The old door panel was ajar, a crack corroded down its middle through which one could glimpse a small, dirty courtyard. Ji Shenyu carefully pushed the door open, and upon entering the yard, he smelled a sour medicinal scent.

He peeked inside the house, but the windows were covered in a thick layer of grime, probably uncleaned for several years. The door to the house was shut tight, the spring couplets flanking it tattered and torn, likely put up many years ago.

"Grandpa?" he called out.

"Aye!" Liang Hecheng answered from inside. His voice was loud but not full-bodied; instead, it sounded like he had roared with all his might, leaving him so tired his footsteps were unsteady. The house door opened, and Liang Hecheng stood in the middle. It had only been a brief shower, yet he was already wearing a thin, cotton-padded jacket.

Ji Shenyu hesitated, "I... I came to see you."

Liang Hecheng said, "I've been waiting for you." Just as he'd said on the day he left the hospital, 'I've been waiting for you'.

Ji Shenyu asked, "If I hadn't come, wouldn't you have waited for nothing?"

Liang Hecheng's reply was off-topic: "Not coming would have meant our fate isn't strong enough. Since you came, it means we two are fated to be."

Seeing that it was about to rain again, Ji Shenyu followed the man into the house, only to find there was nowhere to step. A leather sofa, a carved standing cabinet, and a floor covered with antiques and curios. He felt dizzy, retreating to lean against the door panel, his eyes not knowing whether to land on the white porcelain or the celadon.

Liang Hecheng was all smiles, looking thoroughly benevolent. "It's just these two rooms. Care to take a tour?"

Ji Shenyu's legs felt as if they were filled with lead; he agonized for half a minute before taking a single step, terrified of knocking something over. When he finally made it to the doorway of the inner room, he gently lifted the curtain and immediately sucked in a breath of the sour air.

On a large table, a pair of Alum Red Cloud Dragon Cups, made in the Xianfeng era, were holding water; half a piece of baked flatbread rested in a Blue-and-white Eight Immortals Bowl, made in the Guangxu era; there was also a Yue Kiln Plain Lidded Box and a White Glaze Lotus Leaf Brush Washer—each piece was remarkable.

Looking down again, he saw the floor, the windowsill, and every visible corner piled high with antiques and artifacts, a dense collection of vibrant colors and diverse forms. The sour smell came from the bedside cabinet. Ji Shenyu moved closer for a sniff and, in the jar, recognized a familiar scent.

Liang Hecheng sat down on the edge of the bed. "How did it go with that Hundred Longevity Vase?"

Ji Shenyu's head snapped up, finally remembering his purpose for coming. "Grandpa, I'm here about the Hundred Longevity Vase." He stepped back and stood properly, as if giving a full report. "The Hundred Longevity Vase sold... for one hundred thousand."

He had expected Liang Hecheng to be shocked or regretful, but to his surprise, the man was as steady as Mount Tai and even nodded in satisfaction.

Ji Shenyu continued, "Actually, that Hundred Longevity Vase is a fake. Did you know?"

Liang Hecheng was taken aback. Ji Shenyu assumed the man had indeed been kept in the dark, but unexpectedly, Liang Hecheng burst out laughing. Clutching his chest, he said, "I didn't expect its authenticity could be determined. I reckon even Blind Zhang might not have been able to see through it."

Just as Ji Shenyu was about to ask who Blind Zhang was, Liang Hecheng suddenly asked, "And the Celadon Vase you made?"

Ji Shenyu took off his schoolbag and brought out the Celadon Vase. He wasn't sure what he had been thinking when he came, to have actually brought the vase with him. Liang Hecheng took it and turned it around for a look, but made no comment.

The room instantly fell silent, with only the sound of rain pattering outside.

Six-Fingers suddenly gripped the mouth of the vase, raised it high, and smashed it to the ground. The Celadon Vase shattered into flying pieces, the crisp sound piercing the ears.

Ji Shenyu stared at the porcelain shards scattered across the floor, too horrified to speak.

Then Liang Hecheng spoke: "The Sacrificial Blue Glaze Elephant-Ear Square Vase is fake, the Green Glaze Ink-Colored Hundred Longevity Vase is fake, and everything in these two rooms, inside and out, is fake."

