Chapter 16: Afterthoughts

The carriage entered the Su family mansion through the side gate. Coincidentally, they ran into Second Uncle and his entourage, who were returning home, about seventy percent drunk. They asked Su Tan'er a few questions about her experiences that evening and whether she had enjoyed the poetry gathering. Su Tan'er responded as usual.

At this time, numerous poems were still circulating throughout the city. "Shui Diao Ge Tou" was undoubtedly an excellent piece, but it was not yet capable of causing a sensation or earning the title of the night's most outstanding work. Kang Xian's reprimands from the Zhi Shui Poetry Gathering had not yet spread. In the eyes of ordinary people, top-tier poems were largely indistinguishable. To most, this poem, though good, might seem only similar to works by talents like Cao Guan and Li Pin. Or, perhaps due to these other scholars' established reputations, they might even consider "Shui Diao Ge Tou" slightly inferior. Only those with true profound scholarship could clearly perceive the enduring depth and natural simplicity of this poem, sensing its true brilliance.

That night, Su Zhongkan was merely discussing business and enjoying the company of courtesans. He wasn't particularly interested in poetry, so matters concerning Ning Liheng had naturally not reached his ears. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the uncle and niece parted ways on the road. Su Tan'er, accompanied by her three servants, returned to her small courtyard. Aside from the large lantern still lit outside the courtyard gate, the yard was quiet, bathed only in the moonlight that poured down like water from the sky.

Su Tan'er glanced a few times towards the darkness of the second-floor room. Xiao Chan asked, "Miss, should I call the young master-in-law...?"

"No need, he's already asleep. Don't wake him. Chan'er, prepare some warm water. Xing'er, Juan'er, you two should go to bed early... Chan'er, if you still have the energy, could you tell me the story the young master-in-law told you?"

Chan'er nodded with a smile, while Juan'er and Xing'er, standing nearby, quickly raised their hands.

"Miss, Miss, we're not sleepy!"

"We want to hear it too."

Su Tan'er gave the two maids an exasperated look, then smiled. "Alright then, you can both join us. It's been quite a while since I've heard a story myself."

"I remember when Miss used to read us stories when we were little..."

"Yes, yes, I remember too..."

The girls chattered excitedly. Then Su Tan'er went upstairs, and Juan'er and Xing'er helped Chan'er heat the water, bringing up the wooden basin and towels together.

The city lights in the distance gradually quieted. In the tranquil courtyard, a warm, yellow glow emanated from the second-floor windows, casting silhouettes of the mistress and her servants talking and softly laughing inside the room.

After an unknown amount of time, as the night grew much deeper, the three maids finally emerged from the room, closed the door, and went downstairs. Back in her own room, Chan'er closed the door and leaned gently against it, her hands clasped over her chest. She looked up, breathing deeply, her innocent face adorned with a complex mix of emotions: happiness, confusion, fear, and longing, among many others.

Su Tan'er had taught her many things, so she wasn't purely naive; she harbored her own subtle thoughts. However, these little thoughts were always for the benefit of the people and things she cared about: her miss, the Su family, and now, Ning Liheng.

In the past, she had argued with Elder Qin at the chess stall over matters concerning the Su family. During her time with Ning Yi, she found him to be of a detached character, yet he also had a witty and humorous side in his daily life. When it came to tasks—though he didn't do much serious work—he handled everything with effortless ease and an unconcerned attitude. He was also kind to her, which she naturally appreciated.

On the other hand, her feelings for her miss went beyond mere fondness; they included gratitude, a desire to repay kindness, and various other emotions—in short, profound affection. She understood her miss's past troubles and generally knew what her miss liked. Now that she saw the young master-in-law was not the bookworm she had previously heard about, she naturally considered his marriage to her miss. If they liked each other and naturally came together, that would be ideal. Her task wasn't complicated: to let her miss see and know about the young master-in-law's qualities, and to let the young master-in-law know her miss's good points—this was, in itself, part of her duty as a personal maid.

She knew her miss liked poetry, but the young master-in-law's previous writings were naturally nothing to show off; sometimes she even suspected he wrote them as a joke. That evening, when she saw the young master-in-law compose "Shui Diao Ge Tou," even though she wasn't well-read, she could sense the excellence of the verses. She felt as if she had discovered a treasure. She immediately took the verses to the Puyuan Poetry Gathering, intending to show them to her miss later. When Xue Jin approached, understanding that something might come of it, she naturally took the opportunity to present the poem. She reasoned that, no matter what, this poem must be excellent and wouldn't disappoint.

She just hadn't expected that, in the eyes of those people, the poem would be *that* good.

