In the evening, the setting sun dyed the sky red, and half of Jiangning City was bathed in a warm red glow. On her way back, Su Tan'er met Xiaochan and learned that Ning Yi had caught a cold. As she asked Xiaochan about the doctor's opinion, she led the three maids to the courtyard of her grandfather, Su Yu.
Today, she had something to ask her grandfather. Since she knew that Ning Yi was fine, there was no need to rush to see him. After entering the courtyard, she found that Third Uncle, Su Yunfang, and Third Sister-in-law were also there. Third Uncle's second daughter was with them. Currently, everyone called this little girl Girl Qi. She was telling a story in front of her grandfather. A few maidservants were waiting on them.
"... And then, that Zhou Yu beat Huang Gai up..."
Su Tan'er walked over and pulled a stool to sit down. She listened to the girl's story with her grandfather, Third Uncle, and Third Sister-in-law. It was about the Three Kingdoms, which was quite interesting. Not long after, the story was finished. The girl stood up, "Second Sister."
"Little Qi knows how to tell stories. That's great. Did you go to the restaurant with Father to listen to stories?"
"No, it was the teacher who told us in school."
"Huh?" Su Tan'er hesitated for a while, "Which teacher?"
"Brother Yi, Brother Yi knows a lot of things."
Although the name "son-in-law" was not pleasant to hear, as one lived under someone else's roof and had a low status, in a woman's home, a son-in-law was basically a brother. Thus, this Seventh Young Lady only called Ning Yi older brother and not brother-in-law. After listening to her, Su Tan'er smiled, but she was thinking about the meaning of this matter. Next to her, Third Uncle, Su Yunfang, said, "You've been teaching" The Analects of Confucius "recently, right?"
Girl Qi nodded, "Yes," The Analects of Confucius. "She looked a little nervous. Usually, when asked about her studies, she would have to recite the book next.
However, this time, her father did not say that she would recite the book. Su Yunfang said to Su Tan'er, "The Three Kingdoms were mentioned in the Analects of Confucius class. Although children like to listen to stories, the teacher should be respected by his knowledge. Quoting from others is the right way, but there must be a limit. Tan'er, you should remind Liheng."
This was a very severe reprimand, and Su Tan 'er could only nod her head in agreement. The old man beside her smiled and said, "You don't have to be so serious. If he can win the favor of the students in just a few days, he can naturally teach them to love their studies. It's his business to hand these children over to him. Third Brother, you don't know the cause and effect. How do you know that the Analects of Confucius has nothing to do with the Three Kingdoms? How do you know that Liheng doesn't have a deeper meaning in it? If you're not in a position, you don't meddle in politics. I've taught you and your brothers this principle. Don't meddle in this matter anymore. "
In fact, on this matter, Su Tan'er also felt that the Three Kingdoms in the Analects of Confucius class was a little unreliable. However, the old man liked it. He didn't care about Ning Yi's knowledge. In fact, he already knew that Ning Yi wasn't very knowledgeable. He looked at the matter from another perspective.
The current situation of the Su family was complicated. There were three branches of the Su family: the eldest, Su Boyong, the second, Su Zhongkan, and the third, Su Yunfang. They were each in charge of a business, but in terms of skill and aptitude, Su Boyong still had the upper hand. Now that the old man, Su Yu, was still alive, it seemed like they were still brothers. However, if one looked further down, the third generation were all idiots. Only Su Boyong's only daughter, Su Tan'er, was outstanding. Su Yu had thought about it for a few years and decided to hand the family business to Su Tan'er. Of course, this was also a very troublesome matter.
The resistance encountered when a woman usurped power was several times greater than that of an ordinary handover. It would be fine if there was one male in the Su Family who could be groomed, but unfortunately, there was none. Su Tan 'er was calm in her actions, but her various means were rather outstanding. She had the demeanor of a great general. She had the capability and ambition in this aspect. Now, the Great Grandfather had allocated some of Su Boyong's businesses for her to officially manage as a test. This test was not to test her ability, but to directly use her father's resources to achieve the goal of subduing and integrating the other two branches. It was to see how far she could go.
