Book 2: Chapter 39: Heavenly Wares
Sen woke up the next morning with Sun Lifen wrapped around him. He hadn’t planned on having company the night before. In fact, he hadn’t planned on anything except maybe getting something to eat and sleeping. The food had been easy enough to get. He just asked if someone could find him something simple to eat. A minor feast was brought up to his room. He’d been made several offers of company, but politely declined them all with excuses about being weary from his long journey. He’d barely been eating for five minutes when Sun Lifen burst into his room, dripping wet, barely wrapped in a towel, and her eyes wild with excitement. Sen had shot to his feet, already reaching for his jian, and expecting an attack.
“I broke through,” she cried and literally threw herself at him.
On reflection, Sen thought that she’d given him a lot more credit than he deserved. If that bath he’d thrown together for her in thirty seconds had been enough to push her cultivation forward, even if it was just an in-stage advancement, she must have been on the cusp before he showed up. He tried to explain that to her, but every time he tried to say something, she just kissed him again. Recognizing a losing battle when he saw one, Sen decided not to fight it. On the downside, the food had gotten cold, but the two of them did eventually eat most of it. Sen managed to untangle himself from Sun Lifen with a little grudging help from the young woman. He went over and picked through the leftover food, managing to put together two plates worth that might pass as breakfast. Sun Lifen looked surprised and a little embarrassed when Sen sat down on the bed and handed her a plate.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said.
“Do what?”
“Be nice to me.”
Sen gave her a flat look. “Why wouldn’t I be nice to you?”
“You know why.”
“Have I done anything to make you think I care about that, even a little bit?”
Sun Lifen’s cheeks went red. “No.”
“Then, please make that the last time you insult me that way.”
The young woman opened and closed her mouth a few times before Sen took pity on her.
“Eat your breakfast,” he said. “We have things to do today.”
“We do?” she asked.
“Yes. I have business to attend to, and I said I needed to take you to see the ocean.”
Sun Lifen sat straight up and stared at Sen. The girl looked like she was on the verge of full-blown panic.
“I need to prepare,” she almost yelled at Sen.
When she started to move off the bed, he put a hand on her shoulder and held her there for a moment. He pointed at her plate.
“Food first. Then you can panic.”
She gave him an appalled look. That held for a few seconds before she snorted out a laugh. She picked up a piece of fruit and nibbled on it, eyeing Sen up and down. She giggled. Sen lifted a questioning eyebrow at her.
“I think we’ll both need another bath,” she said.
One bath and a conversation with the Sun Lifen’s mother later, they were on their way. As promised, they had tracked down the location of Grandmother Lu’s shop in the city. It wasn’t too far away and the morning weather was cool, so the pair decided to walk. As they went, Sun Lifen pointed out little points of interest. Sometimes, it was a building that had some historical significance. Other times, it was just a restaurant that made something she liked. Sen mostly listened, but occasionally interjected with some relevant historical fact that he’d learned from one of Uncle Kho’s scrolls.
After one of those, the young woman had turned and gave him a look. “How do you know these things?”
“My training took some interesting turns. One of my teachers used historical scrolls to help teach me how to read,” said Sen with a smile before gesturing ahead. “There it is.”
Grandmother Lu’s shop in Emperor’s Bay wasn’t quite as grand as the one in Orchard’s Reach, but it was clearly well-maintained. Sun Lifen eyed the place with keen interest.
“I’ve never been here before,” she said.
“I don’t suppose you’d have had a reason to,” offered Sen.
When they got inside, he was happy to see that the place seemed to be doing brisk business. Even so, their entrance got plenty of attention. It seemed that half the eyes in the place focused on the pair within seconds. Sen sighed a little.
“Everyone is staring at you,” whispered Sun Lifen.
“I doubt it,” said Sen. “Why would they look at me when you’re here?”
Sen put his hand on the small of Sun Lifen’s back and led her to where he could see a counter. The young man behind the counter couldn’t seem to decide who to stare at as they approached. Sen gave the flustered young man a smile.
“I’d like to speak with the manager, please,” he said.
“The manager is very busy, sir.”
“I’m sure they are, but they’ll want to see me.”
The young man clearly wanted to protest, but also didn’t want to cause a scene. “Very well. Who shall I say is here?”
“My name is Lu Sen.”
Sen doubted he could have stunned the man more effectively if he’d struck him across the face. For a moment, the employee’s face was just blank. Then, his mouth dropped open and his eyes went as wide as they could go. Then, all the color drained from his face.
“At once, honored guest,” croaked the young man before he turned and ran into the back.
Sen noticed Sun Lifen staring after the man like he’d lost his mind. Then, she turned her eyes on him. He answered the unspoken question.
“This business belongs to my grandmother.”
