The Beauty Within the Gate
Chapter 34
Something about the way she said it just didn’t sit right.
It was true that he had eaten a meal at Cui Yan’s teahouse today and had accepted the ten taels of silver from Zhou Kuang.
Situations like this weren’t unusual for him even before he went bankrupt. Back then, forget one meal; whenever the group went to the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion, it was usually Xie Shao who paid.
Today was just a free meal at Cui Yan’s place, something he hadn’t given much thought to. But now, hearing his wife’s words, he couldn’t help but dwell on it. Unable to provide for his own wife, forcing her to sell her jewelry to make ends meet, and having to rely on friends for a meal, wasn’t that exactly his situation now?
Since his bankruptcy, apart from the gnawing hunger, he hadn’t felt particularly ashamed of his circumstances. Yet now, under the weight of her seemingly innocent remark, unintentional on her part but cutting deep for him, he found his pride wounded once more.
Knowing she was still hungry, Xie Shao had specifically asked Cui Yan to prepare a few dishes before coming home. But after hearing all that just now, there was no way he could take them out anymore. He stepped forward, ignoring his wife’s stunned gaze, and casually greeted Ming Wanrou, “So, Miss Ming is here.”
Ming Wanrou was utterly startled, whipping her head around.
Last time, while scheming behind his back on the wall, all her ill intentions had been overheard by him. The memory was mortifying. She wished she had the power to erase that encounter from his mind.
It was precisely because of this that she had felt too ashamed to visit the Xie family to see Wen Shuse.
If she hadn’t heard that Wen Shuse had returned to the Wen family today only to be driven out by the Eldest Madam, she likely still wouldn’t have been able to bring herself to come.
Before she could even catch her breath, she was caught eavesdropping again. Ming Wanrou’s first reaction was to frantically recall whether she had said anything offensive just moments before.
But whenever she spoke to Wen Shuse about the “notorious prodigals” of Fengcheng, she never had anything good to say.
The master of the courtyard had already stepped onto the walkway and was about to close the door behind him. Only then did Ming Wanrou come back to her senses. Her face burned hot, and she stammered out, “Th-Third Young Master.”
She had no face to stay any longer. Ming Wanrou hurriedly shoved a pouch of silver into Wen Shuse’s hands. “Gao Xian, I came out in a rush today, so this is all the cash I have on me. Take it first, you can use it for now. I’ll come see you again in a couple of days.”
Wen Shuse didn’t take it. “I said I can’t accept it.”
“Just take it.”
“There’s really no need. Don’t listen to the rumors outside. With such a large mansion, do you really think the Xie family would let me starve? It’s just that we can no longer return to the comfortable days we once had…”
The two women continued to push the silver pouch back and forth as they walked, their voices growing more distant.
Xie Shao stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He was just about to tell Minzhang to deal with the food container he had brought back when he noticed a plate of spiced beef and two flasks of wine sitting on the table.
Xie Shao froze.
She really hadn’t eaten?
—
Meanwhile, Wen Shuse had just seen Ming Wanrou off. As she passed by the west wing on her way back, the door beside her suddenly swung open from the inside. Xie Shao stood within the doorway, his voice gentle as he asked, “Aren’t you hungry?”
Even if she gritted her teeth and swallowed her grievances without a word to others, it wouldn’t fill her stomach.
Wen Shuse had eaten her fill at noon and, as she walked out of the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion, secretly swore she wouldn’t eat again for three days. She shook her head slowly, “I already ate at the Wen Mansion. I’m not hungry.”
She was clearly lying.
He pressed gently, “Let’s eat together.”
Wen Shuse still refused. “No need. Since childhood, I’ve had the habit of not eating after midday. You’ve been out busy all day today, so you must not have eaten yet. I had Nanny Fang bring the spiced beef to your room. Please make do with it for now. Tomorrow, I’ll figure something out.”
What method could she possibly think of? Pawn more jewelry?
Looking at her now, even the most eye-catching gold-inlaid jade hairpin from her elaborate hairstyle seemed to have vanished.
