About the time the wind turned cold and you'd start wanting to add another blanket over the futon.
Maomao stood gaping at the mountainous pile of books that had been delivered with a heavy thud. Stacked up at the dormitory entrance, each one bore the large inscription "For Maomao."
"What's all this? Books, right?"
Yao
emerged from her room. She had been recuperating for a while, but she was set to return to work starting tomorrow. She'd been poisoned during her taste-testing duties and had fallen gravely ill, but she'd thankfully made a recovery. Some jaundice still lingered on her skin, however. Her liver and kidneys had taken considerable damage, so she would likely have to live a life of moderation—cutting back on alcohol and salt.
"They're all the same book."
If Yao was coming out,
En'en
couldn't be far behind. She carried a cloth bag with the ingredients for Yao's dinner. She was working hard to gather herbs and foods to help clear Yao's jaundice.
"They're Go books. The author is listed as 'Kan Rakkan.'"
She knew that getting involved with troublesome people only ever brought more trouble. She knew it, but avoiding it was easier said than done.
"I told him it would be a problem, but he insisted and left them anyway. He also entrusted me with a letter."
The middle-aged woman who managed the dormitory handed Maomao the letter. It was written in elegant characters with roundabout phrasing, but a direct translation would amount to something like: "I made a whole bunch of Go books. I'm giving some to Maomao, too." It was obvious the eccentric strategist had made a subordinate pen it on his behalf, but the poor subordinate must have been at a loss as well.
"What are you going to do with all these?"
There were so many books Yao could practically lean against them. Books were valuable—there were plenty that could fetch a month's worth of food expenses for a single volume. Since these were printed rather than hand-copied, they'd be somewhat cheaper, but still, she couldn't believe he'd managed to produce this many.
She could just imagine Raohan squealing over the financial arrangements right about now. But that was none of Maomao's concern.
"Burning them... well, I suppose I can't really do that."
The author being who he was, the books themselves were innocent. Flipping through them casually, they turned out to be surprisingly well-made Go books. They included game records and explanations of key points on the board. It would be hard to call them beginner-friendly, but they looked like enjoyable content for a Go player.
"..."
Maomao glanced at En'en. En'en had opened a book and was reading it with visible interest.
"En'en, is it interesting?"
"Yes. As expected of the Strategist, they're very well done. The first half features exemplary game records using standard opening patterns, and the second half presents more unorthodox ones."
Maomao didn't know enough to judge that far. The only Go and shogi she knew was what the young ladies had taught her.
"Do you want them?"
Chapter 27. The Go Books
"If you're offering, I'll take them. If you need money, I can put up one silver tael. The content goes without saying, but the paper quality and printing are both lovely."
"One silver tael…"
Maomao looked at the heap of books. She wondered if they were really worth that much.
"One silver tael, huh? Is it okay to sell them so cheap?"
"It is cheap, certainly, but I was hoping to give Maomao the friend discount."
(Were we friends?)
Not colleagues — friends. If Enen called Maomao a friend, it would be rude not to return the sentiment. And so, Enen was a friend.
Setting aside Yao, whose sense of money was off, if Enen said this kind of book could fetch one silver tael per volume, then surely it could. Though, looking at the situation, there seemed to still be plenty more being printed, so the price might drop further.
"Enen and Maomao are friends…"
Yao stared at them.
"Hey, what about me?"
Yao asked, addressing both Enen and Maomao.
"You are an irreplaceable young lady to me," Enen said with a bright smile.
(That answer is probably wrong.)
The young lady's expression soured instantly. She dropped into a chair near the entrance, crossing her legs in a slouching, disheveled manner.
"Enen. I'll give you the books, so if you know anyone who might like Go, let me know?"
"Go players? I know a few. Most of the court physicians spend their days off playing Go."
That was useful information. Maomao, facing the mountain of books, felt her cheeks begin to relax into a grin.
Sandoi
With the arrival of the priestess from Sandoi, all manner of things from the west had been flowing into the capital. Rare goods were snapped up by the wealthy first, and only made it to the market some time later. The other day, while walking through town on her day off, she had spotted medicine she had never seen before.
Of course, just because something appeared in the market didn't mean imported goods came cheap. They were expensive, but if you had the coin, you could buy them.
"Could you tell me who those Go players are?"
When Maomao asked, Enen produced a single silver tael from her purse.
"Here, your payment."
"No, I don't need it, but..."
"No, I'll pay. But in exchange—"
Enen glanced at the massive pile of books.
"Please, let me have one page too."
She gestured with her fingers to indicate money.
(She really can't be bought, huh.)
While Maomao was answering with her eyes that she understood, a thud sounded from behind.
Yao was stomping her feet.
"Hey, Enen! Isn't dinner ready yet?"
She glared at Maomao and Enen with a sullen look on her face.
"Oh, Young Mistress. I'm sorry. I'll prepare it right away."
Enen headed toward the kitchen.
Maomao touched the enormous pile of books while watching Yao and thinking how cute she was.
For now, she decided to take the books to her room. For the time being, there didn't seem to be anywhere to even step.
There had been various problems, but things around Maomao were mostly peaceful.
Regarding the matter of the Sha'ou priestess having disappeared, various rumors had initially spread throughout the city, but once word of the Eastern Palace's unveiling ceremony came up, the conversation shifted there instead.
It was truly peaceful.
At least around Maomao.