Tao Cheng hurriedly rose and took his leave.

Xu Sizhun instructed Wang Shu to see him out.

As they reached the door, Tao Cheng quickly pulled a small silver ingot from his sleeve and pressed it into Wang Shu’s hand. “Wang Brother, this is for your tea. In the future, I ask that Wang Brother put in a good word for me before the Young Heir.”

The silver fell into Wang Shu’s hand, and instinctively he weighed it.

Well, well — for a small estate manager, he certainly had a generous hand. Five taels, by the feel of it.

But Wang Shu dared not accept it.

When he had first entered service, his father had told him again and again: “Once you take a man’s money, your hand will be shortened; once you eat a man’s food, your mouth will be softened. Never take advantage of small favors from others. When the day comes to repay the debt, you will understand the trouble. Not just your future — you may even lose your life.”

“We are all one family — what is Steward Tao doing!” He tucked the silver back. “The Young Master is still waiting for me to serve him — Steward Tao, please take care on your way. I won’t see you further.” With that, he turned and walked back inside.

“Hey, Wang Brother…” Tao Cheng called after him. Seeing Wang Shu not even look back once, he curled his lip, muttered a low curse of “what a piece of work,” and turned to leave — only to find himself face to face with Li Steward, who managed affairs in the outer courtyard of the Xu household, walking toward him.

“Steward Li!” He immediately put on a smiling face and went to meet him. “Haven’t seen you in a while. Are you keeping well? Have you finished the wild rabbits I brought you last time? If you have, I’ll bring you a couple more.” Then he pressed the silver ingot he had just failed to give Wang Shu into Steward Li’s hand. “The Young Heir summoned me to the mansion so suddenly, I left in a hurry and couldn’t bring anything — consider this a little token of my respect, for a couple of bottles of wine…”

This Tao Cheng — a man of quick eyes and a ready manner.

On account of the Young Heir’s face, some minor household purchases were occasionally entrusted to him.

Steward Li laughed heartily, very naturally slipping the silver into his sleeve. “The Fourth Young Master summoned you again! I’ll say — our Fourth Young Master really is a person who cherishes old bonds…” The two walked shoulder to shoulder, chatting intimately, and naturally failed to notice Wang Shu turning around sharply, his face darkening like a cloud.

Jin Ge’er stealthily raised his eyes, and seeing that his father, reclining in the leisure chair, was still reading, he let out a disappointed pout and returned his gaze to the sheet of xuan paper before him — these past two days, he was practicing writing large characters on xuan paper without a guide sheet underneath.

Xu Lingyi, who was reading, let the corners of his mouth curve up slightly.

This little fellow had been somewhat distracted for two days running.

Could it be he had come up with some new scheme?

One never knew how interesting children were without spending time with them.

Especially Jin Ge’er.

No matter the moment, he was always brimming with enthusiasm, and the mere sight of him filled you with energy.

With these thoughts, Xu Lingyi set down the book he held and gazed quietly at his son.

He was built like a child of the Xu Family — tall for his age. His raven hair and fair, rosy complexion took after Eleventh Lady. He sat with a perfectly straight posture, his gaze fixed on the xuan paper before him, holding his brush with a suspended wrist as he carefully formed each character. His rosy lips were drawn slightly tight, and a few beads of sweat had formed on the tip of his nose, which was as fine as a suspended gallbladder. His expression, intent with concentration, made him look composed and strikingly handsome.

An indistinct pride rose in Xu Lingyi’s heart.

Feeling someone’s eyes upon him, Jin Ge’er looked up.

The gazes of father and son met in the air.

“Jin Ge’er!” Xu Lingyi smiled faintly and beckoned to his son, gesturing for him to come to his side.

Jin Ge’er dropped his brush and ran over to his father. But unlike Xu Sizhun or Xu Sijie, who would stand respectfully before him, he wrapped his arms around Xu Lingyi’s arm.

