A truth and a lie(s)
Before returning to the room I come up with a cover story. Would a long lost cousins work?
Something on her mother's side? Or fathers? ….Ah fuck it I'm too tired to think of anything. It's been too much of a day. First the funeral and then time poofing to a red light's district. Then a baby! who can stand it?!
I just want to go home to take a bath and go to sleep. Forget this all ever happened.
But I can't, I need to go back in there and set myself. The question is how? I'm not smart enough to come up with some instant epic plan, I'll just let her talk first and wing it
The compact mirror has stopped counting down but it shows the same message as when I last looked at it.
"Save her or die
Time left: 11 days"
Great I did something right I saved "her". But I'm faced with another pretty big question, besides the obvious. Who the fuck did I save here?
Was it Lu Shan, the mom dying in labor and my would be first choice?
Is it the newborn baby, a girl of course, who could have died without my interference?
Hell is it Yanyan?!
I don't know how, anything is possible. It might not even be anyone in that family and I indirectly saved things.
Nah they have my cursed genes. I can't recall with Yanyan but Lu Shan looks like what my mom's young photos do. There are a few little differences here and there but essentially the same. These genes are too strong, I hate it. We're connected in some way.
Damned magic mirror.
When I check up on the new mother and child things were cleaned up rather well. Both were dressed and bundled, simply resting. I hope they layered a sheet under her for after bleeds, good they did. The placenta was also already expelled and taken care of. in a place like this I don't really want to know what that means. It could be sold by itself for good a bit of money but it was also a sought after beauty ingredient. Who knows where or to who it went.
Godspeed to whoever got it.
More importantly Lu Shan's condition seems as okay as she can be at the moment. No abnormal heart rate or further symptoms. Nothing I can see that could threaten her life just yet. She just needs to keep clean and well rested for some time afterwards.
It was at that moment that little YanYan bolted in and rushed to her mother.
"Mama!"
"Hello my precious Lu Yan."
"Mama you're okay!"
"Mmmm I am, the doctor here saved me."
The child turnes me with a clean innocent smile and I finally see her face clearly. Yep we're related, those are my grandmother's cursed genes alright.
"Your mama will be fine with plenty of rest. Everyone be aware, she must keep clean to prevent infection and illness. To regain strength she must eat lots of nutritious things but she will recover."
"Thank you for saving my mama auntie!"
An aunt? Ah I'm that old? Right, I'm not a big sister to a child like Lanlan but an aunt. I'm not too old, Yanyan is just too young.
"All this time and I haven't thank you yet. With all my heart, thank you for saving my child and I. The medicine you used was a miracle. I didn't feel any pain at the end."
"It may make you feel numb for a while. The soreness and lingering pain will return in a few hours but if you want, I have some different medicine for the pain. You drink it and it won't be as strong though."
"These good things, how could you so freely offer them. How could I ever repay you?"
She bursts out into tears as she speaks. We really don't look that much alike at all. She doesn't even resemble my mom like this. Look she cries like a pretty anime character! Ah I can see how this sort of woman would be popular here. I don't know what to make of people who don't cry like normal humans.
"….You must stay healthy. Repay me by living well and raising your children. That is all I ask."
"How can there be such kind person?"
No I'm not really that nice.
Please live a long time Lu Shan, The key to my survival is your survival, if you live so do the kids. All the birds hit with one stone, mystery solved. All the 'hers's live and I get to go home with no weird timer on my life.
"Mama, why does auntie blackie look like you? When Yanyan first saw auntie, Yanyan thought she was mama."
Ah yes I wonder if I have any snot on my shirt from that. I've been so rushed with everything I haven't cleaned that off, ew. Well a lot of me is feeling pretty ew right now, disposable gown and all.
Lu Shan herself looks lost for words. She stares at her now oldest daughter then at me with a silent but questioning gaze. Don't look at me like that, I'm just as lost as you!
But I am the better liar apparently. What I found with lying is that you always twist it around a truth, that's what makes it believable and hard to detect.
"I've been looking for you for a very long time. So very long, I was about to lose hope. I'm so glad I was able to find you before it was too late, I'm so glad we've finally met. Thank goodness I met Yanyan when I did, she lead me to you."
Translation: I'm so glad I found you before the mirror could kill me! Really much appreciated hint there kid.
My crocodile tears are due to stress but they're good enough to get Lu shan and the teen maids in the room to burst out the water works as well. Time to keep this act going.
"I knew it, even through the pain. I knew the moment I saw your face. We're family aren't we?"
"Yes Lu Shan, I cannot hide it from you. Have you heard of me? It's been so long I understand if you don't remember..."
"Aunt! They said you were sent banished from the palace to be sent as foreign bride!"
