6 The Night Without a Moon, A Time of Yearning (2/2)
”You're so ignorant!” Ning Que scolded, ”I will most certainly be an official after graduating from the Academy. You and I will need ten taels of silver each month, but I can earn at least 70 or 80 from the local government! Moreover, what's the matter with Chang'an? They have a variety of cosmetics which can be found in the Chenjinji Cosmetics Store.”
Clearly, the little handmaiden sank in a fiercely mental struggle as if she were stricken by the word ”cosmetics”. After a while, she lightly bit her lip and gave an answer in a pig's whisper. ”What about the years you will spend studying in the Academy? My needlework can't compete with the ones in Chang'an. How will we support ourselves?”
”That is indeed a concern, and what's more, hunting is prohibited around Chang'an, because the forests there can only be utilized by the emperor... How much money do we have now?”
The two of them exchanged meaningful looks with their eyes and went over to the two large elm-wood boxes in agreement. They opened up one of them, fumbled around and pulled out a tightly-packaged wooden case from deep within.
There were small pieces of silver in the wooden box, with only one big piece in the middle. Clearly, these were their day-to-day savings, and only a small amount.
Neither of them moved to count the pieces, and then in a soft voice, Sangsang said, ”As usual, I counted them every five days, and the latest one was done the night before last. The total is seventy-six taels and thirty-four cents.”
”It seems that we should be able to manage to make more money in Chang'an.” Ning Que replied earnestly.
”And, I will strive to improve my needlework a bit.” Sangsang also replied thoughtfully.
...
...
When night fell, Sangsang was kneeling to make Ning's bed. Her skinny knees moved quickly and nimbly. She then pushed her little palm against his pillow to make an arc in the middle, so Ning Que could enjoy a comfortable sleep. She held up her quilts and leaped off the bed, and then she walked towards the two elm-wood boxes in the corner to make her own.
Putting out the light, Ning Que put a bowl of water on the windowsill and got into bed by starlight. He put his hands on the edge of the quilt and made a big comfortable yawn. A familiar rustling from the corner of the room came to his ears several minutes after he closed his eyes.
This night appeared to be no different from any other night where they would fall soundly sleep under the starlight in this fortress city. However, they both suffered from sleeplessness this night. The excitement of arriving in a new world, seeing the prosperity of Chang'an, all of the honor and wealth at hand, or even the fascinating style of makeup, had greatly stirred the two of them. Their breathing was far from placid this time.
After laying there for a while, Ning Que opened his eyes and stared blankly at the faint silver glow before saying, ”I've heard... girls in Chang'an are not scared of the cold. They wear thin clothes with wide-open collars and have fair complexions. I'm not sure if it is true or not... I was too young to remember.”
He then turned over onto his other side, looking toward the dark corner and asked, ”Sangsang, how is your illness these days? Do you still feel cold?”
It seemed that the little handmaiden shook her head no in the darkness. Through the faint light, he caught sight of her and saw that she was grabbing her quilt while keeping her eyes tightly closed, though her mouth wore a hint of a rare smile. She muttered, ”Of course they are fair, nobody would be tan after putting on such good makeup!”
Ning Que grinned and then answered, ”Take it easy and you can buy anything you like from the Chenjinji Cosmetics Store after I, your young master, make a fortune.”
Suddenly Sangsang opened her long and thin eyes; he could see the bright starlight reflected in them. Seriously she asked, ”Ning Que, you promise?”
”I told you; call me young master in Chang'an. That's the way to show respect.”
Seven or eight years had passed since Ning Que had dug the icy-cold Sangsang out from under a pile of corpses beside the road and struggled to get to the City of Wei. Although Sangsang was registered as a maidservant in the census and did work as a maidservant, she never called Ning Que young master. This was just a habit. There was no other special reason.
And today, she was compelled to give up this habit.
”Ning Que... young master... remember that you've promised to buy me cosmetics from the Chenjinji Cosmetics Store.”
Ning Que nodded as his sight fell on the frost-white starlight that illuminated the ground beside his bed. Somehow this made his heart tighten a bit, and the feeling of emptiness from many years ago came back to attack him again. He looked back at the dark sky outside the window, glancing at the stars and was then immersed in nostalgia. He muttered, ”Still a night without a moon... ”
Lying on the elm-wood boxes in the corner, Sangsang was curled up in her cool quilt like a small mouse. She stretched out her hand to pull the quilt behind her waist to keep out the chilly air, which somewhat alleviated the uncomfortableness brought on by the gap between the two elm-wood boxes. Hearing his dream-like words, she figured. 'Ning Que... young master is beginning to utter this nonsense again.'