Chapter 7: Birth (Part 2)

“This hairstyle is called ‘Shuangluo,’ and it was popular among commoners during the previous dynasty.”

Qianyu touched the two pointed buns on her head. Her hair was black and glossy, well-maintained, thick, and smooth, making the buns full and high, sticking up like the ears of a fox spirit.

Xu Qianyu had never worn such a hairstyle before, and found it intriguing. “Do people in the commoners style their hair like this?”

“After the new dynasty, this double spiral bun has been replaced. Only in some remote areas of Jiangnan does this style still remain.” Xiao Dong, after picking through the dazzling array of hair ornaments in the cabinet for a long time, finally pulled out two red silk ribbons made from sheer fabric and wrapped them around the buns. “In those places, mothers would make red silk ribbons for their little girls. In the summer, daughters would wear Shuangluo, dress in gauze clothes, row boats, pick water chestnuts, and sing songs.”

Xu Qianyu’s boudoir had a waterwheel for cooling the room, sending breezes from all directions. The fragrant wind blew, causing the red ribbons on the girl’s head to flutter, giving her an exceptionally lively appearance in the mirror.

Qianyu felt that Xiao Dong was very good with words. With just a few sentences, she had transported her to Jiangnan, a place she had never been to, and cleared away the boredom of being stuck at home. So, she casually tossed a few of the hair ornaments from the dressing table to Xiao Dong. “These are for you.”

Then, she turned back to admiring her new hairstyle.

Xiao Dong, trembling, held the radiant hair ornaments in her hands, noticing a large, pure white pearl on one of the combs, worth as much as her family’s harvest for half a year.

Her face slowly turned red. After a while, she searched all over herself and finally untied the most valuable red string bracelet with a gold-plated pixiu from her wrist. Breathing heavily, she tugged at Xu Qianyu’s sleeve.

When Xu Qianyu turned her head and heard Xiao Dong shyly offer her the bracelet as a gift, she was quite surprised.

This kind of casual reward was normal in the Shui family. However, this maid was using a serious, childlike manner to exchange gifts.

Xu Qianyu pinched the red string with her fingertips, eyed it suspiciously, and then turned her gaze to Xiao Dong’s face. “Are you new here?”

Xiao Dong looked at the string and then at her, thinking she had angered her, and fearfully knelt down. “I came just half a month ago. Because I’m fluent in both Jiangnan and official dialects, I’ve been reading letters in the master’s study. Guan Niang knew you’ve been feeling down these past few days, so she sent me here to bring some freshness.”

Qianyu became even more puzzled, because maids in the Shui family required at least a year of training before they could serve her.

“Where are you from?”

“My family was originally a farming household south of Nanling.”

Qianyu understood what a farming household meant—people who grew crops. The books said that farming was a livelihood that allowed for self-sufficiency. The children of such households were considered free citizens; although they were poor, they didn’t have to serve as slaves or maids. Only the most destitute, those with nowhere to go, would sell themselves into servitude.

Xiao Dong seemed well-read and articulate, possibly having attended school just like her.

“And you…?”

Xiao Dong seemed to know what she wanted to ask and immediately threw herself at Qianyu’s silk shoes, crying, “Miss, there’s been a great demon in Nanling recently. My father, my sister, my brother—they were all eaten by the demon. We were terrified. My mother heard that the Shui family had Demon Sword and believed that this must be the safest place in Nanling. She sent me here, just hoping I could live a peaceful life from now on.”

“Demon Sword?” Qianyu thought for a moment and then said, “Are you talking about that old, broken wooden sword hanging in my grandfather’s study?”

“Yes… no, that’s not some broken thing,” Xiao Dong muttered quietly in disagreement. “Miss, that’s a treasure from the Immortal Sect.”

Qianyu began to remember.

The Shui household was lavish in every way; no decoration or ornament wasn’t made of real gold or silver. Shui Rushan’s study was lined with famous calligraphy and paintings as if money didn’t matter. That chipped wooden sword, hanging among the exquisite and vibrant crimson peony paintings, seemed particularly out of place.

She had disliked it from the start and once made a fuss to have it thrown out, but her grandfather refused.

As she grew older, she understood why Shui Rushan had kept it.

For as long as Xu Qianyu could remember, there had always been talk of demons in the world. The books said that in ancient times, the heavens collapsed, and the spiritual energy from the sky poured into the world through the cracks. Since then, there had been spiritual mountains, spiritual waters, and spiritual fields, along with cultivators—and demons.

