Two years ago, Nie Yunzhu and Hu Tao left the Golden Wind Brothel. Although they lived together like sisters, and both of them tried their best to do some work, they were still master and servant. Most of the housework was still done by Hu Tao, and Nie Yunzhu only did some simple things. Every day, she embroidered some beautiful brocade, and occasionally embroidered some shoe soles for handkerchiefs. Every few days, she would go to the Golden Wind Brothel to teach music. That was how she maintained the family. Of course, because her embroidery was for self-entertainment, the quality was good, but it took a lot of effort and cost, so she didn't make much money.
Since Hu Tao became seriously ill last month, Nie Yunzhu inevitably had to take on these tasks. She could still cook simple meals, and washing clothes was nothing — she was not skilled at it. Maybe she couldn't do it as cleanly as Hu Tao. It was just that a few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, she bought that old hen and wanted to stew it for Hu Tao to nourish her body. In the end, she made a lot of trouble.
She caught the hen but didn't dare to kill it. Later, she let the hen run away and chased her all the way into the river. She even threw away the kitchen knife and implicated the passerby who was kind enough to help her. The passerby saved her, and when she woke up, her first reaction was to slap him. Then the next day, the passerby saw her picking up the kitchen knife and helped her kill the chicken …
She was usually a calm and collected woman. She had been in the brothel for many years and had seen many people, so she still cared a lot about her image. Who knew that this time, she would be seen doing something so shameful. Thinking about it, she felt embarrassed. A few days ago, she got sick with Hu Tao. Fortunately, she didn't have a serious cold, but she would only get better after the Mid-Autumn Festival. Thinking about it, she didn't even get to ask her benefactor's name. Huyan Luo … She didn't know if Huyan Luo was right, but who knew that she would meet him here today.
Nie Yunzhu had seen a lot of people in the past. This young man was probably in his early twenties, and he looked scholarly. But in hindsight, the way he handled things was quite different from others. His words and actions were all like this, and he looked indifferent and casual. From the moment he saved her to the moment she slapped him in the face, to the moment he helped her kill the chicken and left, it was the same. Nie Yunzhu followed him at this time and saw that he really wanted to buy charcoal. However, after he looked at the charcoal and chatted with the boss for a while, the situation became a little different.
It was already late autumn, and winter was approaching. Most people had to buy carbon at home, so naturally, there were places that sold it in bulk. However, this shop actually sold carbon in bags. After the man spoke to the shopkeeper, he poured a large bag of charcoal on the ground, picked up a cloth bag, and squatted there to pick out the charcoal strips one by one. There weren't many that he could choose, and he often had to scrape the ground a few times before throwing one into the bag. The shopkeeper didn't get angry, and only asked a few questions out of curiosity before he went to do his work.
After watching for a moment, Nie Yunzhu followed him and stopped behind him. She bent down and asked, "Benefactor?"
"Hmm?" The man turned his head and looked at her, recognizing her. "Oh, it's you. What a coincidence." The man was still focused on choosing the charcoal.
This reaction and statement were a little strange. The Confucian culture had developed to the peak, and all kinds of etiquette were quite complicated and particular. Normally, if a man saw a woman coming over, he would have to stand at attention and treat her gently. This kind of refined atmosphere had already become the habit of the entire society. However, this was the first time that Nie Yunzhu encountered such a casual "Oh, it's you. What a coincidence." But it also felt natural. She was slightly stunned, blinked her eyes, and then gathered up her skirt and squatted to the side.
"Benefactor …"
"Oh, it's just killing a chicken. It's okay, no need to call me benefactor." The man smiled and waved his hand, saying casually.
"Benefactor, could it be that you only remember killing the chicken, but you don't remember saving me from the river?"
"Ah …"
The man was stunned for a moment before he reacted. Nie Yunzhu couldn't help but burst out laughing. The two of them squatted side by side in front of the pile of charcoal. Nie Yunzhu tilted her head and looked at him. "My name is Nie Yunzhu." After waiting for a while to make sure that the man could remember the name, he said, "Benefactor's name is Huyan Luo?"
"Huyan, Huyan Luo …"
For a moment, the man's expression seemed to twitch a few times. It was very complicated, and then he laughed. "Hehe, Ning Yi," he said. "Ning Yi, Ning Liheng."
Hearing this name, Nie Yunzhu was also stunned.
"Shuidiao Getou …"
"That person is called Ning Yi, Liheng …"
"He's a son-in-law of the Su mansion …"
"Maybe he's fishing for fame after buying the poem …"
The amazement she felt when she first saw the poem in Golden Wind Pavilion was still lingering in her mind, and the discussion of the group of girls immediately flashed past. Ning Yi, Ning Liheng. Originally, she was simply appreciating the lyrics and did not have the time to digest the charm of the poem itself. She did not have many thoughts of gossiping with others. Therefore, the name did not matter to her at all. She did not even think about it. However, at this moment, it gave her a huge impact.
She was stunned for a long time, and then she reacted. "Young Master Ning … May I know what use you have for this charcoal?"
