A Willing Mistake, My Lady – Chapter 92

One South, One North

Short on grain—pigs and ducks make up the difference.

Chuntao, who had not come home that night, woke early the next morning. She dressed on tiptoe and slipped out of the back courtyard without even stopping to wash up.

            

Last night, the woman had claimed it was cold and that they should huddle together for warmth, then complained her hands were cold and wanted to press them against Chuntao’s body. Chuntao naturally refused, but Shopkeeper Lin started playing the sympathy card—first saying she had lost her parents as a child, then recounting how she had been taken in by relatives who barely fed her. She even grabbed Chuntao’s hand and pressed it around her own waist, claiming it was so slender because she had never had enough to eat.

Chuntao felt that it was indeed very slender, and her mind drifted to the waists of those women at the Imperial Music Bureau, wondering whose was thinner.

Shopkeeper Lin sensed her resolve weakening and pressed her advantage inch by inch. Somehow they ended up in each other’s arms with nothing left but their undergarments. By the time Chuntao came to her senses, the ties at her neck had already come loose, and her water-red bellyband hung askew. Shopkeeper Lin, her long hair cascading loose, had kissed a trail from Chuntao’s pale neck down to her chest. Had there been light, a string of red marks would surely have been visible.

            

Fortunately, she hadn’t completely lost her senses. She grabbed a separate quilt and stuffed it between them as a barrier. She liked Jiang Ning—that was a habit from childhood—but that didn’t mean she could just fall for another woman so easily. She had indeed wavered, but accepting it was another matter entirely.

She made her way back to Shen Manor in a daze and went straight to the baby’s room. Looking at little Anhe, who did nothing but eat her fill and sleep her fill, she was consumed with envy. Being a baby was the life—no worries at all!

It was nearly the eleventh month, and the wind on the river was biting cold. Fortunately, they were heading south. As long as they moved fast enough, two round trips before the Three-Nine Days¹ would be manageable. A third trip would depend on the weather.

            

Jiang Chenyu’s party arrived at Huiyang, known as the land of fish and rice. The region was abundant in japonica rice and millet. Though the millet yield wasn’t remarkable, having some was better than none.

Huiyang truly lived up to its reputation. As far as the eye could see, endless fields of crops stretched to the horizon. Round granaries for storing grain rose into view—one reassuring sight after another.

The south had ample rainfall and was untouched by the drought in the north. However, the reduced harvest up north had driven grain prices up here as well. Prices had risen from the normal three copper cash to five copper cash—still within Jiang Chenyu’s projections. They had moved quickly and were among the first grain merchants to come south. Another ten days’ delay and the price would likely have climbed further. Even so, by the time it was transported back to the capital, it would have to sell for eight or nine copper cash.

            

Jiang Ning had brought thirty men and fanned out to buy grain directly from the landlords in each village. Naturally, they didn’t pass up any individual farming families willing to sell, either. Their motto: scoop up fish where there are fish, go for shrimp where there aren’t.

Jiang Chenyu went so far as to place orders for the villagers’ cabbages. She announced she was willing to pay silver for any cabbages, radishes, and potatoes delivered to her door—however much they had, she would take it all. This way, without dispatching her own carts and horses, she could collect the maximum amount of produce. She negotiated directly with the village heads, arranging for them to send their produce to the capital in organized batches, and paid 500 taels of silver in advance deposits.

The common folk never expected that the radishes, cabbages, and potatoes that everyone had grown tired of eating year after year would actually find a willing buyer this season. They all brought out sizable quantities to exchange for silver, and seeing the silver in their hands, everyone broke into smiles.

            

To procure more grain, they traveled through many villages and towns along the way. For all the region’s abundance, most of the grain had fixed buyers or was collected directly by the imperial court. But the court’s price was nowhere near what they were offering. Some local gentry and wealthy households who had stockpiled grain would secretly sell to them instead.

