Learning martial arts wasn't that urgent. Since his family didn't approve of the small dojo after seeing it, he could put it aside for the time being. At most, he could find Guard Geng and the others to spar with him in the future.
When he was in Jiangning, he had actually considered finding Guard Geng and the others to spar with. To him, the few times he sparred with others, he relied on his calmness, calculation, and ruthlessness. What he lacked was the conditioned reflexes that he had developed after a long period of sparring. This wasn't something that could be learned through trickery.
He also knew that it wasn't realistic to go out and find a master. For example, he could find Alliance Leader Cheng of the Hundred Sabers Alliance, or through Kang Xian. Even Lu Agui, who was always by Kang Xian's side, was probably not simple. These people had connections with each other, so it wouldn't be a problem to find a master. However, that kind of thing was different. To him, it was just a game, so it wasn't appropriate to trouble these people formally. There was already a gap between the status of a scholar and a martial artist. If he went to find a master and said that he didn't really care about this, it would be too frivolous. Unless it was really the relationship between good friends and brothers, it wouldn't be appropriate to do so.
It was easier to find his family directly. He taught Guard Geng's son, and Guard Geng respected him, so it wouldn't be appropriate for him to fight. This wasn't a big problem, and it would be settled after a while. However, the key was that everyone in the Su family in Jiangning basically had the same concept as Su Tan 'er and the three maids. Even if they were hostile to him, they all felt that he shouldn't really try martial arts.
At that time, he convinced Guard Geng and basically settled the opinions of Su Tan 'er and the others. He practiced at home for a few days out of excitement. On the first day, Guard Geng couldn't hold back and punched him in the face. Then, he refused to fight with Ning Yi no matter what. It wasn't easy to convince him again, but the next day, they fought fiercely. Ning Yi was punched a few times in the body and also in the eye. That night, he had to eat with his family with a black wheel.
To him, he was already mentally prepared that he would get injured during sparring. In essence, he wasn't very good at martial arts. After practicing inner force, it wasn't easy to use extreme force with Guard Geng. Although Guardian Geng was not a famous master in Jianghu, he had seen many real battles after being with the Su Family for so many years. It was said that when the Su Family escorted goods, Guardian Geng would accompany them and command them. He had even taken down a few groups of mountain bandits, so he was quite skilled.
For Ning Yi to achieve such a result in a fair duel with him meant that Ning Yi had forced Protector Geng to the point where he couldn't hold back at times. He planned to fight like this for half a year. With the help of his neigong, he could be considered half a martial arts master. Behind his back, he made Guardian Geng suffer a lot. When he got home, he asked his son to say, "Father, how could you beat Master like that?"
On the third day, Guardian Geng found it difficult to fight back. Ning Yi tried to persuade him again before hitting him again. As a result, Guardian Geng received another punch on the bridge of his nose. Blood flowed out and he patched it up. His injuries weren't serious, but when the Old Grandfather saw him at home, he lost his temper and called the others over to scold them. "Do you think I'm already dead?" Later, he found out that it was Protector Geng, so he called Protector Geng over to scold him.
At that time, when Ning Yi found out about the situation, he went over to excuse himself. He was eloquent, and he had an imposing manner when he did things. However, when it came to this matter, his family felt that it was really strange for him to do such a thing. They knew that Ning Yi usually liked to tell stories about Jianghu legends, but young people have an intense temperament. It was fine for them to train themselves in the style of chivalry, but how could they be like Ning Yi, a famous scholar, who was beaten black and blue every day? The Old Grandfather didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "What … nonsense …"
Then he said to Guard Geng, "Young Master Ning likes to mess around. You're an old man in the family. How can you be so insensible …"
After that, Ning Yi knew that it wasn't good to do these things in the Jiangning family. But this time, only Su Tan 'er and the others were around. When things were settled, he could force Guard Geng to fight him again. If Wen Ding and Wen Fang had something to say, he could scold them and call them over to train together.
After this matter was decided, the next morning, he followed his plan and went to find Old Qian, whom Old Qin had informed him about. From Elder Qin's words, this person's name was Qian Jingru. His courtesy name was Xiwen. He was a good friend of Ning Yi's and loved books. Therefore, he asked Ning Yi to give him a few books, but he didn't say anything else.
