Time passed.
In the blink of an eye, Ning Yi had already been in this ancient world for three months, and the seasons had slowly shifted from spring to midsummer. The gardens, rockeries, pavilions, courtyards, streets, and pleasure boats—Ning Yi had grown quite familiar with this ancient world. However, most of the time, he still found it rather boring.
Perhaps it was because he had been too used to being busy in the past. Now, without computers or work, without anything to keep him occupied, his hands often itched for something to do. The Su family was more than happy to see him bored. After all, the reason they had him marry into the family was to give Su Tan'er a reason to stay at home rather than be married off. And the best-case scenario for them was that he wouldn't stir up any trouble. On the whole, Ning Yi enjoyed the boredom. He spent his days wandering around, observing the customs and scenery of the ancient world, occasionally musing about random things. Often, he would look at something and wonder how much profit he could make if he were running things himself or how to multiply the earnings.
He had been a boss for so long that it had warped his mind… He would laugh at himself for this and let these thoughts fade back into the depths of his mind.
Compared to his leisurely existence, his nominal wife, Su Tan'er, was obviously much busier. However, no matter how busy she was, she would always come home on time for meals. In this respect, there were indeed benefits to living in ancient times—no matter what, women couldn't live as freely as men. And on the plus side, the pace of work in ancient times wasn't nearly as suffocating as it was in the modern era. There was no rushing from place to place, lugging a laptop around, or constantly dealing with an overwhelming flow of information. In a time when communication was slow, it was impossible to become a workaholic. There was always time to rest because after issuing an order, you'd have to wait for the other side to respond.
She seemed to view him as a truly honest and simple man. When they sat together for meals, it was always Su Tan'er who initiated the conversation, trying to liven up the atmosphere. Ning Yi, having spent years in the business world, had long mastered the art of speaking without seeming perfunctory. His conversational skills were far more advanced than Su Tan'er's. Every time they sat down for a meal, he couldn't help but think of the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
After meals, if it rained, they would often retreat to their rooms. Su Tan'er would read, occasionally play the zither, or do some embroidery. Ning Yi, on the other hand, would either read, write, or daydream. Sometimes, he would grab a piece of paper and conduct some business simulations, making assumptions for the stock market, but he would quickly lose interest—unless there was an urgent matter, Su Tan'er might go out in a carriage. On good weather days, Ning Yi would usually go for a stroll, while Su Tan'er would visit the shops and workshops in the city, and they would go their separate ways.
A maid named Xiao Chan (affectionately referred to as Chan'er) had been by his side the entire time. Over the past few months, she had essentially become his personal maid—an arrangement set by Su Tan'er. It was clear that Chan'er was eager to get along with him, always chattering on about daily life while tidying up, or talking about where the Young Mistress had gone and what she had done. It was evident that Chan'er admired and liked Su Tan'er a lot, and Su Tan'er was indeed very kind to her servants. Ning Yi's response to her chatter was usually just a nod and a smile. Whenever they went out, the little maid would follow him closely. Sometimes he felt bad for her, so he would stop at a nearby teahouse when he got tired, have some snacks, and Chan'er would take out a few pieces of silver from her small purse to pay the bill. It made him feel like this was the life of a pampered rich kid in ancient times.
It wasn't all that different from modern times—he didn't even have to swipe his own card when buying things… Well, then again, it had been years since he had actually gone out to buy anything himself.
Lately, he had taken a liking to watching people play chess by the Qinhuai River.
There was a relatively quiet street by the river, located on the outskirts of the city. It wasn't particularly bustling, slightly off the beaten path, with no large shops in sight. Most of the people on the street were small-time vendors carrying their wares, and there weren't many pedestrians. Under a tree by the river, there was always an old man setting up a chessboard. Occasionally, a few other elderly men would gather to watch, and sometimes a few scholars would stop by. There was a tea stall nearby. One day, after Ning Yi and Chan'er grew tired from walking, they stopped there to rest, sipping tea while casually watching the chess game. Both elderly men playing chess were quite skilled. Ning Yi couldn't help but think: "This is ancient times, alright. Even random old men here are this good at chess." After that, he often came back. One of the old men was a regular, while his opponents varied. But after watching for a while, it became clear that most of the players were familiar faces, and overall, their chess skills were quite high.
