#wss366 06/19 #shake
#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries
*** Pearl Farming ***

Maomao ran her fingers over the gourd’s surface. It felt normal, smooth, slightly irregular, with a mild grain.

She looked up at the man, one of Meimei’s clients, who stood with three broad-shouldered women. They made the room look small. Behind them stood Madam and a few courtesans. Their delicate looks and midday drowsiness stood in sharp contrast to the newcomers, women who worked with their bodies, but in a completely different fashion.

Usually, there was trouble when women showed up at Verdigris House, especially if accompanied by a husband. There had been none today. This was business. Madam was doing a "favor" for a client and had pressed Mao with her special talents into service.

“May I shake it?” Mao asked.

“Yes, of course.” The man sounded nervous. Mao could smell his sweat from where she sat. Meimei said he played a good game of Go but was otherwise innocuous. He didn’t look like the head of the Pearl Divers Guild.

Mao shook the gourd. Rather than the sound of seeds, something more substantial rattled inside.

“And if I prove it’s a scam, I keep the pearls?” she asked, avoiding Madam’s gaze lest she lose her reward.

“Correct,” the little man’s tone lacked decision; he was too meek. He looked like the perfect target for a con. Mao considered asking for more but decided to avoid Madam boxing her ears for impertinence. Why was Madam the only one who could be greedy?

She glanced down at the fragments of another gourd lying on the table, mixed with inferior-quality pearls. Once ground, they would be fine for medicine, so she didn’t mind.

“And he said that unless you paid him, he’d sell the seeds to farmers and ruin your business?” Mao probed. It seemed a rather roundabout way to make money. Why not just grow the gourds yourself?

The man nodded.

She gave the gourd another shake, then ran her fingers across its skin. It felt right… Ah, there it was. One section felt different. Too smooth. She carefully explored and defined the area. It was circular, about the size of her thumb tip.

Turning away, she gathered a few things and mixed an acidic solution, stronger than vinegar but only slightly. Nothing that would cause a burn, but enough to dissolve a cheap varnish.

“It’s okay if I damage this slightly?” she asked.

The man glanced back at a woman with powerful lungs. She was probably his wife and the actual head of the Divers Guild. The woman made an imperceptible nod.

Mao didn’t wait for the man to speak. She had her answer.

She warmed her solution and gently rubbed the gourd’s surface. When satisfied, she dried the gourd and heated the questionable portion using a candle.

As expected, that section browned faster than the rest.

She showed it to the people watching. “It’s a fake. They’re trying to shake you down.”

The man’s wife looked grim. Mao was glad she wasn’t the conman.

#microfiction #NMPrompts #NMV366 #薬屋のひとりごと @yon #Anime #Fantasy #Mystery

#Wss366 #Mastoprompt 7/3
#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries

Sweet Tea (甘茶)

Part 1: Licorice 甘草

“I knew there was some here,” Mao mused as she #checked the apothecary stock of Gān Cǎo. She might have used more than expected, but no, she would have remembered buying more.

She pulled another bamboo tube from the shelf, still mulling the question #over in her mind.

“Perhaps Sazen overlooked restocking it,” she thought. “If that’s the case, I’ll give him a talking to.”

Running out of Gān Cǎo would impact the harmonizing of drugs.

“At least it’s not Kokuyou. He doesn’t make that kind of mistake. So it’s got to be Sazen. I’ll make his ears sting.”

She extracted a root from the tube in her hand. “Humm…” She inspected it, feeling the rough edges with her fingers. Someone had been shaving off large slivers instead of flakes. Pieces that would need to be shaved down later. “Sazen wouldn’t make more work for himself, so who was taking the Gān Cǎo?”

She tapped the tube, pursing her lips.

Still puzzled, she made her way to the Verdigris’s main building. Madam’s voice drifted out from a side room, “… and he broke it, and you didn’t charge…” Mao felt sorry for her victim, but she was right: you break it, you buy it.

Ukyou, their bouncer and Madam’s right-hand man, sat by the door. He raised his eyebrows and nodded toward Madam’s room.

“Just the person I’m looking for,” Mao thought. “He knows everything and keeps quiet when it doesn’t matter. No point in Grandma knowing what I’m after.”

“Whose grandma got in there?” she asked. Not that she cared. But the conversation would go better if she seemed sympathetic.

“… Of course you’ll pay for it…” Madam’s voice had that cold edge, signaling she was concluding the lecture.

“Suiren, she should have known better, but she let a client bully her.” He held up his hands helplessly. “Now she answers to Madam. Not the wiser path.”

“… twice its value, and…” Madam’s voice dropped, leaving the ultimate punishment in question.

Mao promptly forgot both that and the young courtesan’s name.

“I was wondering,” Mao changed the subject, “if any of the women have been looking ill: bloated, flushed, or unusually tired, like she’s been drinking too much. She might not be taking as many clients, or they’ve been complaining she’s off.”