However, after arriving in Hangzhou, Ning Yi asked around and roughly knew that the Qian Family should be considered a rather famous and distinguished family in Hangzhou. At least, the fact that Qian Xiwen went out to give lectures could be heard from ordinary people, which proved this point. Ning Yi also knew that Qin Siyuan's act of asking him to deliver the letter was not simple. It was more or less to introduce him to a powerful person. However, his contact with Elder Qin and Kang Xian was purely accidental. Ning Yi didn't think that he would always be able to talk to the old man. This time, he didn't have such thoughts. He just wanted to deliver the letter.
That morning, he led Xiaochan out and asked a few people about the Qian family. He found out that the Qian family was not only a prominent family in Hangzhou, but also a famous landlord in the surrounding villages. It was said that the family was very wealthy. This person's surname was Qian. Xiaochan immediately thought of a scene of a glittering explosion. On the way, she jokingly told Ning Yi about it.
However, on the way to the Qian mansion, she found that there was some distance between the Qian family and the glittering explosion. Although the houses and courtyards that were enclosed also seemed to have the atmosphere of a big family, the group of courtyards on the east side of Hangzhou seemed to be quite old. What had settled down was not the appearance of an explosion, but the strict standards and simplicity of housekeeping.
Ning Yi gave his name at the door and handed over a letter and a book. The old gatekeeper took them in and told the master and servant to wait in the gatehouse for a while. Not long after, an old housekeeper came out to greet them. They did not go to the living room, but to the "master's study." Along the way, Chan 'er looked around curiously. The surrounding walls, buildings, and roads did not seem to be big. They seemed to be smaller than the Jiangning Su mansion, but they all gave off the right feeling. In some places, there were signs of orderly repair, but they were not shabby. The decorations and furnishings in many places gave off a scholarly aura. It was probably because generations of people had lived here for a long time. Many small places could give off a lively aura.
"The atmosphere of a prominent family is like this." Seeing that Xiaochan was looking around, Ning Yi also spoke softly. The old housekeeper who was leading the way clearly heard it and revealed a proud smile. Xiaochan tiptoed and said in a small voice, "I've been to the Puyang family with Miss, and also to the Wang mansion. Those places are very beautiful, but they don't have this kind of feeling."
The old housekeeper in front nodded, and the smile on his face became even more comfortable. He turned back and said, "Master just came back from giving lectures in the countryside yesterday and is in a good mood. It is rare for someone like Young Master Ning to invite the young master to the study for a chat on his first visit. Young Master Ning can be more casual in front of Master later."
He probably thought that Ning Yi was a junior who had come from elsewhere to bring a letter to pay his respects. At this time, he had a good impression of the two, so he spoke up to remind Ning Yi so that he would not tremble in fear when he saw his master and lose his good impression. Ning Yi nodded with a smile and thanked him.
The road from the door to Qian Xiwen's study was not far, but after these words, as they turned a corner in the corridor ahead, a voice suddenly sounded. "Qian Weiliang! You still dare to run … "It sounded like the mocking scolding of a young person chasing. Then, a figure suddenly rushed over and almost collided with Ning Yi. This was a man in a scholar's robe. He was about the same age as Ning Yi, probably in his early twenties. He was being chased, so he looked back and quickly ran.
Then, another person rushed out. It was also a man of similar age. After a moment of shock, he raised his hands in a salute and continued to chase. However, as he ran, he looked back a few times. It was unclear whether he was looking at Ning Yi or Xiaochan. He almost tripped before looking at the road and continuing to chase.
"These are the two young masters of the second branch. Please excuse us, Young Master Ning. Come, this way, please."
The old man turned the corner. When Ning Yi was about to walk away, he saw a red object fall from the grass beside him. He picked it up and looked at it. It was a red coral brush. It was probably dropped by the two young people just now. Fortunately, it fell on the grass and did not break. At this time, the two young people had already run far away. Ning Yi took it and followed the old man. When they were about to arrive, he took out the brush and told the old housekeeper how he found it. He asked the old housekeeper to pass it to the two young people. The old housekeeper looked at the brush and did not know whether to laugh or cry. He did not reach out to take it.
"It's the two young masters, Weiliang and Weiqing. Ah … this brush doesn't belong to the two young masters of the second branch. It is Master's favorite item. It disappeared a few days ago. I didn't expect Young Master Ning to find it. Why don't Young Master Ning return it to Master personally later? "
Ning Yi frowned. "This is not appropriate, right?" If it was someone else, they would think that this was a good opportunity to build a relationship with Qian Xiwen and leave a good impression. But for Ning Yi, if this matter was related to the Qian family's internal thief, then as an outsider, he should not be involved in this kind of thing.
"It's okay."