This kind of mental exercise was one of the few entertainments Ning Yi could find in this world. In fact, the Qinhuai River was widely regarded as the most luxurious and bustling district of the time, filled with pleasure boats and brothels. At night, the area became a city that never slept, and as Ning Yi strolled along the riverbank each day, he often overheard stories of romantic escapades. However, given that he was now married into the Su family, such pleasures were off-limits to him. Besides, in his past life, Ning Yi had already experienced all the excesses the world had to offer, and now he had little interest in them.
One day, the weather was overcast, but it didn't seem like it would rain anytime soon. Ning Yi and Xiao Chan went to their usual tea stall by the river. Once again, two old men were playing chess. After some time, a servant-looking man approached one of the old men, whispered something to him, and the old man nodded. "Master Qin, there's an urgent matter at home. I'll have to stop here."
"We haven't reached a conclusion yet. Shall we call it a draw?" Master Qin replied.
"That would be fine," the old man said politely.
The two exchanged a few pleasantries before one of the old men left. The remaining old man, the one who had set up the chessboard, began packing up the pieces. Ning Yi finished his tea and stood up. "Looks like there's nothing more to watch. Xiao Chan, go ahead and pay."
As Xiao Chan reached into her purse, the old man called out. "Young Master, I've noticed you've been coming here often to watch chess. You must have a good understanding of the game. Would you care to play a round with me?"
Caught off guard, Ning Yi hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the sky. "Well... I'm not that great... but alright."
He sat down across from the old man, helping him arrange the chess pieces. As they set up the board, the old man made some small talk, asking typical questions like where Ning Yi was from. Ning Yi gave brief, casual replies. Once the board was ready, they determined who would go first, and Ning Yi, playing as white, made the opening move without hesitation.
"Hm, this opening..." The old man glanced at him, frowning slightly before continuing the game.
After ten or so moves, the old man's frown deepened. He asked, "May I ask who taught you to play, Young Master?"
"I just studied some chess manuals on my own," Ning Yi replied casually.
"Oh, that explains it," the old man muttered.
After that, the two played in silence under the tree by the river. Xiao Chan sat nearby, occasionally glancing at the sky. She didn't understand Go, but she noticed that as the game progressed, the old man took longer and longer to make his moves, his brow furrowing deeper with each turn. He would occasionally glance at Ning Yi, shaking his head slightly. On the board, the white pieces dominated, while the black pieces were gradually crushed.
After about an hour, the old man finally conceded defeat, laying down his piece and looking at Ning Yi intently. Ning Yi, still with his usual calm and amused expression, began tidying up the chessboard. The old man sighed and said, "Your chess skills are impressive, Young Master. But as for your approach… perhaps it's a bit..."
The old man hesitated, choosing his words carefully. Ning Yi smiled and said, "In chess, the goal is to win. Just like in battle, there's no right or wrong way to achieve victory."
"Chess is supposed to be a gentleman's game..." the old man began.
"Do you think you can judge a person's character by the way they play chess?" Ning Yi asked offhandedly as he continued to pack up the pieces.
The old man was momentarily taken aback. After a brief pause, he chuckled and shook his head. "No, not really."
As they finished packing up the chessboard, the sky darkened, and it looked like rain was on the way. Ning Yi and Xiao Chan started heading back to the Su residence. Along the way, Xiao Chan gave him a curious look and couldn't help but ask, "Did you win, Young Master?"
"Ah, yes, but I suppose I won't be coming back to watch chess here anymore," Ning Yi replied.
"Why not?" Xiao Chan asked, puzzled.
"Well, didn't you see? He probably thinks I'm a bad person now."
"Just because you won a chess game?" Xiao Chan glanced back at the old man. "He's just upset because you beat him! What a sore loser."
Of course, she was only joking. The old man was a refined gentleman and wouldn't get angry over a mere chess match. However, in this era, Go had a certain etiquette. Friends played with dignity, and games were usually restrained. Aggressive or relentless tactics that lacked grace were generally avoided. But for Ning Yi, chess was simply a mental challenge. With the imbalance of information between them, even though the old man was highly skilled, Ning Yi's use of subtle modern strategies crushed his opponent. It gave Ning Yi a small, satisfying sense of victory—like a modern person outwitting someone from the past.
