A Willing Mistake, My Lady – Chapter 36
by Little PandaThe Vinegar Essence1 Goes Online
It’s too sour, so something sweet is needed.
Waking up early, Jiang Chenyu began to dress and apply her makeup. She wore an apricot-white, dark-patterned, stand-collar long shirt; an orange floral horse-face skirt2; and a teal printed changyi overcoat. Paired with a milky, translucent lily of the valley tassel Xiuyan jade hairpin3, she looked even more charming and tender than the newly sprouted grass in the fields. A single sway of her head was enough to make one’s heart flutter.
“I’ve prepared a face veil for you. The wind is strong outside, so it’s better to cover up a little.” How could she grow to be so alluring? Even wearing a face veil, she was half hidden behind a pipa4, looking even more breathtaking than before. Watching Jiang Chenyu dress up so beautifully early in the morning just to meet someone, Shen Hetang had “unhappy” written all over her face.
Who applies lip rouge just to meet a friend? She had never even seen Jiang Chenyu wear lip rouge before. Was she not worthy? Hmph. She was unhappy.
A short while later, Chuntao ran over from next door. The girl had also dressed up elaborately. Her already delicate and gentle features looked much more beautiful. Seeing the master and servant acting like a peacock spreading its tail5, Shen Hetang felt her status in this household wasn’t nearly as high as she had imagined. It was depressing. And she couldn’t even let anyone see her displeasure—even more depressing.
“Ah Tang, we’re all ready. Let’s head out.” She didn’t sense Shen Hetang’s inner turmoil in the slightest. She was only thinking about how, after today, her net worth would likely increase by more than tenfold. Just the thought of it thrilled her. Naturally, she had to go to the seaport properly and seriously dressed to meet the returning brothers.
After traveling for over a shichen, the carriage finally arrived at the seaport. The sunlight today was warm, and the air blown in by the sea breeze carried the unique, salty-fresh scent of seaweed. The humid air patted against their faces, feeling exceptionally comfortable.
Walking a bit further, they could see the ships docked along the coast one after another. Each one was forty or fifty meters long and over twenty meters wide, capable of carrying around three hundred tons of cargo and accommodating some two hundred people. When they first set sail, because they were short on hands, the local government had specially assigned them fifteen extra boatmen so they could officially depart on their long voyage.
Nearly seventy large ships stretched out endlessly, their massive light blue sails snapping in the sea breeze, highlighting their striking presence. Shen Hetang was stunned by the sight before her. Just looking at the exterior structure of the hulls, one could see how advanced the shipbuilding technology was. If one were to lean over and look from a high vantage point, who knew what kind of soul-stirring picture it would make?
Along one side of the coastline stood a row of guarding soldiers. The maritime market hadn’t yet opened, but quite a few onlookers had already gathered opposite them, just waiting for the order so they could board the ships and witness the rare novelties from overseas.
“Miss, we can’t board the ships from here, either. What should we do? Did we make a wasted trip?” Chuntao asked anxiously.
“Don’t panic. Let’s walk forward a bit and see. There should be pennants.” Jiang Chenyu scanned the massive ships opposite them, searching for a flag bearing the ‘Jiang’ character.
After passing about forty ships, they spotted a sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth. Dressed in strange attire, he squatted on a reef, holding some jerky-like food in his hand and boredly tearing off pieces to pop into his mouth.
The youth’s eyes lit up when he saw Chuntao. He hopped off the reef and hurried over toward them.
“Miss, look, it’s Jiang Yi,” Chuntao said, waving a hand at him.
“Miss Jiang, Chuntao, you’re finally here! I’ve been out here eating sand for quite a few days.” The youth flashed a grin. His dark face and stark white teeth made Chuntao burst into laughter.
“Where is your sister? How is she?” Chuntao asked. She finally didn’t need to go burn incense at the temple anymore.
“She’s waiting for you inside. Let’s hurry in.” The youth prepared to take them aboard. He ran over and said something to the guarding soldiers, and the group subsequently followed him onto a ship.
Shen Hetang supported Jiang Chenyu as they boarded the large ship in front of them. On the spacious deck, quite a few men were resting. Seeing two beauties arrive, they immediately perked up, their eyes turning wide and fixed. However, neither Jiang Chenyu nor Chuntao felt afraid or unsettled. The dozen or so brothers under Jiang Ning’s command had all seen them before and were extremely familiar with Chuntao. The only ones who were still surprised and curious were the boatmen who had boarded later.
