No one had expected Ji Shenyu to leave everyone in the dust in the final exams.

The several brothers of the Ding Family all had decent grades, but the family didn't particularly value academics. Ding Yanshou had said long ago that jade carving was the main business, and everything else was a side business. The reason no one had anticipated it was also because Ji Shenyu was usually quiet and reserved. He was rarely seen laughing and playing around, nor was he seen being deep and serious. He was quiet when in front of others, and even quieter when he was not.

Besides Ding Hanbai, no one had been close to Ji Shenyu's daily life. However, even though Ding Hanbai had the advantage of proximity, he hadn't paid much attention to Ji Shenyu's every move. He did know that Ji Shenyu stayed up very late, burning the midnight oil for some unknown reason. Even if he guessed it was studying, he hadn't expected him to be so good at it.

That night, his heart had been softened by Ji Shenyu's bowl of thin noodles, and on a whim, he had offered to continue picking him up and dropping him off. Unfortunately, he really wasn't cut out for serving others. After a few times, he started slacking off.

Thankfully, the summer vacation started, and both of them were liberated.

The door to the machine room was closed. Ji Shenyu could finally observe it all carefully. Ding Keyu and Ding Erhe were wiping down the machines and selecting the drill bits they needed. Three to five minutes later, Ding Yanshou also arrived. One master and three apprentices were ready for class.

The air conditioner wasn't on, but the room full of jade was cool enough. Ding Keyu's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz: "Brother, are we together with him?"

"Him" referred to Ji Shenyu. Ding Erhe glanced at Ding Yanshou and didn't answer out loud.

"You three, come over here." Ding Yanshou washed his hands and began to speak, "Small pieces are easy to learn but hard to master. You all know the techniques, so you must keep pondering them yourselves. This 'keep'—it's not for a month or two, nor for a year or a half, but for a lifetime."

Ding Yanshou paused, "Shenyu, has Fangxu ever said this?"

Ji Shenyu replied, "Master said that this trade has no peak, and one can never be content in this trade. One must keep climbing for a lifetime."

In fact, every trade was the same. In front of Ding Yanshou lay a piece of crystalline Hibiscus Stone, the size of a Xinhua Dictionary. It was natural and untouched, exuding a fluorescent pink aura, and was cool and refreshing to the touch. He said, "A medium-sized piece. I won't draw, I'll go straight to the blade. Watch how the blade moves."

Before drawing, one had to design, to conceive, to consider the material's color and luster. Basically, no one dared to put blade to it directly. But Ding Yanshou didn't consider any of that. He gripped the drill bit and with a loud clang, made a cut. He turned the material and made another. Four cuts in total. Debris flew, the marks were quite deep, and none of them were connected to each other. It was like... he was ruining it.

Ding Yanshou then said, "Most natural materials are mottled and flawed. This piece is a top-grade one your senior brother brought back, but I want to test you, so I've damaged it a bit."

'He really is ruining it…' Ding Keyu felt a pang in his heart, not daring to imagine how Ding Hanbai would fly into a rage when he returned. Ding Erhe asked, "Eldest Uncle, are we to cut this piece of material?"

"No cutting," Ding Yanshou said. "Anyway, it's just one whole piece. Figure it out."

After this class, Ding Yanshou took Ji Shenyu to the Jade Pavilion. Ding Keyu and Ding Erhe tidied up and cleaned. The two brothers were slow and deliberate; they looked like they wanted to spend an hour just sweeping up the debris.

"Brother, how are we supposed to carve this?" Ding Keyu asked. "Without cutting it, we each carve our own part? Crammed onto one piece of material, it'll turn into a chimera."

Ding Erhe said, "He wants us to cooperate with Ji Shenyu."

Ding Keyu was unhappy. "His skill level is nothing to write home about."

After cleaning up, since Ji Shenyu was gone anyway and they were one person short for discussion, and also worried that Ding Hanbai would come back and beat them up in a fit of rage, Ding Keyu and Ding Erhe decided to just hold their ground for now. Ji Shenyu had already arrived at the Jade Pavilion, helping Ding Yanshou manually sort and classify the inventory, giving the goods ready to be put on the shelves one final screening.

"Shenyu, do you like studying?"

