"It's gotten awfully lively, hasn't it?"
The one who spoke in that unhurried, mellow tone was the old man—Luomen. Today he had set aside his white physician's robe and was wearing men's clothing in darker hues. With his round contours and gentle features, he looked more like an old woman than anything. Leaning on his cane, he made his way slowly down the main street.
"Try not to trip."
Maomao walked beside the old man, keeping watch on their surroundings. An empty road would have been fine, but a busy street—during a festival, no less, with far more people than usual—was another matter entirely. An old man missing half a kneecap could be knocked over by the slightest bump.
"I'll be fine."
"Yes, yes. Just behave yourself."
Normally she would have been blunter, but she held back because others were present.
Yao,
and
Yan Yan,
along with a physician whose name she could never forget—one who was always getting on her case. One military officer was also in tow, serving as their escort.
"We should have just taken a carriage."
"With this many people about, a carriage would only get in the way."
The old man said this cheerfully, but Maomao still felt a twinge of guilt about making a man with a bad leg walk.
As for why this particular group was out and about, the answer was a medicinal supply run. Ordinarily, the ingredients for their stock medicines were delivered straight to the medical office, but when it came to rare remedies, they had to go see for themselves. Nowadays there were particularly many merchants from distant lands, so they had been making frequent buying trips.
The reason the old man went on these runs was that he was the best foreign-language speaker among the physicians. The reason Maomao and the others tagged along was for the education.
For Maomao, this was excellent news. Not only could she spend time with the old man, but she also got to lay eyes on rare medicines. She was practically buzzing with excitement.
"Don't go wandering off on your own."
The physician—no, the terrifying physician—was watching Maomao with a fixed stare. She had always felt like she was being observed, but ever since she had discovered that frog-based ointment the other day, things had only gotten stricter.
"Sorry about that."
The old man didn't deny it, either.
Maomao, at the very least, intended to keep on her best behavior while they were out in public.
Yao seemed to treat the old man with more respect than she had before. As for Yan Yan, Yao was still her usual doting self, but lately Maomao had noticed a marked improvement in her temperament.
(Yao really is a sheltered girl, isn't she?)
She was putting on a calm face, but her eyes kept drifting to the shops. She was unused to crowds and restless at the same time. Yan Yan watched this with an expression that, beneath its blankness, held some indescribable emotion. There was something about the way she gazed at Yao—like she'd spotted a baby squirrel and was watching it fondly from a distance.
(Is this really the right job for her?)
Still, Yan Yan was carrying out her duty as Yao's chaperone without complaint.
(Maybe she's even enjoying it a little?)
She couldn't help but think so. It was certainly better than doing it grudgingly.
While Yao's eyes sparkled at the candy crafts, they arrived at their destination. It was a restaurant catering to the upper class—one that could arrange private rooms for discreet meetings.
(A private room would be more convenient, I suppose.)
Medicine or not, foreign goods commanded steep prices. Try to conduct a deal out in the open streets and getting robbed on the way home was hardly unheard of. That was why they had a bodyguard along.
Being daytime, there were plenty of female customers as well. The daytime menu seemed to lean toward lighter dim sum—the freshly steamed buns looked delicious.
"This way, please."
Led by a server, they headed for the private room.
Inside sat a fair-haired foreigner, thick-bodied and shaggy, with an unkempt mustache grown only beneath his nose.
Maomao and the others moved to follow the old man and the medical officer into the room, but the foreigner raised a hand.
"..."
They were standing a little too far away to catch the words. The old man shook his head and looked back at Maomao and the others.
"Apparently, only three people are allowed inside."
"Huh...?"
If it came down to three, the ones getting cut would be Maomao and Yan Yan. The two medical officers were essential, and they'd want to keep the bodyguard on hand just in case.
"In fact, he says no women are allowed. We should've come at a different time for this."
So they'd be stuck waiting in the hallway. Maomao's shoulders slumped.
"You're used to doing the shopping, right? Could you make a separate run for us outside?"
The medical officer quietly slipped Maomao a slip of paper and some coins. The paper was densely covered with a list of sweets the medical officers liked, and the coins were a rather generous amount.
"If there's anything left over, buy whatever you want. Some candy crafts, or something."
"About an hour—"
"then come back, all right?"
"…Fine, then."
This physician might be perpetually irritable, but it seemed she never forgot to hand out the occasional sweet. She'd clearly been paying attention to Yao's interest in the street stalls.
"You know how to spend money properly, don't you?"
Perhaps Yao was vexed that Maomao had received a tip, because she came after her with a sharp remark.
(Was she even aware of what she'd just said?)
In other words, this young lady had just inadvertently announced that she didn't know how to spend money. She'd only recently learned, by the look of her—somewhat pleased with herself.
Behind Yao, En'en's eyes were gleaming. Her gaze was practically saying, "Our young lady, isn't she adorable?"
But if Maomao held onto the money, she'd catch complaints, and handing it straight to Yao felt uncertain, so she reluctantly gave the coins and the slip of paper to En'en.
Yao looked somewhat dissatisfied, but she apparently had no objections to entrusting En'en with the purse.
"Shall we start with the steamed buns first?"
With the money now in hand, En'en naturally took charge.
She peered at the slip, and when she read the name of the designated shop, Maomao's face twisted.
"Is something wrong?"
"That shop always sells out by noon."
Maomao pointed briskly in the direction of the shop with a quick jab of her finger.
"Miss Yao, that's the situation."
As expected of En'en—she read the room fast.
"Huh? What?"
Yao had no idea what was going on. Maomao grabbed her hand. En'en did too.
"If they've sold out, your evaluation goes down," Maomao said.
