AMU3859 ∣ Writing Sample 1 (25%) ∣ Semester 2, 2021

Student ID: 30230772

Name: Francesca Diva Rachmaputri
Department: School of Arts and Social Sciences
Due Date: 22 October 2021 (Week 12)
Genre: Romance Fiction - Historical romance

The Stolen Jade

Chang’an City
Tang Dynasty, 637 A.D

As the most popular yù mǔdān from Jade Terrace, a well-known male courtesan house in
Chang’an, Zhou Zishu spent most of his days to attend to his elite clients. He started his day
everyday with dressing up himself in beautiful colourful hanfu, putting on expensive jewellery,
covering his face with a scented powder. He tied his long shiny black hair in a neat tiny bun
decorated with a white jade hairpin. All eyes he met on the street gazing on him with admiration.
Zhou Zishu became a yù mǔdān when he was sixteen. Not long after his debut, Zhou Zishu
became the talk of the town due to his exquisite beauty, his talent in playing pipa, singing,
reading poetry, accompanying clients to talk, giving massages, and he was good in bed.
A lot of Tang’s gentlemen and officials desired for him, and wanted to keep him as their
male’s favourite. In contrast, Zhou Zishu’s existence was enough to make the girls of Tang
envious and causing Tang’s women to sigh. However, General Ning Yi was the one who have
the privilege to keep Zhou Zishu’s as his male favourite. He bought Zhou Zishu’s contract which
worth one liang of gold and eventually became his sponsor. Zhou Zishu still allowed to accept
any other clients that come to pay for his service, but he will stay at General Ning Yi’s residence
from Friday to Sunday of every week to attend to him exclusively.
Zhou Zishu’s days went on peacefully until one day he met a commoner named Wen
Kexing. The man worked as a fabric porter in Yunmeng Textile. Zhou Zishu often saw him

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lifting logs of cloth onto rickshaw when the man delivered fabric ordered by Jade Terrace’s yù
mǔdān. Wen Kexing was very tall and handsome, he often tied his long hair into a two strand
bun at the back of his heads. He liked to steal glances at Zhou Zishu. Until one day, Wen Kexing
approached him and they actually have a proper conversation. Zhou Zishu’s enjoyed Wen
Kexing’s companion, somehow he became fond of conversing with him.
It has been two months since their first encounter, aside from the days when he has to go
to General Ning Yi’s house, Zhou Zishu secretly tried to take the time to sneak out from Jade
Terrace to meet Wen Kexing at the place where the man worked. He would pretend to buy
clothes there, only to see Wen Kexing working. After that, he’d wait for Wen Kexing at a nearby
diner until Wen Kexing finishes his works, and they would walk to the lake far away from the
city center and spent time together talking about their days and get to know each other more.
Later on, Zhou Zishu found out that Wen Kexing was married to a woman named Ning Zhao and
had one son. However, their marriage was icy cold like frigid weather.
Today they also spent a quiet evening together walking through the lake-side while
suddenly Wen Kexing asked, “A-Shu, how much do I have to pay to get the service you provide
to your clients?” Wen Kexing’s frontal question took Zhou Zishu entirely by surprise. He was
flabbergasted. He didn’t have the heart to say that Wen Kexing’s salary as a fabric porter would
never be enough to get even the cheapest yù mǔdān’s service at Jade Terrace, let alone to get his
service… The question left unanswered.
The next day, Jade Terrace’s lady baba—owner and landlady—told Zhou Zishu that an
‘unusual’ client asked for his service. And that client was… Wen Kexing!
“Lao Wen! Where did you get the money from?” Zhou Zishu asked Wen Kexing when
they were inside the chamber where he usually serves his clients.
“None of your business, A-Shu! What matter now is that I can pay you. I’m curious how
great you are. Is it as great as how those filthy rich said, huh?” again, Zhou Zishu was left aghast.
He was not sure whether or not he could serve Wen Kexing as how he usually served his clients.
The muscular man stepped forward and stripped Zhou Zishu naked from his hanfu. Zhou
Zishu was stunned with a pounding heart. They were so close that Zhou Zishu could even smell
Wen Kexing’s masculine body odor and breath. He slowly closed his eyes when he felt Wen
Kexing’s fingers, just like a snake, crawling over his body.

