Chapter 9 — Ice Lantern
Bai Mingyu had never imagined that Xie Jing could be this bold.
Xie Jing stood there with his head lowered, looking as if he were ready to accept punishment. “It was me,” he said. “It had nothing to do with the young master.”
The words Bai Mingyu had been about to use to defend himself stuck in his throat. Even he felt that this sounded exactly like something he’d normally do—mumbling and dodging while sneaking glances at his older brother.
Bai Mingzhe was fuming. He stood there with a dark face and said he would request the family punishment.
From the main seat, the man finished half a cup of hot ginger tea and finally spoke, “Forget about family punishment. Children are mischievous—it’s no big deal.”
“Lord Bai Jiu, my little brother broke the rules, so we must at least—”
Bai Rongjiu waved his hand. His voice was calm. “When you’re away from home, there’s no need for so many rules. Even if there should be a punishment, let’s rest for the night and talk about it tomorrow morning.”
Bai Mingzhe gratefully thanked him, arranged new quarters for Lord Bai Jiu, and personally escorted his brother and Xie Jing back.
Bai Mingyu was utterly bewildered—he had just been scolded without understanding why. When he sat down to pour himself some tea, his head was smacked before the cup reached his mouth.
“Brother! What was that for?” he shouted, rubbing his head.
Bai Mingzhe twisted his little brother’s ear and said angrily, “What for? I’m teaching you a lesson for Father! You useless brat. I was wondering why you were being so obedient lately, always delivering things to the East Courtyard and studying your books without complaint—turns out you were planning this mischief, huh?!”
“I wasn’t planning anything!” Bai Mingyu protested, baffled.
“You were plotting trouble, that’s what! I can see the mischief all over your face!” Bai Mingzhe snatched the teacup out of his brother’s hands, drained it in one go, then sat down and continued his lecture. “Stand up straight! You’re the Bai family’s second young master—don’t slouch like that!”
Bai Mingyu sulked, pulling his robe around himself and shaking his leg. He knew his brother wouldn’t actually punish him the way their father would—his brother had never even raised a finger against him since they were kids.
After giving his brother a good scolding, Bai Mingzhe turned and called for Xie Jing, his face stern. “You too. I chose you to serve the young master so you’d keep him in line, not encourage his foolishness. You think you can just go smashing glass wherever you please?”
Xie Jing answered honestly, “It wasn’t the young master’s idea. It was mine.”
That only made Bai Mingzhe angrier. “Still covering for him!”
Bai Mingyu could only gape—this was the first time the notorious little tyrant of the Bai family had been wronged and couldn’t argue his way out of it.
The next morning, a steward came knocking early to wake them. “Lord Bai Jiu said,” he relayed, “‘Children shouldn’t be beaten for being naughty—they just have too much energy. Let them run it off.’”
When the words sank in, Bai Mingyu’s face twisted into misery. He had to crawl out of his warm bed to go running.
Xie Jing only owned one thick cotton robe. When it got too cold, he would go for a short run to warm up—he was strong, and a few laps didn’t bother him.
But Bai Mingyu was another story. The pampered young master of the Bai household had never suffered like this. He endured it purely on stubbornness.
They started running in the inner courtyard of the Heihe Trading House. After two laps, Xie Jing was doing stretches, while Bai Mingyu was crouched down, hands on his knees, gasping for breath, clouds of steam puffing from his mouth, sweat beading on his forehead.
After two deep breaths, Bai Mingyu suddenly said, “Something’s not right.”
Xie Jing paused mid-stretch but didn’t respond.
Bai Mingyu fixed his gaze on him. “This doesn’t make sense. Kou Pei Feng—are you hiding something from me?”
Xie Jing thought to himself that, in this respect, Bai Mingyu hadn’t changed at all—his brain wasn’t the sharpest, but his intuition was always uncannily accurate. Feigning confusion, he said, “What do you mean, Young Master? Is it about last night’s glass? I can go explain to the eldest young master again—it really was my idea.”
He was itching to find an excuse to see whether Lord Bai Jiu had eaten breakfast yet.
But Bai Mingyu grabbed his arm and refused to let him go, growling as they bickered.
Their voices carried across the small courtyard, and soon a burly man in a black leather coat strode toward them.
He was from the provincial convoy. The man stopped in front of them, looked them up and down, and said loudly, “Lord Bai Jiu just watched you from upstairs—you don’t look tired to him.” His eyes flicked to their clasped hands and paused briefly before continuing, “He said for you to turn right at the gate and run another full lap around the trading house!”
Bai Mingyu was dumbstruck.
Xie Jing, however, obeyed at once. He glanced up toward the guesthouse window—one curtain was slightly ajar. Without another word, he tightened his belt and started running again.
He ran fast. Bai Mingyu had to take a shortcut through a side gate just to catch up. He opened his mouth to speak but saw Xie Jing pick up the pace again, running stubbornly all the way.
When they finally returned, Bai Mingyu collapsed on the ground, gasping, brain blank.
Xie Jing was bent over, hands on his knees, heart pounding. Sweat dripped from his forehead, shaking loose from his long lashes—it almost looked like he was crying. When he wiped his face, he saw a familiar pair of boots before him.
His heartbeat went wild. He hadn’t felt this nervous even while running all that way. Now, all he could hear was the roar of his own heartbeat, drowning out everything else.
Bai Mingyu scrambled to his knees and kowtowed. “Master Bai Jiu!”
Xie Jing tried to bow but his legs gave out. He stumbled forward, and would’ve fallen if the man hadn’t caught him by the arm. Being held like that made his face flush crimson, heat shooting up his neck like fire.
