Chapter Eighty-Six: Seniority and Forms of Address

When I rushed out at dawn, Little Chan had already returned to her room and was rustling about, packing her things, while Juan’er and Xing’er were up helping her.

In recent days, the route of my morning exercise ended at the small house where Nie Yunzhu lived. There, in accordance with the breathing rhythm and training method taught to me by Lu Hongti, I would stop, and I hardly worked up a sweat. When I arrived, Nie Yunzhu was already waiting in front of the little building, the dim yellow glow of lamplight spilling from the window behind her.

“...Little Chan’s father has passed away, so these next few days I’ll probably go back with her and keep her company. After the seventh day after death is over and he’s been buried, I can come back. I probably won’t be running over here these few days.”

“I-I’m not waiting here for you...” The words escaped Nie Yunzhu before she could stop them, and then she grew slightly embarrassed and lowered her head. “Well... I was also waiting for you, Brother Li Heng, to come and talk, but sitting here drinking tea and waiting for dawn is quite interesting too. I’m used to it by now.” She smiled faintly, then paused. “Still, if you go out of the city at a time like this, and in a few days the refugees come in large numbers, what if the gates are sealed?”

“They shouldn’t come that quickly. The flooding in the nearby counties and prefectures still isn’t too severe, and farther out, toward Jiangzhou and beyond, it would still take some time for them to come this way. If the city gates really are shut, it’ll probably have to wait until half a month later or the end of the seventh month. As for me and Little Chan, even including today, we’ll only need five days to come back. Even in the worst case, soldiers will first escort people out each day to hand out porridge and meals. With the Su family’s connections, we can just come back in with them, no problem.”

Yunzhu nodded. “But after all, they’re refugees. I’m afraid some people may cause trouble, or snatch money and things on the road. You still have to be careful.”

Hearing that, Ning Yi laughed heartily. “No worries, no worries. I’m a peerless martial expert now, known throughout the jianghu as the Blood-Hand Butcher. You’ll understand that soon enough. Besides, the Guardian Geng and the others are coming along too, with their golden-hilted broadswords. There shouldn’t be any real problem.”

He swung his left hand about in the air, still wrapped in bandages and looking rather dashing; one end of the cloth fluttered up. Nie Yunzhu, standing beside him, casually caught it. She paused, blinked, then wordlessly took Ning Yi’s left hand and helped him rewrap the bandage before letting go. After that she turned and sat a little farther away. It all seemed natural, as though she had done it smoothly and without thinking, but in truth her face was already burning and her heart was pounding wildly. Fortunately the light was dim, and Ning Yi probably could not see much. He only heard her soft mutter: “And you still say that...” There was still a trace of complaint in her tone about the injury to his left hand.

Ning Yi smiled, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. After a while he asked, “Yunzhu... what was your family like before?”

“Hm?” Nie Yunzhu stared at him with wide eyes.

“Heh, I know it’s a little abrupt, but... I’d like to understand.”

Her face reddened again. In the past, she would never have wanted to speak of such things in front of others. But now that Li Heng had said he wanted to understand, the matter seemed a little more complicated. She thought for a moment.

“My family’s ancestral home was originally in Xuanzhou. We were an official family, and Father was very fond of me. When I was little, he hired people to teach me poetry and songs... Back then, people used to call me a talented young lady. But when I was ten, Father ran into trouble... and I was sent into the Bureau of Instruction, and then... what exactly does Li Heng want to know...?”

Though her feelings were complicated, and though she did not mind being frank with Li Heng, once the words reached her lips, only a few simple sentences came out. She asked Ning Yi what exactly he wanted to know. After thinking for a moment, Ning Yi said softly, “In your family... is there anyone still living whom you might be able to find now?”

Nie Yunzhu shook her head. “I can’t find anyone... I heard Father and Mother both died on the road to exile. There was an auntie who, I heard, remarried, and perhaps there were other relatives... Actually, these past few years I could have gone back to Xuanzhou to look, but... but Father and Mother are already dead, anyway...”

