It was still early in the afternoon, and the handcart hadn't returned yet, likely with Hu Tao and Er Niu still watching over it. Nie Yunzhu had come back first, and she had started burning some camphor wood to make ash at home. Seeing Ning Yi arrive was a pleasant surprise for her.
The process of curing century eggs takes over twenty days. When she initially planned to enter this business, she had prepared a decent batch. However, most of the quantity was added at Ning Yi's insistence, as she wasn't very confident about it. Now it seemed that they still hadn't prepared enough.
Nie Yunzhu had already mentioned to Ning Yi that the demand for century eggs might exceed supply. Ning Yi offered a few thoughts, mainly about balancing supply and demand—nothing too extraordinary. The solutions themselves weren't anything special; to limit supply, they would restrict the quantity sent to each store, making sure to coordinate with everyone and smooth things over with some nice words. For increasing production, there was no shortcut other than making them faster. Nie Yunzhu had been exceptionally busy these past few days, though she hadn't mentioned much of it to Ning Yi in the mornings, choosing instead to happily report their success.
Ning Yi had instructed her to use camphor wood ash to cure the eggs, and she had been gathering camphor wood each day for burning. Today's wood was a bit damp, and she accidentally filled the kitchen with smoke. Ning Yi joined her to help, and after a while, they managed to clear out the smoke, remove some of the wet wood from the stove, and stoke a small flame to let it burn slowly. As Ning Yi sat by the stove watching the fire, Nie Yunzhu washed her face and hands, then handed him a damp towel to wipe his face. When she offered it to him, her face grew warm, and her hand trembled slightly, though it was so subtle that only she herself noticed.
Since they seldom had guests, the only towels available were hers and Hu Tao's, and she didn't want to give Ning Yi Hu Tao's towel, so she ended up giving him hers. This gesture seemed a bit overly intimate, and her heart raced as if she held a little mouse in her chest. She watched Ning Yi casually wipe his face and hand the towel back, as she asked, making idle conversation, "Li Heng… where did you come from just now?"
"I just came from Old Mr. Qin's place," Ning Yi tossed another log into the fire. "I had originally made a bet with Kang Xian, and I just went over there to show off a bit. It felt pretty great."
"Well, that's good then." Hearing this, Nie Yunzhu's heart filled with joy too. She had worried that the wager might cause Ning Yi to lose face if it didn't work out, but she hadn't expected such quick success. "This morning, another restaurant asked for century eggs—now we have six customers."
"So soon?" Ning Yi thought for a moment. "But in that area, I think these are the only places that can afford them. If we can keep up with this level of demand, it should be enough for now."
If they weren't considering expanding, and were only supplying these few restaurants as a sort of pastime, it would likely be the limit for Nie Yunzhu and Hu Tao. Whether to expand further was her decision, and Ning Yi didn't want to interfere. Nie Yunzhu thought about it, then crouched down beside him with a smile.
"It all happened so fast that I could barely keep up. Honestly, just a few days ago, I was worried about ruining your wager, Li Heng."
"Hah, it was just a small bet, really just a joke. But… of course, winning is always better, haha."
"That old gentleman is a prince consort, you know. When we delivered century eggs last month, his estate was enormous—Princess Residence. Actually, when you first introduced him to me before the New Year, I wondered if it was him, and I was right! Li Heng, you're really impressive, being able to talk and joke around with someone like him, and even make a bet with him."
This wasn't intended as flattery at all. No matter how you look at it, someone of Kang Xian's stature should be seen as Li Heng's elder. She had encountered many people like him in the past, and with such an age difference, meeting each other would naturally call for the courtesy of a younger greeting an elder. Even if the elder treated them warmly, it would still be a kindness from senior to junior. But she'd never seen anyone like Li Heng, who seemed so relaxed with everyone he met. In truth, thinking this way, she realized she wasn't any different.
"We met while playing chess, so perhaps there's no utilitarian motive here," Ning Yi stoked the fire a little. "They're all respectable elders who appreciate knowledge and ideas—just respect his learning and perspectives, and that's enough... Oh, you knew who he was beforehand?"
