Ning Yi had never delved deeply into the classics, and his rote memorization skills were poor, meaning he wasn’t formally trained. Qin, being a great scholar himself, had naturally discerned this over time and gave him the compliment “knowledgeable without formal training,” which was actually quite high praise. Ning Yi merely smiled in response.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a live-in son-in-law. Look at me: I come out to drink tea and play Go every day. Chan'er handles the money, and I live comfortably. Soon, I’ll be teaching students, which is hardly a burden. I’m lazy by nature, so I’d say I’m doing pretty well.”

Though he spoke lightly, the reality was that a son-in-law’s status was lower than that of a wife’s in those days. While a wife’s spirit tablet could be placed in the ancestral hall after her death, a son-in-law wasn’t even qualified for such an honor. In many ways, he was no better than a concubine. In a sense, becoming a live-in son-in-law meant that all hopes of personal advancement were cut off. He was nothing more than an accessory of the Su family. Ning Yi, with all his worldly experiences from his previous life, could accept this fate, but most young men wouldn’t have been able to. Qin, recognizing his talent, couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for him.

“Besides, the Su family is a merchant family. Merchants, while they do care about reputation, ultimately prioritize profit. Even if you have talent and knowledge, you’ll never gain any real power or prestige.”

Qin’s words reflected his deep understanding of the situation. Regardless of society’s views on live-in sons-in-law, even if Ning Yi had talent, the Su family wouldn’t want him pursuing the imperial exams and achieving an official rank. The reason they had him marry into the family in the first place was because they believed him to be a bookish fool. Su Lao Taigong was a man of honor, keeping a promise made to Ning Yi’s elders, and Ning Yi’s scholarly aura was an added bonus. From Su Tan’er’s perspective, he was someone she could easily control. Even Ning Yi recognized that his predecessor had been lucky to marry into the Su family, and he held no grudge against them for it.

However, when Qin began discussing the Su family’s affairs, Chan'er, who had been listening quietly, blushed deeply. Unable to hold back any longer, she stepped forward.

“Old Master... our Young Mistress has never treated the Master unfairly. She’s a good person and would never wrong him in the future!”

The little maid was so earnest that it was almost comical. She had grown up alongside Su Tan’er and regarded her like a sister. Although she didn’t fully understand the deeper meaning behind Qin’s words, she could tell that he was speaking ill of the Su family. Normally, a maid would never dare interrupt when her master was speaking to outsiders, but given Ning Yi’s unique status as a son-in-law, the boundaries were less clear. Chan'er, being well-bred and loyal, was more concerned about defending Su Tan’er’s reputation. Mustering all her courage, she nervously clenched her fists in front of her chest and spoke up.

Chan'er was usually quiet and well-behaved, and Qin had grown accustomed to her presence. Now, seeing her speak up, he was momentarily taken aback. Ning Yi glanced at her a few times before breaking into a smile as he placed another Go piece on the board.

“Haha, you old man, worrying about nothing. Now you’ve gone and upset Chan'er. If word of this gets back to the Su family, I’ll be the one in trouble.”

Qin laughed as well. “Haha, I misspoke, I misspoke. I assure you, Chan'er, I wasn’t criticizing the Su family. Still, it was wrong of me to comment on someone else’s household affairs. My apologies, my apologies...”

Qin apologized good-naturedly, and while Chan'er wasn’t truly angry, her expression remained serious. The look of earnest concentration on her face didn’t fade, even after they left. In fact, it seemed to grow even more intense. She trailed behind Ning Yi, her small frame seeming even smaller due to her silence. Ning Yi glanced back with a sigh, trying to comfort her.

“What’s wrong? Are you still mad?”

Before he could finish his sentence, Chan'er’s shoulders shook, her lips quivered, and tears began to roll down her cheeks like pearls from a broken string.

This was more serious than Ning Yi had expected. He paused, softening his tone. “What’s the matter?”

“Chan'er...” The little maid sniffled and looked up at him with teary eyes. “Chan'er may be just a lowly servant girl, but I’d never gossip about something like this. When you said it might spread, you were implying that I... that I’m not trustworthy...”

Her shoulders trembled as she sobbed harder. Ning Yi stared at her for a moment, realizing that she hadn’t been upset by Qin’s words at all, but by his own careless joke. Unable to suppress his laughter, he finally chuckled.

“Master... you’re still...”

Before she could finish, her words were interrupted by a gasp. Ning Yi had suddenly reached out and pinched her cheeks, pulling them into a wide pancake-like shape. Chan'er’s eyes widened in surprise, round like lanterns, blinking in confusion. After a moment, Ning Yi released her cheeks, gently patted her on the shoulder, and said, “Let’s go.” Then he turned and walked away.

After a moment, Chan'er caught up, her face still flushed with embarrassment and shock. “Master... Master, you...” She wanted to protest Ning Yi’s earlier behavior. In fact, this situation could be seen as either serious or trivial. Over the past few months, the two had spent a lot of time together, and there were occasional moments when Chan'er helped him measure clothes, or even helped him dress. Such instances of physical contact were not uncommon, but they were always incidental and unintentional.

