"The quality of this batch is average, so don't display them in too conspicuous a spot. When out-of-town compatriots come, they'll think we don't have anything good." Ding Hanbai pointed to the north wall of the exhibition hall. "The descriptive plaques aren't made yet? I gave you the appraisal reports several days ago."

Without waiting for a reply, his gaze shifted and he saw a slender, graceful figure. He immediately went up and put his arm around her shoulder, "Whose pretty girl is this?"

Jiang Caiwei jumped in fright. After turning around, she looked at him in surprise, "What are you doing here?!"

Ding Hanbai said, "I'm working. I was called away by my work unit first thing in the morning." After speaking, he stepped aside, revealing the girl beside her. "Alright, I'm going to find your curator. You two chat."

The girl's name was Shang Minru. She had known Ding Hanbai since childhood, was the same age as Jiang Caiwei and a former classmate, and was a staff member at the Museum. The two girls huddled together affectionately. Ding Hanbai still had to get back to work, but then it occurred to him, why would Jiang Caiwei suddenly come to the Museum?

Jiang Caiwei patted his shoulder, "I brought Shenyu. He's over there, go find him."

Ding Hanbai's gaze scanned the area, searching several times among the passing tourists. The Museum's lighting was always soft, making everyone look kind and benevolent, but everyone was moving around, except for one figure who was standing still and hadn't moved for a long time.

Ding Hanbai tucked his pen into his pocket, strode across the short distance, and came up behind the person, pretending to be a docent: "Turquoise-green plate with a gilt-painted, everted rim. The ring foot is delicate, and the body is of superior quality."

The transparent glass shimmered with light, and a person standing before it would cast a faint reflection. Ding Hanbai wasn't looking at the plate; he was looking at Ji Shenyu's reflected silhouette. When Ji Shenyu turned his face, he lowered his gaze and said, "Staring at one plate for this long? When do you plan on finishing?"

Ji Shenyu hadn't expected Ding Hanbai to see him, much less that Ding Hanbai would come over to greet him so naturally. He had indeed been standing in that spot for a long time, so he started walking elsewhere. But Ding Hanbai followed him, so he said, "My aunt brought me. I'll look around by myself."

Ding Hanbai kept following, as if he couldn't understand plain words. "Look at that white-glazed, diamond-shaped brush pot. Doesn't it look like the one in my study?"

Ji Shenyu didn't say a word and headed into an inner hall. Ding Hanbai followed him in, glancing at his watch to calculate the time. He thought that breaking a promise wasn't right, and since the other person had come, he would accompany him for as long as he could.

Who would have thought that Ji Shenyu didn't need his company at all, and even lost his patience, "Why do you keep following me?"

Ding Hanbai was a bit baffled. "I'm keeping you company. Haven't you noticed that Aunt is gone?"

Ji Shenyu looked around and indeed didn't see Jiang Caiwei. He made a move to go look for her, but was stopped by Ding Hanbai, who put an arm on his shoulder. Being so close, he smelled a medicinal scent on Ding Hanbai and noticed the document in his hand. He asked, "You bring this along when you ask someone out?"

Ding Hanbai was a little confused. "Someone else? Didn't I ask you out?"

Their entire exchange consisted of questions, with not a single answer for the longest time. Ji Shenyu shoved the hand off his shoulder and stopped in front of a large vase. "You asked me out and then went back on your word. I saw you looking around with someone else."

Ding Hanbai felt wronged and roared in a hushed voice, "What bullshit! Didn't my mom tell you? I was called to my work unit first thing in the morning. I didn't know I had to come here until I got to the office. The tests on the previous marine-salvaged artifacts were done, so I came to do the handover and inspect a few of their newly acquired items."

The other's voice wasn't loud, but Ji Shenyu was stunned by the yelling. While he was still dazed, Ding Hanbai added, "Did you see me with a girl? She's a staff member here. We already knew each other, of course."

Ji Shenyu confirmed, "You didn't intend to go back on your word? Didn't you make an agreement with me yesterday?"