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 Zhou Zishu trembled with the excitement of pleasure he got from Wen Kexing, and it
was a kind of pleasure he had never felt from his clients, even General Ning Yi. Normally, Zhou
Zishu was in charge of the game in bed, but now that Wen Kexing was waging a fierce battle
against him, Zhou Zishu could not do anything. He sprawled across the bed. Just like a broken
dam, Zhou Zishu could no longer keep his mouth from moaning and hissing. When everything
was over, when Zhou Zishu was the one who reached his cloud nine first, he could feel Wen
Kexing’s lips being pressed against his. Wen Kexing’s tongue was lustfully brushed against
Zhou Zishu’s so that he could feel the sweetness of the tobacco left on Wen Kexing’s tongue.
They kissed!
Never, even once, Zhou Zishu kissed his clients. Even his sponsor, General Ning Yi.
“A-Shu, looking at you is like walking on top of a jade mountain with the brightest light
from the sun reflected back at me. Maybe you have heard thousands of lips praising your beauty,
and I hope you don’t mind hearing it again from me. My A-Shu has a grace of a dragon and the
beauty of a phoenix. There may be lots of blossom boys out there, but only you that this servant
won’t ever forget for all eternity,” Zhou Zishu’s heart warmed. He indeed often hears flattery,
praises from many men, even those who held great power. But Zhou Zishu knew more than
anyone that behind those flatteries and compliments; they were just weapons to pull him into
their bed. They only treat Zhou Zishu like a trophy. But, Wen Kexing was different, and Zhou
Zishu could feel the sincerity and love in his words and actions.
Zhou Zishu’s heart was beating wildly, and he realized he had developed feelings for this
man. Wen Kexing made the world feel different in his eyes. Wen Kexing adored him, and loved
him. Wen Kexing wanted to own him all by himself. Wen Kexing was sweet as baijiu. He was
intoxicating. He was a dream for Zhou Zishu.
Since Zhou Zishu was a teenager, he was raised as a yù mǔdān. He never knew what it
felt like to be in love, to love and to be loved. He had sex but never made love. But, Wen Kexing
had introduced him to a whole new world. A world that Zhou Zishu had never known in his
entire life as a yù mǔdān. Wen Kexing was like a tea that he drank every morning. The more he
tastes, the more he immerses himself in that bittersweet longing. Wen Kexing was a master
seducer, romantic, passionate and burning! He made Zhou Zishu drunk in love.
“Let’s run away with me! Don’t be a yù mǔdān. We can run away to Youzhou or any
other cities, you choose, and live there together,” Wen Kexing said as he moved closer towards

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Zhou Zishu. The distance between their faces was so close—that he could see Zhou Zishu’s clear
almond eyes that was as bright as the moonlight.
Zhou Zishu was shocked. If this was a dream, Zhou Zishou would never want to wake
up. Let him sleep longer so this sweet dream would be his forever. Wasn’t there nothing more
beautiful in this world than to belong to those who love us and we love?
If it was possible, Zhou Zishu wanted to be with Wen Kexing forever. He always wanted
to serve Wen Kexing with all of his heart and love. Pour his tea every morning and evening, sing
and play pipa for him, and together make paper cranes while imagining those birds they made
together fly away to the rising sun or return to their henhouse. Just like them when then night
comes, will sink under the blankets and sleeping in each other’s arms until morning come.
But what about Wen Kexing’s wife? His son?
“But how about Wen-furen? And your son?” Zhou Zishu asked back.
“Honestly, I don’t care anymore. Ning Zhao trapped me to marry her a few years ago.
Only last year, I found out that A-Han is not mine. She had an affair with another man in the
second year of our relationship. At that time, I worked so hard to earn money so I could marry
her. When she met my parents, she said that the child was mine. Of course, I don’t hate A-Han.
My little boy is innocent. I will always love him like my own son. He is a very obedient kid and
lovable. But I feel like this is my time to fight for my freedom and true love. And that is you, A-
Shu.”
That’s it… Zhou Zishu’s heart warmed and pounded fast at Wen Kexing’s words.
Without realizing it, his lips formed a smile that Wen Kexing swore to God and Goddesses was
the most beautiful smile he had ever seen in his life.
“Take me… Take me away, Lao Wen!”

.
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Glossary

Baijiu [白酒]: A drinks category that encompasses all traditional Chinese grain spirits

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Chang’an [长安]: The capital of several dynasties of China from Zhou to the Tang, located at
northwest of today’s Xi’an
Furen [夫人]: Legal wife/Lady/Madam of the house
Hanfu [汉服]: Traditional styles of clothing worn both by ancient women and men in China,
consisted of robe, or an outer worn as the upper garment with a skirt commonly worn as the
lower garment.
Liang [两]: Chinese units of weight measurement that usually used in gold and silver exchange,
as well as in Chinese herbal medicine stores. One liang of gold is 37.3g.
Pipa [琵琶]: Short-necked Chinese lute which as a shallow, pear-shaped body with a wooden
belly and two crescent-shaped sound holes
You Zhou [幽州]: Beijing old name during Tang Dynasty
Yù mǔdān [玉牡丹]: Jade peony. The term is derived from the word ‘jade’ [yu/玉] since jade is
always being compared to male beauty in ancient China and the elegant understatement is
represented by the icy beauty of jade. And then the word ‘peony’ [mudan/牡丹], because Tang
people considered the peony as “the king of flowers.” By that, in this story, yù mǔdān are the
blossoms boys that emit the icy beauty as jade, and as enchanting as peony.

(Word count exclude glossary: 1583 words)