In such an oppressive atmosphere and quiet environment, even gazes seemed to have become heavy. With so many gazes added together, the fine brush finally slowed down. The female professor, Yu Lian, glanced at the small regular script on the paper and nodded. She put the pen on the delicate small inkstone and then looked at the Younger Brothers and Sisters who were looking at her expectantly.
She was indeed the Third Sister of the Academy who was praised by the Headmaster of the Academy. She only used one sentence to solve the never-before-seen dispute between the Senior Brothers in the Academy and made a direct judgment on the debate between the two Senior Brothers.
"You are all wrong."
Yu Lian looked at the Eldest Brother and Second Brother and said calmly, "Whether the Calligraphy Addict or the little maidservant is a good match for Ning Que, there is no answer. Because the word 'match' stresses on each other's feelings. No matter how you insist on your own opinions, how can you know Ning Que's feelings?"
The Second Brother slightly frowned and said, "Youngest Brother is an orphan. He has no parents or relatives. The back of the mountain of the Academy is like his home. Of course, his marriage should be decided by the Headmaster or us Senior Brothers and Sisters."
Yu Lian smiled and said, "That's why I said you are wrong."
"You don't understand Youngest Brother. I watched him climb the old library, vomit blood and pass out, and silently lose weight day after day by the window. I know what kind of person he is. Not to mention the palace's arranged marriage, not to mention who our Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters want him to marry. Even if Master comes back and asks him to marry Haotian's daughter, he still won't agree if he doesn't want to. If he agrees, no one can object."
She turned to the Eldest Brother and said calmly, "You have to walk the road of life on your own to know the taste. So in the end, it is up to him to choose. No matter what he chooses, the price he will pay for it belongs to him, and he must learn to bear this price. I believe the Headmaster will also hold the same view."
After saying this, Third Sister Yu Lian packed up the ink, paper and inkstone on the table and left the small courtyard without saying goodbye to the others. The loose Academy uniform on her petite body swayed in the wind and disappeared into the night.
In the previous Academy debate, the Eldest Brother's words were hard to understand. The Second Brother's words were also vague. At this time, the Third Sister's words were also vague. They believed that the three of them could only vaguely feel something, so the others could not understand at all.
The two Senior Brothers fell into silence. The Younger Brothers and Sisters followed the Third Sister's footsteps and left quietly. Seventh Sister Mu You looked at the two sitting in the chairs worriedly. She filled the teapot on the table with hot water and then left the room.
The candlelight gently swayed, and the faint sound of a waterfall flowing into a pond came from the back of the courtyard. After a while, the Eldest Brother stood up slowly. His clean eyes were full of tiredness.
The Second Brother stood up and bowed respectfully.
The Eldest Brother said, "Since she said so, it seems that we are indeed wrong. But I still insist on my opinion. Moreover, I can't think of any reason why he wouldn't choose her since he and Shanshan are in love with each other."
The Second Brother thought for a moment and said, "Because he can't let go of Sangsang."
The Eldest Brother suddenly thought of a possibility. He frowned and said, "Will the Youngest Brother want both of them?"
The Second Brother said seriously, "Such greed will incur the wrath of Heaven. Although the two girls are very different in status, they are not the vulgar women in the world. How can the Youngest Brother be so happy?"
The Eldest Brother looked at him quietly and suddenly asked, "Jun Mo, how much did you see?"
The Second Brother said after a moment of silence, "When Yan Se and Wei Guangming turned into ashes, I saw the movement, but I still couldn't see it clearly. Did you already see what would happen in the future?"
The Eldest Brother smiled bitterly and said, "I'm afraid that even the Headmaster couldn't see it, let alone you and me."
The Second Brother frowned slightly and said, "I don't know how much Yu Lian saw."
"Her attention has always been on the Youngest Brother. I'm afraid she's not as good as you and me."
After saying this, the Eldest Brother kept silent for a long time. Then he reached out and patted the Second Brother's shoulder gently and said, "Jun Mo, maybe you're right. But I can't bear to do it."
Second Brother was tall, so when he saw that Shixiong was going to pat his shoulder, he leaned forward out of habit so that Shixiong could pat him more easily. The ancient crown on his head almost hit Da Shixiong's face.
The two looked at each other and smiled. The negative emotions brought by the previous argument were all gone.
Only the word "can't bear" was still echoing with the sound of the waterfall.
…
…
Ning Que didn't know that the Back Mountain of the Academy held a meeting for his marriage. He also didn't know that the two Senior Brothers, who didn't want to mess with the world in his eyes, had a fierce conflict because of this matter. Recently, he continued to take Shanshan to play in Chang 'an City. The winter was gradually fading, and they went to various study rooms to appreciate the works of predecessors.
In the more than 20 years of his previous and previous lives, he had never been in love. He didn't even have close contact with the opposite sex. Therefore, he didn't know whether he and Shanshan were in love or not. After they said they liked each other on the red wall and white snow that night, the relationship between them didn't seem to change at all. It was still quiet and casual, and they didn't even hold hands. The only difference was that the girl occasionally revealed her shyness when their shoulders touched.
