Hangzhou was located at the beginning of the Grand Canal in the south, and it faced the Qiantang Estuary in the east. Since ancient times, Hangzhou had been the most typical portrayal of the "Jiangnan Water Town" in the scholars' mouths. Inside and outside the city, waterways crisscrossed. These crisscrossing waterways not only brought beautiful scenery, but also developed commerce. Compared to Jiangning and Bianjing, it was not much inferior. However, at this time, Hangzhou's economy was not at its most developed.
In the original history, before the Southern Song Dynasty moved the capital, Hangzhou could not be counted as the true peak commercial center, even though Hangzhou's commerce was quite developed at this time. Its peak was still when the Southern Song Dynasty moved the capital. After it was changed to Lin 'an, the commercial development here increased several times, supporting half of the prosperity of the Southern Song Dynasty.
It was the same at this time. Today, the most prosperous commercial area in Hangzhou was still between the entrance of Guan Alley and Yangba Tou. As for the area near Taiping Alley where Ning Yi and Su Tan'er were, although there was also a prosperous market, it could not be compared to there. The alley was suitable for living, and a few camphor trees towered into the sky. There was a small Liu Martial Arts Club at the entrance of the alley. Business seemed to be good, and they laughed all day long. Occasionally, it sounded quite lively.
After coming to Hangzhou for a few days, the main thing was to ride around. Sometimes they got off the carriage and wandered. At this time, there was no detailed tourist map. Walking back and forth from place to place was like searching for treasures in a secret realm. They had been to West Lake, so they naturally could not miss Sunset Mountain and Leifeng Pagoda. The children were most curious about whether the White Mistress was really under the pagoda. As for the Ten Sights of West Lake in the future, they had to search everywhere.
Casual sightseeing was said to be romantic, but in fact, it was quite boring if they really did it. The people of the future who were used to the cold city might be very curious about some original ancestral temples, but in reality, the real ancient streets were far less romantic and pleasant than the tourist attractions of the future. There were stone and dirt roads everywhere, narrow alleys with low eaves. Some roads had dirty water flowing, chickens crowing, dogs barking, and begging children lying on the side of the road. After looking for a long time, you would know that it was not scenery, but life.
Without the layout, decoration, and management of the future scenic areas, if you wanted to see the scenery, you had to rely more on your own mood and divergent thinking that could be extended at will. A tall tree with a canopy in an alley might not necessarily look good. If you were in the mood, the thousands of golden lights that shone through the gaps between the trees would become a delightful scenery. However, if one saw too many of them, the same beautiful scenery would become ordinary. Therefore, if one really wanted to look for some liveliness, the bustling and vulgar commercial district would be more satisfying. Therefore, after visiting some of the fixed classics, Ning Yi, Su Tan 'er, and the others chose to visit places like Guan Xiang and Yang Ba Tou, which were mostly commercial districts like Guan Xiang and Yangba Tou.
In all fairness, even though Su Tan'er envied the sentiments of scholars and loved poems and songs, she was not a sentimental person. She accompanied Ning Yi to stroll around the streets. When she was tired, she would go to a teahouse to rest and listen to books and songs. Most of the time, she was probably thinking about where to set up the warehouse, where to set up the workshop, and how to open the shop.
Ning Yi wasn't very enthusiastic about going around and enjoying the sights. It wasn't essential. To him, he had already seen plenty of sights that had been modified in the future. The original sights of this era might be a novelty at first, and he would feel tranquil and used to it. But that was all. In essence, he wasn't a person who liked the scenery. He appreciated the interaction between people more. Watching the bustling streets, people haggling over prices, chatting and laughing in teahouses, and his wife and servant girls pointing and gossiping, he always found it interesting. Compared to the joy of mountains and rivers, he preferred this kind of artificial joy.
After they settled down in Taiping Alley and visited the small dojo a few times, he had the idea of training during this period of time.
