In the afternoon, the wind on the river was fierce, howling so hard it made the pennants on the boats flap noisily.
Someone shouted that it was snowing. The people in the cabin leaned out to take a look and saw snow drifting down at a slant, filling the sky.
“The boat’s about to dock! Those getting off at the prefectural city, prepare to disembark! Passenger boats can’t stop long—if you miss the time, the boat won’t wait!”
The boatman shouted twice at the top of his lungs, stirring the cabin into commotion. As people drilled their way out, curses followed one after another.
“Freezing us to death! Chasing people out of the cabin this early.”
“Oh my—since when does it snow this hard? And the wind’s so strong, you can’t even hold an umbrella.”
“How are we supposed to walk in this…”
The big boat pulled in and rocked back slightly. Sailors jumped down and quickly secured it to the bank. Only after the boat steadied did the passengers begin to disembark one by one.
Brokers standing on the shore with their hands tucked into their sleeves saw at last that the boat had stopped and people were coming off. They hurried over, forgetting the cold altogether.
“Madam, need a place to stay? I know an inn that opened just today—cheap and good! In weather like this, hurry and find a place to settle down and get a bowl of hot soup!”
The woman he stopped hunched her neck, squinting in the wind and snow as she shook her head. Frozen stiff, she couldn’t even be bothered to speak and walked straight past him, lips purple with cold. The broker chased after her anyway. “That inn’s brand new! It’s specially for ge’ers and women—perfect for a lady traveling alone!”
“I live right here in the city! Blocking our way like this—are you trying to freeze this old woman to death at the docks?”
Already chilled and pestered relentlessly, the woman finally couldn’t hold back and cursed him.
The broker shrank his neck. In this line of work, getting scolded and glared at was nothing new. With a wave of his hand, he turned to grab other customers, thinking that the snow must really have muddled his eyes—he couldn’t even tell locals from outsiders.
“Broker, did you just say there’s an inn in the city that only takes in ge’ers and women?”
Just as his luck was turning sour, a plainly dressed ge’er clutching a bundle to his chest came up and asked.
The broker sized him up and saw simple padded clothes and a cautious expression. This time it was clear—an outsider.
He immediately smiled and said, “That’s right. It opened today. You picked a good day, ge’er. If you go now, you can get a bargain. Even with snow like this, having a good place to stay makes the journey much easier, doesn’t it?”
“Is it really only for ge’ers and women?”
The ge’er asked again, still doubtful.
“How could that be fake? The innkeeper is a ge’er himself. He understands the inconveniences ge’ers and women face better than anyone. He used to run an inn that did great business. Now that he’s made some money, he’s doing this as a benevolent venture.
Not just the owner—the staff are all ge’ers and women too. They don’t even hire male workers. He specifically instructed us brokers not to bring male guests over. They don’t accept them at all!”
Hearing this, the ge’er was clearly moved, though he still didn’t immediately agree.
Seeing his timid look, which he was used to, the broker said, “The prefectural city’s full of constables patrolling and keeping order. No one dares do that kind of abducting business. Ge’er, you can be bolder.”
As he spoke, he deftly pulled out his broker’s license for inspection. “All aboveboard!”
After looking at the license, the ge’er finally relaxed a little. He was traveling to visit relatives and passing through Tidal Prefecture, planning to continue on. He hadn’t expected to run straight into heavy snow as soon as he disembarked.
The cold was so sharp that every breath he exhaled turned into white mist. It wasn’t early anymore, and he wasn’t dressed very warmly. If he wandered outside any longer, he’d probably catch a chill. It would be best to find an inn for the night and continue at dawn.
But he rarely traveled. Walking through an unfamiliar city left him uneasy. If he searched for an inn on his own, he feared stumbling into a shady place. Finding a proper broker at least offered some assurance.
“Is the price for such a good inn very high?”
“Inns have all kinds of rooms. If you want cheap, there are shared bunks—just a few dozen coins to make do. If you want better, there are rooms for over a hundred, even several hundred coins.”
The young ge’er fell silent.
The broker glanced around and saw there weren’t many passengers left. He added, “If you’re set on staying, you could wait over in the wind shed first. I’ll grab a few more guests from this boat, and then we can call a carriage they work with to take you all over together.
If you’re still uneasy, you can go take a look first. If you like it, stay. If not, don’t. No pressure. How’s that?”