Xu Lingyi’s heart softened, and his voice grew even gentler. “Do you have something you want to tell me?”

Jin Ge’er grinned. “Father already knows!”

Xu Lingyi raised an eyebrow with a look that said: don’t think you can hide anything from me.

“Everyone says Fourth Brother is getting married…” Jin Ge’er’s expression still held a tentative quality. “And then he will move to the rooms behind ours — which means the place where he lives now will be empty… Can I move into Fourth Brother’s place?”

Xu Lingyi was taken aback, then smiled. “What made you think of moving to Fourth Brother’s place?”

Seeing that his father’s expression was warm, Jin Ge’er’s voice grew louder. “I don’t want to live in the main courtyard anymore. I want to live in the outer courtyard, the way Fourth Brother and Fifth Brother do. Besides, Fourth Brother’s courtyard will just be sitting empty…” He burst out complaining, “They are always making a fuss over nothing. If they see me jump down from the covered walkway, they go and tell Mother. If they see my back is damp with sweat, they go and tell Mother. If they see me sparring with Chang’an, they go and tell Mother… and then Mother scolds me.” At this point he suddenly regretted saying it. If Father knew Mother had scolded him, Father might give him another scolding on top of it. With this thought, his voice trailed away steadily lower. “I — I didn’t do it on purpose.” He slid a sidelong glance at Xu Lingyi. “Sometimes when I’m in a hurry, I’ll jump straight down from the covered walkway into the courtyard and go out by the central path… taking the straight route is shorter than taking the winding one — and it was you who told me that.” Seeing Xu Lingyi starting to smile, Jin Ge’er’s voice climbed back up again, and he spoke with great conviction. “Now that I’m training with Master Pang, how can practicing boxing not work up a sweat? As for sparring with Chang’an — those little maidservants may not understand, but surely you do, Father? If you never practice sparring, how can you react swiftly when you face an opponent…”

“Don’t talk nonsense with me.” Xu Lingyi tweaked his son’s nose. “If all you were doing was sparring with Chang’an, why would your mother scold you?” He said this, then his expression turned serious. “If you want to move out, just say so directly. Don’t make excuses for yourself, and certainly don’t shift the blame onto your mother. I am telling you — your mother is no ordinary, foolish woman. If she scolded you, you must have done something wrong.”

Jin Ge’er’s face turned scarlet.

A manservant came in to report: “Marquis, Wang Shu requests an audience!”

Xu Lingyi would not reprimand Jin Ge’er in front of servants like this.

He gave Jin Ge’er a long, serious look, and said firmly, “Let him in!”

Weizi and Matron Hang were speaking with Xu Sizhun about the move. “…All the things have been gathered into the back storage room. Here is the inventory. You may assign someone to verify the count, and then we can seal it.”

Since this was being done for his wedding, Xu Sizhun felt rather self-conscious. He called for Biluo: “You and Wang Shu go with these two madams to affix the seals.”

Biluo answered with a radiant smile at Xu Sizhun, curtsied and agreed, then went off to the back storage room with the two women.

“Where has Wang Shu gone?” Biluo waited a long while without seeing him arrive.

Huoqing laughed. “The Young Master sent him to see Steward Tao out… He was probably waylaid by Steward Tao for a drink!”

Steward Tao came every time and went about flattering everyone he met.

“Oh, so you are gossiping about me behind my back.” Huoqing had barely finished speaking when Wang Shu walked in with a smile. “Caught you in the act, haven’t I?”

“The Young Master is looking for you everywhere!” Huoqing quickly tried to redirect Wang Shu’s attention. “Where did you go off to? Come, help us check through the items moved from the first wife’s quarters, so we can go and report back to the Young Master!”

Wang Shu had something on his mind. He smiled and took the inventory from Biluo’s hands. “Where were you up to…”

The Grand Madam set her sandalwood prayer beads down on the black lacquered inlaid mother-of-pearl bird-and-flower kang table, and the beads clattered with a gentle rattle.

