Moon's Whisper, Heart's Echo

10.The Grandmother

"Nice to meet you..."

The words echoed in Nandi's mind like stones dropped in a still pond, each ripple bringing fresh pain. She traced the same figure over and over in her ledger, the brush moving without purpose.

Surely it had been because of Eun-soo's presence. What else could a noble mother-in-law do when faced with her foreign former daughter-in-law, now a mere matchmaker? The old superstitions whispered through her memories - a widow as first daughter-in-law brought ill fortune, they said. Better to cut ties cleanly, like a surgeon's knife.

But then why had Lady Yi's hands trembled on her fan?

The sun painted golden strips across the courtyard's stone tiles as Tae-young paused at Nandi's gate. 
Through the latticed window, he could see Nandi sat at her low sangniang table, her fingers absently tracing the edge of her abacus beads.

She pressed her free hand against her temple, trying to ease the dull ache that came from a night spent staring at her ceiling, replaying every detail of yesterday's encounter.

The servants moved quietly around her, drawing back the paper screens to let in the air, their hushed movements suggesting they sensed her mood. A cup of tea sat cooling beside her ledger, where columns of half-finished calculations betrayed her distracted state.

"I see your brush has developed a preference for decorating your sleeve rather than the paper."

Tae-young's voice cut through her reverie, making her start. She hadn't even heard him approach. There he was again, he had crossed her courtyard without waiting for an invitation - as usual.

"Young Master Park." She aimed for formality, but her voice carried too much weariness to manage proper distance. "I wasn't aware you'd been announced."

"Evidently." He settled himself on the empty cushion beside her table, close enough that she could see his eyes narrow at the ink-stained calculations. "Though I'm more intrigued by how you've managed to make three nyang and five mun equal both twelve and seven in the same column."

"What?" She forced her gaze to focus on the figures that had blurred together like rain on a window. "Oh..."

"I'd offer to correct them, but..." He was already reaching for her brush, dipping it in the inkstone with practiced ease. His sleeve brushed hers as he leaned forward. "Though I must say, your usual sharp tongue seems to have gone mysteriously missing this morning." He tested the ink's consistency with his fingertip, frowning slightly. "This is more water than pigment. How long have you been sitting here exactly?"

"If you've come merely to criticize my arithmetic—"

"I've come to discuss the trade proposals from last week." He continued writing, not looking up. "The ones you were so determined to ignore? Though if you'd prefer to continue staring into space..." He paused, studying her with unexpected intensity. "Actually, I find myself more curious about why you're attempting accounts while clearly half-asleep."

Nandi blinked, realizing she'd drifted again into thoughts of fans trembling and eyes that wouldn't quite meet hers. "The proposals. Yes, of course." She straightened her shoulders, reaching for her usual composure like a familiar garment.

"There are merchants in the Eastern District that are particularly interested in—" He paused mid-stroke. "Are you even listening?"

"What was that about the Eastern District?"

"Ah, so you are awake." His brush stilled on the paper. "I was saying their merchants keep different hours than we do here. Everything starts earlier, ends earlier. Even their temple bells ring to a different time."