TATSD Chapter 74

Many things happened that night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, but between the two of them, it passed by unspoken.

Ji Wei returned to the shop on North Street to keep busy, while Liu Yimian quickly tidied up her restless heart and sat down at the table to begin her studies.

Three days later, Ji Wei baked two cream cakes, one six inches and the other eight inches. The eight-inch cake was cut into eight pieces, while the six-inch cake was packed into a paper box for Liu Yimian to take to the Zhang family.

This cream cake was much more exquisite than the one made for the birthday of Old Madam Lu.

This was due to Ji Wei deciding to use cake as his breakthrough point and then having a blacksmith custom-make brand-new molds and decorating tips. This allowed his cream cakes to have more delicate decorations, and the layers of frosting made from various fruit juices dyed into five colors made the cake look particularly impressive.

Liu Yimian carried the cakes and cookies to the Zhang family. Following Ji Wei’s instructions, she handed the cake’s instruction manual, along with the cake, to Zhang Quan, reminding him to let her know directly if Old Master Zhang needed anything before bidding farewell and looking for Zhang Mingyuan.

“You’ve come?” Zhang Mingyuan, standing in front of the flower rack in the courtyard with a book in hand, turned around at the sound of movement behind him and smiled when he saw Liu Yimian. “How was your Mid-Autumn Festival?”

Thinking of the festival brought to mind that kiss and Liu Yimian felt her cheeks warm. “It was pretty good.”

Zhang Mingyuan’s inquiry seemed casual, but he appeared less interested than usual, a noticeable change from his usual demeanor. Even Liu Yimian could tell he had something on his mind, so she thought for a moment before asking.

“Yushu hasn’t been able to come recently, and I have no one else to confide in, so I’ll tell you,” Zhang Mingyuan said, not one to be coy. Once he decided to share, he poured everything out to Liu Yimian.

It turned out that the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, several guests had visited, and upon learning that he was still unmarried, they hinted at it to Old Master Zhang.

Moreover, Old Master Zhang had brought this matter up with Zhang Mingyuan several times, saying he was of age and should settle down, but Zhang Mingyuan had continued to defer it for the sake of his studies.

When good friends eagerly probed into his situation, they took the opportunity to drag Zhang Mingyuan out into the open. This thoroughly disrupted his peace, with everyone asking about his age and the type of girl he liked. Frustrated, Zhang Mingyuan asserted that he wasn’t interested in women, but there were still some clueless folks who insisted on introducing him to their family’s beautiful sons.

“Can you believe how ridiculous this is?” Zhang Mingyuan lamented, having been in a foul mood for the past few days, unable to concentrate on his studies.

When Old Master Zhang heard Zhang Mingyuan’s complaints, he mistakenly believed he had discovered the real reason why his son was reluctant to marry and earnestly advised him that women were better than boys. Moreover, seeing him meet Liu Yimian so frequently, he mistakenly thought Liu Yimian was the girl Zhang Mingyuan liked. If Zhang Mingyuan hadn’t argued his case, Liu Yimian might not even have been allowed to enter the Zhang household today.

“That makes sense.”

“What makes sense?”

“No wonder the housekeeper looked at me so strangely today.” Liu Yimian couldn’t help but laugh, which made Zhang Mingyuan feel a bit embarrassed.

“It’s my fault; I shouldn’t have spoken without thinking that day. It was quite bothersome, and I thought I’d solve the issue all at once without considering the consequences…” Zhang Mingyuan sighed and then mentioned testing Liu Yimian on the Analects, “Today, I will quiz you on the Analects. If you pass, I will write a letter to the schoolmaster; if you don’t, my father probably won’t let you come again.”

Zhang Mingyuan looked apologetically at Liu Yimian, who responded with a shocked, “Oh,” her expression losing its calmness.

Liu Yimian never imagined that a joke could lead to this predicament. She finally understood why Zhang Mingyuan had felt the need to apologize to her.

Well, since it had come to this, there was no point in saying more.

Even if she could no longer seek his guidance in the future, Liu Yimian would always remember Zhang Mingyuan’s earnest instruction over the past few days. Though she had not expressed her gratitude, she was determined that this matter would not create any rift between them.

Within an hour, Zhang Mingyuan posed five questions, four from the Analects and one from the Book of Songs.

Liu Yimian recited them perfectly, with deep comprehension.

Zhang Mingyuan nodded in approval, praising Liu Yimian for not wasting his guidance. He assured her that he would write a letter of recommendation to the county school’s headmaster and would notify her as soon as he received any news.

This was something Liu Yimian had never expected, nor dared to imagine.

Just a few months ago, he could hardly provide for himself. Who could have thought that within just two or three months, not only would he be well-fed and clothed, but he would also have hopes of attending the county school!

On his way back, Liu Yimian clenched his fists, secretly vowing to work twice as hard to live up to Ji Wei’s and Zhang Mingyuan’s expectations.

“Niuer’s wife, where are you off to?” After leaving the Zhang family, Liu Yimian hadn’t walked far when he saw his neighbor, Niuer’s wife, hurriedly pushing the door out, looking like she was in a rush to go somewhere. Curious, he called out to her.

Seeing it was Liu Yimian, Niuer’s wife waved, “Come here! Did you just come from the Zhang family?”

Liu Yimian nodded.

Niuer’s wife smiled at him, “Come on, let’s go see some excitement.”

“What excitement?”

“You don’t know yet? I heard that Liu Qing and the Baozi beauty are involved—one is being exiled to do hard labor, and the other is going to be paraded through the streets. Such exciting events hardly happen even once every three years; I have to see this!” Niuer’s wife exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Noticing Liu Yimian still hadn’t reacted, she tugged at his arm, pulling him forward.

