As the saying goes, sickness leaves like pulling silk, but Ding Hanbai recovered quickly. Early in the morning, he went out before the rain stopped, heading to that dilapidated Hutong in Chongshui to pick up Zhang Sinian. The master and disciple hadn't seen each other for several days, and when they met, they didn't even exchange a single warm word.

Zhang Sinian, who had been kept up all night by the sound of the rain, was sleepy, curled up in the back seat like an old leader. Ding Hanbai willingly acted as the driver, weaving the car through the streets without a clear destination.

After a long while, the old man couldn't take it anymore. “Brat, where on earth are you going? I'm getting carsick!”

Ding Hanbai chuckled. “I thought the street scenery was beautiful, so I'm taking you for a drive.” He was like someone scouting the terrain, wandering around the most prosperous area of the city, taking in the newly built structures and those awaiting demolition, calculating everything in his mind.

Zhang Sinian asked, “Did Six-Fingers's apprentice agree to partner with you?”

Ding Hanbai answered, “He didn't.” It was more than just not agreeing to partner up; he was pushing him, a living, breathing person, a thousand li away. “Master, actually, that apprentice is my junior brother.” He told Zhang Sinian, “Since ancient times, it’s been easy for something... else to develop between senior and junior brothers. You understand, right?”

With his blind eye drooping, Zhang Sinian didn't understand.

“Forget it. I'll tell you the details when there's good news.” Ding Hanbai didn't like talking about his failures; it was a loss of face. He said no more and headed straight for the Jianjia Wholesale Market. The market covered a large area. There were no buildings or proper shops; just setting up a stall and hawking wares was enough. The long street next to it could also be considered an Antiques Market, a fluid place mostly frequented by amateur enthusiasts.

The master and disciple hadn't eaten breakfast yet. Each grabbed a baked flatbread and started strolling from the end of the street. Since it had just rained, not many people were out. Each person had only one or two items, and many didn't accept cash, only bartering.

Ding Hanbai wasn't looking for anything specific. If fate brought something his way, he'd acquire it; if not, he wouldn't be upset. After wandering around for a while without finding anything to his liking, Zhang Sinian asked, “Just wasting time. What good things did you bring back from your trip to Inner Mongolia?”

Ding Hanbai said, “A pile of assorted frosted stones. Not much Chicken-Blood Stone, but I got some Da Hong Pao Stone.” In truth, aside from mulling over love and affection these past few days, he had also been thinking constantly about those stones. Since he had promised to make money, he had to put more thought into it.

An old auntie was holding a round-bellied white jade vase. Ding Hanbai strolled closer for a better look and found it increasingly exquisite and lovely. He asked, “Auntie, may I take a look?”

As soon as he touched it, he felt the normally warm jade was ice-cold from the chilly weather. The quality of the jade was superior, and the vessel's shape was one from the Wanli era. “Auntie, this is a replica.” Ding Hanbai didn't wish to explain in detail, but because the jade was so good, the piece was appealing even as a replica.

The old auntie said, “This was passed down in my husband's family. It was a betrothal gift for our marriage, and it is indeed not an authentic piece. But we both like it very much. If we weren't facing difficulties, we definitely wouldn't be willing to part with it.”

Ding Hanbai lowered his gaze to the mouth of the vase and thought he saw something inside. He turned it over and poured out a broken pearl cufflink.

The old auntie said, “My eyesight is failing, and my back is bad. The cufflink fell off, and I asked my husband to help me find it. When he found it, he just casually tossed it into the vase.”

Those who deal in antiques not only have sharp ears and keen eyes, but all five of their senses are exceptionally sharp. Zhang Sinian sniffed the air and said he smelled a fresh, savory aroma, probably clear-broiled chicken soup. The old auntie patted her bag, which contained a thermos. Every day before going to the hospital, she would come here to stand for a while, looking for a suitable buyer.

In the face of disaster and illness, no treasure, no matter its significance, was as important as turning it into cash.