If she had had an accurate idea beforehand, she definitely wouldn't have presented the poem so rashly. Now, it seemed that her attempt to show her miss the young master-in-law's talent had backfired—it appeared even her miss was startled, looking somewhat unprepared on the boat. This made Chan'er feel a bit guilty. She had only wanted to prepare a small surprise, but who knew the surprise would be so grand it startled her too...

Oh, how could things turn out this way...

The lamplight flickered like a small bean. Xiao Chan, not very sleepy, sat by the table, propping her chin in her hands, troubled by her thoughts. On her hands was the original manuscript of "Shui Diao Ge Tou" that Ning Yi had written for her. She read it over several times.

Oh, young master-in-law, it's good that you're talented, but did it have to be to *this* extent...? How am I going to tell you about all this tomorrow, Xiao Chan wondered...

It was definitely the young master-in-law's fault.

She pouted, then stretched out a finger and gently poked the Xuan paper twice. When she saw the last line, her face gradually turned red. Only then did she carefully refold the paper and place it back at the bottom of the drawer.

Blowing out the oil lamp, the little maid, her face growing hotter and hotter, groped in the dark and slowly climbed into bed...

"Together we share the beauty of the moon, though thousands of miles apart... Hee hee..."

In the early morning, white mist once again enveloped Jiangning City. Bright sunlight ascended above the fog, casting forth a magnificent dawn.

After waking up, Ning Yi felt refreshed, his spirits almost fully restored. He decided to rest and recuperate for another day, then he could attend classes tomorrow. As for today, he could perhaps get some wooden dummies or sandbags from the guards' quarters. His body had been weak for many years, and he realized he needed thorough exercise.

The steward in charge of the guards' quarters seemed to be named Zhang. Given the current atmosphere in the Su family, Old Master Su seemed quite caring. However, Ning Yi had to consider whether bringing wooden dummies and sandbags into the courtyard would be too shocking for Su Tan'er and the others. It was one thing for him, a frail scholar, to go for a run, but if he suddenly announced he wanted to practice martial arts, they would probably think he was crazy.

He knew he needed to let them gradually accept that he was a bit different, but he also had to take it slowly; this might be too sudden. He idly weighed these thoughts in his mind. Later, during breakfast while they ate meat porridge together, he felt Su Tan'er was watching him, her gaze somewhat peculiar.

After a few casual glances, Ning Yi put down his chopsticks and looked at his wife with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Su Tan'er smiled faintly and shook her head. "I just feel that my husband is in very good spirits this morning."

"Oh, the illness should be largely gone. *Cough*... My throat still feels a bit dry, but after today, I'll definitely be fine and can go to the academy."

"It's good that you're well. Actually, you might be quite busy these next few days, husband."

"Busy?"

"Mmm." Su Tan'er nodded, offering no further explanation, and began to gracefully sip her porridge in small, refined bites. In his confusion, Ning Yi thought the smile on her lips was somewhat similar to the Mona Lisa's.

What did she mean? Was the academy going to give him more work? Ning Yi pondered the possible implications of her words. It wasn't until he had finished his porridge and returned to his room, and Xiao Chan hesitantly came to explain what had happened last night, that he finally understood the emotion in his wife's eyes.

"I'm, I'm sorry, young master-in-law. Xiao Chan just wanted... she just wanted to show it to Miss, but that Xue Jin was truly detestable..."

Ning Yi listened to her in a state of mild astonishment. Then his expression calmed, and after a moment of thought, he chuckled with amusement.

"Oh, it's fine, it's not a big problem."

Seeing that he wasn't angry, Chan'er happily nodded. "That's right, young master-in-law's talent—" *Thump!* Ning Yi flicked her forehead with his finger.

"Who said I was talented? Don't say that to anyone again."

"...Oh." The little maid hesitated, then nodded.

"In that case, I won't go out today," Ning Yi thought for a moment, then smiled. "It seems I'll have to be 'sick' for a few more days..."

Sunlight streamed in through the window. Ning Yi picked up a novel and walked back to the bed, preparing to pretend to be ill and stay in bed. A moment later, he waved his hand at Xiao Chan. Xiao Chan, finally relieved of her apprehension, moved the Go board and the small table used for Five-in-a-Row from a corner of the room, happily scurrying over.

Last night was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and some people had gone to bed late, so most woke up later than usual this morning. Jiangning City only returned to its usual bustling prosperity about half an hour behind schedule. It wasn't until after noon that the events of last night's Zhi Shui Poetry Gathering, mixed with other poetry-related news, began to spread widely. The impact of "Shui Diao Ge Tou" then started to create continuous ripples and waves in Jiangning City over the following days, steadily growing in influence as time passed.