After nightfall, the stewards who had received instructions left one after another, and the torches that had been lit one after another to deal with the aftermath of the fire were also extinguished. Originally, the courtyard had two small buildings, but now only one remained. At this moment, it was lit up with lights, making it appear brighter and warmer than usual.

After dinner, until around Hai time (9-11 PM), relatives who had come to visit were still arriving, inquiring about the fire and offering words of concern. Some were accompanied by maids or attendants, who were not allowed to enter and sit, but gathered nearby, making it quite lively.

During the day, everyone had gathered, watching a large group of people busily clearing the fire site, which had a sense of regret after the disaster. In the evening, after confirming that no one was injured in the fire, everyone was in a celebratory mood, as if it were a gathering. They chatted about family matters, and some even said that Ning Yi and Su Tan'er should have changed courtyards long ago. After the fire, everyone gathered together, and it felt somewhat festive.

Indeed, the Su family was not short of money for this building. Since no one was hurt, it was just a small accident. Since the owners didn't care much, everyone didn't need to put too much thought into it. So, more and more people came to visit, and the living room became a small gathering.

In fact, Su Tan'er chose to live in this courtyard because of a youthful liking. In theory, she was now in charge of the matters of the main house. After merging the various matters handed over by the Wu family, it was estimated that the business she managed would reach half of the entire Su family's. This courtyard was no longer suitable as a residence.

This courtyard had a slightly self-centered layout. It was comfortable to live in, but it was not grand enough for entertaining guests. Everyone thought that Su Tan'er would take this opportunity to choose another courtyard to live in, and they chatted about these things, expressing their opinions.

Some atmosphere could only be felt by certain people.

Su Tan'er chatted happily with the relatives who came and left, with a smiling face. But she was actually a little absent-minded, and her responses were just some formulaic expressions. Of course, there were probably not many people in the Su family who could feel this.

Ning Yi was no different from usual. When a group of relatives came, he always showed enough politeness. He and Su Tan'er entertained these people, chatting with everyone about the style of the house, as if nothing had happened. Sometimes, he would even take out pens, ink, and paper to sketch and design.

Because there were many people, Chan'er, Juan'er, and Xing'er went in and out from time to time, bringing fruits, serving tea, and greeting the people who came. They also arranged for the attendants and maids who came along to stay in the neighboring courtyard. They were no different from stewards in the family, so they were naturally familiar with the work and handled it in an orderly manner.

It seemed that everything was normal, and there was really no problem.

Like the end of last year, when the weather turned cold, everyone would gather in the living room. Su Tan'er would look at the accounts, or do some needlework with the maids, listen to Ning Yi tell stories, and everyone would play chess and chat together. When guests came, the three maids would serve tea and entertain them. Everything was no different from today, and it couldn't be more normal. However, after all, there had been a fire today.

If everything is too normal, it can sometimes create an inexplicable sense of disharmony. Others may not be able to feel it, but as time goes by, at least in the hearts of Chan'er, Juan'er, and Xing'er, there would be some strange questions and thoughts.

No one expressed any opinion about what would happen next.

This does not refer to the aftermath. The Su family is not short of money, and Su Tan'er is not short of money. Burning a building is not a big problem, so others would not find it strange. But in any case, the small building was burned down, Ning Yi and Xiao Chan's residence was burned down, and the small kitchen and bathroom were also affected. In theory, even if they didn't care, they should still have a few words to say. However, no one mentioned this matter.

Some of Xiao Chan's belongings had been moved to the room next to Juan'er, but Su Tan'er did not express her opinion on whether she would live in this room in the future. Of course, she herself had some power over this matter. Many things in the original room were burned down, and she could secretly ask the stewards to bring them over directly. And in the future, what should be done with the small kitchen and bathroom? Most importantly, where should Ning Yi live tonight? No one mentioned this.

