TianXing halted in her tracks and placed her suitcase and medicinal bag onto the stone pavement. Looking over her shoulder, facing outward to a large concourse of greenery and gazebos, a central three-story building stood bold in the open. It had a very similar appearance and layout to the Merchant Guild office with the only distinguishing feature being the main statue was a block of rectangular marble, carved into the shape of a sheet of paper.
“The Relay Guild…”
After having been sternly rejected with the plea for letting her stay another day at the pub without an additional upfront payment, TianXing gave in and promptly made her leave. Currently, it was nearly lunchtime, and she made quite the long journey here on foot to save costs.
In battered breath, TianXing could hear her stomach grumble. After a breakfast of rice porridge, she was down to a single silver tael.
Wiping her sweat with a handkerchief, she tensed her hands before lifting her luggage, making her way up the stairs. Although the Relay Guild was mostly meant for the middle class and higher, especially merchants, they still represented the mouth of ShanWei, meaning there was an alternative cheaper route for sending letters; as such, one sent would only charge several bronze coins despite their questionably longer travel time and non-guaranteed arrival upon their destination, especially when there were as many countryside villages as there are fish in the sea with a weak address documentation in some parts. Fortunately, the Bai River’s collection of villages have firm established routes to and from here.
‘I wonder how much longer it would take?’
Opening the second of four tall wooden double doors, she felt a similar sensation to when she visited the Merchant Guild office. Everything here was larger in scale and more bustling than ever.
Walking up to a line of tables, bundles of brushes, and of inks and paper lay about freely in a mess. Since higher classes and merchants usually have their own writing equipment, the guild did not see the need to add costs to accommodate quality for those that lift cargo or wield brooms for the entire day.
‘And those unrefined bastards had to make it worse…’ she grumbled.
But understandably so, TianXing knew this was all free material regardless and stopped fuming.
After painstakingly rummaging around for a clean sheet and a brush that did not have most of its hair pulled out or permanently bent out of proper, she then poured some water from her container into a dried up ink bottle before smudging it down with her thumb for a darker shade of black. Being the only one there, no one interrupted the awkward process and in an hour, TianXing held a folded up letter in hand.
---
As she headed straight to a counter, a youthful officer working behind the desk looked up to see a woman with disheveled hair, wrinkled clothes and a dried up black inked left hand. It was not the worst he had seen of the thousands of commoners that came for his services but for a woman to be this rugged and messy, it was surely unique. Additionally, he cannot help but realize that, even with all that, he was still locked in by her natural beauty.
“I have come to make a submission,” TianXing bluntly informed, placing the letter on the counter.
“A-ah, yes, yes, Lady…”
The officer broke out of his trance.
Clearing his throat, he further questioned, “May I know the recipient’s address?”
“It’s on there.”
And on the top right-hand corner, in brilliant writing, it detailed the province, village and house. Keeping the surprise within, the officer asked for the payment.
“The fee’s 17 coins.”
Obligingly, TianXing gave him the last silver tael.
And with a swift count of bronze coins in a drawer, he gave back 33 as change.
Afterwards, he left his seat to proceed with the transfer, to which TianXing laid her elbow on the ledge, recounting the coins as she made thoughts of how to efficiently use them; and in minutes, the youthful officer returned to his counter.
Signing her with an approval, he spoke, “It’s all done, Lad-”
WHAM!
A sudden crash onto a wooden desk sounded, several counters away from where they stood.
It was soon followed by a loud exclamation.
“WHAT Y’D MEAN YOU CAN’T ACCEPT THIS LETTER?!” screamed a middle-aged man in a brown tattered tunic and baggy pants.
Behind that counter, another officer was at his wit’s end.
“Listen old man, such incomprehensible text will just be a waste in transport, and the rules of the Relay Guild enforce this heavily. There is no leeway no matter how many times you visit me. This must be the last!”
“Then why don’t you do it for me?! Such a lazy, disrespectful brat!”