Sun Lifen nodded, then frowned, as though she couldn’t quite fit that new information into her mental picture of him. Before she could ask any follow-up questions, a heavyset man burst from the office in the back. The heavyset man looked around with wide eyes that locked on Sen. He hurried over and offered Sen a deep bow.
“Honored guest, this one is Li Fang, manager of this establishment. How may Grandmother Lu’s assist you today?”
Sen had noticed Sun Lifen eyeing some things as they walked over, so he gestured to her. “Please see to it that my companion has assistance finding anything that she needs.”
“At once, honored guest,” said the manager, before snapping his fingers.
A young woman appeared as if summoned by magic. She offered Sen and Sun Lifen a bow.
“How may I be of assistance today?” the young woman asked.
Sun Lifen seemed a little startled by all of the respectful attention she was getting, but she pulled it together enough to say, “I’d like to look at some of the silk fabric you have available.”
“Of course, honored guest, please follow me.”
Sun Lifen shot Sen an incredulous look as she walked away with the employee. Sen gave her a shrug before he turned back to the manager. The heavyset man looked a little unwell to Sen. He was a little green and there was sweat beading on the man’s forehead. Sen decided that he better get to the point before the man simply dropped dead where he stood.
“I only need assistance with a few minor matters,” said Sen.
“We are always at your service, young master,” said Li Fang.
“I wish to send two letters. One is to go to the Grandmother Lu’s shop in Orchard’s Reach. The other is to go to my grandmother herself,” said Sen, holding up a hand to forestall the other man. “I realize that she may be moving between locations at the moment. The letter isn’t urgent. I’d just like it to reach her when she does settle somewhere.”
The manager looked like he wanted to collapse in relief. Sen briefly wondered if Grandmother Lu had been spreading wild tales about him, or if her employees simply feared her wrath that much.
“Of course, young master. Do you have the letters prepared or do you need ink and scrolls?”
“I’ll need ink and scrolls please.”
The manager led Sen into the back. The heavyset man kept looking at Sen but seemed terrified to actually speak to him. Sen decided that he’d need to take the first step.
“The shop looks very well-maintained. I commend your efforts,” said Sen.
It seemed that Sen’s approval carried more weight than he expected because Li Fang seemed to calm considerably at those words.
“Thank you, young master. The employees here work very hard to uphold the reputation of our honored matriarch.”
“I will be sure to relay your excellent service to her in my letter.”
“We will all be most honored.”
After that, the manager became chattier. As he penned his letters to Grandmother Lu and his teachers back on the mountain, Sen asked some basic questions about the business, the customers, and what the manager thought of their future in the current location.
The manager seemed to hesitate at that last question before saying, “I believe that we will need to change locations eventually.”
“Oh,” said Sen. “Why is that?”
“This location is very good, excellent, but the shop is, perhaps, undersized for our needs now. When it is busy, the customers are often crowded.”
Sen nodded at the man’s words and added a few more lines to the letter to Grandmother Lu. He didn’t add an opinion, just passed along the manager’s concerns more or less as he’d stated them. Sen wasn’t in a position to judge how accurate or inaccurate they were, but he expected his grandmother would know how to treat those concerns. Once he finished and the ink was dried, he sealed the scrolls and indicated which should go where. The manager called another employee to the room, repeated the instructions, and handed the scrolls over.
“Are there any other ways in which Grandmother Lu’s can assist you today, young master?”
Sen thought for a moment before he nodded. “Maybe there is.”
The conversation that followed seemed to ignite the manager’s passion for business. The man’s eyes all but glowed with interest, and Sen suddenly understood why this man had been chosen to lead this particular branch of Grandmother Lu’s operation. Li Fang assured Sen that he would make quiet inquiries and pass along the information as soon as possible. When Sen told the man where messages could be sent, the manager didn’t even blink. In fact, he nodded in something that looked a bit like approval. When they reentered the public portion of the shop, Sen found Sun Lifen all but cradling a bolt of pale peach silk in her arms like a newborn baby. She kept running her hands over it.
“It’s pretty,” said Sen.
The young woman jumped a little at his words, his arrival having gone unnoticed in her adoration of the silk.
“It’s beautiful,” said Sun Lifen, sparing him only the briefest of looks.
“You should get it,” said Sen.
“I can’t. This is-,” she trailed off, then squeaked in surprise as Sen grabbed the entire bolt and walked to the counter.
“Come on,” he said over his shoulder.
“What are you doing?” she hissed.
Sen ignored her as he put the cloth down on the counter and asked the clerk, “How much?”
The employee backed away from the counter and held up his hands. “There is no charge for you, honored guest.”
Sen narrowed his eyes at the man. “My grandmother left orders, didn’t she?”
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