The cold weather enveloped Jiangning City from the beginning of the eleventh lunar month. On the eighth and ninth days, it began to snow. With goose feather-like snowflakes, a white coat quietly wrapped the entire ancient city.

The snow hadn't yet accumulated enough to prevent people from going out, but according to past habits, since it had already started, it might continue until the spring of next year. Snowflakes would fall intermittently over these two to three months. For impoverished families, such weather made it nearly impossible to leave their homes. Some lacked even winter clothing, and when heavy snow sealed off the mountains, they could only huddle under quilts on their *炕* (a traditional Chinese heated platform) all day long. Winter was a difficult time for most people in this era.

Jiangning, as a large city, fared better, as commerce was developed and there were quite a few wealthy families. In the days following the first snowfall, the school remained open. Of course, a few students who lived outside the city didn't come, which was normal. The teacher had a small pot of charcoal for warmth, and the students could only rely on the doors and windows to block the wind. Fortunately, they were all young and full of vitality, so it wasn't a big problem. The two female students each had a beautiful hand warmer, nestled in their arms. Their families had initially forbidden them from attending school, but they couldn't bear to miss the stories Ning Yi told, so they still came to listen.

Old Qin's chess stall naturally closed as the weather turned cold. Ning Yi visited his home a few times, but not too frequently. However, for the old man, having someone to talk to who would visit was a good thing. He even encountered Kang Xian once, who brought several ancient paintings for Qin to appraise and stamp with his seal.

After the heavy snow, Ning Yi built a snowman in the Su family's courtyard. The Su residence was most enchanting at night. Looking out from the second floor, the lights moving between the courtyards and houses were warm and beautiful, classically oriental. The light seemed to ooze from a gorgeous oil painting. If he had a camera, Ning Yi would have liked to take some aerial shots as a souvenir. But the wind was strong on the second floor, and after standing there for a while, Xiao Chan would come up to call him down.

It was more enjoyable to sit in the downstairs living room, by the fire, chatting, playing chess, and reading. Su Tan'er and a few maids would choose fabrics and do embroidery. Ning Yi's relationship with Su Tan'er and her servants was naturally good. They would sit together and play Gomoku. Xing'er, who loved gossip, would occasionally tell interesting stories that happened in the mansion. Occasionally, the little maids would argue about the content of Ning Yi's stories: Who was fiercer, the fox demon or the great general? Did General Xiahou, who loved to eat eyes, have a beard? Or, were the killed female demons innocent? They would sometimes run over to ask Ning Yi, letting him decide the winner.

Su Tan'er also gradually came to like the simple game of Gomoku. Every few days, she would check the accounts and sit alone to calculate. The three little maids would occasionally help. When playing chess with Ning Yi, she would casually talk about the interesting things happening among the relatives in the big house, briefly revealing the relationships between them.

Occasionally, relatives would come to visit at night. After the snow, some of Ning Yi's students in the school would occasionally come to pay their respects, but in reality, they wanted to hear more stories. Purely in terms of storytelling, Su Tan'er also liked to listen to these things, sitting aside with her needlework, listening to the stories.

Sometimes, some siblings would come over. The younger ones called Su Tan'er "Second Sister," mostly wanting to do something but lacking money, so they came to her to complain, hoping to get some silver. Su Tan'er was good to these people, and they knew that as long as they had some sense, Su Tan'er would mostly give it to them. If they asked for a hundred *guan* (a string of copper coins), they could usually get sixty to eighty. They would just have to listen to Su Tan'er's instructions and nagging. What they got was enough for them to spend a few good nights drinking in the Qinhuai River.

These people naturally gave progressive excuses, but Ning Yi, who wasn't even familiar with these cousins, could see clearly what was actually going on. Su Tan'er was quite patient. No matter what excuse the other party gave, she always pretended to believe it completely, offering sincere advice and reminding them not to waste money. If they claimed to be older brothers, she would be extremely humble, acting like a very well-behaved younger sister, occasionally teasing, "When will that girl from Chunfeng Court become my sister-in-law?" She was incredibly kind. After they left, she put away the small box containing the silver notes, still with a clear, kind smile. Afterward, she would tell Ning Yi funny stories about this cousin, all good things, radiating pride and deep affection.

