In the next few days, it rained in Jiangning.
The city gate had not yet opened, and the continuous autumn rain seemed to melt the whole city. The pedestrians on the road were in a hurry, but they were also deeply tired and lethargic. Before the city gate opened, not much could be done, and some simple things in the ordinary days took more effort than usual. The price of rice and grain was rising day by day, and all kinds of disputes were gradually increasing. In such a negative day, everyone was a little tired.
However, if the cloth industry in Jiangning was independent, the situation would be slightly different. A storm was brewing, and every household was carrying out vigorous operations. New preparations were made, new connections were formed, and they were ready to observe the direction of the wind, find trends, and occupy a position. The Wu Family, which was originally the first cloth merchant in Jiangning, won the position of the royal merchant this year, which indicated that the next step might be to prepare for expansion. Of course, it was difficult to make a big move in the next few months. After winning the royal merchant, it would become a huge responsibility. Now, the Wu Family still had to make some adjustments for the royal merchant, but as long as it stabilized, it would inevitably begin to make great strides forward.
In contrast, the Su family had begun to waver. After that night at the royal merchant house, Su Tan'er finally began to show up. She was prepared to actively stabilize the turbulence that the Su family would face. She looked for the people who had worked with her in the past and tried to stabilize their relationship. The Su family also had some foundation, and now the answer was still good. But under the water, it was difficult to know how many people had begun to retreat, and how many people had secretly contacted other merchants.
The Xue family could do nothing about these things. They could only wait quietly, quietly make arrangements, accumulate strength, and in the following situation, divide up the market share that may be released by the Su family. In the past, they were the most prepared for the Su family, and this time, they might be able to seize the opportunity to obtain greater benefits.
These things had not really taken shape, but they began to rapidly corrode the entire previous structure like the emergence of termites. After one or two months, the whole situation may really collapse, the Wu Family would reach a new peak, and the Su family would withdraw from the position of the top three cloth merchants in Jiangning, returning to the scale of a medium-sized cloth merchant, and then … in the eyes of discerning people, it may begin to further decline.
The internal turmoil of the Su family, in a sense, had already begun.
Now, in the courtyard of the Su family, the words about the royal merchant that night were spreading. The first branch, the second branch, and the third branch had begun to draw a clear line. Voices, both overtly and covertly, began to criticize Ning Yi's incompetence and Su Tan'er's incompetence. Of course, in the past few days, Su Tan'er was still running around everywhere. She was too busy to pay attention to the group of people at home. For the time being, those people did not have the courage to directly say anything to Su Tan'er. However, within the Su family, there were all sorts of calls for Su Tan'er to stop taking charge of the business, and there were arguments every day.
It wasn't just some of the disappointing children of the second and third branches. Such comments began to appear in the mouths of some of the elders of the Su family. The power that Su Zhongkan and Su Yunfang had accumulated over the years finally began to be released. They were ready to give the first branch a fatal blow after Su Boyong fell. Under the situation of the Su family's internal and external troubles, even Old Grandpa Su could no longer use high-pressure methods to suppress these things at this time.
It would probably take some time for these things to become a final conclusion. However, in the eyes of most people, Su Tan'er's withdrawal from the business stage of the Su family in the near future was probably an inevitable trend. No matter how hard she tried to maintain and prevent it at this time, some things were really defeated like a landslide. Moreover, she was a woman. In such a state of crisis, it was even more difficult for her to give people a sense of stability. Many people might admit that Su Tan'er's business ability, even if she failed this time, she might be able to come back in the future. However, it was difficult for them to believe that the Su family would continue to let her take the helm.
During this period, all kinds of comments about attacking Ning Yi were probably the most. Although they were not brought to the table to make him do anything, in private, even many people who were originally close to the first branch did not speak well of him. Some people even began to say that this scholar was not worthy of the Second Miss. After that night, Su Tan'er completely took back the position that originally belonged to her, and Ning Yi had nothing to do. These days, he returned to the time when he had nothing to do. It was raining outside, and the private school was not open. He would read and write at home. Occasionally, he would take out a small cylinder and fiddle with it. There was nothing different from before.
