Chapter 14: Caixiu House
"Miss Yan, listen to me, just now Great Doctor Zhang has already pointed me in the direction of a Great Doctor who can return the dead to the life. I only need to beg for her help, meimei will definitely be alright." At this time Qing Dai's tears were like a torrent of rain, the powder on her face mixed with her tears and turned into stripes of powdered rivulets. Both of her hands tightly grabbed at the middle-aged woman's sleeve, "Miss Yan, just give me the chance to look for the Great Doctor, I will promise, promise to follow Zhang Dalang and leave."
Sure enough, Miss Yan paused her steps, glanced at Qing Dai and immediately said: "No matter if Zi Xu lives or dies, after you've found the Great Doctor, you have to follow my arrangements."
"I promise, I promise." Qing Dai, as if afraid that Miss Yan would change her mind, quickly nodded repeatedly.
Ran Yan suddenly remembered, that Great Doctor Zhang was the doctor she met two days ago at Zhou village. From the meaning of Qing Dai's words, the "Great Doctor" that Great Doctor Zhang mentioned, she was afraid that it referred to herself.
No matter how open-minded the Tang Dynasty was, a legal daughter from an influential family having contact with a prostitute would damage her reputation. But Ran Yan couldn't care too much right now, she needed to live on, without allowing others to control her.
Keeping this goal in mind, Ran Yan instructed Wan Lu to hide, gritted her teeth and walked out from the dark alley.
Those people seemed like that did not expect anyone to be eavesdropping, their expressions turned cold. Miss Yan gave those burly men a look, so that they did not act rashly. After all, this was not a chaotic time; they could not casually harm or kill anyone.
Ran Yan knew it was so, thus she dared to barge in.
"I can save her." Ran Yan turned towards Qing Dai and Miss Yan, her gaze resting for a moment at Miss Yan's face, "Not only can I save her, I can also save you."
Everyone was startled to a stop. A woman suddenly barging in from a dark alley actually opened her mouth to say something like that.
"For some time, have you noticed a sudden strange growth below[1], pain during urination, sometimes accompanied by blood?"
Miss Yan's heavily powdered face faintly changed colour, her eyes filled with amazement, because the symptoms that Ran Yan just described indeed happened to her. She had seen the brothel's exclusive doctor, taken medications, but there was never any improvement.
"Do you know Great Doctor Zhang?" Qing Dai vaguely guessed in her heart Ran Yan's identity, but also felt it could not be so coincidental.
"We had the fate to meet once." Ran Yan saying so confirmed Qing Dai's thoughts.
Qing Dai stared blankly for a second, then with a bang[2] immediately kneeled on the ground in front of Ran Yan, her tears that had just stopped flowing, flowed freely again, "May the Heavens have mercy! My meimei's life should not end! I'm begging Great Doctor to save her, no matter the price I have to pay, Qing Dai will not begrudge!"
"If you are willing to let me give treatment, I naturally will not evade. The diagnosis fee is 20 taels, half to be paid up front, the rest paid after the illness is cured, the price is non-negotiable." Whi
le speaking, Ran Yan walked straight to the front of the litter, raised the thin quilt. A face covered in red rashes entered her vision, so dense that it was shocking. Some of the red rashes were already festering with pus. Even some of the men carried the litter were panicked, their hands couldn't help trembling slightly, the litter shook suddenly.
Ran Yan seemed not to notice and carefully observed the woman's condition.
Judging from the facial features, this woman was naturally good-looking with a curvy figure, a stunner that could make men know ** taste[3].
"What do you say?" Ran Yan covered her with the quilt, turned and asked the still kneeling Qing Dai.
"I'm willing, naturally I am willing!" Qing Dai was like a drowning person, grabbing a hold of something without caring if it was floating log or straw.
"She is seriously ill, can she really still be saved?" Miss Yan also really wanted to know how was Ran Yan's medical skill. Recently her body started having lots of rashes too, looking at Zi Xu's condition, she couldn't help but have fear at the bottom of her heart.
"Getting this disease, mild cases 'damages the essence, breaks your vitality, harms the soul'[4], tires the body and mind. Serious cases causes the brow hairs to fall, the nose bridge, the skin gain sores like scabies, resulting in a life-threatening illness." Ran Yan while looking at the rashes on Zi Xu's body, said: "Her body while has some ulceration, but looking at the situation, it isn't too late."
After the examination, Ran Yan stood up, her gaze falling on Miss Yan's arm, added, "Your condition is a lot better."