“Haaaah…Again, that is not my problem and this is not my job!”
“EXCUSES! EXCUSES! EXCUSES!”
The argument began to grow louder and louder, gathering excited observations, amused gazes and pitied glances from the main hall.
One such spectator of the latter was TianXing.
“What is the dispute between those two?” she questioned the man beside her.
Peeking out of the counter with relaxed eyes, he gladly answered.
“That old man Ah Zhu, he received a letter stating that his father unfortunately passed away and miraculously, a letter from there could reach here into his arms. It is such a rarity since mail travels mostly in a unidirectional lane. Folks on the other side don’t know such concepts we are frequent with.
Anyhow, he was devastated upon hearing the news and immediately decided to head back to his home village, but to his dismay, like many others before him, the costs were ridiculously expensive.”
‘Expensive?’
“Do you know why it is that costly, Sir?”
“Hmm, no clue.”
“What of tax?”
“Well, there was an increase for merchants several weeks back, if I recall properly.”
‘Could the government have increased return route tickets to an astronomical degree to discourage travel back to the countryside? So is this all an elaborate boar trap with spiked doors?’
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
But she kept that thought aside for later.
“So the old man became desperate to find a way to contact his previously ailing mother, leading him back to us a week ago.”
“I see…”
“...Old man Ah Zhu has only known ropes for as long as we know of him. Illiterate, poor and miserable. You really cannot place all the fault on him, can you?”
“Can’t he beg for someone to write for him?”
“...You might see me reading your letter, Lady but that is all I can do…honestly. That goes the same for all the other officers on the lower floor. And, no one who serves the higher classes would ever give their services to a laborer like him. They have an image and pride to keep after all.”
“Even other factors besides money huh…? That is saddening.”
Her face darkened…
“Knowing this, Lady, I advise that you please keep your attention away from their plight. The Heavens will never fault you for your ignorance.”
Before a sudden smirk emerged on her face.
And she took a step forward.
The youthful officer looked on with bewilderment for what her further actions would be of.
.
.
.
Their brutish quarrel did not see any sign of stopping.
Currently, they hurled insults, poorly timed phrases of common wisdom and the struggles of dealing with the other’s respective age groups.
At this point, the scene became humorous yet annoying.
“...”
Bracing herself, TianXing called out to the old man, bringing out a vanilla, high-pitched voice, expected of a daughter to their father.
“Uncle! Uncle Ah Zhu! What’s the matter here? Are you alright?” she frantically inquired with worried eyes.
In response to her interruption, the opposing duo turned their sights towards her.
“W-what?! I don’t know who you are but shoo off! Can’t you see I am preoccupied with this immature brat?!”
“Shut it, geezer! Lady, if you are acquainted with this bastard over here, please make sure he never comes back uncivilized. I beg of you! Please have mercy!”
The unfortunate officer held his palms together, on the verge of tears.
‘What a change in tone’ TianXing thought to herself.
Grasping the old laborer’s coarse hands together, she continued her act.
“How could you forget me so easily, Uncle Ah Zhu? You’re so cruel…”
Tears started to run down her cute face.
“E-Ehhh…?”
Stunned by this outlandish claim that such a fine young woman knew of him, Ah Zhu fell into silence. Even more so as she clung close to snuggling in his left arm. Looking up at him, TianXing suggested, “Uncle, why don’t we talk outside? You can come back once you cool yourself.”
Her expression was one of a warm bouquet of flowers.
“...,” the old man looked back at the exhausted officer before sighing heavily, “...alright.”
With his approval, TianXing lightened up, and patiently escorted him out of the building to a nearby gazebo in the main concourse. The officer was left lying on his chair in relief.
.
.
.
TianXing started the conversation.
“Uncle, how many times do I have to tell you? Please contact me if you have any problems.”
She puffed her cheeks in a frown.
“S-sorry, Lady. It may have been long but…how did we meet exactly?”
