History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 179 The Twin Deer Knot and the Copper Box
Wei Yao came to Xicheng at the invitation of a friend. Just then, Erzhu Rong returned from Xiurongchuan, and his junior brother naturally had to take on the task of carrying their luggage. The two arrived at Baima Street and met Guo Yun, Yuan Jingrong, Liu Zhenzhu, and Yuan Langxi.

When Langxi Girl first entered Cui Academy, she often played with Yuan Jingrong. Later, Yuan Jingrong focused more on her studies in her spare time, so Langxi started playing with Hu Ertiao. However, both of them had bad tempers, and they soon fell out. Now, they are holding hands with Yuan Jingrong and have become good friends again, as close as if they were one person.

Wei Yao and her six companions hadn't walked far when, quite by chance, they ran into Kong Yi, Xi Jiao, Zhou Tai, Yuan Zizhi, Hai Yeren, Yuan Heng, and Yuan Yu, who were also shopping for stationery.

When Yuan Yu turned eight, he was about to enter the prefectural primary school, where he would study the Analects.

As the group grew, everyone decided to have lunch together and then stroll around at a slightly different distance. Regardless of the number of people, Erzhu Rong only remembered his master's instructions and stayed close to his senior sister Yao.

Xi Jiao hadn't seen Wei Yao for a while. When she didn't see her, she didn't think much of it, but when she did see her, she always wanted to get close to her and experience the strange feeling of her heart racing and inexplicable joy.

Wei Yao stopped in front of the ornament stall. The ornaments here were colorful and varied. They were distinguished by material: some were made of animal feathers, animal skins, and twisted silk threads; some were made of dyed animal hair and felt; some were made of silk, brocade, and cloth; and some were carved or strung together from bamboo, wood, fruit pits, and grass beads.

Wei Yao selected a piece of animal bone carved with galloping horses and a silk pendant made of orchids, and whispered to Erzhu Rong, "Is it pretty? I want to give it to my father and mother."

"They're beautiful. How much for both of them together?"

In Pingcheng, the barter system primarily involved the exchange of cloth and grain. Among the cloth types, silk, wadding, brocade, and hemp were the most popular with peddlers. Erzhu Rong carried silk and hemp in his basket, exchanging expensive items for silk and cheaper items for hemp.

When Erzhu Rong inquired about the price, Xi Jiao turned around. He was tall and untied a double deer rope pendant above Wei Yao's head, then tossed the peddler a thin copper piece shaped like a flower petal: "Take this to the Xi residence to settle the bill."

The location of Xi Jiao's house was engraved on the thin copper sheet. This method of payment was commonly used by the powerful and wealthy when traveling, so they did not have to carry heavy loads of grain and cloth.

Xi Jiao faced Wei Yao and asked Zhou Tai to help him tie the double deer knot to the side of the basket. The latter asked in surprise, "Why is it double deer knot again? How many have you bought recently!"

"I suddenly fell in love, and I'll love her to my heart's content." Xi Jiao looked at the top of Wei Yao's head. Her hair was so thick, each strand soft, each one like a clever little thing. Ha, look how cunning her eyes are, always avoiding his position. He loved seeing her avoid him.

Erzhu Rong replaced the animal bones and silk pendants with hemp cloth, and Wei Yao immediately rushed forward, getting away from Xi Jiao. As she thought about it, Xi Jiao had never paid attention to the double deer knot in her previous life. It was she who liked this kind of knot, which showed that she had never truly understood him. Fortunately, she was unwilling and would not waste her energy on him in this life.

"Which academy do you attend, student?" Wei Mao stood in front of Wei Yao, joking as he twirled a rather long calligraphy brush with his left hand.

Wei Yao smiled and replied, "Wei Academy," and bowed to Wei Mao, Cui Shang, and Zheng Zun.

The shopping crowd has grown again.

Erzhu Rong was furious. What was wrong with Wei Mao? Ever since he appeared, he had been blocking him and his senior sister Yao!

Wei Mao showed the calligraphy brush in his left hand to Wei Yao: "I just picked this out, isn't it pretty?"

"Beautiful." Wei Yao also wanted to choose a few calligraphy brushes. The calligraphy brushes at this stall were quite unique. The brush handles came in all colors of red, green, blue, purple, white, and black, and each brush handle was painted with a different one of the twelve zodiac animals. Each zodiac animal held a different weapon, looking majestic and lifelike.

