The pale moonlight filtered through the wax paper of the window, casting a thin glow that softened the darkness inside the room rather than deepening it, stirring a stillness that pulled the mind toward sleep.

Ding Songyan lay quietly with his thoughts for a while, then turned his head toward the screen and called out in a low voice.

"Little Sister."

No response. Only the faint, steady rhythm of breathing, so soft it could barely be heard unless you held your own breath to listen.

She’s asleep... Ding Songyan looked away.

He had just remembered that he had never thought to ask about the Zhen household, what it was, what standing it held in Dingjiang Prefecture, and whether it had recently become entangled in any trouble.

He was beginning to think that what had happened to his predecessor, an ordinary storyteller by all accounts, really might have something to do with the Zhen family.

Forget it, I’ll ask in the morning... He closed his eyes and tried to coax sleep, but it would not come.

After graduation he had worked two years, then spent many more building his business, always far from home, returning no more than twice a year. There had been nights like this before, lying awake in the small hours, feeling the hollow ache of wanting to go home. But most of the time he had felt nothing of the sort, and he had mocked himself for it, calling himself cold-hearted. Yet now, in this moment, a melancholy settled over him that he could find no way to shake.

The old poets could still say: May we both live long, and share this moonlight across a thousand miles. But for him, this moon was not that moon, and tonight’s moon was not the moon of any life he had known.

Then, from the other side of the screen, Ding Qingyan let out a murmur.

"I want to learn martial arts..."

The words trailed into silence with nothing to follow them.

Talking in her sleep... Ding Songyan opened his eyes and looked instinctively toward the simple screen.

Several moments passed. He said to himself, without sound, "Who doesn’t?"

He returned his gaze to the shadowed rafters.

Then Ding Qingyan mumbled again, her words half-formed.

"Mother, Second Brother... I won’t let anyone bully you again..."

Ding Songyan froze when he heard it. It was a long moment before a quiet, rueful laugh came out of him.

The small sounds of a girl turning over in her sleep filled the room, and gradually his mind settled. Sleep came at last.

...

The next morning, the night-soil cart arrived and drove away the dark, jolting the morning awake.

Ding Songyan carried his chamber bucket out into the courtyard and found his father, Ding Shengyi, already pulling open the front gate.

The mosquitoes resting near the elm tree scattered all at once, drawing after them a cluster of moths that seemed to have been hiding somewhere nearby.

One by one they emptied their buckets into the cart, then used the rinse water to water the tree. As they finished, Ding Songyan heard his father, who had already put on his four-cornered settled cap, say to Liu Yuzao with unconcealed admiration, "The nightsoil foreman out there wears rough cloth on the outside, but underneath it’s all silk. Day to day, he lives better than the constable chief at the yamen.

"The nightsoil trade really is a fine trade!"

"The kind of people who can corner that trade are not ordinary people," Liu Yuzao said, without particular feeling.

"If you ask me, it is Dangkang Temple that is the true benefactor of all households. Not only does it offer prayers and rites to harmonize the heavens, its disciples go out through the villages teaching farming techniques and the art of composting. Since His Majesty ascended the throne, the harvests have been good year after year, and the price of nightsoil keeps rising." Ding Shengyi stood before the elm tree with his bristle toothbrush, working on his teeth as he spoke.

And so the morning light passed gently away, in the sound of family talk and a simple breakfast of congee and small dishes.

While Liu Yuzao and the others were clearing away the bowls and wiping down the square table, Ding Shengyi drew Ding Songyan aside.

"You have things to do today. Don’t stint on yourself. Take these two qian of silver." The middle-aged scholar glanced at Liu Yuzao’s back and pressed a small piece of broken silver into Ding Songyan’s hand, speaking quietly. "This is not household money. This is what I have saved on my own. Keep it for yourself."

Ding Songyan, who had nothing to his name, did not refuse.

Ding Shengyi was quiet for two breaths, then said under his breath, "Be careful today. Don’t take risks just because you have the Zhen household’s retainer watching over you."

With that, he patted Ding Songyan on the elbow, picked up his folding fan, and went out through the courtyard door.

Ding Songyan had not yet turned back to help his mother and sister clear up when Bull came over, scratching his head with a shamefaced look.

