Chapter 196: Livelihood
The calligraphy was beautiful.
The calligraphy used to write this couplet was very beautiful.
At the very least, it was pleasing to the eye.
Although having such a couplet hanging in a suite that cost a thousand taels a night was a bit ironic.
Censor He still curiously asked the young steward leading the way, “Who wrote this?”
“This was written by the eldest son of our Lord Sima.”
Censor He’s footsteps as he walked inside paused.
He looked at the couplet once more:
“Frugality cultivates integrity, pure as the autumn moon, never tainted.”
“Strict in self-discipline, clear as the plum blossom, naturally fragrant.”
He thought of a youth who had once written the lines, “Knocking on thin bones, they still carry the sound of copper.”
Later, he heard that he had followed his father and joined the Rebels.
Later, his father accepted amnesty and became Commander Jiang.
The ways of the world were strange; he had come to Jingzhou because of Commander Jiang.
And here he was, seeing the couplet written by that same youth.
The content was very good.
The calligraphy was also very good.
But inexplicably, he felt a sense of melancholy.
He stepped over the screen in the foyer.
He saw a garden patch filled with green bamboo and trees.
Beside it sat a thick, long table.
On the surface of the long table lay a stone slab.
Arranged on the stone slab were blue and white teacups, two large and six small.
The designs were slightly different.
Censor He was very surprised; this was the method of making tea popular in the Imperial Palace, a Gongfu Tea station.
He had the fortune to drink this tea once—a tiny cup, personally bestowed by the Emperor. It was just one sip, and he couldn’t grasp the taste; it was very bland.
Yet here, a set of tea utensils was laid out, looking even more complete.
The wall behind the desk actually featured a bookshelf covering the entire wall.
It was filled with precious books.
In this era, any book was considered very rare.
The Page Boy had been muttering the whole way about what a waste it all was, but when he saw this entire wall filled with books, he suddenly fell silent.
This, this, so many books just placed here.
Censor He’s figure also stood before the bookshelf, and he reached out to take a book.
He grabbed one at random: the Tao Te Ching.
It wasn’t a particularly special book; he had read it before.
But this wall of bookshelves was all-encompassing. In front of each shelf, the category of the books was written: History, Fiction, Medicine? Tea? Antiques? Geography? Agriculture? Strategy?
As each category was broken down further, looking at the books inside was very interesting.
Censor He could definitely be counted as someone who had read many books in this era; after all, he had spent his whole life reading, and the number of books he could obtain was relatively high.
Yet here, in the bookshelf of a lodging room in Jingzhou, there were actually quite a few books he had never seen before.
He pulled out a copy of “Yin’s Tea Treatise,” which detailed various types of tea, the brewing methods for Gongfu Tea, the timing, water temperature, what kind of water, and what kind of tea.
The text was written with earnest rigor, yet he had never read it.
These books were all handwritten copies.
But they were all written very neatly and carefully.
The books had clearly been read by someone.
Steward Lin Yi explained, “These books are changed frequently. Lord Sima has established a library in the city. Everyone can enter to read by registering with their identity documents or travel permits. If you need to borrow them, you must leave a deposit. If you have no money, you can transcribe the books—you must transcribe two copies to take one away. The library provides paper and brushes for free.”
Standing before the wall of books, Censor He paused for a long time.
Just a glance revealed several books he had never seen.
It felt like he couldn’t possibly finish reading them in a day.
This was a tea room. Beside the table, an entire section of the floor against the wall was covered in straw mats, with a low table placed on top and cushions on either side. It looked like one could just push things aside and lie down.
On the low table sat a chessboard and pieces.
The view outside the window was also beautiful.
A curtain of rain and the setting sun combined in a strange way.
Outside the window was actually a wheat field, not some precious flowers, yet it was even more pleasing to the eye.
This tea room could satisfy the needs for entertaining guests, resting, drinking tea, reading, and working.
Next to the tea room was the washroom.
Other washrooms were usually dark and small, but this one was unexpectedly large.
There was even a vanity inside.
There were tables and chairs, and a large bathtub, with a pipe connected directly to the tub.
There was also a toilet.
The toilet also had a pipe.
The toilet seat was actually covered in silk and had a backrest, looking like a large chair.
There were wooden shelves on the wall, hung with clean, solid-colored towels.
There was even a robe hanging there.
Each towel and robe had a small tag labeling it.
The towels for washing the face, hair, feet, and body were actually separated.
The robe was for wearing after bathing.
Beside the bathtub were several jars labeled with various flowers, as well as salt and a jar of milk.
Steward Lin Yi explained, “These are for guests to use when bathing. You can pour them into the tub; they have skin-beautifying properties. This is the water valve. If you wish to bathe, you can notify me, and hot water will come out of the valve. They are replaced with new ones every day. As for the items here, except for the permanent fixtures, you are welcome to take anything you like.”