Of course, Su Tan'er didn't think that her Husband should learn such a small dojo. Chan 'er, Juan' er, and the others were probably thinking the same thing. That night, Ning Yi had casually mentioned it while they were eating. That night, the three servant girls had resentful and hesitant expressions on their faces. Their status made it impossible for them to criticize their master's decisions. However, it was also because Ning Yi was usually easy-going and everyone was as close as a family that they were able to think for Ning Yi's sake. They were worried that he would really do such a 'deviant' thing.
After all, the gap between scholars and martial artists was still too big at this time. From a certain point of view, Ning Yi had already made a name for himself in poetry. Even though he didn't care usually, when he decided to become an apprentice in a small dojo, others could easily feel that something was amiss.
Even if he didn't care, how could Chan 'er and the others stand their son-in-law coming to such a small martial arts dojo and being yelled at by others? Although it might not be like this after spending money, even people like Jiangning's Hundred Saber Alliance Leader Cheng had to be polite and courteous when they saw their son-in-law, although they could call him an elder. In short, they shouldn't touch such a small martial arts dojo on the streets.
That was what they thought. That night, when they were serving water and lighting candles, their gazes seemed to be saying something, but they couldn't say it out loud. Su Tan'er didn't say anything after hearing it. She was silent and gentle. At this time, the family had only stayed in the courtyard for a few days. Many things were bought and decorated. When it was time to sleep, Su Tan'er went to the room next door to take a bath. Chan'er brought a basin of water to wash his feet. She squatted by the bed and helped Ning Yi take off his shoes and socks. She reached out and dipped his feet into the warm water.
In the past, Ning Yi would do this himself. He didn't even need Xiaochan's help to take off his shoes and socks. They had been together for a long time and were used to it. But today, Xiaochan seemed to be doing it smoothly. Ning Yi smiled and said, "Alright, I'll do it myself." Xiaochan just raised her head and glanced at him. Then she lowered her head again and said softly, "Chan'er doesn't have anything else to do …" She was petite and squatted there, concentrating on her work. In Ning Yi's eyes, she looked like a little wife who had been bullied. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Originally, Ning Yi was only slightly moved by the idea of the dojo. He casually mentioned it. No matter what Xiaochan and the others thought, or whether he agreed with it or not, he liked it. He waited for the young maidservant to open her mouth to persuade him. Who knew that the young maidservant would still cry and say, "Although Xiaochan is a young maidservant who doesn't understand anything, she wouldn't gossip about this kind of thing …" The feeling was ordinary. At this time, she just lowered her head and didn't say anything.
After a while, Su Tan'er also came back. She was wearing a white robe after her bath. Her hair was still a little wet, and when it fell down, it looked like black satin. She walked to the side of the bed and changed the position of the lamp. After lighting it up a little, she opened the window. Xiaochan carried the basin of water and stood up. She lowered her head and went out.
Ning Yi felt interested and lay down on the bed. Su Tan'er sat by the window and let the cool summer wind dry her hair. She seemed to have something on her mind. She occasionally lowered her head to think, but her eyes met with Ning Yi's. After a while, she also smiled quietly.
After a long time, she got up and closed the window. She went to the bed and used a palm-leaf fan to drive away the mosquitoes in the tent. Then, she extinguished the lamp. The night began to quiet down. When the clock struck midnight, the lights in the room were turned on again. Someone got up and cleaned up the traces of exercise. When the lights were extinguished, the two snuggled up on the bed, wrapped in a thin blanket. They were already a little tired.
Not long after, in the dark room, there was a soft murmur.
"Are you bored, my husband?"
"Hmm?"
"It's about practicing martial arts."
After this sentence, there was a moment of silence.
"It's just a spur of the moment. We'll talk about it later …"
"But …"
"Chan'er and Xing'er are both looking at me like that. Juan'er is quiet and just looks at me from behind. She's looking at me like a youth who has lost his footing on the road of no return. Who can stand it … "
"Husband, if it's true …"
"It's just a spur of the moment. I haven't decided yet. That martial arts center is also small. We'll talk about it later. I know what I'm doing."
"Hmm."
"Besides, I've already agreed. I have a lot of things to do in the next two months with you …"
"Oh."
