Chapter 4: Those Who Don’t Matter

The street was bustling with people. Su Tan'er walked with Juan'er and Xing'er, while Ning Yi was accompanied by Chan'er, and Xue Jin by two of his servants. They were all engaged in polite conversation.

The Jiangning region was economically prosperous, with a thriving textile industry. The three largest cloth shops in the area were the Su family's shop, Xue family's Dachuan Cloth Shop, and Wushi Cloth Shop, the leader of the guild. Xue Jin had come today to discuss a business deal in Huainan(Huainan: Refers to the region south of the Huai River, historically important for its agricultural production and strategic location in ancient China.) with Su Tan'er. However, since Su Tan'er only managed a small part of the family business at this time, most of the out-of-town affairs were still handled by her second and third uncles. Su Tan'er directed Xue Jin to speak with her second uncle, Su Zhongkan. Xue Jin, on the other hand, insisted that having someone familiar present would make the discussions smoother. He suggested that when the banquet to discuss the business deal with Su Zhongkan was held in a few days, it would be helpful if Su Tan'er could attend as well. His intentions were clear.

Everyone knew that Xue Jin had long been interested in Su Tan'er. Years ago, the Xue family had even proposed marriage to the Su family. However, Su Lao Taigong didn't like Xue Jin, and since the Su family was short of capable successors, they decided against marrying Su Tan'er off. Additionally, the two families were business competitors. The proposal didn't go through, and on the day of Su Tan'er's wedding, when she ran away, Xue Jin seized the opportunity amid the chaos to knock Ning Yi out with a brick and escape. Lacking solid evidence, the matter was complicated and eventually unresolved.

Now, after so much time had passed and with Su Tan'er's elopement still fresh in everyone's minds, Xue Jin was once again seeking her out, still unwilling to give up. Even though Su Tan'er was now married, making it impossible for her to marry into the Xue family, Xue Jin was drawn to her beauty, intelligence, and capability. A man like him, who prided himself on his talents, found pleasure in the thought of conquering such a woman. But seeing Ning Yi—whom he had once knocked unconscious—walking home alongside Su Tan'er, he couldn't resist making an introduction, intending to make Ning Yi feel uncomfortable.

Su Tan'er knew exactly what Xue Jin was thinking, which was why she had come outside. Her feelings for Ning Yi were simple—she didn't dislike him, and since he was now her husband, there was nothing she could do about it. In her mind, they were now tied together. She didn't think much of Xue Jin, seeing him as no different from the other wastrel sons of prominent families. She found them all detestable, but personal feelings aside, with the Xue family as a business rival, she had to set aside her personal distaste and focus on business matters.

When Xing'er had come to inform her, Su Tan'er rushed out, fearing that Ning Yi, being a scholar, might be easily provoked into a confrontation with Xue Jin. If a conflict broke out, it would inevitably involve both the Su and Xue families, and she wasn't willing to jeopardize her family's interests just to defend her husband's honor. At the same time, she couldn't do nothing—if she didn't intervene, she would seem heartless, and if a fight broke out, it would be hard to defuse the situation. Although she and Ning Yi had been getting along well over the past few months, men tended to be sensitive about such matters, and she worried that if she asked him to back down, he might think she was siding with Xue Jin, leading to resentment. She wanted things to go smoothly. Even though Ning Yi had married into the family, she hoped to avoid domestic strife. This was all giving her a headache.

But when she arrived, she was surprised to find Ning Yi calmly discussing his memory loss with Xue Jin, as if he had no recollection of the man's name at all. Could it be that no one had ever mentioned Xue Jin to him over the past few months? Puzzled, Su Tan'er changed the subject, and before long, they bid Xue Jin farewell and climbed into the carriage with Ning Yi and the maids.

"By the way, the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival at the Qinhuai River and the poetry gathering at Puyuan are coming up. (The Puyuan in ancient China was a royal garden from the Northern Song Dynasty, located in the capital city of Kaifeng at the time. Originally built during the Five Dynasties period as an imperial garden, it was later expanded by Emperor Taizong of Song into a larger estate. Puyuan featured lakes, pavilions, terraces, and abundant flowers and trees, offering a picturesque environment. It served as a place of leisure and relaxation for the royal family.) I've heard that Brother Ning is well-versed in literature. Will you and Sister Tan'er be attending together?" Xue Jin called out with a smile as they were leaving. It was already early August, and with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, the Qinhuai River would be filled with festivities. The Puyuan Poetry Gathering, in particular, was quite famous. In any era, people tended to seek out cultured activities once their basic needs were met. Though it was called a poetry gathering, it featured various performances. Su Tan'er had attended many times in previous years, but now, she simply lowered the carriage curtain and replied, "We'll see."

"We'll see..." Xue Jin muttered under his breath, grinding his teeth in frustration. He turned to his servants with a confused look. "What do you think? Is that Ning fellow really faking his memory loss, or is it real? Surely no one could fake it this well..." He was bewildered.

His plan had been to subtly remind Ning Yi of the time he'd been attacked, to make him feel powerless. He had even said, "Recently, there's been a rumor that I attacked you on your wedding day. Surely, Brother Ning wouldn't believe such nonsense?" He had fully expected Ning Yi to get angry, but instead, Ning Yi had responded calmly and sincerely, with no hint of pretense. It felt like his punch had landed on air, leaving him confused and unsatisfied.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Su Tan'er was also gazing at Ning Yi with curiosity. The three maids were chattering away about how rude and awful Young Master Xue was. Though none of their comments directly involved Su Tan'er, their words were clearly meant to emphasize one thing: "Our mistress has nothing to do with that man." Ning Yi occasionally smiled and chimed in with a comment, finding the maids' behavior charming. In modern society, girls their age would be far more unruly.

After a moment, Su Tan'er spoke up, "Husband... have you truly forgotten about Xue Jin?"

Ning Yi nodded. "I really don't remember."

"But... surely you've heard about it?"

Su Tan'er looked at him with doubt. He glanced back at her, and their eyes met for a moment. "Hmm... does my dear wife wish that I had beaten him up?"

Su Tan'er blinked a few times, then gradually broke into a bright smile. Unlike the polite smiles she had given before, this one was filled with genuine relief. It seemed her husband did understand how to navigate social situations. Yet, as she thought about it, she also felt a slight twinge of disappointment. She didn't want a pure bookworm, nor did she want someone overly scheming. But their relationship was still new, and she couldn't quite see him clearly yet.

As the carriage crossed a small bridge near the entrance to the Su family estate, Su Tan'er glanced outside. "So... would you like to attend the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering at Puyuan, husband?"

"I'm not very good at poetry."

"You don't have to be. It's just to enjoy the performances and lanterns."

After Su Tan'er finished speaking, Juan'er nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes! Master, there are so many performances!"

Xing'er chimed in, "The lanterns are beautiful, and there will be fireworks too."

"And Lady Qilan might perform..." Juan'er added excitedly.

"And singing..." The three maids chattered on about the lantern festival, clearly excited. In an era with limited entertainment, such events were highly anticipated. Ning Yi smiled and nodded. "Well, if it's possible, let's all go and enjoy it together."

With the Mid-Autumn Festival still over ten days away, a few days later, Su Zhongkan came to inform Ning Yi that he should report to the Yushan Academy, not far from the Su family estate, to begin his new life as a leisurely teacher.