E17 - A Jaunt Around Town

Source: Crunchyroll
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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
SIGN    The Apothecary Diaries
SIGN    The Apothecary Diaries
SIGN    This story is a work of fiction. The names of all of the characters, organizations, and so on
     are imaginary. It also bears no connection to any specific real-life events.
[01:32] Jinshi
    In that case,
[01:34] Jinshi
    can you put makeup on me?
[01:37] Maomao
    Huh?
[01:44] Maomao
    He definitely doesn't need it.
[01:48] Maomao
    There are many silly wars in history,
[01:52] Maomao
    but several of them were
    caused by beautiful women.
[01:57] Maomao
    If this man, in all his heavenly
    beauty, were to put on makeup...
[02:02] Maomao
    Are you trying to topple a nation, or what?
[02:04] Jinshi
    Where'd that come from?!
[02:05] Jinshi
    Why does your imagination do that?
[02:09] Jinshi
    How do you make your freckles?
[02:13] Maomao
    Ah, he wants to be less beautiful, not more.
[02:17] Maomao
    I make some powder out of dried clay,
[02:20] Maomao
    then mix that into oil.
[02:23] Jinshi
    Can you do that quickly?
[02:25] Maomao
    Yes, preparing it takes just one night.
[02:28] Maomao
    It's a bit too dark for you.
[02:31] Jinshi
    If only there was a drug that can change faces.
[02:35] Maomao
    Applying lacquer to your face would do it.
[02:38] Maomao
    But that would be permanent.
[02:41] Jinshi
    Sounds about right.
[02:42] Maomao
    If you want to pretend to be a commoner,
[02:46] Maomao
    that can be managed.
[02:48] Jinshi
    Do that for me, then.
[02:50] Jinshi
    I want to look like a completely
    different person.
[02:56] Maomao
    I wonder what he's up to.
[03:01] Maomao
    That said...
[03:04] Maomao
    If I'm doing it, I'm going all the way!
SIGN    Episode 17: A Jaunt Around Town
[03:09] Maomao
    Ugh, so cold.
[03:13] Maomao
    Good morni—
[03:21] Jinshi
    Why the bad mood
    first thing in the morning?
[03:24] Maomao
    Nothing. I'm sure you're
    going to be beautiful all day.
[03:28] Jinshi
    Is that a new form of sarcasm?
[03:30] Maomao
    Master Jinshi, do you really want to
    become a different person?
[03:35] Jinshi
    That's what I said last night.
[03:38] Maomao
    In that case, excuse me.
[03:47] Suiren
    Oh dear!
[03:49] Jinshi
    W-What are you doing, all of a sudden?
[03:51] Maomao
    No commoner burns such expensive incense.
[03:55] Maomao
    Your current outfit is, at best,
    that of a lower-ranking official.
[04:00] Maomao
    The most exquisite incense from overseas
    should not be within your reach.
[04:05] Jinshi
    How do you know this?
[04:07] Maomao
    I've trained my sense of smell to separate
    medicinal and poisonous herbs.
[04:12] Maomao
    Do you know how a brothel
    identifies good customers?
[04:14] Jinshi
    No. Is it body build, clothing,
     and things like that?
[04:17] Maomao
    Those too, but one important thing is smell.
[04:21] Maomao
    Those with multiple showy scents tend to
    be rich but have venereal diseases.
[04:28] Maomao
    Those who smell like livestock
    don't bathe and are unclean.
[04:32] Maomao
    Most new visitors to the Verdigris
    House are shooed away.
[04:37] Jinshi
    Ah.
[04:38] (Flashback) Lakan
    You should direct that inquiry
    to someone who knows that world.
[04:45] Maomao
    Master Gaoshun, can you find
    a new set of clothes?
[04:49] Maomao
    If possible, some that haven't been
    washed yet and still smell.
[04:53] Suiren
    Oh dear.
[04:55] Gaoshun
    Understood.
[04:56] Jinshi
    Hey.
[04:57] Maomao
    While he finds that...
[05:03] Suiren
    What is that?
[05:04] Maomao
    Oil and salt.
