Chapter 115: Three Encounters

The crowd turned their gazes toward the staircase. A young lady, about fourteen or fifteen years of age, descended from the upper floor. She was delicate in appearance, dressed in a silver-red embroidered long jacket over a lake-blue skirt, her hair styled in a simple spiral bun. Behind her followed two maids in pink dresses and a middle-aged woman.

Seeing the girl’s face, Miss Zhou’s expression shifted slightly, and she lowered her head. *How could she be here?*

The young lady walked up to An Yi, curtsied, and said, "My surname is Tang; my father is a Director in the Ministry of Personnel. May I ask your surname, Miss?"

An Yi returned the courtesy. "Greetings, Miss Tang. My surname is An."

Families with the surname An were rare in the capital. Within the inner city, only An Qinghe’s family resided there. Miss Tang’s eyes shimmered, and she asked with a smile, "Greetings, Miss An. May I ask what your relationship is to the General of the Town Army, An Qinghe?"

"He is my father."

"You’re lying! How could you possibly be General An’s daughter!" Miss Zhou, disbelieving that a girl dressed so shabbily could be the General's daughter, blurted out.

"High-ranking officials and nobles are everywhere in the capital. Anyone walking down the street could be a member of the imperial family. If I were going to impersonate someone, I would choose a higher-ranking official, not the daughter of a minor military officer," An Yi replied calmly, without a hint of anger.

"If you are the General’s daughter, why are you dressed like this?" Miss Zhou persisted, still unconvinced. She had never seen a young lady dressed worse than a third-tier maid.

Miss Tang cast a sidelong glance at Miss Zhou. "Do you think everyone is like you, fond of wearing their entire fortune on their body to show off? True beauty needs no rouge; nobility needs no gold ornamentation. Only the ugly paint their faces like monkey rumps. Do you understand?"

Miss Zhou gasped for air, glaring at Miss Tang with hatred. "Don't push me too far! What do you have to be so arrogant about? Once your grandfather retires, you’ll be just like me—the daughter of a fifth-rank official."

"I recall you weren't born in the Year of the Dog," Miss Tang remarked, raising an eyebrow. "But you certainly make a habit of biting back; you're quite practiced at it!"

"You're the one born in the Year of the Dog! You're the one who..." Miss Zhou retorted, utterly exasperated.

Seeing her lose her composure, her maid tugged at her sleeve. "Miss! Miss! Don't argue with Miss Tang; you won't win against her."

"Slap!" With nowhere else to vent her frustration, and the maid’s words acting as fuel to the fire, Miss Zhou struck her maid in a fit of rage and stormed off.

The middle-aged woman following Miss Tang stepped forward and bowed. "The shop staff are ignorant of the rules and have caused you displeasure. I am truly sorry. I hope you can be magnanimous, Miss. Please, feel free to choose any dress in the shop."

"That will not be necessary. I cannot afford the clothes in your shop," An Yi replied. She turned to look at Miss Tang, smiled at her, and left the shop with Xiangqin and Taoren.

"Miss An..." The middle-aged woman tried to intervene, but An Yi left the Satin Pavilion without looking back.

Miss Tang watched An Yi’s retreating figure and smiled faintly. Even wrapped in plain cloth, that Miss An possessed an inherent air of pride. The shopkeeper of the Satin Pavilion was truly blind—unable to recognize a treasure when it stood before her. She glanced at the shopkeeper and said, "Lai Niang, you should replace this shopkeeper immediately. You were lucky it was Miss An today; had it been someone more arrogant, your shop would be forced to close its doors."

"Thank you, Miss Tang, for the intervention," Lai Niang replied, bowing her head.

The shopkeeper stood aggrieved, unable to defend himself. It wasn't entirely his fault; who would have expected a high official's daughter to be dressed so poorly?

"Lai Niang, you are a clever woman. I trust I don't need to tell you how to handle the aftermath," Miss Tang said before leaving with her maids.

Lai Niang glared at the shopkeeper. "Pack up the two sets of dresses Miss An picked out, and add the new crimson cape trimmed with snow-fox fur. I shall deliver them to the An residence myself to offer a formal apology."

Unaware of Lai Niang’s plans, An Yi took a carriage to the Cui Xiang Pavilion.

Cui Xiang Pavilion lived up to its century-old reputation, free from the vulgar habit of judging people by their clothes. The staff politely showed An Yi and her entourage to a private room and served tea and snacks.

After a while, a well-dressed, middle-aged woman entered carrying four catalogs. "Greetings, Miss. I am Mrs. Cui. Please, take a look at our jewelry collection."

"I have a banquet to attend in a few days, so I fear there is no time for custom pieces. Does your shop have finished jewelry available for purchase?" An Yi asked, ignoring the catalogs.

"May I ask if you prefer jade, white jade, gold-inlaid gems, or pearl jewelry?" Mrs. Cui asked.

"If it's not too much trouble, could you bring two or three sets of each?" An Yi requested.

"It is no trouble at all. Please wait a moment, Miss." Mrs. Cui bowed and exited.

About the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Mrs. Cui returned, followed by four young boys, each carrying four silk-lined boxes.

An Yi purchased six sets. The jade and gold-inlaid blue sapphire sets were for Mrs. Luo, while the white jade, gold-inlaid ruby, amethyst, and pearl sets were for herself. She also bought jade bracelets for Shancha and her three companions, and gold hairpins for Fangrong and her three companions.