Hearing this, the ge’er felt even more reassured and agreed, heading to the wind shed first.
The wind shed was decent enough, with a small stove heating some tea water. The ge’er didn’t dare pour himself any to drink, but he did pour out a bowl to hold and warm his hands.
Before long, two more women were brought over to the shed. The three exchanged polite greetings and huddled around the stove for warmth. Outside, the wind and snow only grew stronger. In no time at all, the brokers soliciting customers in the gray-white blur had snow piling up on their heads and shoulders.
“All right! The carriage has been called. Wait just a moment more and I’ll take you over.”
The broker brought another man into the wind shed. By now, there were hardly any people left at the docks.
The ge’er who had come in earlier saw the man enter and immediately rose from the bench, taking small steps over to the broker. “Didn’t you say you weren’t bringing in male guests?”
“Don’t panic, ge’er,” the broker said quickly. “You all will be staying in one place, and that young fellow will be staying somewhere else. Not to mention, my employer has two inns—there’s no way I’d put you all up in the same one. And even besides that, I’ve got other proprietors I work with who do take male guests.”
Only then did the ge’er relax. The two women, having heard this, were also reassured.
Before long, the carriage arrived. The broker led everyone outside. When the other brokers saw that he had brought four guests with him, one of them called out, “Old Wang, you’re really raking it in today!”
Broker Wang puffed out his chest proudly, shot the others a smug look, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and climbed into the covered carriage, heading into the city with his passengers.
Two carriages were used. One first dropped the man off at the small inn on Shili Street. After that, the broker joined the other carriage and took the remaining guests to the new shop.
The newly opened inn was also in the southern part of the city. In truth, it wasn’t far from Shili Street at all—on foot, it was less than a quarter-hour walk, and by carriage it was even faster. After a few turns, they arrived at the entrance.
The three guests lifted the curtain to take a look and saw bits of red paper scattered on the street—firecracker remnants that the heavy snow had not yet completely buried.
Looking up, they saw the inn’s signboard still decorated with fresh red silk. On the plaque were carved two simple characters: Women’s Inn. The brushwork was crisp, and the paint was newly applied—it truly had just opened.
“Shopkeeper Ji! I’ve brought you three guests—do you still have empty rooms?” the broker called out.
As soon as his words fell, the three people in the carriage saw a young ge’er with exceptionally pleasant features step out from inside.
The ge’er wore a white rabbit-fur muffler around his neck and earmuffs on his head. His expression was gentle and welcoming.
“It’s not too late yet,” he said. “We still have rooms.”
Hearing this, the broker turned back to the women and the ge’er in the carriage. “There are empty rooms. You three can get down now.”
The ge’er was the first to hop off the carriage. Goose-feather snow fell thickly. Hugging his bundle, he hurried to run inside, but when he stepped down, he realized no snow was falling on him. He looked up and saw that the shopkeeper was holding a broad umbrella over him.
“Quickly go inside,” the shopkeeper said warmly. “There’s a brazier burning in the hall—it’s much warmer than out here. You’re dressed so lightly; be careful not to catch a chill.”
The ge’er felt a sudden warmth in his chest. He thanked him, and the shopkeeper held the umbrella over him all the way inside. In this way, Shu Rui personally ushered all three guests indoors.
Afterward, he said to Broker Wang, “Broker Wang, why don’t you come in and have a cup of hot tea to warm up? The carriage driver can come too.”
Broker Wang followed him inside, but the carriage driver waved his hand and thanked Shu Rui for the offer. Business was good in this wind and snow, and he didn’t want to waste time.
Shu Rui had no choice but to let it go. Back inside the inn, he asked the three new guests kindly, “Would you like to see the rooms first? If you don’t mind the trouble, you can look before deciding. If you’d rather not, I can introduce them to you here.”
Once they entered, they found that a brazier was indeed burning in the hall—it was far warmer than the carriage. They also saw two people already sitting there drinking tea, both women and ge’ers. From the back kitchen, a server came out carrying hot pastries. The server was tall and slender, also a ge’er.
Seeing that the broker had not deceived them, the two women immediately decided to stay. One took a shared bunk room, and the other chose a lower room.
The ge’er who had first spoken up was more timid and cautious. He insisted on taking a look before deciding.
Shu Rui, patient as ever, led him upstairs to the three rooms that were still vacant—two upper rooms and one lower room.
