In the courtyard, Su Tan 'er looked a little confused. She used to call Ning Yi "Husband", but now she called him "Husband" in a soft voice that seemed to soften one's heart. But that slightly confused state soon faded. She raised her hand and rubbed her face, shaking her head. Then she picked up the match on the side of the table. The light flashed a few times in the window, and then the oil lamp in the room was lit again. Ning Yi curled his lips, and the other side also smiled embarrassedly.
"Uh, it's almost done … I'm a little tired."
She shook her head and some messy hair. Then she folded her hands on the table and looked up at Ning Yi with a smile. After a while, Ning Yi turned and left. The figure of the woman in the window was busy again. When the light finally went out, it was already more than an hour later.
It was the 11th of July in the eighth year of Jinghan. The next day at the Academy, Su Zhongkan, Su Chonghua, and several other Academy teachers held a meeting. Of course, they also called Ning Yi and Li Pin. The main reason was that the situation outside had become a little tense, and the Academy was ready to close temporarily.
The group of children studying in the Academy were generally related to the Su family. At this time, if their families were outside the city, they would probably have entered the city with their parents and arranged to live in the Su mansion. After the city gates were closed for a month or two, it was relatively chaotic outside the city, but it was not good inside the city either. It was impossible for all kinds of life to be normal. For example, Elder Qin had already closed his chess stall two days ago and did not go out to set up anymore.
At this time, the Academy already knew that Li Pin was going to the capital. He had planned to leave after the flood and stay here to teach for more than a month. But now that the Academy was temporarily closed, they probably would not see him in the Academy for more than a month. At noon, Su Zhongkan hosted a banquet in the best restaurant near the Academy as a farewell.
From the moment Li Pin entered Yu Shan Academy, Su Chonghua and the others knew that he could not teach in this small academy for long. However, with Li Pin's fame, Yushan Academy could naturally raise its value. Some people who knew the inside story probably understood that he was going to be an official. Su Zhongkan was not stingy with his salary and traveling expenses. He also said a lot of good things, wishing him a smooth journey and a meteoric rise.
"De Xin and Liheng are the two most outstanding people of our Yu Mountain Academy. We are already old and of little use. On the other hand, Liheng's temperament is too mild, which makes one feel sorry for him. He should learn more from De Xin. De Xin is sophisticated in his emotions, and this is the cultivation that a person who will do great things in the future should have … "
The rest of the guests at the banquet were all middle-aged and old people. Inevitably, Ning Yi and Li Pin were brought up to talk. In reality, both of them were considered to be the top scholars of Jiangning. However, Ning Yi's situation was more extreme. A portion of people who heard of his fame regarded him as the number one scholar of Jiangning. Once he appeared, others would hesitate to even write their poems. But he did not participate in poetry meetings, did not socialize with many scholars, and had the title of son-in-law. He had this kind of talent, but no one could see what he wanted. Now they could only think that he was eccentric. Privately, there were those who thought that he was fishing for fame, and there were also those who thought that he was a genius, but his reputation was not quite the same as that of people like Li Pin and Cao Guan.
Su Chonghua said this as an elder, so Ning Yi could only smile and say, "Mountain Elder, don't be sarcastic." Li Pin smiled and said, "Liheng's conduct is much better than mine. It is I who should learn from Liheng …"
"Hey, I know that the two of you are close, but De Xin doesn't need to say good things about Liheng." Su Zhongkan also smiled and waved his hand, "Once the city gates are closed, who knows when it will open again. De Xin still has at least a month before he leaves. It is not good to stay at home all the time. If we go to some poetry meeting, De Xin can come and bring Liheng along. Although Liheng is a scholar, it is not good for him to be too boring. How about this, tonight I will bring Wenxing and the others to Jade Swallow House to play host. Liheng and De Xin will go together. It is a gathering of young people, so don't decline. The younger generation in the family are all useless. Liheng and De Xin will treat it as teaching our younger generation. How about … "
Li Pin did not mind this kind of thing. As his second uncle, Su Zhongkan had spoken, so Ning Yi could not decline and could only agree. After the banquet, the group went downstairs. Su Zhongkan walked to Ning Yi's side.
"Other people divide the family into the first, second and third branches. In fact, they are just bored outsiders watching the fun. In fact, we are all one family. How can there be so many divisions? Your cousins are not up to expectations. If they really take over the family business, they will lose everything sooner or later. Tan'Er is not inferior to men in business. If she takes over the Su family in the future, it will be the best thing. Unfortunately, she is a woman after all. Sometimes, it is inevitable that she is alone. Recently, the situation inside and outside the city is tense. With her character, she has to do everything herself. Recently, I can see that Tan'Er is always a little tired. You are her husband. You should take care of her and advise her to relax. The business of the world cannot be finished in a short time. "
Su Zhongkan's words were sincere. Ning Yi also nodded respectfully. Apart from Su Tan'Er, the third generation of the Su family has no one to recommend. But the second generation is not like this. Su Boyong, Su Zhongkan, and Su Yunfang each have their own abilities. Now, the overall situation of the Su family is still under their control. Whether it is sincere or not, just based on this paragraph, it can be seen that Su Zhongkan is indeed not a simple person.
