When the mute uncle entered to attend to him, Fang Zesheng was sitting at the desk with a dark expression. His earlobes were bright red, and beneath the cover of his wide sleeves, his hands shook uncontrollably as though he were holding back a surge of fury with nowhere to release it.
The mute uncle rarely saw him like this and hurriedly bowed his hunched back while gesturing: Are you upset with the Second Master?
Fang Zesheng did not speak. His ears turned a deeper shade of red and as if thinking of something, his face began to flush as well after a moment. He muttered to himself, “Whether he drowns or chokes, it has nothing to do with me.”
The mute uncle was baffled and looked at Fang Zesheng in confusion.
Fang Zesheng frowned, saying regretfully, “Just now, that is what I should have said.”
Words spoken are like spilled water; things cannot be done over, and Fu Jingxuan would not come running back to the study to tear up the divorce papers again just to allow the Head Merchant of the Fang family a chance to reconsider and rephrase his words.
There was half a month left before the Tea Tasting Convention.
Tao Xianzhi had been traveling back and forth with Old Master Tao. After finishing his immediate tasks, he returned to the Fang residence to catch up with Fu Jingxuan and stayed there. As an honored guest, Wang Xiuhe dared not neglect him; she specially arranged four personal servants to attend to him in the inner courtyard and even thoroughly cleaned a courtyard that had been overgrown with cobwebs and dust.
“Since Zesheng’s accident, he has become far more withdrawn and refuses to meet outsiders, which has made it difficult for me to assign servants to attend to him.” Dressed in a lotus-purple long dress embroidered with cloud-patterned lotuses and holding a white porcelain lidded teacup, Wang Xiuhe sat in the primary seat of the inner courtyard’s flower hall. “Now that Young Master Tao has come for a short stay, I count on you and Jingxuan to provide him with more guidance so that he may open his heart and eventually take over the business from my hands.”
Young Master Tao was dressed vibrantly today in a water-blue robe, which looked somewhat gaudy compared to Fu Jingxuan’s bamboo-green long shirt. He held his teacup and then set it down before standing up to face Wang Xiuhe. He said respectfully, “Please rest assured, Madam Wang. The Head Merchant and I have been close since childhood; I certainly cannot watch him sink into despair like this. I will do whatever it takes to help him regain his confidence and inherit the Fang family’s foundation.”
Madam Wang’s eyes reddened slightly. She took out a silk handkerchief embroidered with a simurgh to dab at the unshed tears in her eyes before saying gratefully, “Thank you for your hard work, Young Master Tao. Please rest well in the mansion over the next few days.”
Tao Xianzhi followed her lead by pretending to tear up and sniffing his nose. However, the moment Madam Wang left, his expression shifted, and he rolled his eyes. Having sent the four servants away to unpack his luggage, he finally had the chance to be alone with Fu Jingxuan. They moved to the osmanthus tree in the courtyard and set out a game of chess.
It was early summer with the warm breeze blowing gently.
The lotus pond had been replenished with fresh water, and several carp caught that very morning swam about in lively delight. Tao Xianzhi took the black stones to move first and hummed, “Tell me, just what kind of important figure can Wang Xiuhe possibly invite to act as a judge?”
Fu Jingxuan remained silent for a long while before finally placing a piece. “The authorities.”
“I know it’s the authorities, but it depends on what kind of official, right? If she steps into the tea market now, she’ll be effectively cut off and left without backing; I doubt many from the Fang family’s maternal side would be willing to lend her support. Beyond the four great families, the Zhao, Lin, Wei, and Chen clans all lie in wait like predators sizing up their prey, while the three elder branches are poised to divide up the Fang family’s businesses, clawing and scrambling for supremacy. She has devoted years to carefully overseeing the Fang family’s internal affairs; if she doesn’t bring in someone from the imperial clan to take charge this time, she’ll have no chance of securing a foothold in the tea market.” Tao Xianzhi held a chess piece in hand, hesitating again and again as he hovered indecisively over different spots on the board before finally placing it down.
Fu Jingxuan watched the board and let out a languid yawn, casually undoing the trap Tao Xianzhi had so carefully set. “In that case, it’s most likely someone from the imperial family.”
Tao Xianzhi scratched his head while clutching a chess piece and uncertainty of his next move. He couldn’t help but ask, “What kind of extraordinary ability does Wang Xiuhe possess to command such a firm hold over government affairs?”
Fu Jingxuan grew thirsty waiting for him to move and picked up his teacup to moisten his throat. “She naturally has some capability; otherwise, she wouldn’t have made it this far.”
