Chapter 115: Bathroom

Episode Two: The Pool of Undercurrents

A novel by: Angry Banana

Updated / In the courtyard, Su Tan'er's expression seemed slightly dazed. She usually called Ning Yi "Xianggong" (husband), but this time she said "Fūjūn" (husband) in a soft voice, as if imbued with a heartwarming tenderness. However, her momentary bewilderment soon passed. She raised a hand, rubbed her face, and shook her head, then picked up the fire starter from the table. The light flickered several times through the window before the oil lamp in the room was finally relit. Ning Yi pursed his lips, and she gave an embarrassed smile.

"Uh, I'm almost done... just a bit tired."

She shook her head, her slightly disheveled hair swaying. Then, she clasped her hands on the table, tilted her head back, and smiled at Ning Yi. A moment later, Ning Yi turned and left, and the woman's figure by the window became busy again. By the time the lamp was finally extinguished, it was well over an hour later.

This day was the eleventh of July in the eighth year of Jinghan. The next day, at the academy, Su Zhongkan, Su Chonghua, and several other academy teachers held a meeting. Ning Yi and Li Pin were naturally also summoned. The primary reason was the escalating tension outside, and the academy was already preparing for a temporary closure.

The children studying at the academy were generally related to the Su family. At this time, those whose families lived outside the city had largely moved into the city with their parents, arranged to reside at the Su estate. For a month or two after the city gates closed, the outskirts would be relatively chaotic, and even within the city, conditions wouldn't be ideal; daily life could not possibly continue as usual. For example, Old Qin had already packed up his chess stall two days prior and stopped setting it up outside.

The academy was also now aware of Li Pin's imminent departure for the capital. He had originally planned to leave after the floods, intending to remain here and teach for another month. However, since the academy was now temporarily closing, he would likely not be seen at the academy during that extra month. At noon, Su Zhongkan hosted a farewell banquet at the best restaurant near the academy.

From the moment Li Pin joined Yushan Academy, Su Chonghua and others knew he wouldn't teach at this small academy for long. However, capitalizing on Li Pin's renown, Yushan Academy naturally elevated its prestige. With his departure, those in the know largely understood that he was going to become an official. Su Zhongkan generously bestowed upon him a substantial salary and travel funds, along with many kind words, wishing him a smooth journey and a brilliant career.

"Dexin and Li Heng are the two most outstanding talents of our Yushan Academy. We old men are past our prime and no longer of much use. However, Li Heng's disposition is too aloof, which is a pity. He should learn more from Dexin. Dexin's shrewdness in human affairs is the very cultivation a future leader should possess..."

At the banquet, the rest were middle-aged and elderly men, and it was inevitable that Ning Yi and Li Pin would be brought up for discussion. In fact, both were now considered the top scholars in Jiangning, but Ning Yi's situation was quite unique. Some who knew of his reputation considered him Jiangning's premier scholar, and when he appeared, others even hesitated to put pen to paper for poetry. Yet, he didn't participate in poetry gatherings, did not associate with many literary figures, and held the humble title of a live-in son-in-law. Despite such talent, it was unclear what he truly sought, leading people to conclude he simply possessed a peculiar disposition. Some privately believed him to be a fame-seeker, others a true prodigy, but his renown always differed from that of Li Pin, Cao Guan, and their peers.

Su Chonghua said these words as an elder, and Ning Yi could only smile, "Academy Head, please don't tease me." Li Pin laughed, "Li Heng's way of handling things is far superior to mine; it is I who should learn from Li Heng."

"Ah, I know your relationship is close, but Dexin, you don't need to speak so favorably of Li Heng," Su Zhongkan said, waving his hand with a smile. "Once these city gates close, we don't know when they'll open again. Dexin, you still have at least a month before you leave. It wouldn't be good to be stuck at home all the time. If you go to any poetry gatherings, feel free to bring Li Heng along. Although Li Heng is a scholar, his temperament is too reserved; that's never good. How about this: Tonight, I'll arrange for Wenxing and others to host a gathering at Yan Cui Tower. Li Heng and Dexin, you both should come. It's a chance for young people to get together, so don't decline. Our own younger generation is quite unaccomplished, so Li Heng and Dexin, please consider it an opportunity to mentor these young men, alright?"

Li Pin himself didn't mind such matters. With Su Zhongkan, his second uncle, speaking up, Ning Yi could hardly decline at the moment, and so agreed. After the banquet, as the group went downstairs, Su Zhongkan approached Ning Yi: "Others might draw distinctions between first, second, and third branches within a family, but in reality, that's merely outsiders amusing themselves with gossip. We're all one family; there's no true need for such divisions. Your cousins are quite disappointing; if they were to take over the family business, they'd ruin it sooner or later. Tan'er's business talent is unsurpassed by any man; her taking over the Su family in the future would, in fact, be the best outcome. Unfortunately, she is ultimately a woman, and sometimes she inevitably finds herself isolated. Recently, with tensions rising inside and outside the city, her nature dictates that she personally oversees everything. When I've seen her lately, Tan'er always seems a bit tired. As her husband, you should look after her more, cherish her, and urge her to relax appropriately.

The world's business cannot be completed in a single day."

