Chapter 5: People Who Don't Matter

Pedestrians bustled on the streets. Su Tan'er, accompanied by Juan'er and Xing'er, and Ning Yi, with Chan'er, were engaged in a friendly conversation with Xue Jin and his two attendants.

The Jiangning region boasted a prosperous economy and a thriving textile industry. The three largest textile merchants in the area were the Su family's textile company, the Xue family's Dachuan Textile, and the Wu family's textile company, which held the position of guild leader. Xue Jin's primary purpose for this visit was to discuss a business collaboration with Su Tan'er for a venture in the Huainan region. However, at this time, Su Tan'er managed only a small portion of the Su family's affairs; most of the business outside Jiangning was handled by her second and third uncles. Consequently, she directed Xue Jin to speak with her second uncle, Su Zhongkan. Xue Jin, claiming that negotiations proceeded more smoothly with familiar faces present, expressed his hope that Su Tan'er would join them at the banquet a few days later when he met with Su Zhongkan to discuss the business. This was, of course, merely a pretext.

It was an open secret that Xue Jin had long harbored affection for Su Tan'er of the Su family. The Xue family had previously proposed marriage to the Sus, but the offer was declined for several reasons: firstly, the Su family patriarch did not particularly favor Xue Jin; secondly, the Su family, facing a scarcity of talent in the younger generation, was reluctant to marry off Su Tan'er directly; and finally, both families were business rivals. The marriage proposal ultimately failed, and on the day of the planned wedding, Su Tan'er absconded. Seizing the ensuing chaos, Xue Jin surreptitiously struck Ning Yi with a brick, rendering him unconscious, and then fled. With no reliable witnesses, investigating this disreputable incident proved complicated, and it eventually faded without resolution.

Despite the passage of time and Su Tan'er's elopement from her wedding, Xue Jin's reappearance to seek her out demonstrated his persistent unwillingness to give up. Though Su Tan'er was now married and could not possibly wed into the Xue family, her beauty, intelligence, and capability made her an attractive conquest for men who prided themselves on their abilities. Unexpectedly, he encountered Ning Yi on his way home. While he had previously struck Ning Yi with a brick, he held no regard for the scholar and thus approached him to initiate a greeting, intending to make Ning Yi uncomfortable.

Su Tan'er's decision to emerge was, naturally, driven by her awareness of Xue Jin's intentions. Her feelings toward Ning Yi were straightforward: she didn't dislike him, and since he was already her husband, she simply accepted that they were bound together. She found Xue Jin, a man of no significant talent and much like the idlers and wastrels of the Su family's younger generations, to be distasteful. However, given the Xue family's influence, she understood that business matters must remain separate from personal preferences.

Upon receiving a message from Xing'er, Su Tan'er hurried out. She worried that Ning Yi, with his scholarly temperament, might be easily provoked into a confrontation. A genuine conflict would inevitably escalate into a dispute between the Su and Xue families, and her feelings for Ning Yi were far from strong enough to jeopardize her family's interests for his sake. Yet, she could not simply ignore the situation; he was her husband, and to stand by while a conflict brewed would be seen as disloyal. However, intervening before a conflict began was also delicate. Despite their harmonious co-existence over the past few months, she knew men often fixated on such trivial matters, and they were still not intimately familiar. If she asked him to back down even slightly, he might suspect an ulterior connection between her and Xue Jin, leading to resentment. She yearned for perfection, hoping to avert any domestic strife in the future, even with Ning Yi being a live-in son-in-law. The situation gave her an instant headache.

To her surprise, when she rushed out, she found Ning Yi calmly discussing his amnesia with Xue Jin, appearing as though he genuinely had no recollection of the man, not even his name. She wondered if, in the past few months, no one had mentioned the incident to him at all. Slightly bewildered, she subtly shifted the conversation before soon bidding farewell to Xue Jin and escorting Ning Yi and the maids into their carriage.