The pressure that Su Tan'er faced was temporarily put aside. The original purpose of Ning Yi marrying into the Su family was to allow Su Tan'er to continue to stay in the Su family. The old man valued the relationship with the ancestors of the Ning family very much, so he also took care of Ning Yi. The current conflict in the Su family seemed to have not intensified. If Su Tan'er wanted to suppress the others and integrate them, she could just refuse. As long as the old man was alive, no one could force her.
However, if the conflict really intensified in the future, and the Old Great Grandfather was no longer around, these people would naturally want to deal with Su Tan'er. As her husband who had married into the Old Great Grandfather's family, Ning Yi, who had been looked down upon by others, would naturally be the best breakthrough point. Wouldn't it be easy to plant some dirt and find some excuses to cause trouble? It was precisely because of this that Old Man Su had allowed Ning Yi to go teach. Yushan Academy was mostly attended by the children of the Su family. If Ning Yi taught well and gained the respect of the younger generation, his status would become aloof in this conflict. At least he would have the halo of a teacher, and others would have to think twice before making a move on him.
Because of this, it would be best if the children liked Ning Yi. The old man then asked about Ning Yi's teaching. The little girl spoke happily and asked Su Tan'er, "Second Sister, do you know what the teacher will say tomorrow?"
Su Tan'er smiled. "I'm afraid there won't be tomorrow. He caught a cold and will be resting at home today. I'm afraid he won't be able to go to class tomorrow."
"Oh?" The old man asked in confusion. Su Tan'er repeated Xiaochan's words in full detail. The little girl said, "Then can I go see Big Brother Yi?" Su Tan'er shook her head. "The cold is contagious. Xiao Qi, it's better to wait for your Big Brother Yi to recover before visiting."
After Third Uncle, Third Sister-in-law, and the little girl left, Su Tan'er chatted with her grandfather for a while before returning to her courtyard. When she went to see Ning Yi, Ning Yi was drinking medicine on the bed with an unhappy expression. Su Tan'er greeted him. Originally, she wanted to talk about the story, but seeing that he was sick, she decided not to.
Su Tan'er was capable and wanted to do something as a girl. But on the other hand, she was also a very traditional and orthodox girl. Although she did not like marriage, she chose to accept her fate and tried to get along with Ning Yi. She had her own personality, but her framework was still the same.
She hoped that Ning Yi would be dignified as a teacher, and not use some tricks to please his students. Compared to some clever tricks, she would rather Ning Yi be an orthodox scholar. Even if he was a pedantic scholar, even if he did not have profound knowledge, she hoped that he would be more in line with the "right path." Of course, for now, this was still a process of getting to know each other. She would not come to a conclusion easily, but she would slowly try to form an image of her Husband in her heart.
In fact, this image was clear. He was an ordinary scholar. He was not very knowledgeable and had little experience. He had a good heart and a bad temper. This was the man she wanted to marry for the rest of her life.
At this time, she could act willfully, but time was limited. One day, the two of them would have to live together, and she wanted to have a child with him. As long as he wasn't an evil person, these things would always happen. The future … was probably like this. There was nothing that could be changed. Perhaps in her heart, there was still a little expectation, but as for what exactly this expectation would be, even she herself did not know. If they continued to interact, perhaps she would understand this husband in more detail. But if there were any big differences or surprises, it would probably not happen.
At the end of the autumn of the seventh year of the Wu Dynasty's Jinghan, in the courtyard of the Su Family in Jiangning City, a beautiful woman walked out from under the eaves and raised her head to look up. She gently stroked the strands of hair by her ear. The expression on her pretty face was still clear, with a hint of helplessness, but more than that, it was still calm and indifferent. When the wind blew past the courtyard, her light green dress gently swayed in the wind. This beautiful and intelligent Miss Tan'er, who had just become a married woman not long ago, viewed her marriage in this way at this moment …
But for now, this was not something that really took up a lot of weight in her life. She still had some other things to think about and do. Even if she occasionally cared about ordinary life, she would walk on her own path calmly. If everything went according to the right track, maybe after a few decades, when she walked out of the eaves again and raised her head, she would suddenly think of the wind she saw many years ago. It was like time had brought her to a certain place. But now, everything was still abundant, and there was no need to care about many things.
The Mid-Autumn Festival arrived in such an indescribably abundant atmosphere.
*****
Illness came like a landslide and went away like spinning silk. There was no special medicine in this era. This body was already weak, and it did not take long for him to catch a cold. So on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Ning Yi still stayed in the room and could only read a vernacular novel to kill time.
