Ji Shenyu felt immense pressure after learning about the agreement between Liang Hecheng and Zhang Sinian. In this line of work, it was inevitable to want to compete, plus he was naturally arrogant. But he had a merit: he was proud but never underestimated his enemies. After hearing about Zhang Sinian's various deeds, he dared not look down on his apprentice even more.

Most importantly, this matter concerned Liang Hecheng's reputation. He was afraid the old man would be embarrassed if he lost.

One piece of Green Jade was to be made into two works. The Jade Boy Figurine not only needed to be carved but also had to undergo dozens of aging processes. The Jade Incense Burner was large, and its difficulty was unprecedented. Ji Shenyu was overwhelmed for a time, wishing he could grow three heads and six arms.

At the dinner table, Ding Erhe arrived late, explaining that an old customer had come to the Second Shop in the evening and they had haggled over an ornament until now. Ding Yanshou quickly said he'd worked hard, and Ding Erhe took the opportunity to talk about that piece of jade material of his, discussing it with Ding Yanshou for quite a while.

Once everyone was present, they started eating. Ding Hanbai had also been busy at the shop today, rushing to finish the two Magnolia Flower Vases day and night, so he ate with a clear conscience. The remaining two apprentices were not so at ease, especially Ji Shenyu. He attended school during the day and worked desperately at night, having no time at all to help at the shop.

It wasn't a big deal, really, but he was also dividing his energy to make the Jade Boy Figurine, which made him feel waves of guilt.

Ding Hanbai, out of habit, nudged the person next to him with his elbow. There was no reaction this time. He turned his head to see Ji Shenyu burying his face in his bowl, lost in a daze. He casually picked up a slice of ginger with ill intent, "Eat. What are you thinking about?"

Ji Shenyu took it in a daze. As he chewed and the flavor came out, his face wrinkled. He spat it out and gulped down his soup. Catching a glimpse of Ding Hanbai's gloating expression out of the corner of his eye, he didn't lose his temper. Instead, he asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother, you went to the shop during the day. Don't you have to work?"

Ding Hanbai said with complete justification, "Is this the first time you've seen me skip work?"

His words left one speechless. Ji Shenyu remained silent until he went to bed that night. He lay flat on his back, thinking. Everything had its priorities. Right now, finishing the work was the most important thing. So, his side business of studying should be put on hold for a while.

Though he seemed dispirited, he was actually quite resolute. The next day, after finishing his Chinese, Math, and English classes, he skipped school.

The Jade Boy Figurine was small, and carving wasn't too difficult for Ji Shenyu. He abandoned the methods he had learned from Ji Fangxu, following traditional techniques to rough-carve the blank, then refine and polish it. Only after it was complete did he begin the complex aging process.

And so, he skipped class every day to go to Liang Hecheng's place until the Jade Boy Figurine was finished.

Liang Hecheng was even more excited than his apprentice. His hands had created countless objects, and he had originally thought that jade carvings would be a lifelong regret. He never expected his dream to come true in his lifetime.

"Apprentice?" he called.

There was no response from Ji Shenyu. Without even bothering to wash his hands, he had fallen asleep, sprawled on the table. At night, he still had to pretend he was coming from school to help at Jade Pavilion.

Another day, Liang Hecheng, carrying an old bag and riding a tricycle, passed through the thick morning fog and ambled to the Antiques Market to set up a stall. He had arrived early this time and was lucky enough to get a good spot. He sat on a small stool with his hands tucked in his sleeves, hiding his little finger, and waited for the sun.

Before long, the sky cleared up completely. All the antiques and curios were laid bare; the beautiful ones shone even brighter, while the flawed ones could no longer hide. The crowd gradually grew. Liang Hecheng didn't search deliberately. That old fellow always wore sunglasses anyway, making him very conspicuous.

A woman came to the stall and asked, "Master, this translucent green basin is quite pretty. It's square, what's it used for?"

Liang Hecheng said, "A Green-glazed Square Narcissus Basin. The translucency of the green brings out the color of the narcissus flowers."

Women love flowers. The woman held it, looking it over and over, and saw the inscription: "Whoa, made in the Yongzheng reign."

Liang Hecheng was frank, "A replica from the Republic of China Era." Who in this business was ever frank? No matter how fake an item was, it couldn't compete with a deceitful mouth. He had only brought this narcissus basin along to make up the numbers. He'd made it several years ago, to grow garlic sprouts for stir-fried pork with garlic sprouts.

In the end, the basin was sold. The woman had just left when the sunglasses enthusiast arrived. Liang Hecheng, halfway through counting his money, put it away, tucked his hands back into his sleeves, and closed his eyes to rest, not bothering to greet Zhang Sinian.