Ding Hanbai said, “Auntie, please name a price. I won't haggle.” He wasn't acting out of great charity but genuinely liked the piece and felt a sense of fate with it. The pure, cold white jade vase, from which a pearl cufflink had tumbled, set his imagination racing.

After completing the transaction, Ding Hanbai felt hunger pangs. He walked a few steps and turned back to find Zhang Sinian looking at him strangely. He asked, “What is it?”

Zhang Sinian said, “With that smug look on your face, have you reached that age? Are you thinking about getting a wife?”

The crude words were embarrassing, but they were also an adrenaline rush. Ding Hanbai was completely dazed by the phrase “thinking about getting a wife.” Getting into the car was like taking off his shoes to climb onto a warm bed; fastening his seatbelt was like pulling up a dragon-and-phoenix quilt. Everything was ready; all that was missing was a “wife” who would look kindly upon him.

He remembered Ji Shenyu applying medicine for him in the middle of the night. He put the key in the ignition, started the car, and began to hum, heedless of Zhang Sinian sitting in the back, freely letting his romantic feelings show.

When he saw him that evening, he put away his dissolute air and adopted a serious expression, maintaining a faint, ambiguous smile throughout their meal. Ding Hanbai was just that neurotic. After revealing his feelings, he had used both hard and soft tactics. Now, he was casting his line into the water, not pestering or nagging, but employing a measured rhythm of tension and release.

Ji Shenyu didn't understand these roundabout tactics; he was just relieved that Ding Hanbai seemed to have changed his ways. Perhaps it was an awakening, or perhaps he was correcting his mistakes. In any case, it was a good thing... He held his bowl and swallowed the sour mushroom soup, yet for some reason, his heart felt sour too.

He knew clearly that Ding Hanbai's affection scared him, yet it also vaguely made him feel happy and stirred his heart. The other's persistence left him annoyed and conflicted, yet within that persistence, he enjoyed the thrill of being cared for.

Ji Shenyu was dismayed. Even if it didn't count as being a complete hypocrite, he was still taking advantage while playing innocent, and he despised himself for it. Weighed down by his worries, the stress had caused several canker sores to break out in his mouth, making every sip of soup an excruciating pain. When he returned to the small courtyard, a cold wind blew, and he shivered twice, his whole body feeling like it was about to burn up with fever.

Ding Hanbai, behind him, asked, “Finished your homework? Come and look at the materials.”

Business couldn't be delayed. Ji Shenyu, feeling a bit dizzy, followed him to the machine room. The room was unbearably cold, and he had to suppress a few sneezes. Ding Hanbai had brought back two pieces of Balin Frosted Stone from the Jade Pavilion: one a deep pea-green, the other a pale yellow. He asked, “I'm going to make a Bat-knob Square Seal and a Beast-head Introductory Seal from these two stones, and I want you to handle the aging process. But before that, I need to confirm one more time: you won't give up the craft of forgery, no matter what?”

Ji Shenyu was completely baffled. “I won't.”

Ding Hanbai said, “Then you should do it openly, no more sneaking around.”

Ji Shenyu asked in surprise, “Is that okay? What if Master finds out?”

Ding Hanbai sat down, crossing his legs. “Why wouldn't it be?” He thought of Ding Yanshou, and the wounds on his body ached faintly, but his words were light and casual. “This craft came from Master Ji. It was taught by your birth father, so what reason does your adoptive father have to object?”

It was a surprise from the heavens. Ji Shenyu was stunned for a long moment. After confirming he hadn't misheard, he readily agreed. Forget two seals; he'd age every single one Ding Hanbai carved. Suddenly, he remembered a key point and asked, “Senior Brother, you'll carve them in an old style, I'll age them, and then you'll sell them off?”

He was puzzled. Previously, Ding Hanbai had been against creating and selling forgeries, hoping to restore authentic but damaged pieces instead.

Ding Hanbai said, “You will make them openly, and when you're finished, I will display and sell them openly in the Jade Pavilion.”

