Chapter 28: Several Floors High

"Business is still slow," Ning Yi said with a smile, eating a pancake at the snowy intersection. Beside him, Nie Yunzhu glanced at the unsold cakes on the cart, pursed her lips slightly, then clapped her hands helplessly. "It's a heavy snow day; no one is coming to buy."

"I told you to wait until spring to think about this, didn't I? Now you're losing money, aren't you?"

"Once I've finally made up my mind, I have to act quickly. If I waited several months, who knows if I'd get lazy or what I'd be thinking then."

"Oh, I think you just wanted to try out what it feels like to run a small stall..."

Although Ning Yi had not visited Nie Yunzhu's stall since she started it, he consistently exercised every day, even in the snow. They always chatted for a while on the steps in front of the small building every morning, and by now, their interactions had become quite casual. Ning Yi knew Nie Yunzhu's pancake business wasn't doing well; a few days prior, he might have offered comfort, but after a while, he couldn't resist teasing her.

As he suggested, Nie Yunzhu hadn't set up the stall purely out of financial necessity—though that might have been a partial reason—but rather as an effort to adapt to a more ordinary, simpler way of life. Her family wasn't truly struggling financially; at least for now, she was enjoying it.

"...Yesterday, I saw a few people fall over across the street, and they almost got into a fight, something about a bodyguard agency... And a few days ago, a shop sign fell down and almost hit someone... Hutao was with me here originally, but Erniu just arrived, so I sent them to buy some rice and flour. I deliberately mentioned things that would make them walk all the way to the East Market, giving them more time alone together..."

As Ning Yi ate his pancake, Nie Yunzhu chattered beside him about recent events she'd witnessed. Ning Yi chatted back. After quite some time, with still no customers at the stall, Ning Yi smiled and brushed the snowflakes from his clothes. "Let's close up this business. You only sell a bit more in the morning anyway, so why are you still holding out?"

He picked up a small stool from the ground and tossed it into the cart. Nie Yunzhu waved her hand. "No, don't! We might still sell a few, and this cart... I can't push it. It's snowing heavily now, so Erniu comes to push it every morning and evening..."

"It's fine as long as I can push it."

"Young Master Ning... you really don't care about your appearance. What scholar would do this kind of thing...?"

"What's there to care about appearance for?" Ning Yi laughed. "Besides, what I asked you to do a few days ago is almost done today. We still have time, so we might as well go see the results. If they're good, perhaps your pancake stall will be saved."

"They're just salted duck eggs, and you even used too little salt..." Nie Yunzhu pouted and chuckled. However, hearing Ning Yi mention it, she no longer objected. She went to a nearby old woman who also sold pastries, asked her to pass on a message, and then returned to help Ning Yi pack up. A moment later, she spoke to Ning Yi with a hint of profoundness and pride, explaining her reasoning.

"Actually, Hutao and I aren't familiar with these things at all. To sell well and make money, it'll take quite some time to figure things out and adapt. So I thought, if I do it in winter, making a little less each day means less rice and flour are wasted, and perhaps by spring, we'll start making a profit. If we only started in spring, there would be a lot of waste, and we might only get familiar by summer. So, it's better to start early."

"You seem to know quite a lot," Ning Yi chuckled. "I think you just want to marry Hutao off as soon as possible, don't you?"

"That's also a consideration." The two pushed the small cart through the snow, heading home. Nie Yunzhu chuckled softly. "Years ago, I thought we sisters would rely on each other for life, but that's ultimately not possible. Now that she's found her own path, I'm happy for her. Ha, when she and Erniu first got together, she always tried to hide it from me. I only found out when Erniu bravely came to propose. She was worried I couldn't take care of myself alone, so she kept refusing to marry. Since I consider her my sister, I can't hold her back for too long."

"Haha, I'm afraid you might end up marrying Erniu along with Hutao in the future..."

Nie Yunzhu didn't shy away from such a joke. She pursed her lips and smiled, looking as if she had genuinely considered it, then shook her head. "I don't think that would work. Erniu is simple and honest; he's a good person, but we don't have much to talk about. If I married him, we might respect each other like guests for a few years, but after that, I'd probably be getting beaten and scolded. Then, Hutao would be in the most difficult position."

"A mismatch," Ning Yi nodded.

