“Well, I mostly come from a city just slightly further south. Jiankang, one of the many ancient cities which has also served as a capital for some of the cities.”
“I don’t really know what you’re talking about.”
“Did you study the section Confucious and Ban Zhao.”
“I can only read numbers and legal documents, a little poetry and analogues. That sort of stuff isn’t something that I do. I have been working at a restaurant, when I was old enough to walk.” She stated at the truth. “It’s called the Bai Yi house, with my mother’s name on it.”
“Isn’t he married to another woman?” He asked.
“Well I was adopted by her since my mother died in childbirth, and my mother isn’t even married.”
“That makes sense, just as my father would now have a lot of questions for them personally.”
“Isn’t that the restaurant we ate at earlier, just before setting out?” The girl asked. “You may call me Zhao’en.”
“The food there was fantastic, the dishes were delectable. Pity they didn’t offer much desserts.”
“It’s the lantern festival, I would only consider making desserts when it isn’t. Such as when we close down for the new year, or when things are slow with no major festivals. The time before them are often the worst of the worst.” While also realizing that she was talking about what she did usually.
“Well, you weren’t what I expected but I certainly would want to look into how a business is run. That certainly would be a lot more interesting than talking about classics. Since they are written by dead men, who said them a thousand years ago. There can be practical applications for the advice, just as much as you’ll be discarding a lot of what they say. Or you can’t understand them.”
“That is true.” She snickered at this comment. It was honest about how things exactly were for scholars. Even as there were updates to it.
“Well, or about men trying interpret what they are saying. And making further inquiries and building upon what they have. That is slightly more interesting, especially if you look at some of the more radical people. And how they can take it either too literally, or interpret it in a way that you wonder how their minds actually took the concept in.”
“But I guess that there is still a right way to go around it.”
He nodded. “There is, or at least many which do not totally detract the meaning of their words. Those are accepted. And we are excepted to read them. Since there is a thousand years of time, and time for many men to decide and write their own thoughts. Going back to the time even before paper. And I seriously wondered how they thought and wrote it down. And then there were bamboo which were all tied up. Most of which have been transferred to paper. Simply because it is a lot easier for them to do this right now.”
“That is distinctly worse, since I had the ability to write on wood and it wasn’t exactly fun. For our board.” Even as this was mostly as a necessity, because paper just didn’t make enough sense. While a board did, because of how expensive it had been and was.
“So, do you have a good memory?”
“I served the customers from hell a few days back. Furthest from the nicest thing, mostly because they brought their kids and they were really really demanding. That was one of the few times when I wondered was it possible to hate kids.”
“Terrible. Anything interesting about it?”
“You’ll be surprised to see what gets dropped while you are inside. Since they treat you as invisible, you get all sorts of interesting stuff. And they wonder why people are so willing to betray them.” Especially when things like that were dropped right in front of them at this point.”
“That is interesting and something that I would learn from from now on.” Making it rather easy for them to try it at this point. “What else?”
“My mother gives away all here leftovers to destitute children and their families. That is something she does, and the Magistrate often opts to cut her taxes for what she does. And also allow her to really win the reputation here.”
“That’s interesting, so looking like a generous person helped.”
“To an extent yes, and she was rather firm. I mean I grew up working there, and she paid me a fair rate. And allowed me to go whenever I wanted, and to be let go when I was sick. The same for all of them as well.” It was true that she was fair, incredibly so when it was all but necessary for them to be it.
And how her mother made a good profit and saved it up while adding it to her legacy. And she was always going to split it with all the workers and many of the workers who came before but left. As well as her, she gained a good share of it. While still keeping that in mind. The restaurant was very much her family, and she had bought it as it was. With quite a bit still left over.
“Honestly, I feel as though not being a scholar has so many benefits now. Provided there are those who are as reasonable as her.”
“She is one of the few. The rest could not be said to be as principled. She knew of many which abused them and at the same time turned them over, preventing them from trying. They’re seething at my mother’s success.” A true fact right now, much more than before. When they needed to do it as it seemed.
“Interesting, yet it is this caring for them which keeps them loyal to her. Caring for them makes them feel belonging.”
“It’s not perfect, our cook isn’t easy to work with. And the only assistant could tolerate her because she was already fairly desperate and could do it. As well as the possibility of hiring another cook as this year has been a lot busier. Much busier than any other. This is the first time I had the chance to sit down.”
“Well, but it’s still a lot better. Even as they often don’t suggesting that it better not be regulated, since it is often difficult.”
“It is difficult, since it was created by two people who barely paid off their debts just before they could. Before they were married and were able to work from day to night, and the best time to accumulate enough for their freedom. As well as sewing whenever they could.”
Just as she realized that it was time. And she needed to go back. She knew that she would see him again although it was unsure. Just as he came out, before passing her a small token. “Show this to me if we are actually going to be betrothed to each other.”
Before he turned and she left. Giving her mother her gift, and she opened the match. Where she also took it to light up her lantern as well. Before bringing it up and letting it go. She closed her eyes to make her wish, to be free unless she wills it so. Even then she wanted to be able to do as she fully wished and as she had wanted even then.
She opened her eyes to see it floating into the sky.
Comments (6)
See all