Chapter 240: Clear Skies

**The Son-in-Law**

As he walked past the back wing where the poetry gathering was held, he saw Xinger secretly eating candy.

Calling it "secretly eating" wasn't quite accurate. As the head maid of the household, effectively managing the finances, Xinger handled the money and accounts, and her monthly salary was twelve taels of silver. In an era where a servant could be bought for thirty to fifty taels, factoring in red envelopes and rewards during festivals, and various other side incomes, if she were outside, Xinger would undoubtedly be a small wealthy woman, sought after by others. She had the means to buy any good food she desired.

Nevertheless, at that moment, she certainly looked as if she was eating secretly.

What she took from the cupboard wasn't expensive candy. Ning Yi remembered it as a simple piece of "su" candy bought casually during a recent street outing. Its taste wasn't great, and after trying it, Ning Yi had lost interest. Now, Xinger was eating it. Holding the long strip of "su" candy, she furtively glanced around, then bit off a piece, chewed vigorously, making loud "thump-thump-thump" sounds, which made her look like a squirrel. After finishing one piece, she carefully wiped her mouth, then couldn't help but gaze at the bag in the cupboard, looked around again, and took out another strip...

It seemed Ning Yi had witnessed similar scenes before, but he hadn't paid much attention until now, finding it amusing. Her expression was indeed a bit strange. Looking back now, as Su Tan'er's head maid, Xinger had a spirited side, but she wasn't as fiery as Wang Xifeng. As a maid, she adhered to household rules. In front of Chan'er and Juan'er, she was an older sister. She managed household affairs with composure. Of course, in Ning Yi's eyes, she was just a young girl, not much different from Chan'er or Juan'er. It was just that he rarely, if ever, saw her snacking in front of others. Her demeanor usually suggested she was simply performing her duties as a maid.

The last time he saw her sitting and snacking, he hadn't thought much of it, but now he realized that time, too, there seemed to be no one else around. Finding her eating amusing, Ning Yi turned from the window and went to bathe with a fresh towel.

After his bath, he returned to the room. Su Tan'er was sitting by the window reading a letter, a family letter that had arrived with a recent shipment from Jiangning. Ning Yi sat down at another desk and gazed blankly out the window. Due to the room's layout, their desks weren't placed opposite each other but in a row by the window. Ning Yi occasionally thought it "quite resembled sitting next to a deskmate in elementary school." So, he turned his head to look at Su Tan'er. Su Tan'er wore a plain white dress, her hair loosely gathered at the back of her head, with unbound strands flowing over her shoulders. Her skin was fair, and her profile, as she gazed, was beautiful and confident.

"It would have been wonderful to have a deskmate like that back in school," he thought. Su Tan'er turned her head to look at him, asking, "Husband, what's wrong?"

*And if that female deskmate also called him 'husband'…*

*That would be truly amazing…*

Ning Yi raised his hand and sliced it through the air where the two desks met. "That side's yours, this side's mine. No crossing the line."

Su Tan'er blinked in confusion, then whispered, "What?"

"Nothing. In school, when everyone put their desks together, they wouldn't let each other cross the line. It was quite fun."

Su Tan'er considered this, then smiled. "The desks at Yushan Academy were clearly separate, and girls certainly didn't sit next to boys' desks..."

Ning Yi rolled his eyes at her, and casually pulled out the hairpin holding her hair. Her long hair immediately cascaded down. Su Tan'er's eyes widened, and she quickly began to tidy it. "It's so hot with it down..." She tried several times to snatch the hairpin back from Ning Yi, but couldn't. She had no choice but to find a hair tie and secure it. Ning Yi looked at her fair neck, revealed as her hair was tied up, like a swan's.

"Oh, right. I just saw Xinger eating candy over there. Does Xinger like 'su' candy?"

"Ah? You saw her, Husband?" Su Tan'er asked, chuckling as she tied her hair.

"You knew?"

"Yes, that girl Xinger has quite a sweet tooth."

"You can't usually tell."

"Of course not; she's always proper when others are around." Su Tan'er laughed. "You don't know, Husband, but when she was little, she was abducted and sold by human traffickers. The trafficker lured her away with a piece of candy. She was too young then to remember her home. Later, when she tried to search, they found the broker who bought her from the trafficker, but the trafficker himself couldn't be found, so the trail went cold."

"Uh..."

Ning Yi was speechless for a moment. Su Tan'er tilted her head, continuing with interest.

"Not many people know she has a sweet tooth. I only found out after spending a long time with her; Chan'er and Juan'er probably know too. She was the first maid to follow me. For a while, she really liked eating candy. But later, when someone mentioned she was abducted because of candy, she became shy and only ate it when no one was around."

"Oh, so she was abducted because of her sweet tooth..."

Ning Yi repeated it, unable to suppress a laugh. Among the three maids, Ning Yi usually interacted most with Chan'er. Their relationships only truly deepened in the six months after his marriage to Su Tan'er was consummated. Thus, Ning Yi knew little about Xinger and Juan'er's private matters. As they gossiped for a while, their conversation turned to the poetry gathering for the start of autumn tomorrow.

