What was this situation?

Mo Zi found herself surrounded by ten thousand lanterns with no mind to appreciate the scenery; facing two handsome men with a slight headache; one foot on shore, one foot on the boat, unable to advance or retreat.

The story goes that she and Yuan Cheng had come out strolling together, arriving at the Ten-Li River opposite Mingshan Temple. Guessing lantern riddles, she was always a step slower than Yuan Cheng; playing ring toss, Yuan Cheng was always slightly worse than her. You win one round, I catch up the next—the two were evenly matched. Mo Zi was quite surprised that playing with someone like Yuan Cheng could actually be interesting. She’d originally thought he was the must-win type who’d get agitated seeing anyone else win. So, you can’t judge a person by appearance, just as you can’t measure the ocean with a ladle.

After playing everything once through, Mo Zi saw many pleasure boats on the river and had the idea to do market research. Taking over the Hongyu Cove shipyard, she hadn’t planned to turn it into Qiu Sanniang’s massive treasury—she only wanted to use this opportunity to exchange for her own freedom. So she would work within this era’s technological level with appropriate innovations, aiming to build high-quality, relatively accessible vessels. Pleasure boats and river boats were areas she’d considered and favored—they wouldn’t expose too much knowledge from later eras while having a broader customer base.

Yuan Cheng thought the idea was good, so he had Huayi go inquire whether there were any passenger pleasure boats available.

A dignified Qianniu Guard of the fourth rank lower grade, following a sesame-seed official of the sixth rank lower grade, even running errands and doing odd jobs—Mo Zi didn’t know whom to feel sorry for.

Huayi truly was capable. He returned saying that all the passenger pleasure boats were full today, but there was one client who’d chartered a boat willing to share it with them, splitting the cost half and half.

This was when the benefits of following Yuan Cheng showed. This person could casually convert gifts people sent him into gleaming silver—naturally the boat charter fee was no problem.

Thus, several people arrived at the river dock. When Huayi pointed to a medium-sized pleasure boat, Mo Zi was quite satisfied. Eyes wide, she walked while looking, carefully examining the construction. She’d just placed one foot on the sampan when the dilemma of advancing or retreating occurred.

“I wondered who was so generous—a hundred taels for chartering a boat without hesitation. Turns out it’s Lord Yuan.” Four or five people walked out from the bright cabin. The one speaking in the center wore a silver silk robe with a dark gold belt, embroidered with golden mountains, silver seas, and jade trees with flowers. With each step he took, brilliance scattered everywhere. The fan in his hand had changed. The fan ribs were still forged from pure gold, but the fan surface had only two characters, front and back—Jin Yin. His hair was bound high in a topknot, secured by a crown inlaid with gems of various sizes, with one strand left by his cheek, tied into three sections with gold thread.

Jin Yin never allowed anyone to overlook his wealth each time he appeared. Combined with the adorable twins behind him, the originally beautiful companions who followed seemed to pale into insignificance.

Yuan Cheng smiled with a gentle, gentlemanly expression. “Though I’m generous, how could I compare to Young Master Jin’s wealth? That outfit of yours—it’s as if you want to wear your entire family fortune, afraid someone might steal it?”

Mo Zi whipped her head around so fast she nearly twisted her neck.

Jin Yin smiled with a gritted-teeth expression. “I’m not like certain people who are inconsistent—wearing black, drab-looking clothes that seem plain, yet are woven from ice silkworm silk, with each flower and leaf personally embroidered by the master of the world’s finest embroidery house. If you became my servant, you’d be worth far more than a hundred or thousand taels—I’d have to call you Ten Thousand Taels.”

Mo Zi’s eyes immediately widened as she looked Yuan Cheng’s black outfit up and down. Was it worth ten thousand taels?

