Title: Meow Meow Meow
Author: 橘花散里
Chapter: 146.2 – Xiao Cha is Odd
After dinner was over, I took the initiative to wash the dishes. With agile hands, I didn’t break a single bowl.
Then Yin Zi went to the pigpen to check on the girl. After she was fed a lot of bitter medicine, she finally woke up. She profusely thanked us. Then, a nearby pig came by to nudge her a few times. The pig scared her so much that she screamed.
Yin Zi impatiently scolded, “Why are you screaming? Have you never seen a pig before?”
“First… first time seeing a living one …” The girl was somewhat embarrassed, but she still moved a few steps away to avoid the pig.
I stared at that pig. It obediently ran away.
The girl let out a relieved sigh, and then introduced herself, “My… my name is Xiao Cha. I’m from a foreign country, so I don’t understand Chinese cultural too well. Often, I’ll cause trouble due to confusion. Please don’t mind.
(T/N: The way that Xiao Cha uses the word wulong to say that she’ll do something due to confusion or muddleheaded is a modern day usage. A person from Ancient China would have used different words.)
“Nonsense,” Yin Zi bluntly exposed her lie. “This is central China. With your ability and careless nature, if you were really from a foreign country, you would have died on the way here. Also, to go through the city’s walls, you would have an official stamped pass. (Ancient China’s equivalent of a passport.) Do you have it?”
Eh… Yin Zi had searched through her bag.
Xiao Cha seemed to be intimidated.
She supplemented her previous explanation, “I… I’m really not from this country. I don’t know how to explain. But… I’m not a bad person.”
Yin Zi rolled his eyes, “Look at us. Do you think we’re bad people?”
“Of course not. You saved me. You’re definitely good people,” Xiao Cha looked at Yin Zi with a joyful expression.
“Your vision is definitely questionable,” Yin Zi stood up. He patted himself to remove the straw on his body. “Anyways, no matter who you are. Since you recovered from your illness, quickly leave. We don’t have to space to keep you or the spare time to take care of you.”
Xiao Cha wasn’t the slightest bit angry.
On the contrary, with adoring eyes, she said, “Elder sister, when you speak, you sound so cool (cruel).”
(T/N: Cool would be the common modern day usage of ku that Xiao Cha is intending. Cruel is older, less common usage of ku that Yin Zi thinks she means. )
Yin Zi was so exasperated that he almost toppled over…
I stealthily pulled Yin Zi outside and then whispered, “This girl is strange.”
“Let’s just send her off. It doesn’t matter to us if she dies on the road.” Yin Zi thought about it before deciding.
Yin Zi turned around and said, “I’ll give you some money. Go somewhere else.”
Xiao Cha quickly came over to cling to Yin Zi’s thigh and said to him, “Elder sister, don’t throw me out in the middle of the night. Since you were kind enough to bring me here, then you should also let me stay here for a while.”
“There’s no use in keeping you! It would be wasting rice.” Yin Zi scolded and flung her hands off.
“I’m useful. I’m extremely useful.” Xiao Cha promptly stood up and earnestly said, “I know many methods to get rich.”
“Oh?” At the mention of money, Yin Zi’s eyes brightened a bit. “Tell us your ideas.”
“I know how to make glass!”
A burst of laughter escaped from Yin Zi.
“I though you were going to say something useful. Glass has existed since the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. And, we have ceramic, which is cheaper. Glass is easily breakable and a troublesome toy. Why would we bother with it?”
(T/N: In Ancient China, glass was used for vases and beads, but most vases and other crafts were made of ceramic or metal. This is why Yin Zi was comparing the glass to porcelain. He doesn’t know that Xiao Cha means the stronger and clear glass that we have now. )
Xiao Cha revealed an incredulous expression.
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She thought for a moment, and then continued to say, “I know how to make eau de toilette using flowers.”
“Don’t tell me you make it by extracting the liquid from flowers and then adding whatever to it. This type of thing isn’t as easy to use as ordinary incense.” Yin Zi had a scornful expression.
“Eh…” Xiao Cha thought again. “I know how to refine steel?”
“Oh! That is rare! Tell me the specific methods.” Yin Zi raised his eyebrows and looked somewhat sinister.
Xiao Cha said, “First, you need to construct a blast furnace… ”
“What is a blast furnace? How do you build it?” Yin Zi continued to ask.
Xiao Cha was stunned.
“I… I don’t know, but I could research…”
“Then once you figured it out, come look for me.”
Xiao Cha hurriedly pulled on Yin Zi to reconsider and said, “How about… opening a fast food place? That would earn a lot of money.”
“How would we start?”
Xiao Cha carefully explained her business method idea.
After she finished, Yin Zi sarcastically smiled and said, “If you sell this type of cheap, fast food for three coins per portion, have you thought about the cost of the ingredients? Have you considered the cost of advertising, renting a store, and hiring workers?
How much would you have to sell to break even? Even if you don’t consider additional costs and assumed that each portion has a profit of one coin, to sell the amount that you’re thinking of, the store must be in a location where’s there’s a busy stream of people.
But in that type of place, there won’t be customers. If an average commoner has three coins, he’ll have a huge variety of food to choose, he might not come to your store to eat. The truly poor people would bring two steamed buns or large flat breads from home for their meals. Why would they go to your store to eat?”
“Then… we won’t open a fast food store. What about opening a skincare store for women?” Xiao Cha started to sweat. She seemed as if she was lacking in confidence.
Yin Zi shook his head, “Don’t be so naïve. You are a person without power and connections and an unknown background. Who would dare visit your store? All skin production products are tested by many people before they are passed down and used by everyone.
As for the things you want to sell, if they are simple items, people could make them at home. If they are complicated, then if a young girl’s skin has the slightest problem or nothing happens, they will destroy your store and chase you out of the city.”
Xiao Cha was very dejected from Yin Zi’s words, but continued to say, “What about opening a tea store and having beautiful girls demonstrate the art of tea as a show?”
“You might as well open a brothel instead. It would probably earn more money too.”
Xiao raised her head to look at Yin Zi and said, “Do you have to drive me away?”
“Yes!” Yin Zi never sympathized with strangers.
Xiao Cha started crying and numbly looked at Yin Zi.
I don’t know why. Her expression reminded of that long ago winter when that black-robed woman desperately cried icy tears.
Yin Zi probably thought of that winter too because he retreated two steps. His resolute attitude had softened.
He coldly said, “You can leave tomorrow morning.” Then, he left behind two silver coins and pulled me to leave with him.
Behind us, Xiao Cha held her knees while crying and whimpering. She seemed very sad and deeply hurt.
Yin Zi became twitchier. He let go of me and left the room by himself.
I looked at Yin Zi’s back and then looked at the pigpen. I finally decided I wouldn’t do anything because waiting for Xiang Qing was the most important thing.
The moon had reached the middle of the sky. Why hadn’t he returned? Could there have been a problem with ending the marriage arrangement?
As I waited, I slowly fell asleep at the entrance.