"Songyan, I don’t have much on me. Gave it all to Mother. If you can’t find anything to eat at midday, come find me at the docks. I’ll share whatever I’ve got."

"All right." Ding Songyan said.

After Bull left, Liu Yuzao finished tidying up and came to Ding Songyan with her black gauze veil hat in hand.

"I am going to copy Buddhist sutras today. Here are two qian of silver." Her tone was matter-of-fact, as though she did not want him to feel the weight of it. "If you are only wandering about Dangkang Temple today, that will look suspicious. Buy something to eat if anything takes your fancy. Buy something if you like the look of it."

Having been pressed with yet another piece of broken silver, Ding Songyan was at a loss for words.

He watched his mother go out through the courtyard door and pull it shut behind her. Then Ding Qingyan, hair already dressed in her twin spiral buns, appeared at the doorway of the main room and beckoned to him with a conspiratorial wave.

"Second Brother, come here. Come here."

Ding Songyan went over and laughed softly.

"I am not taking your savings."

The girl puffed her lips.

"So you look down on me? You don’t treat me as your sister, do you?"

She arranged her face into an expression of trembling, imminent tears.

Seeing that Ding Songyan was entirely unmoved, she huffed.

"I just want to give you some copper coins. You’re going to Dangkang Temple today. You’ll definitely want to listen to the storytellers, hear about ancient history, and hear about the jianghu. Are you really going to tip them with silver?"

Excellent read... Ding Songyan had already been turning over the idea of spending the day at the storytelling stalls to start building a picture of how this world worked.

He thought and said, "Fine. Give me some."

Ding Qingyan’s face lit up at once. She bounced back into the west wing and returned with an embroidered coin pouch, its scent faintly sweet.

Inside were several small silver ingots and a good number of loose copper coins.

"These are from Sister Nuansheng, and these are what you used to bring back and give me after your storytelling, telling me to save up something of my own rather than relying only on Father and Mother. There’s still quite a bit left in the box..." Ding Qingyan counted out the copper coins as she talked, her voice going on and on.

Then, gradually, she fell quiet.

When Ding Songyan took the coins from her, Ding Qingyan’s smile came back. She raised a small fist.

"Second Brother, even if you’ve forgotten it all, I haven’t. And I won’t!"

Ding Songyan exhaled quietly and could only say, in a patronizing way,

"Perhaps it will all come back to me one day."

He turned the coins over in his hands. There were two kinds: one stamped "Xingping Heavy Treasure" with the inscription "worth five," another stamped "Jianwu Circulating Treasure." Together, around fifty wen.

The characters are regular script, traditional form. I can read them well enough... Writing them is another matter... He tucked the two pieces of broken silver into the inner sleeve pocket stitched into the elbow of his pale straight robe, and put the copper coins in the belt pouch at his waist.

He looked up.

"Does Mother believe in Buddhism?"

"No." Ding Qingyan shook her head. "That’s Mother’s job. Many wealthy households, to show their devotion, will have large numbers of Buddhist sutras or Daoist texts copied out, sometimes by family members, sometimes by hired hands. Since it tends to be the women of the household who favor this kind of work, they like to find women from decent families who can read and write to help. When I come of age, I can go too."

"So Mother earns money by copying sutras and scriptures?" Ding Songyan understood now, and confirmed that this world had both Buddhism and Daoism.

"That sort of work is not always available. It usually comes up around Buddhist festivals or when some matriarch of a great house has a birthday." Ding Qingyan held up the coin pouch, which was noticeably heavy. "Most days, Mother works as a hairdresser. She goes into the inner quarters of households and helps the ladies with their elaborate hair arrangements. She also does facial hair removal, ear cleaning, and so on. If there is no work to be had, she stays home and does the washing and laundry with me, and sees to the food."

Ding Songyan nodded, then glanced at Ding Qingyan with a trace of concern.

"So you are home alone much of the time?"

Ding Qingyan burst out laughing.

"Second Brother, don’t worry. There are five watch towers here. The Brightnight Sect and the Yi clan’s arts are both strong in far-sight. Nobody would dare bother me. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Besides, I am quite formidable. Every boy and girl in Chengyu Lane does what I say."

She raised her fist again.

"I am the terror of Chengyu Lane!"