"I prefer reading. What is it, Master?"

"It's nothing, just asking." Ding Yanshou hadn't expected Ji Shenyu's grades to be so good. He also knew that Ji Fangxu had shifted his focus long ago and was dabbling in antiques, so he wasn't sure how much interest and determination Ji Shenyu had for their own trade.

Ji Shenyu, true to his name, asked very cautiously, "Master, is my studying getting in the way of my work?" After asking, he immediately explained, "It's because I want to do well on my exams. You took me in for nothing in return, so I want to bring honor to the both of us."

Ding Yanshou laughed heartily. "Don't be nervous. I want to know what you like more. Whatever you like, Master will support you."

Ji Shenyu, on the contrary, became more anxious. He wasn't overly suspicious, just fearful because he couldn't afford any mishaps. Ding Yanshou had no obligation to take care of him; for his entire life, eating, clothing, everything cost money. If he had any sense, he should be dedicating himself wholeheartedly to the Jade Pavilion. But Ding Yanshou had asked him what he liked more, not limiting his choices.

Even Ji Fangxu had never spoken to him like that.

Ji Shenyu carried this worry in his heart all the way home that evening. When he returned to the Small Courtyard, he didn't go inside, but sat on the veranda, leaning against the railing in a daze. He didn't even notice someone as tall as Ding Hanbai walk in.

Ding Hanbai had snatched Jiang Caiwei's ice cream. Seeing Ji Shenyu lost in a trance, his hands got mischievous. He pressed the cold container against the back of Ji Shenyu's neck, helping him to quickly snap out of it. He sat down beside him, "You got first place and you're still not happy?"

It was the first time Ji Shenyu had been praised by Ding Hanbai. All things considered, they were the most familiar with each other, so he told Ding Hanbai what Ding Yanshou had said. After listening, Ding Hanbai continued eating, not lifting his eyes or raising his brows. "Touched?"

Ji Shenyu nodded. Ding Hanbai said, "Even if Master Ji and my dad are like brothers, even if they're as close as two peas in a pod, they aren't blood brothers. And you're not part of our family."

The truth is often harsh, which is why most people don't say it. Ji Shenyu wanted to cover Ding Hanbai's mouth.

"Don't get me wrong," Ding Hanbai continued. "This distinction between close and distant isn't to say the feelings are fake. It's that my dad can dote on you like his own son, can ensure you're fed and clothed for life, but he can't discipline you the way he'd beat and scold his own son. He can't place on you the responsibilities his own son should bear."

Ji Shenyu seemed to understand. He turned his face to look at Ding Hanbai.

Ding Hanbai, the actual son, finished his ice cream and leaned back contentedly against the railing, as if chatting idly, "My dad has never asked me what I like more. I can like other things, but none of them can surpass our trade. Even if they did, in this life, I must put our trade first in my endeavors."

He also turned his face to look at Ji Shenyu. "My surname is Ding. This is my responsibility."

For the first time, Ji Shenyu observed Ding Hanbai's eyes up close. His pupils were like polished ink dots, supremely black and bright, causing him to slow his speech, "Then what do you think? Are you willing?"

Ding Hanbai said, "The one who follows his whims is a boy. The one who shoulders his responsibilities is a man. I am willing."

But the waves in the deepest part of his heart remained unstirred. The continuation of the Jade Pavilion was his responsibility; he had to take it over and do it well in the future. But the trade itself wasn't necessarily set in stone. His ancestors chose this trade as their main business, must their descendants remain unchanged forever? Why couldn't he choose for himself?

Ding Hanbai crumpled the ice cream container and, for the moment, also extinguished his inner conflict.

Ji Shenyu was alone on the veranda again. Ding Hanbai's words had struck his heart and mind, and after pondering them for a long time, he felt weary. He stretched and was about to go back to his room to sleep when the study door creaked open. Ding Hanbai placed a bag of trash at the doorway, telling him to throw it out the next morning.

Ji Shenyu didn't pay it any mind. It was only the next morning that he saw clearly from the mouth of the bag that inside was actually that pile of Marine-salvaged artifact fragments. He had coveted them for a long time. He picked up the bag and hid back in his room to admire them.