The old housekeeper smiled sincerely. After a while, they arrived outside the courtyard where Qian Xiwen lived. Xiaochan was arranged to wait in the room where the servants were waiting outside. Ning Yi frowned and put the brush into his sleeve. He was led in by the old housekeeper. The old man named Qian Xiwen was already waiting in the room. This man's beard and hair were neatly combed. His gray robe was neat and simple. Although there were no patches, it could be seen that it had been washed many times. He had probably finished reading Qin Siyuan's letter and was flipping through the books that Ning Yi brought. When Ning Yi came in, he kindly invited him to sit down.
"I haven't seen Qin Siyuan for eight years since we parted in the capital. Liheng, you came from Jiangning. How is Qin Siyuan's health?"
After roughly introducing his name, Qian Xiwen asked Ning Yi about Qin Siyuan. He probably regarded Ning Yi as a junior who had a relationship with Qin Siyuan. He asked a lot about Qin Siyuan's family, such as the two brothers, Qin Shaohe and Qin Shaoqian. They were also the focus of his questions. Occasionally, he sighed with emotion. Ning Yi answered everything he knew one by one. After a while, Qian Xiwen changed the topic.
"At the beginning of this summer, the Northern Land started their war again. Jin and Liao started a war. Regarding this, when Liheng left Jiangning, did you hear Qin Siyuan mention anything?"
"Qin Siyuan went to the capital. He might have arrived at the capital by now."
"Oh."
Qian Xiwen nodded thoughtfully. At the same time, he looked at Ning Yi with a scrutinizing gaze. His question just now was very skillful. He had probably thought that Ning Yi was a junior of Qin Siyuan and would not know much about these things that he was really interested in. However, Ning Yi could naturally understand what he was referring to and answered straightforwardly. At this time, the news of Qin Siyuan's revival had not been announced. Ning Yi's answer meant that he at least knew the inside story of what happened eight years ago. Qian Xiwen thought about Qin Siyuan and then asked about Ning Yi's personal situation.
What was his family background, whether he was married, and how was his education? This old man was well-read. Several poems written by Ning Yi in Jiangning had been passed to him. In fact, he had already read them and remembered the name Ning Liheng. It could be assumed that he already had a question in his heart, but only now, after he finished talking about Qin Siyuan, did he raise the question. After he confirmed it, he did not say what the poem was, but only asked Ning Yi what books he liked to read, how he did his studies and so on. Ning Yi replied that he liked to read some legends and folktales of the marketplace. As for learning, he only answered with the theories that he had heard when he was joking with Old Qin and Old Kang. But it was mediocre and mediocre. He did not want to show off, nor did he want to offend anyone.
At this time, he had roughly guessed the content of Elder Qin's letter about him. That old man knew his character and would not exaggerate about a certain young man in the letter. He must have talked about the old days with Qian Xiwen and mentioned at the end, or "a young friend has come to Hangzhou. Please take care of him." Elder Qin had always wanted him to be a scholar. Naturally, Qian Xiwen saw him as a junior who came to seek shelter and learn. That was why he had such an attitude.
If an ordinary person heard the name of his poems, they would praise him with a few empty words. He did not say anything perfunctory. In fact, he had already accepted the responsibility of taking care of him. Since he had become his disciple, he had to be strict with him and not praise him. He had a good upbringing, so he did not show any dissatisfaction with Ning Yi's liking for strange novels. Then, Ning Yi's answer was ordinary. He just frowned and thought carefully. Then he took a few books from the bookshelf.
"At Liheng's age, he is lively and lively. It is not inappropriate for him to like strange novels. Looking at Liheng's writing, he is not a person who cares about small details. However, there are some tricks to reading and choosing books. I feel that some books are like reading one by one. If you can see the big picture from the small details and gain some understanding, reading one book is like reading two or three books. Hehe, often because of this trick, you can be happy. Since Liheng is interested, why not take these books back and read them. I have also read them. The stories are interesting, and the writing is good. If you think it is interesting, there are two books here. I have already written notes on them. You can read them together. "
Ning Yi took the book and looked at it. On one side were a few popular ghost novels. He had even bought and read one of them before. The other two could be read together. One was "Zuo Zhuan" and the other was "Spring and Autumn". After "Spring and Autumn", there were three words "Supplement" and "Examination". These were all common books. The main point should be the annotations.
After taking the books, Ning Yi thanked him. He smiled bitterly in his heart. This old man was not bad. After talking to him just now, he had a good impression of him. In fact, with Elder Qin's judgment of people, since he introduced him, he also knew that he was not an unreliable person.