That day, when Ning Yi returned home, Su Tan'er had also just come back from outside. A maid named Xing'er was instructing some people to carry rolls of fabric into the Young Mistress's room, most likely new stock, brightly colored and eye-catching. As soon as they entered the house, Juan'er came down from upstairs carrying a large wooden box.
"Master, Master! The Young Mistress heard that you enjoy playing Go, so when she saw this while out today, she bought it for you as a gift." In fact, it was a gift someone else had given to Su Tan'er, but she didn't need it, so she casually brought it back. It was a box containing a Go set. Ning Yi was a bit startled. "Oh, in that case, thank her for me."
"You can thank her yourself," Juan'er said with a giggle before running back upstairs. Ning Yi shook his head, carrying the Go set back to his room. But with no acquaintances around, who was he supposed to play with?
After returning to her room, Juan'er mimicked Ning Yi's voice, "Miss, the Master said, 'Thank my wife for me.'" She was immediately tapped on the forehead by Su Tan'er, who was reviewing account books. The maids had grown up with Su Tan'er, so while they respected her, their relationship was also one of sisterly affection. However, when Su Tan'er was busy, she didn't indulge in too much joking around. After finishing the account books, Su Tan'er took a close look at the newly arrived fabric. Just then, Chan'er and Xing'er entered the room. Su Tan'er smiled as she saw Chan'er. "Did you go with the Master to watch chess again today?"
"Yes," Chan'er replied with a little shake of her head. "But I don't understand it."
"I'm not a fan of Go either," Su Tan'er said, shaking her head as well. After being busy all morning, she finally had a moment to rest. She picked up a piece of rice paper from the table and frowned as she asked Chan'er, "Did the Master really write this poem?"
The rice paper was something Chan'er had brought back that morning. She leaned in to confirm, "Yes, I saw him writing it. He said he was practicing his calligraphy."
Su Tan'er looked at the poem again, frowning before putting it down. It was something that Chan'er had grabbed in a hurry that morning. Su Tan'er hadn't had time to look at it until after running errands all morning. Xing'er, who hadn't seen the poem either, came over curiously after noticing Su Tan'er's expression. All three of the maids had been taught some basic poetry and arithmetic, but as they looked at the poem now, their faces scrunched up in confusion.
"Three lotus stems float on the green pond… the raft brings amorous thoughts, dewdrops… wet the sandy shore, dusk serene, morning silent… what does this even mean?"
Meanwhile, in another room, Ning Yi stood at his desk, organizing drafts of rice paper, preparing to throw or burn them. He had written ten pages the previous day while practicing his calligraphy, and now he realized one was missing. After a brief moment of thought, he shook his head and laughed. "I'd be surprised if they could understand it…"
Soon after, a thunderstorm rolled in.
Summer rains came in torrents. The sky darkened as if it were already evening. However, in such weather, opening the window to watch the courtyard drenched in rain had a certain leisurely charm. From Ning Yi's vantage point, he could occasionally glimpse Su Tan'er and her maids moving about in the opposite room. Before long, Chan'er entered his room, carrying several rolls of colorful fabric, just as Ning Yi was opening the Go set on his desk.
"Master, the Young Mistress said these are new silks. She asked me to take your measurements so we can make you some clothes. Please take a look and choose which color you like."
"Anything is fine."
"You can't be so casual about new clothes," Chan'er muttered as she picked up a measuring tape and began measuring his height and body length. Ning Yi glanced outside at the pouring rain, then looked down at the maid beside him.
"Do you have anything to do this afternoon?"
"Not much."
"Then let's play a game."
"I don't know how to play Go."
"Not Go—I'll teach you how to play Five-in-a-Row."
"Five-in-a-Row?" Chan'er looked up at him, her eyes filled with confusion. She had never heard of such a game before.
And so, that afternoon, the quiet little courtyard was filled with the sounds of excited cheering from the young maid. Normally, the place was peaceful, but Su Tan'er was only eighteen years old, and the three maids around her were just fourteen or fifteen. When something fun came up, it was easy for them to get a little carried away. In the other room, Su Tan'er sat by the window reading a book, while Xing'er and Juan'er were sitting on small stools doing embroidery. From time to time, they would hear faint shouts of "I won! I won!" coming from the rain-soaked courtyard, causing them to look up curiously. After hearing it a few times, Xing'er pricked her finger with her needle, then sucked on the tip of her finger while staring toward the other room in confusion.
"What's gotten into Chan'er today…?" she wondered aloud.