The water in a mere bathtub could hardly drown anyone. Even in a moment of panic, only a limited amount would be swallowed. After the initial fluster passed, Su Tan'er finally came to her senses, embarrassment and the desire to create distance taking precedence. Ning Yi patted the water droplets from his clothes and stood to leave, while Su Tan'er sat on the wooden chair inside, clutching the bath towel as she bit her lip.

"Husband... how did you... end up here..."

Her voice trailed off halfway through the question. Ning Yi answered from outside the curtain: "I was planning to take a bath, and then... what about you?"

"I... I asked Juan'er to heat water for me..."

Ning Yi stood frozen for a moment.

"When I came back, there was no one else in the courtyard. Juan'er went out... uh, you were sleeping. When did you tell her to..."

Inside the bathroom, Su Tan'er had already realized what happened. Her face fell into an expression of utter mortification. After a long while, her voice came out as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "...At noon... What time is it now?"

Looking at the sky outside, it was probably already late afternoon. After a long pause, Ning Yi's laughter came through: "Heh, you go ahead and wash first. Since you're already wet anyway, I'll go... change clothes. It's fine."

His robes were soaked from lifting Su Tan'er out of the bathtub. Ning Yi glanced at his damp clothes and turned to leave, but before he reached the door, a hesitant voice called from inside. "Hus-husband... wait..."

"Hmm?"

"The water... is a bit cold."

After changing his outer robe, he quickly went to the small kitchen to start a fire and heat water. Ning Yi's constitution was quite robust these days—washing in cold water wouldn't be a problem even in this weather. He just felt that soaking in cold water in such a room didn't suit the atmosphere. But he hadn't heated much water earlier, and what he had certainly wouldn't be enough for Su Tan'er.

In the quiet afternoon courtyard, autumn leaves rustled softly. As Ning Yi heated water, he chatted with Su Tan'er about academy matters—the academy's closure, Li Pin's departure, and the noon banquet.

"...Second Uncle said we're all one family, there's no dividing into First Branch, Second Branch, or Third Branch—that's just for outsiders' entertainment. His sons lack sense, but this household will ultimately be best in your hands. So seeing how tired you've been lately, he asked me to remind you to rest more... Oh right, he also said that all the business in the world can't be finished in a single moment."

Carrying the hot water over, Ning Yi spoke these words. From the room separated by the wall, Su Tan'er's voice carried a hint of amusement: "Does Husband believe that?"

"Whether you believe it or not, I believe it anyway." Ning Yi nodded with a smile.

This response apparently struck Su Tan'er as shameless, leaving her momentarily speechless. As he entered the outer door of the bathroom, Ning Yi said: "All the business in the world can't be finished in a moment—setting everything else aside, that statement does have merit."

"But there are urgent matters and non-urgent ones..." Su Tan'er murmured from inside, then asked: "Setting that aside, what about the rest? Does Husband believe it?"

"...One should be sincere."

When he pushed aside the curtain and entered the bathroom, he found Su Tan'er curled up on the chair, wrapped tightly in two bath towels and her clothes. Though she was naturally tall and graceful, she possessed an unusual charm huddled like this with only her face showing. Her cheeks were flushed, but her gaze remained fixed on him. "That's not an answer."

"One should be sincere... so Second Uncle seems pretty sincere too." Ning Yi spoke while pouring hot water into the tub, reaching in to test it.

"Husband is not sincere."

"Only insincere people always think others are insincere. As for me, I still trust Second Uncle."

"Shameless."

"It's quite hot, the temperature should be about right... You have conflicts with your Second Uncle. You can't slander me just because I say he's sincere..."

Su Tan'er smiled as she gazed steadily at him, enunciating each word: "Husband is shameless and not sincere."

"Fine, 'only women and petty people are difficult to handle'²..."

"Husband is the smoothest talker—shameless and not sincere."

"I won't argue with you." He lifted the curtain to leave, but her voice followed.

"Won't speak the truth—not sincere."

"Alright." Ning Yi sighed, turning back to the curtain and showing only his face. He blinked. "Coming in earlier really wasn't on purpose."

The moment the words left his mouth, Su Tan'er's eyes went wide. Her face, which had been only slightly pink, instantly flushed crimson. She sat hugging herself, wanting to say something but unable to find the words. Long after Ning Yi had dropped the curtain and left, Su Tan'er finally unwrapped the towels and stood. The bathroom had both a curtain and a wooden door; once the door was shut, no one could enter. She had assumed Juan'er was home and hadn't bothered to secure it properly. Only now did she go over and slide the latch closed.

She was still in her dudou and silk pants, her bare feet on the floor. Half her clothes were soaked and wouldn't dry quickly. Her face reddened again as she thought of what that man might have seen. Hugging her arms to her chest, she leaned against the door. He must be laughing outside, she thought.