This pile had been sifted through. Some of the larger, less damaged pieces had been kept by Ding Hanbai; the rest were all broken and rotten. Ji Shenyu carefully packed them away, his heart blooming with joy as if he'd found a treasure. When he went out again, he ran into Ding Hanbai getting out of bed, his smile not yet having had time to fade.

Ding Hanbai was half-awake, watching as Ji Shenyu ran out of the Small Courtyard until he was out of sight. It was as if his smiling face still lingered in the courtyard's morning glow. Without changing out of his pajamas, he went straight to the machine room, wanting to make something since he had free time on the weekend.

The large family all woke up early. Everyone was in the Front Courtyard living room eating breakfast. Back in Yangzhou, Ji Shenyu's family was just the three of them. Sometimes, when his master's wife was annoyed with him, he would eat by himself in the kitchen. It was rare for it to be so lively this early in the morning.

The congee was served. Jiang Caiwei picked a bowl with more red beans for Ji Shenyu and asked, "Hanbai isn't up yet?"

Jiang Shuliu said directly, "Shenyu, go call your senior brother to eat. If he doesn't get up, pull his ear."

Before Ji Shenyu could reply, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside. Everyone looked towards the door in unison, only to see Ding Hanbai burst in with messy hair, his fury greater than that of a wrathful vajra.

Ding Hanbai was blunt: "Who touched my Hibiscus Stone?!"

Ding Erhe and Ding Keyu secretly looked at Ding Yanshou, simultaneously shrugging their shoulders in a defensive posture. Ji Shenyu held his red bean congee with a fearless expression, thinking that since Ding Yanshou was the head, Ding Hanbai would just have to swallow his anger.

Ding Yanshou sat in the seat of honor. "I did."

But the anger on Ding Hanbai's face didn't diminish one bit. "You did? You've lived half your life and you can't tell what grade of material that is? It's naturally formed! It's a masterpiece!" He had already rushed to the table and slammed a palm down on its edge, knocking two youtiao out of the plate. "Most importantly, that's my material! I haven't even been willing to touch it, and you ruined it for me!"

The roar threatened to lift the roof. Ji Shenyu was so frightened he could barely hold his congee. How could he have imagined that Ding Hanbai would dare to challenge Ding Yanshou like this? Ding Yanshou didn't confront him head-on, seeming to have expected this reaction. "Eat first, calm down."

"The hell I can calm down!" Who knew Ding Hanbai had something even more extreme to say. "This is my treasured baby. You go and haphazardly slash it four times. What's that equivalent to? It's like disfiguring my wife! What kind of thoughts were in your head to do such a thing!"

Ji Shenyu shivered at this metaphor. He spoke up to explain, "Senior Brother, Master wanted to test us, to have us carve—" He didn't finish before being kicked by Ding Keyu, nearly biting his tongue.

Ding Hanbai paused for a second, then Ji Shenyu's explanation made him even angrier. "You ruined my material just to teach them? Are they even worthy with that paltry skill of theirs?!"

He kept his eyes on Ding Yanshou, but his shouted words strafed the other three. Ding Erhe and Ding Keyu showed no expression, only feeling indignant in their hearts. Ji Shenyu was different. He hadn't expected Ding Hanbai to think of his junior brothers this way, to look down on them so much.

But Ding Hanbai was brazenly frank. "Everyone knows their own worth. Something I'm not willing to touch, others are simply not worthy of it. I'll salvage those four cuts. If you want to learn or teach, find your own materials. Don't go looking for trouble again."

Because of the huge ruckus during breakfast, almost everyone lost their appetite. Ding Houkang subtly complained to Ding Yanshou, trying to seek justice for his two sons. Ji Shenyu stirred his bowl of congee until it was cold, too angry to drink it.

He felt that Ding Yanshou was indeed wrong to have damaged the jade without permission, but not to the extent that it warranted such harsh scolding from Ding Hanbai... especially those two lines belittling his fellow apprentices. His arrogance was devouring.

He was afraid of running into Ding Hanbai again back at the Small Courtyard. He peeked from outside the arched gate for a long time before entering, only to find that Ding Hanbai wasn't there.

