Part 3: Idle Time

Jiu Niangzi: Oh, no customers today?
Ms. Xu: Afraid not. We're on liquor ban after all.
Jiu Niangzi: Who decided what to do on different days, anyway? Isn't today just a normal day like any other?
Much time passes ... Jiǔ has grown considerably taller, no longer bearing the feral appearance she once had. The patrons have bestowed upon her the nickname "Jiǔ Niángzǐ," regarding her as a young maiden charged with selling and serving liquor, and indeed, as Ms. Xǔ's successor.
It didn't take long for her to shed her childhood demeanor. These days, she is immersed in the atmosphere of the tavern. She converses back and forth with the patrons with ease.
Jiǔ Niángzǐ half-heartedly wipes the dust off the liquor jars, having counted the bowls behind the counter numerous times.
She wanders the hall, idle and bored, and begins to read the "Regulations on Liquor Sale and Consumption" placard posted on one of the pillars.
Jiu Niangzi: I can't read it, save for a few characters. The customers talk about it all the time.
Jiu Niangzi: So often that I can even recite it now: "This regulation aims to prioritize the use of grain for food over liquor ..."
Jiu Niangzi: Ms. Xǔ reads it during the liquor ban too, as if it could make the permit days come sooner.
The regulations are filled with verbose and tedious phrases, but it is only at the end that it clearly states:
"Citizens are permitted to drink during holidays and on the first and 15th days of the month. Drinking is prohibited on all other days, including group drinking, private drinking, and the sale of liquor in taverns."
Jiu Niangzi: If not liquor, what else would be sold in a tavern? Whoever made this decision clearly doesn't understand what people want.
Jiu Niangzi: Or do they? There are lots of rules here that don't let people do what they want. Is it on purpose?
Jiu Niangzi: Lǐzhèng manages the merchant hub ... Is he a guardian? Is he a Xiángruì?
A knock echoes at the door. In accordance with the regulations, the tavern can only open the door halfway on liquor ban days.
A patron slips into the front hall, flipping a few copper coins in hand and greeting like an old friend.
Citizen IV: Ms. Xǔ, I'll have three rice buns. The freshly made ones.
Citizen IV: Truly, no one makes better rice buns than you!
Citizen IV: Can't you save me some next time? Every time I'm a little bit late, they're sold out.
On the table lies a large basket, brimming with small, golden, crispy buns with sesame seeds sprinkled on top. Here, they are known simply as rice buns.
Ms. Xǔ moves as fast as serving liquor, picks out three rice buns, and hands them over to the patron.
Ms. Xu: Glad you like them. As you know, we can't do liquor business during the ban.
Ms. Xu: Luckily, the rice we use to make liquor can be made into buns. We wouldn't be able to make a living if we didn't make these, and of course, if we didn't have your and the neighborhood's support.
Citizen IV: Hey, isn't this Jiǔ Niángzǐ? I thought you just slept in the back during the liquor ban.
Jiu Niangzi: Sleep? No work, no food. It's as simple as that.
Jiu Niangzi: So I need to work too. Sweep the floor, wipe the jars—all the cleaning, really.
Citizen IV: Look at you, giving me a full speech.
Citizen IV: I remember when you first got here. You could barely say a full sentence!
Citizen IV: What a blessing it is that Ms. Xǔ took you in. She's fed and taught you all this time. Make sure you thank her properly when you've grown up, eh?
Jiu Niangzi: Blessing ... Hmm, blessing ...
Ms. Xǔ takes out a small cup and fills it with the tea from the teapot on the counter, inviting the visitor to drink it.
Citizen IV: Thank you. I always get thirsty on my trip over here ... My, what nice tea this is!
Citizen IV: A sip of clear tea like this is sure to melt the worries away. You really know how to run a business, Ms. Xǔ.
Ms. Xu: You flatter me. I'm just putting myself in the customer's shoes.
Ms. Xu: It's the only way to run a long-lasting business. With the liquor ban ongoing, I'm counting on rice buns and tea to make a living.
Throughout the morning, a steady stream of customers come to buy her buns, until only seven or eight remain in the basket. Those who come too late truly will miss out.
After purchasing their buns, the patrons always make a point to drink a cup of tea in the tavern, draining it in one gulp. Only then do they leave contented.
Jiu Niangzi: Ms. Xǔ, the buns are selling quickly. Every time I go to the street, people ask me if there are any left.
Jiu Niangzi: Why don't we just sell buns instead of liquor? Then we wouldn't need to run around and serve the patrons.
Jiu Niangzi: We'd just sit here and pass the buns to the customers.
Ms. Xu: What are you talking about? We're running a tavern, not a bakery.
Ms. Xu: People buy our buns because they're made in a tavern. If we didn't make liquor, we wouldn't have the ingredients to make them.
Jiu Niangzi: But aren't they made of rice?
The rice buns in the basket continue to emit their fragrance, a scent both familiar and foreign to Jiǔ Niángzǐ. She has never seen how these buns are made.
She retires early each night, only to awaken to the enticing aroma the next morning. By then, Ms. Xǔ has already prepared a basket full of rice buns and is setting them up on the table.
