Chapter 1518 - Disguise

If she could access last night's operation records, everything would be crystal clear—every customer had to register their ID. Unfortunately, as borrowed auxiliary personnel, she had no authority to view the inspection materials, nor could she request Night Flower's guest registry. Only the Public Order Division and Criminal Investigation Division had that access.

Still, the materials she had gathered were sufficient. Li Yongxun decided the next step was to find an opportunity to verify in person at Haixing Store.

That night, Lin Ming was in high spirits after discovering his sister-in-law's whereabouts. His vigor surged, and he went at it vigorously several more times. After the complimentary half-hour, he added another. Only when he saw the courtesan beginning to flag and his circulation vouchers running dangerously low did he reluctantly wash, dress, and leave.

Walking out to the main hall, he found Wang Xinglong already there drinking tea. Seeing him emerge, Wang cupped his hands with a smile. "Brother Lin, you are truly formidable!"

"Please, please," Lin Ming demurred hastily. "How much did it come to...?"

"Not much." Wang Xinglong produced the bill. Lin Ming glanced at it and relaxed somewhat—it was within his means. In a Ming pleasure house, this amount would not even get you close enough to touch a courtesan's hand.

Each paid his own bill. Afterward, Xiao Liu presented two small pink calling cards—from the courtesans who had attended them. Each bore a stage name and the establishment's name. On the reverse was a thirty-day calendar with different days circled in red.

Lin Ming did not understand. It was common for courtesans to give regular customers calling cards, but what did the circled dates mean? Could they be the days of her monthly courses?

"Those are her rest days—circled dates mean she can't work. It's the law," Wang Xinglong explained. "Naturally, days of her monthly courses are also off-limits."

"I never imagined the pleasure houses here had holidays," Lin Ming marveled.

In traditional society, apart from officials who had so-called rest days, most workers had no days off—at most a few days around the New Year.

"That's Australian rules. Every trade must have at least two rest days a month," Wang Xinglong said.

"Does our shop have these days off too?"

"Anyone who dares defy Australian rules is digging sand by now." Wang Xinglong smiled. "The Australians are very strict about rule of law. I actually think they're rather like the Legalists described in the histories. Tomorrow is our rest day—that's why I dared bring you here. Otherwise, if tomorrow we were aching and exhausted, how could we get any work done?"

"I see." The two strolled along. As it was late at night, there were few people on the streets. Along the way, patrol teams stopped them for inspection several more times. It was past midnight when they finally returned to the shop. Entering through the back door, they found Wang Jinchun still awake. Seeing them back, she gave Wang Xinglong another scolding. He simply smiled and said nothing. The two washed up, changed clothes, turned off the light, and went to bed.

Wang Xinglong was young and carefree; after venting his energy and exhausting himself, he was snoring within moments of lying down. Lin Ming's body was weary, but sleep would not come.

Finding Li Yongxun so quickly had exceeded his expectations, and that brief exchange of glances had told him his sister-in-law still held feelings for him. This greatly increased the likelihood of bringing her back to Foshan.

Since she was now a public servant, it would be inconvenient for him to seek her out. But if she wanted to find him, it should be easy.

Once they could meet, they could plan their escape from Lingao. In his few days here, he had learned that Lingao allowed free entry and exit. Leaving Qiongzhou Prefecture required no special paperwork—just stamping and canceling one's certificate before boarding. Ships departed daily for various coastal destinations; returning to Guangzhou would not be difficult.

The only uncertainty was whether she would be willing to come find him. This, Lin Ming could not quite gauge. After all, Li Yongxun had been in Lingao for over two years. Since she could move freely and had not escaped, there must be some reason.

By all logic, Li Yongxun's submission to the Cropped-Hairs had to have been forced. She came from generations of a loyal and true family, had always been devoted to the Emperor, and hoped to serve the court. Moreover, her parents and kin were still in Nanjing.

So Lin Ming was not worried about persuading his sister-in-law to flee. What worried him was why she had not already fled—what constraints held her here.

After much deliberation, Lin Ming decided to use his day off tomorrow to leave Brocade Guard code marks in several places around East Gate Market. He had taught Li Yongxun some of these years ago; they could be used to arrange a secret meeting. He figured that once she saw the marks, she would surely come to meet him. After all, she had a deep Brocade Guard complex. Using these marks would not only notify her but also rekindle her original aspirations.

The next day, Li Yongxun rose early—she had barely slept at all. Near dawn she had closed her eyes briefly, only to dream of her time in Foshan at the Lin household: happy days spent with her brother-in-law, elder sister, and the aunties. When she woke, her tears had soaked the pillowcase.