Xiaoyingzhou was, in fact, the Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon islet on West Lake. Both then and in later generations, it was a renowned tourist destination. Qian Xiwen's invitation had arrived, so they would naturally attend tomorrow. Furthermore, the gathering at Xiaoyingzhou tomorrow afternoon wouldn't be limited to poets. As it was spearheaded by the prefect, attendees would include not only literati but also officials and some well-connected merchants. Su Tan'er accompanying him could also enhance her presence in Hangzhou's business circles.

"It's just, could it be that Elder Qian is sending the invitation now because of young master Shi Changqi?"

During Shi Changqi's first visit, Su Tan'er simply thought he was Ning Yi's friend, so she acted gently, greeted him, and served tea and refreshments. This was why Shi Changqi had no inkling that anything was amiss with the couple. Later, when he debated with others, he absolutely refused to believe that Ning Yi was a live-in son-in-law. Su Tan'er wasn't home for his second visit, but she later heard about it. Connecting it now, she asked Ning Yi, who merely smiled in response.

"His curiosity about my studies is definitely there, but it's just a matter of exchanging a few words and greetings. Honestly, don't take it to heart. That Old Qin, he didn't send me the letter with good intentions; he probably just wanted to test me again. He's not targeting you or me, but it's inevitable that he harbors resentment about some things."

Su Tan'er knew what Ning Yi was referring to. She also knew that "that fellow" her husband mentioned was now the Right Chancellor, a thought she found bizarre. She nodded, then whispered, "Actually, Old Master Qin is genuinely good to you, Husband. I know that."

"Mm, so when we return, I'm afraid I'll have to go to the capital," Ning Yi said plainly, not treating it as a big deal. "Of course, first you'll need to finish handling the business here in Hangzhou. When I go to the capital, I will definitely take you with me. You can argue with me, but I will insist."

At this point, Su Tan'er looked at him, blinking with a warm feeling, momentarily unsure what to say. Ning Yi looked out the window and shrugged. "Of course, you can also continue running your business in the capital, and I'll help you if needed." Su Tan'er lowered her head, then shook it. "Husband, if you had said all this before we came to Hangzhou, we wouldn't have come. Going to the capital would be the same." She thought for a moment, then added, "But once we're in the capital, I won't manage businesses anymore. I'll let Wending and Wenfang do it. Officials' families, if they're too visible doing these things, it might affect your work... And if you become an official, Husband, you might not necessarily be in the capital, right?"

Su Tan'er's desire to control the family wasn't as strong as others might imagine. Since her husband was genuinely valued and could indeed become an official, she was naturally willing to compromise. And since she was making concessions, she also clearly understood that if Ning Yi truly became an official, she wouldn't be able to engage in business anymore. At this point, she proactively stated it. However, Ning Yi shook his head, not thinking the same way she did.

"No need to exaggerate; I'm not becoming an official," he explained calmly. "After arriving in the capital, perhaps I'll ask Elder Qin to help me secure a respectable status. Frankly, even a Xiucai (scholar) degree is enough; there's no need for a Juren (provincial graduate) degree. At most, I plan to be an advisor, offering ideas and generally doing some planning. Unlike casual chats in Jiangning, if I take these tasks on, I'll do them seriously. But it would purely be about speaking my mind, stirring up trouble, currying favor with the Right Chancellor, and so on, hehe."

Ning Yi smiled. "As for actually becoming an official like a county magistrate somewhere, I have no intention of doing such trivial things. I don't want to enter that system, with its infighting and bowing and scraping; it goes against my original intentions. At most, I'll offer suggestions, and whether Elder Qin adopts them or not will be his decision. Perhaps my armchair strategizing will be useless, and I'll just have to come back. As for you, you won't be too affected."

"Ning Liheng..."

Su Tan'er said his name, her head lowered. Ning Yi chuckled. "Your voice changed; I knew what I said would move you to tears. It's alright to cry if you want; it will give me a great sense of accomplishment. Look, you can lean on my shoulder..."

After he finished speaking, Su Tan'er couldn't help but laugh again, nudging him. "Others become advisors because they can't be officials, always relying on someone else's power to make a name for themselves in the end. But you, who could clearly be an official, always think about being an advisor..."

"I've summarized it: among all professions, only advisors are the most leisurely. Good pay, few responsibilities, light burden. When you have an idea, you go out and speak. If you don't, people generally don't expect much from you. And just talking is enough; others bear the success or failure. Those who always aspire to be officials are foolish. Being an official means responsibility, immense pressure, constant coffee and insomnia, growing a beard, a bad temper, and no chance with girls..."

Of course, being an advisor wasn't truly just like that, but Ning Yi's rambling, unambitious musings simply amused Su Tan'er to laughter. She didn't even pay attention to terms like "coffee," as Ning Yi always used a lot of strange words anyway. Soon after, Xinger came to call them for dinner. The sun was setting, and some birds flew across the sky. Su Tan'er looked up in the courtyard; there was only a wisp of slender cloud in the sky, dyed red by the setting sun.

"The sky is truly clear," she thought, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

The next afternoon, the family departed. Ning Yi and his wife, Chan'er, Juan'er, Xinger, and including Su Wending and Su Wenfang, made their way to West Lake and boarded their own pleasure boat. Along with many other boats, they sailed towards Xiaoyingzhou.