Zhou Kuang’s words had clearly gotten through to him. And then he remembered the three rules she had set on their wedding night. Among them, one very clear condition: she could not live a life of hardship.
She hadn’t brought it up herself. Though this might stem from a mix of self-awareness and a tinge of guilt. But at the very least, she understood propriety and wasn’t the type to make unreasonable trouble.
He said, “You don’t need to pawn any more jewelry or hairpins. As for money… I’ll think of a way.”
The young lady looked at him in surprise, as if moved by his words. She stared at him dazedly for a moment, then pressed her lips together and lowered her head. Her voice came out muffled softly as she said, “I’ve ruined your household, and yet you don’t blame me. I’m already grateful for that. How could I still have the face to let you go earn money…”
What she said was true, and Xie Shao momentarily forgot to refute it.
In that brief silence, the young lady had already turned and hurried back to the east wing.
—
The next day, Xie Shao slept until late morning again. When he saw the door to the east wing wide open, he asked Nanny Fang, who replied, “Third Young Madam searched out a few more hairpins and went to the pawnshop early this morning.”
Xie Shao: “……”
Yesterday, he had just gotten ten taels of silver from Zhou Kuang. Learning from the last experience, Xie Shao didn’t dare hand the money directly to Wen Shuse and instead gave it to Nanny Fang. “Tell her not to pawn any more jewelry. If it’s not enough, she can come to me.”
After giving these instructions, Xie Shao didn’t stay in the mansion either. He went to find Pei Qing to ask about the book–copying work he had mentioned the day before.
Pei Qing had looked into it for him: five coins per thousand characters.
Before Xie Shao could respond, Minzhang’s brows furrowed in disapproval. “So little? How many characters would you have to copy just to earn a single guan?”
Thinking of how much his master used to let slip through his fingers, far more than this, five coins per thousand characters… Minzhang felt it was an insult to his master.
Pei Qing chuckled. “Actually, this is already on the higher end of the pay scale. For those with poor handwriting, it’s only three coins per thousand characters. Even so, this line of work is still quite sought after in Fengcheng. People who are used to it can copy tens of thousands of characters in a single day without much trouble.”
Tens of thousands of characters in a day? That would mean his young master would have to sit at his desk, copying texts from dawn till dusk, without even pausing to eat or drink.
Xie Shao had the same concern. He had never been one to engage in transactions where the effort far outweighed the reward.
Since nothing was settled, he went to several other places that were hiring. But the moment they heard he was Third Young Master Xie, they all avoided him like the plague.
Some praised him to the heavens, assuming he was mocking them, while others were scared off by his reputation as a spoiled wastrel. No one dared to hire him.
Several days passed with no progress, and Xie Shao returned home every day at dusk, exhausted from his efforts.
Several times when he returned, he saw his wife standing by a corner of the courtyard, gently fanning herself with a silk tassel fan, craning her neck to peer over at the neighboring wall. The direction she was looking toward was the courtyard of the Second Young Master of the eldest branch next door.
At first, he didn’t understand what she was looking at. But today, upon returning, he heard her sigh softly, “If only I could tear down this wall. Even if I can’t fill my stomach, at least I could catch a whiff of the scent.”
Ten taels of silver could only cover their meals for a few days.
He could manage to hold on, but she was a young lady raised in luxury, accustomed to fine delicacies. How could she endure this for long?
Lying in bed at night, he glanced at the two untouched flasks of ‘Drunken Fragrance’ wine still sitting on the table and, for once, found himself unable to sleep.
After all, she was following him now and the Third Young Madam of the Xie family. He couldn’t actually let her starve to death. At dawn the next day, he clenched his teeth, got up, and called for Minzhang.
“Go find Pei Qing and ask him what kind of books need to be copied.”
For now, he would just keep copying. Every coin earned is better than nothing, better than continuing to starve like this.
But one day passed, then two. The stack of copied pages had grown into a small mountain, yet he had earned less than three hundred coins, not even enough to buy a single jin of good meat.
Not only did his knuckles have deep, aching indentations, but his back, neck, and shoulders were sore to the point where he could barely straighten up. It was clearly a physically demanding task, unsuited for him.