“Don’t just stand there! You can’t just keep your head buried in books all the time; you need to get some fresh air too. Come along with me to watch the show.”

At this point, Liu Yimian had no idea that the parade of the Baozi beauty was not merely a simple procession.

“Just wait here. I heard that they are going to parade through all four streets: east, west, south, and north,” Niu Er Sao excitedly shared some news with those around her.

Liu Qing was locked up in the jail, having departed directly from Daxi Town and would not return to Changliu Town. However, Bun Beauty was still being held in the town, and the orders for her were carried out by Captain Zhu from Changliu Town.

Liu Yimian wasn’t particularly interested in this commotion, but many people were standing on both sides of West Street. The atmosphere was almost as lively as the lantern festival on the Mid-Autumn Festival, so Liu Yimian decided to wait for a while.

After about half an hour without seeing anyone, Liu Yimian grew impatient and bid farewell to Niu Er Sao, starting to walk back. Just as he was about to enter the alley, he heard a loud commotion behind him. He instinctively turned around and saw a crude cart made of wooden poles rolling toward him.

As he realized what was happening, Liu Yimian’s eyes widened.

“They aren’t wearing any clothes!”

“A person needs dignity, and a tree needs bark. Liu Qing is not a good person, and the Bun Beauty isn’t any better.”

“Before they had thick skin, but now they know they need to keep their dignity. Why bother hiding it now?”

“I heard that the town had originally didn’t want to be too harsh and wanted to give the Bun Beauty a piece of clothing. But Liu Qing’s wife refused to allow it, and after two days of fussing, the town had had no choice but to abandon that idea.”

“Offending women never ends well!”

“What goes around comes around!”

A group of people chattered away, completely unaware that Liu Yimian had walked behind them.

As the cage cart approached, the Bun Beauty sat there completely naked, her legs bent and arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Her upper body pressed against her thighs, and her disheveled hair fell loosely behind her. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying, and her right cheek was swollen with an unmistakable handprint.

It was clear that her recent days had not been pleasant.

Though he had anticipated this outcome, seeing it with his own eyes made Liu Yimian gasp, profoundly understanding the severity of the laws and punishments regarding illicit relationships in Daqian.

As Captain Zhu drove the cart past, Liu Yimian pressed his racing heart and quickly jogged back home.

Night fell.

The Bun Beauty was draped in a thin garment that Captain Zhu had thrown over her when he released her from the cage cart.

She collapsed onto the cold stone floor, her body devoid of any substantial clothing aside from the flimsy outer shirt. Even in summer, it felt quite chilly at night. The Bun Beauty sat there, seemingly unaware, with her head lowered, and after an indeterminate time, she let out a low laugh.

“Change for the better… start anew… how does one start anew…?” This was the last thing Captain Zhu had said before leaving. It sounded so simple to others, yet for the Bun Beauty, who was paraded through the streets and subjected to public scorn, it felt insurmountable.

In the stillness of the night, she laughed for a whole quarter of an hour until her throat was hoarse and she could no longer make a sound. Weakly, she pushed herself off the ground. Her clothes swayed precariously, but she paid no mind, laughing as she stumbled into the house and lit a candle.

Gradually, the smile faded from her face, leaving her expression eerily calm. She gently brushed her disheveled hair aside, humming a little tune as she entered the room. She chose a red flower-patterned silk dress with a white background, putting it on neatly before sitting in front of a mirror to examine her reflection.

After staying in the darkroom for several days, unable to eat or sleep properly, and having cried continuously, she looked haggard and thin.

The Bun Beauty tenderly touched her left cheek and carefully applied powder to her face. She tinted her lips with red powder and even painted a delicate peach blossom design on her forehead. Only when her reflection began to resemble her former beauty did she gently smile.

“I’m still as beautiful as ever…” Bun Beauty sighed softly. “Even in the end, you still can’t compare to me. It’s a pity Qing Ge won’t see this; otherwise, I’d want him to choose…”

The Bun Beauty stood up, gracefully walked over to the wardrobe, and took out a belt intricately embroidered with patterns, which appeared to be made for a man and was about three fingers wide.

“Even in the afterlife, I will be with you every day, entering your dreams each night…” she sang a wordless tune, her voice sounding a bit desolate in the quiet night. While humming, she tossed the belt over the beam and tied it into a knot. Then, on the final high note, she stood on a wooden stool—

The Bun Beauty looked around at the familiar furnishings, shaking her head with a smile. Closing her eyes slightly, she kicked the stool away.

With a loud crash, the wooden stool fell to the ground, and the figure hanging from the beam kicked its legs a few times before gradually falling silent.

“Why is this door wide open?” An early morning woman passing by with a vegetable basket noticed the door ajar.

This was the home of the Bun Beauty, who had been paraded through the streets the previous day. Even though the woman had been neighbors with her for over a decade, her curiosity about what Bun Beauty was doing now was overwhelming.

Taking advantage of the lack of anyone around, she stood at the door and peeked inside.

“Bun Beauty?” the woman called out.

There was a shadow inside, yet no matter how she called, there was no response.

The woman couldn’t help but shiver, feeling something was off. She stepped further inside, calling out as she went, but the figure remained utterly still, completely silent despite being right there.

“Xiu Fen, are you okay?”

Finally, when the woman reached the entrance and saw Bun Beauty hanging from the beam, her face bruised and tongue hanging out, she screamed and immediately fainted.