When night fell, lights dotted the mountain village, scattered here and there. A group of children ran around the threshing ground by the pond, chasing and play-fighting. An old farmer sitting by his house chatting held a tobacco pipe, occasionally tapping it against the stone steps beside him. Dongzhu and Guard Geng also sat for a while under the big tree by the pond, chatting casually.

"...At first, I thought Young Master was the weak-willed type like the rumors said. But the more I watched, the more I felt something wasn't right. He's still a scholar, of course, but that's exactly how it should be. Now in Jiangning City, who doesn't know when you mention our Young Master Ning Liheng? My boy's studying at the academy now, and last year he even got praised by Governor Song Mao. Tsk... My Geng family has always been illiterate. If not for the Su family, how would that boy have the chance to read and write? If not for Young Master, how could that boy possibly be praised by someone like Governor Song..."

The mourning hall was noisy not far away. Guard Geng slapped his thigh, telling these stories to the young driver named Dongzhu.

"You don't know—Young Master is truly gentle-natured. He doesn't like showing off, never goes out drinking or visiting courtesans with those fame-seeking scholars. And he's really good to Second Miss. Look at the people he associates with—Li Pin, Li Dexin, now that's a real great scholar... How does he teach in class? He never loses his temper, never says a harsh word. Those boys have gotten a bit unruly, but they study well. Even so, they're doing better than the previous students..."

"I, Geng Lie, can't read a single character. I used to think teachers should be strict. Last year when Governor Song praised him, I was happy. Then one day that boy came home and talked about things in class, and I felt something wasn't right. The teacher's good-tempered and doesn't fuss with you boys, but you boys can't be undisciplined. I hung him up and gave him a good beating. Later, Young Master even made a point of telling me it wasn't necessary. That's the bearing of a great person—winning people over with virtue and scholarship..."

"Before, when teachers were strict, those boys would rock their heads reading—useless! Now those boys may be rowdy, but they really respect Young Master. All day long they're talking about 'Teacher said this, our teacher said that.' Haha, a few times that boy even came to me saying such things. Tsk... thinking about it, it really makes sense. Look at this visit to the village, visiting this family and that family, the way he speaks and acts—he's no different from the Old Master. At first you might not notice, but gradually you realize this is the benefit of real learning. There aren't many in the household who can compare to Young Master..."

Geng Lie looked fierce and bold on the outside, but was gentle with his own people. He spoke sentence by sentence, not quickly. Dongzhu, looking like he could be Geng Lie's nephew, sat quietly beside him before finally asking, "I heard Young Master got beaten when he first entered the household, right?"

"Mm, that Xue Jin from the Xue family, probably took advantage when no one was around and hit him with a brick... Damn it, no one saw it at the time. If I'd caught him then, even with the Xue family behind him, I'd have beaten him half to death and reported it to the officials... But later Young Master thoroughly humiliated him, hehe... Oh right, you should have already entered the household by then..."

"Mm." Dongzhu nodded. "I'd just entered the household not long before. I heard people mention it, but not very clearly. But... Uncle Geng, since Young Master is so capable, why did he marry in?"

Geng Lie thought for a moment. "That's a bit complicated. First, the Old Master and Young Master's grandfather had an agreement from their generation. Second, the Su family has a solid foundation now, and Second Miss is capable with a strong personality. I don't know how they negotiated it initially. Actually, what we think is most likely is... hehe, before the marriage, Second Miss secretly went to see Young Master. Second Miss's looks and bearing are top-notch... I don't know what happened between them, but anyway, Young Master agreed... Not just Second Miss—look at the maids around her. Chan'er is so considerate, Juan'er is good too, and that girl Xing'er... pretty is pretty, but too fierce..."

Among the three maids, Chan'er was considerate, Juan'er lively, and Xing'er, being a year older, would sometimes argue with people. She'd argued with Geng Lie several times over small issues. Neither took it to heart, but talking about it was naturally both funny and annoying. After chatting for a while, Geng Lie patted his shoulder.

"Second Miss and Young Master are truly a match made in heaven. The future Su family will definitely be taken over by Second Miss. You're still young, work hard. If you can become a manager later..."

Dongzhu had only entered the Su household last year, and for a boy from the countryside, the chance to work for such a prominent family in the city was a great opportunity. Everything he saw felt new and amazing.