All those who were regulars at the Antiques Market were familiar with each other, so naturally, Zhang Sinian was a familiar face too. But he disliked being seen. Blind and ugly, he hated being scrutinized.

Through his lenses, the old man spoke as he looked, "Vases, jars, armrests, brush washers... aren't you just trying to show me your apprentice's skill? Aren't you tired, bringing so many pieces?"

Of course, he couldn't just bring the Jade Boy Figurine. That would be like telling the other party, 'This was made by my apprentice, it's a fake.' These items were mixed together for him to sort through. Liang Hecheng replied, "I rode a tricycle. Not tired. It's much more leisurely than pulling a handcart of scrap."

They started bickering again. Zhang Sinian began by examining a Lotus Leaf Brush Washer, going through them one by one, with the Jade Boy Figurine mixed in. He looked over the whole lot, finally picking up the Jade Boy Figurine. He first asked, "Did your apprentice commit this crime alone, or did you accompany him?"

Liang Hecheng kicked at him, but the kick was soft and weak. "I didn't lay a hand on it."

Zhang Sinian continued looking. After examining everything, he put them all down and cleared his throat. "Plum Blossom Pattern Brush Pot, real." He picked it out, his voice extremely low. "Bamboo Armrest, real. Lotus Leaf Brush Washer, fake. Duan Stone Irregular-shaped Ink Slab, fake. Hetian Jade Plain Ring Pendant, fake."

After picking out the genuine pieces, it was the fakes' turn. Zhang Sinian's sunglasses slipped down his nose, revealing one bright eye and one dim one. When he got to the end, only the Song Dynasty Jade Boy Figurine was left. He suddenly smiled.

He knew Liang Hecheng couldn't carve, so logically, Liang Hecheng's apprentice shouldn't be able to either. But he could tell this item was a fake, and the traces of forgery were inferior to the other fakes, meaning inferior to Liang Hecheng's own craftsmanship. Now that was interesting.

If it wasn't made by the apprentice, what was Liang Hecheng's purpose in acquiring it? So Zhang Sinian smiled, amused that Liang Hecheng had actually found an apprentice who could carve. He asked, "I say, how old is that apprentice of yours?"

Liang Hecheng answered casually, "Seventeen."

Zhang Sinian thought: 'Boundless prospects.' But on second thought, he felt it wasn't necessarily so. So what if the student surpasses the master? Look at himself, look at the other man right now... weren't they also just idling away their days after a full meal, wasting time day after day?

He picked up the brush pot and the brush washer, took the Jade Boy Figurine as well, paid, and left. Before leaving, he tossed out a line, "That brilliant apprentice of yours didn't pass my test. Let's wait and see if he can pass my brilliant apprentice's test."

Liang Hecheng smiled faintly. He was an expert. He knew exactly how much the Jade Boy Figurine made by Ji Shenyu was worth, and he also knew what percentage of people in this market it could fool. Zhang Sinian was the highest hurdle. He had identified all the replicas Liang Hecheng had made himself, so naturally, he would find the Jade Boy Figurine even more fake.

But Zhang Sinian had also said—brilliant apprentice.

They both recognized him as a brilliant apprentice, so his delight showed on his face.

Similarly, if Zhang Sinian's apprentice could discern the authenticity of the Jade Boy Figurine, he would also acknowledge that person as a brilliant apprentice.

Zhang Sinian headed home with the items. As soon as he entered the alley, he smelled a fragrant aroma. The smell was even stronger when he reached his doorstep; it was fine cuisine from Zhuifeng Tower. The cotton door curtain was lifted, and Ding Hanbai stood leaning against the doorframe with his sleeves rolled up, his fingertips bright red.

"Haven't shown your face for days. You're free today?" the old man asked.

"Could I have come if I wasn't free?" Ding Hanbai had never understood respecting one's master. He turned to get ready to eat. He had nearly worked himself to death on those two flower vases and had personally delivered them to the customer that morning. Finally, he could catch his breath.

The two of them, master and apprentice, ate and drank. Ding Hanbai kept glancing at the backpack and finally just put down his chopsticks to look at the items first. As soon as he opened it, "The brush pot isn't bad, I just don't like plum blossoms." A quick glance told him they were all not bad. He then examined them more closely, his expression changing slightly.

"This Jade Boy Figurine..." Ding Hanbai stared intently. Narrow sleeves, a cross-collared robe, a heart-shaped fringe on the forehead, a large head on a short neck, both hands clenched into fists. He examined the object in his hand from head to toe several times and made his final judgment, "The features are all from the Song Dynasty."

He glanced at Zhang Sinian, suppressing a bit of doubt.

