Chapter 17: Making Money Is the True Path

The embroiderer took the lace trim away for further processing, and the three women’s eyes fell once more upon An Chunfeng’s hands.

This time, there was only a black lace ribbon an inch wide. An Chunfeng tied it around Yuan Niang’s neck.

Yuan Niang was not especially beautiful, but her neck was slender and her skin white as snow, lending her an ethereal, otherworldly elegance. Once the ribbon was fastened around her throat, that quiet, cool beauty instantly transformed into the sharp-featured allure of an ice maiden.

The abrupt change left Xing Niang and Shopkeeper Qiu staring in astonishment.

Yuan Niang, unaware of what had happened, was still asking, “Does it look good with just one ribbon?”

She had seen that Xing Niang’s bandeau was sewn with layer upon layer of lace—ten strips in all.

Shopkeeper Qiu nodded. “Yuan Niang, if you manage yourself well, you will unquestionably become the leading courtesan of the Hundred Flowers House!”

Yuan Niang’s face flushed crimson. “Sister Qiu, how could I possibly be the leading courtesan?”

Shopkeeper Qiu did not praise people carelessly. She said frankly, “To become the leading courtesan, beauty alone is not enough. You are still somewhat lacking when it comes to music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Go back and study diligently with Madam Yu at the Jade Rinse Courtyard. And have Madam Qin at your establishment arrange fewer appearances for you…”

An Chunfeng had no interest in listening to the details of their business affairs. She took out another black ribbon and taught Yuan Niang how to tie it snugly around her thigh. Silver beads or pearls could also be sewn onto the ribbon as decoration, which prompted Shopkeeper Qiu and the others to exclaim their thanks in admiration.

It was An Chunfeng’s first time selling lace trim, and she returned home with a full purse. Xing Niang gave her eight hundred copper coins, while Yuan Niang gave her two silver ounces. Her purse was instantly plump enough to cover the rent for the following month.

By the time she returned to Pear Blossom Lane beneath the blazing sun, her clothes were soaked through with sweat. She bathed and changed, then boiled a kettle of water and brewed some tea.

The four windows of the reception hall stood wide open, the bamboo blinds rolled halfway up. After lighting a coil of incense to drive away mosquitoes, An Chunfeng sat down on the floor with tea and the pastries and cooked food she had bought along the way.

Drinking tea, eating snacks, watching the bamboo leaves shimmer green, and feeling the cool breeze brush past her—life in paradise could be no better than this.

An Chunfeng narrowed her eyes and leaned against the wall, thinking about the matter she had discussed with Shopkeeper Qiu of Autumn Waters Cloth Shop.

Being able to earn money from lace had been an unexpected development.

Her original plan had been to settle down first, make money by knotting decorative cords, and then look for other odd jobs. But now, it seemed unnecessary.

She would continue crocheting lace trim. Shopkeeper Qiu would take as much as she could produce, and if she came up with special designs like Yuan Niang’s neck ribbon, she would receive additional payment.

Everything had to revolve around making money!

As a “widow” living alone, she could only live securely with money in hand. Besides, she still had a son, Tang Mu, to care for.

Thinking of that “son,” the corners of An Chunfeng’s lips curved faintly. She raised a hand and touched the little gold lock hanging around her neck.

She pressed her lips together and shook her head softly. What was wrong with her? Why had she suddenly thought of that child who “did not want to see her again and only wished to follow wealth and glory”? Could it be the lingering attachment of the body’s original owner?

Tang Mu was not her own child, but the way he had climbed over the wall and thrown the little gold lock to her had still stirred something in An Chunfeng, who had never experienced the warmth of a family.

Whether it was a severed connection or a keepsake left behind, at least the child was no longer the heartless little tyrant who had shouted at her while she was in the Tang household.

Without her there, she wondered how the little fellow was faring.

In An Chunfeng’s eyes, even without a father’s care, a child could still grow up happily so long as he had the love and protection of his own grandmother. At the very least, he would have a better life than she had in her previous existence.

She worried about him, but she did not regret leaving without taking him.

At present, she might appear to have no worries about food or clothing, but if she had taken the child with her—even if they had left of their own accord—he would have grown up in the Great Liang Dynasty without the support of his father’s clan. People would inevitably look down on him.

And once she began dealing with brothels, there would be even more gossip.

Fortunately, that son of hers was clever. By following his father, an official, he would be an official’s son no matter what. Whether he sought employment or marriage, his prospects would be respectable.

Setting these trivial matters aside, An Chunfeng began thinking once more about ways to make money.