Moreover, she trusted that Jiang Ning would not let anything happen to them on the ship. Following Jiang Yi into the cabin, they ran right into Uncle Jiang and Jiang Ning coming the other way.
Seeing the two, Jiang Ning’s eyes brightened even more, and she strode straight toward them.
“Chenyu, Chuntao, you’ve finally arrived! I’ve been tied up these past few days and couldn’t go see you.” Jiang Ning took large strides over and directly opened her arms, pulling both girls into a hug. She wore a hearty smile, her tone familiar and her movements magnanimous.
Standing behind them, Shen Hetang’s brows knitted into a knot. Her gaze locked onto Jiang Ning’s hand resting on Jiang Chenyu’s back, feeling entirely uncomfortable in a hundred different ways.
This Jiang Ning wasn’t much shorter than herself, but she was a bit more sturdily built. Shen Hetang petty-mindedly inspected her appearance. She had broad features, a high nose bridge, and slightly thick lips. She was a square-faced girl with a touch of heroic spirit.
If she were a man, she would have been considered to have proper, imposing features. But in women’s clothing, she would probably look somewhat out of place.
However, her outfit today suited her perfectly. The top of her head was braided into several small plaits, pulled high together with the rest of her hair into a high ponytail, tied with a cloth strip adorned with agate beads. She wore a white undershirt on the inside, followed by a purplish-gray vest, and a dark blue half-robe that left one arm exposed. The layers were distinct, and though the garments were stacked, it didn’t look overly complicated.
A diexie belt6 encircled her waist, dangling with something resembling a fox tail, and she wore black leather boots.
Shen Hetang secretly appraised this highly unique woman. She wore men’s clothing but didn’t conceal her true identity as a woman, showing that she held immense prestige among a group of men.
She thought sourly that even if she were jealous, she couldn’t go against her conscience and say this person was just ‘average.’ How could a woman who led thirty or forty people on an ocean-faring voyage be average?
“Jiang Ning, let me introduce you. This is Shen Hetang, my husband.” After their initial greetings, Jiang Chenyu didn’t forget the husband by her side and introduced the two to each other.
Jiang Ning flashed a moment of surprise upon hearing the news of her marriage. Then, she began to appraise Shen Hetang. She saw that he, a man, actually had red lips, white teeth, and dark, slightly deep eyes. He seemed casually languid but radiated an aloof nobility, with eyelashes longer than a woman’s. Tsk tsk. Looking again at his un-robust physique—though he stood tall and slender, he was ultimately on the weaker side, not even looking as solid as she, a woman, did.
Jiang Ning’s thick eyebrows twitched slightly. This little lady must have been bewitched by his good looks, she thought to herself. Despite having eight hundred thoughts running through her mind, Jiang Ning still greeted him warmly on the surface.
“Young Master Shen looks to be a man of striking talent. A pleasure to meet you!” Jiang Ning neatly cupped her fist in salute.
“Boss Jiang is also a heroine among women. I’ve admired you for a long time!” Shen Hetang returned the salute.
“The two of you are like matching couplets, hehe!” Jiang Chenyu found the exchange between these two strangers somewhat amusing.
“Jiang Ning, you’re finally back! We didn’t have a single word of news for so long, it was truly worrying!” Chuntao looked at Jiang Ning with watery, almond-shaped eyes.
“Yes. To pray for your safe return, Chuntao nearly spent all her dowry silver. You’ll have to compensate her double. It wouldn’t do for her to have no money and fail to find her in-laws,” Jiang Chenyu joked, still keeping that matter in mind for her maid.
“Miss! Don’t always make fun of me!” Chuntao blushed in embarrassment.
“I’m helping you collect a debt! Once past this village, there won’t be this inn7, you little fool.” Jiang Chenyu appeared much livelier as well.
“I brought gifts for both of you. Chuntao definitely won’t have to worry about her dowry anymore, hahaha!” Jiang Ning laughed heartily.
The sourness in Shen Hetang’s heart spread again. She slowly followed behind, watching the person in front embrace them on the left and hug them on the right, walking excitedly toward the inner rooms.
“Ah Tang, hurry up and follow us down to take a look around.” Jiang Chenyu’s conscience pricked her. She turned back a few steps and took Shen Hetang’s hand to walk together, afraid she might feel bored.
