Chapter 1 – The Seventh Door, “Diao”

Editor: mako

Proofreader: kllua

In the early summer morning around 6 to 7 a.m., a gentle breeze entered the alley and blew open the windows of every house in YuQing.

A little girl was leaning against the window as she stared at the two-story building located at the deepest end with a pair of big eyes. Meanwhile, her mother was currently running a double-edged fine-toothed comb through her hair and throwing away the stray strands out of the window.

At this moment, her mother tugged too harshly, causing Xiao Yan to cry out and cover her scalp. However, even then, her eyes remained fixed on the black painted door of the two-story building until it opened with a slight crack.

The girl’s eyes brightened. With only one side of her hair just plaited, she then turned and ran downstairs. Her mother shouted after her, “Xiao Yan! Xiao Yan! Where are you going?”

At that time, Xiao Yan had already run downstairs. Hidden in the shadows, she then looked at the woman coming out from that door.

With snowy white skin, the woman’s raven black hair was woven in a big braid that hung over her chest. She was also wearing a white cheongsam with blue flowers that tightly wrapped around her body. With a slender back, narrow shoulders, and a waist like a willow, she walked out from the depths gracefully.

The whole lane went quiet as those dusting their clothes or carrying loads stopped what they were doing. Everyone’s eyes were focused on either her face or body.

Then, someone asked, “Ah Xiu, you came out to buy breakfast?”

There were also some who stared at her clothing. “Ah Xiu, your brother has made you new clothes again?”

In response, Ah Xiu only nodded and continued walking out while carrying a food container. It was only when she exited the alleyway that everyone resumed their activities, and life returned to YuQing.

All of this was not out of the ordinary. After all, Ah Xiu was born a dazzling beauty, and the Bai family was truly mysterious in nature.

“She looks so bright that it is a pity she is mute.” In this world, there was no such thing as pure perfection, and such a misfortune really made everyone in YuQing sigh.

“So what if she is a mute? From the newspapers, I have not seen any beauties from the world of flowers¹“花国” (literally “world/country of flower”) refers to the prostitution/entertainment industry. that looks as good as her.”

Recently, the selection of the queen of the world of flowers was big news in Shanghai, and there was no one who was unaware of it. One silver dollar for one ticket, the funds raised were all given to the Refugee Relief Association who aimed to provide relief to the people in stricken areas.

Besides, with Pechoin²Here, I am assuming that the “百雀羚” used is referring to the real Chinese skincare brand, Pechoin.  issuing a 12 beauties calendar and photos of beautiful women printed on the Hatamen³In this case, “哈得门” here probably refers to the real Hatamen cigarette brand. cigarette boxes, most could recognize beauties even though they had never seen them before in real life.

“Nonsense. The chosen queen of the world of flowers is an entertainment dancer, while Ah Xiu is an honest girl from a good family. Be careful not to let Boss Bai hear your words.”

Boss Bai was Ah Xiu’s older brother. Ever since he moved in, no one has seen him go out of the door or have interactions with others. Even the name Ah Xiu was heard from behind a door.

Even then, no one in YuQing looked down upon Ah Xiu. Although the Bai family lived in the Old City⁴I am assuming that “老城厢” here refers to the “Old City of Shanghai” which was the traditional urban core of Shanghai. and had not moved into the new settlement, they were extremely wealthy.

This was evident from the cheongsam Ah Xiu wore, which was constantly new and changing. Additionally, her brother’s pickiness towards food also meant that his daily three meals were never prepared in their house but bought by his sister from outside or were sent to their home by others.

Da San Yuan, TianXiang building – there were no two days where the food was the same.

From one’s eating habits and clothing, one could determine a person’s family background. So, being able to eat like this meant that they were undoubtedly wealthy.

Xiao Yan, who had only half of her hair plaited, was standing at the door and listening to the gossip. Her mother, who caught up to her downstairs, then poked a finger on Xiao Yan’s head and said, “Are you daydreaming?!”

Xiao Yan pouted, but her mother was unhappy. She plaited the other braid so tightly that Xiao Yan’s head was tugged on, and the plait was stuck up on one side. With a bag hanging on her, she then pushed Xiao Yan out. “Quickly head to school.”

When Xiao Yan made a turn out of the alley, she saw Ah Xiu waiting for the steamed buns to cook in front of the teahouse.

As soon as the lid was open, sesame seeds and chopped green onions were sprinkled on the shiny and steaming hot buns. It was so fragrant and enticing that Xiao Yan, who smelled the fragrance, swallowed her saliva.

