Since Nie Yunzhu and her maid, Hu Tao, left the Golden Wind Tower two years ago, they have lived together like sisters. Although they try to take on some work within their means, the reality remains that a master and a maid have distinct roles, and most household chores fall to Hu Tao. Nie Yunzhu mainly does simple tasks. She embroiders beautiful silk every day and occasionally stitches shoe soles or handkerchiefs. She teaches music at the Golden Wind Tower every few days to maintain their household. However, her embroidery is more about personal enjoyment and quality, resulting in high costs and labor, leaving her with limited earnings.
Since Hu Tao fell gravely ill last month, Nie Yunzhu has inevitably had to take on more responsibilities. She can cook simple meals and wash clothes—though perhaps not as well as Hu Tao—but she managed to buy an old hen a few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival to make soup for Hu Tao's recovery, which ultimately led to several mishaps.
She was afraid to kill the hen and ended up letting it escape. In her pursuit, she jumped into a river, lost her kitchen knife, and even caused trouble for a kind passerby who tried to help her. After being rescued, her first reaction upon waking was to slap him. The next day, she was embarrassed to find him watching as she retrieved her knife, and he even helped her kill the chicken.
Normally, she is a calm and composed woman who has seen many people during her years in the pleasure quarters, placing great importance on her image. Who would have thought that her most embarrassing moments would be witnessed by others? A few days ago, she caught a cold alongside Hu Tao, but thankfully it wasn't severe, and they recovered after the Mid-Autumn Festival. She realized she hadn't even asked her benefactor's name. Hu Yanfeng… Hu Yanfeng, she thought—she wasn't sure if she remembered it correctly. Yet today, she encountered him again.
Nie Yunzhu had always prided herself on her experience with people, and this young man appeared to be in his early twenties. He seemed scholarly but, upon reflection, had a distinct demeanor in his actions and speech, which appeared casual and easygoing. From his reaction after rescuing her, to her slapping him, and then helping her with the chicken, everything seemed to follow that same pattern. As she approached him, she noticed he was indeed intent on buying charcoal, but after a brief conversation with the shopkeeper, the situation changed.
With late autumn approaching and winter on the horizon, most families needed to buy charcoal, and there were vendors selling it in bulk. However, this store sold it pre-packaged in bags. After speaking with the shopkeeper, the young man dumped a large bag of charcoal onto the ground, picked up a cloth bag, and began selecting individual pieces. He was picky, often scratching the charcoal against the ground before tossing it into his bag. The shopkeeper didn't seem annoyed but was instead curious, asking a few questions before returning to his tasks.
After watching for a moment, Nie Yunzhu moved closer and crouched down beside him. "Benefactor?" she called softly.
"Hmm?" The young man turned to look at her, recognizing her. "Oh, it's you. What a coincidence." He continued to focus on selecting the charcoal.
His casual response was peculiar. In contemporary Confucian culture, which has become quite sophisticated, it's customary for men to stand straight and bow respectfully when speaking to women. However, this nonchalant comment was something Nie Yunzhu had never encountered before, yet it felt entirely natural. She blinked in surprise, then adjusted her skirt as she crouched beside him.
"Benefactor…"
"Ha, it's just killing a chicken. No need to call me benefactor," he said with a smile, waving his hand dismissively.
"Does the benefactor only remember killing the chicken and forget about rescuing me from the river?"
"Ah…"
He paused, realizing her words. Nie Yunzhu couldn't help but laugh, and as they squatted side by side by the charcoal, she tilted her head to look at him. "My name is Nie Yunzhu." After a brief wait to ensure he remembered, she asked, "Is your name Hu Yanfeng?"
"Hu, Hu Yanfeng…"
For a moment, the young man's expression flickered with complexity before he smiled. "Hehe, my name is Ning Yi," he replied. "Ning Yi, Ning Liheng."
Hearing that name, Nie Yunzhu was taken aback.
"Shui Diao Ge Tou..."
"That man is named Ning Yi, styled Liheng..."
"The son-in-law of the Su family, right..."
"Perhaps he's just someone who bought poems to seek fame and reputation..."
The stunning impact of seeing that poem in the Golden Wind Tower still lingered in her mind, and the gossip of the other girls flashed past her. Ning Yi, Ning Liheng. Originally, she was simply admiring the verses, not having had time to fully absorb the charm of the poem itself, and she had no interest in joining in the idle gossip. So that name didn't matter much to her, and she hadn't given it a second thought. But now, the name suddenly struck her mind.
She froze for a moment, then finally responded, "Mr. Ning... why are you buying this charcoal?"
"Mm, it's for writing," Ning Yi knocked on a wooden board on the ground, which had been coated with a layer of white paint. He then picked up a finely powdered piece of charcoal and wrote the character 'Nie' on the ground. He seemed to want to write out the name Nie Yunzhu he had just heard, but when he reached the last stroke of 'Nie,' he paused. Realizing that it might be impolite to casually write out her name, he shifted slightly and wrote 'Ning Yi' instead.
