“Let’s go have a look inside,” suggested Ji Yunshu. She walked towards the entrance, but turned back after two steps to slip an advice to Jing Rong, “Milord, we are here to visit relatives, but they’ve moved away without telling us. Since we are without a place to rest, we came here to ask some water and a place to stay momentarily.”
“What?” said Jing Rong with eyes wide in amazement.
“Milord, please remember what this humble one said.”
Ji Yunshu did not explain any further and approached the doorstep. The door, if it could be called one, was no more than a layer of wooden planks disorderly nailed to the frame. The occasional slit between two planks revealed a glimpse of the interior, which was dimly lit by the dwindling light of a single oil lamp.
Ji Yunshu curled her fingers and knocked on the door. She waited for a while, but no one came to answer her.
Jing Rong was rather irritated. “Move aside, this door is not solid enough to withstand a hard kick.”
‘You should go kick yourself in the head! Can we avoid getting into the habit of resorting to violence?’
Ji Yunshu glared at him, “Have you thought about what’ll happen to these poor people after you break their door? Do you want them to freeze to death in the winter? On top of that…” Ji Yunshu was about to continue lecturing him when the door suddenly flung open.
A pair of eyes, aged by the vicissitudes of life and buried within disordered hair, were the first things that the two saw. Ji Yunshu and Jing Rong only realized that they belonged to a woman after they saw her face in its entirety. The facial muscles were flaccid, and wrinkles ran, interwoven on the skin. Time and age conferred a natural air of askance to the owner of that visage.
“Who are you?” said the woman with a weak voice.
Ji Yunshu answered in a soft voice, “Madame, sorry to disturb you. My brother and I are here to visit relatives, but they moved away without telling us, so we don’t have a place to stay for now.
We’d like to know if it’s possible to have a brief respite in your house, and have some water to drink.”
Ji Yunshu’s soft voice and charismatic looks probably convinced the woman that they meant no harm. She scrutinized the duo, finally opened the half-closed door and said, “Come in,” as she turned around and led the way.
Ji Yunshu and Jing Rong glanced at each other before following her into the dwelling. The inside was poorly lit and narrow between the walls, but surprisingly clean. Although the furniture pieces were worn out, the table and chairs were neatly placed and covered with a clean towel, which improved its look. Further inside was the entrance to a room, hidden by a curtain which replaced the door that should have been there.
Ji Yunshu and Jing Rong sat near the table. The latter sat with a straight back and did not seem to be repulsed by his surroundings.
‘Seems like this prince is not spoilt after all’, thought Ji Yunshu.
The woman brought two bowls of water and said, “Please take your time sir, if you’d like more, I’ll gladly refill it.”
“Thank you madame,” answered Jing Rong politely.
He emptied the water in the porcelain vessel cleanly.
‘Well, he’s really thirsty isn’t he?’
“Madame, are you the only person living here?” attempted Ji Yunshu.
“Yes, I live alone.”
‘Shouldn’t she have a daughter?’
Ji Yunshu was perplexed. “How long have you lived here?”
“For a few years,” answered the woman in an indecipherable voice, emotionlessly.
“May I know your name?” asked Ji Yunshu.
The woman suddenly raised her head to look at Ji Yunshu, only to dodge the latter’s stare, and answered, “Everyone here calls me Yu Sao.”
‘Seems like she’s the one I’m looking for. Only, what happened to her eight year old daughter?’