Ji Shenyu couldn't figure out the other's intentions but understood there must be a reason for it. Everything was explained, and all the necessary details were covered. He shivered and, thinking there was nothing else, was about to return to his room to rest.

“Shenyu.” Ding Hanbai uncrossed his legs and called out to him.

Ji Shenyu retracted the step he had taken, turned slightly, and asked what was wrong. Ding Hanbai suddenly smiled and said, “I haven't actively provoked you today. I've been restraining myself at every turn. How does it make you feel?”

Silence. The question was impossible to answer. Ding Hanbai's smile grew wider. “You can't have felt nothing at all, right? So, should I continue with this playing hard to get? I was originally prepared to be patient and give you space for three to five days, but it hasn't even been one full day, and I already feel like ants are gnawing at my heart.”

Ji Shenyu stood there dizzily. The man's words were shameless, his sentences brazen; he didn't even dare to look at him. Turning back to stare at the courtyard, he said with deliberate coldness, “Do as you please. It makes no difference to me.”

As if Ding Hanbai would believe that. “Really? I've used both soft and hard tactics. What else is there in the Thirty-Six Stratagems? Looting a burning house? Taking by force, is that it?”

Ji Shenyu said, “If you want me to make things for the shop, fine. If you want me to restore authentic pieces as we discussed before, that’s also fine. As long as you have a use for my skills, just ask. But please, don't mention anything else, okay?”

A large hand slammed down on the table. Ding Hanbai's good temper didn't last three seconds. “I'm a bad person. I like you, so I'm willing to humble myself to win your mutual affection,” he said, his tone self-righteous. “But if every tactic fails and you keep rejecting me so definitively, then I won't insist on the ‘mutual’ part of the affection anymore. I'll just be a bandit king for once, and I won't give a damn whether you like it or not.”

Ji Shenyu was horrified. He had been afraid of revealing any sign of wavering, but he never imagined that his firm resolve would be useless. Ding Hanbai did everything according to his own whims, with no consideration for anything else.

He fled back to his room, locked the door, closed the window, and hid in his bed under the covers. He felt cold, so cold he trembled, a cold that was even harder to bear than the day on the grasslands. When footsteps approached, he didn't even dare to shiver, already on edge and seeing threats everywhere.

Ding Hanbai stood outside the window. It was pitch-black inside; he couldn't even make out a silhouette. But the pretense between them had been broken long ago, and he had been rejected countless times. Those rejections had been sincere, but he knew even more clearly that Ji Shenyu definitely had feelings for him.

Just because they were both men, because they were Master's sons, because of the debt of gratitude owed to Ding Yanshou, he had decided their feelings were against all reason. But was it really wrong? Truly immoral? Even if it was, Ding Hanbai thought, it wouldn't be the first mistake he'd ever made.

The footsteps faded into the distance. Ji Shenyu curled into a ball, clutching the quilt tightly. The sores in his mouth throbbed with a terrible pain that seemed to spread down his throat, burning. After a very long time, he finally drifted into a dazed sleep, feverish, a crack forming on his lips.

The light in the next room went out. Ding Hanbai lay wrapped in his quilt, pondering. Love was vexing him. He mulled over what to do with the round-bellied jade vase. Simply displaying it seemed a bit dull; after all, it was an object steeped in marital affection and one with which he felt a fated connection.

By midnight, everyone in the three-courtyard residence was asleep.

All was silent. Suddenly, branches began to shake violently, and the magpies perched there all took flight. The stray cat in the Front Courtyard let out a sharp hiss, bursting into the bedroom and running in and out, knocking over a chair and creating a chaotic racket.

Ding Yanshou was about to let out a low shout to scare it away, but before he could make a sound, he felt the mattress shake—slightly at first, then with increasing violence. “Earthquake!” He pulled Jiang Shuliu up, grabbed a coat to drape over her, and the couple immediately rushed out to wake everyone in the courtyards.