Before Ding Songyan could respond, the girl blinked, and her smile bloomed like a flower opening.

"But the fact that you worried about me makes me happy.

"It means that even though you’ve forgotten everything, Second Brother, the bond between us is still there!"

Knock. Knock. Knock. Someone knocked at the courtyard door.

"Brother Ding, time to go!" A voice like a cracking adolescent called from outside.

Ding Songyan looked at Ding Qingyan. His sister gave a small nod. He crossed to the gate and opened it.

Standing outside was a young man in a narrow-sleeved green robe, his hair tied up in black cloth. By Ding Songyan’s estimate, he stood under 5’7". His features were decent enough, but his bearing was furtive, his eyes darting about in a way that gave him a shifty, weasel-like appearance.

"Oh, Qingyan’s home too." The young man’s gaze slipped straight past Ding Songyan and landed on Ding Qingyan inside the courtyard.

Where else would she be? Ding Songyan looked at the young man and raised an eyebrow.

The young man scrunched up his shoulders and gave an awkward laugh.

"Brother Ding, we ought to get going. I heard you had a bit of trouble yesterday?"

At this point Ding Qingyan called from a few paces back.

"Xu Chang’an, wait a moment. I have a few words for my Second Brother."

"Of course, Sister Qingyan." Xu Chang’an nodded quickly and waved at her.

Ding Songyan went back inside, signaling for her to share her piece.

Ding Qingyan pulled him toward the main room and lowered her voice.

"That’s Xu Chang’an. He also lives in Chengyu Lane, over by the well. You used to like going to Dangkang Temple with him.

"He is a thief."

"A thief?" Ding Songyan’s hand moved instinctively toward the elbow of his sleeve.

Ding Qingyan laughed.

"He wouldn’t dare steal from you. Not if he wants to answer to the terror of Chengyu Lane!

"Listen, while you’re out today, would you help me pick out a gift for Qu Zhongheng? He went to all that trouble for us yesterday and we ought to show some appreciation. You can’t let too many favors pile up unreturned. Remember, he likes mechanical toys and gadgets. I’ll give you the money this evening."

That is the right thing to do... Ding Songyan approved.

His sister added a few more reminders and gave him a brief account of the Zhen household’s situation, then let Ding Songyan go out with Xu Chang’an and leave Chengyu Lane.

"Brother Ding, what happened to you yesterday?" Xu Chang’an asked along the way, unable to contain his curiosity.

He was genuinely concerned, of course. In his own mind, this was his future brother-in-law.

Ding Songyan was unhurried. Rather than answering, he turned the question around.

"What time did you leave Dangkang Temple yesterday?"

"After the evening gathering. I came looking for you but you’re already gone." Xu Chang’an answered without suspicion.

The previous Ding Songyan’s movements really were strange... Ding Songyan did not explain anything. He simply kept asking questions, drawing out information and building up his picture of things.

Talking and joking as they went, the two of them walked to Dangkang Temple on the eastern side of the prefectural city.

The market outside the temple was vast, the crowd thick and jostling shoulder to shoulder. Fruit, vegetables, preserved meats, pearl ornaments and jade pendants, blades and weapons, folding fans, sugar figurines and candied fish, all on display. Fire-breathers and Daoist conjurers performed, along with kickball players and acrobats, singers and dancers. Gambling stalls and pitch-pot games tried to lure in passersby, while traveling medicine sellers peddled dubious remedies and plain old licorice. It was everywhere at once.

Through the clamor of hawkers and calls, Ding Songyan and Xu Chang’an came to a stop beside a storyteller’s pitch.

"Last time, we left off with Jin Shaochong, a true-lineage disciple of the Gan Kingdom’s Everlasting Sect, who set out to challenge the jianghu with his sword. But before he ever reached New Yu or our Great Zhao, he was met in the Five Mounds Mountains of the Gan Kingdom by Su Yunzhang, the fourth-generation disciple of the Celestial Maiden Sect, who broke his Seven Killing Sword Art with his Twelve Ways of the Great Void, and told him plainly that his weakness was an insufficiently firm killing intent.

"Su Yunzhang’s name shook the world that day. Those who enjoy such things placed him on the Jianghu’s Jade Tree Rankings, with the comment: ’clear and graceful, brilliant and free.’"