[05:06] Maomao
    It dulls the sheen of his hair
    and roughens the texture.
[05:12] Maomao
    Excuse me.
[05:26] Maomao
    That should do.
[05:29] Suiren
    Goodness, must you use
    a fabric scrap to tie it up?
[05:33] Maomao
    Commoners use whatever is
    available, as long as it works.
[05:37] Gaoshun
    Are you sure this is acceptable?
[05:42] Maomao
    Sniff. Sniff sniff sniff.
[05:44] Maomao
    It could be smellier, but this will do.
[05:48] Maomao
    Master Jinshi, please take your clothes off.
[05:51] Jinshi
    S-Sure.
[05:56] Maomao
    Even though he's like a heavenly maiden,
    he has a well-balanced, muscular physique.
[06:04] Maomao
    May I use those towels?
[06:06] Suiren
    Of course, but for what?
[06:09] Maomao
    I'm going to alter his build.
[06:12] Maomao
    Would you both mind helping me a bit?
[06:17] Maomao
    Master Gaoshun, over there, please.
[06:19] Gaoshun
    Yes.
[06:20] Maomao
    Lady Suiren, please take this side.
[06:22] Suiren
    Understood.
[06:23] Maomao
    Now, with clothes on top of that...
[06:27] Suiren
    My goodness.
[06:28] Jinshi
    Wow.
[06:30] Maomao
    Having Master Jinshi's face on that
    awkward body is quite strange.
[06:36] Maomao
    Next is the face.
[06:37] Jinshi
    Huh?
[06:39] Maomao
    I mixed several dark-colored shades.
[06:42] Maomao
    I'll use them to make a suntanned
    complexion, like a commoner.
[06:47] Maomao
    Close your eyes, please.
[06:48] Jinshi
    Yeah.
[06:53] Maomao
    So needlessly beautiful, even to the touch.
[06:56] Maomao
    Not a trace of facial hair,
    nor any pores for that matter.
[06:59] Maomao
    If I applied feminine makeup
    on him, I wonder...
[07:07] Maomao
    Here it is, the one that Meimei forced on me.
[07:11] Jinshi
    Hey, will this take much longer?
[07:13] Maomao
    Please close your lips,
    but don't purse too hard.
[07:16] Jinshi
    Huh? Right...
[07:27] Jinshi
    What's wrong?
[07:29] Maomao
    I'm glad we were alone here.
[07:31] Maomao
    If anyone else were here,
    it would have been a disaster.
[07:35] Jinshi
    Hey, is something the matter?
[07:38] Maomao
    No, there's nothing.
[07:40] Jinshi
    That hurt! What happened?
[07:42] Maomao
    Nothing happened.
[07:43] Gaoshun
    Nothing at all.
[07:44] Suiren
    Right, nothing happened.
[07:47] Maomao
    Back on track.
[07:49] Maomao
    Use makeup to paint blotches on the face.
[07:52] Maomao
    Add circles under the eyes with dark colors.
[07:55] Maomao
    Add some moles, and draw over
    the eyebrows to change their shape.
[08:02] Maomao
    The remaining makeup can be applied to
    other body parts to make the skin blotchy.
[08:07] Maomao
    Push some under the fingernails
    to make the hands look unclean.
[08:10] Maomao
    Solid, manly hands.
[08:12] Maomao
    I guess he can't have beautiful lady hands...
[08:15] Maomao
    Hmm? He has calluses.
[08:18] Maomao
    What does he use other than
    brushes and chopsticks?
[08:21] Maomao
    Does he train in sword or polearm fighting?
[08:25] Maomao
    Not something a eunuch
    usually needs to do, but...
[08:28] Maomao
    Well, there's no need to ask
    such a silly question.
[08:33] Jinshi
    Wow, that looks dirty.
[08:36] Maomao
    Please.
[08:38] Jinshi
    A drink?
[08:43] Jinshi
    Whoa! What is this?
[08:45] Maomao
    Please drink it slowly, licking it
    like you're wetting your lips.
[08:49] Maomao
    It will make your lips and throat
    swell, to change your voice.
[08:52] Suiren
    What is it made of?
