Chapter 188: Outlook

**The Son-in-law, Episode 1: Morning Breeze in Jiangning**

Ning Yi met Yun Zhu and Jin'er during an afternoon stroll. Construction on the Zhuji branch had recently paused for the New Year. However, with the Lantern Festival approaching, work needed to resume, and Ning Yi had been busy. When he finally had some free time, he was persuaded to come and inspect the site. Yun Zhu also had some purchasing matters to discuss with someone on the way, so Jin'er accompanied Ning Yi to the branch first.

The interior decoration was already well underway, and the shop's style had largely taken shape, leaving few decisions for Ning Yi to make. Ning Yi didn't particularly care whether the shop was called "Second Store" or "Jin'er's Store." The tavern, built by the river, still had many uninstalled windows. Snow had even drifted into a windy section. Fortunately, both were warmly dressed. Ning Yi's "second-rate" martial arts had achieved a minor level of mastery — at least, that's how he felt — and Yuan Jin'er, always lively, had recently boasted she could bathe in the river during a heavy snowfall, so she wasn't feeling the cold. They chatted idly.

"Once this store is ready, I've decided to perform on stage myself for three days to build up some popularity."

"You haven't performed in ages; you must be rusty."

"Get lost! I only perform for Sister Yun Zhu... Uh, what do you think?"

"I've never seen you perform, so it must be terrible."

"I said *I'd* perform on stage."

"...You know yourself; don't cause more trouble."

Although their personalities seemed to clash, Jin'er quite admired Ning Yi on important matters. She naturally had high hopes for the shop named after her and spoke of performing on stage to attract customers. But when Ning Yi spoke that way, she simply pursed her lips and dropped the subject.

"Then we'll just have to find my old sisters; that'll cost a lot," Jin'er said, dragging a stool to a sheltered spot in the hall. She was good with people and had been instrumental in building connections for Zhuji, but she didn't have a strong grasp of financial concepts. Sometimes when Yun Zhu did the accounts, Jin'er would watch and get angry about the expenses, being incredibly stingy.

"It'll make a name for us, and they won't have to deal with stinky men like me. It's a win-win," Ning Yi said with a smile, clearing space by placing some stools on a round table. "What's more, if Zhuji truly expands, we can train our own performers."

"Train..." Jin'er blinked and whispered, "Are you planning to open a brothel?"

"Why are your thoughts so perverse!" Ning Yi glared at her. "Later... when Zhuji's scale becomes very large, we can train some girls, or even boys. We can teach and learn all sorts of things, form a troupe, and cover everything from opera and singing to magic tricks and acrobatics. There are many children out there who can't get enough to eat anyway, so it would be a good deed and help solve the surplus labor problem."

Listening to Ning Yi's plans and visions, Jin'er was stunned for a moment. "But... that would cost a lot of money! If we're not running a brothel and only performing, a makeshift troupe wouldn't make much. And... how big would it have to be?" She couldn't imagine any of it. If it was just about traveling around and performing, wouldn't it be no different from an ordinary opera troupe? Who would be willing to spend so much money on that?

"Once we have more than three branches, the rapid, self-sustaining growth will begin quickly. We'll establish a process and let it gradually expand on its own," Ning Yi said, writing down some notes about the interior layout. "The important thing is... collusion between officials and merchants. Yun Zhu is already quite familiar with Old Master Qin's family, and she also knows Consort Kang... That old man owes me quite a bit lately. This can at least ensure the smooth progress of the entire operation, proceeding step by step without too much interference from the authorities. If we need to pull strings, we'll have connections..."

He paused. "The key is to aim for high-end, develop southward to places like Suzhou and Hangzhou, and gradually build up supporting entertainment. As long as the management and promotion are effective, business will always come. This Wu Dynasty... well, it's so poor it only has money left. Of course, it also depends on whether you like the idea of expanding too much; otherwise, we can stop anytime."

In business matters, Ning Yi possessed ample strategic planning ability. Moreover, in those times, what mattered most in business wasn't strategy but having powerful backing. Leveraging the Consort's residence for Zhuji's business was a straightforward matter; there was no need to be overly polite. Ning Yi hadn't usually discussed these things with Yun Zhu and the others. When Jin'er heard him this time, her face filled with surprise, and she worriedly wondered if she might become a great rich person in the future, then thought that this guy was too bold with his words and she didn't believe him at all.

As they were talking, Yun Zhu entered from outside the tavern, closing the door while glancing down the road to her side. Unlike Jin'er, who sometimes dressed like a man, Yun Zhu typically wore women's skirts, at most in simple colors that might appear plain from a distance, but her beautiful features were unmistakable up close. Seeing her approach, Jin'er chuckled and rushed over, then looked around. "Sister Yun Zhu, what are you looking at?"

"Uh, I thought I just saw... Miss Qilan passing by here. Maybe I was mistaken."

"Qilan?" Jin'er pushed the door open and peered out several times. "Coincidence, probably. Anyway, we weren't very close before, and there was a bit of a grudge from the courtesan competition. It definitely has nothing to do with us."

"When did you get a grudge against Qilan again..."

"She won the title of courtesan queen! And that guy, Ning, even bought two thousand flowers to support her, making me lose face. Isn't that a big enough grudge?"