Zhang Sinian took a big mouthful of food and mumbled, "What do you think?"

Ding Hanbai said, "Carved in the round. The hair and facial features are all extremely fine incised lines, every cut sharp. The folds in the clothing are numerous and detailed, but there are no overlapping lines at all." He paused, his red, worn fingertips pointing to several scratches. "A major quality of jade is its smoothness. If scratches aren't deep, they become faint over time. You can see them, but they might feel very smooth to the touch."

Zhang Sinian nodded, waiting for the rest.

"These can be clearly felt, and there's more than one, which means they were made later. It might have been knocked around over several dynasties, so some bumps are inevitable, but for them to be distributed around the longest scratch is a bit too coincidental." Ding Hanbai put the item down. "And the longest scratch is right on the edge of the yellowed, permeated area. So what he did was carve it, break off a piece, create the permeated state on the cross-section, and then glue it back on to create the effect of permeation from within. The scratches are just a smokescreen."

Zhang Sinian held his wine cup and shook his head, smiling as he did. The head-shaking was for his regret that Liang Hecheng's apprentice had lost; the smile was for his pride in his own awesome apprentice. Ding Hanbai saw through it and, for once, was modest, "If there had been more time, and the craftsman who made it had processed it more carefully a couple more times, I probably wouldn't have been able to tell."

Zhang Sinian said, "Don't call him 'craftsman.' He's only seventeen."

Ding Hanbai stood up in shock and picked up the Jade Boy Figurine again to examine it. The reason he had noticed this piece was that he had been captivated by the exquisite carving skill at first glance. Regardless of whether it was real or fake, in his field of carving, it was top-tier. What he never expected was that the carving, plus a series of other techniques, had come from the hands of a young man.

He was full of admiration and subconsciously tried to ask Zhang Sinian for more information. Unfortunately, Zhang Sinian only knew his age, and an inaccurate one at that.

Having sold the items one by one, Liang Hecheng felt unburdened. He took the money and a car to the entrance of No. 6 High School, waiting for Ji Shenyu to get out for lunch so they could eat together.

Ji Shenyu had the matter on his mind. After learning that Blind Zhang had seen through the fake, his confidence plummeted, and he instantly lost his appetite. When they parted, Liang Hecheng stuffed a packet of money into his hand. The Green Jade belonged to Jade Pavilion; if he needed to, he could settle the account, and if not, he could spend it himself.

Ji Shenyu accepted it, set aside the money to settle the account, and used the rest to buy medicine for Liang Hecheng. Perhaps it was because he was too tired lately, or maybe he was worried about whether the Jade Boy Figurine could deceive the other's discerning eye, but he found himself frequently zoning out in his afternoon classes.

As soon as the bell rang, he was, for the first time ever, called to the office. His lack of concentration in class was secondary; the main issue was his recent truancy. Old and new offenses combined, the teacher told him to have his parents come in tomorrow.

Seventeen by traditional age counting, Ji Shenyu felt weak inside and out. It was the first time in his life he'd been told to bring a parent to school.

How was he to bring it up? Who could he ask?

First, he ruled out Ding Yanshou. How could Ji Shenyu dare let Ding Yanshou know? He didn't have the face to let him know either. Jiang Shuliu was also not an option. If Madam knew, the Master would know. After school, he walked home in a daze, his thoughts turning to Jiang Caiwei.

No, that wouldn't work. Jiang Caiwei was so good to him; he was afraid of disappointing her.

Ji Shenyu returned home dejected, as withered as a dying rose. He looked up and saw the ajar door next door, and the word "savior" sprang to his mind. Actually, he had thought of Ding Hanbai early on, but Ding Hanbai would surely scold him fiercely, and he was a little afraid of that.

In his room, Ding Hanbai opened his eyes to find it was already dusk. He sat up to shake off his drowsiness and glimpsed a shadow cast through the crack of the door, which gave him a fright. He crossed his arms and waited, watching as the crack in the door gradually widened and Ji Shenyu tilted his head to peer inside.

He coughed lightly. "Thieves are just like you."

Ji Shenyu closed the door but didn't come closer. "Senior Brother, are you free tomorrow?"

Ding Hanbai said, "Being free doesn't mean I'll hang out with you, and being busy doesn't mean I won't." He patted the side of his bed, waiting for Ji Shenyu to come and sit. "The blank for the Jade Incense Burner has been left in the machine room since it was roughed out. Are you waiting for me to carve it for you?"

Ji Shenyu quickly denied it, staring at the tassels on the lampshade, feeling extremely nervous. "Senior Brother, can you come to school with me tomorrow?" His expression was hesitant, his tone weak. "The teacher... the teacher asked for a parent to come."

