"Get another set of bowl and chopsticks!"

Jiang Caiwei was ladling soup when she heard the shout. Her hand trembled, nearly dropping the bowl into the pot. The person who shouted was impatient and rushed in before she could bring it out. She handed over the soup and couldn't help but remark, "Well, look at you, getting up so early for work?"

Ding Hanbai downed half the bowl in one gulp. "Cut the sarcasm. If I don't go to work, are you going to support me?"

Jiang Caiwei was choked speechless by her own nephew, who was three years her junior. She balled her fist and punched him on the back to vent her frustration. Then, Jiang Shuliu came in to back her up, "And you blame others for being sarcastic? You take days off with your eyes closed all the time. Even the head of the Cultural Relics Bureau isn't as free as you."

Ding Hanbai had no desire to bicker with these sisters who were like mother and daughter. He squeezed into the kitchen, ate his fill, and left. Having not been to work for several days, he left early. On the way, he bought a cream cake for the cleaning lady, asking her to give his office a thorough cleaning.

In truth, everyone in the office cleaned it themselves, taking turns, or the youngest would voluntarily take on the task. But Ding Hanbai was an exception; holding a broom and dustpan felt like it would shorten his life, so every time it was his turn, he would bribe the building's cleaning lady.

His colleagues arrived one after another and found bracelets on their desks. Ding Hanbai said, "I bought these at the antiques market a few days ago. I've already thrown out the fake ones. You can wear the real ones for fun."

Team Leader Shi asked him, "Did you give one to Director Zhang?"

Ding Hanbai replied, "No. I don't like to suck up to the leadership."

Team Leader Shi was both exasperated and amused. Just looking at his attitude gave him a headache. Just then, Zhang Yin walked in carrying his bag, glanced at everyone, and said good morning. At a look from Team Leader Shi, Ding Hanbai had no choice but to stand up, pat down his pants, smooth his shirt, and follow Zhang Yin into the director's office.

"Rested enough?" Zhang Yin pulled open the blinds. "Curator Li called to say the Han Dynasty Portrait Stone has been repaired. You're welcome to go and inspect it."

Ding Hanbai hadn't been thinking about that matter. He sat quietly, listening to the other man's work arrangements for the coming days. Finally, Zhang Yin asked, "Isn't Jade Pavilion supposed to be above such things? Why are you even selling wooden bracelets now?"

This was clearly a misunderstanding of the bracelets' origin, but Ding Hanbai didn't explain. He pulled a string he had kept for himself from his pocket. "Can't be helped. One can't live on high-mindedness alone. But the wood is all top-grade. This one is for you."

Zhang Yin didn't move. "Alright, go get to work."

Ding Hanbai stuck to him like a plaster. "Burl beads, not a single chip on them. Take a look."

His enthusiastic sales pitch made it impossible for Zhang Yin to maintain his posture. He lowered his gaze to admire the bracelet. The color and density passed muster. Zhang Yin opened a drawer and took out a UV flashlight to examine the grain and stars, looking very satisfied.

"Director, I'll be heading out then?" Ding Hanbai asked softly, getting up to leave. The moment the door closed behind him, he pursed his lips. It wasn't until the afternoon, after Zhang Yin had already paraded around wearing the bracelet, that he suddenly learned it was a street stall item from the Daimao Antique Market—guaranteed authentic, but not high quality. He was so angry he wanted to grab Ding Hanbai and give him a thrashing.

He was thirty percent angry about the item, and seventy percent angry about being made a fool of by Ding Hanbai.

The door to the director's office slammed shut. Everyone bent over their desks, working like mutes. Team Leader Shi wearily slid his chair closer. "Little Ding, why must you go against him like this?"

Ding Hanbai typed away. "Because I can fill out this cultural relic analysis form, and he can't. And if he can't, he should just shut up and be a quail, not single out my family's shop and ruin my mood."

Team Leader Shi gave a helpless laugh. "There are so many people in our unit, but how many of them are actually knowledgeable, right?"

Ding Hanbai typed a period. "It's fine not to know, but I can't stand it when someone with a half-baked understanding shows off and belittles others all day. They really don't know their own worth."