Su Zhongkan's words were sincere, and Ning Yi respectfully nodded in agreement. The third generation of the Su family, apart from Su Tan'er, had no one particularly capable, but the second generation was different. Su Boyong, Su Zhongkan, and Su Yunfang each possessed their own abilities, and they still held sway over the Su family's overall affairs. Whether sincere or not, this brief conversation alone revealed Su Zhongkan to be truly astute.

On the way home, half the afternoon had already passed. Passing through the outer and inner compounds, it was slightly noisy outside due to many relatives recently moved into the Su family's compound. However, upon returning to his own living quarters, the clamor diminished. Sunlight streaked through the tall tree branches into the somewhat still courtyard. It seemed empty; Chan'er, Juan'er, and Xing'er were nowhere to be seen. It was unclear if they had gone out with Tan'er or were handling matters related to the relatives from the main branch. The window of Su Tan'er's room was open. As Ning Yi approached, he saw her sleeping, face down on the table, similar to the previous evening. She had likely been handling some midday affairs before drifting off, and the breeze blowing through the courtyard gently rustled her hair.

Since she was sleeping, Ning Yi decided not to disturb her and went straight back to his room to read for a while. Amidst the chirping of cicadas, he got up again and went to the adjacent small kitchen to check on the water heating, started a fire to heat water, intending to take a bath.

In these times, bathing was actually a cumbersome task. Filling the bathtub always required numerous trips, a truly arduous task, and emptying the water from the tub afterward was even more demanding. The bathroom had a large water storage jar, but today the water was used up, so he had to fetch it from the small kitchen a room away, and the hot water also came from there. In winter, one could light a fire under the tub to maintain the water temperature, but this was rarely done during summer and early autumn.

He had recently grown stronger, especially after practicing the breathing techniques taught by Lu Hongti. Such simple labor didn't even cause him to break a sweat, and the act of hauling the water in and out gave him a sense of satisfaction. After mixing in some hot water and filling the tub more than halfway, the courtyard remained quiet. The bustling human voices were distant, unlike the usual sounds of an early autumn afternoon. In this ancient world, a thousand years removed from his former modern life, doing such a thing alone felt truly peculiar.

Many comforts were absent, but at least he possessed martial arts and belonged to such a... small family. As he transported the water, he felt the accumulated strength in his body, pondering what the three maids were busy with on such an afternoon. He then carried two buckets of water down the corridor, all the way to the outer room of the bathroom. Lifting the curtain, he stepped inside. After two steps, he finally made out the figure standing in front of the bathtub.

Her green outer robe and long skirt were already draped over the adjacent clothes rack. The woman was wearing a red bodice and white, thin silk trousers. Her figure was graceful, and her fair, smooth bare back was turned towards Ning Yi. Her shoes lay discarded on the floor beside her. She reached up and pulled out a few hairpins from her head, and her long hair cascaded down like a cloudy waterfall, swaying as she moved her head. As Ning Yi noticed this scene, the woman had already turned her head. Her hands were cupped around her cheeks, fingers woven into her dark hair, her gaze holding the confusion of one who had just awoken.

Su Tan'er's confusion was not without cause. At noon, she had been handling some matters at home. Because she had gone to bed late the night before and her sleep quality had been poor in recent days, the high midday temperature and the quiet courtyard made her feel drowsy. She had intended to take a nap, resting her head on the table. There were faint, sporadic sounds outside: Juan'er cleaning, wiping porcelain, tea sets, tables, chairs, and benches. So, she subconsciously instructed Juan'er to heat some water for a bath. Her consciousness was already hazy, and unable to resist, she drifted off to sleep.

Upon receiving the instruction, Juan'er eagerly ran to heat the water. By the time everything was ready and she went to fetch her mistress, Miss Su was already asleep. Juan'er knew her mistress had been working hard these past few days and prioritized her sleep. So she continued cleaning. After she finished cleaning, she herself was covered in sweat. Since her mistress was sleeping soundly and the water was cooling, she simply went and bathed herself. Afterward, someone came looking for Su Tan'er, so Juan'er followed them out to attend to affairs, which is precisely why Ning Yi found the bathroom's water tank empty upon his return.

Su Tan'er had just woken up and for a moment was disoriented, groggily making her way over. She wasn't even sure if she had requested a bath. The sight of the ready water finally jolted her to full awareness. She was in the midst of disrobing when she turned and saw her own husband behind her, carrying two buckets of water, a slight frown.

Ning Yi was also a little puzzled, but he recovered much more quickly. After a brief thought, he put down the buckets and silently turned to exit.

He hadn't even fully passed through the curtain when a low cry of "Ah!" and a splash echoed from behind as Su Tan'er tumbled into the bathtub, which was already more than half full. She had evidently been quite startled.

To be startled but not cry out—whether this indicated self-control or a peculiar, somewhat repressed nature, he couldn't say. Ning Yi glanced back, sighed to himself, then picked up a bath towel from nearby and walked over. He reached in, gently lifted Su Tan'er from the tub, wrapped the towel around her upper body, and then helped her to sit on a nearby seat.

Leaning into Ning Yi's embrace, Su Tan'er began to cough incessantly. Ning Yi patted her back through the towel, sighing.

"If you drowned in your own bathtub, what would people say if word got out?"

"Cough, cough... Husband..."

Su Tan'er's body trembled as she let out an embarrassed, strained laugh. At that moment, her coughing intensified.