After parking the cart in the low shed beside the small building and helping carry some things inside, as he stepped into the hall Ning Yi couldn’t help but think of a phrase: ascending the hall and entering the inner chamber. It struck him as rather suggestive, and he couldn’t help but smile to himself.

Although the two of them chatted every morning, this was actually the first time Ning Yi had ever been inside the small building itself. The building stood by the river, surrounded by only a few trees, secluded and elegant but without much in the way of grand architecture — pleasantly cool in summer, perhaps, but rather cold in winter. Even though the outer walls had been thickened for the season and the drafty spots sealed off with heavy curtains, since the mistress of the house had been out for most of the day, stepping inside now it actually felt colder than outside. The sitting room held few furnishings, but seemed tasteful enough. Faced with a guest, Nie Yunzhu seemed somewhat flustered, running back and forth trying to find something to offer, but the tea was cold and there was nothing much to eat. In the end she simply invited Ning Yi to sit, then carried a small charcoal brazier outside to transfer the fire from the cart’s stove into it.

She set the little brazier down in the middle of the room, not far from Ning Yi, then placed a teapot on top of it. “Er… it’ll just be a moment.”

Ning Yi let out an amused laugh, which left Nie Yunzhu faintly embarrassed. She then remembered something. “Those salted duck eggs…” She hurried into the inner room and brought out two jars, setting them on the table in front of Ning Yi. “Anyway… I made them exactly the way Master Ning described. Whether they’re any good to eat, I couldn’t say.”

While preparing to set up her pancake stall, she had originally planned to sell tea eggs and salted eggs as a side offering as well. When she’d mentioned this to Ning Yi, it had reminded him of something, and so he’d asked her to prepare the batch now in front of him. He had covered the cost himself; the preparation process was much like ordinary salted eggs, except using lime water and camphor-wood ash, with less salt than usual — purely as an experiment, following the proportions strictly. Over twenty days had now passed, and it seemed the results should be ready to see.

Nie Yunzhu had some genuine curiosity about this oddly-preserved batch of salted duck eggs, but at the moment she was more interested in the tunes Ning Yi had mentioned along the way. She disliked using her artistry to entertain men, but she did not dislike the art itself. What kind of songs did a man capable of writing something like “Prelude to Water Melody” hum to himself in his spare time? She had never asked before, but naturally she was curious. Now she brought over a basin of clean water and a porcelain bowl for Ning Yi, then fetched her family’s guqin, along with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and sat down across the round table from him without a word.

Ning Yi took a duck egg from the jar and dropped it into the water to wash it, and seeing her expression he couldn’t help but laugh, nodding. “All right, I’ll sing it for you, and you write down the lyrics. But no laughing if it doesn’t sound good. The song is called—” he gave the title, briefly explaining that it referenced a Sanskrit-derived Buddhist term for a monastery, “—well, that’s the one.”

Snow fell outside, and from within the little building, snatches of song drifted out softly.

[Ning Yi sings a wistful, melancholic ballad — its verses evoke someone renouncing the mundane world for a monastic life, doomed love and long waiting stretched across lifetimes like the rings of a tree, a crumbling pagoda and a fading temple gate, and a promise to wait through the turning of history for one final reunion, set to the sound of a zither.]

A single note rang out from the strings, quietly beginning…

…

Back at the Su residence, the examination at the library had already concluded, and Ning Yi had never made an appearance. After a brief exchange with old Patriarch Su and the others, Song Mao returned to the residence set aside for him within the Su household and instructed his steward, Song Kai, to prepare his things and gifts for departure.

For him, this trip to Jiangning was somewhat tightly scheduled — particularly the order of whom to visit first over these opening days required some care. As he turned matters over in his mind, Song Kai came in again. “My lord, Young Master Wenxing requests an audience.”

Song Mao nodded. “Show him in.”

Su Wenxing was the son of Su Zhongkan, fifth in rank among the male members of the Su family’s third generation — a ranking that, of course, included not just the third branch but numerous cousins across all branches. This Su Wenxing, however, was the son of Su Zhongkan’s principal wife, and Song Mao, as his maternal uncle, had doted on him since childhood. That he would come now was something Song Mao had already anticipated.

There was a widely circulated saying that the Su family’s third generation had produced no one of real talent, but judging by appearance alone, twenty-three-year-old Su Wenxing was certainly presentable enough. Upon entering, he first bowed in greeting to Song Mao. Song Mao smiled and spoke before his nephew could. “Wenxing, that fraud you spoke of this morning — is it truly this Ning Yi, Ning Liheng?”

“Uncle, it is indeed him. We’ve already looked into his background thoroughly. For twenty years he was nothing but an obscure bookworm who understood nothing at all — if he hadn’t been reduced to utter poverty, why else would he need to marry into our Su family as a live-in son-in-law…”

Song Mao smiled. “I don’t think that’s quite right.”

“That ‘Prelude to Water Melody’ from Mid-Autumn — he himself claimed before Grandfather and Father that it was recited by some Daoist priest. It’s only because Grandfather spoke so sternly and forbade anyone from spreading word of it that we haven’t been able to say anything publicly about this matter…”

Su Wenxing, clearly frustrated, spoke freely before this uncle who had always doted on him, going on at length. Song Mao smiled and gestured for him to calm down, pressing his hand down once, then again. “Whether this is true or not remains uncertain either way. If he really is a fraud who has stolen another man’s poetry to build a false reputation, I will look into it myself…”

“But Uncle, you were the one praising him so highly at the library just now — if…”

That morning Su Wenxing had already told Song Mao about Ning Yi, and earlier at the library, Song Mao hadn’t initially realized that Ning Yi was the teacher of that group of children — that would have been one thing. But even after learning the truth, he had continued praising him without reservation, which left Su Wenxing rather put out, fearing this would only add to the man’s reputation. Now, though Ning Yi held only the status of a live-in son-in-law, his growing fame was, after all, meant to serve as leverage weighing on Su Tan’er’s side of things.

