[Water Margin] Hu Sanniang with her delicate hands - Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty-Five

Dǎlǐbō was a woman of swift action. The very next morning, Tengri, the steward of the Princess’s Residence, personally came to lead Hu Sanniang towards the south of the city.

In contrast to the solemn grandeur of the aristocratic district in the west, the south of the city was the marketplace of Xijin Prefecture, a melting pot of people and activities, yet full of vibrant vitality. The streets were relatively narrow, lined with countless shops. Peddlers and laborers shouted out their wares. Han Chinese and non-Han people intermingled, the noise level was deafening. The air was filled with the burnt aroma of roasted flatbread, the gamy smell of beef and mutton, the bitterness of medicinal herbs, and the mingled scents of sweat and dust—a rough aroma unique to a bustling frontier city.

The residence Tengri found for Hu Sanniang was located deep within a relatively quiet alleyway. It had blue brick and grey tile, a modest facade, but a sizable courtyard inside, complete with a well. There were three main rooms and two side rooms on both the east and west. Though a bit old, it was clean and tidy. Most importantly, it offered a quiet retreat amid the bustle, suitable for both entering and exiting discreetly.

“This place was originally a secondary property belonging to a Han merchant. His family has fallen on hard times and needed to sell quickly, so the price was fair,” Tengri explained in stiff Han Chinese, handing the property deed, keys, and a small bag of gold leaves to Hu Sanniang. “The Princess instructed that these gold leaves are a loan for the lady’s starting capital, to be repaid later. The manor physician has already treated Brother Hu Cheng and prescribed medicine. He needs time to rest and recuperate.”

Hu Sanniang accepted the items. The weight in her hand was significant, not just the weight of the gold leaves, but a heavy sense of trust and expectation. “Thank you for your trouble, Steward Tengri. Please tell the Princess that Sanniang is deeply grateful and will not fail her trust.”

After seeing Tengri off, Hu Sanniang stood alone in this courtyard that belonged to her in a foreign land. The winter sun filtered through the bare branches, casting mottled shadows on the cold blue bricks. A strange mixture of unfamiliarity, confusion, and a faint excitement surged within her.

A new life would begin here.

She first settled the still-weak Hu Cheng, assigning him to the quietest East wing for recovery. Then, she changed into a simple blue cotton dress, wore no makeup, tied up her long hair plainly, and embarked on her first “street patrol” in Xijin Prefecture.

She had no specific goal, simply walking aimlessly, her sharp gaze sweeping over the various shops along the streets: grain stores, cloth shops, blacksmiths, general stores, taverns… She noted the types of goods, prices, and customer traffic, listening to the conversations between merchants and customers, trying to quickly understand the city’s operational rules and potential opportunities.

She continued this for several days. She was like a she-wolf cautiously observing and silently familiarizing herself with everything in a new territory. She found that Xijin Prefecture, as the Southern Capital of Liao, had flourishing commerce. There were many merchants coming and going, creating a strong demand for various goods. Correspondingly, competition was fierce, and various forces, both overt and covert, seemed to dominate every industry.

The small capital she had brought would be a drop in the bucket if she wanted to run a respectable shop. And doing odd jobs was beneath her aspirations.

In the late afternoon of one such day, she was sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, frowning over a pile of simple notes recording prices and market trends, when she suddenly heard a loud argument and crashing sounds from the neighboring courtyard, interspersed with a woman’s heartbreaking cries and a child’s frightened screams.

Hu Sanniang initially didn’t want to meddle, but the crying became increasingly mournful, accompanied by a man’s crude shouting and the dull thud of what sounded like a whip striking flesh. Her frown deepened. Finally, she rose and opened her courtyard door.

The neighbor’s door was wide open. A short, plump man in silk robes, his face glistening with oil, stood wielding a horsewhip, cursing a mother and child huddled on the ground. Two brawny henchmen with menacing faces stood beside him. The woman’s clothes were somewhat torn and disheveled, her hair scattered. Her face bore a clear handprint as she desperately shielded a boy, about seven or eight years old, who was trembling with fear.

“Debt must be paid! Your husband is dead, so the debt falls to you! If you can’t produce the money, I’ll take this house in payment! If you keep arguing, I’ll sell your little brat to the mines too!” The plump man (Lord Liu) spat as he spoke, raising his whip to strike again.

“Master Liu! Please, grant us a few more days! This house is the only thing my deceased husband left behind. My child is young. How will we, a widowed mother and child, live if we leave here…” the woman cried pleadingly, her voice filled with despair.

“A few more days? Haven’t I given you enough time? If you can’t produce the money today, then get out!” The plump man was unmoved. He gave a look to his henchmen. “Throw them out for me!”

