Chapter 102: White-Eyed Wolf

That evening, as the wind howled and Xi Junyu walked through the old second-floor corridor connecting the Jin Feng Building to its inner courtyard, he heard a woman's angry shouts. "You heartless ingrate!" The voice, a full-throated yell, sounded like Mama Yang, the owner of the Jin Feng Building. Although she was in her forties, a mature woman, her usual demeanor was dignified and elegant, and she always dressed well. It was hard to imagine her shouting so wildly, completely abandoning her image. Intrigued, Xi Junyu stopped. Then, another woman's voice, equally strong and pleasant, retorted with insults. "You greedy leeches!"

The Jin Feng Building was structured with an outer and an inner section, the inner building connected to the outer, and the inner courtyard beyond that. All levels were open for business. Xi Junyu, however, often preferred to entertain guests in the outer building, a choice based purely on preference rather than any distinction of class. He now stood by the passage, listening to the commotion. Someone, probably Mama Yang, threw something.

"You're debased, you'll have a bad end... originally, you were doomed... you're debased...""So what if I'm a young wet nurse? I don't care!""Debased!"

The day had been muggy and oppressive, with the sky looking ominous. By late afternoon, the wind had picked up, signaling heavy rain for the evening. Business at the Jin Feng Building wasn't particularly brisk. A woman hurried out from that direction, saw him, curtsied, and smiled, "Master Xi." She knew him from before. "Are you entertaining guests today?""Yes, in the Chunxiao Room outside. We're about to finish," Xi Junyu nodded. "What's going on in there?"The woman hesitated. "Mama is angry, Master Xi. Oh, this matter..." She seemed to want to say more but held back. Xi Junyu decided not to pry. Just then, a steward from the Su family called from behind him, "Junyu, what's wrong? Why did you take so long?" Xi Junyu turned, said, "Coming right away," and then excused himself from the woman.

He had been hosting guests with that steward earlier, and the banquet was nearing its end. He had simply stepped out to the privy. Upon his return, the guests were already beginning to take their leave. The steward led them out, and Xi Junyu only escorted them to the door before returning to settle the bill and handle any remaining matters. Since there was nothing else urgent to do, he dismissed the other women who had been accompanying them, keeping only one whom he knew well, and asked her to play some simple zither tunes in the room while he sat there, eating and contemplating.

He sat by the window. Although it was closed, the strong wind still carried the quarrelsome voices over the soothing zither music, adding an interesting backdrop to the scene.

"If a wealthy young master were to buy your freedom, I wouldn't say a word! I'd even give you a dowry! But you're just debasing yourself now!""I'm debasing myself? Is the money for my freedom not enough or what?""I don't care for your paltry sum! Without me, without the Jin Feng Building, how would you have gotten rich?""You just want me to stay here, keep working, keep earning money for you! You want me to be trapped here forever!""Nonsense! You ungrateful wretch, nonsense! ... Go ask yourself, go ask me, Yang Xiuhong, when have I ever sent a girl off without being genuinely happy and willing? There was Sisi, Xiaoyu, Lihong, Baido'er, Pan Shi... I even arranged Baido'er's match! Which one of them wasn't a top courtesan here? They all found good homes! Did I ever not happily provide a dowry then? But what are you trying to do now?""I like it!""You're blinded by greed! You're exposing yourself here, and you'll expose yourself after buying your freedom too, so what's the point of buying it? I knew I shouldn't have been so kind to that Nie... She was from a scholar-official family, completely ignorant of the world... I shouldn't have been so good-hearted to let her work. She was clueless, but are you too? What was your background before? You've let greed blind you...""Then let greed blind me! Even if I'm blinded, this is what I want...""I won't allow you to be like this! I won't allow you to be so poisonous!"

"...What's wrong with Master Chen, the young master from the Tie family, or Old Master Zheng? None of them are old men! If you want money and to be a young mistress, then go be one! I wouldn't be unhappy about you marrying them. And if they don't suit you, what about Cao Guan or Liu Qingdi? They're great scholars, from wealthy families, even if they have a bit less money. What if they become officials in the future? Who wouldn't marry you? Are you really never going to marry? Do you think anyone would want you if you really went out and sold that 'egg' [a vulgar term implying prostitution]? What a disgrace! They'll all say my daughters raised by Yang Xiuhong are freaks with strange personalities!" The two women argued loudly in the room, Mama Yang's voice often breaking with angry sobs. Xi Junyu found it quite amusing. When she mentioned Cao Guan and Liu Qingdi, he realized the woman leaving was none other than Yuan Jin'er, a top performer for two consecutive Flower Queen competitions. He couldn't believe that after only two months, she intended to buy her freedom. This was a definite loss for Mama Yang, which explained her fury. And it seemed Yuan Jin'er wasn't planning to marry, but rather to free herself... Was she setting up her own establishment? It didn't quite seem like it.

