“Business is still bad…”

At the snow-blown intersection, Ning Yi ate the pancake in his hand, smiling as he spoke. Beside him, Nie Yunzhu looked at the unsold pancakes still on the cart, pressed her lips together slightly, then helplessly clapped her hands. “It’s snowing so hard — no one’s out to buy anything.”

“I told you long ago to wait until spring to think about doing this, didn’t I? Now you’re paying the price.”

“Once I’d finally made up my mind about something, of course I had to act on it quickly. If I waited a few months, who knows whether I’d grow lazy, or what other thoughts might get in the way by then.”

“Ha, I think you just wanted to try what it feels like to run a little stall.”

Although Ning Yi hadn’t come by since Nie Yunzhu set up her stall, he had kept up his daily exercise without fail even in the snow. Every morning on the steps in front of the small building, the two of them would chat for a while, and by now things had grown quite easy and casual between them. Ning Yi of course knew the stall wasn’t doing well; a few days ago he might have offered some words of comfort, but by now he couldn’t resist teasing her a little instead.

As he had said, Nie Yunzhu hadn’t set up this stall purely out of financial hardship — though that might have been part of it — but more than anything, it was an effort to adjust herself to a more ordinary way of life. Her family’s finances hadn’t reached true desperation, at least not yet, and for the time being she was still finding some enjoyment in it.

“…Yesterday I saw a few people fall down across the street, and it nearly turned into a fight — something about an escort agency… and a few days before that, a shop sign over there nearly fell and hit someone… Hutao was here with me earlier, but Ernü came by just now, so I sent them off to buy some rice and flour. I deliberately mentioned a few things to make them walk all the way to the East Market, to give them some time alone together…”

Ning Yi ate his pancake while Nie Yunzhu chattered on beside him about the past few days’ happenings, and he chatted back a bit. After a good while, still no one had come by the stall, and Ning Yi laughed, brushing the snowflakes off his clothes. “Let’s pack up this business — the only time you really sell much is in the morning anyway. Why keep standing here now?”

As he spoke, he picked up a small stool from the ground and tossed it into the cart. Nie Yunzhu waved her hand. “No need — I might still sell a few more. Besides, I can’t push this cart myself. In this heavy snow, Ernü comes by every morning and evening to push it…”

“I can push it, that’s enough.”

“Master Ning… you really don’t care about appearances at all. What scholar of talent does this kind of work?”

“What does appearance matter…” Ning Yi laughed. “Besides, that thing I asked you to do a while back should be about ready by now. Since we have time, might as well go see how it turned out. If it’s good, your pancake stall might just be saved.”

“They’re just salted duck eggs, and you put in too little salt,” Nie Yunzhu said with a pout, though she smiled as she said it. Still, once Ning Yi brought it up, she stopped objecting, went over to an old woman selling pastries nearby to leave word, and then came back to help Ning Yi pack up. After a moment, she spoke to him again, sounding rather knowing and pleased with herself.

“Actually, Hutao and I still aren’t very experienced with these things. It’ll take quite a while of trial and adjustment before we can sell well and actually make money. So I figured, if we do it in winter, making just a little each day, we’ll waste less rice and flour, and by spring we might start turning a profit. If we waited until spring to start, the waste would be worse, and we wouldn’t be experienced until summer — so better to start early.”

“You know quite a lot about this, don’t you.” Ning Yi smiled. “I think you’re just trying to marry Hutao off as soon as possible.”

“That’s part of it too.” The two of them pushed the cart together, making their way back along the snow-covered road. Nie Yunzhu laughed softly. “In earlier years, I thought the two of us sisters would rely on each other for life, but that was never going to be realistic. Now that she’s found someone of her own, I’m happy for her too. Ha — when she and Ernü first got together, she kept trying to hide it from me. It was only when Ernü worked up the courage to come and ask for her hand that I found out. She was afraid I wouldn’t be able to look after myself alone, so she kept refusing to marry. But since I think of her as a sister, I can’t hold her back for too long either.”

“Ha, maybe you’ll end up marrying Ernü together with Hutao someday…”

Nie Yunzhu didn’t shy away from this kind of joke; she pressed her lips together in a smile, seeming to genuinely consider it, then shook her head. “That wouldn’t work. Ernü is simple and good-natured, a fine man, but there’s not much I could really talk to him about. If I married him, the first few years might be pleasant enough, but after a while I’d probably end up on the receiving end of harsh words — and then Hutao would be caught in the middle, worst off of all.”

“A mismatch.” Ning Yi nodded.