The characters were written in a bold and powerful regular script. After completing the last stroke, the charcoal broke in his hand. Nie Yunzhu, who had some skill in calligraphy, compared it in her mind. Holding a piece of charcoal was different from using a brush, and if she were to write with the charcoal, her characters would be far inferior. The fact that he could so effortlessly produce such strong strokes with charcoal indicated that his understanding of calligraphy must be profound.
In these times, poetry and calligraphy often go hand in hand. Someone with deep expertise in calligraphy could likely be considered a great Confucian scholar, or at least not far off. Seeing the quality of his handwriting, it didn't seem suspicious that someone like him could have written that "Shui Diao Ge Tou." Nie Yunzhu thought to herself that rumors, indeed, were often unreliable. Little did she know that Ning Yi's brushwork was only passable. It was his skill in chalk, ballpoint pen, and various modern fonts that he had truly practiced. As he gained status and experience over time, his writing had acquired a certain aura, though now, looking at the characters, he felt they had regressed a bit. Still, they were good enough to impress others.
Mastering calligraphy wasn't something that could be achieved overnight. He couldn't let those students who painstakingly practiced calligraphy every day think their teacher's handwriting was unsightly...
"I use it in the classroom, writing on this whiteboard. You can wipe it off after writing. As for sand trays, the outlines aren't clear, and you always have to sweep them clean. Plus, they're flat, so students get tired looking at them. This board can be hung vertically."
"The classroom... a school? Mr. Ning, are you teaching at a school?"
"Mm, a small school. Teaching a few particularly hopeless students how to read and write..."
"Heh... Mr. Ning, how about this piece?"
In places like brothels and pleasure quarters, social skills that allowed people to engage naturally were highly prized. As long as she was prepared, Nie Yunzhu was confident that she could converse easily with anyone without feeling awkward. This time, the conversation flowed naturally too, though it wasn't because of her. It seemed more like it was due to the other person's attitude. The two of them continued selecting charcoal sticks, and soon, the small cloth bag was full. By then, both their hands were black with charcoal dust. When it came time to pay, Ning Yi handed over a few extra coins for the small bag of charcoal sticks.
"The shopkeeper is really unreasonable, charging extra for just these few sticks of charcoal," Nie Yunzhu remarked as they stepped out.
"Heh, but it wouldn't have been right to trouble them. Besides, they probably only let me be so picky because they heard I'm using them for the classroom. Being a teacher has its perks," Ning Yi replied with a laugh.
"If Mr. Ning needs more next time, why not buy a few bags at once and sort through them at home? That way, you can save some money since you'll be using them anyway."
"Haha, next time I won't bother picking them out myself. I'll just have the students bring their own to class," Ning Yi said with amusement.
Before long, they washed their hands by the Qinhuai River. Ning Yi carried the wooden board and the charcoal, while Nie Yunzhu carried the cloth bag and medicine pouch. As they walked, Nie Yunzhu brought up the incident where he had saved her from falling into the river. Ning Yi waved it off, downplaying the event as if it were no big deal.
The two of them exchanged a few words here and there, but the atmosphere between them felt subtly strange. As they walked a bit further, Nie Yunzhu, walking a step behind, found herself reflecting on the artistic depth of the poem "Shui Diao Ge Tou." She suddenly thought, perhaps only someone as free-spirited and composed as this man could have written such verses.
They continued walking for some time before reaching a bend in the river. Ning Yi finally stopped to bid her farewell. Not far from the riverbank, the water shimmered peacefully, and the willows swayed in the breeze. A small tea house and several little shops were nestled nearby. Beside the tea house was a small chess stand, where two elderly men were leisurely playing a game of chess. One of them was dressed in luxurious silk, exuding an air of wealth and refinement.
Nie Yunzhu gave Ning Yi a polite bow and said her goodbyes. After exchanging a few more words, she paused briefly before continuing on her way. Ning Yi, too, headed forward, toward the tea house and chess stand. The two elderly men seemed to know him, and they shared a few words with him, smiling as they spoke. Nie Yunzhu vaguely overheard his voice.
"...these past few days, you two have put me through quite a bit of trouble... This morning, Yu Zixing came looking for me..."
She glanced back one last time as she walked away. Ning Yi was seated by the chess stand, observing the game with a cup of tea in hand, sipping it lightly. There wasn't much connection between them. Without the excuse of repaying a favor, in a vast city like Jiangning, it was unlikely they would ever cross paths again. His manner of speaking and dealing with others seemed to lack any self-interest or ulterior motives—something she had almost never seen in the scholars and literati she had encountered. Throughout their time together, he had remained calm and natural, free-spirited yet always polite. He never imposed on others, yet kept a distinct distance. It was as though he embodied the elegant bearing and unrestrained spirit of the legendary Tang dynasty scholars. Nowadays, everyone spoke of being a "gentleman," and perhaps this was what true gentlemanly grace should look like.
She might not see him again, and it seemed he hadn't taken the "debt of gratitude" seriously. But still, that figure had left a lasting impression on her.
Ning Yi... Ning Liheng...
With those thoughts, Nie Yunzhu headed in the direction of home.