In the back alley of Tingfeng Hall, the lanterns were sparse and lonely.
The sound of galloping hooves had only just faded into the distance, leaving only the silhouette of Xu Qiuchi in the night. Hearing movement behind him, he turned his head and raised an eyebrow, showing no surprise at seeing Qin Jiuye.
"You're a step too late. My brother has already ridden off."
Qin Jiuye had indeed come out to see Qiu Ling off, but having it pointed out so bluntly made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Driven by a spark of spite, she deliberately looked around before asking, "Where is Miss Jiang? Why isn't she following you?"
Xu Qiuchi’s expression stiffened for a moment, but he quickly recovered his composure, waving his fan nonchalantly. "I simply granted her a few days of leave."
Qin Jiuye arched an eyebrow, her suspicions growing more certain.
In truth, even before the feast had begun, she had noticed that the exceptionally loyal Miss Jiang was nowhere to be found—a rare occurrence. Xu Qiuchi and his ill-tempered swordsman were usually inseparable. Thus, Qin Jiuye deduced that something must have happened between them. Every family had its own skeletons, and she hadn't intended to meddle, but since he had been the first to smugly mention his brother, she felt a hint of provocation. She decided to return the favor by bringing up this matter.
"Miss Jiang’s martial arts are superb. Just how much money does she owe you to work so tirelessly for your sake?"
Xu Qiuchi gave a light scoff, continuing to flutter his fan. "A stingy shopkeeper like you, who only has eyes for money, naturally wouldn't understand the bond between us."
In her presence, Xu Qiuchi’s air of a wealthy young master was becoming less pronounced, though his gestures still carried a certain arrogance—perhaps something born in his bones, or perhaps an indelible mark left by his daily life as a scion of wealth.
Qin Jiuye stared at Xu Qiuchi’s face for a long while before saying slowly, "It’s you who relies on her and clings to her. Stop using that rubbish about 'master and servant' as a smokescreen."
Having said her piece, she didn't bother to look at the dandy again. She turned back into the courtyard and slammed the gate shut with a loud *thud*, leaving Xu Qiuchi standing there in stunned silence.
Earlier today, before he went to the winery to buy wine, the green-clad manager had advised him: Ordinary people were not like him, accustomed to lingering at banquets and possessing a bottomless tolerance for alcohol. Therefore, he shouldn't buy the fragrant and pungent *Cloud-Leaf Fresh*. The *Seven-Fold Libation* had recently become expensive and hard to find, making it easy to end up with a watered-down batch. If serving crab, he should choose *Roasted Peach Mead* for its sweet aftertaste and ability to cut the fishiness. If he intended to simmer green plums in the wine, he should choose the eight-year-aged *Dalu Brew*; the jars didn't need ornate carvings to be authentic.
In the past, Jiang Xin’er had handled all these matters. He naturally knew nothing of the intricacies. After hearing the explanation, he had sighed in realization, only to have the manager catch him off guard.
"I heard Auntie Huaiyu mention it, and I thought the Second Young Master didn't care for Xin’er at all. Now that it’s time to drink, it seems you’ve finally remembered her."
There was a hint of irony in those words. However, Liu Caiwu’s private conversations always seemed to carry a hidden blade, so Xu Qiuchi hadn't taken it to heart at first. He had only sighed and said, "She comes from the martial world; she always needs time to herself to clear her head. Manager Liu, rest assured. She has been alone since she left the manor. After all these years, how could I abandon her over such trivial matters?"
"The one who feels lonely has never been Miss Jiang." Liu Caiwu’s red lips parted, her words crisp as jade striking jade. "She is the one who has accompanied you for so many years. How did it become you accompanying her?"
Xu Qiuchi was stunned again. His usually composed face showed a rare trace of helplessness, as if he hadn't expected her to describe him that way—or perhaps as if he had already reached that conclusion in his heart, and being suddenly exposed left him unprepared.
He paused for a long time before finally speaking slowly. "I didn't know Sister Liu was such a jokester."
The usually dignified woman in green immediately pulled a long face upon hearing this.
If one hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would never believe that such a beauty could look so cold and grim. Perhaps this was her true self.
"I never joke with anyone. Have you forgotten, Second Young Master?"