Before they set off, the two of them had made some plans. They were both people from the business world. They knew the purpose of coming to Hangzhou. Therefore, apart from traveling, there were still many things that could not be avoided. The things that required Ning Yi's participation were to visit all kinds of unfamiliar businesses, such as the local cloth merchants, silk merchants, cotton merchants, dye merchants, and so on. They would all be a huge network of relationships.
In the past, when she was in Jiangning, Su Tan'er would occasionally visit the local businesses that she had a lot of connections with in the past. With Su Boyong in charge, Su Tan'er also had a sufficient foundation. She would not be bullied if she visited as a nephew. However, when it came to the end of the year, it was best to have Ning Yi accompany her to visit all kinds of people. In Hangzhou, they were all strangers. This was even more so. It was not only to accompany and protect her, it was also a kind of trust.
"But those things …" Of course, as a man, as a son-in-law, accompanying his wife to visit all kinds of unfamiliar businesses was not necessarily a very glorious thing from a certain perspective. However, Su Tan'er's mind was not on this at the moment. Her body was numb. After thinking about it, she forgot what she was about to say just now.
"Hmm?"
"But … but those things … are actually quite boring …"
"You don't want me to accompany you?"
"No! No … "
Her body moved a little. Reflexively, the lower half of her body pressed closer to him. Because of this, she got rid of some of the awkward feelings. The hand patted her butt lightly and then returned to her waist. It was still itchy … but she still did not move. She could resist it.
"Actually, I think it's very interesting to walk around and meet all kinds of people."
"Hmm."
"If someone bullies you, I don't have much to do right now anyway. I can help you plan it out."
"Okay."
After saying that, she felt that she was too excited and shrank her head against her husband's neck. She knew that her Husband was very capable and could be her backing. She felt very happy, but on the other hand, she felt that it was not good for her Husband to get involved in the intrigue of the business world. He should be doing bigger things. When she thought of bigger things, she remembered that Elder Qin seemed to have asked her Husband to go to the capital to become an official, but her Husband rejected her. She felt that part of the reason was because of her, but she also felt a little guilty.
There was guilt and selfishness. She was just a businesswoman who fell in love with her husband. She felt that everything about him was good. Sometimes, she also felt that her husband should not be marrying into the family. If she was a bystander, she might also feel that Su Tan'er was a woman who had the ability to let Ning Yi marry into the family. But she was not a bystander. She also had doubts in her heart, but she could only ignore it. It was best if no one mentioned it. It would be best if … he could show his talents and fulfill his ambitions. He could also marry into the Su family and stay by her side. She could also make it so that he would not feel that he was a son-in-law, and they could love each other like normal husband and wife …
She also knew that it was impossible to be perfect. She had no choice but to think about it. She could only be a tortoise in this aspect and not think about it at all.
"The store … has actually been chosen. The warehouse has also been chosen. We just need to wait for the next two days to decide. Wen Ding, Wen Fang, and Mr. Chen have also arranged things …" Slowly, she sorted out the random thoughts in her mind and said softly, "The day after tomorrow … No, starting from the day after tomorrow, let's go visit the people we want to visit one by one …"
"Hmm, the day after tomorrow … That's good …" Ning Yi nodded and then remembered something. "Then I'll send a letter tomorrow."
"Ah? Send a letter? "
"When I left Jiangning, Elder Qin knew that I was coming to Hangzhou. He asked me to visit a friend with the surname Qian and send a letter to him. When I arrived a few days ago, I asked casually. Someone said that the old man went out to give a lecture, so I didn't go to his house. He should be back in the next two days. I'll go and see tomorrow. Whether he's there or not, I'll just give the letter to his family. "He thought for a while and said," I think it's a good sign to find someone with the surname Qian. "
"Another … very powerful Confucian scholar?"
"Probably." Ning Yi smiled. "But I don't get along well with all old people. I'll just send a letter, nothing else. Then the next two months will be yours … "
Su Tan 'er was silent for a moment, then she nudged him with her head. "It's company."