They continued on, passing through the bustling marketplace, where steam rose into the air, and through residential areas with courtyards and gates surrounded by snow. Along the Qinhuai River, trees sparkled with ice, and pleasure boats and multi-story ships were moored, adorned with strings of icicles, resembling an underwater palace. Pedestrians gradually thinned out, and the two chatted casually, like a young couple who had run a sesame seed cake stall and were now closing up and heading home. The husband would be a reclusive scholar, not accustomed to physical labor, who had come out to help in such weather dressed in a fine long robe. The wife, industrious and virtuous, would run the stall daily to earn money for the household, hoping that her husband would one day pass the imperial examination, gain an official position, and bring glory to their ancestors. As they walked, a carriage rapidly approached from behind. The driver on board cracked his whip, shouting, "Giddy up, giddy up! Make way, make way! Don't block the road—" Ning Yi pushed the cart and Nie Yunzhu to the side of the road. As the carriage passed, the driver glared fiercely at him. Ning Yi exhaled and called out behind him, "Well, then I'm truly sorry!" Nie Yunzhu lowered her head, softly chuckling.

Humming various nonsensical song melodies, Ning Yi continued pushing the cart. Nie Yunzhu watched his back for a moment from behind, then quickly caught up, pushing the cart from one side.

"I often hear Young Master Ning humming these tunes. I wonder what kind of melodies they are."

"Just random singing, similar to the folk tunes mountain people hum. Uh... folk songs..."

After Ning Yi described them, Nie Yunzhu chuckled. "Folk tunes, you say? I actually learned some of those before... 'Hey, why isn't my brother here yet...' Haha... These are quite different from Young Master Ning's tunes..."

She sang a line in a low voice; her voice was clear as water and quite pleasant to listen to. However, the street was not the place to sing such songs, so after just that hushed line, she blushed slightly, then covered her mouth and laughed.

Ning Yi nodded, then glanced at her. "By the way, you're very good at singing and playing instruments, aren't you?"

In their past conversations, although Nie Yunzhu claimed to entertain people with her beauty and seemed to bear no ill will, Ning Yi could naturally tell she disliked these entertaining activities and thus never brought them up. Since arriving here, he had never visited any pleasure houses or brothels. While he had somewhat guessed Nie Yunzhu was a famous courtesan, he couldn't imagine *how* famous. By now, it probably didn't matter much, which is why he asked that question. Nie Yunzhu nodded. "Yes, I've actually put quite a bit of effort into it."

"So... skilled? An expert?"

"Haha... I suppose so..." Others would naturally not ask such a question as Ning Yi did. Nie Yunzhu found it amusing and burst out laughing, then composed her face, nodding seriously. "Yes, I am an expert!"

"Oh, how expert?"

Her composed smile instantly broke. "As tall as several stories of a building!" Nie Yunzhu replied, recalling Ning Yi's earlier joke. "What are you getting at?"

As they joked, the cart reached the road in front of Old Master Qin's residence. Surprisingly, Kang Xian was there today; his sedan chair had just stopped by the roadside, and Old Master Qin had also come out. The two men looked over with surprise, then smiled, though it was unclear what they said. Ning Yi waved a greeting. Kang Xian then called over, "Li Heng, what's this? Do you need help?" His attendants were right beside him and could assist immediately if needed.

Ning Yi stopped the cart a few meters away and shook his head. "No, I'm fine." Then he gestured to the woman beside him. "This is Nie Yunzhu... Old Master Qin, Old Master Kang... We're fine, just playing chess over there..." he introduced. Nie Yunzhu curtsied. After brief greetings, Ning Yi asked, "Will Old Master Kang be here later too?"

Kang Xian nodded. "I've brought a few good things, and I should be here this afternoon. Li Heng, if you're free, you and Miss Nie can come over later to admire some calligraphy and paintings."

Ning Yi smiled. "Ha, coincidentally, I'll also bring some good things later. We can study them together then."

"That would be excellent."

Having finished their conversation, Ning Yi bid farewell and pushed the cart forward. It wasn't until they turned the corner of the street ahead that Nie Yunzhu's smile faded. "Young Master just asked about music..."

"Oh, I was mainly wondering if you could help compose some accompanying music, like for a zither, if I had some songs to sing."

Nie Yunzhu nodded, showing a confident smile. "There should be no problem. At least in this regard, whether it's setting various poems to music or the folk tunes Young Master mentioned, if I can't do it, then there are probably very few people in the entire city of Jiangning who can."

"Wow, that's truly 'as tall as several stories of a building'..." Only then could Ning Yi roughly gauge her level, glancing sideways at her with a look of impressed surprise.

"Yes, at least four or five stories high, high enough to kill someone if they fell."

"That's reassuring then," Ning Yi mused, then added, "However, the lyrics might be a bit strange. They're just for a few people to sing and listen to casually; they probably won't be fit for a formal setting. You should be prepared for that."

Nie Yunzhu nodded. "Understood."

Soon after, the small building by the river came into view.