Ji Shenyu hadn't expected any classmates to ask him out. He left early, carrying the bit of pocket money he'd brought from Yangzhou, ready to treat them. He actually had some classmates and good friends in Yangzhou, but with his master gone and Madam kicking him out, even finding a place to stay was a problem, so he had no time to lament the loss of friendships.

He and a few classmates ran around for most of the day. They took him to see a movie, wander aimlessly around a university campus, and chase each other boisterously through unfamiliar streets... At lunch in a restaurant, he didn't say much, just listened to the others talk about trivial matters in their class or grade. When he found it amusing, he would grin foolishly along with them. In the end, when they asked to borrow his homework to copy, he agreed without a second thought.

Stepping out of the restaurant into the scorching sunlight, the group wondered what to do next. The class monitor yawned and suggested they all go to his house to play cards. Ji Shenyu didn't like playing cards and asked, "How about we go to the Museum?"

Everyone laughed at him, saying he was crazy and calling him a country bumpkin. He had no choice but to fall silent and stop offering opinions. But he really did want to go. This city was so huge, with so many historical sites and former residences of famous people, yet the place he most wanted to visit was the Museum.

Ji Shenyu failed to get everyone to agree with his suggestion, and he wasn't willing to go along with others' ideas either. So, while everyone else went to the class monitor's house to play cards, he took a bus back home. The journey was long, and he almost got lost.

After getting off the bus, he walked slowly, sticking to the edge of the road, baked by the sun. Though it was only a few hundred meters, he still stopped to rest in the shade of a tree. Leaning against the tree, Ji Shenyu saw a taxi, and then he saw Ding Keyu and Ding Erhe get out, probably returning from Jade Pavilion.

The two were already at the gate, talking. Ji Shenyu called out "Senior Brothers" and ran after them, wanting to ask what to do about the master's assignment. Ding Hanbai wouldn't let them touch the Hibiscus Stone, so did that mean they had to choose a new material?

Ding Erhe was the first to turn around but didn't reply. Ding Keyu turned next and did respond, "You weren't at home, and you didn't go to the shop to help. Been out having fun all day?"

It was only a little past two in the afternoon. Ji Shenyu, dripping with sweat, said, "I went out with my classmates. I thought none of them even remembered me."

He explained with a smile, happy that his classmates had remembered him. Unexpectedly, Ding Keyu ignored this and said, "Did you call us for something just now?"

Ji Shenyu was dazed from the heat. He finally sensed that his two senior brothers' attitudes were a bit cold, so he also calmed down, wiped the smile from his face, and put on a deferential air. "We can't use the Hibiscus Stone, and Master has been busy lately. Are we still going to carve?"

Ding Keyu said, "You have the nerve to bring up the Hibiscus Stone? If you hadn't opened your big mouth to explain that day, would Eldest Brother have yelled at us directly? It's a matter between him and his father, what are you dragging us into it for?"

Ding Erhe remained silent the whole time, but he didn't try to stop it either. Ji Shenyu hadn't expected that after so many days, they were still waiting to take him to task. He replied, "I didn't expect Eldest Senior Brother to say that. I apologize to you both."

"No need." Ding Keyu was merciless. "Of course you didn't expect it. You're the 'Little Fifth' handpicked by Eldest Uncle. Behind closed doors, you're all one family. Do you take everyone else for fools?"

Ji Shenyu watched them leave. Every word from Ding Keyu was cutting. Ding Erhe hadn't spoken, but the look he gave was also chillingly cold. He felt he had failed the name Ji Fangxu had given him, having caused conflict by talking too much. He didn't know how to resolve it.

Ji Shenyu's good mood vanished into thin air. Passing through the large living room, he saw Ding Hanbai writing at the round table—black ink on white Xuan paper, in a neat and proper semi-cursive script. Hearing the sound, the other man looked up at him, a rare hint of a smile in his eyes.

But he couldn't bring himself to smile, his face falling instead.

That hint of a smile on Ding Hanbai's face instantly vanished. "Who's upset you now? Why are you pulling a long face at me?"

Ji Shenyu hadn't intended to enter the room, but now he took a step inside. He stormed over with erratic steps and, mimicking Ding Hanbai's furious outburst from that day, slammed his palm on the edge of the table.

The freshly written characters were splattered with ink. Ding Hanbai's arm shot out, and Ji Shenyu felt a coolness on his cheek.

"Did your classmates bully you? What's with this tantrum?" Ding Hanbai drew a stroke on Ji Shenyu's face. "If you have the energy, grind ink and lay out paper for me. Otherwise, get out. I don't have time to play with you."

Ji Shenyu, with a black mark on his face, resented Ding Hanbai for his outburst that day. But he didn't want to gossip, so he suppressed his anger and ground the ink. Once the ink was ready, Ding Hanbai lightly dipped his brush and wrote: One's word is one's bond, one's action must bear fruit.