Ning Yi found these scenes interesting. There might be some affection, but he also understood why people said that there were no capable people in the third generation of the Su family. Su Tan'er's marriage had been delayed for a few years. At nineteen years old, she was considered an old maid, but Ning Yi didn't see it that way. His wife, who had already begun to take control of the Su family's main branch, still had the appearance and figure of a young girl, even with a hint of naivety when she spoke and smiled. But the sense of propriety contained in her actions was not to be underestimated.

Being able to gather together every day, playing chess, telling stories, and talking about family matters, the atmosphere between Ning Yi and Su Tan'er was naturally more relaxed than just eating together every day. Afterward, Su Tan'er proposed that Ning Yi occasionally accompany her when she went out to visit people she needed to see.

Su's family had a large fabric business, with many dependent merchants and business partners, some reliable and some not. Su Tan'er occasionally went out to visit other people to discuss business, and it was always better to have a man accompanying her. In fact, these visits before the New Year were not very necessary, but once the New Year passed, it would be very important for them to go out together to pay New Year visits to every household. Su Tan'er's invitation was actually to help Ning Yi become familiar with these matters. Of course, after a few days, she was pleased to find that Ning Yi was at least very competent as a decoration.

Ning Yi had little interest in these people's business dealings. When others talked business, he would pretend to drink tea, look at calligraphy and paintings, and smile absentmindedly. If someone greeted him or tried to start a conversation, he would naturally use his all-purpose skills to get by, only showing the appearance of a polite scholar. Su Tan'er brought him along only to make sure he could naturally handle others' greetings, without causing any ill feelings. These people had more or less business connections with the Su family, and knew that Ning Yi had married into the family, so they wouldn't make things difficult for him. Of course, some had heard of Ning Yi's reputation and would find someone to talk to him about poetry and literature. These casual chats weren't serious examinations, and Ning Yi naturally handled them easily.

Which family or household they were going to visit, Su Tan'er would often tell Ning Yi about the background while laughing and joking the day before or on the way. Some were senior figures in the business world who had taken care of the Su family, some were current partners, and some were fence-sitters who blew with the wind. In this mode of interaction, she and Ning Yi had a very harmonious relationship. When they went out, she would smile and tell Ning Yi about the results of the trip, making a few jokes or scolding lightly, "Old fox, wouldn't reveal anything at all."

Most of the trips were such boring things. Of course, there were occasional exceptions, such as the visit on November 14th, which made Ning Yi feel... that he was really bored to the core...

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"...The He brothers' silk business is quite large. These two brothers are also capable, but they haven't been stable. After the last batch of business they did with us, I heard they've already agreed to cooperate with the Xue family this time. Today, we're just paying our respects..."

In the carriage, Su Tan'er said while turning the small beads in her hand. Ning Yi nodded.

"So, we can just go through the motions?"

"Hehe, you can just go through the motions." She smiled and put the beads on her wrist, raised her head, and tilted her head to arrange the hair behind her ears. "After you've gone through the motions, do you have anything to do this afternoon?"

"I plan to go to the bookstore in the east of the city to look for a Tang Dynasty classic."

"If I finish early, I'll accompany you."

"Okay."

This was a business deal that wouldn't be made anyway, so they were only visiting to maintain goodwill, as Ning Yi said, just going through the motions would be enough. However, it would be quite disappointing if there was always a fly buzzing around during the harmonious process. Besides Su Tan'er and Ning Yi, people from two other merchant families also came to visit the He family this afternoon. Therefore, He Jun, the eldest of the He brothers, the silk merchant whom Su Tan'er called Uncle, hosted everyone in a partial hall on the side of the garden. Several large stoves kept the surrounding area warm. From here, you could see the snowy scenery of the garden, making the atmosphere quite elegant. His son, He Tingguang, also accompanied them as the host.