"Oh." Ning Yi nodded and chuckled. "It's company."
Since ancient times, Hangzhou had been the most typical portrayal of the "Jiangnan Water Town" in the words of scholars. Inside and outside the city, waterways crisscrossed. These crisscrossing waterways not only brought beautiful scenery, but also brought commercial development. Compared to Jiangning and Bianjing, it was not much inferior. But at this time, Hangzhou's economy was not at its most developed.
If in the original history, before the Southern Song Dynasty moved the capital, Hangzhou could not be counted as the real peak commercial center, even though Hangzhou's commerce was quite developed at this time. Its peak was still when the Southern Song Dynasty moved the capital. After it was changed to Lin 'an, the commercial development here soared several times, supporting half of the prosperity of the Southern Song Dynasty.
It was the same at this time. Today, the most prosperous commercial area in Hangzhou was still between the entrance of Guan Lane and Yangba Tou. As for the area near Taiping Lane where Ning Yi and Su Tan 'er were now, although there was also a prosperous market, it could not be compared to that area. The lane was suitable for living, and a few camphor trees were lush and towering. There was a small Liu Martial Arts Club at the entrance of the lane. Business seemed to be good, and they laughed all day long. Occasionally, it sounded quite lively.
After coming to Hangzhou for a few days, the main thing was to ride around. Sometimes they got off the carriage and walked. At this time, there was no detailed tourist map. Walking around one place after another was like searching for treasures in a secret realm. They had been to West Lake, so they naturally could not miss Sunset Mountain and Leifeng Pagoda. The children were most curious about whether the White Mistress was really under the pagoda. As for the Ten Sights of West Lake in the future, they had to search everywhere.
Casual sightseeing was said to be romantic, but in fact, it was quite boring if they really did it. People in the future who were used to the coldness of the city might be very curious about some of the original ancestral temples, but in reality, the real ancient streets were far less romantic and pleasant than the tourist attractions in the future. There were stone and dirt roads everywhere, and narrow alleys with low eaves. Some roads had dirty water flowing, chickens crowing, dogs barking, and begging children lying on the side of the road. After looking at it for a long time, you would know that it was not scenery, but life.
Without the layout, decoration, and management of the tourist attractions in the future, if you wanted to see the scenery, you had to rely more on your own mood and divergent thinking that could be extended at will. A tall tree with a canopy in an alley might not be very beautiful. If you were in the mood, the thousands of golden lights that shone through the gaps between the trees would become a pleasant scenery. However, if one saw too many of them, the same beautiful scenery would become ordinary. Therefore, if one really wanted to look for some liveliness, the bustling and vulgar commercial district would be more satisfying. Therefore, after visiting some of the fixed classics, Ning Yi, Su Tan 'er, and the others chose to visit places like Guan Xiang and Yang Ba Tou, which were mostly commercial districts like Guan Xiang and Yangba Tou.
In all fairness, even though she envied the mood of scholars and loved poetry, Su Tan'er was not a person with much of a mood. She accompanied Ning Yi to wander around the streets. When she was tired, she would go to a teahouse to rest and listen to books and songs. In her heart, she was probably still thinking about where the warehouse would be located, where the workshop would be located, and how the shop would be opened.
Ning Yi was actually not very enthusiastic about going around to enjoy the scenery. It was not important. For him, he had already seen many landscapes that had been modified in the future. The original scenery of this era might be novel at first, and he would feel tranquil and used to it. In fact, it was about the same. In essence, he was not a person who liked the scenery. He appreciated the interaction between people more. Watching the bustling streets, people haggling over prices, chatting and laughing in teahouses, and his wife and maidservants pointing and gossiping, he always felt that it was fun. Compared to the joy of mountains and rivers, he preferred this kind of artificial joy.
After they settled down in Taiping Alley and visited the small dojo a few times, he had the idea of training during this period of time.