Ding Hanbai rolled up the paper into a tube and tapped him with it. "You think you're some high-ranking official? 'Make an agreement' with you." Even after speaking, he didn't quite understand Ji Shenyu's line of thinking. "Of course I wanted to bring you. Who the fuck wants to work on a weekend? I don't even want to work on weekdays."

It was nothing but a complete misunderstanding. Once cleared up, they should have been able to enjoy their visit, but Ding Hanbai was on a tight schedule and had to move on to his next task. He stuffed the museum's illustrated guide into Ji Shenyu's hands and instructed, "Look at the floor plan. The Hantang Hall will be setting up new items later. I'll be there."

Clutching the illustrated guide, Ji Shenyu waited until Ding Hanbai had left before carefully looking around on his own. He had brought paper and a pen, and it was time-consuming to look and take notes. Waves of tourists came and went around him, and he lingered for a long while before moving on.

Back in the main hall, he was about to enter the adjacent inner hall when a commotion arose in the crowd, with everyone rushing eastward. He unfolded the floor plan and saw that the Hantang Hall was to the east. 'Could they be putting out the new items now?' he wondered. 'But shouldn't that be done after the museum closes?'

Ji Shenyu followed the crowd and, upon entering the Hantang Hall, squeezed in behind a barrier rope. Inside the cordoned-off area, those in uniform were Museum staff, while those not in uniform were from the Cultural Relics Bureau. He spotted Ding Hanbai at a glance. Ding Hanbai was taller than the others. While the others wore practical clothes suitable for work, Ding Hanbai insisted on wearing a crisply ironed shirt, his hands stuck in his pockets, looking like a leader.

On a huge display platform sat two newly placed Dragon-Tiger Pictorial Stones. The dragon pattern was only lightly damaged, but the tiger pattern was marred beyond recognition. On the floor lay a stone slab of the same length. The onlookers didn't understand what was happening, and the impatient ones gradually drifted away. Ji Shenyu slowly squeezed his way to the front row, a position from which Ding Hanbai could see him with a simple wave.

Of course, he didn't wave. He silently watched the group repair the cultural relic. The dragon pattern only required conventional restoration, but it would take a god to restore the tiger pattern. The staff members were also vexed. One of them took off his mask, looking troubled, "We can only replicate it based on the documentation. There's no other way."

Ding Hanbai called them out, "The stone slab is already prepared. Why the act?"

The crowd of tourists grew again, and latecomers were blocked by staff from entering the area. The space inside the barrier was cleared, the stone slab was moved onto the display platform, and everyone else stepped aside. Ding Hanbai went forward, opened a toolbox, selected a few brushes, poured some ink into a dish, and then marked several measurement points on the slab.

"What's going on?" the tourists discussed amongst themselves. "Why is the youngest one the one taking action?"

Ji Shenyu also wanted to ask, what exactly was Ding Hanbai doing?

Ding Hanbai was completely focused, as if he regarded everyone else in the hall as dead. Once his brush or knife was in hand, his eyes saw only the material before him. From the first stroke to the completed outline, the shape of a tiger, its head raised and mouth agape, became clearly discernible. It had a pair of wings, its legs were bent, and its claws were raised.

Hearing the rising gasps of amazement around him, Ding Hanbai's brow only furrowed deeper. He felt these people were treating him like a street performer, just waiting to clap, cheer, and toss a few coins.

He glanced up and caught sight of Ji Shenyu in the front row. Ji Shenyu was clutching the guide so tightly it was crumpled, his small mouth was slightly agape, and his normally intelligent eyes held a dopey look. His lips moved, silently forming the word, "Senior Brother."

Ding Hanbai had just been lamenting his lack of an assistant. He pulled Ji Shenyu into the circle and, with utmost naturalness, began to order him about. Handing him brushes, pouring ink, holding down the corners—Ji Shenyu was close enough to see everything clearly, admiring each fluid stroke, yet his eyes could barely keep up with the speed at which Ding Hanbai drew.