The ge’er stepped inside carefully. As he entered each of the three rooms, he caught a different faint fragrance. The furnishings matched the room names. In the Plum Room, the scent of plum blossoms was sweet but not cloying; the bed curtains were simple and elegant, patterned with matching plum blossoms. The Orchid Room had a corresponding set of furnishings as well.
Not only were the rooms fragrant and refined, but all the washing and bathing items were provided—and all of them were of good quality.
The ge’er thought to himself that one could easily say these rooms belonged to the private quarters of a well-bred young lady or young master.
He felt that he couldn’t afford such a place, but he still gathered his courage and asked, “May I ask how much an upper room costs per night?”
“Four hundred coins a night,” Shu Rui replied. “Everything in the room can be used, and you may even take the items with you. Hot water is provided freely, and one breakfast is included. Since today is our opening day, there’s a fifteen percent discount.”
“That makes it three hundred and forty coins.”
“As for the lower rooms, they’re cheaper—one hundred and seventy coins. But right now there’s only one Chrysanthemum Room left; the other three are already occupied.”
The ge’er acknowledged this but didn’t say he would stay. Although he felt the room was well worth the price, asking him to spend over a hundred coins for one night was still a strain on his purse.
Feeling embarrassed, he hesitated and said he wanted to look at the shared bunk room before deciding.
He secretly watched Shu Rui’s expression, afraid the shopkeeper might grow impatient. To his surprise, Shu Rui showed no displeasure at all and instead warmly led him toward the shared bunks.
“There are only two shared bunk rooms here. Each room can sleep five people. The east room already has three women staying there. The west room currently has only one husband staying in it. If you like, you could stay in the west room and keep him company.”
The ge’er peeked inside. Though it was a large shared bunk costing only around fifty coins, the room was still pleasantly fragrant. To his surprise, each person had their own small quilt, pale in color and visibly clean.
Because someone was sleeping inside, a brazier had been set up, making the room warm and cozy.
With all his worries gone, the ge’er immediately decided to stay.
He had stayed in inns before, but for the same few dozen coins, there had never been anything this good.
Shu Rui completed the check-in for him and saw him into the bunk room, saying as he did, “After you’ve rested a bit, you can come down to the hall if you like. There are some free cosmetics and fragrances you can look at and use.”
The ge’er’s eyes lit up. “There’s even that?”
Shu Rui chuckled softly. “There are also small storybooks and opera scripts you can read at will. It’s a women’s inn, after all—naturally there should be things for us women and ge’ers to enjoy.”
The ge’er asked hesitantly, “Even someone like me, staying in the bunk room, can use them?”
“Of course. Since you’re staying at my women’s inn, whether it’s an upper room, lower room, or bunk, people from all over have gathered here. That itself is a kind of fate. I just do my best to take good care of everyone.”
The ge’er thanked him repeatedly and said he would go take a look after putting down his bundle.
When he came back out, some of the guests were already sampling the fragrances. Seeing him, though they didn’t know him, they cheerfully called him over to smell them together.
With no men staying in the inn, and women and ge’ers sharing the space, along with fragrances, cosmetics, and books for leisure, it truly felt relaxed and at ease.
By evening, they ate the inn’s simple dishes—cheap, yet very tasty.
Shu Rui warmed a pot of Shili Changxiang wine and poured it into cups, handing it out for the guests to taste.
With no male guests present, no one worried about having a bit of light wine. The women and ge’ers happily ordered more. “Shopkeeper, this wine is sweet, with a refreshing edge. We’ve never had anything like it outside.”
As he refilled their cups, Shu Rui sat down with them. “This wine has quite a story behind it. The recipe was originally created by a brewer as a token of love for his wife. It’s a flavor men can hardly appreciate—only women and ge’ers can truly understand its unique charm.”
He told the story of Master Zhong and his wife vividly, stirring the emotions of the women and ge’ers at the table, who ended up drinking quite a bit.
It wasn’t until deep into the night that they finally returned to their rooms, still reluctant to end the evening.
The ge’er who had come to stay soaked his feet in hot water, then lay down in the warm bedding. A faint, calming fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose. Body and mind completely relaxed, the weariness of travel melted away, and he drifted off to sleep in peace and comfort.
Even in his dreams, he saw the shopkeeper’s warm smile and the staff’s gentle demeanor.
So this was the prosperity of the prefectural city—able to have such an inn devoted entirely to women and ge’ers…