WBICDPH Chapter 28 Part 2

Xu Dongsi wanted to live well, carrying the weight of her parents’ and brothers’ hopes. But she didn’t know whether surviving in a pleasure house by selling her beauty counted as resilience—or as cowardly clinging to life.

Her mother had once said that beauty was both the most dangerous and the most trivial thing a woman could possess, and that no matter what the future held, she must never abandon her courage and learning to attach herself to men through her body.

But her mother had also said that the world should have no true distinction between noble and base. Whether seated on a golden throne or fallen among brothels and willows, all were human. Those trapped by fate yet still living with strength deserved respect, never ridicule.

That night, Xu Dongsi thought long and hard.

When she emerged from the black room, the madam was boasting proudly about her foolproof methods of training. The other women looked at her with either cruelty or pity.

Xu Dongsi’s heart was as still as stagnant water. She knew that from this moment on, her fate no longer belonged to her.

Her name was Xu Dongsi, chosen jointly by her parents. On the day she was born, the capital experienced a once-in-a-century snowfall. The winter winds howled, and her father held her and said he wished for her to be like the snow outside the window—unbound, riding the wind for thousands of miles, forever proud and free.

But the madam of Mantingchun disliked the sharpness of the character “Si,” saying men wouldn’t like it, so she arbitrarily changed it to “Si,” pronounced the same but softer.

Winter Si was already skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. After staying in Mantingchun, she was also forced to learn to dance. She was extraordinarily beautiful, gentle in temperament, and able to converse with anyone. As the madam put it, she was born for this line of work—she could win a man’s favor just by standing there, make him spend lavishly for her.

Gradually, Winter Si’s name spread beyond Zhongyun City. Just as the Xu family’s daughter had once been known throughout the imperial capital, now Mantingchun’s top courtesan, Winter Si, was famous far and wide.

Occasionally, powerful figures from outside the city invited her to accompany them, including noble young men from the capital.

The men who had once sworn to love Xu Dongsi, to marry her and cherish her forever, now treated Winter Si as a plaything. They humiliated her publicly, insulted her, or condescendingly said:

“Third, Miss Xu was once a spotless figure hanging high in the heavens. Now, just to survive, you’re willing to be trampled by thousands. Seeing you like this pains my heart.”

Winter Si did not show the sadness or shame her tormentors expected. Instead, she accepted it gently, her smile unchanged.

“Since that was long ago, sir needn’t mention it anymore. I am no longer Third Miss Xu. I am only Winter Si of Mantingchun. What does it matter if I’m trampled by thousands? It’s only a body. I earn my living through my own effort. I haven’t stolen or robbed anything. Why should you feel such pain?

“Back then, I had no second path to choose. I couldn’t very well smash my head against a pillar just to preserve a reputation for chastity in your eyes. Forgive my bluntness, but that doesn’t seem worth it.”

At that, the man flew into a rage and slapped Winter Si across the face, then spat at her.

“Lowly prostitute! Who do you think you are, daring to speak to me like that?”

Winter Si fell to the ground, smiling silently.

Cruel words and mockery were commonplace. Occasionally, someone offered to redeem her, to take her home. Even if she couldn’t be a proper wife, she could become a concubine and live a stable life.

But Winter Si refused every one of them.

She wanted to leave this place too—but it had to be by her own strength. For now, she could still see the possibility of freedom. If she accepted another’s charity, she would spend her entire life relying on men.

Winter Si’s soul had taken up residence in Xu Dongsi’s body. She forgot the books she once read, forgot the ideals she once shared with her parents. She couldn’t even remember how long it had been since she last held a writing brush.

Every day, she thought only of how to look prettier, how to please guests, how to make them happy. How to play the qin so her posture looked most pleasing, how to dance so the applause would be louder.

Only the wooden chest beneath her bed, where she saved money to buy her freedom, preserved the last proof that she had once been Xu Dongsi.

She wanted to redeem herself. She wanted freedom. She wanted to travel far, see rivers and mountains, and live proudly and unrestrained, like winter snow.

Such numb days passed for two or three years. The women of Mantingchun were replaced batch after batch—some died of illness, some were redeemed and left.

Every so often, the madam brought in new girls. Some were sent by their families; others sold themselves out of desperation. The black room regularly held newcomers under “training” or older women who had made mistakes. After staying long enough, Winter Si grew accustomed to it.

Until one day, as she went downstairs, she happened to see her former little maid and several other young servants peeking around a corner.

Winter Si raised an eyebrow slightly and walked over, tapping Fang Qingtang on the shoulder.

“Qingtang? What are you looking at?”

“Thi—Winter Si, miss!”

The girl always called her Third Miss Xu. Even after all this time, she still slipped up now and then.

“The madam brought in a new sister today. After she was locked inside, she didn’t cry or make a sound at all. We were wondering if she…”

“If she’s dead!” blurted the younger girl beside her, before Fang Qingtang quickly covered her mouth.

“Yaoyao, what are you saying? What if the madam hears you? She’ll beat your hands again!”

Girls dying in the black room was not unheard of. Some had lost hope and smashed their heads against the wall in the terrifying darkness and silence. By the time they were found, it was already the next day.

Winter Si frowned slightly and walked toward the room at the end of the corridor.

Fang Qingtang and Yaoyao hurried after her.

Clatter—

The chain on the wooden door rang sharply. Winter Si peered through the crack between the doors.

It was early morning. A small window high above let a faint bit of light into the black room.

In those thin rays sat a tall, slender girl dressed in white as snow. She knelt upright, her back perfectly straight, as if she were not being punished but sitting in a classroom listening to a teacher.

Outside, the wind howled and snow lashed against the fragile window frame. The woman inside seemed to sense it, tilting her face slightly toward where the cold seeped in.

Winter Si froze. She gently patted Fang Qingtang’s head.

“This is…?”

“The new girl the madam brought today,” Fang Qingtang replied. “I heard the madam say she’s the daughter of the Chu family from the North City.”

Yaoyao nodded vigorously and mimicked the madam, hands on her hips, shouting,

“That’s right! Hah, pretending to be noble! No matter how high and mighty you were before, now that you’re in my hands, you’re just a cheap little thing. Let’s see how I deal with you!”

Fang Qingtang quickly pushed her hands down.

“You’re still showing off? Haven’t you been beaten enough?”

Then she looked up at Winter Si.

“I heard her name. I think it’s Chu Ji.”

“Chu Ji?”

Winter Si repeated the name softly, momentarily lost in thought.

“When the snow thins, the wind grows fierce; from the roots of clouds, the sun struggles to shine.”

Her eyes reflected that pure white figure, and the corner of her lips curved unconsciously.

“A beautiful name.”