Given Xi Junyu's status, entertaining a top courtesan like Yuan Jin'er was possible, but it was undoubtedly a significant expense. Consequently, despite his numerous visits to the Jin Feng Building, he had had little direct interaction with her. He had only seen her perform song and dance a few times in public, always finding her lively and nimble. He never would have guessed she could be so fierce and unyielding in an argument, giving Mama Yang no quarter.

"Anyway, the money is here. If you think it's not enough, just say so! I'll give you everything I have...""What's so good about going out and exposing yourself? You'll still be exposing yourself to those people! At least here, they're scholars and talented men!""My head and my face are my own!""No man will ever want you your whole life!""I don't want a man!"At this, Mama Yang was so furious her voice grew hoarse.

"...Even if you went out and established your own business, I wouldn't be this angry... At least that would still give you some prospects, some prospects..."Yuan Jin'er remained stubbornly silent.

"...What on earth are you dissatisfied with? What are you dissatisfied with? You came to this house, I promoted you to Flower Queen, made you a top courtesan! You met people others could only dream of meeting—scholars, officials, prominent figures, wealthy landowners! I let you be willful, I never forced you to entertain guests you didn't like! ...And now you're blinded by greed, you're walking down a path of ruin! What on earth are you dissatisfied with? To earn a living through smiles, to expose yourself... This is a woman's fate! Rely on yourself? What a joke! The best you can do is become a young mistress! Others pray for generations for such a life, a blessing you've cultivated! If you don't like it, then go die and be reborn as a man next life! ... This is a woman's fate, it is their fate to be debased!"

A few sharp taps sounded on the roof, and the next moment, a torrential downpour thundered down, engulfing the entire city. The voices became indistinct, but Xi Junyu faintly heard Yuan Jin'er yelling, "Then kill me!..."

Xi Junyu pushed open his window. Thanks to the long eaves, the heavy rain didn't blow into the room. From his vantage point, he could see figures moving on the second floor of the Jin Feng Building's inner section, which overlooked the Qinhuai River—the silhouettes of two women arguing. The fragmented sounds of their quarrel were carried by the wind and rain, making it hard to hear everything clearly, but he could roughly identify who the fiercely arguing figures belonged to. At one point, Yuan Jin'er's silhouette moved toward the window and pushed open the two windows facing the river. Inside the room, candlelight flickered.

"Go on, jump! Jump into the river and die! Put an end to it all! I'll pretend I never raised a daughter like you!" Amidst Yang Xiuhong's shouts, Xi Junyu watched as the figure by the window climbed onto the sill without a word. Then, half her body emerged from the curtain of rain on his side of the view, and with a splash, she leaped into the Qinhuai River, which was already churning with waves in the downpour below.

"Ha!" Xi Junyu chuckled. He hadn't imagined such a woman existed in this day and age. Faint cries of "Miss!" echoed from within the building as another woman, likely Yuan Jin'er's maid, rushed to the window. Mama Yang also screamed, "Go on, die! Die! It'd be for the best! ...She's such a strong swimmer, even a turtle would drown before she does, that ungrateful wretch!""Miss...!"

"Take them, take them! Take your mistress's things! Here's the bond of service—yours and your mistress's! Now get out, both of you!" Mama Yang threw more things. The maid knelt and kowtowed several times on the floor, then quickly gathered the items and ran out, calling "Miss!"

"Call Master Chen! Get a boat and go after her! Fish that death-seeking woman out of the river! Don't let anyone say Yang Xiuhong forced someone to their death!" Amidst the driving rain, one side of the Jin Feng Building became quite lively. Xi Junyu watched the scene, laughing for a long time upstairs. Soon after, he left his room, preparing to depart. In the corridor, he unexpectedly ran into some acquaintances: the Wu family's eldest young master, Wu Qilong, and second young master, Wu Qihao. Upon seeing them, Xi Junyu moved to the side of the corridor to let them pass, but they both looked pleasantly surprised.

