NR | Chapter 6

After Tan Qiu left, Fourth Brother sent me off with fifty yuan as well. I had the money in my pocket, of course I was happy about it, so I hurried over to the little stall at the crossroads for a bowl of liangfen, then went to the supermarket and bought a few toothbrushes.

On my way back from the supermarket, I saw the whole production street lined with mobile stalls selling New Year prints and Spring Festival couplets. Henan probably lacked nothing less than people. The county was always like this every year, and during the Lantern Festival they even set up an entire street of lanterns.

I was pushed forward by the crowded masses, something I was used to. Along the way, I didn’t know how many times people had stepped on my feet. I rubbed my hands together and looked up, only to see a few snowflakes drifting down from the sky. It really did feel like the New Year celebrations from when I was little.

Before I had time to reminisce properly, one of the shop assistants came running toward me. He stopped in front of me, panting for quite a while, before reaching into his chest pocket and taking out a big red envelope for me. “Young Master Gan Xiaoxiao, this is the boss’s New Year money for you. The boss is going on a business trip, probably for about a month, so he won’t be able to spend the New Year with you. The assistants are all in the shop, you can order us around however you like.”

“Huh? Why so suddenly? Didn’t they say he wouldn’t leave for another two days?” I was a little caught off guard and started moving from a walk to a run, hurrying toward Fourth Brother’s shop.

The assistant followed behind me and sighed. “Business isn’t easy these days. Whatever deal Tan-laoban and Tian-laoban are making has to be a big one. I heard people from above specially came to invite them, and the car they sent over is something our tiny county has never even seen before.”

I didn’t chatter with him anymore. I sprinted the whole way, taking a shortcut. But before I even turned into the alley, I saw three or four Hongqi cars drive past on another street. I really wanted to chase after them. Thinking about it later, maybe I should have chased after them then. I should have done everything I could to keep Fourth Brother from wading into that muddy water.

But in this world, with the ability I had at the time, there was no way I could change anything.

The shadow of the cars slowly vanished from my sight. I stood there staring at their taillights for a very, very long time. I couldn’t understand what could be so important that it meant not even eating a meal, not even finishing the New Year properly. A trace of disgust for this line of work rose in the depths of my heart.

The assistant was freezing so hard he kept blowing into his palms. He tugged at my sleeve. “Look, the snow’s getting heavier too. We should head back early. The boss should be back soon, you don’t need to worry too much. Oh, right! The boss left that box for you, it’s in the back courtyard.”

I nodded at him and forcibly dragged myself back from the clouds, then followed the assistant back to the shop. Since everything seemed to have started because of this box, maybe opening it would let everything fall neatly into place.

When we returned, several assistants in the main hall were still cleaning the bottles and jars on the shelves. I hardly stopped at all, going around the screen in the front hall and opening an inconspicuous side door before heading to the back courtyard.

Yujingzi had left. I didn’t know whether she had gone with Fourth Brother. To be honest, I thought they looked pretty well matched, handsome man and beautiful woman, a perfect pair. The fact that she could come and go freely in the boss’s room at Yinggantang showed that Fourth Brother clearly had a different attitude toward this woman.

And besides, I really wanted a pretty sister-in-law. So I secretly made up my mind that when Fourth Brother came back, I would definitely fan the flames for the two of them.

The back courtyard obviously hadn’t been lived in for a long time. Dead leaves covered the ground. The moment I stepped in, I saw Tian Yuqing sitting on the stone stool in the courtyard, brewing tea for himself. He had put on a thick down jacket. This man had the air of an intellectual from before the founding of the republic.

“You still haven’t left?” I blurted out what was on my mind, and only after saying it did I realize that there was nothing in that sentence except the innocence and stupidity of a college student.

Tian Yuqing brewed and poured tea with practiced ease. Hearing me, he smiled and adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. “Don’t worry. I’ll leave when the time is right. Is that how Chen Si usually teaches you? He likes to weigh every word and say it over and over again, while you’re quite straightforward.”

Seeing that he meant no harm, I walked over on my own and sat down on the stone stool opposite him. Tian Yuqing poured me a cup of tea, and I accepted it naturally. For someone like me who didn’t know the first thing about tea, however I drank it was fine. Tian Yuqing probably wouldn’t make a fuss over it either, though who could say for sure, since his family had far too many rules.

Tasting tea in the snow had its own elegance. It would be even better if there were a brazier here right now, then I could roast a sweet potato or an orange over the fire.

Tian Yuqing didn’t put on the old-fashioned, pompous airs of a head of the house like Tan Qiu. He pulled his down jacket closer around himself and praised, “The Xinyang Maojian Chen Si has collected really does taste good. No wonder he always brews this kind of tea.”

I smacked my lips. “You’re not drinking the ones he keeps in those black boxes at the very bottom of the cabinet, are you? If so, you’re doomed. When he comes back, he’s definitely going to beat you into the ground.”

Tian Yuqing lifted his teacup, but didn’t bring it to his lips right away. Instead, he laughed rather easily and turned his gaze to the snowflakes fluttering through the air. After a moment, he asked, “Has your grandfather really taught you nothing?”

I thought of Fourth Brother’s warning before he left. While drinking my tea, I shook my head to hide the guilt of lying.

I knew Tian Yuqing was no easy mark. People who had been in the business for a long time like this could usually tell whether someone was lying with just one look. A simpleton like me would definitely be exposed if I confronted him head-on.

What surprised me was that Tian Yuqing didn’t start digging into this question. He seemed more like he had just asked casually and didn’t care what the answer was. He stretched out both hands and lifted the nine-ring jade box, setting it on the stone table.

Tian Yuqing asked me, “Then can you tell me? What did you see from this box?”

I didn’t react at first. My eyes drifted for half a second, and in that half second dozens of the things I had thought about before flashed through my mind. Because my grandfather felt I wasn’t careful enough, I had gone through periodic observation training since childhood. Now, even if I were still clumsy and careless, I could see some details ordinary people couldn’t.

But I absolutely couldn’t spill everything I was thinking all at once.

So I tilted my head and looked at the jade box. After hemming and hawing for a long time, I said, “It’s jade. Not too big. The patterns are very delicate. I can vaguely see something inside, feels like paper or something. Or maybe not paper, maybe some other kind of thing.”

After making that nonsense up, I looked at Tian Yuqing with an expectant expression. Seeing him put the jade box back into the wooden case, I heard him sigh. “Besides a good face, you really didn’t inherit any of the other talents of Old Master Ruikui. Seems your grandfather was right not to let you enter this line of work.”

Talent? I had inherited plenty of my grandfather’s talents. I felt secretly pleased that I had managed to fool such an old hand, and my sense of accomplishment doubled. But I also caught the implication hidden in his words.

The right time? What exactly counted as the right time?

Tian Yuqing said, “Go back and rest. Tan Qiu said this box was taken out by you, which proves that you won’t be able to spend this New Year the same way as before. So cherish the ordinary life you have now.”