Ding Hanbai sat up straight. A parent-teacher meeting? He had only ever seen poor students get their parents called, never the top student. Looking at Ji Shenyu's expression, like he was about to cry before he even spoke, it was obvious he'd made a mistake.

"You didn't," he hesitated, "you didn't flirt with a female classmate and go too far, did you?"

Ji Shenyu said in surprise, "I didn't! It's because I wasn't paying attention in class, and... and I skipped school too much..."

Ding Hanbai was even more surprised. "You skipped school? You're in an unfamiliar place, what are you skipping school for?"

Ji Shenyu stammered, "It's because I'm in an unfamiliar place that it's new and there are more fun places to go..." He met Ding Hanbai's gaze, read the utter speechlessness in it, and had no defense but to look away.

Actually, skipping school was no big deal to Ding Hanbai, but now that there was a comparison, he was dissatisfied.

Ding Hanbai poked Ji Shenyu's forehead. "Putting on such a well-behaved act, and you skip school? You're almost seventeen. Some people at seventeen can already!" He stopped, forcing himself to swallow his words. "Comparing people will be the death of me!"

Ji Shenyu pressed, "What kind of person is 'some people'?"

Ding Hanbai retorted, "Someone you can't compare to. Also seventeen, but you have no idea how capable he is. And you have the nerve to get to the bottom of it? Is your homework done? When are you going to carve the censer?"

Outside, the sun had set, and it was dark. Ji Shenyu's face was turned away from the scolding, his cheeks red with shame. The scolding stopped. If he wanted peace, he should have stayed silent, but he couldn't hold it in. He forced out the question, "Are you annoyed with me?"

He was trembling slightly. "Are you annoyed with me because I haven't been studying properly? I'll change. If it's because you met someone amazing and now you're annoyed with me by comparison, what should I do?"

Ding Hanbai calmed his heart and steadied his breath, but his mind was in quiet turmoil, unable to form a single word in response.

Ji Shenyu stood up and actually paced anxiously by the bed a few times before walking toward the door, looking very much like a small bird that couldn't find its nest. Ding Hanbai watched him, gritting his teeth and staying silent. If he were to coax him right after a scolding, what would be the point?

The sound of footsteps faded, and it became quiet outside.

Ding Hanbai lay down until eight-thirty, then came out of his bedroom to see the light on in the South Room. Ji Shenyu was working inside. He went to the Front Courtyard living room to watch a movie. He spent over an hour watching a martial arts film, but he paid no attention to who killed whom.

At ten, he returned to the small courtyard. The light in the South Room was still on.

After taking a shower, Ding Hanbai paced back and forth on the veranda. When he got tired, he leaned against the railing, utterly bored. He wasted time until the early morning, and the light in the South Room was still on. He went back to his room to sleep, tossing and turning, kicking the blanket, pulling his pillow this way and that, unable to meet the Duke of Zhou for a long time.

He fidgeted until past two in the morning. He got up to use the bathroom and froze halfway there, caught in the light from the South Room.

The equipment in the machine room had been turned off. Ji Shenyu had been concentrating on his work until half an hour ago, then fell asleep on the table without even taking off his clothes.

Ding Hanbai finally remembered that Ji Shenyu had been burning the midnight oil every day recently, carving that piece of Green Jade. The censer was too complex; even roughing out the blank required extreme precision. He pushed the door open and couldn't help but laugh. He walked over and pulled the knife from the other's hand. "Wake up." He patted his face, then pulled at his shoulder. "Get up and go back to the bedroom to sleep, Ji Zhenzhu?"

Ji Shenyu was roused by the handling. Having been lying down for so long, he was too sore and numb to sit up straight. His body tilted sideways, and he leaned against Ding Hanbai's waist and stomach. It was warm and comfortable. Drowsily, he closed his eyes again.

Ding Hanbai misunderstood. "Lazy cat, you want me to carry you?"

He bent down, supported his bottom, and lifted him up in one go. He pulled the light switch, closed the door, and crossed the moonlit courtyard, passing the scattered roses. From the South Room to the North House, it was clearly a dozen steps, but it felt as fast as an instant.

Ji Shenyu's breath was so light. "Try scolding me again."

Ding Hanbai said, "Not convinced?"

Ji Shenyu's tone was so pitiful again. "Don't hate me."

How could the water and rice of Jiangnan raise such a person, one who specialized in breaking down people's defenses and softening their hearts? Ding Hanbai carried Ji Shenyu into the room. What was there to scold? He could only silently cover him with the blanket.

It was three o'clock. He went back to his room and began picking out clothes to wear to meet the teacher, as meticulously as if he were about to meet his mother-in-law.