This tavern was situated in the best location in all of Chou Plateau, with an excellent view and, naturally, excellent service. Excellent meant not only service for wine but also some soft erotic services. By soft erotic, it meant that the establishment strictly prohibited sexual transactions between staff and customers, but everything else was permissible. And any transactions outside the tavern were not forbidden either.
Therefore, the tavern girls were all as beautiful as flowers, always making guests reluctant to leave. Of course, this was my first time in such a place. My grandfather and father's fief was in Chin, a currently very barren land with no money to spend here. However, Kuo came from the resource-rich land of Lu, and as the legitimate heir to the Duke of Lu, money was not an issue. Although consumption in such places was certainly not cheap. But Kuo volunteered to pay the bill, making it impossible for me to refuse.
When the wine was served, the little fingers on the left hands of those girls were coated with red juice. In today's China, people call this a manicure, that is, painting a layer of red nail polish on the nails to make the fingers very attractive and draw everyone's attention. However, this was still very rare in the state of Chou thousands of years ago. Seeing my curiosity as I kept staring at the serving girl's hand, Kuo laughed heartily and asked me, "Are you wondering why their fingers are red?" I said, "Yes, I don't know."
Kuo took a sip of wine, sighed, and slowly explained: "Actually, those might not be real fingers." I was startled, "What?" Kuo continued: "There's a trick to it. Have you ever pinky-sworn with a girl?" I said: "Not yet. Isn't pinky-swearing for lovers? What does that have to do with red fingers?" Kuo smiled and said secretly, "That's for ordinary proper women, but these are courtesans!" These so-called courtesans referred to women engaged in the vice industry at taverns. They might sell their arts or their bodies, though in this tavern, their ostensible job was serving, also performing songs and dances when customers required. However, from an economic perspective, they were not people but slaves bound by contract to the tavern, performing work they most despised. They might be slaves captured from barbarians by the government, or from bankrupt farming families sold by their parents, or...
Kuo's words interrupted my thoughts. "Their fingers might not necessarily be real fingers. Since King Xuan of Chou repeatedly campaigned against the Jiang barbarians, there are more and more courtesans in Chou Plateau, and business competition among taverns is intense. Do you know why this establishment does such good business? Some female servers, to retain customers, will cut off the first joint of their left little finger, place it in a gift box for customers, using this extreme method to show goodwill and loyalty." After saying this, Kuo sighed deeply.
So that was it. The people of Chou believed that the little finger was connected to the heart, representing the red thread that entwined people's destinies. Cutting off a finger and giving it to a lover represented a determination never to betray. "But what you've seen may not be real fingers. Many are made of candle wax and flour, but to prevent being recognized, they are covered in red." So that's how it was. The so-called pinky-swearing, or finger-cutting, was just a strategy used by tavern courtesans to retain customers, which meant each courtesan would have countless severed finger joints. At this point, Kuo and I both burst into laughter, and Kuo said: "Let me show you."
With that, Kuo waved to a girl who had just finished performing on the Pipa, a Chinese lute-like instrument (like guitar), in front of us and said: "Miss, come here, we have something to tell you!" The girl, not expecting to be suddenly called over, walked awkwardly to us and said, "Young master, you are our honored guest. What can I do for you? We will certainly serve you well!" Kuo was already somewhat drunk and laughed heartily: "I was just talking to my friend about a special service here called pinky-swearing, is that right?" "Yes, young master, it's pinky-swearing." The girl was somewhat flustered, responding unpleasantly. Kuo persisted: "That red little finger of yours is especially for pinky-swearing, right?" The girl became more panicked and said: "Yes, young master, I..." Before she could finish, Kuo interrupted, joking: "I want to pinky-swear with you, can I? The real pinky-swear, you know!" The girl became even more flustered, hesitantly replying, "Young master, this... this..."
Kuo and I guessed that this girl had already overheard our conversation while playing the Pipa in front of us. Now that Kuo was openly challenging her, embarrassing her, she was naturally more hesitant and distressed. I said: "Kuo, let's forget about it. I understand now." But Kuo, not holding his liquor well, was already somewhat drunk and said hazily, "No, I must let my friend see through their tricks." Saying this, he drunkenly addressed the girl holding the Pipa: "You don't want to? My friend hasn't seen it, he must see it. How about this, if you're willing to cut, I'll redeem you, and you won't have to serve in this tavern anymore. You'll follow me instead! Are you willing to pinky-swear with me?" After saying this, he added: "I am the eldest son of the Duke of Lu, the future Duke of Lu. I have plenty of money, and my word is as good as gold!"
The girl, hearing this, seemed a bit afraid. The son of the Duke of Lu was someone these courtesans could not afford to offend under any circumstances. She bit her lip and slowly said: "Please wait a moment, young master. I need to speak with the madam and prepare. Just a moment." "Madam" referred to the slave owner of these courtesans or female slaves, who held the power of life, death, and trade over them. Kuo, also doing this pinky-swear for the first time, hearing her agree so readily, became a bit hesitant and said: "You, you, you, don't actually cut your finger! I just want to pinky-swear!" The girl seemed to have lost all emotion and replied flatly: "Yes, young master, it's just a pinky-swear!"