Xie Shao gave up. He tossed the brush aside and asked Minzhang again, “Still no news from the old man?”
Minzhang shook his head.
Since that last brief letter, the Second Master hadn’t sent any further messages.
It had been almost three months, was Chancellor Xie planning to become a live-in son-in-law and never return?
Misfortune never came alone. Right at this critical moment, Old Madam Xie suddenly fell ill again, her chronic migraine acting up.
Back before the bankruptcy, Wen Shuse had bought quite a lot of gastrodia for the old madam’s headaches. Every few days, Nanzhi would use Wen Shuse’s instructions to make soup or steam eggs with it. The old madam’s headaches had indeed improved, and she hadn’t had an episode for a long time.
But recently, the gastrodia had run out. The second branch no longer had money to buy more, and all household expenses were being paid by the eldest branch, who would be willing to spend extra on such things? Once they stopped, Old Madam Xie’s headaches came back, and this time they were much worse. She lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to sleep, repeatedly calling out, “Xian Wei.”
Nanzhi called Xie Shao to Ningxin Hall, and he stayed with the Old Madam for more than an hour before she finally managed to fall asleep.
After coming out, Xie Shao went to consult the family physician. The physician said, “Old Madam’s headaches are a chronic condition. They cannot be cured in a single day. They must be tended slowly. Third Young Master, you should try to find a way to buy some ingredients that help ease headaches. Gentle daily nourishment is far more effective than relying on medicine.”
Xie Shao immediately sent Minzhang to the pharmacy. Gastrodia of lesser quality cost one tael of silver per jin, while the better grades ranged from five to ten taels.
With less than one tael left in his pocket plus the few hundred coins he had earned from copying, he could barely afford a single jin of the lower-quality kind.
This time, he was truly penniless. Copying books brought in money too slowly. Even though the buyer had taken a liking to his handwriting and raised the rate to seven coins per thousand characters, it was still far from enough to cover the household expenses and daily survival.
Just as things were already overwhelming, that evening Nanny Fang came to report, “Third Young Madam’s hairpins… as of today, not a single one remains.”
Nanzhi also arrived, saying, “Third Young Master, I stewed the gastrodia you bought today for the Old Madam. She said the taste was off, too astringent and hard to swallow. She only took a few bites before putting down her bowl.”
This was enough to drive a man to despair.
But what else could he do? His old father, Second Master, and the Second Madam were not here, and the main branch simply turned a blind eye.
Truly, money isn’t everything, but having none makes everything impossible.
Now, it seemed there was only one path left. When pushed to the brink, all principles vanish. Do it for two months first, until Chancellor Xie returns.
Late at night, Zhou Kuang had already washed up and was about to settle in for bed when a servant hurried in to announce that the Third Young Master Xie had come to visit. Taken aback, he quickly threw on a robe and went out personally to greet him.
As soon as he stepped outside the gate, he saw Xie Shao standing there. Zhou Kuang approached and called out, “Brother Xie.” Before he could even invite him inside or ask why he had come in such a hurry in the middle of the night, Xie Shao cut straight to the point: “How much is the salary?”
—
At the early hour of the next morning, Xiangyun rushed in, shaking Wen Shuse’s shoulder urgently. “Miss, Miss…”
In the past, if Wen Shuse was asleep, Xiangyun would never disturb her.
Being suddenly shaken awake, Wen Shuse’s eyes opened, but her mind hadn’t caught up yet. She stared blankly at Xiangyun, wondering if the sky had fallen or the earth had split open.
Yet Xiangyun’s expression was filled with immense excitement. “Young Master is here. He’s asking where you put the document for that Senior Deputy post you bought last time.”
After a dazed moment, Wen Shuse sat bolt upright in bed. She turned and fumbled under her pillow, retrieving three documents. Finding Xie Shao’s deed among them, she hastily slipped into her shoes by the bed, not even bothering to put on her outer robe. Clad only in loose inner garments, with her long, waist-length hair cascading loosely over her shoulders, she hurried out. “Husband…”