Of course, Su Tan'er did not think that her Husband should learn from such a small dojo. Chan 'er, Juan' er, and the others were probably thinking the same thing. That night, Ning Yi had casually mentioned it while they were eating. That night, the three servant girls had resentful and hesitant expressions on their faces. Their status made it impossible for them to criticize their master's decisions. However, it was also because Ning Yi was usually easy-going and everyone was as close as a family that they were able to think for Ning Yi's sake. They were worried that he would really do such a 'deviant' thing.
The difference between scholars and martial artists was too great at this time. From a certain point of view, Ning Yi had already made a name for himself in the path of poetry. Even though he did not care about it usually, when he decided to become an apprentice in a small dojo, others could easily feel that something was amiss.
Even if he didn't care, how could Chan 'er and the others stand their son-in-law coming to such a small martial arts dojo and being yelled at by others? Although it might not be like this after spending money, even people like Jiangning's Hundred Saber Alliance Leader Cheng had to be polite and courteous when they saw their son-in-law, although they could call him an elder. In short, they shouldn't touch such a small martial arts dojo on the streets.
That was what they thought in their hearts. Throughout the night, when they were serving water and lighting candles, their gazes seemed to be saying something, but they could not say it out loud. Su Tan'er did not say anything after hearing it, giving off a feeling of silence and gentleness. At this time, the family had only lived in this courtyard for a few days. Many things were being bought and decorated. When it was time to sleep, Su Tan'er went to the room next door to take a bath. Chan'er brought over a basin of water to wash his feet. She squatted by the bed and helped Ning Yi take off his shoes and socks. She reached out and dipped his feet into the warm water.
In the past, Ning Yi would do this kind of thing by himself. He did not even need Xiaochan's help to take off his shoes and socks. After living together for a long time, they were basically used to it. But today, Xiaochan seemed to be doing it smoothly. Ning Yi smiled and said, "Alright, I'll do it myself." Xiaochan only raised her head and glanced at him, then lowered her head again and said softly, "Chan'er has nothing else to do..." She was petite, squatting there and concentrating on her work without saying anything. In Ning Yi's eyes, she looked like a little wife who had been bullied. He could not help but not know whether to laugh or cry.
Originally, Ning Yi was only slightly moved by the matter of the dojo and casually mentioned it. No matter what Xiaochan and the others thought, or whether he agreed or not, in short, he liked it. He waited for this young maidservant to open her mouth to persuade him, but who knew that this maidservant would still cry and say, "Although Xiaochan is a young maidservant who does not understand anything, she would not gossip about this kind of thing..." at this time, she lowered her head and did not say anything.
After a while, Su Tan'er also returned. She was wearing a moon-white unlined garment after bathing. Her hair was still a little wet, and when it fell down, it looked like black satin. She walked to the side of the bed and changed the position of the lamp. After slightly lighting it up, she opened the window. Xiaochan carried the basin of water and stood up. She lowered her head and went out.
Ning Yi felt interested and lay down on the bed. Su Tan'er sat by the window and let the cool summer wind dry her hair. She seemed to have something on her mind. Occasionally, she lowered her head and thought about it. Her gaze met with Ning Yi's, and after a while, she also smiled quietly.
After a long time, she got up and closed the window. She went to the bed and used a palm-leaf fan to drive away the mosquitoes in the tent. Then, she extinguished the lamp. The night began to quiet down. When the clock struck midnight, the lights in the room were turned on again. Someone got up and cleaned up the traces of exercise. When the lights were extinguished, the two of them snuggled up on the bed, wrapped in a thin blanket. They were already a little tired.
Not long after, in the dark room, there was a soft whisper.
"Are you bored, my husband?"
"Hmm?"
"About practicing martial arts."
After this sentence, there was a moment of silence.
"Just on the spur of the moment. We'll talk about it later..."
"But..."
"Chan'er and Xing'er are both looking at me with that kind of expression. Juan'er is quiet and just looks at me from behind. She looks like a teenager who has lost his footing on the road of no return. Who can stand it... "
"If Husband is really..."
"It's purely on the spur of the moment. I haven't decided yet. That martial arts center is also small. We'll talk about it in the future. I know what I'm doing."
"Hmm."
"Besides, I've already agreed. I have a lot of things to do in the next two months with you..."