He waited for the printer to run, thinking to himself, 'This job is so boring. It's better to rest at home.'

Thinking of home naturally led him to think of Ji Shenyu. Ji Shenyu had said he'd give him a gift, and he had refused. Then, in the morning, Ji Shenyu had said he would return the favor with something valuable. He held no expectations and figured he wouldn't be surprised in the least.

Ji Shenyu let out a sudden sneeze and stood in the doorway, sniffling.

Just as he was closing the door, Jiang Caiwei came through the archway, her eyes meeting his. "Shenyu, why didn't you eat breakfast?" Jiang Caiwei was very concerned about him and always brought him food. "Your hair is so damp, did you take a shower?"

Ji Shenyu nodded. "Auntie, I won't be eating in the living room for the next couple of days. Please let Master and Madam know for me." Seeing Jiang Caiwei's curiosity, he explained, "I need to make something, so I won't be leaving the courtyard."

Jiang Caiwei asked in surprise, "But that's no reason not to go out or eat, is it? Are you not feeling well and too shy to say so?"

Ji Shenyu was grateful for her consideration. "I'm afraid I'll get distracted and won't be able to do it well. I haven't finished the peach crisps you gave me. If I get hungry, I'll just eat a couple in my room."

He coaxed Jiang Caiwei into agreeing. She even brought him lots of snacks and fruit. As soon as she left, he went into his room, bolted the door, locked the window, and, ignoring his damp hair, took out his exfoliating cream and hand oil as usual to rub on his hands.

His ten fingers were spotless, the pads of his fingers polished smooth and soft. After washing them clean again, the preparatory work was complete. Ji Shenyu sat at the desk, his tools laid out in a row. There were more than a dozen types of carving blades alone, and even an old-fashioned small polisher. In the center of the desk lay the pile of cultural relic fragments, separated into two small heaps. All the fallen calcified material and accretions were also carefully preserved.

Ji Shenyu selected a broken piece from the bottom of a bowl, placed it on a piece of paper, and traced its outline. Then, following the outline, he sorted through the fragments, grasped a knife to cut, and polished with extreme delicacy.

Half a bottle of glue brought from Yangzhou waited on standby. Minutes and seconds ticked by, and a day slipped away. When dusk fell... when the warm yellow light faded, leaving only darkness, that piece was finally done. Fingertips without the slightest callus were the best tools, able to detect any texture that wasn't delicate enough. Ji Shenyu sat in his chair for several hours and finally pieced together the bottom of a bowl.

This was why he couldn't have calluses, and also what he had learned from following Ji Fangxu for many years.

Ding Hanbai had once asked him if he knew how to repair books. He had been evasive. In fact, he did, but restoration was only one part of it. To be precise, the set of skills he had learned was called "Forgery."

Ding Hanbai didn't return to the small courtyard. When he got home, he went straight to the main living room to wait for dinner. During the meal, the seat to his left was empty. He couldn't nudge anyone with his elbow, and it actually felt a little strange. After dinner, he watched TV with Jiang Shuliu. As long as he worked diligently, he was the apple of his mother's eye. While watching TV, he was fed a bellyful of snacks.

When he returned to the small courtyard late at night, he saw that Ji Shenyu's door was closed. He took a shower, and when he came back, the door was still closed. So he simply sat on the veranda and read that book, 'Like Mountains, Like Seas', volume after volume. The volume on antiquities was so interesting that he read it over and over.

A cool breeze helped turn the pages, while the cicadas shrieked disruptively. Ding Hanbai's eyes grew tired. He glanced back at the bedroom door and coughed. "Strange! A strong wind and a drop in temperature in the middle of summer!"

Ji Shenyu was busy, meticulously working, so quiet it was as if he had stopped breathing.

Ding Hanbai cast his bait but didn't catch any fish. He put away his book and prepared for bed, strolling to the other person's door. His curiosity, along with the lamplight, grew and grew. "Ji Zhenzhu, what are you doing?" he asked earnestly. "Are you hungry? Let's go to the kitchen and heat up a bowl of fish soup?"