Su Tan'er, who had always been a well-rounded leader, did not express a clear attitude towards anything after the fire tonight. She was just socializing with the visiting relatives. Ning Yi himself did not ask any questions. He still maintained his usual attitude. When he needed pens, ink, and paper, he still went to Su Tan'er's room to find them. At this time, his belongings had already piled up the room in a mess. When he came over to look for them, he even called Xing'er to help: "Where did they put my pens, ink, and paper when they moved in..." He rummaged through the boxes and cabinets.

Su Tan'er's current room is the biggest sense of disharmony. Where the things should be moved to was not mentioned. After dark, it was getting late, and Su Tan'er would always have to sleep tonight. These things were piled up here, what should she do? She seemed to have forgotten about it. Chan'er, Juan'er, and Xing'er probably thought about asking, but after thinking about it, they couldn't help but feel some strange feelings and guesses. In the end, everyone could only exchange glances, mutter in their hearts, and feel complicated. But no one asked the question. Everyone was busy silently, whitewashing the peace.

Halfway through Hai time, the people who had come to visit had also returned one after another. After the surroundings became quiet, the three maids tidied up the room and did some cleaning. When they had nothing to do and returned, Su Tan'er was playing Gomoku with Ning Yi as a pastime. The three maids seemed a little strange, sitting aside bored for a while. Then Xing'er drank tea, Juan'er did needlework, and Chan'er boredly counted the stitches on the insoles Juan'er was making. Then the three of them found a set of bamboo cards to play.

Su Tan'er lowered her head and didn't speak to Ning Yi, but occasionally thought of something and asked the three maids if they had entertained a certain relative well when they came over. Xing'er and Juan'er would answer in a low voice. On the chessboard, the couple patiently blocked each other's pieces in a style that they hadn't used for a long time, blocking them with relish. On the other side, they were playing bamboo cards absentmindedly, and the three girls reported a number for each card they played, which sounded a bit cute. Something might happen tonight, and because of this possibility and complexity, the three maids were also a little uneasy.

The only time everyone was more enthusiastic was when Ning Yi asked Chan'er if she had many things burned. Chan'er replied that nothing valuable had been burned. Ning Yi guessed that she might have some jewelry or favorite clothes burned. Su Tan'er then said that she would buy some for Chan'er later.

The atmosphere was strange, and time became a bit unbearable. Chan'er, Juan'er, and Xing'er would sometimes go out for a while, bringing hot water, making tea, and so on. There were occasional conversations in the room. Time gradually passed to Zi time (11 PM-1 AM). They didn't know what would happen next. The owners hadn't slept, nor had they told them to leave, so they couldn't leave. But it seemed that Su Tan'er and Ning Yi could play Gomoku with relish until tomorrow morning.

In fact, Su Tan'er was not in the mood to wave her hand and say, "You guys go to sleep." The more time passed, the more uneasy she felt.

Later, after midnight, the sound of the clock came, and the surrounding courtyards became even quieter. Today was quite busy, and Xing'er, who was playing cards, couldn't help but yawn. Ning Yi glanced at her, and Su Tan'er also looked over, finally saying, "Uh, Xing'er, you're tired too, go to sleep first." After she finished speaking, she picked up a chess piece, lowered her head, and continued to pretend to be focused on thinking about the chess. The three maids got up, spoke, and prepared to leave, and also tidied up the tea and snacks. Ning Yi tilted his head and greeted them with a smile. In the midst of these movements, Su Tan'er's emotions calmed down a little.

Chan'er, Juan'er, and Xing'er all went out of the room. Their figures on the corridor seemed to be doing the work they needed to arrange before going to bed. After playing another game of chess, Ning Yi got up to go to the toilet in the neighboring courtyard. When he came back, he met Chan'er walking on the road. She was somewhat silent, holding a copper washbasin in her hand. But that was not the silence caused by loss or frustration. The girl's expression was a bit complicated. This might be some emotion that she could not handle. Seeing Ning Yi, she let out a soft "Ah".