One courtyard after another, one rule after another. Those managers seemed to know everything, and the other people, regardless of age, all seemed very capable. Occasionally he'd hear them mention who this person was, who that person was, how high their status was, or hear stories about the city's scholars and talents. In short, they all felt like existences he couldn't reach.

He often heard people in the household say Second Miss was the most capable person there—excluding the masters, of course. He didn't have many chances to see the capable Second Miss, but he'd seen the maids around her several times.

The one who often smiled and looked good even when scolding people was Chan'er. Though she looked younger than him, he still had to call her "Sister Xiao Chan"—which was natural, since she was so capable. Juan'er, on the other hand, was quiet and serious when giving orders, rarely smiling and looking rather frightening when angry. Sister Xing'er was usually gentle, but she could be terrifying when she clashed with others. Once he saw her arguing with a manager from the Third Branch about something, speaking point by point, never giving in... She was clearly just a maid, yet she dared argue with such a capable manager and even won in the end. This made Dongzhu think she was really amazing.

Relatively speaking, what caught Dongzhu's attention more was Sister Xiao Chan. Actually, they hadn't really talked much—a few times she came to give instructions and left. But in the household, he could often see her. Sometimes he'd see her walking while stretching lazily, muttering something to herself. Sometimes he'd see her jogging along, sometimes bouncing alongside Young Master. He just felt... Sister Xiao Chan looked really nice when she smiled. Of course, beyond that, he didn't have many other thoughts.

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, he drove the carriage to send her out, but they didn't really talk. He only told her his name. Later she actually remembered—a few times when they met in the household, she greeted him and called him "Brother Dongzhu." Each time he couldn't respond properly and felt annoyed afterward.

There were some servants in the household pursuing certain maids, but such things weren't in his considerations. Second Miss's three maids had status in the household similar to managers. He hadn't adapted to the concept of "pursuing" someone, nor did he think he had that standing. Of course, when Xiao Chan was coming back this time and he was assigned to drive, that morning he'd wanted to say some comforting words, but being tongue-tied, he couldn't get them out by the time they departed.

These few days in Nanting Village, his heart felt somewhat empty. He actually didn't have much to do—just feed the horses and maintain the carriage. Occasionally he'd accompany Young Master with Guard Geng to visit various households. Young Master was really capable—if it were him, he could never say those things. They sounded like simple sentences, but felt so natural, just as Guard Geng said. Learned people deserved respect.

Sister Xiao Chan seemed to like Young Master, which was natural. He didn't feel anything was improper about it. But that empty feeling was hard to suppress. As time passed and night deepened, when he went back to look, Young Master and Xiao Chan were no longer in the mourning hall. So he headed back to the resting place. Passing by Young Master's courtyard, he saw lights inside. He stood outside watching for a while. Young Master's shadow sat by the window, probably writing. Sister Xiao Chan's figure didn't seem to be inside.

Turning to the small courtyard arranged for him and Guard Geng, he discovered rustling sounds from the carriage. Puzzled, he went over. Xiao Chan in white mourning clothes climbed out, holding some things in her hands. Seeing him, she nodded. "Brother Dongzhu."

"Uh, Sister Xiao Chan... heh, I wondered who it was..."

"Young Master hasn't been eating well these days. When I came before, I prepared some things to give him to eat." Xiao Chan nodded and smiled. In her hands were some preserved cakes and dried fruits that would keep. She then handed one over. "Brother Dongzhu, are you hungry? Have one too."

"Uh, I, I..."

"Take it." Xiao Chan smiled and placed the cake in Dongzhu's hand, then waved. "I'll go back to my room first. Goodbye, Brother Dongzhu. Sorry to trouble you again tomorrow."

"No, no... no trouble..."

Dongzhu held the cake with many things he wanted to say but couldn't get out. He just watched as that figure went to the courtyard over there.

Actually, she didn't look like she had her usual smile. Her figure seemed somewhat sad. But when she reached the door, he could still see her pause and pull her mouth into a smile before pushing the door open and going in.

The silhouettes of two people moved inside. Dongzhu held the cake, staring blankly for a long time, then took a small bite. This cake might normally be delicious to him, but right now it didn't taste that good. He just gazed at the figures in that ball of light across the way, experiencing those not-intense but impossible-to-dismiss feelings, that hazy first love lost in this summer night...