However, although the city gate was not opened, so the private school was still closed, in the Su family's courtyard, several people had begun to find Mountain Elder Su Chonghua of Yushan Academy, asking their children to be transferred to other classes. These people's children had originally been Ning Yi's students. At this time, the parents had probably decided to get close to the second branch and the third branch, so they did not want their children to continue being taught by Ning Yi. In the Su family, matters related to the private school had always been the area that the Old Great Grandfather placed the most importance on and controlled the most. For the activities of choosing sides to develop to this point, it clearly meant that this was no child's play. These matters had already spread widely in the Su mansion in the span of a few days.
It was close to September, and the weather was clear again. It was said that the city gate might also open in a few days. The tense atmosphere in the city seemed to have lessened slightly, but in the courtyard of the Su family, the atmosphere deepened every day. In the corridor of the courtyard, two servant girls carried some things over and whispered as they walked.
"He messed up such a big matter, and that son-in-law can still act as if nothing happened …"
"And what number one scholar, he's completely useless …"
"Second Miss has also been implicated by him …"
"I wonder what will happen to the Su family …"
In this kind of atmosphere, it had become normal for the servant girls who occasionally walked by to talk about such things. But today, these two servant girls seemed to be a little unlucky. When they were about to turn the corner of the corridor, they suddenly saw a cold and pretty face waiting there. "You two, go over there and help. They're moving to the courtyard next door, and there isn't enough manpower."
"Juan, Sister Juan 'er …"
"Didn't you hear me? Everyone is working, why aren't you going? "
"But … Fourth Miss asked us …"
"There's no hurry with Fourth Miss, I'll call someone else … Go quickly!"
"Yes …"
The two servant girls looked displeased, but in the end, they still hurried off.
Juan 'er frowned and walked forward quickly. Not long after, she heard the people inside talking about Ning Yi at the entrance of a courtyard, and naturally, it was not something good. This time, she pursed her lips and finally did not go in again. Everyone was talking about this, and this matter was ultimately not something that she could handle. She only lowered her head and walked quickly to the courtyard. At this time, in the small courtyard, Chan 'er was holding a broom and sweeping the floor. Juan 'er walked over to look at Ning Yi's room, and then looked upstairs. "Xiaochan, where's son-in-law?"
"Uh, he went out." Xiaochan hugged the broom. "In the morning, he said that it's not easy for the weather to clear up, so he went out for a stroll. Does Juan 'er need son-in-law for something?"
"Just now, when I passed by the door, the Zhou family's sister and brother came to find son-in-law."
"Oh, but Juan 'er, you don't look too good."
"Just now, I met a few people who don't know anything …"
Juan 'er coldly said the words that she heard just now. Chan' er pursed her lips, and her expression became a little ugly. In the past few days, everyone had heard these kinds of words many times, and even if they stood up and scolded them, it would be useless. Other things, things that they knew, could not be said at all.
"Son-In-Law is really wronged …" Juan 'er said with a slight frown. She was usually a little quiet, but at this time, she really felt sorry for Ning Yi.
"Sister Xing 'er also scolded people yesterday …" Chan' er said, "But son-in-law seems to be quite leisurely. Yesterday, I also asked son-in-law if he was angry, but son-in-law was playing with the telescope or something. He just shook his head casually, and didn't say anything."
Chan 'er imitated the way Ning Yi shook his head casually, but it was hard to say whether it was similar or not. In fact, she also cared about it. Juan' er said a few more words to her, and then rushed out to reply to the Zhou family's sister and brother.
After Juan 'er left, Xiaochan held the broom and looked at Ning Yi's room for a long time. She bit her lips and murmured, "Son-In-Law …" Then, she picked up the broom and vigorously swept the floor.
At this time in the morning, Ning Yi and Nie Yunzhu met in the small building.
He went to the small laboratory next to the academy to get some things, and then wandered here. He didn't expect that Nie Yunzhu happened to be at home. This was the first time they met after the 25th of August.
When she suddenly saw him at the door, Nie Yunzhu's expression was obviously a little relieved. The two of them did not greet each other too much. Ning Yi just carried a small bag and waved his hand casually, while Nie Yunzhu stood on the steps with a smile on her face. In hindsight, she looked like a wife welcoming her tired husband home.
"How have you been?"
"The shop is fine. Jin 'er is over there, so I'm resting." Nie Yunzhu tilted her head and let Ning Yi in. "How about you?"