After saying this, Liu Caiwu didn't even offer a bow before turning and leaving. She left him to go to the winery alone, where the five jars of Dalu Brew had strained his fingers until they throbbed with pain.
Standing in the night, Xu Qiuchi stared at his solitary shadow on the ground. He raised his hand to look at the fading marks on his fingers. After a long moment, he folded his fan and murmured to himself, "Am I truly that pathetic? Why does everyone say the same thing?"
It was quiet inside the courtyard. Qin Jiuye had clearly walked away and could not hear his self-reflection.
The young master stood for a while. The night wind felt cold against his alcohol-flushed skin. He turned to leave, but looking left and right, he couldn't see the carriage he had arrived in. He had no choice but to walk toward the mouth of the alley.
A few drunken wanderers were singing off-key shanties at the alley entrance, staggering around for a while before departing. Xu Qiuchi observed them carefully from the shadows. Once the noise faded, he resumed his pace.
As he walked, he suddenly began to understand the feeling he was experiencing.
That feeling was called: a sense of loss.
In the past, no matter where he went, how long he stayed, or what he did, Jiang Xin’er would follow him and wait for him. Whenever he needed her, she would appear instantly. Sometimes, before he even spoke, she had already anticipated his needs.
Over time, he had grown accustomed to it all. Now, having been apart for only a few days, he felt a sense of melancholy. This emotion was likely written all over his face, so much so that even the stingy shopkeeper, who usually only cared about silver, could see it and mock him.
Xu Qiuchi gave a self-deprecating laugh. He looked up to find he had reached the alley entrance. The servant dozing by the carriage jerked awake and began apologizing profusely.
"Forgive me, Second Young Master! I... I saw there was no movement in the courtyard and thought it wouldn't end for a while, so I drove the carriage to the alley entrance to block the wind..."
Xu Qiuchi waved him off, lifted his robes, and climbed into the carriage. Just as he entered the cabin, he poked his head back out.
"We’re not going back to the manor yet."
The servant was bewildered. "It’s so late. If the Second Young Master isn't going home, where are we going?"
"Liuli Mound, six miles south of the city." Xu Qiuchi spat out the name quickly, his tone becoming light. "Drive faster. We’re going to bring someone home."
****** ****** ******
After seeing off the dandy, Qin Jiuye walked back into Tingfeng Hall.
In less than fifteen minutes, the courtyard had transformed from a clamor of voices to absolute silence.
Old Qin had always been at odds with Tang Shenyan. Shortly after the Qiu brothers left, he had slipped out the side door to return to his dilapidated sampan, refusing to stay the night. Tang Shenyan had already finished clearing the "battlefield" and retreated to his room. The leftover food and the two jars of Dalu Brew had been shoved into the small kitchen. Not even an empty snail shell remained in the courtyard. Only the *Flower Ruins Collection* in Jinbao’s hand lay spread open on the stone table. Du Laogou and Li Qiao were nowhere to be seen.
The woodpile in front of the kitchen was newly stacked—neat, square, and about waist-high. Despite all the dishes Lu Zican had cooked, he had only used one corner of it.
The youth who usually chopped the wood was also missing, leaving only the rusted hatchet leaning against the wall.
Qin Jiuye stared at the blade, feeling an inexplicable sense of relief.
Ever since they returned from the docks, she seemed somewhat wary of being alone with him.
This wariness was different from the feeling she had after he attacked her. She couldn't quite put her finger on the difference. It wasn't the person she was wary of, but rather a certain undercurrent of emotion between them.
Qin Sanyou’s words suddenly echoed in her ears.
*The lad showed his face in the evening and then vanished. Staying out all night—maybe he’s off to see a girl.*
Speaking of which, Li Qiao hadn't stayed at Guoran Residence last night, nor had he returned to Tingfeng Hall. Where had he spent the night? Was it truly as Qin Sanyou suggested—was he seeing a girl? Or had he remembered some secret of his own, transforming into a stranger she didn't know in the dead of night to return to the martial world where he belonged...
Back when she was apprenticing at Quexing Mountain, Qin Jiuye would sometimes rescue wild foxes that were injured while overwintering to practice her skills. Before their wounds healed, they were almost inseparable from her, staying obediently by her side from sunrise to sunset, almost like dogs. But once they healed, they would follow the call of the wild in their blood. At first, they would go out during the day and return at night; then they would return once every two or three days; and finally, they would vanish entirely.