Yuan Cheng smiled again with sustained gentleness. “Still better than someone who carried gleaming white silver to beg at doors, yet couldn’t get what they begged for. However, has Young Master Jin’s eyesight deteriorated? This black robe of mine cost only five taels of silver. The ice silkworm silk—isn’t Young Master Jin wearing it? Why mock a down-and-out person like me?”

Ice silkworm silk—what was that exactly? Could someone spare a moment to explain?

Jin Yin smiled again with sustained teeth-gritting. “Why be so modest? For someone like you, even a broken boat still has three pounds of nails. Shake yourself a bit and things jingle and jangle—all priceless nails.”

This person was fixated on those pearls, still going on about shaking oneself.

Though called a broken boat, Yuan Cheng’s demeanor remained excellent. Just as he was about to speak, he heard—

“Stop!” Mo Zi was tired of holding the awkward position of neither fully boarding nor disembarking.

Seeing Mo Zi silence Yuan Cheng, Jin Yin raised his beautiful eyebrows proudly. “Brother Mo is wise.”

“Young Master Jin, please say one less sentence too.” Whatever past grievances these two had, they went back and forth without the slightest courtesy—but on such a festive day, couldn’t they just calm down?

Jin Yin choked.

“Tonight is a beautiful scene on an auspicious occasion. Meeting is also fate. Lord Yuan survived catastrophe, I’ve just arrived—since we both know Young Master Jin, let Young Master Jin fulfill the role of host. Who knows where the three of us will be this time next year? I see that though you two bicker, you don’t seem to have deep hatred—more like close brothers having a spat. Life is short—if there’s wine today, drink today. How about it?” Mo Zi spoke with great candor.

“Who’s close brothers with him?” Though Jin Yin was dissatisfied with this, he only muttered it quietly.

“Not close brothers—sworn brothers.” Yuan Cheng walked closer to the sampan.

This time, Mo Zi nearly fell off the sampan and took a direct plunge into the water. These two spoke like this, their expressions like that—they were sworn brothers? When, where, under what circumstances did this happen? Clutching each other’s throats, forcing each other to recite the brotherhood oath?

Two hands reached over, steadying Mo Zi.

Seeing it was Yuan Cheng, Mo Zi quickly thanked him.

“Brother Mo, watch the plank. Young Master Jin only likes spending money on himself but is stingy with everything else. This sampan is half as narrow as an ordinary pleasure boat’s, saving him half the silver cost.” Yuan Cheng spoke unhurriedly. Seeing she’d steadied herself, he released his hands.

“Yuan Cheng, whether I’m stingy or not is none of your business. First control your own paws and stop taking advantage of Brother Mo.” Jin Yin was exasperated and quickly stepped forward to pull Mo Zi.

Mo Zi lost her balance and pitched forward.

Jin Yin stood ready with arms spread to catch her. But unexpectedly, Mo Zi’s figure had already disappeared from before his eyes. Hearing Bai Liang and Qian Liang cheer “Sister has great skills!”, he turned to see Mo Zi tumbling and standing up.

Yuan Cheng extended his hand, using Jin Yin’s arm for support. “Good brother, many thanks.”

Jin Yin immediately withdrew his arm and rubbed it. “Yuan Cheng, who’s your brother? Want to be brothers? Sell me the pearls.”

Yuan Cheng ignored him and greeted the twin brothers. “Bai Liang, Qian Liang, the one behind me has quite good martial skills. If you want to spar, find him.”

“Elder Young Master, really?” Today, the one in the yellow robe was Bai Liang.

“Elder Young Master, how formidable is he? If we both attack together, can we beat him?” The one in brown was Qian Liang.

The two wore their hair in chivalrous ponytails with energetic, smiling faces.

“That I don’t know. You try it and see. Don’t blame me if you lose.” Yuan Cheng spoke irresponsibly, planning to push the innocent Huayi out as a “sacrifice.”

Mo Zi was dusting off her clothes when she heard Bai Liang and Qian Liang call Yuan Cheng “Elder Young Master,” thinking this sworn brotherhood claim seemed genuine after all.