Oh shit this is working out better than I expected. Right just let the other side talk. But wait an aunt? How old are you? How old do I look, we can't be that far apart! Still I can work with this.
"I'm fin. They sent me far away but I was never married. It's another world where I was, a woman can train to become many professions and have many freedoms. But that's enough about me, I've done well enough for myself. What has happened to you? I've heard so much but what is the truth. What has become of our family?"
"Oh auntie!"
Cue the sob story.
It turns out that Lu Shan was the pampered only daughter of a fallen noble household. Due to political troubles they were stripped them of their title and her father ordered to commit suicide. In grief her mother passed away soon after that and the family dispersed.
At the time Lu Shan had already married and given birth to Yanyan but with the loss of her maiden family's support, she was stripped of her wife's title and turned to a lowly mistress. Yanyan was denounced and would not even be put on the family register giving her no choice but to keep her mother's family name. Then a few short years later she and little Yanyan would be sold to 4 Seasons Lake to repay her shit husband's gross gambling debts.
When they first arrived at the gates where slavers and scouting brothel owners meet, the madam thank fully claimed Lu Shan before anyone else did,
"Many beautiful flowers will come and go through these gates. Even the ones who do not belong, and you clearly do not belong. Swear yourself to me and save yourself and your child With me You will be more than just used meat."
In exchange for her arts, pride and occasional nightly services to select patrons, Lu Shan was able to provide a better lifestyle for her and Yanyan than when she as an official mistress. A testament to how badly her ex-husband treated them.
They've been here in Clouded Spring ever since they were sold, it's been 6 years.
The life of a courtesan was not easy but Lu Shan was educated and formally trained in many arts. She was soft but well spoken, could play music, discuss literature and embroider skillfully. Along with her still fresh beauty she was popular among the growing middle class and up clients. Her noble upbringing and innocence of the world around her made men feel protective of her and treat her gently.
But Le Shan did not care so much about the attention, even at her peak. She just wanted to provide a way out for her daughter. If she could not pay the debt off in time, Yanyan would start working when she became old enough. As popular as Lu Shan was she knew it was unlikely a man would buy her freedom and take both her and Yanyan away.
So she focused on saving what money and treasures she could, at least to buy her daughter's freedom before it was too late. But who would have known that she would fall pregnant after all these years!
I mean it's kind of obvious. She's still young and she would eventually have gotten knocked up without protection if she worked here…do they even have protection in these times? Didn't condoms used to be super expensive and made of animal intestines? Like a sausage casing? Anyways back to Lu Shan and her much more important story.
While it's not uncommon at all for courtesans and prostitutes to bear a few children it came at a harsh price. During their pregnancy, especially when their stomachs swelled, they could not work and their debts would steadily rise. Courtesans with other skills could still work behind the scenes and playing music. Unless there was a patron with that particular taste and paid enough for it, they would stay back or help out the tea house in other ways to prevent their debt from accumulating.
Then there was the recovery period. Those who could afford it, typically only courtesans in larger houses, would rest for a month. Many unfortunate women and common prostitutes would return even sooner than that in fear of the debt rising. Also their figures would not be the same afterwards.
The only thing that could lower the price of a popular woman, aside from disfigurement or disease, was pregnancy. Women typically peaked in their early twenties inside the walls of 4 Season lake. Lu Shan was already doing quite well for herself at 25.
"All thanks to the madam and my sisters here."
She means it too.
I can see what the madam means by how Lu Shan doesn't belong, if not for her this innocent sort of beautiful woman would have already be eaten up and shredded alive. She's gotten better in her years as working as a courtesan but she's still too pure, a genuine lotus.
Then there is YanYan who is already 9 years old. Now that she's cleaned up her face still scares me. Ah what is wrong with these genetics?! They should not be this strong; this should not be physically possible!
She's much cuter than I was though, with her sunny go getting personality and adorable twin hair buns. She also has sharper cat eyes while I noticeably had a smaller nose. I also had a typical bowl cut back then. So not cute.
While Lu Shan been striving so hard to save her daughter, Yanyan has some hilariously dark plans for her own future.
"I will be the most beautiful courtesan in 4 Seasons Lake and take a lot of rich men's money. Lots and lots of it and everyone will be jealous of how rich and popular I am. Then I'll pick the richest one and marry him and take mama to live with me!"
" Yanyan….we've talked about this."
Pfffffft hahahahaha oh I'm dying, this child!
A gentle still innocent mother and an already vicious gold digging daughter! It's horrible but I can't stop laughing! Yanyan is going to be the character in novels and movies that everyone dislikes but I can't hate her for it. It's just too funny.
Ow my stomach, I laughed too much.
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