Ran Yan saying that Miss Yan's condition was better, was not only indicating that her illness was mild. Through the incident before, Ran Yan could tell that this Miss Yan was something like a pimp, even though she was not as old as Miss Xu, she had a group of young and beautiful prostitutes working under her, so she would not need to entertain customers. Acquiring this illness, even though there was no cure, as long as she took the right medications appropriately, in addition to taking care of herself and maintaining good hygiene, there should not be any threat to her life.
Ran Yan pondered for a moment, and said: "Wan Lu, come out."
From Miss Yan's behaviour, Ran Yan could tell that she was a careful and meticulous person, these type of people, if you don't let her grab hold of the opposite party's weakness, she would not rashly believe a stranger's empty promises, so Ran Yan was going to set her at ease.
Moreover, Ran Yan had seen many situations in books and televisions where brothels forced women into prostitution, letting Miss Yan know that her status was not ordinary, will also somewhat guarantee her safety.
Wan Lu with a jog rushed to Ran Yan's side, like a mother hen protecting her chicks shielded Ran Yan with her body, with red eyes said: "Miss is being willful."
Just now Ran Yan had threatened and coerced, commanded Wan Lu to stay behind. Wan Lu hiding behind the wall, watched her mistress being so aloof. When facing a group of prostitutes and 7-8 large burly men, she actually had no trace of panic, and even assuredly said she would be able to cure the prostitute's serious illness. Wan Lu while feeling astonished, was also deeply worried, after warring with herself for a long time, just as she recalled Miss Xing's teachings and was preparing to rush out, Ran Yan called her out.
"If you want to know my identity, you just need to ask around Zhou village."
Seeing Ran Yan's "sincerity", Miss Yan suddenly smiled, she was also afraid of death, but was even more afraid that before dying she would become like Zi Xu, "If that is the case, will Great Doctor please move inside and treat me."
"I can do it, but I have to state clearly first, this disease cannot be fully eradicated, if you have intercourse with men again, not only it will recur easily, it will also spread to the men. Furthermore, this illness will be passed down to your children, so you cannot give birth." Ran Yan said seriously.
Miss Yan laughed mockingly, "We are all lowly prostitutes, any child we give birth to are lowly slaves, why would we want to have a child just for them to suffer? The two things you've mentioned, I know already. Please come this way."
Ran Yan nodded and followed them.
After turning two corners, she saw the entrance to a courtyard, in front of the door hung two red lanterns,on them painted with a brush were the words: Caixiu[5] House
Ran Yan had never researched brothels in ancient times, but she felt that since it was a brothel, then it should be built where there were many people, how can it be so quiet?
"This is the back door." Miss Yan, as if knowing Ran Yan's doubts, explained.
Ran Yan lightly made a noise of acknowledgement and followed her into the courtyard.
Once the back door opened, she could hear faintly the sound of music and merriment, the sounds were not very clear, she could tell that the scale of Caixiu house was not small.
Within the courtyard there were flowers and treescomplimenting[6] the doors and windows[7], winding corridors, scattered pavilions, occasionally through the flowery engraved walls[8] you could admire the beautiful view of the inner courtyard. From time to time the barely discernable noises of excitement coming from afar could be heard, further highlighting the peacefulness of the back courtyard, giving the feeling of "cicada songs in the woods transcends quiet[9]".
It was also Wan Lu's first time in a place like this hence she was both curious and nervous, her hand holding Ran Yan slightly sweating.
Walking past a corridor hidden by green vines, they came into view of a main hall. In front of the hall, the two full chested servant girls in flowing flowery ruqun saw that Miss Yan had arrived, bowed slightly and parted the bamboo curtain blocking the main entrance.
"Mama!"
Ran Yan's foot stepped forward halfway before she saw a messily dressed woman running towards them in a panic, her breasts half exposed and bouncing up and down with her movements.
The woman looked at Miss Yan, in an instant her tears flowed out, "Mama, someone has died!"
[1] 下阴 （xià yīn): euphemism for vagina
[2] 噗通 （pū tōng): the sound of knees hitting the ground abruptly
[3] 识得**滋味 （shi de zī wèi): no idea what the author meant. (also am not sure if the ** are deliberate or a mistake)
[4]损元精，破元气，伤元神 （sǔn yuán jīng, pò yuán qì, shāng yuán shén): there are many words here that essentially refers to the spirit in subtly different ways.
[5]彩绣馆 （cǎi xiù guǎn): literally colour embroidery house/establishment
[6] 掩映 （lǎn yìng): covering each other and setting each other off
[7] 户牖 （hù yǒu): can also just refer to the house.
[8] 镂花的墙壁 （lòu huā de qiáng bì): louhua refers to carvings of flowers. In this case I think it means the walls have gaps through the carvings that you can look through.
[9]蝉噪林逾静 (chán zào lín yú jìng): probably means that the chirping of the cicadas in the woods make it seem even more quiet than actual silence