Agent secret Wind Boy

Chapitre 10

"Don't worry, Mother! I already told Sister Qiuju that if I need a maid again this time, she'll definitely speak up for me in front of Steward Li and help me get one selected for the household. She even accepted two silk handkerchiefs from me!" The little girl in red was quite good-natured, replying with a beaming smile.

"Yes, Aunt Zhang, everyone knows that Dongmei is quick-witted, sweet-talking, clever, and pretty. Don't worry, she'll definitely be chosen this time," chimed in the woman selling hairpins.

“We can’t be careless! Didn’t we fail to get selected last time? That Liu guy got the advantage! We can’t fail again this time, or where will I put my old face?” Aunt Zhang shouted loudly, hands on her hips.

"Looking for a maid?" A thought suddenly struck me. Why hadn't I thought of that? If I had no money, I should find a place that would provide food and lodging first. Having made up my mind, I followed the little girl named Dongmei from a distance.

She slowly made her way towards the outskirts of the city, taking many detours. When I saw that there were fewer people around, I quickly caught up with her. "Wait, little girl, is your name Dongmei?"

"Yes, who are you? I've never seen you before." She stopped with a friendly smile.

"My surname is Ye, you can call me Sister Ye." I smiled. "Are you going to Lu Family Village?"

"Yes, how did you know?" She tilted her head, looking puzzled.

"How many girls are they hiring in the village today?" I asked her casually, trying to get the information I needed.

"We're hiring six people. They say Miss Lu is getting married this year, and last year Miss Cousin took four children with her when she got married, so we don't have enough manpower and can't keep up. Oh, and I heard we also need to find an accountant!" Dongmei explained the situation to me with a pure and enthusiastic expression.

I nodded. "Where is Lu Family Village? It's been so long and we still haven't arrived."

"You don't know where Lu Family Village is?" Dongmei immediately looked surprised—her expression was as if not knowing Lu Family Village was no different from being an idiot.

"I just came from out of town," I said with a smile.

"So you're from out of town? No wonder! It would be a miracle if anyone in the entire Jiangling Prefecture didn't know about the Lu Family Village!" Dongmei exclaimed with a look of sudden realization.

"Jiangling Prefecture? Is that the Jiangling that is described in the poem, 'Departing from Baidi City amidst colorful clouds at dawn, returning to Jiangling a thousand miles away in a single day'?"

"It must be, right? Sister, have you ever been to school?" Dongmei's eyes revealed obvious envy.

"Hmm," I replied casually.

Jiangling, have I really come this far? What fate awaits me...?

This book was first published on Xiaoxiang Novel Original Website. Please retain this information when reprinting!

[Volume 1: Encounter Chapter 10: Mountains and Rivers]

“You’re looking for someone in Lujiazhuang, right? I know the people there very well, so why don’t I help you find them?” Dongmei was still very enthusiastic.

"Ah, it looks like we've arrived!" I quickly pointed ahead to divert her attention—two large gates with vermilion lacquer and copper rings stood before us, and a straight blue brick path led inwards, revealing lush flowers and trees, red walls and green tiles, carved beams and painted rafters, pavilions and towers nestled among the trees. Two stone lions sat at the entrance, exuding a solemn and imposing air.

"Yes, we're here." Dongmei skipped forward and greeted the two guards at the gate with a smile, "Brother Qiang, Brother Niu, are you two on duty today?"

"Dongmei, why are you so late? Qiuju has come to see you twice already. There are dozens of people here today waiting to choose a maid. If you hadn't come soon, she really wouldn't have cared about you anymore!" Aniu replied with a smile.

"I went to buy rouge. Sister Taozi asked me to get some for her last time. I saw that Aunt Fu had some new stock today, so I went to pick some out for her. I forgot the time." Dongmei stuck out her tongue sheepishly.

As they were talking, a middle-aged man dressed in a blue long gown came from afar into the courtyard.

"Uncle Li, oh no, I should call him Butler Li here," Dongmei greeted him happily.

"Well, I'm fine here. You should go to Tingyu Pavilion and let the young lady take a look. If she's not satisfied with you, then there's nothing I can do." Steward Li smiled and patted Dongmei's head—it was clear he cared for her quite a bit.

"Who is this?" He looked at me with suspicion, but asked Dongmei instead.

"This is Sister Ye, she's here to visit relatives. Oh, by the way, you haven't said who you're looking for yet. Why don't you ask Butler Li? I'm off!" Dongmei waved to me happily and ran quickly into the courtyard.

