Chapter 7: First Encounter with a Beauty

Chapter 7: First Encounter with a Beauty

The bookstore in Changxi County stood beside the silver shop on the main street. It was a spacious establishment with two entrances, yet it saw few customers. Zhao An browsed inside, finding mostly the Four Books and Five Classics for imperial examinations, along with collections of exemplary essays, and a variety of popular storybooks. However, prices were generally steep; even a slim volume of tales about talented scholars and beautiful ladies cost five mace of silver.

The shop assistant, having been questioned several times by Zhao An, began to show impatience. He had initially approached Zhao An with eagerness, impressed by his refined appearance, only to discover that this customer was all show, inquiring about everything but purchasing nothing.

Noticing the assistant’s sour expression, Zhao An inquired if they stocked the *Compendium of Materia Medica* (*Bencao Gangmu*).

Observing Zhao An’s demeanor, the assistant realized this was the book he truly sought. He honestly replied, "We don't have it in stock at the moment. If you wish, young master, we can procure it for you from the prefecture city." Then, seemingly doubting Zhao An's financial means, he added, "The *Compendium of Materia Medica* is a substantial work. Its lowest price is five taels of silver. If you wish to order it, a deposit will be required."

Zhao An maintained a smile, though his mind was already racing with ideas for improving papermaking and printing techniques. Aloud, he said, "Since you don't have it here, I'll go to the prefecture city myself another day to buy it."

With that, he exited the bookstore. His young servant, Qintong, who had been waiting outside with a basket on his back, was relieved to see him emerge empty-handed, meaning the copper coins in the basket would remain unspent. "Young master, let's hurry back. The ox cart might already be full. If we're too late, there won't be any seats left."

Zhao An nodded, but then his gaze fell upon the martial artist he had encountered previously. He couldn't help but reflect on how small Changxi County truly was.

Today, the martial artist was clad in a blue brocade robe, accompanied by a man in black. Zhao An met his eyes and couldn't resist a second glance. The man possessed a chiseled face, striking steel-blue eyes, and dark hair, suggesting mixed heritage. More precisely, he was a handsome, distinguished man of mixed race, as captivating as a renowned celebrity.

Hu Sheng was accustomed to being stared at, so Zhao An's gaze didn't bother him. Moreover, he detected no disdain or contempt in the eyes of Consort Li's younger brother—only pure admiration and wonder, devoid of any lewdness.

Zhao An’s clear, limpid "peach-blossom" eyes alone pleased Hu Sheng, prompting a gentle smile that softened his lips and eyes.

Upon seeing the handsome man smile, Zhao An quickly averted his gaze, fearing that his rapidly beating heart might be disrespectful.

After they passed each other, Zhao An watched the two men enter the very bookstore he had just left. The shopkeeper personally greeted Feng Shaoping and Hu Sheng, handing Hu Sheng a travelogue and saying, "This is the latest book from the north."

Hu Sheng calmly took it, flipped through a few pages, and read a few lines of intelligence about the northern conflict written on the back of the title page. After finishing, he casually handed the book back to the shopkeeper, remarking, "It's not very interesting. I'll look again another time."

Feng Shaoping stood nearby, seemingly oblivious to what Hu Sheng was reading. He directed the assistant to fetch him some erotic illustrations to browse and eventually purchased one.

After leaving the bookstore, Feng Shaoping playfully slapped the book into Hu Sheng’s arms, saying, "You don't have anyone to keep you warm. Why not take this book home to satisfy your cravings?"

Hu Sheng glanced at the properly dressed woman on the cover and sneered coldly. "I practice martial arts for four hours every day; all my energy is spent. I'm not as idle as you, Brother Feng."

Feng Shaoping detected the displeasure in Hu Sheng’s tone and quickly retrieved the book, smiling awkwardly. "I was just making a small joke. Don't be angry, Brother Hu. How are things in the north now?"

Despite the obvious attempt to change the subject, Hu Sheng still informed him, "Things are progressing well. According to my plan, we've used salt and tea to bribe small Hu tribes into becoming informants and have already eliminated five minor Xiongnu clans."

"Your esteemed elder brother will surely receive more accolades from the court," Feng Shaoping remarked, his voice laced with disdain and indignation.

Hu Sheng, however, spoke calmly, as if he were not the one being wronged. "Receiving accolades isn't always a good thing. Our emperor's magnanimity may not be as vast as one might think."

By then, Zhao An and Qintong had already reached the city gate and boarded the ox cart. Yet, his mind still lingered on the striking man he had just seen. In terms of looks alone, the blue-eyed man was not significantly less attractive than the martial artist. However, he possessed a dignified and sharp aura, the bearing of a soldier—a confident, battle-hardened soldier.

But why would such a person appear in a small place like Changxi County? Zhao An couldn't fathom it, yet another thought sparked in his mind. In such a small town where people frequently crossed paths, they might meet again by chance. Perhaps there could even be further developments, though he wondered if the man was already married.

Humans truly are visual creatures, Zhao An chided himself, for immediately after seeing a handsome man on the street, he began to ponder his marital status.

Upon returning home, Zhao An saw the newly purchased water bamboo shoots and garlic sprouts. The thought of stir-fried meat for lunch overshadowed all other distractions.