It was this shyness that made up for most of the regrets Ning Que had about love. When he took Shanshan through the streets and alleys of Chang 'an City, he often thought of the maidservant who leaned against him by the bonfire at the entrance of Northern Mountain Road and Situ Yilan who strolled with him by the North Yan Lake. Only then did he understand that the source of his joy was a response.
This feeling was really good, even if there was no intimate physical contact, sweet talk, or solemn vows. So Ning Que was very willing to continue walking with Shanshan. It was just that when they passed through the narrow alleys and the shadows of the winter trees, and when they stepped on the pine snow that was gradually melting by the lake, he would occasionally feel that somewhere in his heart had become a little empty.
In the evening, the two walked to Lin 47th Street. Standing under the locust tree at the entrance of the alley, Ning Que invited Mo Shanshan again, "Come in and have a seat. There must be enough food."
Mo Shanshan looked at the door of the Old Brush Pen Shop not far away and said softly, "No need."
Ning Que was puzzled and asked, "Why?"
Mo Shanshan looked at the tips of her shoes sticking out of her skirt and said softly, "I was very happy to walk with you in Chang 'an. I was also very happy to comment on those calligraphy and paintings with you. I was very happy that night when you said you liked me."
Then she raised her head and looked at the inconspicuous dimple on Ning Que's cheek. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she suddenly raised her hand and gently poked it with the tip of her finger. She smiled and said, "But only liking me is not enough."
…
…
After returning to the Old Brush Pen Shop, Ning Que was still thinking about the meaning of Mo Shanshan's words. If he was asked to solve mathematical problems or to comprehend the state of cultivation, it would probably be much easier than understanding what girls were thinking. Therefore, he was a little confused.
"Young master, it's time to eat."
Sangsang scooped two bowls of chicken soup from a small urn and asked, "Do you want some chopped green onion?"
Ning Que said, "Your chicken soup is the best in the world, so you should drink it as it is. Don't add green onion."
If it was in the past, Sangsang would usually be happy to be praised by Ning Que. Although she might not smile, she would always press the spoon hard in the bowl when she refilled it for him. But today, she seemed not to hear it at all. She just refilled Ning Que's bowl in silence, and then silently sat on the other side of the table and silently picked up the chopsticks.
Ning Que looked at her expression and suddenly realized that his whereabouts were indeed a little erratic these days. He smiled and explained, "I told you that night that those shameless Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters of the Back Mountain of the Academy threw me into Chang 'an City as a hatchet man, so I have been waiting for someone to come and challenge me these days."
Sangsang softly nodded and then held the bowl and continued to eat.
After Ning Que finished the chicken soup, he poured two spoonfuls of white rice in the big bowl in front of him and then quickly ate the rice.
It was quiet around the table.
Ning Que suddenly raised his head and looked at Sangsang across the table. He said, "Since you were very young, we have been discussing what kind of sister-in-law we should find for you."
Sangsang gently put the bowl on the table and looked at him. She said, "It's young mistress."
"That's what I called her after we left the City of Wei."
Ning Que could not help laughing when he thought of the past when he took Sangsang to the House of Red Sleeves to choose girls. Then he finally understood why he always felt a little empty in his heart these days. It was because he had not heard someone's opinion, or he had not reported to someone, or he wanted to hear something he wanted to hear.
He looked at Sangsang and said seriously, "What do you think of Mo Shanshan?"
Sangsang looked at his eyes very seriously. After a long time, she picked up the bowl again and said, "Very good."
Ning Que looked at the little girl who was about to bury her little face in the bowl and asked with a little surprise, "Very good?"
Sangsang's little face popped out of the bowl and looked at him. She said, "Very good."
Ning Que looked at her eyes that were as clear as a small pond, her hair that was as yellow as the grass after the snow, her small dark face, and the rice stuck on her face. He was silent for a long time, and then he smiled wordlessly.
"It's nothing. I was just asking."
He reached out to pick up the rice stuck on Sangsang's face and threw it into his mouth skillfully. Then he lowered his head and continued to eat. Somehow, he felt a little depressed. He silently thought that Sangsang was still a child.
After dinner, Sangsang boiled water and washed the dishes as usual, while Ning Que began to write talismans. When he was tired and sleepy, he would casually write a few pieces of calligraphy to refresh himself. When it was late at night, he would warm his feet and get ready to go to bed.
Although the midwinter was almost over, spring had not really arrived. Chang 'an City was still a little cold at night. The two still slept on the brick bed built last winter, head to feet facing each other as in the past.
Sangsang's little feet were washed clean. Ning Que held them in his arms. He felt very comfortable when he touched the pair of smooth, delicate, and white feet. He kissed them and then closed his eyes to fall asleep.
No matter how one looked at it, it seemed to be a repeat of the night that Ning Que and Sangsang had spent in the past 15 years. It was just an ordinary night. However, Sangsang did not fall asleep at all.
She opened her bright eyes and quietly looked at the roof covered with waste talisman paper. It was as if she was looking at the rock wall of the cave in Min Mountain and the mud wall of the small courtyard in the City of Wei, where she used to live in the past years.
…
…
(Hmm, hmm, once I write about Sangsang, I feel good. It seems that I really have to follow my fate. This chapter's title is great.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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