[08:53] Maomao
    Several different irritants.
[08:56] Maomao
    It's very spicy, but don't worry,
    it's not poison.
[09:05] Maomao
    Drink all of it.
[09:11] Maomao
    The final touch.
[09:14] Maomao
    Cotton.
[09:15] Maomao
    Please fill your cheeks with it
    to change your face shape.
[09:22] Maomao
    It's finished.
[09:29] Suiren
    Wow, young master, is that really you?
[09:31] Jinshi
    Please don't call me that.
[09:35] Maomao
    And yet he's still pretty handsome.
[09:38] Maomao
    Must be hard to have such natural beauty.
[09:40] Maomao
    Anyway, I did the best that I could.
[09:46] Maomao
    Now, time to head home! It's been too long.
[09:50] Gaoshun
    Xiaomao, you said you'll
     be returning home today, yes?
[09:53] Maomao
    Yes, I've been granted leave until tomorrow—
[09:57] Maomao
    I haven't seen him make that face before.
[10:02] Gaoshun
    In that case, Master Jinshi's
    destination is on your way.
[10:07] Maomao
    Yikes!
[10:08] Gaoshun
    Even with his disguise, it would be
    suspicious if he had his usual companions.
[10:14] Suiren
    Oh, that's true.
[10:17] Gaoshun
    Don't you agree, Master Jinshi?
[10:20] Jinshi
    You're right.
[10:23] Jinshi
    It would be great if you could come along.
[10:25] Maomao
    No! Master Jinshi likes the idea, too!
[10:27] Maomao
    Unfortunately, I don't think it would
    improve matters much if I w-were there...
[10:33] Maomao
    Perhaps having a bland attendant accompany
    a bland master would look natural,
[10:38] Maomao
    but I am also known to be
     your personal servant...
[10:42] Gaoshun
    I think it would be fine.
[10:44] Suiren
    In that case, why don't you also
    wear a disguise, Xiaomao?
[10:47] Maomao
    Huh?
[10:48] Gaoshun
    That's a fine idea!
[10:50] Suiren
    I have all the tools for putting on makeup.
[10:55] Maomao
    But...
[10:56] Suiren
    You just have to look completely different
    from your usual appearance, right?
[11:00] Maomao
    Ugh...
[11:00] Suiren
    Right?
[11:02] Maomao
    Y-Yes...
[11:05] Maomao
    I have such a bad feeling about this...
[11:14] Maomao
    Master Jinshi, your posture is too graceful.
[11:18] Jinshi
    You stop addressing me so formally, too.
[11:20] Jinshi
    Also, don't say my name.
    That would ruin everything.
[11:23] Maomao
    Then what should I call you?
[11:26] Jinshi
    Let's see...
[11:28] Jinshi
    You can call me Jinka, my lady.
[11:33] Maomao
    Huh?
[11:35] Jinshi
    I believe that would be appropriate,
    given our appearances.
[11:39] Maomao
    True, this outfit belongs
    to Lady Suiren's daughter.
[11:44] Maomao
    Both the fabric and design are nice.
    Doesn't look outdated or anything.
[11:47] Maomao
    I suppose I could come off as
    a young lady from a good family.
[11:55] Maomao
    Why is he enjoying this so much?
[12:01] Gaoshun
    Here is the map. For Xiaomao...
[12:05] Jinshi
    I will take care of the young lady.
[12:09] Gaoshun
    Please.
[12:15] Maomao
    Well, Master Jinka...
[12:18] Maomao
    Hmm?
[12:21] Maomao
    Jinka.
[12:23] Jinka
    Yes, my lady!
[12:26] Maomao
    Your posture is too straight.
[12:34] Maomao
    "Jinka," huh? Not the strangest of pseudonyms.
[12:38] Maomao
    But to use the character "ka,"
    for flower, in the name?
[12:42] Maomao
    I guess "Jinshi" isn't a very manly
    name to begin with, but still.
[12:47] Maomao
    Maybe I should have made him
    dress up as a woman, after all.
[12:52] Maomao
    No, I can't do that, if I want to
    maintain peace in our realm.
[12:57] Maomao
    Where are we headed?