Ding Hanbai was in Jiang Caiwei's room, holding his "disfigured wife." His five fingers were long and strong, but his caress upon it was exceptionally gentle. Jiang Caiwei brought in some food, closed the door, and said, "You've vented your anger, you've cursed your own father, now eat."

Ding Hanbai rolled up his sleeves. "Auntie, do you think I was right to scold him?"

Jiang Caiwei was Ding Hanbai's biological aunt, Jiang Ting'en's biological paternal aunt, and a step removed from Ding Erhe and Ding Keyu, but she was good to everyone. But who doesn't have their own selfish inclinations? On top of being good to everyone, she doted on Ding Hanbai and Jiang Ting'en the most.

"Is there a right or wrong when it comes to scolding people?" she replied. "Yelling at your dad in front of so many people... Before you could even walk, he was holding you in his arms, teaching you to look at jade. Whether it's a masterpiece or not, it was your dad who taught you how to recognize it in the first place."

Ding Hanbai tapped the rim of his bowl with his chopsticks. "I was furious. Who told him to ruin my thing, and for those bumpkins to use, no less."

His thinking was very simple—there needed to be a balance between technique and material. A seven-tenths skill couldn't use a three-tenths material, and it certainly couldn't use a ten-tenths material.

Ding Hanbai always vented his anger and never wronged himself. Now, he cleared the table to show Jiang Caiwei a pinkish-white, lustrous stone. He felt it was very suitable for Jiang Caiwei, capable of attracting romantic luck.

"Auntie, do you like it? I'll carve a nice one for you as part of your dowry, how about that?"

Jiang Caiwei said, "Sure. Along with my Nanhong Agate Statuette, one big and one small."

Ding Hanbai turned his head to look at the statuette on the dressing table. It had been left for some time after being polished and had become even smoother from being touched. He finally remembered to ask, "Ting'en didn't make this, did he? Who exactly gave it to you?"

Jiang Caiwei was coy. "Take a guess."

Ding Hanbai was skeptical. "My dad? But where would he find the time to carve such a small piece? The style of the lines doesn't look like him either. This one is... gentler."

Jiang Caiwei said, "It was Shenyu."

Ding Hanbai said in surprise, "Ji Shenyu?! Ji Zhenzhu!"

His entire impression of Ji Shenyu was based on that failed Lucky Bamboo. Even if one occasionally slipped up, it was impossible to deviate from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau all the way to Urumqi. Unless the other person had been acting all along.

But he wasn't sure. Was Ji Shenyu's craftsmanship really that good?

Ding Hanbai swept into the Small Courtyard like a gust of wind. A thin rope was tied between a few trees in the yard. Ji Shenyu was hanging clothes to dry under the trees. Their eyes met from a distance, and Ji Shenyu seemed to... roll his eyes.

That made sense. His words this morning had been hurtful. If Ji Shenyu was truly such a skilled craftsman, then it was normal for him to be angry.

Ding Hanbai sauntered over idly, picked up a pair of pants, gave them a twist, and then draped them over the line, making it sway wildly. He asked, "Did you carve the Nanhong Agate Statuette at Auntie's place?" He affected a casual tone, but the sidelong glance he shot at him was sharp and bright.

Ji Shenyu clipped a pillowcase to the line. "I carved it."

Admitting it just like that was tantamount to admitting he had been faking it with the Lucky Bamboo, and it also meant he was completely shedding the "bumpkin" disguise from now on. He had been quite provoked by Ding Hanbai's outburst. Whether his other senior brothers would be on guard against him in the future was another matter, but he had just softly challenged Ding Hanbai.

Perhaps when he first arrived, he hadn't cared about Ding Hanbai's opinion, but by now, that had been reversed.

Neither Ding Hanbai nor Ji Shenyu spoke again. They moved around wordlessly under the trees, hanging clothes. The one who admitted had admitted frankly, and the one who asked had accepted it gracefully. The clothes hung full and swayed, like precarious water droplets on the palms of their hands.

Ding Hanbai looked at Ji Shenyu's face through a white shirt, and the image of his Hibiscus Stone surfaced in his eyes. The floating image faded, and Ji Shenyu's face became clear, making one wonder if this was what was called a "hibiscus face."

Ding Hanbai gritted his teeth, caught off guard by a pang of sourness that pierced right through him.