"By the way," Xue Jin called out with a smile as the two departed, "for the Mid-Autumn Festival, there's the Qinhuai River lantern viewing and the Puyuan Poetry Gathering, where everyone can bring their families. I've heard Brother Ning is very learned; I wonder if he and Sister Tan'er will attend together?"

Seeing them depart, Xue Jin called out loudly with a smile. It was now early August, with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching. The Qinhuai River would host numerous events, some exclusively for single men, others predominantly for women. The Puyuan Poetry Gathering, in particular, had always enjoyed considerable renown. In any era, once basic needs were met, it was common to indulge in cultural pursuits. Despite being called a "poetry gathering," it naturally featured a variety of performances. Su Tan'er had often attended in previous years, but now she simply lowered the carriage curtain and replied, "We'll see."

"Tsk, 'we'll see'..." Watching the carriage pull away, Xue Jin gnashed his teeth, then turned to his attendants, a look of confusion on his face. "Do you think that fellow Ning is faking it, or has he really lost his memory? He couldn't possibly be that good at acting!" He muttered, utterly perplexed.

His original intention was to deliberately remind Ning Yi, "I hit you, and you can do nothing about it." He even intentionally remarked, "Recently, there have been rumors circulating that I was the one who attacked Brother Ning that day. Brother Ning wouldn't believe such nonsense, would he?" All of this was designed to provoke anger. To his surprise, Ning Yi's words were sincere and calm, with no hint of pretense. It was as if Xue Jin had swung a punch into thin air. Besides being confused, he felt a sting of discomfort, realizing that his elaborate performance had failed to elicit any of the expected reactions from his 'audience.'

Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Su Tan'er also gazed at Ning Yi with a hint of confusion. The three maids were doing most of the talking, chattering excitedly about how wicked and rude Young Master Xue was. While their words never directly mentioned Su Tan'er, their conversation subtly hinted at one central theme: "Our mistress has absolutely no connection with that man." Ning Yi occasionally interjected with a smile.

In truth, Ning Yi simply found the maids' behavior endearing, finding them obedient and sensible. He mused that in modern society, girls their age would likely be far more willful. After a moment, he heard Su Tan'er ask, "Husband... have you truly forgotten Xue Jin?"

Ning Yi nodded. "I truly don't remember him," he affirmed.

"But... you must have heard about it, surely?" she pressed.

Su Tan'er stared at him, still perplexed. He glanced back at her, and after a brief moment of shared eye contact, he quipped, "Uh, my dear wife, did you perhaps wish for me to beat him up just now?"

Su Tan'er blinked several times as she met his gaze, then gradually broke into a smile. Unlike her usual, somewhat practiced smiles, this one was radiant, carrying a clear sense of relief. Her husband, she realized, truly understood the intricacies of social interaction. Yet, even as this thought crossed her mind, a subtle hint of disappointment flickered within her. She knew she wouldn't appreciate a pure bookworm, nor would she genuinely like someone overly cunning. However, since they were not yet truly familiar with each other, such distinctions remained unclear.

As the carriage crossed a small bridge nearing the Su family's main gate, Su Tan'er glanced outside. "In that case," she began, "for the Mid-Autumn Puyuan Poetry Gathering, would you like to go, husband?"

"Poetry isn't really my forte," he replied.

"You don't have to be an expert," she reassured him. "It's mainly for watching performances and admiring the lanterns."

As Su Tan'er finished speaking, Juan'er nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes, Young Master," she chimed in, "there will be so many performances!"

Xing'er quickly added, "The lanterns are beautiful too, and there will be lovely fireworks..."

"And perhaps Miss Qilan will be performing as well..."

"You can listen to singing..."

The three maids chattered excitedly about the various events planned for the lantern festival. In an era where entertainment was scarce, their anticipation was palpable. Ning Yi smiled and nodded. "Yes," he said, "if it's possible, let's all go and see it then."

The Mid-Autumn Festival was still more than ten days away. A few days later, Su Zhongkan arrived to inform Ning Yi that he was to report to Yushan Academy, located not far from the Su family estate, to begin his new, relatively leisurely position as a teacher.