They walked on, passing through the bustling market full of rising steam, past residential courtyards buried in snow, past the Qinhuai River lined with silver trees and frost flowers, painted pleasure boats moored along the banks, strings of icicles hanging down as if forming a palace of water and dragons. Pedestrians grew sparser as they went, the two chatting on and off, looking for all the world like a young couple who had just closed up their pancake stall and were heading home — the husband a delicate, bookish scholar who, despite the weather, had come out to help while still wearing a fine robe, the wife diligent and virtuous, running the pancake stall each day to help support the household, looking forward to the day her husband would pass the examinations and bring honor to the family name…

As they passed along one road, a carriage came rushing up from behind, the driver cracking his whip. “Hyah, hyah… make way, make way… out of the road—” Ning Yi pulled the cart aside with Nie Yunzhu to let it pass. As the carriage went by, the driver shot him a fierce glare, and Ning Yi let out a breath before calling after him, “Well, so sooo-rry then~” Nie Yunzhu lowered her head, pressing her lips together in a stifled laugh.

Humming some random, nonsensical tune under his breath, Ning Yi pushed the cart onward. Nie Yunzhu watched his back for a moment, then hurried to catch up, coming around to push from the other side of the cart.

“I often hear Master Ning humming these tunes — I wonder what kind of melody it is.”

“Just humming nonsense, not too different from the mountain folk’s random little tunes. Um… folk songs, I suppose.”

Ning Yi explained it this way, and Nie Yunzhu laughed softly. “Folk tunes, hm — I’ve studied those before, actually… heh, why hasn’t my brother come yet — pfft… these are quite different from Master Ning’s tunes though…”

She hummed a line under her breath, her voice clear as water and quite pleasant to the ear. But the street was hardly the place to be singing such things, and after that one quiet line she blushed faintly and covered her mouth, laughing.

Ning Yi nodded, then glanced at her. “By the way — you’re quite skilled at singing and playing the zither, aren’t you?”

In their past conversations, though Nie Yunzhu had called herself an entertainer by trade without much apparent reluctance, Ning Yi could tell she disliked that kind of work, and so he had never brought it up. Since arriving in this world he had never once visited the pleasure houses, and though he had more or less guessed that Nie Yunzhu must have once been a renowned courtesan of some sort, he truly had no idea just how renowned. By now it hardly seemed to matter, which was why he finally asked the question outright. Nie Yunzhu nodded. “Yes, I did put quite some effort into it, actually.”

“So you’re saying… you’re impressive? A master of it?”

“Pfft… I suppose so…” No one else would ever ask her such a question the way Ning Yi did, and she found it amusing, laughing before straightening her face and nodding solemnly, “Yes, this humble one is indeed a master!”

“Oh? How impressive exactly?”

The straightened face broke into laughter again immediately. “Several stories tall, that impressive.” Recalling a joke Ning Yi had made some days before, Nie Yunzhu answered this way. “What’s this all about, anyway?”

Just as they were joking like this, the little cart had already reached the stretch of road near Old Qin’s gate. Unexpectedly, Kang Xian had come by today as well — his sedan chair had just stopped by the roadside, and Old Qin had come out too. Both men looked over in surprise, then broke into smiles, exchanging a few words. Ning Yi waved a greeting in their direction. Kang Xian called over, “Liheng, what’s all this? Need a hand?” His attendants were right there beside him, ready to help at any moment.

Ning Yi stopped the cart a few meters away and shook his head. “No need.” Then, gesturing to the woman beside him: “Nie Yunzhu… Old Qin, Old Kang… we’re just heading over to play chess…” he introduced her this way. Nie Yunzhu bowed in greeting, and after a brief exchange, Ning Yi asked, “Will Old Kang be around later as well?”

Kang Xian nodded. “I’ve brought a few fine pieces along. I’ll be here this afternoon — if Liheng has time, you’re welcome to come by with Miss Nie and admire some paintings and calligraphy.”

“Ha, perfect timing. I’ve got a few good things of my own to bring along later — we can study them together then.”

“Excellent.”

With that said, Ning Yi took his leave and pushed the cart onward. Only after turning the corner did Nie Yunzhu’s smile finally fade. “Young master, what you asked earlier about music…”

“Oh, I was mainly thinking — if I had some songs I could sing out, could you help set them to a proper tune on the zither?”

Nie Yunzhu nodded, a confident smile appearing on her face. “That shouldn’t be a problem at all. At least when it comes to that — whether it’s poems and songs, or the folk tunes you mentioned just now — if there’s anyone in all of Jiangning who couldn’t manage it, it certainly wouldn’t be me.”

“Wow, that really is several stories tall.” Ning Yi could now roughly gauge her level, eyeing her sideways with newfound respect.

“Indeed — at least four or five stories. High enough that a fall would kill you.”

“Well, that’s reassuring then.” Ning Yi thought for a moment, then added, “Though, fair warning, the lyrics might be a bit odd — really just something a few of us would sing casually among ourselves. Hardly refined enough for polite company. You should be prepared for that.”

Nie Yunzhu nodded. “Mm.”

After that, the little building by the river drew nearer.