It came down to the same old principle: daydreaming was useless. Even maternal love had to be expressed through material support.

Money was not omnipotent, but without money, one could do absolutely nothing.

The question was how to earn it. An Chunfeng was unwilling to work herself to the bone.

Given Shopkeeper Qiu’s current demand for lace trim, she would certainly make more requests. But An Chunfeng could not transform herself into a lace-making machine and crochet day and night.

She would sell the technique all at once when the right moment arrived, and then introduce fashionable nightclothes.

From her observations, An Chunfeng had discovered that the people here were still overly conservative. Even the professionals in the pleasure houses only knew how to experiment with the colors and patterns of bandeaus.

That being the case, an array of silk nightclothes would already be enough to captivate the eye.

As for a full-scale lingerie fashion show… that would be far too explosive. An Chunfeng was worried that the old men who frequented the pleasure houses might have weak hearts. If they became too excited and someone died, she could end up facing a lawsuit. It would be better to wait and see how things developed.

The summer heat pressed down fiercely. As her thoughts drifted, An Chunfeng’s gaze gradually grew unfocused. At last, she simply leaned sideways beneath the corridor and fell asleep.

While she enjoyed a quiet afternoon escaping the heat, trouble was slowly brewing in the Tang household of Shunan Ward.

For several days after the torrential rain, the sun blazed like fire. The cicadas had grown hoarse, and the maids and older servants hid in the shade to nap and shirk their duties.

Inside the Tang family study, Tang Pinshan, a sixth-rank investigating secretary of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, wore a grim expression. A thin mustache adorned his fair face as he stared coldly at Madam Liu.

“What is the matter with Yushu’s engagement? Every official in the capital already knows about it. Do you still intend to keep it from me?”

The emperor had gone to a palace outside the capital to escape the summer heat, and Tang Pinshan had spent the past fortnight accompanying the duty roster there. He had never expected that, upon returning to the capital, he would be met with congratulations from all sides—people saying that his nephew had formed a connection with the Guang’an Earl’s household, and that he too would benefit from it.

The whole affair had humiliated him thoroughly.

Madam Liu knew the matter would eventually come to light. With a wave of her hand, she sent the serving maid out. Yuanyang carefully closed the door and remained outside to stand guard.

Tang Pinshan’s expression darkened further at her actions. He waited for her reply.

He had heard from a young servant that the maidservants in his household had been gossiping all over the streets, saying that the young daughter of the Sun family had become engaged to Tang Yushu, the distant clansman who was lodging with them.

The Sun family had made its fortune selling coffin planks. One of their daughters had married the second household’s illegitimate son of the Guang’an Earl’s residence, allowing the family to climb onto a high branch.

Although the Tang family was merely that of a minor sixth-rank official, they were still an official household and disdained any association with merchants who relied on marriage ties to curry favor.

Madam Liu had mentioned the matter twice, and he had rejected it both times. How, then, had they become engaged after he had been gone only a few days?

He did not entirely believe the rumor, but there was no smoke without fire. He had returned before the office closed and had even skipped the poetry gathering at Rain Pond, where he most enjoyed admiring the lotuses.

Seeing the accusatory expression on Tang Pinshan’s face, Madam Liu lifted the corners of her eyes. Her fingers trembled slightly as they clutched her handkerchief. She was angry and aggrieved, yet instead of explaining, she asked in return, “My lord, have you ever concerned yourself with the household’s mundane affairs all these years?”

At this reproach, Tang Pinshan shoved his teacup aside and scolded her with a frown. “The husband handles affairs outside, while the wife manages the household. As the principal wife, if you cannot even govern the family properly, what use are you?”

Madam Liu gave a cold snort and dropped heavily into the chair opposite him. “My lord thinks I cannot manage the household? Do you want one of the concubines to take charge before you will be satisfied?”

The veins at Tang Pinshan’s temples bulged. This woman was utterly unreasonable. A moment ago, she had been accusing him of neglecting household affairs, and now she had dragged Ping Niang into it.

“What nonsense are you spouting? I am asking why Yushu became engaged.”

“What other reason could there be? When a man comes of age, he marries; when a woman comes of age, she is wed. The third young master was willing, and his own mother made the decision. The engagement is perfectly proper. Must they obtain the consent of you, a distant clansman’s uncle, before they dare marry? You really do treat yourself as though you were an outsider!”

Madam Liu lifted her chin, her face full of mockery.

The two families were said to be distant relatives of the same clan, but the only connection between them was that they both hailed from Qingzhou and shared the surname Tang.

“You!”

Tang Pinshan choked, unable to find a response.