Luo Yuan's pay was only market rate, but her daily work was very easy. Most of the time, she simply ground ink for him while he worked. Occasionally, Luo Yuan would have her use a feather duster to sweep dust in the warehouse. The rest of the time, Yang Ruoning would continue working at Fan Lou to pay off her debt. Luo Yuan had offered to pay it for her, but she refused. After all, he had already helped so much; there was no reason to ask him to pay her debts too.
Yang Ruoning admitted that watching a handsome man work diligently was extremely pleasing to the eye, but as the sole employee in the manor, Luo Yuan often needed her by his side. Furthermore, he had many social engagements, and every evening Yang Ruoning had to accompany him to various banquets, which she found rather unbearable. She disliked those occasions. She didn't care about people staring at her or their whispered gossip; she simply found it boring and a waste of her free time.
That evening, on her way home from Fan Lou, she lodged a protest with Luo Yuan. The two haggled all the way, and finally, Luo Yuan agreed to a monthly raise of two taels of silver and two days off per week, but with one extremely perverse prerequisite: Yang Ruoning had to learn to read and write and report her whereabouts at all times.
Yang Ruoning cursed his entire family in her heart before reluctantly agreeing to his terms.
Because besides finding that young lady, Yang Ruoning now had another important task. She needed to find a way, a way to punish that scoundrel Jiang Yuan.
Hiring someone to beat him up would be satisfying, but for such a habitually arrogant bully, it wouldn't solve the root problem. She needed to find a way to destroy him mentally.
She gathered much gossip in the marketplace and, after trailing the scoundrel for several weeks, finally found a leverage point.
Like everyone else in this era, that scoundrel deeply believed in spirits and deities and was extremely afraid of ghosts. Every seven days, he would visit a temple outside the city to get an amulet for protection, which he would wear on his waist.
Yang Ruoning had always been an atheist. She believed that ghosts and deities were merely the personification of people's fears of the unknown. Because of the unknown, there was fear, and because of fear, everything inexplicable was attributed to the machinations of ghosts and monsters.
As a horror movie enthusiast, Yang Ruoning always felt that female ghosts with smoky makeup and white dresses were secondary. A good horror movie director should be adept at building atmosphere in the early stages of the film. Elements that enhance the terrifying mood, such as lighting, background sound, and color palette, were more important.
Sounds that cannot be seen or touched but can only be heard by the individual were among the most representative cinematic devices.
And creating such a sound was as simple as using a Bluetooth earphone.
As for the placement, Yang Ruoning chose Jiang Yuan's sedan chair. The sedan chairs for guests at Fan Lou would typically drop off their masters at the main entrance and then proceed to a back alley to wait. Many simple and cheap teahouses and wine shops were in the alley, where sedan chair bearers would often eat and chat while waiting for their masters. Thus, the sedan chair would be unattended at this time.
As usual that day, Yang Ruoning followed Luo Yuan to Fan Lou. Using an excuse, she quietly slipped away to the back alley and, without any obstruction, hid a small Bluetooth earphone inside Jiang Yuan's sedan chair.
The ghost sounds she intended to play for Jiang Yuan had been secretly recorded a few nights ago from a horror movie on her computer. It was nothing special, just a somewhat eerie background sound mixed with some mumbling. However, Bluetooth earphones had a range limit, so her next step was to lie in wait on Jiang Yuan's route home.
That day, Yang Ruoning made an excuse to Luo Yuan, saying she had something to attend to and would return to the manor a little later. Luo Yuan seemed accustomed to her recent tardiness and early departures; he simply said, "Come back early."
As predicted, the female ghost's sound effects exceeded expectations. That night, Yang Ruoning saw the scoundrel practically catapult out of the sedan chair. His face was deathly pale, and he tremblingly asked those around him if they had heard that sound.
Hmph, not even as brave as a chicken, Yang Ruoning thought.
Psychology requires a gradual approach. After scaring him once, Yang Ruoning planned to act again in a few days.
During these intervening days, Yang Ruoning was in an extremely good mood. To apologize for her frequent absences, she voluntarily took on the task of cleaning the storeroom.
Humming a tune, she swept meticulously at the books and ornaments on the lacquered wooden shelves with a feather duster. She couldn't understand the books, but the crafts truly amazed her. The beautiful colors and delicate textures left Yang Ruoning speechless. She marveled that the craftsmanship of a thousand years ago was unimaginable in modern society. She wondered if human skill and aesthetics had degenerated, or if everyone had lost the patience and craftsmanship for meticulous work.
Luo Yuan entered at some point. When Yang Ruoning saw him, he was leaning against a window, flipping through a book. Yang Ruoning's gaze, however, fell upon a crystal-clear vase on the shelf behind him.
It was the Tiffany vase she had sold for twenty taels of silver.
"That vase is beautiful," Yang Ruoning said, pointing at it.
"Yes, it can be considered a unique treasure in the world," Luo Yuan replied without looking up. He probably knew which vase she was referring to.
"How much... did you buy it for?" Yang Ruoning asked.
"I forget how much, perhaps this much?" He held up five fingers.
"Fifty taels?"
"Five hundred taels."
Upon hearing the amount, Yang Ruoning's mouth twitched involuntarily. She felt she had been ripped off, utterly and completely.
After calming herself, Yang Ruoning asked, "General Luo, may I have a month's leave? I need to go back to my hometown to retrieve something."
"No," Luo Yuan refused without a moment's hesitation.
f***k, so I didn't have to make money so arduously! Yang Ruoning cried out to the heavens.