"Of course I'd heard of him. Before you introduced us, I'd probably seen him once or twice… maybe twice. There was a performance one year at Egret Island, and Mr. Ming must have attended. But there were so many people there; I don't recall everyone…" She reminisced, then chuckled softly. "Besides, so many young talents were there, and Hu Tao and the other sisters who knew them only cared about watching those young men. Although some were also talking about the high-ranking officials in the guest seats, Mr. Ming, despite his learning, is a prince consort and already quite old, so it's not easy to remember him. I suppose he wouldn't remember me either…"
"Oh, oh." Ning Yi teased with a sly smile, "Only focused on those young talents, huh…"
Had anyone else teased her like this, Nie Yunzhu might have felt embarrassed, but now she only smiled, "That's right, performing women naturally pay attention to the talented ones. Heh, back then, Yunzhu liked to remember the wealthy ones, too. Of course, if their poetry and knowledge caught my eye, that would have been even better. Always counting up my ransom money every day, trying to cozy up to them…"
She stopped here, then asked, "Li Heng, you know Li Pin—Li Dexin, don't you?"
"I do. I've mentioned him before; we're at the same academy now."
"How about Cao Guan?"
"I've heard of him."
"And… Gu Hong—Gu Yanzhen?"
She looked closely at Ning Yi as she mentioned this name, and he thought for a moment. "That one I haven't heard of… Who's that?"
"No one important, just another talented man," she said, lowering her gaze with a small smile. "Someone unrelated."
There were some things Nie Yunzhu hadn't shared with Ning Yi. In fact, they weren't things she felt she should discuss with him.
Gu Yanzhen had been coming by her stall recently, striking up conversations, and while he was sincere, it was a bit of a bother for her. Certain small issues arose from this, particularly since Gu Yanzhen had likely learned from Hu Tao that she was unmarried. Over the past few days, he'd even started helping promote her century egg business. The order from this morning wasn't from a nearby neighborhood as Li Heng had assumed but rather from a more distant area where Gu Yanzhen had used his connections to get friends to support her.
Naturally, she couldn't say anything about this. With the business growing, she didn't know how to turn down his kindness. Gu Yanzhen simply thought, "You want to sell century eggs, so I'll help you," but he didn't realize she was already overwhelmed. Reflecting on Li Heng's words that "these few places would be enough," warmed her heart, though she couldn't exactly ask him how to handle the situation. She had vaguely wondered if the expansion of her market was somehow related to Li Heng, but it seemed that wasn't the case after all. She couldn't very well tell him that another man, one she'd met back in the brothel, was now helping her.
She cared about Li Heng's opinion, so it was best not to mention it. Anyway… growing the business was a good thing. Now that things were getting busier, she'd probably need to hire help—maybe even involve Er Niu's family to lend a hand… Ah, she'd never expected things to reach this point. All she had ever envisioned was the fulfilling life of earning a living, watching over her cart every day…
Nie Yunzhu never spoke of these matters, so Ning Yi had no way of knowing. To him, the century egg business was already reaching its limit, so he had mentioned to Li Pin that there was no need for his friends to keep pushing it. A couple of days ago, Li Pin had casually asked him, "What's your relationship with that century egg seller?" Ning Yi simply answered that they were friends, and Li Pin didn't pursue it further, sensing nothing unusual.
On the other hand, a couple of days prior, Gu Yanzhen had approached Li Pin to ask about the matter. At the time, Gu Yanzhen was in a muddle of emotions, practically storming in, and though Li Pin had learned that the century egg vendor was a woman Gu Yanzhen had once admired, he didn't mention Ning Yi's name. Li Pin was a thoughtful person, and considering Ning Yi was a live-in son-in-law of the Su family, it was unthinkable that he would have any ambiguous relationship with Miss Yunzhu. Even if he did, letting anyone know would be unwise—whether it was the truth or mere rumor, it would be a serious matter. So he just explained that it was a friend's harmless whim and hinted that perhaps Miss Yunzhu was still unmarried. After verifying this with Hu Tao, Gu Yanzhen dropped the issue.
For Ning Yi, Nie Yunzhu's century egg business was only a minor matter. They chatted about it during his morning runs, which took up little of his time and was far from being a focal point in his life.
In the mornings, he taught the children, and in the afternoons, he rented a small house near Yushan Academy. If he wasn't visiting Master Qin or Nie Yunzhu—both of which were rare occasions—he would be here conducting some basic chemical research. Currently, he possessed a few ancient chemical texts, which recorded various phenomena but bore no relation to modern chemical theories. Nevertheless, they provided a starting point for his initial studies. Apart from texts like "梦溪笔谈" (Dream Pool Essays) , he had crafted a few basic iron stands, ceramic containers for use as test tubes, and an oil lamp for heating. He also gathered various metal, wood, and ceramic containers, along with whatever chemical materials he could procure. Frankly, some small workshops in the Wu Dynasty were already involved in chemical processes, but at the moment, his setup looked more like alchemy than any advanced chemical work.