“You’ve got some stamina,” Bai Rongjiu said mildly, releasing him. His eyes swept over the two boys before settling on Bai Mingyu.
Bai Mingzhe, following behind, quickly laughed. “Mingyu tends to be lazy.”
Bai Rongjiu replied, “A bit too clever for his own good. From now on, besides writing practice, make him run every morning.”
Bai Mingzhe hesitated, then asked carefully, “When we return, should I have him start following the shopkeeper around? Learn the business from the ground up?”
Bai Rongjiu nodded. “Good. That would be best.”
The two men walked off together. Bai Mingzhe, glowing with pride, turned back and signaled for his brother to go rest.
Bai Mingyu finally staggered to his feet. After a few steps, realizing no one was helping him, he looked back for Xie Jing, only to see the boy still staring after his elder brother.
“What are you looking at? Let’s go!” Bai Mingyu scolded. “Help me back already! I haven’t even had breakfast, my head’s spinning from all that running.”
Xie Jing reluctantly turned and supported him back.
All the way, Xie Jing berated himself—how could he have been so useless? In front of Lord Bai Jiu, he’d gone completely tongue-tied. Even a single word, a greeting, anything would’ve left an impression. Thinking of all their moments together in the past, his eyes burned red.
Bai Mingyu had been planning to lecture him again, but seeing Xie Jing looking so lost, he swallowed his words. The young master couldn’t stand seeing anyone sad in front of him. Scratching his head awkwardly, he waved the boy off, letting them both calm down.
Meanwhile, Bai Mingzhe was accompanying Lord Bai Jiu on a tour of Heihe, this small border town.
They had arrived late the night before, so this was their first proper look at its lively streets.
Every building facing the street was a shop, giving the impression of walking through an enormous marketplace. There were grocery stores, butcher shops, apothecaries—everything imaginable. Yet the town wasn’t crowded; they could stroll half a day without meeting many people.
Bai Mingzhe explained, “It’s the off-season. Stock’s low, and we’re too remote here—just getting to the nearest Qinghe County takes a full day and night. Supplies are always delayed, especially in winter. The caravans usually arrive in early December, but with the heavy snow this year, the roads are muddy—it might take a few more days.”
They only had to worry about Chinese merchants. Across the river, the foreign traders could still transport goods easily—boats in summer, sleds in winter, gliding over the thick ice. The Bai family’s caravans, in particular, were the most well-known, exporting everything from grain and livestock to daily necessities, though their biggest trade was in tobacco and spirits.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that of the 9,000 jin (~4500kg) of tobacco sold yearly in Heihe, over 7,000 came from the Bai family. As for liquor, they owned three distilleries nearby and ran business year-round.
As they talked, ten loud gong strikes sounded from the market square.
Bai Mingzhe grinned. “The market’s opening! Lord Bai Jiu, let’s go take a look. Maybe luck’s on your side today and we’ll land a big deal.”
Bai Rongjiu looked toward the bustling stalls and smiled. “I’d like that—spending some money might do me good.”
Bai Mingzhe, recalling that the master had come for the foreign machinery, felt his excitement rising as they headed toward the bazaar together.
Back at the Heihe Trading House, Bai Mingyu had also heard the gong and was peering eagerly out the second-floor window.
A nearby round table was covered in ledgers and densely written account books. Xie Jing sat there, head bent over his copying work.
Unable to see anything outside, Bai Mingyu turned to him. “Hey, Feng’er—”
“Just call me by name, Young Master. I’m not used to being called that.”
Bai Mingyu crouched on a stool, chin in hand, watching him write with a frown. “What’s the point of writing all that? It’s so boring.”
Xie Jing said, “If you write, you won’t get punished.”
“…” Bai Mingyu had to admit that was true.
“It also makes you smarter, helps you understand things. Once you learn to organize the ledgers, you can help the master—ease his burdens.” Xie Jing’s tone softened as he spoke, but his hand didn’t stop moving.
Bai Mingyu laughed. “See, I knew you were the best! You study hard. When I grow up, I’ll take you everywhere with me. Every New Year I’ll give you a big fat red envelope!”
Xie Jing finished a page, blew the ink dry, and said, “Young Master, please move your arm—you’re blocking my paper.”
Bai Mingyu shifted aside obediently, not the least bit angry.
That was just how boys were—like gusts of wind, quick to flare up, quicker to forget. Yesterday they’d been at odds; today, they were fine again.
By four in the afternoon, the gongs struck again—signaling the market’s close.
Xie Jing finished copying right on time and quickly found an excuse to go downstairs.
Night fell early in Heihe, and the wind was fierce. The lanterns at the door were easily blown out. So Xie Jing had frozen two blocks of ice that morning. Using a small knife, he hollowed them into shapes—wide-bellied with narrow mouths—and placed candles inside. He set them by the door.
When the ice lanterns were lit, the entrance glowed warmly.
Rubbing his hands for warmth, he stood there looking out, and when he heard the sound of carriages approaching, he quickly stepped aside against the wall to make way.
There were quite a few people returning. The driver called out, “Whoa!” and someone warned softly, “Careful! Don’t bump it!”
Several strong men lifted a few heavy machines off the carts and carefully carried them inside.
Xie Jing thought Lord Bai Jiu might be among them, so he tiptoed to look—but no one alighted.
A few apprentices came to help unload. Recognizing one, Xie Jing called out, “Where’s Lord Bai Jiu?”
“The provincial lord? He went with our eldest young master to inspect the distillery—ten miles from here! Won’t be back tonight, I reckon!” the apprentice said before hurrying off to work.