Ms. Xu: Yes, but not entirely. They're made with the rice from the tavern.
Ms. Xu: We use grain to make liquor, including rice, wheat, millet, and many others.
Ms. Xu: You see, I always go to the grain store myself to get the best ingredients.
Ms. Xu: After liquor is made, the lees left are called Jiǔniàng. Similar to your name. Rice buns are made of Jiǔniàng and buckwheat flour.
Jiu Niangzi: Oh, I didn't know that. No wonder it smells better than other buns.
Ms. Xu: But it comes at a cost. Making buns is more tiring than making liquor!
As she speaks, Ms. Xǔ playfully taps the tip of Jiǔ Niángzǐ's nose.
Ms. Xu: The freshly made rice buns taste the best. They lose their fragrance after a day.
Ms. Xu: To make the buns, we need to take the Jiǔniàng out of the liquor jar before three in the morning and mix the flour before five, knead and shape nearly a hundred of them, then heat the earthen oven and put them inside ...
Ms. Xu: I wouldn't have to work so hard if there were no liquor bans, let alone the neighborhood is counting on me to make the buns.
Jiu Niangzi: Neighborhood is counting on you ...
Jiu Niangzi: People need Ms. Xǔ ...
Though Ms. Xǔ speaks only of making buns and other mundane tasks, she gives her listener pause for thought.
Jiǔ Niángzǐ's heart stirs, and she suddenly recalls the words of the Daoist.
Jiu Niangzi: Ms. Xǔ, do you know what a Xiángruì is?
Jiu Niangzi: I heard that it's something good.
Ms. Xu: Where did you hear about that? Oh, from the drinkers, of course.
Ms. Xu: They're just drunk and talking nonsense. Don't take it seriously.
Ms. Xu: But I have heard about Xiángruì. They say they're divine beasts, guardians with special power.
Jiu Niangzi: Have you seen it before? Can I see it?
Upon hearing that Ms. Xǔ holds some insight on Xiángruì, Jiǔ Niángzǐ becomes quite agitated, eagerly moving closer to her.
Ms. Xǔ has no choice but to guide Jiǔ Niángzǐ to first take a seat before she begins speaking to her properly.
Ms. Xu: Easy, girl. There's not much I can tell you.
Ms. Xu: The frequenters said that, before the bridge was broken, this city had a Xiángruì as a guardian.
Ms. Xu: It looked like a horse, and it ran faster than the wind. But its story is long lost to time; no one knows if it's real.
Jiu Niangzi: Do you know what a Xiángruì does? Or how to become one?
Ms. Xu: Um, just like in every story, they help people when they need it and disappear soon after they're safe.
Ms. Xu: As for how to become one ... They're monsters and Yāos. I've never heard of a person becoming a Xiángruì.
Seeing Jiǔ Niángzǐ sitting there with her ears perked up, she dares not hold back a single word.
Ms. Xu: You're just like that boy from the silk store. He, too, could listen to the stories of Yāos and monsters all day long.
Ms. Xu: He asks people about the stories in The Classic of Mountains and Seas every single day. Little by little, he learned how to read without ever going to school.
Ms. Xu: If you want to know more about Xiángruì, maybe Mr. Liǔ from the clinic can help. He's knowledgeable. He might be able to teach you how to read.
Ms. Xu: And then you can help me with the bookkeeping or writing toasts.
Jiǔ Niángzǐ feels a surge of joy within her. If she could read, then she could read books, and, as she has heard many say, books contain absolutely everything—surely, that includes everything about the Xiángruì, too.
Without hesitation, she agrees and promptly sets out to find Mr. Liǔ.
Ms. Xu: Oh, before you go, take this.
Ms. Xǔ pulls out a sheet of jute paper, carefully wraps twelve buns within it, and ties it up.
She then takes out some coins and asks Jiǔ Niángzǐ to give them to Mr. Liǔ together with the buns.
Jiu Niangzi: Are the coins for medicine? Are you sick?
Ms. Xu: No, silly, it's not for me. It's for the favor you're about to ask.
Ms. Xu: Sweetie, when you're asking someone for a favor, you don't come empty-handed. That's one manner in socializing. You still have a lot to learn.
Jiu Niangzi: So, buns and money equal good etiquette?
Jiu Niangzi: How strange. It is heavy to carry.
As the half-moon wanes and the new moon rises, the streets bustle with life. Now, on each liquor ban afternoon, Jiǔ Niángzǐ visits the clinic at the end of the street to meet Mr. Liǔ and learn the art of letters and words.
To avoid disturbing the clinic's work, Jiǔ Niángzǐ often brings a small stool to sit on by the doorway.
Jiu Niangzi: "As warmth fades, the cold follows, the autumn harvest begins ..."
Jiu Niangzi: "Autumn harvest begins" ... and, um, ...
Mr. Liu: "And we hoard food for winter." Jiǔ Niángzǐ, are you still having trouble reciting Thousand Character Classic?
Mr. Liu: I'm confused. You learn everything quickly, except for reading. Every time I teach you how to read something, you forget it right away.