"Didn't you say you were going to sleep?"

"The washbasin is gone, so I went to get one." Chan'er lowered her head.

The two walked towards the courtyard gate. After a moment, Ning Yi didn't know what he thought of, and laughed softly. Chan'er looked at him. He was still laughing, seemingly finding these things today interesting. Then, Chan'er couldn't help but laugh softly. When she reached the courtyard gate, she whispered, "Master..."

"Hmm?"

Chan'er looked at him: "Master wants to... uh, Master wants to..." She didn't know what she wanted to say. But after thinking for a moment, the little maid smiled and shook her head: "I won't say it." She ran to her room holding the washbasin.

******************

Su Tan'er's mood had actually been anxious, and the more time passed, the more anxious she became. It was like waiting for a big deal to be finalized. But she was skilled in business, but she was completely unfamiliar with this kind of thing.

She had been a bit shy all day, but she didn't dare to think about what happened when the arson was discovered. In any case, she couldn't predict what the next result would be. She didn't know if her husband would be unable to sort out these emotions, didn't know how it would develop next, what kind of conversation there would be, and didn't know if her husband would suddenly say, "Where am I going to live tonight?" If he really asked that, how should she answer?

Various messy moods, but now she could only take it one step at a time. After Ning Yi left briefly, she sat there feeling uneasy, and then got up and walked back and forth a few steps, not knowing what to do. She picked up the teacup and took a sip. Seeing that the potted plants behind the screen in the dining room seemed to be a bit short of water, she couldn't help but walk over and pour all the tea in. After pouring it, she realized that the tea was hot, and quickly found cold water to neutralize it. In this process, Ning Yi's footsteps had already returned.

She took a breath, carried the teacup back, and wondered how long she would have to play Gomoku, but found that Ning Yi's figure had already walked to the bedroom, seemingly frowning at a large pile of furniture that had been stuffed in haphazardly. Su Tan'er put down the teacup and walked over: "Husband."

"Tsk." Ning Yi smiled, "These things have piled up the room in a mess. Let's clean it up."

Various tables, chairs, and items had squeezed the room into a chaotic mess, mainly because some small things or bundles, boxes, etc., had been placed on Su Tan'er's tables and stools when they were moved in, which had now been mixed together, and no one had said to clean them up. Su Tan'er nodded: "Okay, okay."

She walked past the cabinet that was a bit in the way and moved a chair away. Ning Yi had already walked in and started to sort out his personal belongings. Su Tan'er also opened some bundles and took out Ning Yi's clothes to tidy them up, occasionally handing the things at hand to Ning Yi.

"Analects of Confucius, Mencius..."

"Lecture drafts..."

"The jade pendant from Guangyuanzhai, tsk, this is still here..."

"These drawings... should be useless."

"Uh, there should be another copy of this, where is it..."

"Whose fan is this? Mine?"

Although Ning Yi was relatively indifferent to material desires, there were still quite a few things at this time. When the two got married, although Su Tan'er had eloped, various things were prepared under the instructions of the Old Master. Later, there were also various things that people gave, or that Ning Yi collected himself. At this time, the two of them were sorting things out in a small space, classifying and putting them away little by little, which took a lot of time. Su Tan'er sat back on her bed and looked at this boudoir that was no longer like a boudoir. Half of the space had actually been occupied by Ning Yi's things.

"These large items can't be arranged tonight." Ning Yi put a chair in front of the desk, "Let someone come to tidy up tomorrow."

"Yeah." Su Tan'er nodded. After a moment, she felt the edge of the bed next to her vibrate, and her body suddenly shuddered. Ning Yi also sat down next to her.

Ning Yi had not spent much time in her room. The most frequent time was when she was sick. But even then, if he wanted to sit next to her, he would move a stool over to sit on. This was her embroidered bed, and only her aura had been here before, or she had lived with her cousin Danhong for a few nights. But at this time, the presence of a man suddenly approached.