Hua Zhi had been preoccupied with thoughts of her family. Upon learning that Bai Mingxia had returned, she immediately sent back a reply card accepting his request, and had Xu Ying run over to the food hall to tell Fu Dong to prepare a full banquet featuring mushroom dishes.

What she had not anticipated was that Shen Qi would come along as well.

The courtesies were exchanged, and Bai Mingxia said with a smile, “He happened to be at my place, so we came together. You’re looking a little thinner, Miss. I heard from Du Cheng that you traveled south?”

“I did — to negotiate a business arrangement.” Hua Zhi did not conceal it. Seeing Fu Dong approach with reddened eyes, as though on the verge of tears, she smiled. “What sort of expression is that? Don’t tell me you’re not glad to see me.”

“Miss knows perfectly well that is not the case.” Fu Dong, in a rare moment, pushed back. She had been working herself to the bone training her subordinates, hoping to hand things off as quickly as possible and return to the young miss’s side — yet in the near term, that still could not happen. Each time she thought of it, a heaviness settled over her. If the price of doing the work she loved was to be separated from the young miss, she would rather not have it at all.

Hua Zhi flicked a gentle thump against her forehead, then turned back to Bai Mingxia. “This is my senior handmaid, Fu Dong. The food hall was built on her efforts alone. Elder Uncle is welcome to come directly to her in the future.”

“Excellent.” Bai Mingxia laughed heartily, showing no disdain whatsoever that the person managing the food hall was a maidservant. Hua Zhi was satisfied, and gestured for Fu Dong to lead the way.

The private room on the upper floor of the food hall, tucked toward the back, was kept empty on ordinary days. Its entrance was through a stairway at the rear, which meant there was no need to pass through the main hall and risk running into any familiar faces.

All the better. The affairs within the Bai Family were still in a tangled state, and at such a juncture, Bai Mingxia had little desire to cross paths with certain individuals who would approach him under the guise of concern while harboring their own designs.

They took their respective seats, and Hua Zhi slid the tea toward Bai Mingxia. “Has Elder Uncle been back long?”

“Only three or four days. Don’t worry — your family is all well. Since Yue Zhi arrived there, he’s been free of the constraints that hampered him before and has had the opportunity to put his abilities to use. He’s now been taken into the General’s office and has earned General Wu’s approval. It may not amount to great authority, but at the very least the Hua Family now has some backing — there are those who can no longer tread all over you at will.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. My father and my Second and Third Uncles have no head for practical affairs — they’d be better suited as tutors. If anyone is to establish a firm footing there, it can only be Fourth Uncle.”

Bai Mingxia smiled. “You see things clearly. Your father is indeed working as a tutor now.”

Hua Zhi paused. Could an exiled man work as a tutor?

Shen Qi took the opportunity to explain, stepping in to clear her confusion. “Teacher isn’t tutoring at an academy — there’s no academy of any kind in that place. He’s simply giving informal lessons to the local children. The work he was originally assigned has others doing it in his stead.”

That made sense. Hua Zhi gave a small nod. It was for the better, she thought. Her father was a true man of letters through and through — with a book in his hands, he was at ease in any circumstance. Set him to anything else and you’d only get half the effort for twice the trouble.

Bai Mingxia handed her a bundle. “Yue Zhi asked me to bring this back for you. It’s all letters.”

Hua Zhi thanked him, and still made no mention of her impending journey north.

However close Bai Mingxia was to the Fourth Master of the Hua Family, he was still an outsider to the household. Even the letters would say nothing beyond pleasantries, carefully skirting anything that ought not to be committed to writing — which meant there were no important messages he could have been trusted to carry in person. Bai Mingxia could only share what he had personally seen and heard, with Shen Qi adding details here and there. For all that, the exchange carried no trace of awkwardness.

By the time the two men had said their fill, Fu Dong appeared as though she had timed her entrance to the moment, leading the staff in bringing up the dishes one by one. Given the small number of diners, the portions were kept modest, yet there were no fewer than twelve courses in total — braised, stir-fried, slow-simmered, and more — until the entire room was filled with the clean, rich fragrance of mushrooms.

