"Yā; that's too expensive! For just two bái táng gāo; ridiculous!"

"It's not even ten yuánbaŏ! You want to live a long life? Try these!"

The old man's gaze landed dubiously on the sponge cakes sprinkled with white sugar, brows furrowed and lips pursed. He glanced down at the silver coins in his hands then again at the cakes before he turned his attention to the eager dark haired girl. A beat passed, the din of the market around them fading away as his eyes narrowed.

"If you're not going to buy, I'd like to respectfully ask you to leave," the girl stated, a silent threat looming over her words. The pleasant expression on her face darkened as the elderly man continued to stare her down.

"Yā; you young girls are scary," he berated, raising a gnarled finger towards her.

Quick as a whip, her she twirled on her heels and sucked in a breath.

"Jiĕjiĕ!"

As if possessed by some kind of ghost, the old man began frantically reaching into his coin purse, dropping the coins that had been in his hand on the small wooden counter in front of him. Before the steps of the black haired woman that had graced the small stall could be heard against the dirt path, the man had thrown himself into a fit of fear.

"Yí! Here, here, here; I will pay eleven yuánbaŏ," he stated as he began to count them out on the counter.

There was easily one guán's worth of coins laid out on the counter as the woman approached, thin brows raised and a smile on her face.

"Lǎoshī, are you causing problems, again," she inquired, head cocking to the side at the last word.

The old man offered a smile to the woman, the picture of agreeableness in an instant. He tapped the counter with the same finger he had stuck sanctimoniously in the face of the younger girl, proceeding as if nothing had happened.

"No, no, Jú Lì. I was just paying your sister for the sponge cake," he replied.

It had long since been known that the aforementioned Jú Lì was not to be trifled with. A cunning light in her eyes, she deftly lifted one silver coin up in the blinding light of the afternoon. Lithe fingers twirled the coin for a moment before she flicked it back onto the table in one swift movement.

Her expression remained pleasant as she appraised the old man that she knew so well. Always trying his damnedest to lower the price of the cakes that took them so long to perfect, he had a knack for kicking up a fuss at the other stall. She had considered telling her mother, as the woman was quite keen on knowing about these things, but she decided it would be best to settle this matter herself.

The man was perhaps going on to eighty years—blessed! The gods must have blessed him, if not for his personality—and quite possibly wouldn't put up much of a fight. Batting long lashes and bowing deeply to the elder, she chose her next words carefully.

"Honored Customer, I believe you should only be paying nine yuánbaŏ, as Xiǎo Li had said before," she began, "but since you have troubled her for such a price and are willing to pay more, twelve will suffice."

"That's much more than it should be!"

"Ah, yes, it is, but you continue to bother all the stalls in the western corridor of the market and they were tempting to call the Court Officials."

No one wanted the Court Officials around; it was bad for business, and for health. The old man took this confidence with surprise, jaw going slack and eyes widening. The dilating of his pupils was the last sign of giving in, and Jú Lì knew she had won. This man feared the officials more than most, she supposed; perhaps relating to the secret of his longevity.

"Yes, yes, I see. Here: twelve," he stated, sliding over another coin before scooping the rest back into his purse quickly.

He snatched up two cakes before briskly shuffling off, his back bent and throwing glances over his shoulder to see if the two girls would attempt to bring down retribution upon him. Several heads popped out their own stalls to see him off, glancing back to the two sisters' little place of business with grins and smirks of admiration.

Several of the other merchants called out to them, to congratulate their victory. Jú Lì knew, however, that it would only be a matter of time before the old man was back again. Customers such as he were often quite contemptuous towards a majority of the merchants. How could they not be, when merchants were seen as those who merely fed off the livelihood of skilled workers. What being a merchant was would be a shocking revelation to those so far removed from the reality of the profession.

Xiǎo Li patted herself on the back, a scowl marring her pretty face. Her name suited her only in appearance; the girl herself was a handful at best, a calamity at worst. Her older sister could see the complaints brewing behind her lips, a soft whine sounding from her throat. It would seem that it was time for them to trade places. More like, Jú Lì would take up business in the stall, and Xiǎo Li would take up business lounging about and eating the dried dates their mother had sent them to snack on.

Wordlessly, the older sister gestured for the younger to move out of the way. She was met with an energetic thank you, a barrel's worth of squeals, and the faint scent of honey as Xiǎo Li danced out of an embrace. Her lips turned up with the vestige of a smile as she shook her head, left in the wake of the girl.

She slid her hands over her frock, palms sweaty with the midday heat. The last thing she needed was to have slippery hands with money. But, as the day drew on, she came to realize that it might not have mattered as much.

Back sore and fatigued from being on her feet for so long with nothing to occupy her thoughts, Jú Lì was just on the cusp of closing the stall for the day when a stranger appeared before her. Eyes as brown as the mud that coated the short boots she adorned stared down at her for a moment, bringing forth a sensation of inferiority.

She could scarcely utter a word before the stranger produced two guán, dangling them in front of her.

"How many will this buy me?"

"All of them and more."