According to Ning Yi's previous experience, in the current situation, it was still okay to go out and walk in the courtyard, but this was ancient times. The medical conditions were not good, and the group of people's physical conditions were poor. As long as there was someone to take care of them, the prevention and treatment of illness were still very important. It was the end of autumn, and the weather began to turn cold. Xiaochan guarded the door and did not allow a restless patient like him to go out at all. Ning Yi also understood the little girl's painstaking efforts.
Anyway, he was not a very active person. He just opened the window every once in a while to breathe. Even so, Xiaochan was still unhappy. Bored, Ning Yi spent time explaining to her the benefits of fresh air on the human body and so on.
In the evening, Ning Yi put on another coat and went out with Su Tan'er and the others to attend the banquet. In any case, since it was only a cold, he still had to attend the large-scale family banquet of the Mid-Autumn Festival. There were hundreds of people in the Su family, from the master to the stewards, manservants, maids, and guards. The banquet was huge. In the main hall and several large courtyards, square tables were set up, and it was a bustling mess.
Naturally, Ning Yi had attended large-scale banquets in the past. For example, every year, the company would hold a large scale banquet. But it had to be said that the more modern it was, the more alienated people felt from each other. Nowadays, in the atmosphere of ancient times, even though there were not many people in the family who were really friendly to him as a son-in-law, he could still feel a sense of familiarity and liveliness. Outside, firecrackers were set off, children were running around, and the crowd was shouting, waving, and chatting. He and Su Tan'er would greet people together — he actually liked this feeling.
Before the sun set, the banquet had already begun to be served. In this lively atmosphere, torches and lanterns were lit. As the sky gradually turned dark, all kinds of sounds could be heard. There were people playing rock-paper-scissors, drunken people, and people from Old Master Su's side came to say good things. A few children even came over to recite a few poems they had written. Chan'er, Juan'er, and Xing'er were also very happy. They were arranged to sit at the table for the maids not far away. They ran around laughing, chatting with Su Tan'er, and reporting something. Occasionally, they would also say to Ning Yi, "Young master, young master, and the others are passing on the stories you told...". Ning Yi had only told a few stories casually in class, but it had already spread among the younger generation, and it seemed that it was spreading to the maids and manservants.
Tsk, such was the lack of entertainment in this era...
The banquet started early, but it gradually came to an end not long after nightfall. Of course, it was the Mid-Autumn Festival after all, so everyone would admire the moon together. Old Master Su would say something to everyone, and then Old Master Su would return to his own courtyard. A group of people from the Su family would follow him and chat. Basically, they had to talk to Old Master Su first. Even if some of the younger generation wanted to leave, they had to go through this process as well. With Su Boyong in the lead, the three brothers were in charge of the servants who were mainly in charge of the housekeeping. In fact, the red packets had already been distributed, so the main point was to take turns to say some intimate words.
Old Master Su was already in his seventies, but his body was healthy and his spirit was hale and hearty. Ning Yi and Su Tan'er had already greeted him when they were having dinner. When they went over now, Old Master Su would say something like, "You guys have to support each other in the future." Then, he would urge Ning Yi, who had caught a cold, to quickly go back and rest. Although Ning Yi looked normal at the moment, his throat was a little hoarse.
If this was the modern world, a twenty-year-old body would be able to survive a cold without any pressure even if he didn't take medicine. But now, a seventy-year-old man was telling him to take care of his body. Ning Yi felt helpless. But since things had come to this, there was nothing he could do. The intensity of his training in the past few months was not high, and it was only out of his habit of keeping fit. Therefore, it did not have a complete effect on this scholarly physique. Next, it was time to put systematic strengthening exercises on the agenda.
On the way back to the small building, Su Tan'er followed Ning Yi into his room. After a moment of silence, she reminded Ning Yi to rest well tonight. Then, she hinted that she still had to go out at night, because she had told him a few days ago that she was going to attend the Pu Yuanshi Poetry Meet.
Regardless of whether Ning Yi was sick or not, Pu Yuanshi would definitely attend the meet with Su Tan'er. This was because, to her, the most important goal was to build a relationship with certain people and discuss business. With this certainty, even if Ning Yi was unhappy, or even made a scene, it would not make a difference. It was just that as a wife, it felt a little strange to ask her husband to do this when he had a cold.