After selecting the jewelry, Xiangqin pulled out her purse to pay. "Deliver the jewelry to the An General’s residence on Yongtai Street. Tell the gatekeeper it was purchased by the young lady."

"My eyes were dim, and I failed to recognize you, Miss An. Please forgive my negligence," said Mrs. Cui, who had just made a significant sale and was now wondering who this generous young lady might be.

"A warm welcome from the manager ensures the business will flourish," An Yi replied with a smile.

"I hope your words come true! Thank you for your patronage," Mrs. Cui said, beaming as she saw them out and arranged for the delivery.

Exiting the Cui Xiang Pavilion, Xiangqin’s purse held only twelve hundred taels in banknotes.

An Yi frowned slightly. If she continued like this, her funds would soon be exhausted. She needed to make medicinal pills to earn money. Buying herbs from the pharmacy wasn't cost-effective, and with winter approaching, the mountain herbs had withered; she would have to wait until spring to forage.

She couldn't sell finished medicine at the Ji Huai Tang clinic; she would have to rely on her master's connections in the martial arts world. An Yi was deep in thought about medicine production when the carriage stopped at Dian Jiang Xuan. At the entrance, she encountered Miss Tang again.

"What a coincidence, Miss An! We meet again. Are you here to buy rouge as well? Let's go in together," Miss Tang said with a smile.

An Yi didn't care for people who were overly enthusiastic upon a first meeting, but since she was already at the door, refusing would seem deliberate. She smiled. "Please, Miss Tang."

Inside, the shopkeeper did not ignore her, though he was not overly warm, his eyes showing a touch of disdain. Having been looked down upon twice in one day, An Yi realized she really needed to improve the quality of her wardrobe.

Young ladies from wealthy families had professional guidance for their makeup. Miss Tang picked through the rouge with the expertise of a connoisseur, talking about pomegranate red, peach blossom pink, camellia powder, clove purple, and begonia silk.

Under Miss Tang’s enthusiastic recommendation, An Yi bought three boxes of rouge at eight hundred coins each, a box of eyebrow powder for three hundred coins, three packs of face powder for two hundred coins, and individual boxes of crimson, pink, and peach-colored lip tints.

As Xiangqin reached for her purse, Miss Tang stopped her. "We hit it off so well, Miss An. Let me pay for these; consider it a welcoming gift."

"Since we hit it off so well, why must we be so formal with gifts?" An Yi pulled a banknote from her purse and handed it to the shopkeeper. "Miss Tang, let us pay for our own. Even brothers must settle accounts clearly."

Miss Tang’s smile didn't falter despite the rejection. "Very well, we shall do as you wish this time, but next time, you must not refuse."

An Yi smiled. "I have other matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave."

"Please, go ahead, Miss An."

An Yi and her maids left the shop. Seeing the time, they headed to the Yun Qi Inn to deliver an invitation to Li Ruoxian and her son for a meal at their home in three days.

They were out, and the maid Qiaozhen told An Yi, "The Madam and the young master went to the outer city to stroll and eat snacks. The Madam is having such a wonderful time that she has forgotten to return."

An Yi didn't feel it appropriate to gossip about her senior sister, so she left the invitation with Qiaozhen and walked out of the inn. The sun was high; the winter sun had lost the intensity of summer, warming the skin quite comfortably.

"Let's go to the restaurant ahead for lunch," An Yi suggested. Realizing it was already noon and she wouldn't make it home in time, she decided to eat out.

Xiangqin, Taoren, and the driver had no objections. The four of them went to the Quan Fu Restaurant.

The staff at the Quan Fu Restaurant were not as snobbish as those at the Satin Pavilion, but An Yi’s attire made it unlikely she would be a regular patron. The waiter guided her to a vacant table near the stairs.

"Are there no private rooms available?" Xiangqin asked, frowning at the surroundings.

"My apologies, Miss, there are none," the waiter lied apologetically, thinking he was helping the poor girl save money.

An Yi didn't mind; dining in the main hall allowed her to overhear gossip. Following the method she had seen Li Ruoxian use, she said, "Bring us three of your chef’s specialties—two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a soup."

The waiter froze for a moment before heading to the counter to place the order.

"You two, sit down and eat with me," An Yi said, removing her veil.

"We shall eat after you have finished, Miss," Xiangqin said.

"Sit down. I don't want to wait for you after I'm done," An Yi commanded, her expression stern.

Xiangqin and Taoren dared not argue further and sat gingerly on the edge of their chairs.

The driver, being a man, could not sit at the same table. Xiangqin gave him two taels of silver to order his own meal from the waiter.

Before the food arrived, she encountered Miss Tang again. The girl was heading upstairs with her maids, saw An Yi, and walked over. "Miss An, what a coincidence! This is the third time today. We are truly fated."

"Indeed," An Yi replied, her smile not reaching her eyes.

"Why are you sitting in the hall? Did you not reserve a table?" Miss Tang asked.

"It was a last-minute decision," An Yi said.

"I have a private room reserved upstairs. Would you like to join me?" Miss Tang asked politely.

"Very well." An Yi wanted to see what this Miss Tang was truly after.