"I shiver randomly too, when it's cold" - Lin Si, 9, when her sister complained about how she'd randomly get the jitters without warning
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"Just wait," she offered him some of the wine, she found he was kinda broke. "You think I'll ever run out of ideas? Hahaha, that's cute." she winked, standing up, she grabbed her cart, set it upside down, set a pot on top of it. She'd sold all the other utensils except this large pot and the tea-making set. She glanced over, she felt bad since he probably couldn't afford food, finally asked. "You can play pipa?"
His brows raised in surprise. "You know?"
She smirked, "it was a guess, I know a little myself, and your fingers reminded me of the calluses I once had." After all, in her youth, music was the only feminine art she had a lot of interest in, and her father had taken advantage of this, loving to spoil her, but wanting her to do a few more feminine activities. However, that she had guessed he knew it just by callouses, was quite clever, to him. "Will you join me?"
He took her hand, only two steps out of line, where her cart sat, still close enough no one could take their place, besides, everyone had already set out their mats, it would be bothersome to claim the spot. She handed the pipa she had painstakingly tuned. Setting him on the pot on the cart, she sat herself on the side, feet resting on the ground.
Suddenly she lifted her bow, loosing it softly across the strings. A soft, but shrill tone drew people's attention. Suddenly, she opened her mouth. A melody sounded out. It had a familiar tune, but it began a story. The man was quick on the pipa, beginning a background melody, keeping up with her pace. Sure enough, a story was played. Of love, heartbreak, of battles, and victories and defeats. Finally, at the end, silence resonated out. She called out.
"10 coppers for a song or story." Kicking the empty wine jar in front of her.
10 coppers were quickly thrown out. Who didn't have ten coppers?
They played late into the night, rarely was there silence, people anxious for some activity. Until she drew it back around midnight, and everyone bedded for sleep.
The next morning, they set up their booth, and off and on were given songs. She made quite a lot, and divided it half way between the two of them.
Three more went to fight. She glanced at the dwindling line in satisfaction. However, the next day, performers paid the fee to enter the crest of the hill, and began to play their songs. Those selling and performing were each given a slip of green paper if they entered. They could stay in for a shichen for every slip, and each slip cost 100 copper. There were also white slips, these ones were the day - from morning till the next morning. Long Wen, by her suggestion, marked them with his handwriting, a different word for each day, to keep track. As for how many hours, there would be a number of lines on them, depending on the time of day they were bought. No lines for first shichen of daylight, one line for next shichen, so it was that he often made rounds, to kick out those that outstayed their paid hours, or made them pay for a new slip.
Thus, with her entertainment business gone, the man behind her glanced at her in curiosity, she grinning, winking at him, that night, closing her eyes, enjoying the music being played. "Isn't this nice?"
He nodded, but…he doubted she was done with her messing around with the line.
The next day, 5 more went in and left. All had lost again. That day, Lin Si wasn't really even in line, she had headed down the mountain, letting her friend hold her place.
She came back up, four times, each one, her donkey's cart was heavily laden with things. By evening, she began to set up her project nearby, some glanced over, curiously. When she had gone to the government's office before, she had also made sure to buy an extra piece of property under Long Wen's name. This one was a little way down the path, just below the crest, a small flat spot on the steep mountain, mostly cleared out. The line had already gotten much longer than it had when she'd joined, with no one leaving since they joined, it already stretched over 50 people long.
She finally, having cleared out all the rocks, and setting up a small stage nearby, came back to the line, washing off her hands before returning. Long Wen, glanced at her project as he left for the day. He had wondered why she'd bought him so much of the path, continuing all the way until this clearing. Only this clearing, just below the crest of the hill. At first, he'd found it annoying to climb down the hill a little to make sure no vendors snuck in, he'd thought it was because she considered how long the line would get, now he began to wonder what the real plan was.
She plopped down. "Thanks for holding my place, as agreed, dinner's on me, any suggestions?"
After evening, if anyone wanted to stay, they'd have to pay for the night pass, a red slip, 600 copper, or already own a day pass. Some snuck in anyway, but were kicked out by other vendors.
He asked for crab. She only found crawfish, so that was what was decided on.
"What's your plan now?" He asked, curiously.
She winked. "I don't know if it'll work out, but if it does, I'll definitely not have to be bored."
"Ah…" he finally understood why she found him insane. He found her very strange too.
She waved her chopsticks at him. "Don't worry, this time, if it works out, you'll definitely have to call me genius."
He grinned. "I'm looking forward to it." She still slept on the same mat he lent her the first night, no blanket. He'd noticed she was miserly, rarely buying anything, but also ready to bet everything that she had on future profits. It was a very unique character. It was hard for him to believe she was truly penniless. He bought her some wine to share. She smiled in appreciation; they quickly fell asleep.
The next morning, she greeted Long wen, buying him his tea, she sat down nearby, as he worked, cutting out strips of paper for him. He didn't mind the help.
'Say, I have another business proposition."