Shen Hetang lowered her eyes to glance at their clasped hands, the corners of her mouth silently turning up. That bit of sourness dissipated by more than half.
The ship was massive. Aside from the countless boxes of cargo on the deck, the hold was fully packed with even more chests. There were even quite a few unpackaged goods simply piled up. The entire ship’s hold maximized the use of all available space.
“Brother Shen wouldn’t mind if I borrow your Madam for a moment, right?” Jiang Ning suddenly turned her head and asked.
“Of course. If you have business, go ahead,” Shen Hetang said with a normal expression.
“Ah Tang, let Jiang Yi accompany you to stroll around first. I also put up some silver before Jiang Ning set sail. Right now, I need to go over the accounts with her. Wait for me a bit.” Unsure of how to confess the truth, she very naturally spoke half-truths, which couldn’t strictly be considered lying to her husband.
“I’ll just wander around on my own. Don’t worry about me. Go attend to your business.” Shen Hetang raised a hand and helped gather the hair that had been blown out of place by the wind.
“Alright, then I’ll head over.” Jiang Chenyu looked at her reluctantly for a couple of extra seconds.
“I say, Eldest Miss, there’s no need for this. It’s only for a short while. How is it that you look completely inseparable?” Jiang Ning couldn’t stand seeing the two of them acting so clingy.
“You don’t understand. Once you get married in the future, you’ll feel just as mindful,” Jiang Chenyu covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
Standing behind them, Shen Hetang’s earlobes turned red. She found herself somewhat powerless against words that sounded so much like a confession.
“Alright, let’s go quickly and return quickly.” With that, she grabbed Jiang Chenyu’s arm. The two went into a locked room together and shut the door. Chuntao stood guard outside.
Shen Hetang’s eyes flickered slightly. She suddenly felt that the Jiang Chenyu she knew was perhaps still incomplete. Here, she was so relaxed and talkative. Was it because the restraints were gone, or because she had someone she could trust?
However, everyone had another side. As someone hiding a massive secret herself, she sat at the very bottom of this relationship chain. She allowed others to have their secrets and allowed herself to have her unspoken difficulties. She never made things hard for others, and certainly never made things hard for herself.
It was just that Jiang Ning didn’t look like someone who enjoyed girly mannerisms, yet she still liked to hug and embrace others. It made her deeply unlikable to Shen Hetang.
Jiang Chenyu followed Jiang Ning into the small room and descended a wooden ladder, likely reaching the bottom of the ship. It was pitch black inside; nothing could be seen. It was Jiang Ning who supported her down the ladder.
“Why are you making it so mysterious? Did you unearth some ultimate treasure?”
“You’ll know in a moment.”
With that, Jiang Ning pulled out a fire starter, lit a sheepskin lantern nearby, and handed it to Jiang Chenyu. She then fished a ring of keys from her robe and walked over to a one-meter-square iron chest. Even after unlocking it, the lid remained very heavy; one could see her straining to heave it open.
“Look at this. These are authentic treasures I gathered from the foreign nations. They absolutely cannot compare to the spices, dyes, clothes, sandalwood, or seeds out there,” Jiang Ning said with a smug face under the dim candlelight.
“You’ve worked hard this past year. From now on, if you have any more business, you don’t need to bring me along. You’ve long since repaid the kindness Uncle Jiang received. I can’t keep being thick-skinned enough to just put up some silver and take the lion’s share of the profit. I imagine you’re no longer someone lacking silver, either.” Jiang Chenyu didn’t look at the items in the chest first. Instead, she shared her thoughts right away. It was impossible for her to continue putting in no effort and only collecting silver. The current Jiang Ning was no longer the ignorant little girl who only possessed ruthless drive. She no longer needed Jiang Chenyu’s guidance or planning.
“What? Found someone new and forgot the old? You haven’t been married long, yet you’ve already lost your grand ambitions. We haven’t even scratched the surface yet. Weren’t we going to expand our business to the capital together? Slacking off just because you got married—that won’t do.” Jiang Ning didn’t agree, merely looking at her in surprise.
“You know it’s not because of the marriage. I’m destined to never step out of the inner courtyard, so how can I help you? Now, you are already a soaring eagle. If I keep dragging you down, I’ll only be a burden. Taking your silver for nothing is something my conscience can’t abide.” They had to discuss this sooner or later.
