Volume 4: Town 1
Mornings in the pleasure district are slow. The caged birds that had chirped up until dawn, upon the guests leaving, strip off their masks of civility. In the short time until the sun rises, they sleep like their strings are cut.
Maomao came out of her dilapidated shack yawning. She could see steam trailing out from the Rokushoukan before her eyes. The manservants must be working hard preparing the morning baths.
The cold air stung her skin. The air she breathed out was white. The sun was slow to rise it was still cold with just a padded blanket.
It was when it became quiet after the new year celebrations, one month after she left the inner palace. As her dad has entered court as a court physician, Maomao is once again back in the pleasure district.
A child is still sound asleep inside the dilapidated shack. He will be noisy once he awakes so lets have him sleep a little while longer. The name of the child is Chouu. Though a survivor of the Shi Clan, Maomao is stuck with bringing him up for a certain reason.
He is a shitty brat with a good upbringing, but she wanted to appreciate his high adaptability. He had the guts to sleep through the draughty shack to the point of snoring.
(That saying, gran called me.)
While she was at it, shell go get some hot water. You cant not take a bath in such coldness.
Maomao shivered as she went to stand before the well. She dropped the bucket in and drew up some water.
While grimacing from the icy water, she washed her face and woke up.
When she went to the Rokushoukan, the courtesans who had finished bathing were getting their hair dried by the kamuro.
Oh, youre early today.
It was Meimei with wet hair who had called out to her. The courtesans went to bathe starting from the higher classes.
Meimei-neechan, know where gran is?
Gran would be talking to the brothel owner over there.
Thank ya.
The madam manages the Rokushoukan, but the owner is another person. He comes about once every month and discusses with the crone about the this and that of the brothel. He is a middle-aged man, someone the crone had known since he was small, so he cannot stand up against her. Rumours were that he is the son of the previous owner and the crone, but the truth is, no one knows.
It seems he also runs a normal respectable business aside from managing the brothel, so he looks like a very normal good person at a glance.
In truth, his personality makes people worry if he can cross over with the times. He is a sucker to the extent that the management of this brothel will become a worry after the madam passes.
Betcha hes come to propose some strange idea or something again?
Who knows? Well see.
It was the moment Meimei spread her hands.
You fool! The hell did you do!
The madams voice burst out from the inside of the building.
Maomao and Meimei exchanged glances.
Seems to be the case.
Seems so.
The two looked at each other, wondering what he did this time.
A little while later, the crone came out from inside. A middle-aged man with gentle eyes followed after her. Everyone in the Rokushoukan called him Okan-san[note], the same kan as in the Rokushoukan. A polite way of calling him something like Mr Establishment.[/note]. If they dont call him such, they will probably forget that he is the owner of this establishment. Seeing how Okan-san was rubbing the crown of his head, he must have taken a fist.
Oh, Maomao, youre here?
Didnt Gran call me?
So I did.
(You senile, hag?)
She had meant to say it in her mind, but the next moment a fist sank into the crown of Maomaos head.
Okan-san looked at Maomao with eyes of pity. When she got a sense of dj vu of the quack doctor from the inner palace, Maomao thought, after all this time, that it must be because he looked like this old man.
She got suspicious at times that the crone is like an ayakashi, being able to read peoples minds.
For now, seeing how it is, you must want to take a bath? Why dont you come in for breakfast as well? Bring that sonny with you too.
Youre quite generous.
Even I have times like this occasionally.
Saying that, the crone briskly headed for the kitchen.
Okan-san said Well, then, and departed in haste. Normally he would have the spare time for breakfast, Maomao thought as she lowered her head and sent him off.
.
Everyone assembled in the dining room was lost for words.
It is often that everyone is divided into several times and ate together in the Rokushoukan. Maomao had figured that she was allowed to mix with this times group.
The worst.
Pairin-neechan sitting next to her said as she screwed her face. She is known as one of the three flowers that bloom in the Rokushoukan, but if her patrons ever see this face of hers, they will be guaranteed to be disillusioned.