At that, Yao flinched.
"Let's hurry!"
The three of them sprinted at full speed toward the steamed-bun shop.
Strolling down the main street—what a naive thought that had been.
Maomao, Yao, and En'en stood in the shade of a willow tree, catching their breath.
"Being a court physician really pays well, huh."
Maomao gazed at the mountains of confectionery packages. There was a fair bit of sourness in her tone.
"There are quite a lot of fresh sweets — but can they even eat all of this?"
Several shops had been visited, and an enormous amount of sweets now lay in their hands. En'en had said the rest would go toward porterage, but there was still too much to carry.
"..."
Yao was not accustomed to running, and she seemed too exhausted to even speak. En'en, ever considerate, dashed off to a street stall and returned with fruit juice to hand her.
Every single confectionery package they had bought came from a renowned shop. Many were sourced through Rokushoukan. Maomao had entrusted En'en with the money precisely because she knew which shops were worth buying from.
"I think we've bought more than enough."
En'en narrowed her eyes as she scanned the paper slip.
There was one last name written at the bottom.
"Oh, this place..."
Maomao's shoulders drooped. It was located a short distance away, which was exactly why she had been hoping to avoid the trek.
"I don't think they'll sell out, and we still have half a shi to spare."
She glanced gently at Yao.
"I'll be fine."
Yao downed the fruit juice and straightened up with renewed vigor.
Maomao and En'en exchanged glances, tilting their heads in silent deliberation.
"En'en. What's with that attitude?"
"It's nothing, Lady Yao. Please don't push yourself—"
"We're going! We're going, alright?"
"Understood."
En'en kept a straight face, but she was probably thinking something along the lines of "What a brave little lady — adorable." From behind, her neatly shaped rear swayed cheerfully as she walked.
"The shop is just a little ways down a side street off the main road..."
Maomao led the way as she spoke. Having sweets packages in both hands was mildly inconvenient. Yao, stubbornly insisting on carrying the most, made it somewhat more bearable.
(That competitive streak of hers isn't the worst thing in the world.)
There were plenty of people in the world who liked to act self-important, flaunting nothing more than the circumstances of their birth. But Yao didn't seem to be that sort of person. Her decision to volunteer as an attendant for the medical officers probably had something to do with that.
The shop they were heading to wasn't technically a confectioner's. It was more of a purveyor of unusual ingredients — something between a specialty grocer and a wholesale supplier. A medical officer skilled in compounding medicines might also dabble in cooking, to some extent.
Once they turned into the back alleys, the atmosphere changed entirely. Passing through the gaps between shops, the number of private homes increased. A cat yawned in the shade of a tree, and a child wearing an apron dangled a cat toy, trying to coax it over.
Women did their laundry along the waterway, and in front of a chained dog sat a chicken in a cage — presumably destined to become tonight's dinner.
"Th-there's a shop in a place like this?"
Yao said, sounding uneasy.
In lieu of an answer, Maomao pointed to a small signboard. The name written at the bottom of the placard matched what they were looking for, and Yao let out a relieved breath.
"Couldn't they just set up their shop somewhere more visible?"
"The closer you are to the main road, the higher the taxes."
The busier the foot traffic, the better the location — and the more they taxed you. Maomao didn't know the exact formula, but this spot was certainly cheaper than a storefront on the main thoroughfare.
"Shall we get on with our errand, then?"
They were about to head for the shop when En'en suddenly stopped.
"What is it?"
When Maomao asked, En'en quietly pointed to the other side of the waterway. A handful of children had gathered in a group, surrounding one of their own.
Maomao assumed they were playing at first, but something seemed off.
As she watched, trying to figure out what was going on, a small figure darted across her field of vision.
"What do you think you're doing!"
Yao leapt over a little bridge and charged in. The children froze in surprise.
"You're bullying them, aren't you!"
Her loud outburst sent the children scattering in every direction.
(How should I put this...)
She's so young, Maomao thought as she hurried after Yao. One child had been left behind in front of Yao — the one who'd been surrounded. Taking Yao's words at face value, you'd assume this was a child being picked on.
"...Huh? This kid?"
Yao tilted her head.
Maomao peered at the child's face and mirrored the gesture, tilting her own head as well.
「Looks like a child from a foreign land, doesn't it?」
Yan Yan said.
The kimono draped over them was of this land's style, but their features were different. They couldn't be older than nine. Their hair and eyes were black, but their skin was less yellow than a reddish white. They had a cute face, but their eyes were wide and open, with thick eyelashes.
(Her skin color resembles Empress Gyokuyou's.)
That might suggest mixed heritage, but Maomao now understood why Yan Yan had called them a "child from a foreign land." There was a pattern on their face. It wasn't the kind of tattoo criminals received. It was like a curse, a reddish, ivy-like design encircling their eyes.
In this country, tattooing the face was generally unheard of. Maomao freckling her cheeks with ink was a remarkable exception.
「Are you alright?」
Yao asked the child. The child tilted their head with a blank expression.
「Perhaps they can't understand us?」
Yao looked troubled. If only they would say something, but the child remained silent.
「That child, they can't seem to speak.」
One of the children Yao had scattered earlier suddenly called out.
「They seem lost, so we asked where they came from, but they wouldn't talk at all. So we all kept asking, but it's like they can't make a sound.」
The child said that much, then ran off.
「Um...」
Having approached voluntarily, Yao now seemed unsure what to do.
(If they look at me, that's a problem too.)
A lost, speechless child from a foreign land. It was unclear if they even understood the language.
「What should we do?」
(That's what I'd like to know.)
"What should we do?" Maomao despaired.