Before Huayi could object, Bai Liang and Qian Liang’s four fists came whistling through the wind, spinning like wheels as they attacked. What surprised him was that though these two youngsters looked young, their skills were quite good—their punches carried energy, their movements like lightning, possessing inner strength not inferior to seasoned jianghu veterans. If he didn’t use some real skill, he might not be able to handle them.

The three darted up and down, sparring front and back. Fortunately it was a festival, so to others it looked like playful acrobatics. By the time Mo Zi and the others were seated in the boat, they could still hear cheers from both sides.

“I really don’t know what benefits you gave those two brats. They won’t stop calling you Elder Young Master—even pulling their ears doesn’t work.” Picked up halfway, can’t be properly trained? Jin Yin poured wine for himself.

In this respect, he and Yuan Cheng were alike—neither arrogant nor noble, doing everything themselves.

Mo Zi was quite accustomed to this sight, but the women behind Jin Yin couldn’t help themselves. One stepped forward, took the wine pot, and poured wine for all three.

One beauty in a pink dress with white outer robe pouted coquettishly. “Young Master Jin, don’t compete with us sisters for work. If Mother finds out, she’ll skin us alive.”

The other in a jade dress with green outer robe quickly echoed, “Exactly. Whatever needs doing, just order us.”

Mo Zi looked at these two women—their expressions held considerable flirtation, their every gesture full of seductive charm. Heavily made up, they should be courtesans.

She stared fixedly. Seeing this, Jin Yin said, “These two are the most beautiful boat maidens on the Ten-Li River. Their musical skills may not match Mochou of Wuyou Pavilion, but they’re still outstanding. Brother Mo, prepare your reward silver.”

Mo Zi most feared people asking her to pay. It wasn’t that she was stingy—she was genuinely strapped for cash.

So she pretended not to see the seductive glances from the one in green, pointing at Yuan Cheng. “Young Master Jin jests. The wealthy one is your sworn brother. I’m just a small steward—where would I get reward silver?” From Bai Liang and Qian Liang’s earlier form of address for Yuan Cheng, she’d guessed who was the elder and who the younger brother.

Jin Yin glanced sideways at Yuan Cheng and snorted. “What kind of sworn brother ruins three of my pearls?”

Yuan Cheng calmly accepted the wine the one in green poured. “Where does this come from? Clearly you gave them to me—how did it become my ruining them? Young Master Jin is petty. I accepted your gift and handled your matter properly. Not a word of thanks, yet you complain. If I’d known, this brotherhood needn’t have been sworn.”

Jin Yin snorted again. “If I hadn’t drunk too much that day and lost my sense of direction, who would want to be sworn brothers with you?” Clearly younger but became the elder brother. If not for the written document, he wouldn’t believe it even if beaten to death.

“If Young Master Jin wants to sever the bond, it’s not impossible. As we originally said—if the brotherhood fails, the business splits. Just divide half the Jin Yin Bank to me.” Yuan Cheng didn’t care because he wouldn’t lose out.

Mo Zi slapped the table and stood up.

Yuan Cheng and Jin Yin both looked over simultaneously.

“The affairs between you two brothers—an outsider like me getting involved isn’t appropriate.” Mo Zi needed fresh air. “You two talk slowly. I’m going to see the flower lanterns.”

Without waiting for either to speak, she strode out of the cabin, only to see Huayi standing like a pole by the door. She asked, “Who won, who lost?”

Huayi’s gaze fell toward the not-far distance.

Mo Zi saw Bai Liang and Qian Liang sitting back-to-back on the ground panting. She immediately understood that Huayi’s martial skills were formidable indeed.

Disturbing no one, she sat on the boat’s edge, watching the flower lanterns on both riverbanks. Each lantern carried a wish—but what about people without flower lanterns? Could they still have their wishes fulfilled?