This wasn’t a one- or two-day operation. Given enough time, the local strongmen were bound to notice. Jiang Ning and her men even got into a fistfight with the local grain merchants and ended up being hauled into the yamen. Fortunately, before departing, Jiang Chenyu had visited the Princess Mansion as a precaution and borrowed a token representing the Princess’s identity. With a mix of bluff and intimidation, she managed to get them out.

These days, the Princess and Shen Manor were, loosely speaking, grasshoppers tied to the same string. Anything that benefited Shen Manor, she would lend a hand to.

            

In the courtyard of a farmhouse, Jiang Chenyu was changing Jiang Ning’s dressing.

“You’re not a child anymore. How can you still be so reckless? I hope this arm doesn’t scar!” Jiang Chenyu scolded as she tended the wound.

“I had to be tough. If they’d backed us down this time, the whole trip would’ve been wasted. Show strength, and the other merchants watching from the sidelines will think twice before trying anything. I took a few hits, but they came out far worse!” Jiang Ning said, grinning without a care.

            

“You certainly don’t hold back. But what if I didn’t have that trump card? What then?” She knew Jiang Ning had a point, but it was still too dangerous.

“Haven’t thought that far ahead. I suppose I’d have just kept tangling with them—that’s how it’s been the whole way here, after all,” Jiang Ning said with the world-weary air of a veteran traveler.

“All these years, you’ve had it rough.”

            

“Why say that? Business is never easy. And if I hadn’t met you, even if I had endured several times more hardship, I still wouldn’t have gotten this far.” At this, Jiang Ning was content with her lot.

“You earned every bit of it. But shouldn’t you think about settling down? You work this hard and barely spend anything on yourself—don’t you have to consider marriage?” Jiang Chenyu was really trying to feel out her stance.

“Settle down? Me? I spend every day mixed up with a pack of men. What respectable fellow would put up with that? Besides, I’m not exactly the delicate, slender-limbed type that’s in demand. Let’s leave that for another day,” Jiang Ning said, completely unconcerned.

            

“But even if you don’t marry, having someone who cares for you would be nice. Someone who could look after your daily needs? You might live like a man, but you still need someone to take care of you, don’t you?”

“Chuntao works out great. She prepares all my clothes. I don’t need anyone else looking after me!” She flashed a row of clean white teeth with a grin.

Jiang Chenyu felt deflated. “But Chuntao will marry sooner or later. What will you do when she’s wed?”

            

“If she marries, I still have you, don’t I? I’ll always be with you. You wouldn’t just abandon me, would you?” Jiang Ning looked as though she fully intended to latch onto Jiang Chenyu for life.

“I… I can’t be there for everything, you know. When everyone else is celebrating the holidays with their families, are you going to sit alone in an empty house?” Jiang Chenyu wanted to knock some sense into that unserious head of hers.

She wasn’t insisting that Jiang Ning get together with Chuntao. She just thought that if Jiang Ning truly had no interest, it would be kinder to snuff out that silly girl’s hopes. But she couldn’t say it outright. She could only hint from the side. During Jiang Ning’s time at sea, Chuntao had worn through several pairs of shoe soles just from all the temple visits to pray for her safe return!

            

“I trust that if the day ever comes when I’m all alone, you’ll at least save me a seat at the table,” Jiang Ning said, her expression turning slightly serious.

“Don’t count on me. My household has just one little sprout—I can’t manage too many dependents.”

“Heh, how stingy!” Jiang Ning said, spreading her hands and puckering her lips.

            

Their idle chatter was brief. Outside, villagers and hired hands were working at full tilt. Even with the grain already in hand, just loading and hauling it would take over ten days.

It was now early in the eleventh month, with just over two months until the New Year. Though the south’s climate was mild, the journey home would be arduous. This trip, they could only ship back the bulk of the grain first. The original plan of three round trips had to be reconsidered.

Fortunately, there were plenty of local boats and carts available. With some effort, what was meant to be three trips could be compressed into one.

