the almost full donkey cart and said to Hong Mi, "Why don't you take it back first? I'll wait for you at the pastry shop up ahead."
Hongmi glanced at the pastry shop where there was a long line of people buying pastries, which must be a good reputation. The gift lists given by Liu Lao Er and Qiao Dongzi all included pastries, and each of them wanted ten catties, and they would be buying them for a while.
“Alright, I’ll take the things back first. Sister-in-law, you can wait in line and buy first. Second Master and Brother Qiao, each of you should have ten catties of pastries, with a variety of kinds. Including what the brothers will eat on the way, we need at least... thirty catties. Sister-in-law, take the money first. I’ll ask Brother Qiao for some more when we get back.”
Hongmi gave the remaining half-bag of silver to Murun.
Mu Run looked at the silver bag, paused for a moment, and then took it. "Okay."
Red Rice and the donkey cart are gone.
Mu Run clutched the heavy silver pouch... her heart pounding with unease. If she were to run away now, she would be betraying Hongmi's trust.
But she had to leave.
Mu Run gazed firmly at the donkey cart that was gradually disappearing from sight and Hong Mi's back as she sat on it. "I'm sorry, I can't go to Chongyang Mountain, and I will never become a bandit's wife."
The compliance of the past few days, which has lulled them into a false sense of security, was all for this moment!
...
Mu Run first went to a clothing store called Xianghe Clothing Store. The clothes inside were mostly worn by ordinary people, in coarse clothes, straw raincoats and bamboo hats.
She was petite and chose two sets of men's short-sleeved clothes in gray-blue cloth, a face towel, a straw hat, and two pairs of cloth boots and socks with bound legs. Just as she was about to pay, she noticed a map hanging on the wall of the clothing shop—a map of the Yingjiang Grand Canal and the Xianghe River of the Northern Jin Dynasty.
Looking at the picture, Mu Run had an idea and asked the shopkeeper, "Can you sell me this picture?"
Although it looks like just a landscape painting, the river and the country lanes along its banks are also depicted. For Mu Run, who was unfamiliar with the area, it was enough to be seen as a map.
The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Of course you can. These are my owner's own casual works. I was going to throw them away, but I thought they were nice, so I hung them on the wall. If you like them, just give me the money for the paper and ink."
"Thank you, shopkeeper. Please wrap up this painting for me as well."
After paying the money, Mu Run took a bag of clothes and the painting and was about to leave.
As soon as I stepped outside, I saw Redmi looking around, searching for her.
"You're here so quickly." Mu Run hurriedly went back into the shop. "Shopkeeper, I suddenly have a stomachache. Do you have a restroom?"
"Yes, yes." The shopkeeper immediately instructed his assistant to lead Mu Run to the backyard.
In the backyard, an old woman was weaving a basket. Mu Run saw the basket, then looked at the clothes she was carrying, and asked, "Excuse me, do you sell these?"
"Selling them, two coins each, young lady, want one?" the old woman said cheerfully.
"I want one."
"Wait another half a cup of tea, and I'll be done in a minute." The old woman quickened her pace.
The waiter said, "Miss, the outhouse is over there. Please help yourself. I'll go get back to work."
"Okay, thank you for your help," Mu Run replied.
The outhouse was sprinkled with wood ash, but it didn't smell bad. There was also a small cubicle for storing cleaning tools.
In the small cubicle, Mu Run quickly changed into the men's clothes she had bought, even changing her shoes and socks. She wore a straw hat on her head and a face mask covering her chin, rolled up like a scarf, which could be opened at any time to cover her face. She was very satisfied.
The old woman looked at Mu Run, who had changed into men's clothing, and was first taken aback, then smiled and said, "What a handsome young man."
Mu Run blushed slightly. "I accidentally got my clothes dirty. By the way, is there a door that leads directly out from here?"
“That small door leads to a long alley, which can take you to either South Street or North Street.”
"Okay, thank you, Grandma."
After buying the basket, Murun went out the small door as the old woman had instructed.
She looked left and right at both ends of Changtong Alley. There was red rice on South Street, but she couldn't go there; she could only go to North Street.
North Street was the gathering place for the Xiangcheng canal transport gangs!
...
The Yingjiang Grand Canal was the largest north-south canal during the Northern Jin Dynasty. Stretching over 3,000 li (approximately 1,500 kilometers), it extended from Jiangzhou in the south to Yingzhou, the gateway to the capital. The entire canal was almost entirely naturally formed, with minimal human intervention. Its winding shape resembled a dragon, and it played an extremely important role in the national strength of the Northern Jin Dynasty, hence its alternative name, "Dragon Vein."
The Xiang River is located in the middle of the dragon vein. Its waters are wide and its banks are rich in products. Merchants from both the north and the south gathered in Xiangcheng to trade. Over time, this created the prosperity of Xiangcheng and the deeply rooted gang forces.
There are two main streets in Xiangcheng: South Street and North Street.
South Street was the location of the Xiangcheng Prefectural Government Office. Due to the influence of the imperial court, the various gangs rarely dared to cause trouble on South Street, so it was a peaceful and prosperous place.
As for North Street, it was extremely complex, a stark contrast to the prosperous and peaceful South Street. It was more like a whirlpool in the darkness, chaotic and murky. Casinos, restaurants, brothels, and theaters were everywhere, and the inhabitants were a motley crew from all walks of life. The powerful and wealthy indulged in extravagant luxury, while the destitute lived like beggars. Various factions and gangs also held sway over this street, and every day, corpses were carried to the ten-mile-long mass grave outside Xiangcheng to be fed to vultures and wolves. The government turned a blind eye to this. Only when things escalated to the point that someone beat the petition drum would the yamen (government office) intervene in North Street, and even then, the matter was usually downplayed or resolved peacefully.
The once grand and bustling city of canal transport was thus divided into two worlds by two streets running north and south.
The rule in Xiangcheng is that the north and south are connected but do not interfere with each other.
Completely unaware of the dangers of North Street, Mu Run boldly headed towards it.
As she got closer to the intersection of North Street, Mu Run felt someone was watching her. The gaze made her hair stand on end, and she quickened her pace.
Changtong Alley didn't look very long, but it was actually quite far to walk, and coupled with that eerie gaze, Mu Run gradually started running.
They ran until they were panting and almost out of energy before they reached the entrance of the alley on North Street.
A group of people stopped her.
It was a group of children, pale and thin, dressed in clothes that were either dirty or tattered. One of them, a skinny little girl of about six or seven years old with pigtails, walked up to Mu Run and said in a timid, childish voice, "Where are you going, big brother? We can lead the way, as long as we each get a sesame seed cake."
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