"This is what rich landlords do..."

In the room, Ning Yi sighed, dividing the cakes and dried fruits on the table into two halves, pushing half toward Xiao Chan. "Can't stomach the food people enthusiastically prepared, so the maid brings snacks to eat secretly in the middle of the night. What would people think if they knew about this behavior?"

"It doesn't matter if people know. Actually, Young Master is the really capable one, clearly not liking it but still able to keep eating while sitting there..."

"Uh, is it that obvious I don't like it?"

"Xiao Chan can tell, but others definitely can't." Xiao Chan smiled. "I'm already full. Young Master doesn't need to give me any."

Being used to life in the big city, even Jiangning's food didn't quite suit his taste. Back in this small mountain village, even though the one cooking daily was supposedly the best cook in the mountains, Ning Yi still couldn't get used to it. So Xiao Chan brought him other food every day.

"Whether it tastes good or not, I just stuff it down anyway. I'm full too. Since you brought it over, you have the responsibility to help eliminate half. Don't waste it."

"Then I'll just take a small portion."

Xiao Chan picked up cakes and fruits to put on Ning Yi's side. Ning Yi shook his head, negotiating. "No, no, you brought too much. Now I'm at a disadvantage. We can calculate by proportion—divide it into five parts. Xiao Chan, you have to take at least two parts for this deal to work... This one's too big, switch it for a smaller one!"

The negotiation proceeded tensely at the table like a business deal. Xiao Chan held that big fruit, putting it with two other small ones in protest. "You can't calculate it like that. This big one equals two..."

"Then come up with a more reasonable division. I think these cakes aren't the same size either. Look, that piece on your side is clearly smaller, right? This isn't good—you're deliberately taking advantage."

"If Young Master wants to put the big one over here, he has to take two small ones over there!"

"I have another method."

"Hm? What... mmph..."

Xiao Chan opened her mouth and Ning Yi tossed the big one in. "Good, now there's no big one. This makes it easier to divide. We won't count that big one..."

"Mmph, how can you not count it, I'm eating it..."

Xiao Chan protested while chewing with difficulty.

"How can we count it when you're eating it? You're the one eating it. And you can't even speak clearly, yet you're trying to negotiate. What exactly are you trying to say... tsk, can't understand anyway. Alright, I'll continue dividing. You have the right to raise objections. All objections you raise, I'll take as reference..."

With nothing to do, they could only find boring things for entertainment. The two of them divided and ate things in the room like a tug-of-war. When they finished dividing and carefully calculated, Xiao Chan discovered she'd eaten more than half. She was usually a clever and capable top-tier maid, but against Ning Yi she had no tricks. She could only mutter about "Young Master bullying people." Not long after, she reluctantly left the room and returned to her own room to sleep.

This was already the fifth day back in the village. They'd basically finished visiting everyone who needed visiting. Next was just to endure two more days and wait for the burial at chen hour¹the day after tomorrow. And on the afternoon of the sixth day, in Jiangning City by the riverbank with its green willows, Nie Yunzhu returning from her shop looked at the old man with a chess stall not far away and paused slightly. They'd greeted each other several times before and could be considered acquainted. This time, the old man looked up with a smile and beckoned to her.

She bowed respectfully, then smoothed her perhaps slightly messy hair and jogged to the chess stall, standing beside it smiling as she chatted with the old man.

The old man also stood up smiling. After a few words, he gestured to the opposite side, then asked the tea stall girl for a pot of tea. After they sat down, under the willow shade, they chatted about the man named Ning Liheng currently in a remote mountain area. This was a good topic, and the old and young who might become like father and daughter could be considered truly acquainted.

A chess piece fell—the first one...

In the small mountain village, that night passed quietly. The next day at chen hour was the burial. Originally there were supposed to be lunch and dinner banquets in the village, but considering the recent floods, with refugees heading toward Jiangning, it was better to return to the city a day early. After the burial and prayers, Ning Yi and the others said goodbye to everyone and prepared to depart.

At si hour¹, the sunlight was just becoming somewhat scorching. The carriage left Nanting Village and drove onto the mountain road back to Jiangning. The mountain weather was oppressive. Not long after, dark clouds seemed to begin gathering in the distance...

(End of Chapter)