            

Of course, the other reason for condensing three trips into one was that they had only collected 45,000 shi² of grain instead of the planned 60,000 shi. This fell short even of the amount Jiang Chenyu had planned to stockpile, to say nothing of the grain they’d intended to trade on the way back.

But where grain fell short, vegetables would fill the gap. Potatoes, cabbages, radishes, and sweet potatoes were all good for storage, and the quantities exceeded Jiang Chenyu’s expectations.

Word spread that a wealthy buyer had arrived, purchasing grain and produce alike. Households that raised chickens, ducks, pigs, and sheep were all eager to try their luck. Chickens and ducks were one thing—they could be caged and loaded onto carts. But the fat pigs? They couldn’t exactly keep pace on the road. Still, these pigs were far more useful than chickens or ducks, and she was reluctant to pass up the hundred-odd head.

            

In the end, it was Jiang Ning who suggested herding the pigs onto their own boats. But the thought of so many pigs eating and defecating aboard for over ten days—it would ruin the ship entirely. Not worth it!

Jiang Chenyu thought it over. The meat was meant to supplement Ah Tang’s meals anyway—she’d simply have it made into cured bacon and shipped along with the vegetables, to be settled by the jin³ on delivery.

When the surrounding towns heard that this buyer purchased everything, word spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. People flocked over, hoping to sell their poultry and grain and have a proper New Year.

            

After Jiang Ning and Jiang Chenyu departed, the team continued to collect a steady trickle of grain and other assorted foodstuffs on site. Jiang Ning left about ten hands behind to wrap things up. They paid only a third of the price as deposit; the balance would be settled once the goods were delivered to the capital.

Compared to the south’s pleasant weather, Xixing Pass, where Shen Hetang was stationed, was far less comfortable.

It hadn’t snowed yet, but the air was dry and cold, with sharp temperature swings between day and night. When it was coldest, every breath came out in white plumes. On bad-weather days, the wind whipped with savage force, carrying sand and pebbles that swirled and curved, wrapping around the body like some demonic sorcery, chilling a person to the bone.

            

Since arriving at the Border, Shen Hetang had been fighting a guerrilla war against the enemy. After a few major engagements two years ago in which the enemy had gained no advantage, they had changed their strategy. Like an invincible cockroach⁴, they’d pop up in one place the moment they were suppressed in another.

On her own side, two veteran generals held the line, which meant that more often than not, things weren’t decided by her word alone.

In the spacious, tidy General’s Mansion, Shen Hetang finally had a rare day of rest. She looked down and noticed that the cotton boots her wife had packed for her had worn through.

            

If she wiggled her toes, the white cotton socks would show through from the outside. She took them off and examined them this way and that, but couldn’t bring herself to throw them away. A little mending and they’d still be wearable.

On second thought, she didn’t dare try mending them herself. If she did the sewing, they’d be unwearable for good. Better take them to Wang Ma.

Wang Ma was the old woman who had always handled her washing and cooking. She’d been doing the job since her father’s time—quick with her hands, spare with words, a bit stolid by nature, not the type to flatter or fawn. Shen Hetang got along with her comfortably enough.

            

She changed into a fresh pair of cotton boots, donned a black martial tunic with a dark woven pattern, and cinched a gleaming leather belt at her waist. Even in a padded robe, her figure remained tall and graceful.

Carrying the old boots, she found Wang Ma in the courtyard and asked her to patch them up.

“General, they sell leather-faced cotton boots in town. How about I go buy you a couple of pairs?” Wang Ma said, looking at the ragged toes.

            

Boots this patched and mended—if the enemy saw them, they’d laugh their teeth off. Wang Ma didn’t say it aloud, but that’s what she was thinking.

“No need. I still have new ones. I’ll wear these at home.” Though her height was passable among men—neither tall nor short—her feet hadn’t kept up! By her reckoning, a size 38⁵ pair of shoes was best not brought out where it might draw attention.

Besides, all her shoes had been prepared in advance by Jiang Chenyu.

            

She looked at the boots in her hand and pressed her lips together. She missed her wife…!

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