The girl turned and floated away, while Kuo and I continued drinking. Moments later, she returned carrying a box, moving gracefully just as she had left—an elaborately decorated wooden box. She took out a knife from the box, and suddenly, the blade flashed, and a section of her left little finger fell! Fresh blood gushed from where the blade had cut, dripping to the ground. A tear ran down her cheek, merging with the blood on the ground. We were close enough to almost feel the warmth.
Kuo and I were both stunned. No one expected the girl to endure such pain, falling to her knees with a thud, picking up the finger joint with her right hand, placing it in the wooden box, and holding it with both hands as she approached Kuo. With a weak voice, she said: "Young master, this humble girl has now pinky-sworn with you!"
Kuo and I were shocked! No one expected that what was a joke in legend would appear so bloodily before our eyes. The girl said: "Young master, I beg you to keep your promise. This humble girl has lost her little finger and fears she can never play the Pipa again in this life!" As she finished, her eyes were filled with tears. "Young master, if you abandon me, I'm afraid I will be nothing but a cripple for the rest of my life." By the end, the girl's words were choked with sobs.
Faced with this situation, Kuo and I fell silent. Kuo said: "I... I thought your pinky-swearing was just, just like others, cutting off fake fingers made of flour." The girl smiled bitterly: "Young master may not know, this is the capital's finest tavern called "Firework Flower House". All serving girls' lives are like flowers and fireworks, let alone a real finger. What is a real finger worth? Any customer of a "Firework Flower House", whatever they want, we will do our utmost to satisfy. Besides, it's just one finger joint, not the entire finger." "But," Kuo questioned, "if, if, if all pinky-swearing in flower houses involves cutting real finger joints, where do all those girls with severed fingers go?" The girl could no longer contain her emotions and said tearfully: "Either sold to brothels to continue performing fake pinky-swearing, or sold to other slave owners to become comfort women or breeding tools for male slaves. Neither aristocrats nor commoners would look at women with severed fingers!"
"I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't know you... I thought..." Kuo was deeply embarrassed and utterly mortified, wishing the ground would swallow him up. He said, "You were just... just sitting there, clearly overhearing our conversation. You know, we didn't mean it like that..." The girl shook her head: "But we have no status, no identity. The madam teaches us that the customer is sun. Do you know, the cost of this cup of osmanthus wine before you might be enough to buy us. Besides, you are a duke's son, I absolutely dare not offend you!"
Kuo said: "I'm sorry, you... you are free now! I will certainly redeem you, you are free!" Then, the girl cried harder and said, "I beg the young master not to abandon me! I don't want freedom! A slave like me, with a severed finger and a slave's brand on my body, no one will want me. Wherever I go, I will still be a slave! I only ask to be the young master's slave!"
Looking at Kuo again, his eyes were also glistening with tears. He said, "Don't worry, I won't abandon you. I will redeem you. I will take responsibility for you. Go bandage your wound quickly. From now on, you will follow me."
I don't know if Kuo was drunk. In the capital's Firework Flower House, how many nobles come to such places to indulge every day? Some people, either out of curiosity or their own sexual fetishes or morbid interests, compete to watch these so-called pinky-swearing performances. However, those nobles, after the woman's finger is cut, leave casually, as if it were just a trivial diversion in their bland lives, something they wouldn't even remember when meeting their maker. And what of those women? Most such female slaves don't live past thirty, becoming nameless ghosts wandering the world. And their next generation might repeat this fate. Yet Kuo, in such a place, told a woman, "I will take responsibility for you"—how childish and naive. Moreover, such thoughts were absolutely inappropriate for a nobleman.
The girl limped away, though the smell of blood seemed to linger in our drinking room. I was somewhat drunk, and Kuo seemed to be as well. He downed two pots of osmanthus wine fiercely, then suddenly held his head in his hands and began to sob. Was he suddenly drunk? Some of my friends, once drunk, would start laughing and crying wildly, displaying a kind of pathology. But he didn't seem completely intoxicated; he struggled to remain clear-headed and asked: "Miss, what is your name?"
"My name is Ching Hsiao. I am a slave, I have no surname." "I understand. You may go, bandage your wound well!" After the girl left the room, Kuo couldn't control himself and began to wail loudly. I sat beside him, the alcohol taking effect, the osmanthus fragrance making me hallucinate, not knowing whether all this was dream or reality.
After a long while, so long that I didn't know how much time had passed, Kuo suddenly sat up. He seemed to have cried himself sober, and also seemed to wake me from my wine-induced fantasy: "Do you know? I'm upset, I'm not drunk. She reminds me of many things."
End of the main text. A note about the historical context of pinky-swearing and finger-cutting:
Regarding this crucial custom of pinky-swearing and finger-cutting, there are indeed historical records of such practices. In the Japanese Yoshiwara red-light district during Japan's Edo period, courtesans would cut off the first joint of their little finger and give it to customers to show their unwavering affection. This self-mutilation expressed loyalty and commitment to love. Over time, this custom evolved into a pinky-swear promise that didn't require actual finger-cutting, while still maintaining the importance and gravity of the promise.
As time progressed, the form of pinky-swearing was also simplified. Today, people in daily life typically only retain the part where little fingers interlock, while the action of turning up the thumb has been omitted. This simplified version of pinky-swearing has become a common game action among children, and is also used by adults to emphasize promises, especially as a romantic vow between lovers.