The chemistry lessons from his previous life were long forgotten, though some fragmented concepts remained from the variety of industries he had once dabbled in. Some reactions still vaguely came to mind, but they lacked coherence, like a disjointed tech tree in a game. The ancient texts helped spark some memories, and that was better than nothing. For a simple start, he could only experiment with random combinations to observe reactions. For instance, he'd place rusty iron in acid to remove the rust and jot down the reaction in a small notebook. He could recall certain trivial theories, such as iron being prone to oxidation. He knew that much, though he'd completely forgotten what reversing that process might involve, not to mention the chemical formulas. Whenever a concept resurfaced, he'd jot it down in his notebook, working his way through it bit by bit.
For now, he focused on experimenting with strong acids like sulfuric and nitric acid, given their vigorous reactions that were easy to observe. Of course, caution was paramount—one misstep, and he could easily harm himself. He did possess knowledge of a few advanced techniques; for instance, he could produce gunpowder if necessary, as well as industrial or high-proof alcohol since distillation was relatively straightforward. In time, he'd make an alcohol lamp, though he couldn't recall exactly why it was better than an oil lamp—probably because it was smokeless… While he understood the general outline of many large-scale chemical processes, he lacked the necessary supporting technology. Some, however, didn't require much precision; primitive steel-making, for instance, was fairly simple. It would be unsophisticated by modern standards, but here, it would do just fine. He vaguely remembered the basics and would consider it further if the need arose.
Initially, experimenting with these chemical reactions was tedious, and most of the time, he didn't know what he had managed to produce. Xiao Chan often accompanied him, pacing idly under the eaves while he worked in the room. Occasionally, she would ask, "Is My Lord trying to refine elixirs?" Sometimes, the young girl would daydream, wondering if her lord might suddenly ascend to the heavens. She would sit under the eaves, resting her chin on her hand, idly swaying her skirt on the railing, listening as he narrated stories from Journey to the West or Investiture of the Gods. At times, she'd feel a mix of concern and anticipation.
Of course, most of the time, Ning Yi gave her a sense of reliability and dependability, but for a young girl, romance meant having such whimsical thoughts. And so, during her idle moments, as she listened to his voice, Xiao Chan would let her imagination run wild. She thought about how if her lord were to suddenly ascend to the heavens, she would cry and cry, heartbroken for a long time. But what if he were willing to take her with him…? That thought made her a little happy. Then she considered, he would have to take the young mistress along too… She sat there, sometimes lost in thought, sometimes smiling to herself, sneaking a glance at the door, reminding herself not to dwell on these ideas. Finally, she tiptoed inside, appearing before her lord with a bright face. "My Lord, is there anything Xiao Chan can help with?"
"Out," he said curtly, wearing a mask as he measured strange powders.
"Oh…" Xiao Chan slinked back out dejectedly. The courtyard was bright with spring sunshine, birds flying about, the grass lush and green. Hugging her knees as she leaned against the edge of the eaves, Xiao Chan gazed up, lost in her small thoughts. Amidst the sparse wildflowers blooming in the courtyard, there was an inexplicable feeling of loneliness.
Inside, Ning Yi glanced at the window and frowned slightly. He had warned her to be cautious. Although his chemical setup was rudimentary, the room still contained corrosive or mildly toxic substances. Xiao Chan was clever and capable in most tasks, but this was not something he could let her handle. He then resumed telling her bits of mythology he could recall, and soon enough, Xiao Chan was cheered up. "My Lord, my Lord, yesterday Miss and I heard a story at the teahouse…"
And so she began chattering away. After a while, Ning Yi stepped out of the room, and Xiao Chan's spirits lifted even more. They walked along, chatting as they usually did, heading back home. Only when he was in that room did her lord seem somewhat distant, and from time to time, as they walked, she'd glance back at the stuffy room and stick out her tongue at it in playful defiance.
Apart from Xiao Chan, most of Ning Yi's social life centered around Su Tan'er. Given the backdrop of this era, their relationship was, in some ways, rather peculiar…