In other words, the item stolen in the alley that day had been a fake from the start; he had long known the Hundred Longevity Vase given in return was also a fake, and not a single one of the antiques and curios covering the floor was authentic. It all seemed to defy logic, yet Ji Shenyu also felt it was to be expected. He looked at the jar on the bedside cabinet—the sour liquid inside it was what one brushed on the glaze when creating a forgery.

He straightened his back and said, "The Celadon Vase is also fake. I made it."

A smile played on Liang Hecheng's lips. "These... I made them all."

Why had he smashed the Celadon Vase? Because it wasn't made well enough, not qualified to remain in this shabby room.

Ji Shenyu felt no heartache over it. In fact, if it hadn't been smashed, he would have been mortified. "Grandpa," he asked, "you're so skilled, why are you living in a hovel like this, not even treating your illness?"

Liang Hecheng said, "A terminal illness is a death sentence. I'm all alone in this world, so what's the point of treatment? What's the use of living to a hundred?" He kept a hand over his chest, where the tumor was growing. "I took an apprentice before. He couldn't resist his greed before he had even learned seventy percent of the craft, so he stole my things and ruined my reputation. Then I met you. You're kind-hearted, and you know the trade, so I wanted to see if we were fated to be."

Ji Shenyu understood everything now. The old man intended to take him on as his apprentice. He had originally thought that after Ji Fangxu passed away, his skills would sooner or later go to waste, but he never expected fate to arrange such a benefactor for him.

More than a benefactor; the old man was ill, and his words and mannerisms were just like Ji Fangxu's during his final two years.

In a rush of emotion, Ji Shenyu looked down at the porcelain shards covering the floor, leaving no place to step. A moment later, as thunder and lightning roared outside, he pulled a cushion from a chair, threw it down, and amidst the downpour, knelt solemnly upon it.

Liang Hecheng said, "You must make a vow."

So Ji Shenyu vowed, "I will learn the craft with devotion, and I will serve and attend to you... I will accompany you through life, old age, sickness, and death, and I will see to your burial when your time comes." When Ji Fangxu had taken him in, he had only been a few years old when he knelt and recited this very pledge.

Liang Hecheng patted his knee. "Now, what should you call me?"

He held onto the man's knee. "—Master."

The lines of rain fell thick and fast, turning into puddles of murky water. After the rite of becoming an apprentice, Ji Shenyu didn't do anything else but hold up an umbrella and start cleaning the courtyard, gathering up the old junk and planning to buy some potted plants on his next visit.

Liang Hecheng sat in the doorway, wearing his tattered jacket with a pipe in his mouth, the very picture of a man enjoying a life of ease. Unfortunately, he didn't get to enjoy it for long. Ji Shenyu came over, snatched the pipe away, and said with an air of authority, "Still smoking with lung cancer? You're quitting, starting today."

Liang Hecheng didn't resist, letting it happen. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes to rest. Ji Shenyu was exhausted after cleaning inside and out, so he leaned against the doorframe, listening to the rain with Liang Hecheng. After a while, he asked, "Master, don't you want to know a little about me?"

Liang Hecheng said, "We have all the time in the world. What's the rush?"

That's just how people are; the less someone asks, the more you want to tell. Ji Shenyu took the initiative, "My hometown is Yangzhou. After my master passed away, I came here with an old friend of his, as both an apprentice and an adopted son."

Liang Hecheng perked up. "Then which master did your skills come from?"

"My previous one. He was both my master and my birth father," Ji Shenyu said. "But... I'll be frank with you, what I mainly studied wasn't this, but jade carving."

Liang Hecheng asked, "Who is your current master?"

Ji Shenyu squatted down. "The owner of Jade Pavilion, Ding Yanshou."

Liang Hecheng was both shocked and overjoyed. "Boss Ding?!" He pointed behind him with his thumb. "Look at that room, all sorts of antiques, but are there any jade ornaments? No, right? Carving is a different field. Even if I made one, it would never escape your master's discerning eye!"

It would have been better not to mention it. Now that the topic was raised, he felt a little uneasy.