The Ghostly Pattern framing the four sides was intricate yet consistent. Ding Hanbai moved the tip of his brush horizontally, his wrist perfectly steady without a single tremor. The perimeter was nearly one and a half meters long and over half a meter wide, and aside from pausing to dip his brush in ink, he drew the nearly four-meter length in what seemed like a single breath.

Ji Shenyu remembered what Ding Yanshou had said before: if he ever had any questions, he could just ask this senior brother of his.

Back then, he had been unconvinced and skeptical. Now, that speck of doubt had been utterly shaken.

"Zhenzhu," Ding Hanbai suddenly called out, using the nickname casually in front of so many people. "Wipe the tip of the chisel. Get ready for the number three to rough out the form."

Ji Shenyu moved at once. After wiping it clean, he waited quietly. The moment Ding Hanbai put down his brush, someone started to applaud. The laymen were just watching the spectacle; they thought finishing the drawing meant the work was done, little knowing that it was only just beginning.

Ding Hanbai took the carving knife. "I'll be busy all day. Go home with your aunt when you're done looking around. Don't get lost."

Ji Shenyu didn't move. "I've never seen you carve anything before. I want to watch."

Ding Hanbai was noncommittal. After the ink dried, he began to carve, letting the other watch as he pleased. He knew that he and Ji Shenyu were different: he was openly wild, while Ji Shenyu was reservedly proud. It was good for him to watch; the day would come when they would have to test each other's skills.

As noon approached, the onlooking crowd was utterly mesmerized, their surprise mounting in waves. They had thought just finishing the drawing was incredible enough, but they never expected he would then take up a knife and start carving. An elderly local man couldn't contain himself and called out, "Leader, I have to give you a compliment."

It was the first time Ding Hanbai had been called 'Leader,' and he really wished Zhang Yin was there, or he would have been shamed speechless. Without stopping his knife, he replied with a laugh, "You'd better hit the mark. I don't like off-target compliments."

The old man gave a thumbs-up. "I'll put it out there—even the masters from the Jade Pavilion couldn't act tough in front of you!"

Ding Hanbai played along readily, "The Jade Pavilion has several masters. Which one are you talking about?"

The old man joked, "The best one, of course—Ding Yanshou! I bet you could challenge him."

The local residents roared with laughter. The out-of-town tourists didn't understand the joke but laughed along. Ding Hanbai was never one for being low-key or refined, so he declared in a loud, clear voice, "I really can't challenge Ding Yanshou. I have to call him Dad!"

After speaking, he fell silent, his knife moving stroke after stroke with the effortless skill of a master butcher. At noon, the crowd thinned out, and the staff took the opportunity to clear the hall. It became quiet and cold, with only the lifeless artifacts remaining, along with a pair—a pearl and a white jade—holding their breath.

The seconds and minutes ticked by. The surroundings were as silent as an empty mountain. Ding Hanbai's palms were slick with sweat, but his fingertips were cold. He glanced up at Ji Shenyu while stretching his sore, numb limbs. "Zoning out? If you're bored, don't force yourself to stay."

"It's interesting," Ji Shenyu explained. "I was captivated."

Now it was Ding Hanbai's turn to be stunned. He asked, uncertain, "Master Ji never taught you how to carve large stone pieces?"

Ji Shenyu replied, "He said he would teach me next year, but then he got sick. He said he'd teach me when he recovered, but he never recovered."

Ding Hanbai wasn't the type to be thoughtful and considerate. He didn't stop to think if his questions would be hurtful before asking, and even after asking, he couldn't be bothered with regret. He tapped the stone slab directly. "I'll teach you. Do you want to learn or not?"

This wasn't the machine room at home, nor the back room of the Jade Pavilion. It was the City Museum, with its huge flow of visitors. And he wasn't just carving for fun right now; he was restoring a cultural relic. Ji Shenyu obediently called out "Senior Brother," and leaned closer to look at Ding Hanbai as if he were some kind of marvel.