She was making that kind of face.
As for Maomao, it would be the moment she finds mosquito larvae hatching in a puddle, that kind of face.
There was twenty peoples worth of bowls filled with congee, soup, and small bowls on the table, as well as three imposingly large platters set up with equal distance between them.
It is standard in the Rokushoukan to have one rice, one soup, and usually one side dish. The small bowl had namasu today. And additionally, as there were the large platters, two side dishes would normally be considered a very extravagant breakfast.
The certain thing in the large plates had a black lustre. The thing that is normally treated as a harmful insect that lays waste to crops, is being served on the table as a side dish.
It is locust.
Gran, this is?
Shut up and eat. Its a souvenir from Okan-san.
She figured out why the madam was angry, Okan-san had work aside from managing the brothel. Officially, he lives respectfully under the sun as the owner of a large store. However, she cant say that his business method is good.
There is poor crop this year. It seems he was thrown into peoples mercy.
The crone said in irritation as she drizzled black vinegar on her congee.
Okan-san deals with grain in his business. Produce is collected in the form of tax from the farmers in this country, moreover, the country buys up a fixed portion. The ones that distribute the rest is Okan-sans business.
Even so, what was he doing buying this at his business partners asking price. Its something that wont sell well even at the best of times. And theres so much this year.
On the platters were crispily fried locust simmered in sauce and sugar.
Itll be waste if you buy too much and cant preserve it. If you have to go as far as to use sugar, you might as well just chuck it out.
Sugar is a high-class item. Even if you simmer it in plenty of sugar, as if there would be anyone who would eat simmered insects. As expected, there was a large amount left unsold, and thus it is being served on the dining table of the Rokushoukan.
It seems Okan-san even tried self-consumption, but he also had his own circumstances. He had a wife who wasnt feeling pleased about his business. In any case, if there was his wife getting angry at him, he must have preferred the madams fist.
Maomao scratched the back of her head. She was used to eating strange things, but she didnt want to start on this huge pile of insects. Even eating two or three, she wanted to put her hands together.
The courtesans, as they hated strange things more than Maomao, scrunched up their faces and none of them started either.
Hurry up and eat! Its the side dish you guys have been yapping about. Eat five per person.
As the madam spoke in irritation, the very first pair of chopsticks went for the large plate.
(Oh?)
It was an unexpected person who ate it first. Unfazed, he crunched on the insect with an ominous look.
Its not tasty at all. Kinda hollow, this.
It was Chouu who was eating as he gave his honest opinion.
She was sure that, with his young master upbringing, he would be opposed to putting this sort of thing in his mouth, but it didnt seem to be the case.
Did he lose that mien because he lost his memories? Or has he eaten this before? Or could it be the adaptability of a child?
You can eat well, dont you.
Pairin said, inserting herself between Maomao.
Its not delicious but its not like its inedible. Its just extremely hollow.
(Hollow?)
If she was not mistaken, the locust innards are removed before it is cooked, so it being hollow is a given. So its something like this, Maomao thought as she half-heartedly picked up a locust.
(Mn!?)
It really is hollow. Rather than the hollow texture when she had eaten it before, it felt more like that there were no insides. Even though it was simmered in soy sauce, that feeling must be because there is only the texture of the exoskeleton in her mouth.
Not that it has meat, she felt that it was more that it didnt have any in the first place.
Hey hey, why dont you have me eat for you? You can trade me one mooncake.
She seized Chouus head, who was offering a negotiation with Pairin, and pressed down firmly. Ow, owowowow, Chouu groaned.
Maomao picked up a locust with her chopsticks and studied it intently.
It was her usual bad habit. Once she gets interested in it, that would be all she thinks about.
Oh yeah, I was thinking of getting you to go shopping.
After breakfast, the madam finally remembered why she had summoned Maomao. It was to go shopping at the market that is set up in the central road of the town.