Ji Shenyu remained unsettled until the moment he left. Back on Sha'er Street, the sight of the Ding Family's main gate made that uncomfortable feeling skyrocket to its peak. He felt a guilty conscience, remorse, and worry. On an impulse, he had taken a new master, forgetting that he already had one—a master who was so good to him.

As soon as he entered the main gate, he saw Ding Yanshou standing by the pond in front of the screen wall. Seeing him, Ding Yanshou smiled and asked where he had run off to play on a rainy day.

Ji Shenyu didn't dare answer. He ducked under the umbrella to take Ding Yanshou's arm and took the fish food from his hand to toss into the water. The pond was clear and shallow, and a few red carp swished their tails. The master and apprentice pair watched, mesmerized, only snapping back to their senses when another reflection appeared on the water's surface.

Ding Hanbai eyed them. "Just feeding some fish, but you make it look as dramatic as Su Shi ascending a mountain. What's wrong, is another branch of Jade Pavilion about to go out of business?"

Ding Yanshou feigned ignorance. "Shenyu, let's go back inside and watch TV."

The master and apprentice treated Ding Hanbai like thin air. As Ji Shenyu helped his master back to the house, he glanced back at Ding Hanbai while rounding the screen wall. He was more afraid of Ding Hanbai than Ding Yanshou; after all, Ding Hanbai was someone who dared to slam the table and defy his own father.

It wasn't entirely fear. In any case, he didn't want to provoke him. Less trouble was always better than more.

At dinner, Ding Hanbai focused on eating the steamed fish. But there were only a few bites of the belly meat, and he found the rest of the fish not tender enough. During a pause of his chopsticks, Ji Shenyu, who sat beside him, placed a piece he had picked up for himself into Ding Hanbai's bowl.

He turned his head to look, and Ji Shenyu smiled at him.

While drinking soup, he didn't get many scallops in his bowl, so Ji Shenyu picked out a few more for him.

After dinner, during watermelon, he pretended to be too lazy to get any himself, and Ji Shenyu speared a piece from the heart of the melon for him.

Ding Hanbai was inwardly shaken. He had noticed long ago that although this Little Southern Barbarian had come north to live under their roof, he refused to be outdone in anything and could be annoyingly proud. Today, he was acting completely out of character, more attentive than a little maidservant. To show such solicitude for no reason—if not treacherous, then a thief.

Ding Hanbai was perfectly fine, so it couldn't be treachery. That meant it had to be theft. He lowered his voice and asked, "Did you steal my hundred thousand yuan?"

Ji Shenyu was stunned. "I didn't. Who'd even want it..."

'I figured you wouldn't dare,' Ding Hanbai thought. That evening, as the family watched TV, Ding Yanshou went out to lock the main gate. On his way back, he suddenly let out a shout, intending to scare off a stray cat by the door.

Ji Shenyu shot to his feet and subconsciously cried out in a low voice, "I'm done for!"

Jiang Shuliu didn't hear him clearly, but Ding Hanbai caught every word. For the rest of the evening, he observed in silence, noticing that the slightest movement from Ding Yanshou would make Ji Shenyu's eyes flash with panic. The boy was like a bird startled by the twang of a bowstring.

Finally, it was time to return to the small courtyard. Ji Shenyu walked ahead with Ding Hanbai following. After passing through the arched doorway, Ding Hanbai kicked over a pot of Lucky Bamboo. The sudden noise made Ji Shenyu jump. Ding Hanbai asked, "What did you do that's weighing on your conscience?"

Ji Shenyu turned back, his face pale in the moonlight. "Nothing. I... I thought a mouse ran by."

The excuse was too flimsy for Ding Hanbai to believe. "What did you do today?"

Ji Shenyu was not good at lying, but he knew how to change the subject. "A few days ago, I dreamed I went back to Yangzhou. My dad was in the dream, and so were you. My dad was blaming me for not thinking of him, then he suddenly vanished, and I couldn't find him anywhere."

As he spoke, the memory became vivid, and the figure of Ji Fangxu seemed to materialize just a few steps away. Ji Shenyu backed away to the stone table and asked, "Senior Brother, can you give me the moon one more time?"

Its effect only lasted for one night, but it was very useful.

Ding Hanbai looked up at the sky. "It's raining, there's no moon."

The former didn't ask again, and the latter didn't press the matter. They went their separate ways.