The two henchmen smirked and stepped forward, ready to grab the mother and child.

“Stop.”

A clear, cold female voice rang out. It was not loud, but it had a strange penetrative power that made the two henchmen pause.

Everyone turned to look. Standing at the door of the neighboring courtyard was a woman in a plain blue cotton dress. Her posture was straight, her face beautiful and austere, and her eyes, like cold autumn water, looked coolly at them.

The plump man (Lord Liu) was startled at first. Once he saw that Hu Sanniang was just a young woman in ordinary clothes, his arrogant demeanor returned. He sneered, “Where did this little lass come from, daring to meddle in this lord’s business? Get lost!”

Hu Sanniang remained unmoved. Her gaze swept over the terrified, helpless mother and child, then returned to Lord Liu: “How much do they owe you?”

Lord Liu’s eyes shifted. He held up three fingers: “Three hundred taels! What, are you going to pay for them?”

Three hundred taels was undoubtedly an astronomical sum for an ordinary family.

The woman’s slight hope, which had just risen in her eyes, instantly vanished. She shook her head in despair.

Hu Sanniang, however, remained impassive. She took out the bag of gold leaves from her bosom, weighed it, poured out about one-third, wrapped it in a handkerchief, walked over, and presented it to Lord Liu: “Here are fifty taels of gold leaves. That is no less than five hundred taels of silver. Is that enough?”

The glittering gold dazzled Lord Liu’s eyes. He hadn’t expected this seemingly ordinary woman to casually produce such a large sum. He was momentarily suspicious, but took the gold leaves and examined them carefully; they were of the purest quality.

“Enough… of course it’s enough…” Lord Liu’s tone softened, and a false smile appeared on his face. “I never thought the lady was a Goddess of Fortune. My apologies, my apologies. Since that is the case, the debt is settled.” He pocketed the gold leaves and shuffled away with his henchmen. Before leaving, he couldn’t resist casting a few more shifty glances at Hu Sanniang.

The woman, holding her child, struggled to get up and was about to kneel and kowtow to Hu Sanniang: “Benefactress! Thank you for saving our lives! This money… my child and I will certainly find a way to repay you…”

Hu Sanniang reached out and supported her. She felt the woman’s arm was fragile and her clothes thin. “No need for formalities. It was just a small help.” She looked at the dilapidated courtyard and the woman’s still-frightened expression, and an idea struck her. “You two should go inside. It’s cold out here.”

She led the mother and child into her own courtyard and poured them hot water to calm their nerves. In conversation, she learned the woman was named Liu. She was originally Han Chinese. Her deceased husband had been a small traveling merchant, who had saved enough money to buy this house. Unexpectedly, he fell ill and died last year, leaving behind a huge debt. The creditor was the very Lord Liu, a notorious local rogue who specialized in loan-sharking, pushing her to the brink of desperation.

“That Master Liu… he might come again,” Madam Liu said anxiously. She could tell the malice in Lord Liu’s eyes as he left.

Hu Sanniang’s eyes turned slightly cold: “If he dares to come, I will have words with him.” She looked at Madam Liu’s skillful but rough hands, and some unfinished embroidery drying in the courtyard. She suddenly asked: “Madam Liu, are you skilled in embroidery?”

Madam Liu was taken aback for a moment, then nodded: “When my late husband was alive, I often took on embroidery work to supplement the household income. I know a thing or two about Suzhou and Shu embroidery.”

An idea gradually solidified in Hu Sanniang’s mind. She needed a reliable helper who understood the local situation, and she also needed a business that could be a cover and generate steady income. This Madam Liu, with her resilient nature, skill in embroidery, and immense debt of gratitude, might be the right person.

“Madam Liu, I am new to Xijin Prefecture and wish to find a stable livelihood. I will provide the capital, and you provide the craftsmanship. How about we partner to open an embroidery shop?” Hu Sanniang put forward her idea directly. “We will split the profits equally. This can both repay the debt and secure your livelihoods.”

Madam Liu was astonished, barely believing her ears. This was an unexpected lifeline! She looked at Hu Sanniang’s clear and resolute gaze, and a rush of warmth surged through her heart. She was about to bow again: “Benefactress… no, Boss! I… I will definitely do my utmost!”

“No need to call me Boss. My surname is Hu. You can call me Sanniang,” Hu Sanniang supported her, a faint, yet genuine, smile appearing on her face.

A quick resolution was needed for the tangled mess. With fifty taels of gold leaves, she had not only solved her neighbor’s distress but also found the first possible leverage point for herself in this foreign Xijin Prefecture.

With delicate hands, she began to untangle the mess.

Hu Sanniang’s commercial venture quietly began its first step in this southern city alley, with an embroidery shop that had yet to hang its sign.