Footsteps sounded as Ning Yi hummed a tune while passing the bathroom corridor, preparing to heat his own bath water. Su Tan'er pursed her lips: "Husband is not sincere!"

She called out softly, loud enough that he could probably hear but not daring to raise her voice too much. She heard his footsteps pause slightly outside. She sniffled, then smiled as she walked toward the bathtub.

After Su Tan'er finished bathing, it was Ning Yi's turn. By the time he finished his bath, it was nearly evening. Looking like it was around five o'clock, Ning Yi sat in the pavilion in the middle of the courtyard waiting for his hair to dry in the breeze. Chan'er and Juan'er had returned, greeting Ning Yi in the sunset light. Chan'er came over and swayed back and forth: "Young Master took a bath?" After chatting briefly, she went off to attend to her own tasks.

After a while, Su Tan'er came over with a smile. She had simply bound up her long hair and wore a lake-green dress. After sitting down, she squinted at the sunset through the gaps in the trees: "So Husband is going to Smoke and Emerald Tower¹with Wenxing and the others tonight?"

"Mm." Ning Yi nodded, then tilted his face up thoughtfully. "I wonder who the most popular lady there is..."

"The most popular... is called Lü Xia."

"How do you know?"

"I went once, dressed as a man." Su Tan'er covered her mouth and laughed, then said: "Husband should enjoy himself. After all, Young Master Li is leaving too. Please bid him farewell on my behalf and wish him smooth sailing. As for those who aren't very sincere, there's no need to pay them any mind..."

"Hmm?"

"Actually, in my opinion, if Husband went with just Young Master Li, it would be much better than going with Wenxing and the others. It's rather pointless, and I fear they might dampen Husband's mood."

Su Tan'er had a strong personality but was good to family members. Of course, those she considered family numbered only a precious few. During New Year, she had taken Ning Yi to visit various households. There were occasional banquets and gatherings like this, and at every feast, she always made sure to look after Ning Yi's presence. Although Ning Yi didn't necessarily need such looking after, Su Tan'er's "unnecessary" gestures proved she was treating this as a real marriage to be nurtured.

Ning Yi had reached a point in his life where he wasn't pursuing some pure ideal of love. His situation, in a way, was similar to Su Tan'er's. If he had been arranged with a spouse in his past life, he would have "managed" the relationship in much the same way. The term sounded clinical, but the reality didn't repel him. You couldn't expect two people to fall in love at first sight. In a situation like this, you had to operate by its rules.

Su Tan'er initially had no choice in her marriage, but once she accepted it, she acted with genuine sincerity, offering a former stranger both respect and authenticity. Ning Yi recognized this sentiment for what it was: a heartfelt effort to say, If possible, let's make this work.

She had few choices from the beginning. What Ning Yi saw was a nineteen-year-old woman's wholehearted earnestness and effort. On one hand working hard on her business, on the other carefully tending to the family she had little choice in—this was her sincerity. Ning Yi appreciated such emotions. He had originally planned to leave if things didn't work out. Since they could work out, staying was naturally part of the plan.

While their life together had begun as a kind of deliberate "management," it had grown into genuine affection, which was close to ideal. Her words now showed she felt he shouldn't have to humor the family's second-generation wastrels. Ning Yi just smiled. "Don't worry, they won't dampen my mood."

"Since Husband is going with Young Master Li and the others, I won't have Xiao Chan accompany you." Su Tan'er said, pulling several bank notes from her sleeve. "Husband probably doesn't have much silver on hand. Here's five hundred taels³. Take it, Husband. If there's someone you like, show more support. Husband has the reputation of the foremost talent—your gestures shouldn't appear shabby."

Saying this, she laughed again: "Those brothers from the Second and Third Branches truly lack promise. If the family were left in their hands, it would be squandered away. Second Uncle and Third Uncle surely know this too. But they're only in their thirties or forties now. Like Father, when the grandchildren emerge and mature, they'll still be the patriarchs in power. So saying there's no competition is just being insincere. Second Uncle and Third Uncle compete for themselves, not for their descendants. Wenxing and the others are truly foolish—they'll never be family heads, only the fathers of family heads..."

Su Tan'er lowered her head, her voice softening. "Husband, please don't take Second Uncle's side in the future, alright? Even if you're just teasing, I want to hear you speak ill of the Second and Third Branches... I feel you should be on my side. I love hearing you say Second Uncle and Third Uncle are insincere. I don't love hearing you say Second Uncle is sincere—not even as a joke. In this matter... this concubine⁴is petty."

She raised her head and pursed her lips slightly, her smiling gaze meeting his. There was a hint of a plea in her expression as the sunset spilled down, washing over her face. In that moment, Ning Yi felt his heart stir at her words.

Whether it was an act or not, it was utterly adorable.