Mr. Liu: I suppose not everyone is gifted enough to read.
Jiu Niangzi: Reading is so much harder than serving liquor. I always get a headache when I start reading something ...
Jiu Niangzi: And these characters look like earthworms ...
Mr. Liu: "Sky black, earth golden. Vast universe, limitless cosmos." Knowledge and culture were easily lost before Cāngjié invented characters. Through reading these "earthworms," wisdom, discipline, and manners have been passed down for generations.
Mr. Liu: One is not civilized until one is able to read—able to read the books of the sages at that.
Jiu Niangzi: That Cāngjié sounds like a bad guy.
Jiu Niangzi: He could've made the characters easier to read if he really wanted people to learn.
Mr. Liu: ...
Jiu Niangzi: Mr. Liǔ, do you know what a Xiángruì is? Ms. Xǔ said that you're knowledgeable and would be able to answer my questions.
Mr. Liu: The so called Xiángruì ...
Mr. Liǔ pauses momentarily. Fortunately, his proclivity for reading allows him to address the question with ease, thus preserving his dignity in front of the young lady.
Mr. Liu: ... also known as "the sign of auspiciousness." When it appears, it's a good omen from heaven, and things will go well.
Mr. Liu: But its form is unpredictable. It could be a colorful cloud, two-spike wheat, or a dry spring that somehow flourishes. Under some circumstances, it could even be an exotic beast.
The phrase "exotic beast" strikes Jiǔ Niángzǐ like a hammer, prompting her to inquire further.
Jiu Niangzi: Oh! Do you know how an animal becomes a Xiángruì?
Mr. Liu: Uh, um ... How could I know? The books I read are the philosophical studies of sages and scholars, not monster stories for children.
Jiu Niangzi: Then you don't know anything either. I thought you knew everything.
These words leave Mr. Liǔ speechless. All he can do is scratch his head.
Suddenly, he remembers that there are other ways to chronicle the world's wonders besides words. He strides into the clinic and reemerges with several dusty, time-worn tomes in hand.
As he unfurls their pages, they reveal coarsely printed illustrations of mountain spirits and wild monsters, each annotated in a diminutive square script.
Mr. Liu: Here, these are picture books about the monster stories you like. There's only a little text.
Mr. Liu: You can research the Xiángruì legends while learning some characters. Two birds, one stone, and all that.
Jiǔ Niángzǐ takes the book and cradles it gently in her hands. She turns the pages in awe.
Seizing this quiet moment, Mr. Liǔ takes out two rice buns and places a large bowl on the counter.
Jiu Niangzi: I want a rice bun, too.
Mr. Liu: So you can drink. I thought Ms. Xǔ said you didn't like the taste of liquor.
Mr. Liu: Even the most experienced drinker can't eat a rice bun without water.
Jiu Niangzi: What are you talking about? I don't drink. I just want to know what the rice buns taste like. Ms. Xǔ's never let me have one before.
Mr. Liu: Oh dear, so Ms. Xǔ didn't tell you. I fear I've said too much ...
Mr. Liu: But you do live in the tavern and help her do all the work. It's only a matter of time before you find out ... Alright, I'll show you.
Mr. Liǔ carefully crumbles a rice bun into the bowl. He then pours hot tea over it, and a familiar aroma wafts into Jiǔ Niángzǐ's nostrils.
That mellow fermented fragrance, mixed with the dry scent of sesame and the smoky aroma of the roasted hearth, fills the air.
Jiu Niangzi: Whoa, the water turns the bun into liquor!
Jiǔ Niángzǐ leans over the counter, her delicate face reflected in the bowl. The rice bun has dissolved, leaving only a few grains at the bottom of the bowl.
Mr. Liu: Because of the liquor ban, we can't directly buy liquor, so Ms. Xǔ came up with this rice bun idea.
Mr. Liu: The Jiǔniàng used in the buns is specially made, keeping most of the alcohol in it, so that the bun has a strong smell of alcohol.
Mr. Liu: Eating it is like drinking distilled alcohol; only a drunkard could handle that.
Mr. Liu: But watering it down makes it easy to drink. A bowl of this liquor can take all your worries away.
Jiu Niangzi: So that's why people come and buy buns during the liquor ban.
Jiu Niangzi: Ms. Xǔ is so clever. What a creative way to give people drinks!
Mr. Liu: Drinking a bowl or two and getting lost in our own thoughts. This is one of a few entertainments for us common people.
Mr. Liu: The liquor ban has led to some inventive ways for people to get their liquor.
Mr. Liu: Luckily, the government is not very strict about it, and thanks to Ms. Xǔ, drinkers like us can have a sip when we want.
Jiu Niangzi: I never knew that ... Ms. Xǔ is really helping people.
Jiu Niangzi: I should do that too. As soon as I get back to the tavern, I'll tell her that I'll help her deliver the buns.
This spirited young girl, showing such audacity in her utter indifference to the laws against liquor, earns nothing but admiration from Mr. Liǔ.
Mr. Liu: But remember, you didn't hear this from me.
Jiu Niangzi: You didn't tell me anything. I figured it out myself.