Their voices echoed faintly in the hall. Ding Hanbai began by explaining, "This is a Han Dynasty Portrait Stone. You first draw, then carve directly onto a stone architectural component. The one with the tiger pattern is basically beyond repair, so I can only carve a replica based on the available documentation. Then it will be handed over to restoration experts for aging. It'll be clearly labeled when put on display."

The Museum had many similar exhibits, so Ji Shenyu understood. Ding Hanbai pulled him closer and taught him in detail, "For this piece, first use shallow relief carving to bring out the outline. For finer details, switch to incised lines. Other common techniques include flat surface line carving on a recessed ground, concave line carving, high relief, and openwork carving."

The moment he finished, Ding Hanbai said without pausing, "Repeat that back to me now."

Ji Shenyu repeated it back word for word, made tense by the other's teaching method. He remained by his side, his gaze fixed, combining listening with watching. He would occasionally lend a hand or jot down notes on Ding Hanbai's particular techniques.

The hall remained closed that afternoon. While tourists bustled noisily outside, the two of them were inside, steeped in time as they carved. Ding Hanbai's hands ached and his fingers throbbed; not a single muscle in his body was relaxed. Just as a drop of sweat from his forehead was about to roll into his eye, Ji Shenyu quickly and lightly brushed it away with the back of his hand.

Carving a stone slab was physically draining and demanded immense strength in the fingers and wrist; otherwise, one's work might start out powerful but end up weak. Ding Hanbai put force into every single cut, and had already been working without a break for five or six hours. Suddenly, Ji Shenyu found himself wanting to see Ding Hanbai carve that piece of Hibiscus Stone.

He couldn't imagine how Ding Hanbai would approach a stone as "delicate and beautiful" as the Hibiscus Stone.

"Senior Brother," Ji Shenyu asked, "what are your plans for that Hibiscus Stone?"

Ding Hanbai glanced sidelong at him. "You have the nerve to ask about the Hibiscus Stone?"

Ding Keyu had said the exact same thing last time. 'What does that have to do with me?' Ji Shenyu thought. 'I'm not the one who made those four cuts.' He decided to keep quiet. It wasn't until the museum closed and the last of the visitors had dispersed that he let out an involuntary yawn as Ding Hanbai was putting away his tools.

Ding Hanbai hadn't followed the documents meticulously, deliberately leaving a few damaged notches to make the subsequent aging process easier. His entire hand and arm were aching and cramping, and he couldn't even manage a pleasant expression when the museum staff thanked him.

They left with stomachs empty from a whole day without food. Outside, the air was hot and still, and both of them were feeling drained.

"I'm not going home," said Ding Hanbai. "I'm dead tired. I need to go somewhere to relax properly."

Ji Shenyu felt that lying down on his bed at home was the most relaxing option. "Not going home? Where are we going to relax?" he asked.

Right there on the street, Ding Hanbai lowered his head to answer him. "How do you think a real man unwinds? By stripping naked and having a good time, of course... If you're going, I'll take you with me."

Ji Shenyu's heart started to pound. He had only known that Ding Hanbai was extravagant; he hadn't realized he was also debauched.

He should have refused, but he was also curious. In a daze, he got into the car with Ding Hanbai. The whole way there, he didn't know where to look, trying to conceal a little thrill that was accompanied by overwhelming nervousness.

'Master, I'm about to be corrupted,' he thought.

'Master, you had an affair and gave birth to me, which was pretty bad of you, so don't blame me,' he thought again.

Half an hour later, Ding Hanbai stopped the car by the roadside and killed the engine. He pulled out the key and got out in one smooth motion, as if he couldn't wait. Ji Shenyu followed with his head lowered, catching a glimpse of an imposing entrance in his peripheral vision. He stepped onto the staircase of what must be a den of pleasure, just a few more steps from entering this land of sensual delights.

Ding Hanbai suddenly turned back. "Ever had a proper scrub-down?"

Ji Shenyu lifted his face blankly and saw the sign: Dazhong Bathhouse, Huaqingchi Bathhouse.