Ding Hanbai hadn't been sleeping soundly to begin with. His eyes flew open, and he burst out of his room. The door to the next room was locked. He kicked it while shouting, the tremors growing ever more distinct. “Ji Zhenzhu! Earthquake!” It took a full three kicks before the door burst open, thoroughly broken. He rushed to the bedside and, without checking whether the person was awake or asleep, scooped him up, quilt and all, and ran.

He ran straight out of the small courtyard, anxious to check on his parents in the Front Courtyard. Fortunately, everyone had reacted quickly; the whole family had already evacuated their bedrooms, and the earthquake was gradually subsiding. Ding Yanshou said, “Don't go back to sleep inside. We can't be sure what will happen next. Let's just make do in the courtyard for tonight.”

Something stirred in his arms. Ding Hanbai looked down. The quilt was covering the person's face, so he caught a corner with his teeth and pulled it aside, revealing Ji Shenyu's flushed, hot face. Ji Shenyu was delirious from his fever. After being cold for half the night, he finally felt warm, but he hadn't expected to find himself being held in such an awkward embrace.

Craning his neck to look, good heavens, Master, Madam, his aunt—the whole family was there. He couldn't even process what had happened. He looked at Ding Hanbai, wanting nothing more than to beg for mercy. Ding Hanbai suppressed a laugh and mercifully covered his face again with the corner of the quilt.

After hearing the instructions, Ding Hanbai carried Ji Shenyu back to the small courtyard. It was too dangerous under the walkway, so he sat on a stone bench. He patted the heavy bundle in his arms and said, “How could you sleep so soundly? I had to kick the door down.” As he spoke, he slipped a hand inside the quilt. The body was scalding hot, yet shivering. “Why didn't you tell me you had a fever?!”

He wrapped Ji Shenyu up tightly and set him down on the stone table. Ignoring the risk of aftershocks, he went back into the house to get hot water and pills. After feeding them to him, he lowered his head, pressing his forehead against Ji Shenyu's to check his temperature. The fever wouldn't break that quickly; this was what you'd call taking advantage of someone's vulnerability.

“Luckily, we're not at the epicenter,” Ding Hanbai said.

Ji Shenyu pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth. When the earthquake hit, Ding Hanbai couldn't have known if it was a false alarm, yet he had chosen to save him first. He understood that. He could no longer bring himself to say words that would draw a line between them. He uttered a word of thanks, then lowered his head and began to doze off.

In the dead of winter after a rain, the air outside was freezing. Ding Hanbai stood in the biting wind, wearing only his pajamas. After a moment, the tightly wrapped quilt in front of him loosened slightly, a small gap appeared, and a fingertip poked out.

His throat tightened. “What are you doing?”

Ji Shenyu said, “I'm afraid you'll freeze.”

Ding Hanbai moved closer, watching as the gap widened, welcoming him, and with it, the hot, soft body inside the quilt. He wrapped his arms around him, one hand holding the quilt from the outside, the other running wild on the inside. Waist, back, he traced a path up the spine to the center of his back. He pressed himself between Ji Shenyu's legs and, in the midst of a natural disaster, marveled at how fortune and misfortune were intertwined.

Ji Shenyu couldn't bear it. “Stop touching me... Get off.”

Ding Hanbai said, “Weren't you afraid I'd freeze? Just let me touch you. Aren't you afraid of what'll happen if I keep holding it in?” Even as he said this, he stepped back, running in and out of the South Room and North House, gathering supplies for the night.

A hammock was tied between two trees, with one quilt laid inside and another to be used as a cover. All set. Ding Hanbai lifted Ji Shenyu onto it. It swayed gently. Ji Shenyu tried to climb out to grab him, but Ding Hanbai kicked off his shoes and flipped himself in, causing it to rock even more violently.

They couldn't lie side-by-side, and lying on their sides threw it off balance. So, Ding Hanbai lay on his back with Ji Shenyu on top of him, effectively covered by a human quilt. Ji Shenyu pillowed his head on Ding Hanbai's shoulder, silent and obedient as his fever began to break. He, being mischievous, "accidentally-on-purpose" touched him here and there, even rubbing against his rear a few times.