“I knew you wanted something. Why did you even bother asking about Suiren? I bet you don’t even remember her name.”

Mao shrugged. It was true; she’d already forgotten the name. The unfortunate girl was now just that, “The Unfortunate Girl.”

“Amacha, Zulin’s older sister, is who you’re looking for. Help the girl out before…” He nodded toward the source of “The Unfortunate Girl’s” crying

(Part 1 to be continued.)

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Sweet Tea (甘茶)

Part 2A: Amacha (あまちゃ)

#Wss366 #Mastoprompt 7/10
#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries

Mao mulled over the situation as she went upstairs. “Best to remember Zulin’s sister’s name, at least until we’ve talked. What was it? A flower. Water element. Bitter-sweet. Right—Amacha. Hydrangea—used to treat water-dampness, though weak. Not something I’d normally use. The characters mean sweet tea. Of course, she picked a name like Sweet Tea. I can remember it.”

“Tricky. She may not want to see me. She’s probably still mad about that stolen jade business. Not my fault. If you’re going to be stupid, you pay the price. She was lucky to still #live here, not somewhere less reputable. Still, she blames me for Grandma’s punishment. Again, how is that my fault?”

“I’ll say I came to check on her health. It’s not a lie. Ukyou did tell me about that.”

It didn’t take long to reach Amacha’s room. She was glad to hear something #roll behind the door and a woman mutter. People weren’t very cooperative if you woke them.

“Hello,” she called, knocking on the door.

The door opened a crack. “What do ‘you’ want?”

“I was told you weren’t well, bloated, low energy. Mind if we sit a bit?”

“I’m fine, go away.”

“Gentle isn’t working,” Mao thought. “Only one thing to do with an uncooperative patient: scare them.”

“Saves me time,” she said. “I’ll just tell Madam you didn’t want to see me.”

The door swung open, and Amacha stood there, robe in disarray.

“Some bloating, flushed, tired. I’ve found the right person.” Mao silently noted.

“Haven’t you made enough trouble for me?” Amacha asked.

“How long have you been bloated?”

Amacha raked Mao with her eyes, her lip curled, but she answered, “A couple of days; I’m just tired from gathering flowers.”

“Make us some tea while I mix something up for you.”

“Don’t bother. I’ll be fine in a few days.”

The young courtesan still stood blocking the doorway. Mao considered pushing past but rejected the idea. Brute force wouldn’t work here, but threats would.

“I was told to help you, and you know how angry Madam gets if disobeyed.” She was mixing two unrelated facts here. First, Ukyou had asked her to help. Second, the consequences of disobeying Grandma. If Amacha related the two facts, that was her problem.

Amacha backed up, letting Mao in.

“Tea,” Mao said, taking advantage of having the upper hand. She looked around and asked, “Too exhausted to clean?”

(Part 2A of 3 parts - to be continued. Part B in next post.)

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@yon @bytebro

Sweet Tea (甘茶)

Part 2B: Amacha (あまちゃ)

#Wss366 #Mastoprompt 7/10
#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries

The room was a mess, which would’ve riled Madam. She expected things to be neat at all times, just in case someone important stopped by. Hours or no hours, when money was on your doorstep, you didn’t turn it away. If Amacha risked Madam’s wrath like that, the anemia had to be advanced.

“I’ll get to it before customers come.”

Mao cleared a place and sat. While Amacha made tea, Mao fiddled with some tonic herbs to waste time. It wouldn’t do to get kicked out early. As Amacha finished brewing the tea, Mao rolled some makeshift pills using a bit of sticky gum.

She accepted the cup, sipped. “Cheap leaves.” Undoubtedly, Amacha saved her best tea for clients. That was the tea Mao wanted.

“I heard you had some special sweet tea.”

Amacha turned, “Who told you that?! I just have that,” and she pointed at Mao’s cup.

“A lie,” Mao thought, “but she wouldn’t waste good leaves on me.”

“I was told most specifically you had sweet tea.” The habit of persistence frequently got Mao what she wanted, and in this case, it worked surprisingly well.

Amacha stomped her foot, saying, “I told that little rat not to say anything. You tell him I’m going to wring his neck!”

“Him?” Mao repeated.

Amacha stared, then her eyes got big. “The merchant. I—I don’t know his name.”

Just a little more, and she’ll tell me everything, Mao thought. “There is a girl downstairs with Madam. She protected someone. You can walk that path… or tell me the truth. Which path will it be?”

(Part 2B of 3 parts - to be continued next week.)

#TootFic #NMPrompts #NMV366 #NMMP
#薬屋のひとりごと #ApothecaryDiaries
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@yon @bytebro

Sweet Tea (甘茶)

Part 3: Thief (泥棒) Part 1

#Wss366 #Mastoprompt 7/22
#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries

Mao had the name of the thief now. In a way, it didn’t surprise her. He wasn’t above short-changing clients and bought obviously stolen materials. All petty stuff, and stealing the Gān Cǎo fit the pattern.