Bai Mingxia smiled. “The moment I got back I heard that the mushroom banquet at the food hall was something extraordinary. Today I’ll finally find out for myself.”

“So long as Elder Uncle enjoys it.”

That Fu Dong’s cooking had earned the praise of both Gu Yanxi and Shao Yao was testament enough to its quality. Winning over Bai Mingxia was never going to be a challenge. By the end of the meal, Bai Mingxia had eaten to his complete satisfaction, and then proceeded to be thoroughly shameless about it.

“Can a single meal possibly make up for the hardships of such a long journey? I’d need at least three more — no, five — before we’d be anywhere close to even. What do you say, young niece?”

Hua Zhi had also eaten quite well herself. Though she had been busy from the moment she arrived home, the truth was that today marked her very first day back — after more than a month away, she had barely had a decent meal the entire time.

She thought well of Bai Mingxia’s character, and respected his abilities as a man of business. She had no desire to make him lose face over something so trivial. “This private room is kept for welcoming people I consider my own. Elder Uncle is welcome to come whenever he wishes.”

Bai Mingxia raised an eyebrow. Her own people? Given his friendship with Yue Zhi, that was probably not an unfair description — yet the elder brother who ought to have regarded him as such was still keeping him at arm’s length and seemed to prefer he never came home at all.

Bai Mingxia suddenly found the whole thing thoroughly tiresome. Rather than suffocating in this capital city, he would do far better to wander freely wherever the wind might take him.

With his mind made up, Bai Mingxia raised the matter Hua Zhi had mentioned to him before he had gone north. “Does the young miss stand by what she said?”

Hua Zhi tilted her chin slightly. “I may not be a man, but my word is my bond.”

“Then I invite the young miss to discuss with me how we intend to conduct this canning venture.”

“It’s simple. I supply the goods, and Elder Uncle comes to me to purchase them. I will sell to you at cost plus a fixed margin. As for how much you profit from there — that depends entirely on Elder Uncle’s capabilities.”

Bai Mingxia was not entirely satisfied with this arrangement. He was in too passive a position. Yet he could not deny that it was the most straightforward method available.

At that point, Shen Qi rose to his feet. “My mother has taken ill. I should return home earlier. I’ll take my leave.”

Both knowing he was removing himself from the room to avoid any awkwardness, neither made any effort to detain him. Hua Zhi gave a slight bow. “The Hua Family is grateful for Shen Gongzi’s kindness.”

A bitter taste spread through Shen Qi’s mouth, his heart thick with unspoken feeling. Words he had long held back suddenly spilled out. “There is no need for such courtesy, Miss. I have been guided by Teacher for many years. Even if our fates are not entwined, the fact that I am his student will never change. I have already fallen short in this matter. Hearing you speak like this — it makes my heart ache.”

The mention of her father softened something within Hua Zhi. Her father, a man who had spent half his life entirely within the world of books, had taken on very few students — no more than two or three. Among them, Shen Qi had been the one he cherished most. Without that genuine admiration, there would never have been any betrothal between her and Shen Qi.

Hua Zhi bowed again. “Shen Gongzi is right. Whatever the circumstances, you will always be my father’s student, and my father has always taken great pride in you.”

Shen Qi smiled bitterly to himself. After bidding farewell to Bai Mingxia, he cast one long, lingering look at Hua Zhi, then turned and left.

From now on, it would be better not to meet again. Each encounter only buried the feeling deeper. At this rate, he would never be free of it. She was resolute and clear-headed — she was certain to dislike being pestered. He could not afford to have her think poorly of him.

Bai Mingxia looked at Hua Zhi, whose expression had not shifted in the slightest, and knew at once that only Shen Qi was caught in this tangle. With that understanding, certain things became easier to say. “Yue Zhi worries about you. He said Shen Qi has an admirable character and would make a fine match. He suggested that if you were so inclined, you might approach the Zhu Family and ask them to help facilitate the matter. Looking at things now, it seems he was worrying in vain.”