Chapter 55: Emergence

“I have nothing to do with that Gu Yanzhen.”

In the darkness, light emanated only from one nearby house. The sound of the Qinhuai River’s current drifted on the wind, and the night mist hung heavy like mountains. Ning Yi watched her expression, then nodded clearly this time.

“Hmm, I see,” he said. After a moment, he considered, “So what *is* your relationship with him, exactly?”

Nie Yunzhu, who had initially maintained a serious expression, showed a complex look on her face after hearing his words. She seemed to struggle to maintain her earnest, emphatic demeanor, holding it for a few seconds before finally bursting into laughter.

“Someone I met years ago at Jin Feng Lou.”

She glanced at Ning Yi. For some reason, when Ning Yi had first brought up Gu Yanzhen, a sudden nervousness had seized her. She wondered what he might have heard, what he was thinking, and had racked her brain for the best way to confess. But now, due to his latest remark, when she finally spoke, her heart was completely calm, as light and easy as when they’d been chatting by the building earlier. Ning Yi paused, “A few days ago, I heard you mention him. He’s quite a famous scholar, isn’t he?”

“It’s you, Li Heng, who hasn’t heard of him—that’s what I find odd.”

“I forgot,” Ning Yi shook his head. “So, what do we do now?”

“I don’t know either. I’ve already thought about asking some of Er Niu’s relatives to help, but I haven’t quite worked out the details yet,” Nie Yunzhu said, cupping her chin, clearly troubled. “Initially, I didn’t have many skills. I just wanted to get a small cart and sell some pancakes, just to prove I wasn’t entirely useless. I felt the same way about the preserved eggs; I assumed it would take a long time for people to like them. Who knew that in just a few days, so many would sell? I can’t keep up; it’s too fast... Well, I’m certainly happy about it, but what should I do next? I truly hadn’t considered it before. What’s your opinion, Li Heng?”

“Preserved eggs... do you want to continue with this?”

“I never really knew how to do business, so I only intended to set up a small stall...” Self-awareness is a valuable trait, and Nie Yunzhu, having spent years at Jin Feng Lou, had indeed encountered many successful merchants. Business, selling goods—where there’s profit, there’s risk. Some things were simply beyond her temperament to easily grasp. However, she continued, “With business suddenly so good, and the inability to keep up... it feels like such a missed opportunity...”

“Things are going to get a bit complicated from here.”

“Oh?”

“More preserved eggs will sell. You’ll hire people. In the first month or two, sales will expand significantly, especially after Kang Xian promotes them at his family banquets. ‘Emerald Eggs,’ ‘Fortune Eggs’... demand will far outstrip supply, and you’ll continue to scale up. All new products follow this pattern...”

Ning Yi picked up a twig and, speaking casually, began to draw on the ground. “At this point, you’ll realize you lack management experience. What started as a small workshop run by people you know somewhat, like Er Niu’s relatives and friends, will begin to encounter all sorts of bumps and scrapes. And then, on the other hand, people will start imitating the preserved eggs. Within about three months, they’ll likely have their own versions out, maybe even a bit sooner. Even with strict secrecy, it won’t be delayed beyond four months...”

“The process for making preserved eggs isn’t particularly complex. You drag dry firewood back daily, buy lime powder—anyone with a mind to investigate can easily discover these steps. Now that your product has gained some renown and is in short supply, word is starting to spread within several restaurants. It’s possible someone is already keeping an eye on you. When you sell preserved eggs, there are unwashed traces of mud powder on them. If your competitors experiment using the method for salted duck eggs, it won’t be difficult for them to figure it out. And if you expand your operations into a small workshop, exposing your production methods will become even simpler.”

“Then it’s simple: a price war. More and more people will start making them. They’ll even come up with new ways to eat them. You won’t be able to sell them for twenty *wen*, so you’ll have to lower your price. They’ll lower theirs too, and even more people will get into the business. Ultimately, selling preserved eggs will be no different than selling *shaobing*... er...”