Now, she had reason to believe that humans and foxes were much the same. When the time comes, they must leave.
The three-month deadline was approaching. Perhaps he was already impatient to go.
Just like this feast that had started well but ended abruptly, the time for the music to stop and the guests to disperse had come without warning.
They say the moment a banquet ends is the most desolate. In the past, she had never experienced such liveliness, so she hadn't felt it. Now that she had truly gone through it once, she finally understood.
Qin Jiuye stood there for a while until the crescent moon above hung at a tilt. Only then did she slowly walk forward, pick up the *Flower Ruins Collection* from the stone table, and head toward the back courtyard.
Just as she rounded the banana trees in the lightwell, a faint sound reached her ears, and she froze.
Her gaze slowly drifted downward, landing on a familiar back of a head in the grass.
Situ Jinbao was clutching a moss-covered stone and whimpering. It was unclear if he was suffering from too much wine or if he simply didn't want to go to bed.
She gave his backside a kick and spoke bluntly. "It’s one thing not to follow the Old Man, but if you sleep in the courtyard and catch a chill, your mouth will go crooked. That’s exactly how Old Zhu, the cattle herder in the next village, got his crooked mouth."
The figure on the ground squirmed and turned around, revealing half a face smeared with snot.
"Could you... could you stay and talk to me?"
Staring at that face, Qin Jiuye felt ten thousand layers of reluctance. But she remembered when she had first established Guoran Residence and had many worries; she could only confide in this useless fellow. Now that he had come to her in tears, she couldn't be "ungrateful."
Besides, as a shopkeeper, she was not only responsible for everyone’s rations but also for monitoring the mental state of her workers. If a person was in a bad mood, they couldn't work well.
With a sigh, Qin Jiuye reluctantly found a stone brick near the slab to sit on, adopting a listening posture.
"Fine, what is it?"
Situ Jinbao was silent for a moment before speaking miserably. "Tell me, the surname Situ sounds so dignified and grand. Why did my father give me such a vulgar name as 'Jinbao'?"
Despite being prepared, Qin Jiuye couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Because your father is a vulgar man."
More than just vulgar. Abandoning his wife and son, cold-blooded and heartless—that old scoundrel Situ was a total bastard.
Qin Jiuye scoffed, but Jinbao couldn't read the room. He remained immersed in his own grievances.
"I heard that my brothers' names are not like this..."
"Why bring them up out of the blue?" Qin Jiuye said irritably, offering a casual comfort. "What’s wrong with 'Jinbao'? 'Golden Treasure'—it sounds so wealthy and auspicious."
"You think everyone is like you, only liking gold and silver! It’s bad, it just is!"
The alcohol had gone to Jinbao’s head; he actually dared to shout at his ruthless, stingy shopkeeper.
Fortunately, Qin Jiuye never took drunken words to heart. Looking at that large, snot-covered face, she found it strangely amusing. The stifling frustration from the feast dissipated slightly. She dug at her ear.
"It’s just a name. There’s no such thing as good or bad, noble or lowly."
"How can there not be? If there wasn't, why does Xue Si from Yuxiang Village snicker every time my name is mentioned? Even those little brats in their village laugh at me."
*Xue Si snickers at your name? He’s not laughing at your name. He’s laughing at your poverty, your lack of ambition, and the fact that you’re a country bumpkin from Dingweng Village whose life can be seen through in a single glance.*
Qin Jiuye took a deep breath, swallowed those words, and shamelessly shifted the blame. "Xue Si was kicked by a donkey when he was a kid. He’s not right in the head."
Jinbao blinked, seemingly considering the credibility of this statement. But his mind was currently a muddle of paste; he clearly couldn't figure it out.
Seeing this, Qin Jiuye patted her rear and prepared to leave.
"Are you done? If you’re done, go back to sleep. I won't hold tonight against you. Just get back to Guoran Residence tomorrow morning and work hard."
"Don't go! There’s... there’s one more thing..."
Qin Jiuye’s leg was grabbed, forcing her to turn back.