"Oh?" Last time, it had only profited him, this time, he felt it had potential to not be any different. "And what would it be?"
Long Wen had an interesting history which got him to where he stood today. He was from the Long family from the east, a family of vigorous warriors, always out for blood. But he wasn't born with the desire to follow in his family's footsteps, he preferred reading and writing and transcribing to fighting, and even with his immense martial ability, when he finally came of age, he had distanced himself from his family to learn scholarly talents.
He attempted to attend schools, but was already so old that most refused him. He finally became the disciple of a very unrenowned scholar, and learnt a couple things, but by the time he finally knew the words of the ancients and could quote poets, he found it hard to actually get work as a scholar. He had no connections, and couldn't take any provincial exams without recommendations and when he attempted to work for agencies with any decent pay, they all rejected him, not recognizing his master's name, having no work history, and with the name of the Longs following behind him, their reputation of blatant disregard for any formality or politeness, it did him no honors.
Finally, after years of searching, he was offered a job at a cleric office, in the small town of Qing'an. And it was there that he was finally recognized by the great Jingsheng, who at the time needed someone to organize the people who came to fight him everyday.
Thus, he was hired, but his wage was still low, especially compared to a government official or other scholars. He still couldn't go home, with his head raised, proving that he could make his way in the world with scholarly pursuits as well, not just martial arts, even if he had incredible talent in martial arts.
Thus, came the day, when a young woman, not over 18, came to him with a proposition. It was a proposition that had few negatives, several benefits, and a little risk. Should he take it? Was it even a question? He could make hundreds more taels than he currently was! Did he have a choice? In fact, perhaps, all his life he was waiting for a moment like this to present itself. And besides…it wasn't like he was breaking the rules was it? Wasn't he just adding a couple?
After she offered her proposal, he submitted the document to his boss, Jingsheng, to add just a small system in place, remove the basket for an alternate method, numbering the plaques, and allowing the people to exchange their plaques. Obviously, separately none of these changes seemed to do anything except allow easier organization. Li Junlong didn't even leave his place, or think too deeply on it, and just signed off on the documents after an incredibly brief scan. Long Wen had made sure to be extra wordy, if only to throw him off even more, it worked. And with that, he expanded his current extra 'business' venture that he'd developed.
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"Say, brother, Has it gotten noisier?" A young man, with and incredibly sickly disposition, so that all his bones pointed out from his pale, bluish, blotched skin, and his eyes so sunken one could hardly see them. Most of his hair having fallen out, so that it was thinned or balded in several places, that which was left, reaching past his waist, sat under the shade, in front of a large board of weiqi. He picked up a white tile, tapping it to his pale lips, he was so pale, it was almost whiter than the tile itself.
The one across from him, was a tall, imposing man, with a strong frame, an easily perfect triangular build, with muscles that rippled with every movement, without him even engaging them. His hair was silver, unlike his brother's sickly white hairs, it glowed under the sun, and his grey eyes were fierce, like a tiger's, his eyebrows so sharp and thick they were like two blades, poised at one another in a defiant face off, and forcing one to feel a little uncomfortable and perhaps frightened if he would looked at them too long.
He had a high brow and he clothed himself in grey and white robes, with a black sash, his long sword in a brilliant silver casing at his waist. He set down a black tile. "I have also noticed an increase in noise outside." He, with his increased senses after reaching such a high level of martial arts, could obviously hear almost clearly the conversations that happened directly outside the gate. However, as of this last week, few stood near the gate anymore, other than a messenger, who announced loudly when it was opened by Sun'er. Obviously, this was no issue, since his opponents always still showed up on time.
However, the noise beyond the gate really was quite loud. Sure, he couldn't quite understand the words, but he could hear music, shouting, grunting and screams, and it was making it increasingly difficult to sleep at night. "It seems Long Wen is struggling to do his job properly."
His little brother glanced at him aggrieved. "No need to take it out on Long Wen, I'm sure he's innocent, perhaps there is a festival going on right now! And people took it up the mountain to celebrate too!"
"Perhaps…" His older brother responded. Li Junlong's gaze landed on his little brother, unfathomable deepness in his eyes. He was an innocent boy, having been sickly since young, he'd never had the chance to leave the house much, so he had hardly memorized festival days. And today, it was definitely not a week for festivals. He sighed. "I'll check it out on the morrow, to see what is going on, if it still persists."
"Alright," his little brother smiled, even with his face, uglied by years of sickness, it still brought joy to another when their eyes alighted upon it, all the sunshine in the world, getting absorbed and spewed out from it. Jingsheng always felt a little disconnected from his innocent little brother, staring down at his own, calloused hands, almost seeing the blood he had spilt, dripping down from them. It was hard to forget sometimes…no, every night his mind forced him to remember. He could never go back to the innocent man he was, but…glancing over at his brother, his will hardened. He would take care of his last family member no matter what happened, no matter who came, he would live under his wing forever, he would protect him till the end of his days…no one would get in the way of that, not an enemy, not a beast, not nature itself! and not even…love.