The stranger looked surprised, then irritated, producing a soft huff. He glanced over to the other stalls, brows raised.

"They must not be that good if they're so cheap," he remarked.

Stunned, Jú Lì said nothing. There were only so many people who could show up and do what he did. For him to carry so much money, he was either stupid and rich, or a thief looking to bait others. She had seen it done once before—both options, as those not so bright and having much money had a tendency to show off in the poorer provinces on their way to the palace—and the ending had not been good.

She considered, as she had threatened hours ago to do so, to call officials. They loitered about at this time of day, when the sun drew close to the horizon, threatening to kiss the land in the distance. It would be nothing to raise her voice above the crowd with the dreaded words to summon them forth, but the bitter taste they would leave in her mouth afterwards was not worth the stranger.

"I can assure you, Honored Customer, that they are the best you will find in this market," she stated, finding her voice once more. With his gaze elsewhere, it was easier to feel much larger than her thin frame.

He didn't turn his attention back to her; his gaze was listless, dancing over the stalls with the ennui of someone with far more privilege than she had. A small, trembling fist of indignation slipped fingers around her throat. Being choked up with her own frustration was nothing new; she had been taught that there were times to speak, and times to remain silent.

At last, the stranger spoke, breaking the hold of those angry fingers over her throat.

"Why don't I test that theory, hm?"

Without further discussion, he picked up a sponge cake. Brows raised, he examined the baked good with discerning eyes and a scowl on his lips. She noted that his hands were unblemished, immaculate and clean. He must not have seen a day of work in his life.

His expression changed as he finally—finally—bit into the cake. Pensive, almost; his brows furrowing and eyes narrowing. His chewing was slow and he took longer to swallow than Jú Lì cared for. The stranger looked down at her, shoulders pushed back with authority. As if he were saying I know good food when I taste, unlike you who must eat only to work again. He took another moment to regard her carefully, as if picking her apart as though she were a flower and he were a child seeking to mangle her.

"It seems you have not lied," he said, a grin on his face.

Jú Lì released a breath, pleased with the reception. Perhaps this big spender would actually buy all of the cakes, so that they would not be wasted.

"Will you be buying them," she inquired, eyes wide and lighted with hope.

The stranger bore down on her, hands planted firmly on the counter. Startled, she was left with the only action of staring up at the man as he spoke.

"Buy them? You told me they were the best; of course, I'm buying them."

The grin remained on his face as he leaned back, now further than a hair's breadth away from her face. Expectancy was clear in his features, gleeful eyes and raised brows. It took her but a moment to process all that had happened, and then she was moving again. A flurry of plain brown fabrics and white frock, she swiftly packaged everything in the decorative cloth that had been wrapped in when she had brought them to market.

A minute or two later, the cakes were wrapped and ready to be handed off to the stranger. He dropped the coins onto the counter, the silver twinkling in the fading light like a wink in the dark. The strange man extended his hands, resembling a child reaching out for a favored sweet. It struck her that this man must only be here for the thrill of mingling with those below his station. The thought alone made a sour taste land upon her tongue, hidden behind a pleasant smile.

"Xiĕxiĕ," he murmured, smitten with the packages that filled his arms.

He seemed to consider his next course of action for a moment, then turned his sights back to her.

"Miss, would you care to eat these with me," he asked, catching her off guarded.

"Wā," she gasped, startling the stranger, "Did you think you were paying for me, as well? This is not that kind of business."

"I meant no disrespect," he quickly corrected, "I meant only that I had not thought of how much this was when I bought it. Surely you do not believe that I can eat this all myself?"

"Didn't think, huh?"

"No, I did not. Duìbǔqǐ."

"Hmm, fine; meíguānxì, meíguānxì."

She flicked her wrist, dismissing his apology. Perhaps he was the stupid nobleman she had thought he was before. The son of some wealthy man come to play. The least she could do was enjoy watching him make a fool of himself.

"I just need to close up the stalls, since you have bought everything that I brought to sell today."

"I'm--"

She cut him off with a look, to which he nodded mutely in response to. Another moment of staring up at him, and then she began to shoo him backwards. The action was simple, as though she were shooing away a stray dog that came back after being fed one too many times. Once he had stepped back, she closed the shutters and locked the padlock that held them shut. There was not much point to this, however, as there was only so much that could be done with such a rusty and decrepit method of security. They had not had the money to replace it in so long, and now they did. She could dance with glee, and expected her mother would do the same upon hearing the news.

Collecting the profits of the day, and doing a second check to make sure all was in store, she came around to the front. Jú Lì doubted that she need worry about Xiǎo Li; she had seen the girl steal away down the path that lead home hours ago. With this in mind, she grinned up at the stranger.

"What should I call you," she asked the stranger. Now that there was no longer a counter between them, she was close enough to tell that he could not have been much older than she; maybe a year or two above twenty.

"You can call me...Xiao Yǔ."

// why is inputting pinyin so difficult? here is the first chapter. pretty long, but such was to be expected by now ^-^ if anyone has any insight on how this could be improved, I'd love to hear it. votes and comments are appreciated. thank you so much for reading. cheers, rem