Jinbao sniffled and composed himself for a moment before speaking with great gravity. "While you were away these past few days, something big happened in the village."
With no one presiding over Guoran Residence, Qin Jiuye’s heart naturally skipped a beat upon hearing this. But knowing Jinbao, she only panicked for a moment before calming down and asking slowly, "Is that so? What big thing?"
Jinbao’s dry eyes began to redden again.
"Second Miss Fang came to me crying yesterday. She asked if Young Master Li was no longer working at Guoran Residence because he was intentionally avoiding her. She summoned all her courage to ask me, and I couldn't tell her the truth. I had to go against my conscience and lie to her, saying that the pretty boy Li had just gone to the city for an assignment and might be back in a few days. She actually looked happy when she heard that..."
Jinbao’s voice choked up more and more until he could hardly continue.
His indecisive, muddled personality truly didn't take after Auntie Yang at all. Looking at that face that was like "rotten mud that couldn't support a wall," Qin Jiuye instantly regretted sitting down.
She took a deep breath, attempting one last time to knock some sense into his stubborn head.
"What does this have to do with Li Qiao? I told you long ago, Second Miss Fang doesn't think much of you at all. You’re the one who keeps forcing yourself on her. Even if there wasn't a Li today, there would be a Zhang or a Wang tomorrow. I don't know if she likes others, but I know for sure she doesn't like you."
Jinbao’s snot-and-tear-stained face froze. He stared blankly for a full minute before suddenly wailing like a pig that had its tail stepped on.
"Why... why doesn't she like me?! I’m so good to her! She said she likes purple flowers, so every time I go to the city, I pick them for her. She said she likes mountain fruits, so I saved the sweet hawthorns and crabapples I couldn't bear to eat and gave them all to her. She said she wanted to see that pretty boy Li, so I turned around and begged him for her. But why... why does she like so many things, but she can't like me?!"
Qin Jiuye’s head throbbed from the noise. She had her own accumulated frustrations, so she finally poured out all the harsh words she had been holding back.
"She doesn't like you because she doesn't like you! Because you’re not good-looking, you’re not wealthy enough, and your personality isn't likable! You spend all day pulling a long face over a few copper coins, living without a shred of dignity! Who would like you? Aside from your own parents, who would like you?!"
She seemed to be shouting at Situ Jinbao, but as she went on, it felt like she was shouting at herself.
The tears Situ Jinbao had been holding back finally came crashing down.
"But... but my own father doesn't like me either..."
His father truly didn't like him. But his mother had been willing to move out of the Situ household for his sake, working hard alone to support the entire family until her life was spent. He at least had a mother. What more could he possibly want...
But Qin Jiuye ultimately didn't say those questioning words.
A person shouldn't be criticized for craving more love. Didn't she have the Old Man and Guoran Residence? Yet she still envied those children born in Jiugao City who had their own brick houses and complete families, just as Situ Jinbao would always envy the dim-witted son of the wealthy sheep farmer at the edge of the village.
Jinbao was no "treasure." Like her, he was just a blade of grass.
A little blade of grass dependent on the heavens, with no one to protect it.
After a long time, she finally raised her hand and patted the head buried in sorrowful weeping.
"I’m sorry. I was wrong. I shouldn't have said that to you." Qin Jiuye paused, her voice carrying a deep sense of helplessness when she spoke again. "Regardless, you still have parents. I don't even have that. But it’s not our fault. There’s no rhyme or reason to liking someone, and no rhyme or reason to not liking someone. If no one likes us, then so be it. We’ll just like ourselves."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 云叶鲜 | Cloud-Leaf Fresh | A type of fragrant and pungent wine. |
| 七合鬯 | Seven-Fold Libation | An expensive and rare type of wine. |
| 烧桃醴 | Roasted Peach Mead | A sweet wine used to pair with crab. |
| 大庐酿 | Dalu Brew | A type of wine, specifically the eight-year-aged variety mentioned. |
| 花墟集 | Flower Ruins Collection | A book or anthology mentioned in the chapter. |
| 六里坉 | Liuli Mound | A location six miles south of the city. |
| 薛四 | Xue Si | A character from Yuxiang Village. |
| 榆香村 | Yuxiang Village | A neighboring village. |