This was the Ding Family's motto, hung in every Jade Pavilion shop. When a scroll had hung for too long, it was replaced with a new one.

After Ding Hanbai finished, he set it aside and, without another word, quickly began writing again. Ji Shenyu, absorbed in admiration, unconsciously recited, "Large pearls and small pearls on a jade plate fall, a single pearl shatters in two." He reached out to snatch the Xuan paper, chasing Ding Hanbai playfully around the table. "Who are you saying shattered in two? Jade is easier to shatter than pearls!"

The air was steeped in the fragrance of ink. The two of them worked up a sweat from their horseplay, which only stopped when Jiang Caiwei came in to break it up. Ding Hanbai carried the paper, ink, brush, and inkstone back to the Small Courtyard with Ji Shenyu trailing behind. Outside the arched doorway, he saw Jiang Ting'en fast asleep in a rattan chair.

Looking closer, he saw the book "Like Mountains, Like Seas" lying under the leg of the chair, covered in dust, half a page already crushed and torn. A rush of anger surged through Ji Shenyu, but he had already offended the second and third senior brothers. Could he afford to offend the fourth as well?

In the midst of his internal struggle, he forced himself to swallow his anger. But before he could, Ding Hanbai rushed forward with a flying kick, sending Jiang Ting'en and the rattan chair tumbling to the ground.

Jiang Ting'en let out a miserable cry, "Eldest Brother! What are you doing!"

Ding Hanbai picked up the book and cursed, "I've been dying to read this for over half a month, and you're treating it like this?! What's an empty head like yours reading books for? Get back to your house and do your homework!"

Jiang Ting'en scrambled away, yelling for Jiang Caiwei to come and help him. The courtyard fell suddenly quiet. Ding Hanbai held the book and turned around, staring fixedly at Ji Shenyu. He didn't hide his intentions, practically wearing his unspoken thoughts on his forehead—'I've stood up for you, so you should let me borrow it now, right?'

Ji Shenyu stepped forward and took the book. "Thank you, Senior Brother." After saying that, he went straight back to his bedroom.

Ding Hanbai stood rooted to the tile beneath his feet, stunned, tight-chested, and in disbelief. In that instant, he seemed to experience all the sufferings of the world. Returning to his room, he passed by Ji Shenyu's window and said unhappily, "Perverse in conduct, cleverness is of no use."

Ji Shenyu tossed back, "Haughty and proud, erudition is of no use."

Would it kill you not to talk back?!

Ding Hanbai said no more. He went back to his room to nap in the cool air, but after tossing and turning a few times, he grabbed his clothes and went to take a shower, going through quite the ordeal. He slept for a total of two hours and woke up feeling lost and dejected, utterly infatuated with that old book.

He pulled on a plain white short-sleeved shirt, the thin cotton revealing the faint outline of his lean muscles. He tiptoed to the window of the room next door, wanting to see what Ji Shenyu was doing. If he was sleeping, he would go in and take the book.

Take, not steal.

Ding Hanbai emulated the great masters—how could a scholar's business be called stealing?

The door was open, the window shut. He was playing the thief in his own courtyard. Pushing the window open a crack, he first saw an empty bed. His gaze moved deeper into the room, and he saw Ji Shenyu sitting quietly at the desk. He had also changed his clothes and washed his face.

Ji Shenyu was focused on his work at the desk, the old book spread out before him—now not just old, but damaged too. Beside his hand were white glue, a fine brush, and a bottle of oil. He was repairing the book; leaving the door open for ventilation would help it dry faster.

Ding Hanbai recognized that bottle of oil. Oiling was one of the steps they used to protect wood. He understood what Ji Shenyu was doing. The chirping of cicadas masked the sound of the window being pushed open. His peeking turned into watching. He leaned against the window frame, picking at the ledge, his gaze glued to the other boy.

Sunlight spilled over half of Ji Shenyu's body. His pupils shone the color of tea, held in his eyes like Biluochun Tea in a white porcelain bowl. His neck was long and slender. With head bowed and eyes lowered, he focused on the torn fragments of the book pages. The rims of his ears were red from the sun, blurred within the light and shadow of his hair.

Those callous-free hands moved with extreme gentleness, dripping glue and brushing on oil, the pads of his fingers smoothing out every crease. What was most remarkable was the lack of any hesitation. Each step flowed into the next; he handled it all like a craftsman whose skill was born of long practice.

When Ji Shenyu finished, he puffed up his cheeks and blew on the seam.

The boy blew on it, and for some reason, Ding Hanbai opened his own mouth. With a bit of force, his hand broke off a piece of the window ledge. Hearing the sound, Ji Shenyu turned his head and stared at him, stunned. Leaning on the window, Ding Hanbai showed no embarrassment at being discovered. Instead, he said brazenly, "Bring me the glue. I'll stick this piece I broke off back on."

The window ledge was fixed, and so were they. Though neither spoke, they no longer seemed angry.