The courtesans cannot leave the brothel and the manservants were not smart. The market has a lot of unusual goods, but there arent few of those fellows that rip people off. As they dont set up shop, they should sell with cheap prices, but there arent few bad guys that dont put up signboards. You need a good sense of judgement to buy good items.
I want you to go buy incense. The usual one.
It is the incense that burns with the usual faint aroma at the entrance of the Rokushoukan. Since its a consumable, she would want it as cheap as possible, but something of poor quality was out of the question.
Kay. And the reward?
When Maomao put out her hand, it was slapped away.
Two persons worth of morning baths and breakfast. Aint that first-class?
Stingy hag, Maomao thought.
Heeyyy, freckles. Buy that.
No way.
Maomao ignored Chouu who was pulling her sleeve and pointing to the open-air toy store. She honestly wanted to go alone, but she had no choice but to bring this shitty brat along as he threw a tantrum, rolling on the ground, saying that he wanted to follow. Maomao took Chouus hand, and walked while dragging him along.
The market is set up daily on the large stretch of road in the centre of the capital. Amid the coming and going of horse-drawn carriages, beyond there is the place where the people of the heavens resided.
Seeing it like this, she ended up wondering whether the time she worked at that place was a dream or something. However, Chouu next to her signified that she had been in the imperial court and thus had also been involved in that incident.
The uprising of the Shi Clan. It seems it more or less also had an effect on the market.
A lot of the special products from the northern regions are types of grain and wooden goods, but she felt that there were less of these products than usual in the shops. Instead, the dried fruit and textile shops common from the southern and western regions caught her eye. And then, Maomao made an unpleasant face when she came across a certain thing.
They were selling simmered insects.
Locust again.
That, is absolutely bad. Would anyone buy this?
Chouu had said it in front of a shop, so Maomao clamped his mouth shut and dragged him away. Honestly, the food cart shopkeepers eyes were scary.
Maomao finally released Chouu in a place a fair distance away.
What was that? Isnt it true that its bad?
Shut up.
Maomao looked at Chouu coldly. Thats why I really hate children, she thought deeply.
Insects with that hollow shape is bad. This years produce is already no good.
just then, what did you say?
Maomao blinked incessantly.
Ah, that its absolutely bad?
No, not that. What you said after.
That this years produce is already no good?
(What was that?)
Maomao stared at Chouu.
How did you know that?
Ummm, what was that again
Chouu roughly scratched his head with his right hand. His left hand is slightly cramped, so it hung limply by his side. Chouu had died once, having drunk the resurrection drug, and somehow came back to life afterwards. Because of that, his body is still numb, and he had lost most of his memories.
I cant remember well. Its just, I feel that I heard that when insects become hollow, theyll be crop failure.
Ummm, Chouu clutched his head.
He might recall something if I shake his head, Maomao thought, but she cant treat him anymore slovenly as he is pretty much in her custody.
However, if what Chouu said is true, then there will be quite a serious issue, Maomao thought.
Perhaps, I might be able to remember.
Really?
Maomao replied, and Chouu looked towards the food cart. The toy shop was over there.
If you buy something, I might be able to remember.
For now, she wrenched his mouth wide open.
T/N: so I promised myself that Ill take it easy this time, thus two chapters per week starting next week (this week Ill release a chapter on Sat too). Tues and Thur. It sounds less, but its still an average of ~5000 English words a week. Aint that first class, as the madam would say ;D
I might increase the number if the chapters get a bit shorter, but for now, lets take it easy
This arc has twenty-seven chapters. The atmosphere of the rest of the story is a little different to the previous arcs, so Id like to consider this as the next part (i.e. if this was an anime, this would be season 2).
Also, a question on how to translate the name of a new character that comes in later (chapter 10). Mind its not actually her name, but rather what other people are calling her. Shes albino and is treated like a fairy/goddess. To make it easier, Ive made a poll. Please vote, thanks