However, Ning Yi understood this matter. He just felt that this kind of thing was interesting. On the one hand, this little wife of his would definitely not give up the Su family's business. On the other hand, she hoped to take care of this marriage as much as possible. Even if at present, this was basically a marriage in name only, and she was still in a dominant position. Women from ancient times. He felt that their efforts were adorable.
After slightly admiring Su Tan'er's expression of trying hard not to give him any unnecessary thoughts, Ning Yi smiled and told her to leave early and come back early. When Su Tan'er was about to leave and told Chan'er to take good care of him, he remembered, "Oh, no need. Let Xiaochan go play with me. I'm fine. At most, I'll read for a while and sleep."
There were many performances on the six connected boats of the Pu Yuan Poetry Meet. Along the way, they could also enjoy the night view of the lantern market along the Qinhuai River. For anyone at this time, it was a feast level of enjoyment. A few days ago, Xiaochan excitedly said in front of him how fun the poetry meet was because in the past, Su Tan'er would bring the three of them along. Ning Yi had a good impression of Chan'er and didn't want to spoil the little girl's mood because of him. However, before Su Tan'er could say anything, Chan'er already shook her head with a smile, "I'm not going. I'll stay at home and read with the son-in-law."
Purely in terms of feelings, Su Tan'er saw the three servant girls as her younger sisters. Her feelings were definitely much deeper than the current Ning Yi. However, no matter what, servant girls were still servants. Now that Xiaochan was sensible, she didn't need to say anything more. Ning Yi spent a few words to make sure that he couldn't convince Xiaochan before giving up.
The two of them watched the three leave from the corridor on the second floor. Looking out from here, the Su family's house spread out in their field of vision, extending all the way to the distant streets. The entire Jiangning City was a lively scene of rows upon rows of brightly lit houses. At this time, if they could find a high place to look down, this glorious ancient night scene would definitely have a different flavor. However, they couldn't enjoy it today.
"Son-in-law, let's go in." Xiaochan smiled. "Can you also tell Xiaochan a story?"
"Bring out the stool and we'll tell it here …"
"Then I won't listen." Xiaochan pursed her lips and then raised her eyebrows awkwardly. "It's windy here. Let's go in …"
"It's okay, it's okay. Look, there's no wind, and I'm wearing so much … Why don't I put on a hat … It's also very interesting to watch from here. That's settled then. Bring out the stool and I'll tell you a story … Journey to the West … Or Romance of the Western Wing."
Since he said so, Chan'er had no choice but to give up. The two of them moved the stool and sat down on the small platform. At this time, the Su family's courtyard was no longer as lively as before. Occasionally, people could be seen preparing to go out. In the distance, various kinds of firecrackers, gongs, and drums could be heard. Although the Mid-Autumn Night was a festival spent with family, there were in fact a lot of social engagements. For example, Su Tan'er generally attended a lot of parties. Lantern parties, wine parties, poetry parties, all kinds of things. Ordinary people may not necessarily stay at home. It was more lively to go out to the market to watch the dragon and lion dance and guess riddles.
And at this time, in various parts of the city, the most important programs were about to begin. Some poetry parties had already hung out the first poem, and then some fixed brothels would choose and sing these poems. As for the largest poetry parties, people were still arriving. When Su Tan'er went out, there were all kinds of famous people gathered at the entrance of the Pan residence where the Still water poetry party was held. Elder Qin, who usually played chess with Ning Yi and the others by the river, also wore relatively formal clothes today. Accompanied by his concubine Yunniang, he got out of the carriage, and then someone led a large group of attendants over to greet him. "Your presence brings light to the humble Pan residence —"
This person was the current head of the Pan family, Pan Guangyan. At the same time, he was also the elder brother of the assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites and Hanlin scholar Pan Mingchen. He had extraordinary talent and was best at painting, especially the crane painting. Most people would respectfully call him Old Crane. Even so, he was still very respectful towards Elder Qin. The two were of similar age. Elder Qin hurriedly smiled and returned the greeting. "You flatter me. Old Crane, if you are still so courteous, I won't dare to come again next time —"
"Haha, Elder Qin is still so humorous — By the way, Duke Ming has also arrived —" The two exchanged greetings and walked inside.
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