By the end her voice had grown so low it was nearly teary. After waiting until she had calmed a little, Ning Yi said, “Earlier... that old man who pushes his little cart and sets up the chess stall every day, the one you still go see now—Yunzhu, you must know him. The other one is the imperial son-in-law, named Kang Xian. You once sent him preserved eggs, and during the Dragon Boat Festival you even helped act as a decoy for him.”

Yunzhu sniffed, the tip of her nose red, but she smiled softly and nodded. “Yes, I still greet them when I see them now. Old Master Qin is very kind, and the imperial son-in-law has come to the shop several times to drink porridge and eat.”

“Old Master Qin comes from a family of scholars and is a good, refined man. I’ve been thinking lately: if he were willing to take you as his adopted daughter, Yunzhu, what would you think?”

“I... me?” Nie Yunzhu froze, eyes widening. After a moment she became a little flustered. “That... how could that be...”

“If I say it can, then it can.”

“But... of course that’s easy for you to say, Li Heng.” Nie Yunzhu grew anxious, frowning. “I-I was after all at Golden Wind Tower before... If you say such things, aren’t you putting people in a difficult position...”

Ning Yi smiled. “They have the same idea.”

“How, how could that be...”

“Heh, a few days ago everyone was chatting together, and the topic just happened to turn to you. I told those two old gentlemen how you learned to kill chickens and learned to sell pancakes, and then... it led to this. Imperial Son-in-Law Kang also said he wanted to take you as his adopted daughter. But honestly, getting a princess title is rather troublesome, so Old Master Qin is simpler. His temperament is good too. He has two sons, one in civil service and one in the military, both serving as officials away from home. With two more elder brothers, no one will ever dare bully you again.”

Nie Yunzhu sat there looking at him. After listening to all of this, she lowered her head so that her expression could not be seen. “Li Heng... why does Li Heng go to such lengths for me...”

“Tch, they were the ones who brought it up on their own while we were talking. What does that have to do with me?” Ning Yi spread his hands, then smiled. “But in truth, they simply like your temperament and character. I, on the other hand, am a little more practical. Old Master Qin used to be a high official, and though he was implicated in some trouble and dismissed, he still sits there playing chess every day. His connections are broad, and as for his influence... perhaps not many people in Jiangning know it, but it is by no means weak. You’d have two more elder brothers, and if you ever wanted to do business and sell preserved eggs or whatever, no one would dare make trouble for you. Since we’re friends, I can enjoy a little of the benefit too. To be honest... I’d like them to take me as an adopted son, too. In this world, no matter how well you do at anything, it’s never as good as having a powerful father. But after all the chess we’ve played together, that’s not very likely. I’ve missed that chance...”

Nie Yunzhu burst out laughing on the other side. Once she started, she seemed unable to stop; she tilted her head back, then lowered it again. To be honest, the sight of her trying not to laugh was beautiful. After bowing her head, she rested her hands on her knees and pressed her forehead against her arms as she sat there laughing, but as she laughed, something became strange. Ning Yi waited a moment, then saw her sitting there with her forehead on her arms, crying. The lamplight from behind illuminated the faint side of her face, dotted with tears.

Ning Yi let out a breath. After she had cried for a while, he finally said, “Hey, that reaction isn’t very good.”

“I... I... with my status... I’ll be causing trouble for the old gentleman...”

“No trouble. For other people, if they were the sort who schemed desperately in officialdom, maybe there’d be trouble. But for him, and for you, there isn’t. I say there isn’t, so there isn’t.” Even if someone really did gossip, Ning Yi could make up stories and spin things around, using all sorts of publicity tricks to guide the reputation in the direction he wanted.

