Zhao Liangcai was about to persuade Qin Junyao that it was not socially acceptable for two women to be together when he heard a commotion downstairs.
Peeking out, Qin Junyao saw Qin Nainai having things moved into the inn.
She nodded at Zhao Liangcai and went downstairs.
“Grandma, what is all this?” Qin Junyao asked, looking at the various chests and cabinets being moved into the inn.
Qin Nainai, tying a newly bought red headscarf with small yellow flowers, smiled so much that the wrinkles on her face became more pronounced. “It’s for us, Yaoyao. Don’t you think my headscarf is pretty? I also have fabric to make a flowery dress.”
“No, no, it looks best as a headscarf,” Qin Junyao’s tone of refusal was very clear.
“If you don’t want it, I’ll keep it myself.”
Seeing the bathtub being moved in, Qin Junyao asked Qin Nainai, “Grandma, these things must cost a lot of silver, right?”
“Not much.”
“Yaoyao, you don’t know, this morning the yamen posted the conscription notice, and oh, the crying could be heard for miles.”
“So, to gather silver, people are starting to sell whatever they can, very cheaply.”
After a few words with Qin Junyao, Qin Nainai went back to directing her son to carefully move the items, emphasizing that even old things needed to be handled with care.
Qin Junyao stood rooted to the spot, her mind full of questions. Seeing Qin Sen saunter out of a room, she walked up to him. “Third Uncle, our accommodation isn’t sorted yet. Did Grandma buy too much?”
“Our accommodation can only be arranged by General Zhao,” Qin Sen’s eyes followed Qin Nainai’s red headscarf as he said to Qin Junyao.
“The conscription notice has already been posted, so there’s no room for change. Our family’s only option is to send one person to the salt lake to mine salt. General Zhao is the general of the salt army, so it’s best to follow his arrangements.”
“Let’s go help. Grandma also bought fabric.”
Hearing that she would have to trouble Zhao Liangcai again, Qin Junyao thought about having to deal with him and that family, besides the axe-wielding one, and felt a bit annoyed.
Qin Nainai had indeed bought a lot of things. A corner of the inn’s backyard was taken up by the Qin family’s belongings.
For Qin Nainai, this was not enough. Bedding and a donkey cart still needed to be bought, and she planned to go shopping again tomorrow.
The next day, Qin Junyao tidied herself up and went out shopping as well.
The pedestrians on the street were not as leisurely as they had been the day they entered the city. Many people had troubled expressions on their faces.
Qin Nainai, familiar with the way, entered a general store. The owner’s head ached at the sight of the old woman with the red headscarf.
Having run the shop for many years, he had to welcome all kinds of customers and put on a smiling face.
“The Bodhisattva of Mercy is here again! Are the things you bought yesterday having any issues?”
Qin Nainai beamed, her eyes crinkling, at being called the Bodhisattva of Mercy. “No issues. I’m here today to see if there’s anything else useful.”
The owner’s face turned bitter upon hearing this. “I haven’t received any new items today, Bodhisattva of Mercy. You’ve come for nothing.”
“Boss, this is my second visit, so I’m practically a regular customer. I know you have good things in your backyard. Let me in to take a look,” Qin Nainai said, leading Qin Lin towards the back door of the general store.
The owner dared not stop Qin Lin, and Qin Junyao and Qin Mu could only smile awkwardly and follow behind.
Entering the backyard, they saw large items: carved wooden beds, sets of tables and chairs, bookshelves, and even rockeries and strange stones.
Qin Nainai touched this and felt that, making the owner, who followed her every step, terrified. These items represented half of his fortune.
“Bodhisattva of Mercy, please tell me what you wish to buy. If I have it, I’ll sell it to you cheaply. If not, I’ll go collect it for you right away.” The owner was truly afraid of this old woman.
Yesterday, because he hadn’t found her a bucket, she had gone around telling other customers that the goods were bad and impractical, and what’s more, what she said was accurate.
His shop had been passed down from his father and had been in business for over forty years with an excellent reputation. If he drove the old woman away and earned a reputation for being a big shop bullying customers, his forty years of accumulated goodwill would be ruined.
“You are indeed generous, Boss. My humble family naturally won’t need these fine things in your backyard. I need a donkey cart, bedding, cotton clothes…”
As Qin Nainai listed the items she wanted, Qin Junyao’s gaze was drawn to something.
A guqin without strings.
Qin Junyao walked closer and picked it up to examine it. It was covered in lacquer, with a bright and glossy finish.
The materials were exquisite, with a paulownia top and catalpa wood base, meaning the top panel was made of paulownia and the bottom panel of catalpa wood.
The top, like a dome, and the bottom, like an inverted tile, represented the roundness of heaven and the squareness of earth, with an elegant design.
On one side of the top panel, below the forehead and above the bridge, were seven string holes. This was a seven-stringed qin, for the melody of "High Mountains and Flowing Water."
Qin Junyao set the qin upright and carefully examined its forehead, neck, shoulders, waist, dragon’s throat, and dragon’s gum. She reached out and stroked the thirteen frets on the upper part. Just by looking at the body of the qin, she knew it was a fine instrument.
She liked it. She wondered what sound it would make once strung.
Picking up the qin, Qin Junyao walked up to the shop owner. “Boss, what is the price of this guqin?”
The owner, who was engaged in a battle of wits with Qin Nainai over the price of the donkey cart,’s eyes lit up when he heard Qin Junyao’s question.
“Miss has a good eye. This qin is indeed a century-old guqin.”
“An old gentleman left it with me for consignment. It’s been three years,” the owner said with emotion, looking at the qin.
There was a dedicated musical instrument shop in the northwest city, but that old gentleman was eccentric and insisted on selling it at the general store.
It was already difficult for a general store to sell a qin. Without strings to try it out, the price was high, and with that condition, it was very hard to sell.
“You, boss, my granddaughter is asking you the price. Who cares whose it is? Give us a better price,” Qin Nainai said, having Qin Lin help her calculate how much silver was left.
The owner said helplessly, “Bodhisattva of Mercy, this qin is on consignment, and the owner sets the price. Only after it’s sold will the owner give me the consignment fee.”
“Miss, this qin is fifty taels of silver, non-negotiable.”
Qin Nainai gasped upon hearing the price. “Fifty taels? A broken qin you’re selling in your general store costs fifty taels? Do you know that young ladies from good families only use twenty taels for a qin and even get a qin stand with it?”
Qin Junyao stepped forward and interrupted Qin Nainai. “Boss, I’ll take this qin. It’s just that I don’t have enough silver right now. Could you wait for me for two months? I can sign a document with you.”
“If I don’t have enough silver in two months, I will pay a three-tael retention fee. If I have enough silver, I will come to buy it,” Qin Junyao said, holding the qin, her eyes earnest.
Qin Nainai was so angry that she stamped her feet upon hearing this. She went up and slapped Qin Junyao on the back. “Are you crazy? You’re crazy! This qin hasn’t sold in three years, and you want to give three taels for a two-month wait?”
“Also, where are you going to earn fifty taels? Do you know how much fifty taels is? It’s enough to get your Third Uncle five wives. You’re really making me furious!” Qin Nainai, still not satisfied after the slap, spun around, looking for something to hit with.
Qin Junyao placed the qin down, pursed her lips, and remained silent, looking at the shop owner.
To Qin Junyao, the guqin was family, a friend. Now that she had found a friend she felt a connection with, she didn’t want to miss the opportunity.