Though she had never seen a demon with her own eyes, she knew that whenever a demon appeared, everyone would lock their doors and stay inside. She, too, had to stop her studies and remain home. The maids always spoke of demons in hushed, fearful tones, describing them as terrifying creatures, though they never seemed to agree on what they looked like:

Some said demons resembled wild beasts or mountain bears, roaring and biting away half of a house with one chomp. Others said demons looked human but had red eyes and, if they snuck up on you, would suck your soul out from the back of your neck. At this point, the maids would touch their own necks, scaring themselves, and scatter in fright.

Xu Qianyu doubted any of them had ever seen a demon; they were probably making it all up. Xiao Dong might be the only one here who had actually seen one, but Xu Qianyu didn’t like crying or loud commotion, so seeing her sob and tremble, she didn’t pursue her curiosity further.

In short, only after the demon hunters from the mortal world or the Xianmen members came to eliminate the demon and informed the entire city, could all matters such as marriages, business, and travel return to normal.

A few years ago, her maternal grandfather, Shui Rushan, had the fortune of meeting a wandering Taoist from the Xianmen. He spent a fortune, begged and pleaded, and finally bought the demon-slaying sword from the Taoist, hanging it on the wall, which ever since had provided protection and peace for the Shui family. He was so wealthy that even after spending a fortune, he still had plenty left. However, others were not as fortunate.

Not everyone could afford, or was willing to buy, such a protective talisman.

Xu Qianyu touched her double buns again, finding it all absurd.

A broken sword hanging in the hall could compel someone who had nothing to do with her to travel thousands of miles to sell themselves into servitude.

Xu Qianyu sighed and personally helped the tearful Xiao Dong up.

It was nothing more than that her shoes were made of sharkskin, and they couldn’t be soaked in water.

Xiao Dong’s tears weighed heavily on her heart. Perhaps a deeper reason was that the demons in Nanling had become increasingly rampant in recent years. Every time she gained a couple of days of freedom, it was soon interrupted by school closures due to the demons, again and again. She hadn’t even had a chance to fly kites in the spring this year, which frustrated her greatly.

Xu Qianyu, known for her freedom and recklessness in Nanling City, found herself, like everyone else, retreating in the face of these mysterious demons with no way to resist.

Leaning against the table, Xu Qianyu gloomily said, “If only there were no demons in the world.”

Xiao Dong saw the red silk by her lady’s temple flutter and noticed the hatred in Xu Qianyu’s eyes, which were like glazed pearls. As she spoke, it seemed as if a refreshing, clean breeze swept across her face for an instant. Xiao Dong widened her eyes and immediately stood up, looking around like a frightened bird, as if afraid someone might overhear. “Miss, be careful with your words.”

Xiao Dong, like the other maids in the house, who were terrified by ghost stories, believed that demons had three heads and six arms and could hear everything. If someone cursed them, they would come.

Xu Qianyu was not as timid, but seeing Xiao Dong so frightened, she closed her mouth. But only for a moment. Then she asked again, “The Xianmen should have no shortage of treasures, right?”

“Of course,” Xiao Dong said with longing. “The Xianmen is where all the world’s spiritual energy gathers. With immortals, there must be immortal artifacts. They refine pills, spiritual herbs, and magical tools, and have been prosperous for a hundred years. The number of rare treasures and strange techniques they possess must be countless.”

“Then why don’t they share some of those treasures with the people?”

Hearing this, Xiao Dong looked at her mistress, mouth agape, but found herself speechless.

Xu Qianyu snorted and turned away. She already knew there wasn’t much good to be found in the Xianmen. She put down her comb, still feeling stifled. Whenever she was upset, she would act out in extraordinary ways.

Fanning herself with a small silk fan embroidered with golden flowers, she thought for a moment and then ordered Xiao Dong, “Open the cabinet and distribute all my jeweled hairpins. By tonight, I want to see everyone wearing two in their hair.”

These weren’t like the treasures from the Xianmen; she had plenty of them. If she wanted to give them away, she would.

“Ah…”

The whole afternoon, the maids in Xu Qianyu’s room crowded around the cabinet to receive their gifts, chattering with joy as if it were New Year’s.

*

At this time, Guan Niang was in the study.

On the broad desk was a bonsai of a miniature landscape called “Moonlit Cave Heaven,” complete with a pond and waterfall, and incense curling up like mist.

Behind the fragrant mist, a muscular hand was preparing a brush at the inkstone. The elderly man sitting at the desk was over fifty, with graying hair, dressed in fine silk, and exuding a vigorous air. He was none other than Shui Rushan, Xu Qianyu’s grandfather.

Guan Niang said, “The young miss has never been exposed to any literature related to romantic affairs, and none of the servants in the house would dare speak such things. Yet, now she dreams of them. Fang Cai says it’s likely that during her outings, she must have overheard or seen something, which she didn’t understand at the time, but left a faint impression on her. Now that she’s grown older and her bones and flesh are maturing, she naturally comprehends their meaning in her dreams. It’s an innate understanding.”