[13:00] Jinshi
    A restaurant just outside
     the pleasure district.
[13:02] Jinshi
    I'm meeting an acquaintance there.
[13:10] Basen
    Why do I have to be the bodyguard?
[13:14] Basen
    And while hidden? Why would—
[13:27] Maomao
    The attendant walking in front of
    the mistress? He has a lot to learn.
[13:31] Maomao
    Jinka.
[13:33] Jinshi
    Apologies, my lady.
[13:36] Maomao
    Good.
[13:41] Maomao
    Not many leafy vegetables yet,
    given the season.
[13:44] Maomao
    Hmm?
[13:47] Maomao
    Now that I have my allowance,
[13:49] Maomao
    perhaps I'll get a chicken too,
    and boil them together.
[13:52] Jinshi
    Grocery shopping?
[13:54] Jinshi
    In that outfit?
[14:04] Maomao
    I wanted to feed my dad.
[14:07] Maomao
    He is an impressive doctor
    and apothecary, second to none.
[14:14] Maomao
    But for some reason, he has absolutely
    no sense of profit or loss.
[14:18] Maomao
    That's why he lives in that miserable shack,
    despite having what should be
[14:22] Maomao
    a lucrative profession.
[14:26] Maomao
    If he were on the verge of starvation,
[14:28] Maomao
    the old lady would probably
    force-feed him something, but...
[14:42] Maomao
    What is it?
[14:43] Jinshi
    Why are you so silent?
[14:45] Maomao
    Because there's nothing to discuss?
[14:51] Maomao
    Was that the wrong answer?
[14:56] Maomao
    Hmm? This smell!
[14:57] Maomao
    Chicken skewers!
[14:59] Maomao
    Wait here a moment!
[15:02] Maomao
    Mister, two skewers please!
[15:04] Street Merchant
    Gotcha!
[15:07] Maomao
    Here. Eat it before it gets cold.
[15:14] Jinshi
    Sure.
[15:20] Maomao
    The savory skin, the tasty fat...
[15:23] Maomao
    You can't get this in the palace.
[15:26] Maomao
    Aren't you going to eat it?
[15:28] Maomao
    As you can see, no poison.
[15:31] Jinshi
    No, I...
[15:32] Maomao
    Ah.
[15:34] Maomao
    Here.
[15:45] Maomao
    How is it?
[15:46] Jinshi
    Yeah, it's better than I remember
     at camp. The salt is good.
[15:51] Maomao
    Camp? I thought that type of thing
    was for soldiers, not eunuchs.
[15:58] Maomao
    He really does seem to be enjoying it.
[16:04] Suiren
    Oh, welcome back, Gaoshun.
[16:07] Suiren
    Please don't touch the suitcase.
    I just applied persimmon tannin to it.
[16:13] Suiren
    The young master's toys are
    full of memories, aren't they?
[16:17] Gaoshun
    Yes.
[16:18] Suiren
    So, how was he?
[16:21] Gaoshun
    He was extremely pleased.
[16:25] Suiren
    It was a surprisingly good suggestion, for you.
[16:30] Suiren
    Once the young master found
    a favorite toy, he would never let it go.
[16:37] Suiren
    If I hid it, he would cry like
    the world was ending.
[16:41] Suiren
    You worked so hard to find him a new toy
    to get him to settle down somehow.
[16:50] Gaoshun
    Fixating on one thing...
[16:53] Gaoshun
    That is not a luxury that Master
    Jinshi is allowed to have.
[16:58] Jinshi
    Do we have to rush so much?
[17:01] Maomao
    I thought you're meeting someone.
[17:03] Maomao
    Isn't it best to arrive early?
[17:07] Jinshi
    You sound like you want to split
    from me as soon as possible.
[17:11] Maomao
    Do I?
[17:12] Maomao
    True, I do want to split from him and go
    back to buy some radishes and chicken.
[17:18] Jinshi
    Is...
[17:21] Jinshi
    Is life at the palace so bad?
[17:26] Jinshi
    I'd think it's better than life
    out in the pleasure district.
[17:30] Maomao
    It's certainly not bad.