Zhao An informed Hai Bo that he had read in a book that adding eggs or starch to stir-fried meat could enhance its tenderness.

Hai Bo, who had been planning to buy more eggs with the money Zhao An brought back, also managed to obtain some starch from a villager who grew sweet potatoes. The stir-fried garlic sprouts with shredded meat did not disappoint Zhao An. Paired with a dish of water bamboo shoots stir-fried with lard residue, he devoured two bowls of rice in one sitting.

After lunch, Zhao An spread the relatively inexpensive medicinal herbs he had gathered from the mountain the previous day in the yard to dry. Qintong went out to gather firewood, and Hai Bo did the laundry, leaving Zhao An undisturbed. His thoughts drifted back to the man he had met on the street that day.

What was his name? Where did he live? Would he see him again the next time he went to town to deliver strawberries?

"Young master, the sky is clouding over. We should gather the herbs quickly," Hai Bo reminded Zhao An after finishing the laundry and noticing the changing weather.

Spring rain, though not as torrential as summer storms, could fall continuously for days. This particular rain lasted for two full days, and when Zhao An went to town for the third time to deliver strawberries, it still hadn't stopped.

He had to don a raincoat borrowed by Hai Bo and entered the city alone. This time, he sold over three hundred wen worth of strawberries. After packing his basket, he wasn't eager to return home. Being cooped up indoors for two rainy days, even playing games like Gomoku (Five-in-a-Row) and Six, made him feel as if he were growing mold. It was hard to imagine that, in extreme boredom, even the Four Books and Five Classics seemed rather appealing. Of course, the *Book of Songs*—with its verses like "Guan-guan cry the ospreys, on the islet in the river," and "The peach tree is young and elegant, brilliant are its flowers"—was far more charming than the *Analects* or *Mencius*.

So Zhao An decided to grit his teeth and spend three hundred wen on a copy of *Records of the Grand Historian*. He had already inquired with the bookstore assistant; this book was much cheaper than the newly published illustrated storybooks, likely due to its large print run. He intended to read it as a novel.

However, when he visited the bookstore this time, he did not see the man who had occupied his thoughts for days. Though a little disappointed, he wasn't pining away. He asked the shopkeeper to carefully wrap the book in oilpaper and placed it at the bottom of his basket.

He now had just over thirty wen left, enough to buy two catties of lean meat before heading back. Besides, Hai Bo didn't allow him to buy vegetables in town, as they were cheaper in the countryside—one wen could buy a large bunch.

This time, he returned with no money left. Hai Bo seemed pleased to see he had bought a book. That afternoon, the rain stopped, and the sun came out. Zhao An continued drying the herbs, but unfortunately, after being stored for two rainy days, some had developed black spots and were no longer usable.

Over the next ten days, they not only saved up one tael of silver but also made two new sets of clothes for each person. Life became more comfortable, but Zhao An never saw the blue-eyed man again on his subsequent trips to town.

On the twentieth day of the third month, which wasn't a strawberry delivery day, Zhao An still went to town to sell the dried herbs at an apothecary.

Seventy-six catties of herbs only fetched fifty-two wen, leaving him with a sense that the effort and reward were disproportionate. Not to mention the five or six trips he had made up the mountain and the daily drying of the herbs, he had even spent three wen to rent a village ox cart to transport the herbs to town.

After leaving the apothecary, Zhao An decided to bring provisions and venture deeper into the mountains the next day. Hai Bo had previously forbidden him from going too far, but given the current situation, staying close wouldn't yield much.

Even though he now had one tael of silver, he was still far from his goal of buying the *Compendium of Materia Medica*. Lost in thoughts about going up the mountain, Zhao An sat silently in the ox cart, not bothering to chat with the driver, Liu Hu.

However, Liu Hu was curious about Zhao An’s herb-selling venture. After the cart left the city, he couldn’t help but ask, "Young Master Zhao, how much did you make from selling herbs today?"

Having been to town frequently, Zhao An was quite familiar with Liu Hu and answered truthfully, "Fifty-two wen. After more than ten days of work, that’s all I got."

Liu Hu earned a dozen or so wen a day driving the ox cart to town, but he didn’t think fifty-two wen was a small amount. Many villagers toiled in the fields from dawn to dusk all year round, earning only about one tael of silver. After taxes and feeding their families, nothing was left. In comparison, foraging for herbs was less laborious, but few people could identify medicinal plants.

"Young Master Zhao, why didn’t you bring Qintong with you today?" Liu Hu asked, shifting the topic after satisfying his curiosity.

With nothing else to do on the swaying ox cart, Zhao An chatted with Liu Hu. "He found a good spot for gathering firewood with someone yesterday and left early this morning."

Their conversation drifted from gathering firewood to wild fruits on the mountain and eventually to fox spirit and ghost stories. By the time they reached Zhao An’s home, Liu Hu couldn’t help but ask, "How many children did Nie Xiaoqian have after she returned to life and married the scholar?"

"Two," Zhao An replied casually. He pushed open the door and called out, "Hai Bo, I’m back."

But the house was empty, and no one answered.