Ji Shenyu, disturbed, was at his wit's end. "I'm not hungry."

Ding Hanbai tried another tack. "Something really funny happened at work today. Open the door and I'll tell you about it."

Ji Shenyu said, "I don't want to hear it."

"..." The more he was rejected, the more curious he became. Ding Hanbai wished he could poke a hole in the door panel. "There's a mistake in the fourth volume of this book. It's all wrong about Cizhou ware. Come and take a look."

Ji Shenyu grew impatient. "I won't look, go away."

Ding Hanbai, who had been doted on by Jiang Shuliu all evening, now stood outside the door experiencing the coldness of the world. In the end, he left in a huff. After a night's sleep, he decided to ignore Ji Shenyu the next day, only to come out and find the neighboring door still closed.

The footsteps faded. Ji Shenyu blinked his weary eyes. Before him was the fledgling form of a Celadon Vase, still unfinished at the neck. He opened the door to wash up, came back in less than ten minutes to lock the door again, and ate only a few bites of a snack, otherwise a full stomach would make him even sleepier.

Clouds came and went; the sky turned overcast.

On his way home from work, Ding Hanbai was soaked to the bone. He ran back and headed straight for his bedroom. Only after changing his clothes did he poke his head out in realization. As expected, the door next to his was still closed. 'Even if you were digging a tunnel, you'd have to come out for a drink of water or to take a piss, right?'

Footsteps drew near. Ji Shenyu tilted his head, polishing the mouth of the vase, and caught a glimpse of the shadow outside the door from the corner of his eye.

Ding Hanbai asked, "Are you building an atomic bomb in there?"

Ji Shenyu didn't look up, just smiled. Ding Hanbai asked again, "You said you'd give me a gift and then disappeared. Having regrets?"

Ji Shenyu was sick to death of this person. He took a deep breath to keep his hands steady. Ding Hanbai, feeling snubbed, finally left. He had secluded himself for two days and one night, using the piecing method to preliminarily complete the Celadon Vase. Because the porcelain shards themselves were marine-salvaged artifacts, the subsequent processing was much simpler.

He stayed up another whole night, creating the texture and markings on the vase, and applying the scraped-off sediment and bryozoa back onto it. The rain kept dripping. He focused on completing dozens of steps, and by the time the sky was about to brighten, he was so cold he could no longer feel a normal temperature.

Ding Hanbai put on an extra jacket and went to work in silence, no longer approaching the door to ask questions.

A person's curiosity has its limits. Once it peaks, it recedes. He didn't care anymore.

On rainy days, spirits were lazy. No one in the office was busy with work; even Zhang Yin was wandering around aimlessly with his water cup. Ding Hanbai stood at the window looking at the scenery. He touched a maple vine that had crept up the windowsill, crushed it in his hand, and then tossed it down, leaving his hand stained with wet green.

He guessed that Ding Yanshou was probably at Jade Pavilion reading the newspaper right now. How pathetic that business was so slow.

He also guessed that Jiang Caiwei was in her office drinking hot water, wearing a skirt despite the drop in temperature. So vain.

His thoughts finally turned back home, to Ji Shenyu who was "building a cart behind closed doors"—so secretive, whetting one's appetite.

Ding Hanbai wasn't wrong. At home, the door was still closed, and the "cart" was nearing completion. Ji Shenyu's ten fingers were red. Holding the knife for too long had flattened the pads of his fingers, and soaking them in medicinal gelatin had damaged his skin. Yet, he strived for perfection, refusing to be the least bit careless.

He wanted to give Ding Hanbai a gift in return—a Gold Bookmark plus an Amber Pendant. He couldn't afford to be stingy, so he had to get some money first. He had originally collected these fragments to practice his skills. Now they could be put to good use. Once he finished, he could take it to the antiques market to sell, and then he would have funds.

Ji Shenyu absolutely could not tell anyone about this. His family was in the carving business, but this forgery was much more time-consuming and laborious than carving. If people found out, it would only cause trouble. Moreover, although Ji Fangxu had dabbled in antiques and made many friends, few people knew he had these skills, because this was a secret talent, not an amusing hobby to be broadcast to the world.