"Oh."
At the beginning of the journey, the two of them had made some plans. They were both people from the business world. They knew the purpose of coming to Hangzhou. Besides traveling, there were still many things that could not be avoided. The things that required Ning Yi's participation were to visit all kinds of unfamiliar businesses, such as the local cloth merchants, silk merchants, cotton merchants, dye merchants, and so on. They would all be a huge network.
In the past, when she was in Jiangning, Su Tan'er would occasionally visit the local businesses that she had a lot of connections with in the past. With Su Boyong in charge, Su Tan'er also had enough foundation to visit as a nephew, so she would not be bullied. However, when she visited all kinds of people around the end of the year, it was best to have Ning Yi accompany her. In Hangzhou, they were all strangers, so it was even more so. It was not only to accompany and protect her, but also a kind of trust.
"But those things..." Of course, as a man, as a son-in-law, accompanying his wife to visit all kinds of strange businesses was not necessarily a very glorious thing in a sense. However, Su Tan'er's mind was not on this at the moment. Her body was numb. After thinking about it, she forgot what she was about to say.
"Hmm?"
"But... but those things... are actually quite boring..."
"You don't want me to accompany you?"
"No! No... "
Her body moved a little. Reflexively, the lower half of her body pressed closer to him. Because of this, she got rid of some of the awkward feelings. The hand patted her butt gently, then moved back to her waist. It was still itchy... but she still did not move. She could bear it.
"Actually, I find it very interesting to walk around and meet all kinds of people."
"Hmm."
"If someone bullies you, I don't have much to do right now anyway. I can help you figure it out."
"Okay."
After saying that, she felt that she was too excited and shrunk her head into her husband's neck. She knew that her Husband was very capable and could be her backing. She felt very happy, but on the other hand, she felt that it was not good for her Husband to get involved in the intrigue of the business world. He should be doing bigger things. When she thought of bigger things, she remembered that Elder Qin seemed to have asked her Husband to go to the capital to become an official, but Husband had rejected him. She felt that part of the reason was because of her, but she also felt a little guilty.
There was guilt and selfishness. She was just a businesswoman who fell in love with her husband. She felt that everything about him was good. Sometimes, she also felt that her husband should not be marrying into the family. If she was a bystander, she might also feel that Su Tan'er was such a woman. How could she let Ning Yi marry into the family? But she was not a bystander. She also had doubts in her heart, but she could only ignore it. It was best if no one mentioned it. It would be best if … he could show his talents and fulfill his ambitions. He could also marry into the Su family and stay by her side. She could also make it so that he would not feel that he was a son-in-law, and they could love each other like normal husband and wife …
She also knew that it was impossible to be perfect. She had no choice but to think about it. She could only be a tortoise in this aspect and not think about it at all.
"The store … has actually been chosen. The warehouse has also been chosen. We just need to wait for the next two days to decide. Wen Ding, Wen Fang, and Mr. Chen have also arranged things …" Slowly, she sorted out the random thoughts in her mind and said softly, "The day after tomorrow … No, starting from the day after tomorrow, we will go visit the people we want to visit one by one …"
"Hmm, the day after tomorrow … That's good …" Ning Yi nodded and then remembered something. "Then I'll go deliver a letter tomorrow."
"Ah? Deliver a letter? "
"When I left Jiangning, Elder Qin knew that I was coming to Hangzhou. He asked me to visit a friend with the surname Qian and deliver a letter to him. When I arrived a few days ago, I casually asked around. Someone said that the old man went out to give a lecture, so I didn't go to his house. He should be back in the next two days. I'll go and see tomorrow. Whether he's there or not, I'll just hand the letter to his family. "He thought for a moment and then said," I think it's a good sign to find someone with the surname Qian. "
"Another … very powerful Confucian scholar?"
"Probably." Ning Yi smiled. "But I don't get along well with all old people. I just want to deliver a letter, nothing else. Then for the next two months, it will all be yours … "
Su Tan'er was silent for a moment, then she nudged him with her head. "Yes."
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