“Since I’m going out of the city these next few days, think it over. Don’t feel as if you’re climbing too high or anything. Once you acknowledge him as your adopted father, you’ll be family. From then on, he’ll treat you like a daughter, and you’ll have to serve him like a father as well. When he grows old or falls ill, you’ll have to look after him often. Old Master Qin has a good temperament and is a kind man, which is why you choose him as your adopted father. If he weren’t, you wouldn’t need to pay him any mind at all. It’s not that... having a powerful adopted father is for proving anything to others. It’s just... from now on, you’ll have a home.”

Nie Yunzhu sat there sobbing softly, unable to stop. Ning Yi raised one hand, intending to pat her back, then thought better of it and withdrew it, sitting there and waiting for her to let her emotions spill out completely. Before long, dawn began to break. Only then did Nie Yunzhu wipe her eyes and sit up, revealing a smile. Her tears were not from sorrow, so the smile was natural enough; only her eyelids had turned red.

Not long after, Ning Yi prepared to head home. After they had said their goodbyes and taken only a few steps apart, Nie Yunzhu called after him from behind. “Um... um... I thought of something...”

“Hm?” Ning Yi turned back. The woman there, with red-rimmed eyes, smiled a little shyly.

“Um... Li Heng and Old Master Qin, and Imperial Son-in-Law Kang... you’re all on equal footing when addressing each other, right...”

“Yes. When we play chess and chat, we don’t really worry about seniority.”

“Then... if I really acknowledge Old Master Qin as my adopted father, wouldn’t I have to call you Uncle Li Heng?” She tilted her head slightly, thinking of it with a mischievous air. “If the three of you were chatting together, and I came over to pay my respects, would I have to say: ‘Greetings, adoptive father; greetings, Uncle Kang; greetings, Uncle Li Heng’—and then wouldn’t you have to answer, ‘Be good, Niece Yunzhu’? But I’m older than you...”

She held back her laughter, her face full of troubled contemplation. Ning Yi opened his mouth slightly and stood stunned for a long while. Then the corners of his mouth twitched a few times, and he pointed at her helplessly. “You’re asking for trouble.” Then he turned and walked on.

Behind him, laughter burst out with a soft pop. In the morning light it rang like silver bells, bright and delighted. Though he did not look back, he could faintly “see” in his mind Nie Yunzhu covering her mouth, playful and pleased. Ning Yi smiled and continued forward.

“Be careful these next few days. Don’t get injured again.”

The shout came from behind. Ning Yi raised his right hand and waved it back. “Got it.”

For two families to become one was no small matter. After settling Nie Yunzhu’s affairs and giving her a few days to think it over, the next task was accompanying Little Chan out of the city for the funeral.

By the time he returned to the Su residence, everything that needed preparing had already been prepared. A carriage had been loaded with many things, and accompanying them was Guardian Geng, who carried a large broadsword and was well accustomed to the jianghu. The driver was named Dongzhu, a young man who had entered the household last year. Little Chan wore a plain white dress, and black ribbons had also been prepared for her. She looked every bit the pitiful little maid; she had probably only cried last night, and she likely had not slept well all night, leaving her with slightly tired dark circles under her eyes. Ning Yi patted her head, and she sniffled before smiling at him.

“Sir, I’m fine.”

When the four of them were gathered, they bade farewell to Su Tan’er. After a general round of instructions about what to do if the city gates were closed, and reminders for Ning Yi to take good care of Little Chan, the carriage left the Su residence, left Jiangning, and headed toward Little Chan’s hometown, a small mountain village called Nanzhen Village...

So, if you think the Banana Great Demon King is very lovable, and you still have a monthly vote in hand, please cast it here.

I won’t announce what time the next chapter will be posted at dawn anymore. Last night I added a chapter to over four thousand words, and it still didn’t go up until past four o’clock. I can’t judge the timing well myself, and inaccurate timing hurts my reputation, so everyone should just wait and read it after getting up in the morning. I’ll set it to post at eight o’clock.