[17:34] Maomao
    I left for work of my own free will,
[17:36] Maomao
    and the room I've been given is quite pretty.
[17:39] Maomao
    However, I worry about my adoptive
    father, who I left all alone.
[17:46] Maomao
    What's wrong?
[17:48] Jinshi
    I just didn't expect you to care about
    anything other than medicine or poison.
[17:54] Maomao
    He's also my teacher in the art of medicine.
[17:56] Maomao
    I need him to stay alive for much longer.
[17:59] Jinshi
    He must be quite the skilled apothecary.
[18:03] Maomao
    He knows not just Eastern medicine,
    but has studied Western medicine, as well.
[18:07] Maomao
    I heard he studied abroad,
    in the west, when he was young.
[18:11] Jinshi
    That must mean he was extremely talented.
[18:15] Jinshi
    Only those chosen by the empire
    are allowed to study abroad.
[18:19] Maomao
    Yes, he's extremely talented.
[18:21] Maomao
    They say heaven only grants
    a person one talent,
[18:23] Maomao
    but there are some who receive more than one.
[18:26] Jinshi
    That's quite impressive.
[18:29] Jinshi
    Why is someone so remarkable working
    as a pleasure district's apothecary?
[18:33] Maomao
    It must be because he's short
     on luck, of all things.
[18:36] Maomao
    He was given two talents, but lost his manhood.
[18:42] Jinshi
    Are you saying your adoptive
    father is a eunuch?
[18:46] Maomao
    Yes.
[18:51] Maomao
    I guess the brothel-style joke didn't land.
[18:55] Maomao
    Apparently, because of his study abroad,
[18:58] Maomao
    he was made a eunuch by the previous empress
    dowager, the former emperor's mother.
[19:04] Jinshi
    Eunuch, apothecary, doctor...
[19:08] Maomao
    Did I fail to mention that?
[19:11] Maomao
    Oh, is that it?
[19:13] Maomao
    An inn upstairs from a restaurant.
[19:16] Middle-Aged Woman
    Come, stop in!
[19:18] Middle-aged Man
    Hey, hey, hey.
[19:20] Maomao
    I see. Now I get why he had to
    disguise himself and everything.
[19:26] Maomao
    In that case, you could have just
    come to the pleasure district.
[19:29] Jinshi
    Huh? What do you mean?
[19:31] Maomao
    Nothing.
[19:34] Jinshi
    Apothecary, do you know the regulars
    at the Verdigris House?
[19:39] Maomao
    Well, the customers that stand out, yes.
[19:43] Jinshi
    Who are they?
[19:44] Maomao
    I can't say. I have a duty of confidentiality.
[19:49] Jinshi
    Then...
[19:52] Jinshi
    How does one decrease
    the value of a courtesan?
[19:57] Maomao
    That's an unpleasant question.
[20:04] Maomao
    There are many different ways,
    especially with high-class courtesans.
[20:09] Maomao
    At the Verdigris House,
[20:10] Maomao
    girls take most of the important
    lessons while working as servants.
[20:13] Maomao
    At that time,
[20:14] Maomao
    they are separated into those with
    beautiful appearances and those without.
[20:18] Maomao
    The latter, after debuting, immediately
    take on customers to sell their bodies.
[20:23] Maomao
    Those with talent, however,
[20:24] Maomao
    are taught tea ceremony and given a higher
     education with which to entertain patrons.
[20:29] Maomao
    Their prices go up and up.
[20:31] Maomao
    Once high enough, they start
    to appear only very rarely.
[20:33] Maomao
    At that point, you get
    a top-ranking courtesan,
[20:36] Maomao
    who costs a year's salary just to have tea with.
[20:39] Maomao
    Some retain their chastity
    until the day they're bought out.
[20:44] Maomao
    Their value comes from their purity.
[20:47] Maomao
    Losing that purity would
     easily halve their value.
[20:51] Maomao
    In addition...
[20:54] Maomao
    A pregnancy would reduce it to nearly nothing.
SIGN    Next Time
[22:46] Narrator
    Next time: "Lakan."
SIGN    Episode 18: Lakan