Chapter 16: Tenth Sister

Madame Zhang watched as Xie Yuyan picked out several pieces of silver fragments, then weighed them on the steelyard nearby.

"Fifteen taels," Xie Yuyan said.

She didn't even need to keep track of how many pieces she took; just casually picking a few lead-filled counterfeit silvers to make up the count would do.

It really was this easy.

Madame Zhang had always conducted herself honestly and uprightly her whole life; she had never even considered such things.

"If you feel uneasy," Xie Yuyan said, "just think about how the third branch's fields were seized back then. These things belong to your third branch. When backed into a corner, fighting for oneself is only right. Sixth Brother is already gone; we cannot let Qin'er follow the same old path."

With this reasoning, Madame Zhang indeed felt relieved.

Madame Zhang pursed her lips: "We're going to use... this... to buy what?"

Xie Yuyan closed the box containing the silver fragments, led Madame Zhang out of the small storeroom, and locked the door again, her expression perfectly calm.

"Coal," Xie Yuyan said. "I've already had Qin'er go take a look."

...

After leaving home, Yang Qin ran almost the entire way to the market. He had drunk a full bowl of congee and eaten half a sugar pancake in the morning, feeling like he had inexhaustible energy.

There were many things to do today; he couldn't delay.

The first task was to go to the pharmacy to fetch medicine.

Yang Qin stood on tiptoe, watching the clerk weigh out the medicine. When the clerk divided the doses, he didn't blink, afraid that seeing he was a child, the clerk might give him inferior dregs.

When the clerk handed him the medicine, Yang Qin carefully took out a piece of old cloth and wrapped it meticulously before placing it in his bamboo basket.

The pharmacy shopkeeper couldn't help but smile watching this. Such a young child, yet so meticulous—it was rare. So he struck up a conversation: "This prescription is well-written. Which doctor did your family consult?"

The shopkeeper hadn't looked closely at the prescription, but he recognized at a glance what herbs the clerk was grabbing. It was a tonic prescription for qi and blood, with a few herbs used very cleverly—effective yet inexpensive.

"My sister-in-law wrote the prescription herself. She's amazing," Yang Qin lifted his chin proudly. "Does the shopkeeper want to buy it?"

The shopkeeper couldn't help laughing: "Buy this prescription?" He waved his hand. "No pharmacy makes a big deal of buying prescriptions. Besides, while this prescription is good, it's not indispensable."

Yang Qin smiled: "Shopkeeper, don't regret it. Who knows, someone else might buy it first one day."

The shopkeeper looked at Yang Qin's thin clothes and clearly didn't take the words to heart.

Yang Qin had never actually thought of selling the prescription. He knew ordinary prescriptions couldn't be sold. Besides, this was written by his sister-in-law; even if the shopkeeper wanted to buy it, he'd have to go back and ask her opinion. He said those things just to show off.

Leaving the pharmacy, Yang Qin headed straight for the market. He clutched his basket tightly, looking at the stalls on both sides of the street, until his gaze was drawn to a pile of black things on the ground.

A dark-skinned, sturdy man leaned against a large tree nearby. The man stared intently at a steamed bun shop not far away, watching basket after basket of freshly steamed buns. His stomach growled. He swallowed, feeling the few copper coins in his bosom, heated from his tight grip. After a long while, he took a deep breath, reluctantly tore his gaze away, and when his eyes fell back on his own stall, he found a seven or eight-year-old child standing there.

The sturdy man hadn't sold anything and was feeling irritable. Seeing the child reach out to flip through his goods, he was about to wave him away, but the child spoke first: "How do you sell this coal?"

The man was somewhat surprised, not expecting this child to actually want to buy coal.

Before he could speak, the child continued: "I only want the very finest crushed kind."

"You..." The man's eyes were full of doubt. After a moment, it was as if he understood something, and he lost any intention of responding. "Go find your adults. Don't come here to play."

This child was probably just teasing him. Crushed coal used to have buyers, but since winter began, two households using crushed coal had met with misfortune in succession. The sellers of crushed coal had also been taken to the yamen for interrogation and hadn't been released yet.

The man knew this so clearly because that small vendor lived in the same village as him.

Now everyone in town was saying coal was toxic. The yamen hadn't explicitly banned the sale of coal, but with such a deadly reputation, who dared use it? Especially crushed coal—it seemed even asking about it would bring bad luck.

If his family weren't truly out of money, the man wouldn't have made this trip. But even having come to the market, he was selling large chunks of coal, which people said had lower toxicity.

The man didn't believe coal was toxic from the bottom of his heart. That fellow villager who was arrested, to prove his innocence, had grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his mouth right in front of the magistrate. He was fine to this day.

However, he had indeed encountered cases of trouble from using coal. Right in their village, they were burning crushed coal. While burning, the people in the house started getting dizzy and drowsy. Fortunately, the wind broke the window, and the family regained some consciousness and escaped.