As Ning Yi spoke, he turned to look, and Nie Yunzhu, with her chin propped in her hand, was also turning to look back at him, a hint of a smile in her eyes. Ning Yi pursed his lips and pointed the twig at her. “When that happens, you’ll take a hit.”

Nie Yunzhu was thinking about something else. “Actually, Li Heng, you’re really good at this kind of thing, aren’t you?”

“Oh? What kinds of things?”

“Business affairs.”

Ning Yi paused for a moment, then replied, “I’m the reincarnation of an ancient demon who excels at business; do I really have to tell you that?”

Nie Yunzhu pursed her lips and chuckled softly, then smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Actually, I’ve always wanted to ask, does the sudden success of the preserved eggs have anything to do with you, Li Heng?”

“When you make a bet, you have to do something; you can’t just wait to lose, can you?” Ning Yi chuckled. “It was indeed my idea at first, but it seems there was an unforeseen turn of events, and it backfired, creating more of a burden for you. If I’d known, I would have just asked a few idle people to casually mention it and then stop. In fact, because I estimated you wouldn’t be able to make so many, I even specifically told Old Kang not to over-promote it at the Imperial Son-in-law’s mansion...”

“So that’s how it really was,” she murmured, a faint smile playing on her lips. “You hired shills, Li Heng?”

Ning Yi nodded.

“But Li Heng... I thought you didn’t know Gu Yanzhen?”

“That morning, I ran into Li Pin and casually brought it up. He said he had a few friends who were bored anyway and could help, likely some talented scholars. I don’t know them personally, but Gu Yanzhen might have been among them. When I made the bet with Old Kang, we agreed not to use anyone’s reputation to promote these preserved eggs... Uh, do you remember telling me the next day that six preserved eggs had sold? Haha, four of those were bought by me.”

Nie Yunzhu squinted, her face showing sudden realization. “Ah... I was wondering why the restaurant waiter suddenly came to buy four preserved eggs. It was only the first day since you, Li Heng, had set up the cart. So that’s what happened... haha...”

In the pre-dawn darkness, stars still dotted the sky. Nie Yunzhu looked up and smiled, as many things suddenly became clear in her heart.

“What do you think we should do, Li Heng?”

“If you find it interesting, expand. If not, stop. It all depends on whether it appeals to you.”

“Actually, it does feel quite fulfilling; I feel rather capable. But I also know I’m not skilled in this area. Li Heng... will you teach me?”

A brief silence followed. Ning Yi glanced at her. “...Alright.”

On a clear morning in the third month of Jinghan Year Eight of the Wu Dynasty, that faint voice echoed through the pre-dawn mist by the Qinhuai River. What followed were just scattered discussions of minor details: catering, chain businesses, high-proof alcohol, supply chains, and other miscellaneous topics. The two individuals by the steps of the small building spoke as they normally would, and what they discussed had, by then, become secondary. In a room in the small building behind them, a maid named Hutao sighed, leaning against the window, still fretting over her young mistress.

White mist flowed and dispersed as the sun rose, and activity stirred throughout Jiangning City. Fast-forwarding time, skipping ahead to midday, Nie Yunzhu was now carrying a small package, wandering aimlessly along the city’s shop-lined streets, as Hutao and Er Niu were currently minding the stall.

Following her habits of the past few days, she would normally be rushing back now, contemplating how to increase preserved egg production, where to buy firewood in the afternoon, and weighing which vendor offered the best price. But today was different. From early morning, she had been consumed by a certain emotional state, her thoughts swirling restlessly, and by this moment, they showed no sign of calming.

Since Hutao had told her, “Miss, you can’t marry him” a few days prior—or perhaps even earlier, since she had first become aware of her own burgeoning feelings—and then the recent entanglement with Gu Yanzhen, coupled with the suddenly burgeoning preserved egg business and its increased burdens, her mind had, in truth, been in a constant state of flux. But not today. She had been happy all morning, her spirits lifted, all shadows swept away.