“We can discuss this later. Even if you feel guilty, you can just take less silver and a smaller share of the profits in the future. Or there might come a time when I don’t have enough silver myself. Whatever happens, we definitely shouldn’t dissolve our partnership.”
“What you say makes sense too. Let me first see the treasures you’ve scavenged.” This wasn’t something they could decide here anyway, so it was better not to spoil the mood.
Lifting the sheepskin lantern over the large chest, the pearls, jade, gold, and gemstones inside were imbued with a mysterious, opulent hue under the dim yellow light, making it impossible to look away.
“These red, green, blue, and yellow ones are all gems the wealthy lords over there inlay onto their hats. If we bring them back, craft them into jewelry sets, and sell them, we can multiply our profit twenty or thirty times over.” Jiang Ning reached in, grabbed a handful of gems, and let them sift playfully through her fingers. She then took the lantern from Jiang Chenyu’s hand, allowing her to feel the mountain of gold and jewels for herself.
“Every single one of these large pearls is on par with the Eastern Pearls of the imperial court. And there are so many colors among the smaller ones—pink, black, yellow, purple. They’re all varieties we rarely see here. They’ll definitely sell as rare novelties.”
Jiang Chenyu held up strands of multicolored pearl chains, examining them carefully.
“And these—coral, jade, gold leaf, small gold bricks, ivory, silver teapots, silver coins, gold pagodas. They’re enough for us to establish a firm foothold anywhere. Pick some you like. We’ll use this opportunity to sell off the majority of the rest, excluding the gold and silver.”
“It shouldn’t be possible to offload these rare treasures in a short time. Qingyuan County has too few wealthy households. Even if outside merchants are drawn here by the fame of our goods, it’s impossible to sell a massive amount. Not to mention, we still have over sixty other large ships just like this one.” Jiang Chenyu felt that their business this time was far too vast. They absolutely could not be anxious or careless. Until the dust settled on everything, they needed to keep a low profile.
“I understand what you mean. Don’t worry. I also have gifts prepared for you two. I’ll go get them.”
“There’s more? What is it?”
“Just some objects and ornaments I found peculiar over there, something for the novelty.” As she spoke, she retrieved two large woven rattan chests, filled entirely with the interesting and fun items she had collected along the journey.
“This journey—apart from being arduous, it must have been extremely fascinating, right?”
“Naturally. Thanks to Chenyu, I witnessed broader lands and customs. It was something I wouldn’t have dared to even dream of my entire life before.”
“It was all thanks to your own efforts. Let’s stop complimenting each other, shall we?”
“Chuntao and I will accept these things. We’ll look at them when we get back. Let’s go out and inspect the cargo outside.” She was afraid Shen Hetang would be too bored out there by herself.
“Alright, I’ll take you outside for a look.”
The two carried the chests and exited the cabin.
As soon as Jiang Chenyu opened the door, she saw Chuntao and Jiang Yi chatting with Shen Hetang. Who knew how much information those two idiots had been tricked into spilling? She looked at Shen Hetang, a tolerant smile in her eyes.
When Shen Hetang saw that the person had finally emerged, she thought that if Jiang Chenyu hadn’t come out soon, she would have gone in looking for her. Holding onto her Madam the very first time they met—could she say ‘no’ to that?
Following that, the two went to the deck and cargo hold, inspecting the goods brought back from the foreign nations.
“Let me tell you, at least my ship is only transporting inanimate objects. The ship next door actually brought a black and white striped horse and a large flying bird. Then a massive wave hit; the horse fell into the sea, and the bird flew away,” Jiang Ning recounted casually but vividly, making the two girls tremble with laughter.
Shen Hetang felt they could just go home tomorrow. Watching the three people laughing and chatting ahead, she boredly studied the goods covered by tarpaulins.
“I’ll go to the kitchen and have them prepare lunch. How about you try the roasted meat we learned to make over there?” Jiang Ning offered it up like a treasure.
“Roasted meat? Sounds wonderful. Then I’ll have to thank Boss Jiang for the hospitality,” Chenyu said, her brows and eyes crinkling into a brilliant smile.
“Already at ‘the husband sings and the wife follows’? You’ve never called me Boss Jiang before.”