On the way home, half of the afternoon has passed. After passing through the outer courtyard and the inner courtyard, because many relatives have been arranged to live with the Su family, it is a little noisy outside. When he returned to the courtyard where he lived, the clamor died down. The sunlight shone through the tall branches into the quiet courtyard. There seemed to be no one around. Chan 'er, Juan' er, and Xing 'er were not around. It was not known if they had gone out with Tan' er or had gone to deal with matters related to the relatives of the first branch. The window of Su Tan'er's room is open. When Ning Yi walked over, he saw her sleeping on the table. It is similar to last night. Today, she probably dealt with some things at noon and then fell asleep. The wind blowing through the courtyard ruffled the woman's hair.
Since she is sleeping, Ning Yi does not intend to disturb her. He goes straight back to his room to read for a while. In the sound of cicadas, he gets up and goes to the small kitchen to boil water. He starts a fire to boil water and prepares to take a bath.
In this era, taking a bath was actually a troublesome matter. Every time he took a bath, he would have to go back and forth many times. It was very troublesome, and it was even more troublesome to pour out the water in the bathtub after taking a bath. There is a large water vat in the bathroom, but the water is used up today. He has to go to the small kitchen in the next room to fetch it. The hot water is also brought from there. If it is winter, he can start a fire under the bathtub to maintain the water temperature. However, he does not do this in summer and early autumn.
Recently, his strength had increased, especially after he practiced the breathing method taught by Lu Hongti. This kind of simple labor didn't even cause him to sweat, so he felt a sense of accomplishment. After mixing some hot water and filling half the bucket, the courtyard was still quiet, and the noise of the people was so far away that it didn't seem real. In the afternoon of early autumn, in the ancient world that is a thousand years away from the modern world, it feels quite wonderful to do this kind of thing alone.
He does not have many things, but at least he has martial arts. He has such a … small family. As he fetches water from the water vat, he feels the accumulated strength in his body. He thinks about what the three servant girls are busy with on such an afternoon. Then, he carries the two buckets and turns around the corridor. He goes all the way to the bathroom and lifts the curtain to enter. After taking two steps, he finally sees the figure standing in front of the bathtub.
The cyan coat and long skirt were already hung on the clothes rack at the side. The woman was wearing a red dudou and thin white silk pants. Her figure was graceful, and her fair and smooth bare back was facing Ning Yi. Her shoes and socks were already taken off on the ground. She reached out to pull out a few hairpins from her hair, and her long hair was like a waterfall that hung loosely over her shoulders, swaying as she shook her head. When Ning Yi noticed this scene, the woman has already turned her head. Her hands are cupping her cheeks, and a few of her fingers are running through her black hair. Her eyes are a little confused, as if she has just woken up.
There is a reason for Su Tan'er's confusion. At noon, she is dealing with some matters at home. Because she slept late last night, the quality of her sleep these days is not good. The temperature is high at noon, and the courtyard is quiet, so she is a little sleepy. Lying on the table, she wants to take a nap. There are some sounds outside. It is Juan'er cleaning something. She is wiping some porcelain, tea sets, tables and chairs. So, she subconsciously asks Juan'er to boil some hot water for a bath. At this time, her consciousness is already fuzzy, and she can't hold on and falls asleep.
Juan'er hears the order and excitedly runs to boil water. When everything is ready, she runs to call for help, but the young miss is already asleep. Juan'er knows that she has been working hard these days. Thinking that sleep is the most important thing, she continues cleaning. After cleaning, she is also sweating all over. The young miss is sleeping soundly, and the water is getting cold. So, she goes to take a bath herself. Then, someone comes to look for Su Tan'er, and she goes out to deal with the matter. This is the reason why Ning Yi came back and saw that the bathtub in the bathroom is empty.
Su Tan'er has just woken up. For a moment, she can't tell the time, so she walks over in a daze. She is not sure if she said that she wants to take a bath. Seeing that the water is ready, she comes back to her senses. Just as she is taking off her dress, she turns back and sees her Husband carrying two buckets of water behind her. She frowns slightly.
Ning Yi is also a little confused, but he is much faster to react. At this time, he thinks for a moment, puts down the buckets, and silently turns to go out.
Before she could step out of the curtain, she heard a low cry from behind. With a bang, Su Tan 'er fell into the bathtub that was already half filled with water. It was obvious that she had been given a fright just now.
She doesn't scream when she is scared. I don't know whether it is because she has self-control or because her temperament is a little strange … Ning Yi looks back and sighs in his heart. Then, he pulls up a bath towel beside him and walks over. He reaches out to carry Su Tan'er out of the bathtub, wraps the towel around her upper body, and then helps her to sit down.
Leaning in Ning Yi's arms, Su Tan'er coughs continuously for a while. Ning Yi pats her back through the bath towel and sighs.
"If you drown in your own bathtub, I don't know what people will say about you, right?"
"Cough, cough … cough … Husband …"
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