From a distance, she spotted a flag for Su Ji Clothiers. Such fabric signs were common; there were several Su Ji branches in Jiangning. In the past, she hadn’t paid much attention to them because of Ning Yi’s connection, but this time, she stood by the roadside and watched quietly for a long while, observing the constant flow of customers and the bustling business within the shop.

From time to time, Ning Yi’s words from that day echoed in her mind: his nod, that simple “Alright,” and some of his subsequent remarks.

“...However, there’s one thing you must remember. I want you to recall *why* you decided to take this step forward now. Even if you don’t have much money currently, you’re content. You simply wanted a pancake stall to prove your capabilities—that’s the Miss Yunzhu I know. If, one day in the future, you find yourself moving too fast, remember your current feelings. Stop when you should, retreat when you should. Don’t force yourself, lest you end up chasing trivialities and forgetting what truly matters to you. Sand you cannot grasp, simply let it slip through your fingers. Even if you return to where you are now, you haven’t lost anything...”

After his nod, Li Heng spoke very casually about other things. He held the twig, idly drawing on the ground, seemingly unconcerned or simply at ease, suggesting “or” do this, “or” do that. Only this particular passage did he deliver with gravity, following it with a seemingly self-deprecating laugh, as if pondering something unknown. Nie Yunzhu remembered these words, though her feelings at that moment were quite different from Ning Yi’s description.

Some things, some feelings, were quietly unfolding, unbeknownst to Ning Yi. In fact, yesterday morning, Ning Yi, Su Tan’er, and the others had gone for an outing in the suburbs, eating and flying kites with Chan’er and Juan’er. There were many people picnicking, and Ning Yi hadn’t realized that Nie Yunzhu and Hutao had seen them from a distance.

At that time, Nie Yunzhu and Hutao had connected with one of Er Niu’s fellow villagers and gone to the countryside to buy duck eggs. On their way back, they saw Ning Yi and Su Tan’er there. This was Nie Yunzhu’s first time seeing Su Tan’er. Observing from afar, the two were talking on the grass, and it evoked an inexpressibly complex feeling within her. That morning, her mood when she met Ning Yi had been surrounded by a sense of gloom, and then Ning Yi suddenly asked about Gu Yanzhen, and at that instant, she truly felt as though something had suddenly seized her.

Fortunately, that feeling soon dissipated. Yet, whenever she saw Ning Yi, her mind would drift back to the suburban meadow from yesterday, and to the elegantly dressed, young, and beautiful Su Tan’er. Gradually, however, other emotions began to surface, especially after Ning Yi nodded and revealed himself as the mastermind behind the preserved eggs. This idea had been brewing for a long time, but only now did it suddenly become crystal clear. As everyone outside was saying, why would a man like him become a live-in son-in-law?

Setting aside the reason, Nie Yunzhu suddenly pondered: Li Heng possesses both poetic and business talent. Is he truly happy every day, living such a leisurely, unassuming life? She had known little about the Su family before, and after gaining her freedom, her sources of information dried up. She only knew the Su family was immensely wealthy, a world apart from an ordinary person like herself. Later, Ning Yi gained fame for two *ci* poems, but she also heard whispers that Li Heng had no business acumen, while the Su family’s young mistress was highly skilled in commerce and would even take over the family in the future. But Li Heng *does* have business talent! With such abilities, yet bound by his status as a live-in son-in-law, always having to conceal his brilliance behind Su Tan’er—what must he truly be thinking?

Could Li Heng’s casual handling of the preserved egg situation also stem from an unwillingness to remain idle? Unable to act within the household, perhaps he simply seized an opportunity outside.

It was then that she suddenly understood what she could do.

Perhaps she could become his instrument, allowing Li Heng to prove through her that he was more capable than Su Tan’er. If only it could reach that point...

Fundamentally, she remained a woman of quiet disposition. Some thoughts were best left unexamined. She clutched the small package to her chest, lightly bit her lower lip, and walked past the entrance of Su Ji Clothiers. As she did, she turned her head for a quick glance inside. Then, pursing her lips, she thought with a touch of childish determination: In the future, her own shop would be much, much bigger than this one...