"En, for writing." Ning Yi knocked on the wooden board that had a layer of white paint on the ground, and then he took a piece of charcoal powder and wrote the word "Nie" on the ground. He probably wanted to write the name Nie Yunzhu, but when he wrote the last stroke of the word "Nie", he paused, probably thinking that it was a little impolite to write the other person's name like this, so he changed the place slightly and wrote the two words "Ning Yi".
The words were written in the style of regular script, vigorous and powerful. When he finished writing the last stroke, the charcoal was pinched and broken. Nie Yunzhu herself was also accomplished in calligraphy. She thought about it in her heart. The method of holding the charcoal was different from holding the brush. If she had used the charcoal to write, the words would definitely be far inferior. But he was able to write so casually with charcoal, so his understanding of calligraphy must have reached an outstanding level.
In this day and age, poetry and calligraphy were a family. Those who had profound attainments in calligraphy were mostly called great scholars of their generation, and they were not far from it. For a person to be able to write like this, there was no doubt that he could write Shuidiao Getou. Nie Yunzhu thought that the rumors were really not trustworthy. She did not know that Ning Yi's calligraphy was only good to look at. On the other hand, he used chalk and fountain pen to write all kinds of artistic fonts. Later on, with his status and state of mind, his handwriting was even more imposing. At this time, looking at the two words, she felt that it was a little backward, but it could still be used to fool people.
Practicing calligraphy was not something that could be done in a day and night. She could not let those students who practiced calligraphy every day think that their teacher's handwriting was ugly …
"When you bring it to class, use this whiteboard to write. You can erase it after you've written. If it's a sand table, the outline is not clear enough, and you always have to sweep it. Moreover, the sand table is flat, and the students will be tired of looking at it. This can be hung vertically."
"Class … school? Is Young Master Ning a teacher in the school? "
"Hmm, a small classroom, teaching a few students who are stupid enough to fly in the sky and burrow into the earth to read and write …"
"Heh … Young Master Ning, is this one okay?"
Brothels paid particular attention to the art of getting along with people naturally. As long as she was prepared, Nie Yunzhu was confident that she could naturally talk with anyone without feeling embarrassed. This time, he spoke naturally, but it wasn't because of himself. Instead, it felt like it was because of the other party's attitude. The two of them picked out the charcoal, and in a short while, they filled up the small cloth bag. Their hands were already black. When it was time to pay, Ning Yi paid more than ten copper coins for this small bag of charcoal.
"The shopkeeper is so unreasonable, charging more than ten copper coins for this small amount of charcoal," said Nie Yunzhu as they walked out of the door.
"Heh, it's not good to disturb people. They probably heard that I was going to use it in the school, so they let me be so picky. The identity of a teacher is quite useful."
"Young Master, if you want to buy it next time, you might as well buy a few bags back home to choose. Anyway, you need to use it at home, so you can save this money."
"Haha, next time I won't be choosing. Let those students bring something suitable to the school."
After a while, the two of them washed their hands by the Qinhuai River. One of them carried a wooden board and charcoal, and the other carried a cloth bag and medicine bag. They walked forward one after the other. Nie Yunzhu talked about how she fell into the river and was rescued by him. Ning Yi just waved his hand, saying it was not a big deal, and casually brought it over.
The two of them occasionally exchanged a few words, and the atmosphere was naturally a little strange. After the two of them walked for a while, Nie Yunzhu, who was walking a step behind, thought about the artistic conception of the Shui Diao Ge Tou. She suddenly felt that perhaps only such a free and easy person could write such a poem.
After walking for a while, they arrived at a bend in the river, where Ning Yi stopped and said goodbye. Not far away, the riverbank was quiet, and the willows were green. A teahouse and a few small shops were located there. Next to the teahouse was a small chess stall, where two old men were playing chess. One of them was dressed in silk and satin, looking rather noble.
She bowed to the other and said goodbye. After a few words, she paused for a while and walked forward. The other also walked forward not far, in the direction of the teahouse and chess stall. The two old men seemed to know him, and they laughed and said something. She could faintly hear his voice.
"… These days, I've been so miserable because of the two of you … this morning, that Yu Zixing came to find me …"
She walked over, and when she looked back, the man was sitting there, watching the chess game. He held a cup of tea in his hand and took a small sip. The two of them didn't have much interaction. Without the reason of repaying the debt of gratitude, in the vast Jiangning, they might not even have the chance to meet again in the future. The way he spoke and treated people didn't have much ambition or utilitarianism. This was almost unique among the scholars and famous scholars she had met. Along the way, he was calm and natural, unrestrained and free. There weren't many superfluous formalities, but he didn't give people a feeling of displeasure. However, he did indeed maintain a distance, just like the rumored scholar of the Tang Dynasty. Nowadays, scholars all spoke of a gentleman. Perhaps a gentleman should have such a romantic bearing.
Perhaps they wouldn't meet again in the future, and the other person wouldn't take those "kindness" seriously. However, such a figure, she had already remembered it in her heart.
Ning Yi, Ning Liheng …
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