The Page Boy noticed a countertop specifically for washing hands. It wasn’t just a lonely basin, but a large tabletop with a ceramic basin embedded in the middle. The bottom of the basin had a hole and a plug, and there was a pipe above it as well.
The steward turned on the water valve, and sure enough, water trickled from the pipe.
Censor He reached out to catch some water; it was cool.
Thinking of the rain outside, it wasn’t strange that the pipe had water.
On the countertop sat individual ceramic bottles, labeled respectively as Facial Cleanser, Toothpaste, and Shampoo.
These were things that cost one tael of silver per bottle outside, yet here they were laid out, ready for use, and it was said one could even take them.
The Page Boy felt this was quite generous.
Censor He shook his head slightly; while one tael of silver was a lot, compared to the thousand-tael accommodation fee, it was very little.
Touring the washroom took quite some time, ending with Censor He taking a leak inside alone.
Watching his urine instantly disappear and get flushed away while the washroom remained fragrant, Censor He only felt a sense of emptiness in his heart.
Before coming, he had imagined that a room costing a thousand taels a night might have beautiful maids, fine wine, a pool of meat and a forest of wine, and extreme luxury.
In reality, there was none of that. Not to mention beautiful maids, the only steward was just a refined, scholar-like figure.
In fact, on the way here, the officials who had hosted him had definitely spent more than a thousand taels on the specifications.
The pleasure boats of courtesans, the best wines, rare birds and beasts—Censor He was a man of the world, and he had experienced such hospitality before.
But none had been as profound as this; this was a kind of change.
A strange change.
Beside the toilet was white, soft toilet paper, and a wooden bucket for trash.
Next to it was even a small bookshelf with books, allowing one to read while taking a dump.
It was a terrifying feeling; he had actually just wanted to reach out and grab one to read.
Thinking of the person who placed the books here, they were truly a genius; they must love books so much that they needed to read even during the brief moments of relieving oneself.
After exiting the washroom, the steward handed Censor He a semi-dry cotton towel, and Censor He wiped his hands.
Next, they went to the bedroom next door.
After all, it was a place for lodging, so there had to be a bed.
The view from the bedroom window was beautiful.
The bed wasn’t one of those embroidered beds that looked layered and complex; it was a simple wooden bed.
The bedding on the bed felt very white and clean.
There wasn’t even a single strand of hair.
There was a wardrobe for hanging clothes, containing sleeping robes and backless shoes. Steward Lin Yi bent down, signaling that the Lord could change his shoes.
The Page Boy hurriedly followed to serve him.
His feet, wrapped in shoes after walking for so long, had not been comfortable. Placing them into these backless, airy shoes, his soles seemed to stretch out; he was resting before even getting into bed.
“Lord, we offer foot massage services. If you need it, ring the bell at any time, and I will arrange it for you.”
Censor He thought it had finally come: the beautiful maid service.
But then he saw Steward Lin Yi hand over a sign that read: Ten taels of silver for a foot massage, fifty taels of silver for a full-body massage.
Censor He staggered in anger. He had spent so much money on accommodation, and he had to pay extra for a massage?
Was it a courtesan doing the massage?
Censor He couldn’t let it go. Since he was already here, he would go for it.
He was here specifically to experience and understand the chaos and corruption of Jingzhou.
He wanted to see what kind of foul atmosphere the Rebels and Commander Jiang had turned Jingzhou into.
He plopped down on the soft bed, waiting for someone to come and give him a massage.
Sure enough, there was a knock at the door immediately.
Steward Lin Yi responded, “Come in.”
He heard the door open and slow footsteps. There was no rich scent of perfume, but rather a faint medicinal fragrance.
Then he saw a middle-aged man dressed in a black robe walk in. The man walked very slowly, leaning on a cane, tapping gently in front of him as he walked.
Censor He was a bit stunned.
It wasn’t until he was asked to lie down and a pair of dry, clean hands began to roam, press, and tap on his shoulders that Censor He realized what was happening.
There were no beautiful maids or courtesans; the person massaging him was actually a blind middle-aged man.
Censor He asked curiously, “Can a blind person actually come out to work?”
The man smiled and said, “Lord Sima says that we are only blind, not useless; of course we can earn money with our own skills. Because we are blind and cannot see, we are even more focused. One touch and I know that your right shoulder is not good—it’s severely strained from long periods of leaning over a desk with a fixed posture. Be careful, Lord; shout if it hurts.”
“Pat.”
“Pat.”
“Hiss.”
“It hurts.”
“That feels good.”
“Your monthly earnings must be quite high, charging several taels of silver per session. It’s enough to support a family.”
“It’s alright. My wife is pregnant. When the child grows up and goes to school, there will be many expenses, so I have to work hard and save money.”
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