There were two main people in charge of the He family. Besides He Jun, the second brother, He Feng, was the one with the most business acumen. Su Tan'er only came to say hello. After the tea party started, she, the three maids, and the others went to the garden to enjoy the snow. Then she encountered He Feng, who came from that side. Looking from this side, they were talking over there. With fewer people in the partial hall, He Tingguang began to pester Ning Yi about his poetic talent. He probably didn't believe that Ning Yi had much talent, wanting to test him. Unfortunately, he didn't have much talent himself. Ning Yi brushed him off with a few words. The other party muttered and muttered, hinting at his friendship with the great talent Xue Jin and offering a few of Xue Jin's new works for Ning Yi to evaluate.

This guy is also an incompetent... Ning Yi felt bored. He Jun, He Tingguang's father, probably also felt that his son was saying something meaningless, and helped to smooth things over with a few words. Ning Yi naturally had to respond: "I heard from Tan'er that the scale of the He family's silk business is impressive. Is it mainly in the Shouzhou area?"

He Jun frowned, but He Tingguang laughed: "Let me tell you, elder brother, our family mainly operates in the Luzhou and Chaohu areas. If you have time to travel in the future, elder brother, don't get the wrong place..."

Ning Yi was stunned, and then nodded after a moment: "Oh, I see... Luzhou and Shouzhou aren't far apart. Raw silk is transported there..."

He Jun didn't know what he was thinking, but his brow furrowed even deeper: "Why did nephew suddenly mention Shouzhou?"

"It's nothing. Doesn't the Xue family have a workshop in Shouzhou, managed by Shopkeeper Yan? I seem to have heard someone say last time... so I thought the He family's business would be in Shouzhou..."

He Tingguang laughed loudly: "Elder brother doesn't understand these things, so don't talk nonsense. Shopkeeper Yan is clearly responsible for the affairs of Luzhou. The uncles present here probably all know that. If you don't believe me, you can ask the uncles, haha..."

As he said this, the people from the other two shops also laughed, confirming it. Ning Yi smiled and nodded: "I don't understand these things. I occasionally hear a few scraps of news and get it wrong, get it wrong..." Everyone knew his son-in-law status, so they didn't find this strange, just smiled. He Jun said in a deep voice: "I wonder where nephew heard these scraps of news from."

Ning Yi looked at his serious expression, thought about it with some doubt, and then shook his head blankly: "I just... occasionally heard people chatting a few words, uh... I'm not sure about the specifics, ha, please forgive my ignorance, uncle. Tan'er understands this business matter, but I don't understand it. I don't know much about the Xue family either, but I mixed up Luzhou and Shouzhou, haha..."

After he glossed over it like this, the whole thing became a bit strange. He Jun frowned, seeming to be thinking about something important, and then called a steward over and instructed him a few words. Ning Yi frowned: I just said it casually, did I really guess it right...

These days, he had been running around with Su Tan'er. Although he wasn't interested in other people's business talks, he could slowly build up an outline in his mind, who was doing what business, and how to operate the overall situation. These things, whether he intentionally thought about them or not, could be presented clearly or vaguely in front of him, with a possible outline. At this time, mentioning Shouzhou was just a random way to dismiss He Tingguang's topic. He only vaguely felt from the casual chats he had heard in the previous days that the Xue family's business might be changing, that the center of gravity of Luzhou might be shifting to Shouzhou, and that in the direction of Shouzhou, there was actually a silk merchant who opposed the He family and might intervene... These things were just vague outlines for him, he had no certainty, but he could keenly feel a key point in it. But from the results, it seemed that he had really said something right...

So, after saying goodbye and leaving not long after, when Ning Yi and Su Tan'er said goodbye to He Jun and prepared to get into the carriage, He Feng chased out from behind, exchanging a serious look with He Jun: "Please wait a moment, niece. Has Su's family decided on their plans for the spring silk in the nearby areas? If you have time today, niece, I have a batch of spring silk business that I would like to discuss with you..."

Su Tan'er turned her head, looking puzzled, not understanding why there would suddenly be such a change. With her back to that side, Ning Yi rolled his eyes boredly.

"Damn it... I was too talkative..."

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