Xiao Yan called out clearly, “Ah Xiu!”

Ah Xiu turned her head around. Even though she did not smile and could not speak, Xiao Yan felt that she was smiling at her and could not help but walk over. With a red face, Xiao Yan then complimented, “Your cheongsam is really beautiful.”

As Ah Xiu carried the food container back, Xiao Yan followed behind her with fascination. At this time, though, someone on the street was cleaning the briquette furnace, and sparks flew out.

Seeing that it would splatter onto Xiao Yan, Ah Xiu then reached out and pulled her away. This caused the sparks to land onto Ah Xiu’s new cheongsam and burn a hole.

Xiao Yan was stunned, and she dared not move with tears burning in her eyes. Such a cheongsam was beyond what their family could compensate, and if her mother knew, she would definitely beat her.

However, Ah Xiu did not seem to care. With an arm that looked like a snow lotus, she nudged her and pointed to her bag, telling Xiao Yan to head to school before carrying the food container back to YuQing.

Pushing open the black painted door, Ah Xiu placed the food container on the table. She then took out the warm soup and pulled on the copper bell hanging in the house.

As the silk curtain in the inner room was lifted, Bai Zhun came out from the inner sector of the house in a wheelchair. Very young and thin, he maintained a head of bright and shiny long hair despite the current times.

Looking feminine and tender to the point that one would be unable to distinguish his gender, he currently had a face full of impatience.

Without lifting his hands, the wheels turned as he intended and rolled to the front of the table.

Ah Xiu placed the soup spoon in his hand, and he lowered his head to taste the soup. At this time, he caught a glimpse of the hole in her cheongsam and frowned. “Go pick a paper you like.”

As Ah Xiu headed to the back, it could be seen that the house was full of wooden shelves, which were stacked with various colors of paper. At the topmost was a wad of white paper with blue flowers, the exact pattern that Ah Xiu was wearing.

Using a chopstick, Bai Zhun punctured the thin skin of the steamed bun. As if he was eating a soup bun, he then sucked out the liquid inside and scooped out the meat inside to eat.

He loved to eat the meat stuffing, but if one were just to give him a regular meatball, he would not eat it.

The speculations made by the other households in YuQing about the Bai family were all wrong except one – Bai Zhun being a picky eater. Only eating the stuffing inside, he had already thrown the rest of the steamed bun aside.

In the end, Ah Xiu picked a piece of sky blue paper for herself, which resembled the spring water of the lakes and rivers in February.

Bai Zhun’s wheelchair rolled to the long table deep in the house and spread the paper on the surface. Besides different sizes of bamboo scissors, there were also all the necessary inks available.

Without moving his fingers, the bamboo scissors rose, and the sound of cutting paper could be heard in the house. Soon, a sky blue paper cheongsam was lying on the table.

Ah Xiu then stripped in front of Bai Zhun. As soon as the cheongsam that Xiao Yan adored just now fell to the ground, it turned into a pile of waste paper.

After changing into her new paper clothes, she spun herself around to show Bai Zhun as if she was asking him whether it was beautiful or not.

Bai Zhun held his head up with one hand and looked at Ah Xiu in a way that was similar to one appreciating his own work. Of course, she was beautiful. Her long slender eyebrows, cherry lips, bones, and skin were all made by him, so how could she not be beautiful?

After cutting out the paper clothes, Bai Zhun felt quite fatigued. His bamboo wheelchair then rolled deeper into the house as he ordered Ah Xiu, “In the afternoon, I want the braised chicken from CuiHua Building.”

On the walls of the inner chamber stood two paper dolls⁵The paper dolls are known as “纸扎” (zhizha) or “Taoist paper art”. It is a type of traditional craft, mainly used as offerings in Taoist festive celebrations and funerals. Do read the Translator’s Notes for a brief background of it. that resembled manservants. With their eyes left white, their eyes were not dotted in⁶“点睛” here refers to the act of dotting in the eyes which could also figuratively mean to add the finishing touch or add the crucial point that brings a subject to life. There were various variations but most old superstitions warn against the act of filling in the eyes for paper dolls as they would come to life and it would not bode well for anyone. .

When Bai Zhun yawned, the two paper dolls came forward and lifted him from the bamboo wheelchair to the bed.

Covered by the thin quilt, Bai Zhun was about to return to sleep after getting up just now.

However, he was doomed to have no time to idle around today. Not too long after his eyelids closed, there was the sound of someone slamming on the door. Ah Xiu went to the door and only cracked it open a little.