Ji Shenyu sat on the edge of his bed, reading 'War and Peace' for the second time. He turned the pages frequently, but none of the words sank in. Before long, there was a knock on the door. It was Jiang Caiwei, holding a sewing basket.

Jiang Caiwei said, "Shenyu, I've knitted a pair of gloves for you. I wanted to ask if you'd prefer them lined with flannel or padded with cotton?"

Ji Shenyu was overwhelmed by the favor. "You knitted them for me? Really?"

His reaction amused Jiang Caiwei. "Yes. I've only just learned, so they're not knitted very well."

In the past, with Ji Fangxu, he'd never had to worry about food or clothing, but no one had ever attended to such small details. Ji Shenyu was so happy taking the bundle of wool that his palms began to sweat. Jiang Caiwei showed it to him. "I've just finished one. I had originally crocheted a ruffled edge, but it felt drafty, so I unraveled it."

Ji Shenyu eagerly pulled it on. "It seems a little big." It was more than a little big; it would fall right off if he let his hand drop.

Jiang Caiwei laughed in embarrassment. "I should have measured your hand first. It's my first time knitting, so my sizing is way off."

Ji Shenyu confirmed, "The very first thing you've ever knitted is for me?"

Jiang Caiwei was captivated by the light in his eyes and her reply was a beat slow. "...Yes. This is your home now. You don't have to feel like you're any different from the rest of us here, understand?"

Ji Shenyu nodded. Afterward, when Jiang Caiwei measured his palm, he held his fingers out stiffly, not daring to move. His heart pounded wildly whenever she touched him.

It was the first time he had ever touched a girl's hand, and he was afraid the slightest movement would be ungentlemanly. After Jiang Caiwei left, he completely forgot his worries, rolling around on his bed, wishing for winter to come sooner so he could wear his new gloves right away.

Jiang Caiwei returned to the Front Courtyard. As soon as she entered her room, she saw the candy wrappers on her desk. "Did you eat all my chocolates?!"

Ding Hanbai savored the aftertaste. "I was afraid you'd get fat if you ate them. It's hard to find a new uncle-in-law when you're fat." He spent his days testing the limits of Jiang Caiwei's patience, always managing to coax her around even when he occasionally crossed the line. "So, how did it go? Did he seem happier?"

Jiang Caiwei said, "He was very happy. His eyes lit up when I said I was knitting gloves for him." She smacked Ding Hanbai. "This is all your fault, suddenly telling me to go comfort him. And making me lie, too. I almost gave the game away."

Ding Hanbai picked one of the gloves up. One look at the size showed it was a better fit for him. He leaned to the side, grinning. "Then just stuff it with extra cotton. Can't have those southern paws getting frostbite in the north."

He stayed a while longer. By the time he headed back, all the rooms were dark, and water was dripping from the eaves. As he passed Ji Shenyu's window, he could still hear a sound from within. A soft, lilting melody—the boy was humming a little tune. He paused to listen for a couple of lines. He couldn't make out the lyrics, but he raised his hand and tapped along to the rhythm.

Ji Shenyu sprang up from the bed, scrambled to the window, and said, "So, a thief with a passion for music."

Ding Hanbai rapped on the window. "Get lost. Lights are out but you're not asleep, humming some decadent tune."

"Auntie is knitting gloves for me," Ji Shenyu said, his tone boastful, unable to hide his obvious happiness. "I want to give her a bracelet in return. Can you take me to the Material Market?"

Ding Hanbai asked, "Am I going to have to lend you money, too?"

Ji Shenyu abruptly pushed the window open, grabbed Ding Hanbai's wrist, and burst out laughing as if he'd gone mad. Ding Hanbai couldn't see clearly in the pitch-darkness and only dared to lean in, afraid the boy would lunge out and fall.

The grip on his wrist loosened. "Got the size memorized," Ji Shenyu said. "I'll make one for you, too."

Ding Hanbai put on a tough front. "Who'd want one? I only wear a watch."

The window was shut again, and the voice became muffled, the words dissolving into the dripping water... "I still want to give you one," Ji Shenyu said. Ding Hanbai was silent for a moment, then uttered a rare, "Good night."

In the few steps back to his room, he took off the watch from his wrist.