While the man was pondering, an old woman walked over, grabbed Yang Qin, glanced at the sturdy coal seller with some wariness, then pulled Yang Qin a few steps away.

"Granny Li," Yang Qin called out.

This old woman lived in Yong'an Ward, usually doing odd jobs to supplement the family income. She had even helped in the kitchen when the Yang family held a banquet. Her sugar cakes were especially delicious, though Yang Qin had only eaten half a piece, secretly given to him by a same-aged cousin in the clan.

Granny Li said in a low voice: "What are you buying coal for? Your brother... didn't the court give a pension? Isn't it enough for winter?"

Yang Qin shook his head: "The family needs money elsewhere. Coal is cheaper than charcoal..."

Before Yang Qin could finish, Granny Li said: "That won't do either. Haven't you heard people say coal is toxic?"

Yang Qin said: "People in the clan use it too."

"That's the good kind," Granny Li sighed. "Those crushed dregs are another matter. Since winter began, who knows how many lives they've taken. Listen to me, don't buy that stuff. If it really comes to it, get some charcoal on credit from the clan."

Granny Li thought carefully: "Don't you have a sister-in-law now? I'll keep an eye out for work for her—needlework, or starching and washing clothes for people, to earn some money."

Yang Qin's mind flashed with the image of Xie Yuyan sewing by lamplight, laboriously scrubbing clothes. For some reason, that scene seemed particularly strange and... frightening.

Yang Qin hurriedly waved his hands: "No need, no need. Sister-in-law is in poor health and needs careful recuperation. She can't do work."

Granny Li clicked her tongue: "Your sister-in-law is a pitiful one too."

Yang Qin didn't want to argue further with Granny Li. He accompanied her for a stretch, then excused himself saying he had other business, and hurried back to that willow tree.

The coal seller hadn't left, but no one had come to buy his coal either. He hung his head, looking at the coal he had painstakingly mined, feeling upset. He looked up and saw that seven or eight-year-old child again.

"Still haven't told me how much for the crushed coal?" Yang Qin said to the man. "I really want to buy."

As he spoke, he held out his bamboo basket for the man to see: "My mother and sister-in-law went to buy other things. They told me to look around for coal sellers and ask the prices to report back."

The man was half-believing, half-doubting. After hesitating, he said: "Haven't you heard... crushed coal is toxic?"

Yang Qin nodded: "My sister-in-law said coal isn't toxic. It's just used incorrectly."

Yang Qin only started to explain but didn't continue. The man wanted to hear more, but found the child unwilling to speak further.

"I didn't bring crushed coal today," the man said. "I live in Sanhe Village outside the city. The fourth house from the west of the village is mine. If you really want to buy, go there and ask."

The man could tell this child was only asking prices, not buying today. Besides, he truly hadn't brought crushed coal. So he gave his address, shouldered his coal, and walked out of the market.

Although Yang Qin hadn't gotten a price, he knew where the coal seller lived and didn't delay, heading straight for the Patrol Inspector's yamen.

The Patrol Inspector's yamen had to patrol the city at night, so it opened early. From afar, Yang Qin saw patrol soldiers coming and going. He was about to run over and ask for the Chief Clerk's whereabouts when his arm was seized by someone.

Yang Qin turned his head and met that person's eyes.

When the second branch's Old Master arranged his brother's betrothal, this person had come to their house, specially following the Xie family's Seventh Master to deliver the betrothal gifts.

"Come with me," the man said with a dark face. "My Seventh Master has questions for you."

Following the man's gesture, Yang Qin indeed saw a carriage stopped not far away. The servant led Yang Qin to the carriage. The curtain was lifted, and Yang Qin immediately smelled a strong stench of alcohol. Looking up, he saw a richly dressed young man lazily half-reclining in the carriage, with a maid kneading his thighs beside him.

The young man's eyes were closed, an expression of utter enjoyment on his face.

"Seventh Master," the servant prompted, "the person has been brought."

Only then did Seventh Master Xie lift his eyelids. His eyes were bloodshot, his gaze particularly muddled. After a long moment, his vision focused on Yang Qin.

Seventh Master Xie pursed his lips. Yang Qin only felt the back of his clothes being grabbed, and then his whole body was tossed into the carriage.

The curtain fell. The alcohol fumes were even stronger, choking Yang Qin so he covered his mouth and nose.

But Seventh Master Xie laughed "hehe": "A child not yet grown, doesn't know the pleasures of wine and beauty. However... in times like these, one careless moment and you might never have the chance to grow up."

As soon as the words fell, an object suddenly reached out, propping against Yang Qin's chin, forcing his head up. Immediately after, Yang Qin saw Seventh Master Xie's face, bearing a few traces of arrogance and puffiness.

"Speak then. Is my tenth sister really alive?"

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(End of chapter)