Of course, the night had not ended there.
Crying foul, the fat man and the nasty ‘stone face’ were only mollified by free wine and personal services provided by attendant beauties. While the others had acted more graciously, they were still offered a selection of private entertainment in the upper rooms.
However, this had all been within Cui Xi’s expectations and everything had been previously prepared for exactly this result. It was actually the perfect opportunity to showcase the new wares to high class guests.
The one called Zhao Yu simply stated that he had received his money’s worth of entertainment and would not pursue the matter, but he insisted that she come to his manor for a visit. She agreed at once.
Even the madam had to admit that Cui Xi had predicted everything to the last detail. Although the madam conceded defeat, her smile was so fake Cui Xi almost laughed. The contract was hastily written up and Cui Xi became an honoured guest of the pleasure house with almost free rein to do what she pleased. In one night, she solidified her reputation as the famous Goddess of Cosmetics, and of course, the dancing girl “Xinyue,” became the most famous courtesan in Tiansheng.
Days turned into weeks as she worked doing the makeup for the courtesans and their attendants, building relationships with the other occupants of the pleasure house, but she became uneasy after discovering the lead content of the whitening powder that some of them were using. She had already known about the extensive use of lead in the pre-modern era, but it was unsettling to actually see the results of lead poisoning firsthand.
However, it simply reinforced her desire to push her previous plans forward. She had never intended to stay at the pleasure house, but only use it as a springboard to something else. At some point, she was going to run out of the contents of her cosmetics box, and since she had originally intended to open her own beauty shop, there was no better time to do it then now.
However, the last two weeks had been discouraging as the mostly male owners of any vacant shops had turned their noses up at her “brothel tainted” gold and looked down their long noses at her mask. One or two of them had even called her a ‘unlucky demoness’ to her face. She’d laughed about it at the time, but secretly wondered if she’d truly made a mistake.
Well, no one catches tiger cubs without going into the den…[1]
“Xiao Yu, we are going to make cosmetics ourselves,” Cui Xi said aloud, with conviction.
“Where are we going to get the money to do that?” Xiao Yu sighed, writing something down in her medical journal.
Misreading the tone in her voice, Cui Xi peaked over Xiao Yu’s shoulder, glanced at the notes about the symptoms and shuddered.
Ugh…sounds like an STD[2], she thought to herself.
“You treated her this morning?” Cui Xi asked.
Xiao Yu nodded.
“Ennn. It’s a good thing she plays an instrument. She won’t be able to take guests for a bit,” she murmured, continuing to write.
“It’s a good thing for her that you know medicine,” Cui Xi snorted. “I wouldn’t have been able to identify the lead poisoning on my own with those others…we should charge the Madam…a doctor’s services shouldn’t be free, you know.”
“Still, it’s good to be useful, since I can’t help you with the cosmetics business or with the things that go on in this place,” Xiao Yu said, not looking up.
Something about Xiao Yu’s tone made Cui Xi freeze.
“Xiao Yu…I know you are uncomfortable about the pleasure house, but if you’re truly unhappy you can say it…don’t keep silent for my sake!” she said. “Don’t just go along with everything…I want to hear what you think too!” she said, standing up with a clatter.
Xiao Yu put down the brush.
“I-I…” she wavered, and then her shoulders dropped. “I-I don’t like this place. The men scare me when I run into them in the hall. The things they say to me…The things they do to the girls every night…I’m not like you. I don’t know what to say to brush them off, or to get them to leave me alone…if Xiao Hei hadn’t—”
Her voice broke and she finally looked up with her eyes full of tears.
“Xiao Yu!” Cui Xi cried in shock, grabbing her, and hugging her tightly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Xiao Yu shook her head as Cui Xi patted her hair and rocked her.
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Did they do anything to you? Did they hurt you?” she asked, feeling her guts churn.
Xiao Yu shook her head, quietly crying, although she seemed relieved now that she had come out and said it.
How stupid I’ve had been!