There was another point. Ji Shenyu remembered that day at the Daimao Antique Market, Ding Hanbai had told him he could distinguish real from fake. His expression and tone had been relaxed and arrogant, as if beyond doubt. If Ding Hanbai were to find out that he knew forgery, he couldn't imagine what his reaction would be.

Pondering and deliberating, Ji Shenyu finally finished his work, just as the rain stopped.

He placed the Celadon Vase in a cabinet to air-dry, and with his last bit of strength, he cleaned the desktop. He had no mind to fill his stomach, no energy to shower and change clothes, not even enough strength to open the door or push open the window.

After three days and two nights without sleep, his taut nerves relaxed the moment he lay down on the bed. Ji Shenyu fell asleep without undressing, hastily meeting the Duke of Zhou.

After the rain, it grew colder and colder. For dinner, they had a meatball casserole. After the meal, Jiang Shuliu heated a separately dished-out bowl and asked Ding Hanbai to take it to Ji Shenyu. Ding Hanbai was very annoyed and reluctantly took it out. After taking two steps, he turned back. "Get the sesame seed cakes too..."

He returned to the small courtyard carrying the tray and was surprised to find the lights off. "Ji Zhenzhu?" he called, placing the tray on the veranda. "My mom heated up some soup for you. Open the door and eat."

There was no movement inside. He didn't want to act like a waiter. "I've put it down. Eat it or don't."

Ding Hanbai stalked off and buried himself in the study to draw. He drew until the middle of the night, forgetting everything that had happened. Returning to his room to sleep, he smelled an aroma that woke him up. He looked again at the tray on the veranda—the food hadn't been touched at all?!

He charged straight to the door and pounded on it forcefully. "Open up! I don't believe this. Is this your house or my house?"

He knocked for a long time, but there was no response from inside. Ding Hanbai stopped, his hand paused, and he suddenly panicked. 'Could something have happened inside? Ji Shenyu doesn't have some kind of hereditary heart disease, has he... died in there?'

"Ji Zhenzhu!" he roared, and with a powerful kick, he burst the door open and rushed in. He smelled a sour medicinal odor... He turned on the light. The room was tidy, and the sound of steady breathing came from the bed.

Ji Shenyu was curled into a ball, obviously cold.

"So damn... mysterious." Ding Hanbai walked to the bedside, pulled the quilt open to cover him, and only then did he realize that Ji Shenyu hadn't changed into his pajamas. His face was dirty, he had dark circles under his eyes, his cheeks were thin, and his hands were mottled with marks.

He wrung out a wet towel and sat down by the bed. He brushed aside a handful of fine, soft hair and began to wipe Ji Shenyu's face, starting from his forehead. He was so rough that, while all his shouting and yelling hadn't woken the person up, his wiping actually did.

Ji Shenyu's face was flushed red, and he grimaced in pain. "I won't do it again..."

Ding Hanbai stopped. "Won't do what again?"

Ji Shenyu, his eyes still closed, mumbled deliriously, "I won't sneak food again."

So he had mistaken Ding Hanbai for Ji Fangxu's wife and thought the pain was from a slap. "This Madam will wipe it for you," Ding Hanbai said, his voice changing with anger. He rubbed his face carelessly again, then wiped Ji Shenyu's hands.

He was extremely careful, always afraid that the slightest force would break the skin on those fingers. Ding Hanbai studied them, wondering what kind of work had made them like this. After a long while, he looked up and found that Ji Shenyu was clearly awake.

Staring at him blankly, silently.

Ding Hanbai put the hand down. "Are you hungry?"

Seeing the other nod, he added, "I'll perform a magic trick for you."

Ji Shenyu closed his eyes and heard Ding Hanbai get up, heard his footsteps leave the bedroom, and then return. When Ding Hanbai told him to open his eyes, he saw a bowl of meatball soup and two sesame seed cakes placed by the bed.

Ding Hanbai went back to sleep without asking anything.

The rain started to fall again. In a daze, Ji Shenyu forgot the scenery of Yangzhou.