The history that Ning Yi now found himself living in had gone slightly astray, but in many ways, the Wu Dynasty and the Song Dynasty were quite similar. Even though Neo-Confucianism hadn’t yet emerged in its exact form, there were already many rules governing the separation of men and women. Chan'er was a maid, and it was her duty to serve the people around her, so she wasn’t held to the same standards as other women. If Su Tan'er had married Ning Yi in the traditional sense, then Chan'er, as one of her three maids, would almost certainly become Ning Yi’s concubine, and that would have been perfectly acceptable. But now that Ning Yi had married into the Su family, everything was under Su Tan'er’s control.

A son-in-law’s status was inherently low. Among common people, it was generally believed that any man with even a bit of pride or determination would never marry into a woman’s family. In many families, the status of a son-in-law was no better than that of a servant. Some families viewed their son-in-law as nothing more than a long-term laborer. Of course, there were exceptions—if the relationship between the husband and wife was good, or if the son-in-law had some skill, he might eventually earn a respectable place within the family. This wasn’t unheard of.

In the Su family, Su Lao Taigong held Ning Yi in higher regard because of an old family connection. As a result, the family members didn’t openly disdain him. Su Tan'er, although she had initially resisted the marriage, was treating Ning Yi quite amicably at this point. However, even if their relationship developed further and they became a true couple, it was unlikely that she would allow Ning Yi to have a close relationship with Chan'er. Though the three maids had been with Su Tan'er since childhood, and she would probably never let them go, the most likely scenario was that Su Tan'er would marry them off to loyal, promising servants within the household, ensuring that they would remain with the family for life.

Of course, this was just a harmless joke, and Ning Yi hadn’t thought much about it. Chan'er, on the other hand, couldn’t think too deeply about such things either. Even if she wasn’t truly angry, she was still a bit embarrassed. Her face flushed red as she angrily stomped up to him, trying to come up with the words to describe Ning Yi’s mischievous behavior, but in the end, she could only manage to say, “Master, you... you’re bullying me!”

“Hmm.” Ning Yi nodded with a shrug. “That’s right, I’m bullying you. What are you going to do about it?”

“About it...” Chan'er blinked, then grew even more upset. “You’re saying things that Chan'er doesn’t understand again...”

“Haha.” On the street, Ning Yi chuckled, clearly amused.

When he first arrived in this world, he had been somewhat melancholic. But after so many days of boredom, that melancholic mood had gradually lifted. He began to feel that living in ancient times was about finding ways to have fun—like using Go to mess with an old scholar, and now, teasing a little maid. It was actually quite enjoyable.

As they continued walking home, Chan'er trailed behind, hopping and skipping as she spoke. At first, she was still a bit shy, but soon she was chattering away about all sorts of trivial matters. As they approached the busier streets near the Su residence, someone suddenly stepped forward to greet them, stopping them in their tracks.

The Su family was large, and Ning Yi often encountered its members when walking through the streets. Some greeted him politely, while others ignored him with disdain. Occasionally, he would even run into Su Tan'er, as there was a Su family cloth shop along the street. This time, a young man in his early twenties, holding a folding fan, approached with a charming, scholar-like demeanor. From a distance, he called out with a laugh, “Brother Ning, what a coincidence!” Then, accompanied by two servants, he walked over.

It seemed that this person was someone the original owner of Ning Yi’s body had known, but Ning Yi didn’t recognize him at all. As he scanned his surroundings, he noticed Su Tan'er’s carriage parked nearby, and in the shop, a small head popped out, glanced in their direction, and then disappeared again. It was Xing'er, who had spotted Ning Yi and Chan'er, and had run back inside to call Su Tan'er out.

The young man drew closer with a smile, but before Ning Yi could return the greeting, Chan'er tugged on his sleeve from behind. “Master, that’s Young Master Xue from Dachuan Cloth Shop,” she whispered, her voice tinged with nervousness.

Ning Yi’s mind clicked into place. Although he hadn’t met Xue Jin in person, he had heard about him.

After pretending to have lost his memory in this world, Ning Yi had spent some time learning about his own background. It turned out to be a simple story, but when people like Chan'er or Xing'er talked about it, they always seemed to avoid certain details—like how Su Tan'er had run away on their wedding night, or how Ning Yi had been knocked out cold.

But after a few months, Ning Yi had pieced together everything he needed to know. The person who had sneaked up on him and knocked him out with a brick that night was most likely the man standing before him—Xue Jin from Dachuan Cloth Shop. Chan'er was probably nervous now because she feared Ning Yi might still be angry and might do something rash.

However, Ning Yi’s expression remained calm. He smiled naturally and greeted him warmly, “Oh, Young Master Xue, nice to meet you.”

His smile was sincere, his demeanor relaxed. Xue Jin seemed momentarily surprised, glanced at his two attendants, and then chuckled. “I heard that Brother Ning was injured on his wedding day and suffered a bit of memory loss. I was present that day but had to leave early due to some urgent matters. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to visit you since. So... you’ve really lost your memory? Brother Ning, you don’t remember me at all?”

Ning Yi smiled apologetically, his tone filled with sincerity and regret. “I’m afraid I don’t, Young Master Xue. I’ve lost many memories... Please forgive me.”

Xue Jin squinted at Ning Yi, his expression a mix of doubt and curiosity. At that moment, Su Tan'er appeared at the shop entrance, frowning as she hurried over.