The person outside said in a hurry, “Lady Ah Xiu, is the Seventh Master in? My senior brother was taken away by the precinct.”

Ah Xiu placed her palms together close to her ear, indicating that Bai Zhun was still sleeping, and proceeded to shut the door. Even if it were a large matter, they still would have to wait for him to wake up first.

As the visitor was in a hurried state, he pushed hard on the door but still failed to open it.

Bai Zhun had not drawn a smiling face for Ah Xiu, so she originally has an expressionless face. At this time, with her pitch-black round eyes staring at the visitor, her palms applied force and finally closed the door.

When the people in YuQing saw this scene, they yelled at him, “Who are you? Who are you looking for? Do not bully Ah Xiu because she is mute!”

With no intentions to defend himself, the visitor only stood at the foot of the wall. He then squatted down, tiptoed a little, and lightly leapt into the courtyard.

Seeing that, the whole alley was in an uproar.

“I will fetch the policemen. This is truly such a blatant disregard for the law in broad daylight!”

Ah Xiu was also furious. Although she was a paper doll, she possessed quite a lot of authority, and all the paper dolls in this house listened to her orders. With only a clap from her, a huge number of the paper dolls poured out from the house.

Each of them had an honorific red silk band draped over their shoulders and was holding a sword. “Mu GuiYing⁷ “穆桂英” (Mu GuiYing) is a legendary heroine from ancient China’s Northern Song Dynasty and a prominent figure in the Generals of the Yang Family. As the wife of Yang ZongBao and mother of Yang WenGuang, she was brave, resolute, and loyal which made her the cultural symbol of a steadfast woman.” raised a silver spear in front of her, and the spearhead made of bamboo and paper tore the chest area of the intruder’s clothes.

Not daring to touch Bai Zhun’s treasured object and knowing that it was prohibited to break in without permission, the person knelt down in the courtyard and cried out loudly, “Seventh Master, please help my senior brother!”

Bai Zhun, who only ate one meat stuffing in the morning and only managed to get some partial amount of sleep, radiated an intense disposition when he opened his eyes. As all the paper dolls in the house became aware of their master’s anger, there came the sound of their paper clothes and shoes rustling.

The person knocked his head on the bricks in the courtyard ground three times in a row and pleaded pitifully, “Seventh Master, when my master left, he said that you would take care of our group of brothers and sisters.”

Since ancient times, there would be five flowers and eight doors⁸ “五花八门” (literally “five flowers and eight doors”) is a term used to represent the various trades in ancient China. Now, it is more commonly used as an idiom that represents variety and changeability. Do read the translator’s notes if you want a better understanding of the trades it represents.. Bai Zhun’s profession belonged to the seventh door, the diao, which specialized in dealing with the Yin and Yang. Although he was not very old, he was in charge of this field alone, resulting in the insiders naturally referring to him as the Seventh Master.

Meanwhile, the visitor who came was from the third door, the cai, who was responsible for passing down the ancient art of performing tricks. When Third Master Han left this world at the beginning of May, the whole set of paper horses for his funeral had been crafted by Bai Zhun himself.

Under the Third Master, there was one senior and one junior disciple, Big Liu and Second Liu. Before his death, as he had betrothed his only daughter to Big Liu, Big Liu had become the one to succeed the third door.

Currently, the one who came to ask for Bai Zhun’s help was Second Liu. Even though his forehead got scraped, he had not dared to leave blood on Bai Zhun’s territory and raised his hand to wipe it off. Looking towards the curtain of the inner chamber eagerly, he repeated, “My master said that the Seventh Master would take care of us.”

Bai Zhun turned over. When Third Master Han was still young, he had helped the seventh door before. Now, he could only return the favor.

“Speak.” Although the sound had to pass through doors and walls, it seemed to ring in Second Liu’s ear.

With the exception of the seventh door, the rest of the five flowers and eight doors had to scrape for a living in the streets and piers, so they usually spoke nimbly. Despite having feelings of desperation, his words were clear, “My senior brother has lost his conscience!”

Big Liu and Second Liu were blood-related brothers, but they switched to addressing each other as senior brother and junior brother when they entered discipleship.

Second Liu gritted his teeth in anger as he revealed the reason for Big Liu’s arrest – the selection of the queen of the world of flowers.

From about a hundred participating ladies, twelve with the highest number of votes would be determined before being narrowed down to the top three. Among those three, there would then be one queen and two imperial concubines chosen for the world of flowers.

Every one of them was required to go up the stage and showcase their talent. However, since they were all originally dancing ladies, it was not surprising that they could sing too.