Ji Shenyu brought out the book, which was now dry. "Senior Brother, you can read it."

Ding Hanbai had almost forgotten he'd come to steal the book. He accepted it properly. "It'll be perfect for looking at with my pile of fragments."

Ji Shenyu's curiosity was piqued. "I want to read it too."

The two of them sat under the eaves of the corridor, sharing one book. Between them lay the pile of salvaged fragments. Ding Hanbai explained things with clear logic—how to distinguish porcelain, how to distinguish pottery. Ji Shenyu listened without blinking, understanding everything instantly and never forgetting what he heard.

Ding Hanbai suddenly asked, "You know how to repair books?"

Ji Shenyu said teasingly, "Just slapped some glue on it." The other man didn't press the matter. He breathed a sigh of relief and continued reading. Before sunset, he'd unconsciously finished the first volume. Ding Hanbai closed the book and, just to make conversation, asked, "Did you have fun with your classmates?"

Ji Shenyu was happy, but he had a regret. "I wanted to go to the Museum, but nobody else likes it."

"You want to go to the Museum?"

"I do, but I don't know the way."

Ever since he was a child, Ding Hanbai's favorite places to go were the Antiques Market and the Museum. The former was to see the trends among the people, the latter to see the official new acquisitions. He didn't know why Ji Shenyu wanted to go, but it wasn't strange, since tourists from out of town always paid a visit to the Museum.

He said, "I'll take you tomorrow."

Ji Shenyu hurriedly thanked him. It was the first time he had seen such a brilliant smile from the boy—or to be precise, it wasn't the first time he'd seen it, but the first time that smile was for him.

Ding Hanbai liked jade and fine wood, he liked cultural relics and antiques, he liked to spend lavishly on food, drink, and entertainment. What he cared about least was how other people felt; whether they were happy or not was none of his damn business. But now, as Ji Shenyu finished his thanks and his smile, he felt his own heart lighten in the deepening twilight. It was probably because Ji Shenyu's smile was rather handsome. Otherwise, it would just be weird.

With a weight lifted from his mind, Ji Shenyu fell asleep quickly that night and slept more soundly than ever before. He woke up mid-morning and first checked if his neighbor was up. The door was closed; Ding Hanbai hadn't gotten up yet.

He cheerfully went to wash up, changed his clothes, packed paper and a pen, and went to the Front Courtyard for breakfast. He ate one portion and brought one back. After he had done everything, the door next door was still closed. He knocked. "Senior Brother, are you awake?"

There was no response from inside. He pushed the door open to find the room empty.

Ji Shenyu searched everywhere—this Small Courtyard, all over the Front Courtyard, and he even went to his Second Uncle's East Courtyard, but there was no sign of Ding Hanbai anywhere. He ran into Jiang Shuliu in the Front Courtyard and hurriedly asked, "Madam, have you seen Senior Brother?"

Jiang Shuliu said, "He got a call early this morning and went to his work unit. It seemed like something came up." She reached out to wipe the sweat from Ji Shenyu's face. "He asked me to let you know, but I forgot."

The anticipation in Ji Shenyu's heart collapsed into mud. Still not giving up, he asked, "When will Senior Brother be back?"

Jiang Shuliu said, "There's no telling. Being called in on a weekend, it's probably something important."

Perhaps Ji Shenyu's disappointment was too obvious. Jiang Shuliu felt sorry for him. After asking the reason, she called for Jiang Caiwei and had her take him to the Museum.

Ji Shenyu actually wanted to wait for Ding Hanbai, but Jiang Caiwei quickly changed her clothes, so he went out with her.

On the weekend, the Museum was packed with people. There was even a line at the entrance. Jiang Caiwei held onto Ji Shenyu, afraid he would get lost. They squeezed their way in. The space inside was enormous, so the crowd immediately thinned out.

Ji Shenyu saw a porcelain plate and began to speak excitedly, "Auntie, I know this one." No one answered beside him. He turned his head to look for Jiang Caiwei, but among the crowds coming and going behind him, his eyes passed over countless strangers and landed on Ding Hanbai.

Didn't Ding Hanbai go to his work unit? Why was he here?

Since he was here, why didn't he bring him along?

Ji Shenyu shifted his gaze and saw a girl standing next to Ding Hanbai. They were holding one of the museum's albums and discussing something. They spoke back and forth; what Ding Hanbai said, the girl understood, and what the girl said, Ding Hanbai also understood.

Ji Shenyu suddenly understood. It wasn't that Ding Hanbai wanted to take him to the Museum; it was that he wanted to come to the Museum and had just planned to bring him along as an afterthought. But no matter what, he had promised. Why didn't he keep his word?

That time he didn't pick him up, it was because he forgot. This time, he had completely gone back on his word.

Ji Shenyu fell silent. He had no standing and no right to demand that this senior brother pay him any mind. He could only withdraw his gaze. The white porcelain plate was still a white porcelain plate, but he never wanted to trust Ding Hanbai again.