“We crossed paths at several pubs. We’re drinking buddies.”
“That’s…a wild story. Did that really happen?”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” she said sternly, before placing a hand on his shoulder, “Coming out empty handed for days must have been hard, isn’t it?”
And, even without the influence of alcohol, the grump brute broke down in a watery mess.
‘All that grief fueled his anger. And he took it all on that poor officer who was at the mercy of his employers…I can do this!’
“Uncle Ah Zhu, do you know how to write to her?”
“No, never touched a brush in my life.”
“And this letter…will you get it across no matter what?”
“YES! Yes…if I had the money to even hire someone…Then-”
“What about me?”
The old man looked up to the young maiden.
She smiled and placed a hand on her raised chest.
“LET ME DO IT FOR YOU!!!”
“Wha…” Ah Zhu was at a loss for words. He felt a spark of hope. “B-but the price-”
“Don’t worry about it, Uncle! How much did they ask you for?”
“...They ignored me as soon as I was in their sights. But, I heard it was 40 silver per page.”
“How outrageous?!”
‘Well, this would be miniscule in the past. Elder brother earned silvers like bronze.’
TianXing extended her hand towards Ah Zhu; her index finger was only shown.
“What does this mean?”
“1 silver tael.”
“W-really?!”
She smirked proudly.
“1 silver, “ she repeated, “That’s my price.”
“Ahh…” The man felt ecstatic.
“There is no further bargain, Uncle. Are you up with this?”
The old man eagerly nodded his hand, immediately pulling out a tael and placing it firmly on the center table.
---
After the upfront payment, TianXing quickly sprung into action. Rushing back to the Relay Guild office, they reached the desk of free ink, brushes and paper. And as the old man narrated what he wanted to say in his piece, TianXing followed with elegant handwriting, consisting of concise twirls and broad strokes. Her vertical columns were pristine straight as she maintained a steady hand, to which this demonstration was all for the public to see. Finishing with the last word, Ah Zhu’s name, TianXing folded the letter and handed it to the officer that served Ah Zhu for the past several days.
The officer looked questionably beyond her to see an obedient Ah Zhu. His eyes fixated on this savior of his. An admiration.
Facing back to TianXing, she asked him, “Would this suffice?”.
Checking the contents, his eyes were greeted with such eye candy.
“Mr Ah Zhu, what about the fee for this letter?”
It was a success.
.
.
.
With her first customer satisfied and the preparation process went about smoothly, apart from some glances at TianXing, she exited the building, accompanied by Ah Zhu with no new issues ensuing.
‘Will that attract more customers to me? The more publicity, the better. If I keep the price at 1 silver, given the population of the working class that probably has similar struggles with Uncle Ah Zhu and that I am the only one who provides these services, it truly is a great potential market to reap the benefits from. Furthermore, with the extra money I ask from the Commander by that letter, in a few weeks, I would have enough starting capital to set up a cart with inks, brushes and paper of various sizes. Through word of mouth, I would get…’
And as she thought through the rest of her plan, the old man called out to her.
“Thank you.”
“...Uncle?”
“I thank you very much for your help, Lady. If you would allow me, may I ask for your name? We didn’t have a proper introduction, did we?”
“My name is Xu TianXing, Uncle. Again, I hope to make good business with you in the future. Feel free to let me know when you need another letter written. I will be waiting in that same gazebo right there.”
“Oh, surely, Lady. I-I will take my leave now. Thank you again so much-”
“One more thing, Uncle.”
“...Yes?”
“I am sure that there are many others that have similar problems like you, correct?”
“Certainly!”
“If they want to, I am happy to be of service to them as well. 1 silver is all I need per person. Let them know for me, Uncle.”
“Surely, Lady. Certainly!”
“Then that’s settled!’
She clapped her hands together.
They then exchange final goodbyes before separating.
‘This may be my ticket to prosperity.’
.