Shui Rushan paused his brush, gazing silently at the paper.

After a long time, he set down the brush and said slowly, “I originally thought to keep her by my side, to be both granddaughter and grandson to me. In this life, she wouldn’t need to marry or bear children, only to live freely, happy and content. After all, our family wealth is enough for her to spend freely, and I’m not afraid of others’ opinions. But now, it seems that won’t be possible.”

Guan Niang sighed softly, “Master has done everything possible. The harmony of yin and yang is a natural law, and it’s beyond human control.”

Guan Niang had followed Shui Rushan for over ten years since his days of traveling and doing business. She was both beautiful and intelligent, capable of managing accounts and socializing in leisure settings. She was Shui Rushan’s confidante. Though she had voluntarily become Xu Qianyu’s maid, she still held some influence in Shui Rushan’s eyes.

Guan Niang added, “Since the young miss has already awakened to such matters, why not bring a few more young men around her? Once she’s seen enough, she won’t be so fixated on it…”

Seeing Shui Rushan frown deeply, Guan Niang quickly knelt down, realizing her words had been too crude and improper. “Please punish me for my inappropriate behavior, master.”

Shui Rushan stepped around the table to help her up. “Why so formal between us?”

Turning his back, he mocked himself, “Guan Niang, you are the most straightforward. Ours is a family steeped in the stench of money. What use is there in maintaining these pretenses? I know you speak nothing but the truth, so why bother with taboos?”

He sighed deeply, “Back then, I foolishly tried to cultivate a refined and virtuous daughter by mimicking the ways of the cultured elite, hoping she’d marry into a reputable family, so we could rid ourselves of the merchant’s disgrace. But who would have thought it would ruin Weiwei’s entire life.”

Just as he finished speaking, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a servant rushed in. “Master, Miss Weiwei… again…”

Shui Weiwei was Shui Rushan’s only daughter with his first wife and had since become the mother of Xu Qianyu. However, because she had never formally married, she had remained in the household for years, living as before. The servants were accustomed to this and used “Weiwei” in private to distinguish her from Xu Qianyu.

Shui Rushan’s expression turned serious, and he abruptly turned around: “What now?”

“Earlier today, for some reason, Miss gave all the pearl hairpins in her room to the maids. Perhaps these girls were too noisy when picking out the jewelry, disturbing the west wing. Miss Weiwei then came out of her room and walked to the bridge. Unfortunately, Miss was feeding fish on the bridge at the time. Miss Weiwei began mocking her…”

The servant hesitated for a moment. “She insulted Miss, calling her a seductive vixen trying to attract the immortal lord. Miss got angry and threw the fish food at her. Miss Weiwei erupted, pulling at Miss’s hair and clothes, leaving them in disarray. Even the servants couldn’t separate them. In the chaos, Miss Weiwei pushed Miss…”

“Outrageous!” Shui Rushan shouted angrily. “Did she push Qianyu into the lake?”

This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

When Xu Qianyu was a child and felt wronged, she would cry and cause a scene, running to her grandfather to demand justice. However, he would only comfort Qianyu and never punish the true culprit. As a child learning from others, Qianyu gradually grew up, noticing that Shui Weiwei’s behavior was clearly unusual. But the family’s attitude toward Weiwei was never dismissive, and Qianyu realized that even though Weiwei was a tyrant in the household, she was someone Qianyu couldn’t deal with.

As time went on, Qianyu learned to ignore Shui Weiwei, watching her coldly from a distance. Surprisingly, the child became more mature than the adults.

Shui Rushan never confined Shui Weiwei. Her food, clothing, and etiquette from the servants all remained the same as when she was young. Even after she brought shame to the family by getting pregnant out of wedlock, she wasn’t treated with contempt. Such was the privilege of being Shui Rushan’s daughter: as long as he wished it, he could create a safe haven where she need not worry about societal judgment.

Shui Weiwei, dressed as an unmarried lady, continued to behave outrageously without feeling any shame.

She had been muddled for over ten years.

“Miss only stepped into the water with one foot, soaking the edge of her clothes before being pulled out. She said she felt dizzy and didn’t want to feed the fish anymore, preferring to return to her room to change.” The servant hesitated. “It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“Miss Weiwei pushed Miss by the waist, but she couldn’t move her. Instead, it seemed as if she herself was struck and collapsed. It took a long time for her to wake up, shouting that her hand hurt. When the maid looked, her palm was scorched black, as if it had been burned. A doctor has already been called.”

Guan Niang, who had been calmly standing by, suddenly grew alarmed at this point and exchanged a glance with Shui Rushan.

Shui Rushan’s expression also turned wary.

The two exchanged a silent look, as if the last thing they wanted to see had come to pass.