“Eleventh Lady’s heart really is generous.” She accepted the teacup Nanny Du offered and took a light sip. “All these years, she has kept someone sweeping and tidying Yuan Niang’s rooms. On every festival and on every anniversary, she has taken Zhun Ge’er over for offerings and prayers. Zhun Ge’er is about to be married now — if the Ninth Miss Jiang were to see this, she might think we harbor some grievance against Eleventh Lady, and that would not do. Taking this opportunity to have those rooms renovated is a good thing.” Having said this, she paused, then suddenly rose to her feet. “I think I had better go to Zhun Ge’er’s place myself and say these words to him in person. Better that he not carry any knot in his heart over it.”

Nanny Du did not venture to say a word more. She smiled and supported the Grand Madam as they went together to Danbo Studio.

“…Mother has been gone so many years,” Xu Sizhun said — he did not feel the displeasure over this matter that the Grand Madam had feared. “I am grown up now and not an unreasonable child. I would not feel that everyone had forgotten Mother just because the place where she lived has been rearranged… ” At this point he smiled. “Besides, the one moving in there is me — not someone else. If Mother were still here, I’m sure she would be very happy.”

The Grand Madam gave a small nod and, holding Xu Sizhun’s hand, offered a sentimental reflection: “Our Zhun Ge’er has truly grown up!”

Grandmother and grandson talked the whole afternoon away, and the Grand Madam did not return until then.

First thing the following morning, while he was still at breakfast, Xu Lingyi sent his personal manservant Denghu to summon him.

Xu Sizhun was somewhat surprised.

Every morning, Xu Sizhun was in the outer study while Xu Lingyi was in the small study behind it. If there was something to say, a word called out would suffice… Why had he been summoned home before he even reached the outer study?

Not pausing to finish his breakfast, Xu Sizhun set down his chopsticks and urged Biluo to hurry and help him change his clothes. He also tried to guess at his father’s intentions: could it be that Father wanted to speak with him about the matter of moving?

He went quickly to the outer study.

Xu Lingyi was standing on the outer study’s steps with his hands clasped behind his back. Jin Ge’er, dressed in a bright red zhusi brocade robe, was holding onto the hem of his father’s clothing and watching Xu Sizhun with wide, curious eyes.

Xu Sizhun was even more puzzled.

“Father!” He had barely finished his bowing salutation when Xu Lingyi had already stepped down from the steps. “Let us go out for a turn.”

Jin Ge’er trotted along at Xu Lingyi’s heels.

Xu Sizhun was taken aback, but followed along as well.

Dawn had only just broken, and the paths were full of servant women doing the morning sweeping.

Everyone hastily stepped aside and bowed.

The main gate of the Xu Mansion had long been opened, and an unremarkable black lacquered flat-topped carriage stood waiting outside.

Xu Lingyi boarded the carriage and told the driver: “To Daxing.”

The whip cracked, and the carriage went rolling swiftly forward.

Xu Sizhun was quite astonished, but quickly composed himself and sat ramrod straight, his gaze directed inward, his manner that of an aristocratic young lord at his most dignified.

Jin Ge’er, however, sprawled himself across Xu Lingyi’s lap. “Father, why are we going to Daxing? Daxing is a full day’s journey away — are we going to a restaurant for the midday meal?” At this thought, he grew visibly excited. “Father, are we coming back today? Do we have to stay at an inn? I heard Master Pang say that inns are very big and even feed the horses and have food for people too. On the road between Cangzhou and Yanjing there’s a very famous inn called Gaosheng Inn. The sorghum liquor there is really something…”

“Sit properly!” Xu Lingyi took hold of his younger son by the collar. “I take you along on an outing and you start chattering…”

“I’m not talking, I’m not talking!” Jin Ge’er quickly clapped both hands over his mouth, his muffled voice seeping through his fingers. “Father, take me with you next time too!”

Xu Sizhun could no longer hold it in and burst out laughing quietly.