The dormitory was empty. Her roommate and apprentice, Zuo Yamei, had already gone to work. Li Yongxun ached all over, yet could not fall back asleep. She was anxious to find Lin Ming, to learn why he had come to Lingao, to urge him to leave immediately. She also wanted him to carry a message to her parents and family.

Her uniform hung neatly ironed by the bed—Zuo Yamei's handiwork. Ever since moving in, she had voluntarily taken over dormitory cleaning. This finally relieved Li Yongxun, who had been repeatedly cited for failing room inspections. She had grown up with servants at her beck and call and was hopeless at housework; every time she cleaned, she made a worse mess.

When Zuo Yamei first arrived, Li Yongxun had doubted she was the type to do chores—not only because of her striking looks, but because her bearing and manners exuded a rare quality that often made Li Yongxun feel inferior.

To her surprise, this seemingly refined woman was remarkably efficient at housework. She not only kept the dormitory spotless but could iron clothes—out of basic shame, Li Yongxun absolutely refused to let her do her laundry, but she tacitly allowed the ironing. Cotton uniforms wrinkled so easily! And having her iron them was far better than risking another fire—she had in fact once burned a uniform trying to iron it herself.

Zuo Yamei's ironing was impeccable, and there seemed to be no household task she could not do. Though the dormitory had no kitchen, whenever the topic of cooking came up, she always had insightful things to say. As for clothing and style—the natural domain of women—she was without peer. On rest days when the two went shopping, Zuo Yamei always drew more admiring glances. She never commented on Li Yongxun's outfit choices, but her own ensembles made the point eloquently: You don't know how to dress! Lately, Li Yongxun had been wearing her uniform on outings more and more often.

As a result, her dislike of Zuo Yamei grew. Of course, such petty jealousy between young women could not be shown; outwardly, the two got along quite well.

She glanced at Zuo Yamei's bed: already neat and tidy, blanket folded perfectly, sheets without a single crease. The straw slippers she had taken off were placed precisely under the bed. Yawning idly, she suddenly noticed an outfit hanging on the opposite clothes rack that she had never seen before.

It was a Song-style garment—the current term for the new fashions the Australians had brought. Li Yongxun had bought quite a few herself. But this Song-style outfit was unlike anything she had seen. A close-fitting navy-blue jacket with a triangular open collar—she knew this was called a Western-style lapel; some senior officials occasionally wore such jackets.

Inside was a white blouse, with a red strip of fabric loosely draped around the collar. Li Yongxun had seen Fangtso Di students wear something similar—a decorative tie worn at the chest—but their uniforms used a triangular scarf.

Below was a pleated plaid skirt in wool. Li Yongxun estimated that on someone of Zuo Yamei's height, it would barely cover the knees—far too short!

She gingerly touched the clothes. The jacket was probably a wool-cotton blend—not thick, but very crisp and wrinkle-free. The blouse was fine white silk. The skirt was made of imported thin wool.

Was this a new Song-style fashion? Yet Li Yongxun had recently gone shopping with Zuo Yamei and had not seen any store selling this, nor had she seen her buy it.

"How strange. Where did these clothes come from?" Li Yongxun muttered, then went to wash up.

After washing, she found a common naturalized-women's dress—a one-piece style—and changed into it. She took out a straw bag and packed a set of Ming-style women's clothing, intending to find a place outside to change. Fortunately, she had not cut her hair; her twin buns would not look out of place with any outfit.

Many non-naturalized women in Lingao still wore traditional styles. A woman in naturalized clothing would stand out.

Li Yongxun hurried out, boarded a public carriage, and headed straight for East Gate Market. To avoid drawing attention, she got off at the Wenshui Bridge transfer station, changed clothes in a public restroom, and slipped quietly into East Gate Market.

She knew the area well. But since Haixing Store was located on a street outside the commercial district, she bought a map at a newsstand. She soon found the shop.

She did not go directly to inquire, nor did she dare approach too closely—because Haixing Store was on the list.

Shops on the list were under constant surveillance; their mail was periodically spot-checked.

Haixing Store dealt in local specialty goods. Its owner was a Ming merchant; most of its managers and clerks had not been purified, and their political reliability was unclear. Its sales channels were mainly in the Ming, and most of its trading partners were Ming merchants.

Because the Political Security Bureau had limited manpower and could not handle everything, much surveillance work was assisted by the National Police. Thus Li Yongxun had some familiarity with this shop.