Cui Xi had noticed that Xiao Yu had been staying in their room a lot more lately, but she hadn’t thought too much about it. She been too busy with her plans, with making money, with trying to survive in the capital without thinking about what she had forced Xiao Yu to put up with…and after all the girl was only fifteen.
“I’m not like you…I’m…” said Xiao Yu. “Please don’t hate me.”
Cui Xi lifted her friend’s chin and looked in her eyes.
“I’m afraid too. I’m just learning to be better at hiding it. A’Yu, I don’t hate you. I’m really sorry that I didn’t consider your feelings. As soon as I make enough money to open our own shop, then we will leave this place…But I didn’t know what else to do…”
“But you could have married!” Xiao Yu’s voice whipped her suddenly. “We could have secured ourselves in the capital a long time ago!”
Wait…was that envy?
Self-consciously, Cu Xi touched the place above her heart where the jade ring burned into her skin. At first, she felt angry, but she caught herself as she looked into Xiao Yu’s reddened eyes. Of course, in this place, making a marriage with a noble was probably a great thing and she could have counted herself as lucky…but that wasn’t what she wanted.
“A’Yu, that’s true, but General Murong is a stranger. If I have to choose between relying on a stranger and on myself, I’ll choose myself. I am going to be strong. I don’t want to be tied to anyone like that. Do you understand? My own path…I have to walk it myself[3]. You too. You get to choose how you live. So, if you don’t like something, let me know. I’m really bad with people’s feelings because I’m full of my own ideas. Don’t get left behind, alright? Just tell me,” Cui Xi said very earnestly, holding Xiao Yu’s hands in her own.
Xiao Yu finally nodded, sniffling.
“Sorry,” she said.
“No. It’s ok. I don’t want you to get hurt! From now on I’ll get Xiao Hei to go with you everywhere, alright? Don’t go by yourself. How dare they…” she muttered this last bit to herself, bristling. “I’ll cut their birds off…”
Xiao Yu suddenly burst into laughter and clapped a hand over her mouth. She looked surprised at herself, but the light had returned to her eyes.
Cui Xi smiled back.
Breaking the moment, a loud knock interrupted them.
“Who is it? What’s the matter?” she barked at the door, jarred by the interruption, her nerves still jangled from the upset.
“Mistress, it’s just me,” said Xiao Hei, softly. “I have good news…the restaurant next door…they’re leaving. We can inquire tomorrow if you want.”
“What?! The one with the mezzanine attached to the pleasure house?” Cui Xi asked, barely keeping the excitement out of her voice.
“Yes, Mistress,” said Xiao Hei’s voice through the door.
Xiao Yu’s eyes widened.
All this time, A’Xi had truly meant to move them out of the pleasure house. Xiao Yu suddenly felt guilty for having been so upset earlier. If she had just waited patiently, things would have resolved of their own accord, but she was relieved that she had at last voiced her own opinion.
Cui Xi was a whirlwind of ideas and it was so easy to be swept away by her reckless enthusiasm. Xiao Yu didn’t want to be a burden, but in the end, what had happened with Gao Wei still weighed on her mind, and the looks that the guests gave her every night had been the exact same wolfish look. She shuddered.
“Xiao Hei come in,” said Cui Xi, patting Xiao Yu’s back reassuringly.
Xiao Yu hastily wiped her face and placed her hands demurely in her lap.
Xiao Hei stepped in and nodded to her.
“Mistress,” he greeted, bowing.
“Xiao Hei, from now on you will accompany A’Yu when she leaves our rooms. Make it clear to everyone that she is not to be touched,” Cui Xi instructed. “If they even touch a hair on her head, cut off their hands,” Cui Xi said, smiling sweetly.
Xiao Yu blinked.
“Understood,” Xiao Hei nodded.
After that, the incidents where someone tried to bully Xiao Yu were greatly reduced, and Xiao Hei had finally found something interesting to fill his time while he contemplated his next move.
_________________________________________
[1] 不入虎穴,焉得虎子 – the translation given above is literal. It means “nothing ventured, nothing gained…”
[2] Sexually transmitted disease
[3] 我自己的路，我必須自己走