Yuan Jin'er had never actually intended to compete for the courtesan queen title, but she'd bring this particular incident up whenever she felt like it, just to accuse Ning Yi of shamelessness. Yun Zhu chuckled. Ning Yi, with a helpless look, patted his forehead. He wasn't far from a snowdrift beneath a window on one side of the hall. He quietly walked over, scooped up a snowball, and Jin'er's expression froze as she tried to flee. Yun Zhu laughed. "Alright, hit her."

Ning Yi was in no mood to be gentle with women, especially with a perpetually provocative 'enemy' like Yuan Jin'er. With a flick of his hand, the snowball whizzed through the air. Jin'er hugged her head, letting out a low 'Ah!' She had planned to declare her revenge after taking the hit, but in the next instant, snow splattered everywhere.

Yun Zhu recoiled, not even having time to react, as the snowball splattered across her head. Ning Yi remained frozen in his throwing pose, momentarily stunned himself. Jin'er stifled a laugh, her entire face puffing up with suppressed mirth a moment later.

"Some martial arts master you are... can't even hit anything with a snowball..." Yun Zhu brushed the snow from her head, her shoulders slumping, her eyes slightly resentful. Then, pursing her lips, she started walking outside, Jin'er grinning as she followed. The two women began to make snowballs under the eaves.

"Hey, this is a misunderstanding between us! Yun Zhu, you're more sensible than Jin'er; you can't act like this..."

The fact proved that even sensible people wouldn't willingly endure a beating. A short while later, when the three emerged from the hall again, Ning Yi was brushing snow off his clothes, his expression a little helpless.

"Throwing weapon skills also need practice, you know..."

"That just proves your throwing weapon skills aren't as good as ours," Yuan Jin'er said, tidying her hair, looking as if she had just been thoroughly roughed up. Then she turned to look at the shop, which still needed renovating. "It can open in February, right?"

"Mm-hm," Ning Yi nodded. "Second Store."

"Jin'er's Store!"

"Alright, you win..."

It was getting late. They had probably covered all the necessary details regarding the shop's decoration — though in reality, that wasn't the main point. The three parted ways on the street; Yun Zhu and Jin'er took a carriage home, while Ning Yi went home from the other direction.

The weather remained cold, with a thick layer of snow blanketing the city. All the way home, seeing the open shops and teahouses along the roadsides, and the expressions of passersby, seemed to suggest that this year would also be a peaceful one. Ning Yi pondered Zhuji's development. While these were business matters, to him, they felt more like playing a game of house.

Logically, he favored developing southward. After all, the Wu Dynasty was inherently weak, and whether it was the Khitans or the Jurchens, no matter how the situation unfolded, an invasion from the north might occur in the future, making the south much more peaceful. However, this thought reminded him of his conversation with Lu Hongti about expanding business to Mount Lüliang in the future. That would be difficult, especially since it was a poverty-stricken area, and with Tian Hu's rebellion currently, if he truly wanted to do business there, he would likely need to adopt a different model.

Ning Yi did intend to expand the business, not for some trivial achievement like a national chain, but primarily for future inventions related to weaponry. He was certainly going to work on these. If he could truly create them but didn't want to hand them directly to Kang Xian, his reasons were complex. Firstly, half-baked firearms would be largely ineffective; if he genuinely wanted to turn the tide, Ning Yi would need to intervene significantly, which would mean getting involved in official affairs. The imperial court was rife with intrigue and power struggles, and there was an emperor above everyone. Ning Yi was accustomed to being in a position of authority; it wasn't that he couldn't handle the infighting, but it would certainly be bothersome, and he wouldn't like a system where people were constantly dictating. Secondly, he felt no sense of identification with the current imperial court. He felt more aligned with Lu Hongti, admiring her as a strong and powerful woman, and if possible, he wouldn't mind helping her.

Of course, when one's thoughts expand to the scope of 'nation,' specific considerations always seem very abstract. Thinking of a national chain with only two existing stores also seemed a bit extravagant. Ning Yi's current sphere of activity was limited to Jiangning city. Recently, he had been busy accompanying Tan'er on New Year's visits, and his daily interactions mostly revolved around household matters or minor business affairs.

This was not an era of information explosion, where any passerby could discuss politics or patriotism. Future generations, looking back at history, might see countless patriots and incredibly heroic and moving stories. However, in contemporary society, war in the North might be an extremely vague concept. While business might bring contact with Khitan merchants, even the scholars casually discussing matters in brothels and pleasure boats had no real idea about the Jurchens.

Ning Yi only gleaned bits of information from occasional conversations between Old Master Qin and Old Master Kang. Most of his interactions were simply with the leisurely daily life in Jiangning city: the tranquility of the bamboo grove near the academy, the bobbing heads of children as they studied, and his wife's smiles or playful expressions as she chatted while doing the accounts at home. Ultimately, these things felt more real.

However, some feelings were gradually expanding. The officials who visited Old Master Qin around the New Year had made the old man's status more complex and multifaceted. One thing was certain: Old Master Qin would likely no longer be able to set up his chess stall by the Qinhuai River in the future. Ning Yi wasn't entirely sure what specific actions Old Master Qin had taken; he could only piece together a general picture from others' remarks. The old man was extremely composed in this regard, never discussing such matters in their usual conversations. Yet, since the New Year, Ning Yi had clearly sensed a certain tension. Both Old Master Qin and Kang Xian seemed to be waiting for something to happen in the North.

But what they were waiting for had not yet arrived.

That spring, the Jin and Liao states signed a truce. The impending war, it seemed, had once again become indefinitely postponed...