Wei Mao found a bronze pen box. When he opened it, the inside was polished to a very high shine, reflecting people as clearly as a bronze mirror.

"Wei Yao, look."

Wei Yao immediately saw her and Wei Mao's shadows reflected side by side. Wei Mao lowered his voice and asked in a voice only she could hear, "I want to give this to you, is that okay?"

"It's made of copper, it's too heavy."

"I knew you would agree."

"Huh?" Wei Yao's refusal was blown aside by the wind. Wei Mao saw that she wasn't carrying a basket, so he put the copper box in Er Zhu Rong's basket, which was the closest one.

"It will be hard to carry for a while."

Erzhu Rong was furious. From now on, the person he hated most was no longer the teacher who taught poetry, nor Hai Yeren who always fought with him. He hated Wei Mao the most! Wei Yao followed Wei Mao and whispered quickly, "There are too many people. I won't argue with you. I'll have my father give it back to you later."

Wei Mao turned around, his joy turning to anger. "A Yao—"

Why are you shouting so loudly?! Wei Yao glared at the man.

Wei Mao hissed, lifting his knees and hugging his feet: "What kind of bug is this? It bit me pretty hard, ouch, Ayao, Ayaoyao—"

At this moment, Yuan Jingrong called out to Wei Yao from the front: "Wei Yao, come quickly!"

Wei Yao took Er Zhu Rong's arm and walked forward, while Er Zhu Rong made a face at Wei Mao.

"You brat!" Wei Mao was so jealous he was practically spitting fire, and he immediately followed after them.

The stall surrounded by Yuan Jingrong, Yuan Zizhi and others was a painting stall occupying only the space of a desk. The stall owner wore a woolen hat with the brim pulled down over his eyebrows and a gray windproof scarf covering his face. Behind him hung a rope with several finished paintings, all of which depicted very lifelike figures.

Yuan Jingrong exclaimed excitedly, "This person is a Dunhuang painter, skilled in portraiture. He even said he'd give it away for free if the portrait doesn't look like him. Ayao, shall we paint a group portrait? Where's Guo Yun? Guo Yun, Liu Zhenzhu—come over here!"

Liu Zhenzhu seemed preoccupied, and Guo Yun stayed with her behind. When the two arrived and heard that they wanted to have their portrait taken together, they both readily agreed.

Having decided to stay there for a while, Erzhu Rong unloaded the basket, squatted down in front of the desk, and looked suspiciously at the painter opposite him.

The artist said in an old voice, "Young man, I don't have any flowers on my face, why are you staring at me?"

Erzhu Rong mouthed, "Qiu Ruizhi?"

"You little rascal! How come you have such a cunning eye!" Qiu Ruizhi put a finger to his lips, signaling the other person not to expose him.

Qiu Ruizhi unfolded a blank sheet of paper, which was more than ten feet long.

Wei Mao said, "Such a long sheet of paper, it wouldn't look good if we only drew you guys, leaving too much blank space. Add me, Cui Shang, Zheng Zun..."

Xi Jiao came over: "Someone will be going to Luoyang soon, and it won't be easy for us to get together again. How about we paint a group portrait?"

Yuan Jingrong pouted: "Alright, alright, I'm not that petty! But we girls have to stand in the middle!"

"Junior Brother Rong." Wei Yao called Erzhu Rong to her side.

"Senior sister, let me tell you, this artist..."

Just as Erzhu Rong was about to reveal that the painter was Qiu Ruizhi, a slacker from Wenyin Academy, in disguise, Wei Mao and Xi Jiao simultaneously reached out and pulled him into the line of the young men behind them.

Erzhu Rong's lips curled down into an inverted bow. "Hmph, stand up, stand up. Let's see what Qiu Ruizhi will draw us into in a moment!"
With a peach pit in his mouth and a thin pillow stuffed under his clothes to appear hunched over, Qiu Ruizhi's voice came through a face mask, so even his best friends Yuan Zizhi and Hai Yeren didn't realize it was an acquaintance.

A dozen or so boys and girls stood in three rows. To leave a lasting memento, they all smiled after the artist reminded them that "the drawing has started."

Behind them, many people were also eager to try, waiting to see if the artist could paint a really good portrait of them and their friends.

Qiu Ruizhi, the fake painter from Dunhuang, is too excited!

(End of this chapter)