บท 28: Sleeping in One Room
Several days later, Wang Jingyuan and Mo Xian arrived at a small city by the name of Wanzhou. Compared with the towns they've been through, Wanzhou was far larger and had about three times as many people as a single town. "The closer we get to the Capital, the larger the cities become," Mo Xian explained as they walked on the street in search of an inn. "That also means more people, and more martial artists coming to attend the Hero Assembly, and a higher likelihood of someone recognizing your sword."
Upon hearing this, Wang Jingyuan doubled checked that her sword was covered entirely by the black cloth. She held it in her hand by her side and hoped it didn't look too suspicious.
Mo Xian and Wang Jingyuan ran into a problem. All the inns they went into were full. "Sorry, childe; sorry, miss. We're already at max capacity. Perhaps you can try that inn across the street?" The innkeeper told them apologetically. Wang Jingyuan and Mo Xian returned to the streets.
"That's the fourth one already! Why are there so many people?" Wang Jingyuan couldn't help but complain.
"There are a few more left on this street. Let's try them." Mo Xian led the way to the next inn.
In the second to last inn, the innkeeper greeted them warmly. "Hello, childe! Hello, miss! Are you looking to stay the night?"
"Yes. Do you have any rooms available? All the other inns are full." Mo Xian said.
"You are in luck! We only have one room left." The innkeeper told them.
"What? Only one room?" Wang Jingyuan and Mo Xian looked at each other. They always got two rooms when they traveled. After all, they were a young man and a young lady; sleeping together in one room was a little…awkward.
"You can check elsewhere if you'd like, but like the childe has said, all the inns are full," The innkeeper said earnestly. "It's only one room, but there is plenty of space for the two of you, I promise."
Wang Jingyuan was contemplating whether to tell Mo Xian to check out the last inn when Mo Xian spoke up. "We'll take the room."
"Alrighty then! That'll be two hundred copper coins per person, which is four hundred copper coins." The innkeeper took out his record book and flipped to a page. "Please write your name here, childe."
Mo Xian took the brush and wrote out his name in beautiful calligraphy. Then he took out his coin pouch and gave the innkeeper a silver coin. "Please also bring up dinner and some extra bedding and blankets."
"No problem, childe!" The innkeeper happily took the silver coin, calculated some more costs on his abacus, and gave Mo Xian back a handful of copper coins in change. Without even bothering to count them, Mo Xian dumped them all into his coin pouch. "Childe, miss, please follow me."
Wang Jingyuan had watched the entire transaction with wide eyes. After all this time, she still can't get over how Mo Xian spends money like it's nothing. Two hundred copper coins per person per night at an inn! The inns that Wang Jingyuan stayed at in the beginning of her travels only cost around fifty copper coins per night. The most expensive one she stayed at cost her a hundred copper coins, and she almost decided to just camp outside. Of course, Wang Jingyuan always picked the shabbier-looking inns because those were bound to be cheaper. Ever since Mo Xian joined her on her journey, they stayed at the best inns in town. He paid every time.
They followed the innkeeper up the stairs. The inn itself was a square, and there were rooms on the second floor around all four sides, with halls that branched off at the corners. The innkeeper led them around until they reached the end of a hall above the front of the inn.
"Here's the room. I will send someone right up with a hot meal and the extra bedding and blankets!" The innkeeper pushed open the door to show them the room. Then he turned and hurried back to go downstairs.
Wang Jingyuan walked in. The room was pretty large. It was furnished with a long bed with dark green canopy drapes against the far right wall, a wooden table with a ceramic teapot and four teacups in the center of the room, a large incense burner in the corner, and a couple of wooden plank chairs. A coat rack stood next to the bed. An open window facing the street was located on the far left wall. Peering down, Wang Jingyuan saw the top of the awning above the front porch of the inn directly below.
"Sit, sit. You must be tired after an entire day of traveling." Mo Xian ushered Wang Jingyuan to the table. They sat and drank a small cup of tea before two people brought their dinner and the extra bedding and blankets. Mo Xian had them place the bedding and blankets on the bed for now. He and Wang Jingyuan dove into the food, both pretty hungry.
It began to drizzle outside. Mo Xian got up and closed the window. After the warm dinner, Mo Xian and Wang Jingyuan made small talk for a while before Wang Jingyuan yawned.
"Ready to call it a night?" Mo Xian asked. Wang Jingyuan nodded.
"You can have the bed, Childe Mo. I'll set up a bed on the floor." As she spoke, Wang Jingyuan went to the bed and grabbed the extra bedding. She began to lay it on the ground by the table.
"Miss Wang, what are you doing?" Mo Xian snatched the bedding out of her hands. "How could I make a lady sleep on the ground? You take the bed; I will sleep on the ground."
"But Childe Mo, you paid for the room," Wang Jingyuan argued, trying to take the bedding back. "I'm a martial artist; we're used to harsh conditions, like sleeping on the floor."
"Nonsense. You'll get cold on the ground. Take the bed, Miss Wang." Mo Xian was firm on his decision. After arguing back and forth for a few minutes, Wang Jingyuan relented.
There was a slight awkwardness in the air as they got ready for bed. Mo Xian laid out the bedding and fluffed up a blanket. Since there were two pillows on the bed, Wang Jingyuan gave one to Mo Xian. Both took off the outer coat of their hanfus and hung it up on the coat rack.
Before climbing into bed, Wang Jingyuan asked Mo Xian one last time: "Childe Mo, you sure you don't want the bed?"
"Yes, Miss Wang." Mo Xian reassured her with a smile. He laid his sword on the ground beside him and walked over to the candle on the table. He waited as Wang Jingyuan climbed into the bed, untied the canopy drapes, and let the translucent dark green drapes swing into place behind her.
"Good night, Childe Mo."
"Good night, Miss Wang. Sweet dreams." With a puff, Mo Xian blew out the candle, throwing the room into darkness. Wang Jingyuan heard the rustle of clothes as Mo Xian slipped under the covers of his makeshift bed on the ground. It was weird to know that a young man was sleeping on the ground not far from where she was, but she was too tired to think about it further. She checked that Feng Ming Sword laid between her and the wall, running her fingers across its cloth-covered sheath.
With the soft drumming of rain outside, Wang Jingyuan quickly slipped into a peaceful slumber.
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