“Calling you ‘Boss’ brings you more immense fortune. What’s wrong with that?”
“Take your time looking around. I’ll head to the back.” With that, Jiang Ning headed for the kitchen inside the cabin.
“Wait for me, I’ll go take a look with you!” Chuntao ran after her.
Shen Hetang felt the world had finally grown quiet.
“Shall we go for a walk?” Jiang Chenyu turned to look at her and asked.
“Mhm… alright.” Shen Hetang felt that the gaze Jiang Chenyu directed at her wasn’t as bright as when she was laughing and joking with the others, so she replied sullenly.
There weren’t many people on the deck at this moment. Those resting were resting, and those working were working. Only a scattered few were out patrolling.
Although they weren’t out on the open sea, when the wind picked up, one could still see layers upon layers of sea spray forming at the base of the ship, echoing the sails billowing in the wind.
“Ah Tang, look quickly! There are fish jumping out over there!” Jiang Chenyu tugged excitedly at Shen Hetang’s sleeve, speaking happily.
She followed her gaze, lowering her head to look. Indeed, she spotted two or three palm-sized small fish leaping happily about on the surface of the water.
“Careful, don’t fall in.” She reached out and grabbed her.
“Ah Tang, we can walk down here. I want to go down and take a look.” At the stern of the ship, there were two wooden planks that led down.
Shen Hetang gripped her hand tightly, and together they descended two steps.
Her wide cuffs and the hem of her skirt fluttered wildly in the sea breeze. The face veil over her features looked as if it might fly away the moment one stopped paying attention, and the white jade tassels from her hairpin kept smacking against Shen Hetang’s cheek.
If there hadn’t been a railing blocking the way, there was no telling if Jiang Chenyu might have been dragged into the water by her billowing clothes.
With a strong arm clamped securely around her waist, she wasn’t the least bit afraid of falling in.
“Did I hit you?” She glanced back at the person behind her, noticing that the lily of the valley flowers on her head kept making sounds, and the noise wasn’t quite right.
“Here! Look here, and see if it’s red.” Shen Hetang leaned her jade-white face closer to her.
Jiang Chenyu planted a kiss on her through the face veil, then said with a smile, “Nope, your skin is too rough and thick!”
“Who has rough and thick skin? You must have felt it wrong. Do it again!” As she spoke, she tore off her face veil, bunched it in her hand, and pressed a kiss down onto those soft, dewy lips.
Jiang Chenyu’s heart panicked slightly. She first used her peripheral vision to scan their surroundings. Only upon discovering there was no one on their side did she relax.
Seeing her eyes still darting around, looking as though they were having a secret rendezvous and were afraid of being caught, the gentle kiss turned fiery and lingering. It left the distracted girl with no time to think about anything else. Her body went numb and her head spun. Her already charming and coquettish eyes rippled with moisture, presenting a picture of someone completely at another’s mercy.
After a short while, she found it difficult to breathe and tried to lean back to hide. But the railing was right behind her, offering no escape. Instead, it only made her lower lip turn numb and sore. She felt it would definitely swell up in a moment. As she thought about it, her entire ears uncontrollably flushed pink.
Shen Hetang, whose stomach was full of sour vinegar, was already feeling stifled. Why would she ever let such a freely offered advantage slip by? Only after thoroughly ravaging the person did she re-cover her face with the veil. Her heart finally felt much more comfortable, and the smile on her face became a lot more genuine.
However, on the way back, she endured no shortage of silent complaints…
Footnotes
- A modern Chinese slang term (cù jīng, literally 'vinegar essence') referring to someone who is highly prone to romantic jealousy.
- A traditional Chinese skirt characterized by pleated sides and flat front and back panels, popular during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
- An elegant, translucent jade hairpin adorned with tassels and shaped like lily of the valley flowers, crafted from high-quality Xiuyan jade.
- A famous poetic line from Bai Juyi's 'Pipa Xing' describing a beautiful woman's face partially hidden and alluring.
- A common idiom (kǒngquè kāipíng) literally meaning a peacock spreading its tail feathers, used metaphorically to describe someone dressing up elaborately to attract attention.
- A traditional leather belt equipped with attached loops or pouches, historically worn by nomadic groups and later adopted for utility and style.
- A common colloquial proverb (guòle zhège cūn jiù méi zhège diàn le) meaning a missed opportunity might not come again; now or never.
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