"Haha, Steward Xi, what a coincidence! You're at the Jin Feng Building today? Are you entertaining guests?""I was just hosting Steward Yu from Siqingfang. He has already departed.""Oh, if you have no other engagements, why don't you join us for a chat? We have nothing pressing today, and meeting like this must be fate."

Xi Junyu smiled and shook his head, then politely declined. "Thank you for your generous invitation, esteemed young masters, but I still have matters to attend to, so I mustn't intrude. Next time, next time..." Both Wu brothers were known for their warmth and respect for talented individuals, and Wu Qilong had long admired Xi Junyu. After conversing for a short while, the two brothers from the Wu family finally bade him a regretful, smiling farewell. Xi Junyu waited for them to pass, then turned and headed towards the building's exit.

This heavy rain made travel difficult. He calculated that Xiao Chan's father would be buried in a few days. Ning Yi, on the other hand, would probably return tomorrow evening. As for his own affairs, the matter at Siqingfang was almost concluded, and he needed to report on the situation.

He stood at the entrance, gazing at the astounding downpour. His attendant brought the carriage over. "Steward Xi, where to next?""Back to..." He paused, then said, "The Su Manor."

The carriage clattered into the curtain of rain, proceeding along the still-bright long street towards the Su Manor. Not long after, on a riverside street nearby, another carriage belonging to the Su Manor also drove through the rain, heading in the same direction. The driver, Dong Zhu, was wearing a straw cape. They had finally returned to Jiangning that evening.

Nightlife in the Wu Dynasty was quite lively; city gates usually remained open late into the night, if they closed at all. However, Ning Yi had been concerned on the journey that the gates might close early recently due to the influx of refugees outside. On their way back, they had seen the gloomy sky. Fortunately, the heavy rain only began after they had finally entered the city gate. He called Guard Geng into the carriage and then took out a straw cape for Dong Zhu, the driver. As they passed by the Jin Feng Building area, Ning Yi faintly heard someone calling, "Miss!..."

He lifted a corner of the side curtain and peered out. Near the Qinhuai River, there were many buildings, mostly brothels, with lanterns illuminating the eaves. Although there were people inside the buildings, the streets were empty of pedestrians. As he looked, a woman seemed to be climbing up the bluestone steps between two wooden buildings by the river, her maid standing nearby with a small bundle.

He wasn't sure why the woman had fallen into the river. With the rain having just started, the Qinhuai River was churning with waves, making it quite dangerous at night. It was remarkable that she was able to climb out, and she still seemed to move with ease. However, she had been lightly dressed when she fell, and now her entire body was soaked, her clothes clinging to her shapely figure, almost translucent. Her legs were beautifully long and slender, and the embroidered shoe on one foot seemed to have come off in the water, leaving her delicate foot bare. Standing in the downpour, the scene was undeniably captivating.

A few people across the street or in nearby buildings likely saw her by chance, and Dong Zhu, who was driving, must have been watching too. The woman reached up to wipe her face, then seemed to notice their gazes. She looked down at herself, then frowned and lifted her head, snapping, "Never seen a woman before?"

Her words sounded sharp and defiant, yet there was a hint of self-consciousness, and her voice was not loud. After speaking, she simply turned around and, with a splash, jumped back into the river. In an instant, she had swum a considerable distance through the churning waves.

"Miss! Miss!" Her maid followed along the roadside, chasing her along the riverbank.

"Tsk, tsk.""What a bold woman," Ning Yi thought to himself. He vaguely felt as though he had seen her somewhere before, but the feeling was indistinct; perhaps it was from a movie with a similar scene. As he pondered this, Xiao Chan leaned closer. "Young Master, what are you looking at?"

"Oh, nothing," he chuckled."I don't believe you," Xiao Chan said, shaking her head."Dong Zhu must have seen it too. Go ask him," Ning Yi replied."Huh?" Xiao Chan was puzzled. After a moment, she lifted the front carriage curtain. "Brother Dong Zhu, Brother Dong Zhu, what did you just see?"

"W-what?" Dong Zhu stammered, then flushed with embarrassment. "N-nothing, I didn't see anything at all...""Ah!"Inside the carriage, Ning Yi burst into laughter. Xiao Chan looked confusedly from Dong Zhu in front to Ning Yi inside, then retreated sullenly to her seat. "Bullying me..."