Watching his nephew go on like this, Song Mao inwardly shook his head, then patted him on the shoulder. “Wenxing, you’re the one set to inherit your father’s business — I’ve told you before, you need to take the longer view. Don’t let it bother you just because someone else has gained a little reputation. Here in the Su family, though your sister Tan’er’s husband is only a live-in son-in-law, your grandfather won’t allow anyone to move against him. If he truly has talent, you won’t be able to touch him for the time being anyway — so why not use the opportunity to build good relations with him instead, borrowing the occasion to feel out his weaknesses? And if he really is nothing but a fraud building a false reputation, then sooner or later he’s bound to fall. The higher you help lift him, the harder he’ll fall — so why not lift him up a little more before that day comes?”

Song Mao, with his square, honest-looking face, spoke these words earnestly, then paused. “I still have matters to attend to before I leave. Think this over carefully yourself, Wenxing, and use your own judgment. Tonight, go and see your father and mother again… well, I must be going.”

“Y-yes, Uncle…” Su Wenxing bowed respectfully. “It was foolish of me to think otherwise…”

Song Mao smiled and pushed open the door to leave.

…

As Song Mao walked out from the courtyard, another figure was making his way along a different path within the Su residence, heading toward the side gate.

Xi Junyu, who had come with Manager Luo, had not left together with him. After news from the library had spread, he had chatted with a few others for a while before taking his leave alone. The Su residence’s grounds were vast, but this was hardly his first visit, and he was already quite familiar with the layout. Circling around, he found himself at an angle where he could see the two small buildings where Su Tan’er and Ning Yi resided.

Snow fell heavily as he stood there for a while, his expression grave, before finally turning to leave. He crossed several snow-covered courtyards, and as he neared the side gate, a voice called out from not far away: “Manager Xi, what a coincidence!”

In truth, such “coincidences” were nothing new by now. Xi Junyu’s mood was somewhat unsettled today, and he frowned faintly, but still cupped his hands in greeting. “Seventh Young Master, quite a coincidence indeed.”

The one approaching was a young man in fine clothing, holding a folding fan, his face youthful and rather endearing. Su Wenji of the third branch of the Su family came over with a smile. “You’ve worked hard, Manager Xi. Since we’ve run into each other, my father is hosting a banquet at the Yinchun Pavilion today — perhaps Manager Xi…”

“Ha, my thanks to you and your father for the kind offer, but I still have pressing matters to attend to and won’t have time to make it to the banquet.”

“Manager Xi, must you always say that…”

“And does the Seventh Young Master not say the same thing every time himself?”

“Fine, then.” Su Wenji straightened his expression. “Manager Xi, I know you’re fond of my second sister.”

Xi Junyu paused for a moment, then smiled coolly. “Now that’s something new.”

“Manager Xi, why deny it? Anyone in the family with any perception can see it clearly… honestly, back then we all assumed my second sister would choose you. On that day, even my father said: ‘If she’d chosen Xi Junyu, that would have been a problem.’ There’s no point hiding it from you now — everyone knows your abilities. Half the business under my second sister’s charge is really held up by you. But in the end, neither my sister, nor my eldest uncle, nor my grandfather chose you.”

Having already opened his mouth, Su Wenji waved the still-unopened fan and pressed on. “No one knows why they chose that Ning Yi instead. Don’t say I’m being unkind — I know I’m the one stirring things up here, and you’d think this yourself even without my prompting. And just now, even though that Ning Yi wasn’t even present, he still stole the spotlight — did you know that? Grandfather is going to value him more and more. And he’s nothing but a live-in son-in-law…”

Xi Junyu listened to this, then smiled coolly. “Seventh Young Master, I know they haven’t yet consummated the marriage. To this day they sleep in separate rooms — husband and wife in name only, strangers in truth. As long as that remains the case, this live-in son-in-law is nothing but a joke.”

“They’ll consummate it eventually! You and I both know my second sister’s character. Once she’s begun to build a life with this Ning Yi, she’ll consummate the marriage sooner or later. She was raised properly — she would never do anything improper. Since she’s already accepted him…”

“Ha, Seventh Young Master, is this really how you go on discussing your own sister so freely…”

Xi Junyu shook his head and walked on. Behind him, Su Wenji gritted his teeth. “However you want to spin it, it’s still the truth! Xi Junyu, you know full well — sooner or later my sister will accept him completely. Acting like this, you have no chance at all…”

Before he could finish, Xi Junyu suddenly turned and strode back toward him. Tall and imposing by nature, hardened by years in the business world, his face darkening as he approached quickly through the swirling snow, he cut a genuinely intimidating figure. He stared at Su Wenji for a moment, then let out a cold laugh and shook his head. “Seventh Young Master, don’t be so naive…”

Xi Junyu often came to the residence on business, and Su Wenji often waited around for these “chance” encounters — always exchanging pleasantries amicably. Never before had he seen the usually composed, unshakeable Xi Junyu wear an expression like this.

He faltered for a moment, then spoke up. “M-Manager Xi, if you came over to our side, you’d immediately become the head manager for the entire Su estate. The third branch would put all its resources at your disposal — whatever you asked for, so long as it’s within our power, we’d grant it without hesitation. And if you managed those resources well, well — my second sister is only a woman after all. If she fails to take over the main branch, you’d have plenty of ways to win her over in the end… My father says you’re a clever man. Everyone knows you’re clever. We’re offering this in good faith — there’s no need to say more. Think it over yourself.”