"Who are you looking for?" Butler Li looked me up and down suspiciously.

"Uh, actually I'm not here to look for anyone," I explained awkwardly. "I'm here to look for a job."

"Looking for a job?" Manager Li's expression suddenly became very strange.

"Yes, isn't the manor looking for maids?" I forced myself to promote myself. "I really need this job. I know a few words and can definitely help. I can endure any hardship. I won't work for free."

His face immediately showed a knowing look, and then he looked at me with pity. "Madam, I don't think this place is suitable for you. You should go and look somewhere else."

"Why not? You haven't even tried, how do you know I can't do it?" I could only shamelessly continue to pester him. "Besides, I'm not some lady, I'm not married yet!"

Manager Li seemed even more surprised, but being a worldly man, he quickly suppressed his astonishment and looked at me with a troubled expression. "Young lady," he said, "you must have ended up here because of some misfortune in your family, right? Look, you can't lift a finger. I'm hiring maids here, not young ladies. What good is it if you can read? Besides, we only want girls who are 15 or 16 years old." He looked me up and down again and shook his head. "You... uh, you should look somewhere else."

"There's chaos and war everywhere right now, where do you expect me to go? I'm all alone, adrift and helpless, so please have mercy on me." I gritted my teeth and pretended to be pitiful—now I had no choice but to cling on.

"You should leave." He turned away from me and instructed Ah Qiang, "Ah Qiang, why hasn't the accountant arrived yet? He's probably taken the wrong road. He was recommended by the future son-in-law of our Lu Family Village. Go check at the ferry, just in case something goes wrong." After saying that, he actually stepped through the gate and left.

Seriously? I watched his retreating figure helplessly, completely powerless to do anything about it. All I could do was stomp my feet in frustration.

“Girl, you should go.” Ah Qiang looked at me with pity, paused, and then kindly said, “Actually, you could exchange your clothes for some money, uh, if you need money urgently.” It was clear that he was an honest and kind man, and he blushed with embarrassment as he said these words.

I sighed, knowing there was no hope, and could only helplessly follow A-Qiang back to the market. Damn it! Why did I have to be transported to this desolate late Northern Song Dynasty, a time of national ruin and widespread suffering? Looking back at history, since the first year of the Xuanhe era (1119 AD), the southeastern Song Dynasty was plagued by floods, the Huai River region by drought, followed by uprisings led by Song Jiang and Fang La, then locust plagues, and on the borders, the Western Xia to the west and the Jin and Liao dynasties to the north constantly invading. It was a state of internal and external turmoil, a centipede that had died but hadn't quite died. I glanced bitterly at the pale-faced refugees wandering the streets—yes, even young, strong men couldn't survive, and I, a girl, wanted to find a way to make a living in such a chaotic world. Sigh! There's only one word: difficult!

I was depressed and filled with worries. I wandered aimlessly through the streets, and for the first time, I felt resentment towards my gender—if I were a man, I could at least find a job with my limited knowledge. Ugh! What a wicked feudal society! Wait! Suddenly, a thought struck me—that's right, as long as I'm a man, it'll do! Why don't I just dress up as a man? Isn't that what they always show on TV? How could I not have thought of that? How stupid of me!

I acted on my idea immediately. The only thing I was missing was a new outfit—no problem, didn't Ah Qiang say my clothes were still worth something? Why don't I find a clothing store and exchange them for a new one? Yes, that's what I'll do!

I clearly remember seeing one just now, but where did it go? After wandering around the streets for ages, I finally found the clothing store called "Yun Zhi Shang". I went inside as if I had found a treasure.

An old man inside looked up and asked, "Madam, what would you like?"

"Grandpa, I want to, I want to, uh, uh..." I'd never done anything like this before, and my face immediately turned bright red. But remembering my grand plan to dress as a man, I forced myself to continue, "I want to swap clothes with you. I wonder if that's alright?"

"Madam, you must be joking?" The old man walked up to me, lowered his head and looked me up and down carefully for a while, then showed a very strange expression.

"Uh, I know my request is a bit unreasonable. I have worn this outfit before, and it's a little dirty." I blushed and stammered as I pleaded with him. "But I've only worn this outfit once, and it's practically brand new. Really, if it weren't for this... sigh, I don't want to do this either. Please help me out, okay?"

I took another step closer to him, looking pitiful, but before I could even speak, the old man suddenly squatted down and grabbed my foot!