"That's good. It's raining these few days, so I can't come out. When the weather clears up, I can go out for a walk."
"That's good." The door of the living room was open, and it directly led to the balcony above the river. The autumn sun shone on the balcony. A crooked tree grew against the small building, and at this time, it cast a shadow on the balcony. Nie Yunzhu thought for a while. "Actually … I heard about what happened these few days."
"Oh." Ning Yi glanced at her, then shook his head with a smile. "Uh … it's definitely not as terrible as the rumors say, but it has been a little noisy these few days …"
"How about … I play some songs for Liheng to listen to to ease his mind?"
"Won't it be a little troublesome? It's not easy for you to rest for a day …"
"It's okay." Nie Yunzhu smiled, then lowered her eyes. "I … I can only play these …"
The balcony faced the river, and at a glance, the surrounding scenery was pleasant. The crooked tree didn't cast much shade, and most of the balcony was still in the lazy sunlight. Ning Yi took a cushion and sat down casually on the balcony. When Nie Yunzhu came over with a tea tray, she saw him sitting on the floor of the balcony with his back against the wall. He bent one leg and looked at the scenery in the distance. She couldn't help but smile and put down the tray.
"I'll go get the guqin," she said softly.
Ning Yi looked at her and nodded.
After a moment, the guqin sounded …
*****
Before he knew it, he fell asleep.
It was a warm feeling, as if he was floating in the water, and his mother's hand gently brushed over his body … He didn't know what kind of music Nie Yunzhu was playing. He was pure music illiterate in this aspect, and he didn't like these guqin tunes very much in the past. But at this time, he was still immersed in it. Nie Yunzhu occasionally hummed a few lines of music, all kinds of trivial sentences, like a little woman's low murmur. Occasionally, he looked over there. The autumn light sprinkled down, like falling gold powder on her body. Her clothes were like snow, and her black hair moved slightly. The woman's expression was focused, but when he looked over, she also smiled gently at him in between the gaps of playing the guqin.
When she came in, she changed her clothes … When he vaguely realized this, Ning Yi had gradually fallen asleep. The willow trees on the opposite bank were like a screen. The autumn wind blew, and the river flowed through the river bend under the balcony. The leaves on the balcony rustled, and occasionally a leaf fell. The sound of the guqin mingled with the sound of the water and the leaves, and the soft singing of the woman's throat was mellow and ethereal.
No one knew when the music stopped. The woman sat there for a long time, looking at the sleeping posture of the man not far away. In the past few years, this was the first time she had performed for such a long period of time. In the past, even if she had done it on a whim and entertained herself, it would not have reached such an extent. But in those days, even earlier when she was in the brothel, her performance was more for herself. Not long ago, in the Yan Cui Lou, her performance was with the intention of winning, and the real part of the performance was actually very small. Only now, here, she concentrated on playing for others. For a long time, she let him fall asleep, hoping that he would feel comfortable and quiet, and be comforted.
The wind blew on the surface of the river. She pushed the guqin away and stood up, followed by the sound of light footsteps. She quietly put away the teapot, teacups, and snacks, afraid that Ning Yi would fall asleep again. Then, she sat beside him in the autumn light, quietly looking at his sleeping face.
She didn't know when, but the wind seemed to become a little stronger. She went into the room, and soon came out with a thin blanket. When she squatted down beside the man, the woman hesitated slightly, not knowing if putting the blanket on him would wake him up. Moreover, this blanket was hers and Jin Er's, and it had the scent of a woman. Just at this moment of hesitation, Ning Yi's eyelids moved a few times, and then, he woke up in a daze. He rubbed his eyes, put his hands on the floor, and stood up.
The woman in white hugged the blanket, and couldn't help but stand up. After a moment of hesitation, she was at a loss of what to do.
"Oh, sorry, I don't know what happened, but I fell asleep … it must be because you played too well."
Ning Yi smiled in a somewhat daze, but Nie Yunzhu didn't answer. Turning her head, this white figure took a step forward, stood on her tiptoes in white socks, raised her head, and pressed her lips against his.
Soft, warm, and slightly trembling to the touch, the autumn scenery was lost in the wooden buildings of the river bend. The sound of the wind blew, the sunlight shone through the eaves, and a leaf fell in the wind, quietly watching this scene …
*****
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