She swore he was hiding from her. His spot in the market alley sat empty. It was clean, as far as alleys went. She wouldn’t eat there, but she wouldn’t catch anything walking in. Just as important, the worst you’d find here was a second-rate pickpocket. The vendors likely chose this location for its low rent, and because it wouldn’t scare off decent townsfolk with a little coin to spare.

On one side, a vendor with a thin #stock of secondhand clothes spat and shrugged when she asked about his neighbor’s whereabouts. The fortune teller on the other side was more forthcoming, if not more useful.

“I know not,” she said, “but for twenty wen I can send a spirit to seek him out.”

For a moment, Mao considered saying that “Five wen was already too much.” But five seconds spent on the woman were already more than her services were worth.

Rather than waste more time, she headed back to the apothecary. She had an inventory to finish and other work to do. There was a better way to find the thief than the #taxing . It might take some time, but it was surer than any spirit desperate enough to visit that alley.

On her way to the apothecary, she stopped to talk with Ukyou. He was at his usual place. Most of the women were still sleeping, so he could sit and soak up the sun, sip tea, and think his private thoughts. Madam sometimes complained he was wasting time, but he did his job well, defusing most irate customers and throwing the rest into the street without a fuss. He never forgot the face of a problematic client. He greeted everyone with a smile and made even the once-a-year splurger feel seen and welcome. Whatever Grandma paid him wasn’t enough, so all she did was grumble about him enjoying the late morning sun.

Mao smiled at Ukyou. Like all the other women at Verdigris House, she liked him. “Ukyou, when you see Chou-u, tell him I need to find someone. It’s a twenty wen job.” Her “adopted” son would be happy to earn a little extra money. He pinched wen as hard as Grandma did.

“I will, and thanks for helping Amacha,” he replied. “She’s a little better today. She even had time to complain about your interfering ways. I think she likes you.”

“She ought to,” Mao said aloud, but privately doubted it. People never like the person who gives them bitter medicine.

“The day is going well, even though I haven’t found my target,” she thought. “Maybe I’ll splurge on a pork bun for dinner.”

(Continued in Part 2)

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@yon @bytebro

Sweet Tea (甘茶)

Part 3: Thief (泥棒) Part 2 Conclusion

#Wss366 #Mastoprompt 7/22
#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries

Evening found Mao lecturing Sazen on preparing medicines for “Sudden Chaos” and the importance of sanitation. There’d been an outbreak of sudden vomiting and diarrhea in the lower town. Mao wrapped up with a warning.

“The slightest trace of a patient’s waste can disrupt the water element. I don’t want to be treating you. And if I do, I swear I’ll use the foulest ingredients I can find—unharmonized wu mei and he zi, just to make a point. No matter how thirsty you are, don’t drink the water. Even if it’s rude, refuse refreshments, even tea. The taint can be anywhere.”

The subject had made her hungry, and she decided she deserved two pork and leek buns. Her mouth watered at the thought.

“You don’t need to worry. I’ve seen ‘Sudden Chaos’ and what it can do. I’ll be careful,” Sazen said as he left. On the way out, he ruffled the just-arrived Chou-u’s hair and chuckled at the glare he got in return. Perhaps some of Kokuyou’s personality was rubbing off on him, Mao thought, before turning her attention to Chou-u.

The boy had grown tall recently, and she thought he was handsome in a callow way. She would need to talk to Zulin about men. On second thought, there was no need. Madam or one of the Princesses would have already done that in far more detail than she would. She just hoped the girl was smart enough to come for help before rather than afterwards. It was easier to dam a spring than drain a flood.

“I hear you want me to find someone,” Chou-u said. “Though twenty wen isn’t enough for me to run all over the city.”

Mao pretended to think, nodded, and took out a purse, an action that should have made Chou-u suspicious. Instead, he edged closer, and before he could run, Mao had him by the ear.

“We don’t need to now. I’ve found him,” she said as she twisted his ear.

“Owww, owww, oww. What’d I do?”

“You were playing at being an apothecary without knowing your medicines. Unless you meant to poison your client.” She twisted again.

“Ahaa—owww. Stop that. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Mao ignored both his cries and his denial. “And with my medicines too!”

“Sorry, sorry—aack... I won’t do it again.”

“Indeed, not. If you must make a shady profit, either come to me to learn about the medicine or experiment on yourself. Am I clear?”

“Yes—oooow. Please.”

“And as punishment—two pork and leek buns, and one black sesame seed bun. I expect them to be hot when they arrive. Tamper with them, and you’ll regret it.”

The boy squealed as she emphasized the point.

“Then you’ll replace what you took, both tubes.”

“It was only one… Ahh…”

“No, it was three. You will replace all three tubes of Gān Cǎo.”

She gave his ear one last twist, let go, and said, “Remember, still piping hot.”

(Part 3 of 3 parts - End)

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