One of the participants was Jin DanGui, the August beauty. Although she could not sing, she was very ingenious and spent a significant amount of money to invite Big Liu to teach her some tricks. It was through such tricks that she was able to receive acclaim from the crowd.

As Jin DanGui was affectionate and graceful, Big Liu had even decided to leave behind the daughter of Third Master Han to be with her.

Bai Zhun snorted coldly, “The earth on your master’s grave has not dried, and yet his own disciple dared to cheat on his daughter?”

Second Liu Er felt embarrassed beyond words. For the sake of Jin DanGui, his senior sister had shed many tears. She had even fought and quarreled with him, but his senior brother seemed to have been possessed and only had Jin DanGui in his eyes.

“Jin DanGui is dead.”

She had died on a western spring bed in the private room of Astor House⁹I am assuming “礼查饭店” here is the Astor House found in Shanghai. Originally an extremely famous hotel, it had been closed since 2018. , two dragons, and one phoenix.

After listening to such nonsense, Bai Zhun found it uninteresting and drawled lazily, “Hmm?”

“I am pleading with the Seventh Master to help save my senior brother!”

The seventh door lingered between Yin and Yang, so although Bai Zhun would not necessarily be knowledgeable about human affairs, he did know about ghosts. As long as he thought about it, he would definitely think of something.

*Translator’s Notes:
-Hi, it might be confusing for readers who had no inkling of what “纸扎” (zhizha) is so I decided to include a brief background of it with “五花八门” (literally “five flowers and eight doors”).

-“纸扎” (zhizha), also known as Taoist paper art, is a type of traditional craft that uses paper and bamboo to create religious offerings such as decorated gateways, paper horses, buildings with courtyards, etc. Besides being used for Taoist rituals, it is also commonly seen in funerals. As people believed that burning these kinds of necessities to their ancestors can ensure them a better afterlife, some common types of such zhizha include mansions, servants, and paper money which soon evolved to include modern items like iPhones and branded objects too.

-“五花八门” (literally “five flowers and eight doors”) is a term used to illustrate the various trades present in the past.
Here, the five flowers were:
金菊花 (golden chrysanthemum) → tea girls
木棉花 (kapok) → traditional Chinese medicine physicians
水仙花 (daffodil) → prostitutes in wine shops
火棘花 (firethorn flower) → performing acrobats
土中花 (flower in the soil) → bearers (people who carry things/loads)
Meanwhile, the eight doors were (in order):
一门 “巾” (jin) → the trade of reading people fortunes
二门 “皮” (pi) → herb sellers
三门 “彩” (cai) → prestidigitators, those who performed tricks
四门 “挂” (gua) → martial art performers in markets and temple fairs
五门 “平” (ping) → thieves and robbers
六门 “团” (tuan) → those who perform comedic dialogue
七门 “调” (diao) → paper art [Bai Zhun’s profession]
八门 “聊” (liao) → stage performers

• 1
  “花国” (literally “world/country of flower”) refers to the prostitution/entertainment industry.
• 2
  Here, I am assuming that the “百雀羚” used is referring to the real Chinese skincare brand, Pechoin.
• 3
  In this case, “哈得门” here probably refers to the real Hatamen cigarette brand.
• 4
  I am assuming that “老城厢” here refers to the “Old City of Shanghai” which was the traditional urban core of Shanghai.
• 5
  The paper dolls are known as “纸扎” (zhizha) or “Taoist paper art”. It is a type of traditional craft, mainly used as offerings in Taoist festive celebrations and funerals. Do read the Translator’s Notes for a brief background of it.
• 6
  “点睛” here refers to the act of dotting in the eyes which could also figuratively mean to add the finishing touch or add the crucial point that brings a subject to life. There were various variations but most old superstitions warn against the act of filling in the eyes for paper dolls as they would come to life and it would not bode well for anyone.
• 7
  “穆桂英” (Mu GuiYing) is a legendary heroine from ancient China’s Northern Song Dynasty and a prominent figure in the Generals of the Yang Family. As the wife of Yang ZongBao and mother of Yang WenGuang, she was brave, resolute, and loyal which made her the cultural symbol of a steadfast woman.
• 8
  “五花八门” (literally “five flowers and eight doors”) is a term used to represent the various trades in ancient China. Now, it is more commonly used as an idiom that represents variety and changeability. Do read the translator’s notes if you want a better understanding of the trades it represents.
• 9
  I am assuming “礼查饭店” here is the Astor House found in Shanghai. Originally an extremely famous hotel, it had been closed since 2018.