“You might as well have said nothing,” Tao Xianzhi said irritatedly. “Forget it, you don’t care about the tea market anyway. I’m done playing, I’m done playing. Do you want to go get a drink?”
Tao Xianzhi loved to eat and play; in recent years, he had been forced into the business by Old Master Tao. Now that he was reunited with his close friend, he naturally didn’t want to think about business matters any longer.
Fu Jingxuan glanced at the tightly closed doors and windows of the study, called for San Bao, and headed out with Tao Xianzhi.
One day, then two, then three went by. Each day he left in the late morning and returned past midnight. He never stepped into the study, nor did he share a table with Fang Zesheng for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Tonight, Second Master Fu returned even later; the moment he stepped into the courtyard, he saw the candlelight in the study flicker twice and abruptly go out.
Tucking his fan under his arm and strolling with his hands clasped behind his back, Fu Jingxuan hummed a delicate little tune he had just picked up at the teahouse as he made his way back to the main house to wash up and sleep.
The next day, at dawn, the sunlight spilled across the land in golden rays.
Second Master Fu took the initiative to drag Tao Xianzhi out by saying that they should head out early to the flower and bird market to buy a few canaries. This trip lasted until the moon reached the middle of the sky; even after the night watchman began his rounds and struck three times, there was still no sign of Second Master Fu returning home at all.
The lamp in the study remained lit. Fang Zesheng was not yet asleep; he sat at his desk writing. As he wrote, he would occasionally set down his brush and sit quietly for a while. His ears were filled with the noisy chirping of cicadas and the sound of fish playing in the water; there even seemed to be two crickets fighting a fierce battle inside a crevice in the rocks with their cries rising and falling fitfully. Suddenly, a gust of night wind blew through, stirring the branches and sparse green leaves, shattering Young Master Fang’s calm and making it impossible to tell which of the two crickets was winning.
Fang Zesheng frowned inwardly. He initially intended to turn his head toward the window but as if struck by a thought, he first blew out the lamp on the desk. Only then, guided by the moonlight, did he turn his wheelchair and slowly approach the window.
The study window was half-open, offering a clear view of the courtyard gate. At this moment, the courtyard was shrouded in darkness; it was somewhat difficult to discern things under the hazy moonlight. Fang Zesheng rolled his wheelchair a bit closer to the window. Restricted by his mobility, he could only use his arms to support himself as he leaned forward, straining to look outside.
He still wasn’t back.
Fang Zesheng’s frown deepened. He had intended to stay hidden in the dark and wait, but then he heard a rustling sound coming from the corner of the wall; it sounded like the friction of clothing from someone who had been sitting there a long time and was now stretching their limbs.
Fang Zesheng was visibly startled. Before he could even process it, a head adorned with a white jade hairpin popped up from outside the window. With a pair of smiling peach-blossom eyes reflecting the moonlight, the figure grinned and asked, “Are you looking for me?”
The newcomer was none other than Fu Jingxuan, who had been missing all day. It took a long moment for Fang Zesheng to recover his wits as he asked blankly, “When did you get back?”
Holding his folding fan and leaning on the windowsill, Second Master Fu said, “Neither early nor late, exactly before you blew out the lamp.” In the preceding days, he had always returned laughing and chatting with Tao Xianzhi about the day’s amusing events; it was indeed easy to overlook him when he slipped back alone and quietly, just like today.
Realizing he had fallen into a trap, Fang Zesheng asked, “Young Master Tao didn’t return with you?”
Fu Jingxuan replied, “He isn’t coming back tonight.”
Fang Zesheng glanced at the pitch-black main house again. “What about San Bao?”
Fu Jingxuan feigned a difficult position. “San Bao isn’t coming back either. The two of them are still waiting for me at the eating house. I was afraid you might come looking for me in the middle of the night, so I came back specifically to let you know. The drinking session isn’t over yet; I’m afraid I’ll be staying out.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Fang Zesheng’s expression darkened. “You’re going to stay out?”
Second Master Fu didn’t move an inch. He gave a cunning smile while resting his chin on one hand. “I’m not just gonna stay out, I’m going to drink through the night. Drink until dawn, drink until dusk, drink until I can’t rise, drink until I can’t stop vomiting.”
“You…” Fang Zesheng looked at him gloomily. After what seemed like a long struggle, he finally turned his head away and said stiffly, “You’re always running around like this, never staying in my sight.”
“How could I possibly know whether you’re… alive or dead in the water?”