They made it safely through the night. The rest of the family was exhausted, but Ding Hanbai was bursting with energy. He rushed to the Jade Pavilion as early as he could. He and the staff inspected the material storeroom together. Fortunately, the anti-earthquake precautions had worked, and nothing was damaged.

Ding Yanshou spread out a newspaper. “The Seismological Bureau is always wise in hindsight. Who knows if we're in for more.”

An employee said, “Our shop faces the street, so it's easy to get out. It's just that the items on the counters are in a precarious position.”

Ding Yanshou agreed. “In a disaster, you can't worry about material possessions. As long as you can escape, that's what matters. The most dangerous places are large, crowded buildings, where you either can't get out in time or get trampled in a stampede.”

Ding Hanbai listened for a while, then abruptly shot to his feet, pocketed his car keys, and left. Schools were densely populated. If another earthquake hit, how would all the students in a building get out? Ji Shenyu was sick; he would surely be crushed!

The main gate of No. 6 High School was locked. When Ding Hanbai arrived, he waited in his car, napping with his head on the steering wheel. When he woke up, he went to sit in a tuck shop. He drank soda and ate bread. After he finished, he stretched lazily and asked the owner if he wanted to play cards.

“If I lose, I'll pay you. If you lose, you give me some of your goods.”

The afternoon passed peacefully. Ding Hanbai became engrossed in the game, seemingly forgetting the terror of the earthquake. At five o'clock sharp, the school gates opened like floodgates. He clutched his cards and scanned the crowd, quickly locking onto Ji Shenyu's slow-moving figure.

Ji Shenyu noticed the car at the gate first, then looked up and met Ding Hanbai's gaze. Ding Hanbai asked him, “Let out early?”

He replied, “Yeah. Because of the earthquake, the school is moving up the final exams.”

Ding Hanbai held out a bag of snacks. Without mentioning he'd been waiting all day, he showed off, “My winnings. Here, take them and eat.” On the way, Ji Shenyu chewed on Maltesers beside him, which reminded Ding Hanbai that he was still hungry. “Open the cookies and feed me.”

Ji Shenyu did as he was told, feeling as if he were feeding a pig. He fed him the whole way, dropping crumbs everywhere.

They were finally home. A full day of calm had soothed everyone's nerves, and the others were gathered in the living room, things back to normal. When they returned to the small courtyard, the bedding was still piled on the hammock. Ding Hanbai remarked, “Looks like we did something and didn't bother to clean up.”

Ji Shenyu took the quilts down and headed back to his room. Ding Hanbai followed him, asking, “Moving spots already? What if there's another quake? I've gotten used to sleeping while holding you—”

Ji Shenyu whipped his head around, silencing the man with a glare.

Ding Hanbai leaned against the ornate window, his face an open book of passion and desire. He asked again, “What do you think of me?”

Ji Shenyu said, “Not a good person.”

Ding Hanbai nodded. “Then you’d better lock your doors and windows tight. This bad egg might give in to his beastly nature in the middle of the night and devour you, leaving not even a bone behind.” After speaking, he moved closer. Why wait for night? He pushed Ji Shenyu, still holding the quilts, back into the bedroom.

He kicked the broken door shut, then turned and pressed the other man against it, pinning him tightly.

Fear flashed in Ji Shenyu's eyes, but Ding Hanbai was a stranger to mercy. He pressed closer, demanding, “Who risked everything to save you last night? Who took the risk to get you water and medicine when he saw you had a fever? Who let you crush his arm and leg numb all night without a single word of complaint? And those candies you ate the whole way here—who won those for you?”

Ji Shenyu had no rebuttal; he was clearly in the wrong. “What on earth do you want...?”

Ding Hanbai couldn't hold back any longer. “Good Junior Brother, give me a kiss.”

"Just consider it a good deed, a way to prolong the life of this mere mortal."