If he was really focused on learning, eager to improve in this area, or a student who was passionate about academic achievements, perhaps he should bow his head at this time. But he was not, and it was not good to say these things. In the future, he would be letting down the other party's good intentions. Thinking about it, Qin Siyuan might have already guessed his current state of mind. When he wrote the letter, he most likely had some bad intentions. He laughed and scolded him in his heart.
The old man was not bad, but if there was nothing in the future that he needed help with, this would probably be the last time they would interact. After making up his mind, he chatted with the other party for a while. Then, Ning Yi stood up and said goodbye. Qian Xiwen nodded and said, "Go." When he turned around and was about to leave, Ning Yi remembered something. He turned around and took out the coral writing brush case, returning it to the other party.
With Ning Yi's state of mind, if he really had a favor to ask, in order to avoid touching the Qian family's "dirty linen", he would not have dealt with the brush case face to face. But since he did not have such intentions, it did not matter. Only when he returned the brush case did he realize that things might be different from what he had thought. Qian Xiwen frowned, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He looked at Ning Yi and said, "You picked it up when you came in?" For some reason, he did not seem to believe it, but he did not have any malicious intentions.
"Yes, I picked it up on the grass when I came in."
"Ah … what a coincidence …" Qian Xiwen thought for a while, then shook his head and laughed. "Fine, fine. It's fate. Qian Yu, you come!"
He called out. Qian Yu was obviously the old housekeeper from before. At this moment, he answered and came in. Qian Xiwen said with a smile, "Liheng picked up my coral writing case. Go and bring me ten thousand coins according to what's written on the suspense notice."
Ten thousand coins was ten strings of coins. Although it was not a lot for Ning Yi, it was not a small amount for ordinary people. At this moment, he was somewhat startled. Qian Yu went out. Qian Xiwen took the brush case and wiped it, saying with a smile, "At home, I like this brush case the most. It often goes missing, so I offered a reward of ten thousand coins for anyone who could find it. Since Liheng found it, I naturally have to honor the reward."
"Often goes missing?"
"Ah, I don't know why, but it just disappeared."
"You can still find it?"
"Yes, didn't you find it now?"
"…"
Ning Yi was speechless for a moment. After a while, Qian Yu led a servant over with the money. It was ten strings of coins, not banknotes. They were strung together with a string and placed in a large box. Ning Yi's face twitched when he saw this. At this time, a copper coin was about three grams. One thousand coins was almost four kilograms. Ten thousand coins was almost forty kilograms. The servant had a sturdy build. He held the box with both hands and placed it on the ground with a thud. Housekeeper Qian's eyes were dull. He was probably prepared to stay out of this matter. Qian Xiwen blinked, feeling a little embarrassed. He rubbed his chin, but in the end, he did not open his mouth to exchange it for banknotes. Just like that, he gave the ten strings of coins to Ning Yi.
Seeing everyone's attitude, Ning Yi felt that it was interesting even though he did not know what the Qian family was doing. He did not need the servant's help. He reached out to take the box and smiled as he left.
Xiaochan saw them coming from outside the door and hurried over to help. She wanted to take the box from Ning Yi's arms. Ning Yi smiled, "Don't rush, don't rush. It's very heavy." Xiaochan naturally thought of her responsibilities as a servant and said, "Xiaochan is used to doing things. She is also very strong." Ning Yi pretended to put the box down. Xiaochan was almost dragged to the ground by the box. Luckily, Ning Yi immediately caught the box and laughed uncontrollably.
When she heard that there were ten strings of coins in the box, Xiaochan's face turned round. She must have felt that the Qian family was bullying her.
Housekeeper Qian was also a little embarrassed. When they were about to reach the hall, he then whispered the reason for the matter. Although the Qian family was a famous aristocratic family, Qian Xiwen was very strict with his family. He wanted to live a simple life. The children in the family usually had very little monthly allowance. If it was not the right time, the money would not be distributed in advance. Once, one of the children in the family encountered something and urgently needed money. He took away Qian Xiwen's favorite coral brush case. After Qian Xiwen understood, he put up an announcement in the family. Whoever could help find it would be rewarded with ten strings of coins. Later, that child returned the brush case. As expected, he fulfilled his promise and rewarded ten strings of coins.
After this incident, the brush case would often be lost seven or eight times a year. Every time, Qian Xiwen would still put up an announcement. After one or two days, someone would return the brush case, saying that it had been difficult to find it. Qian Xiwen would always give the money, but …
"Old Master said that ten strings of coins, if exchanged for silver notes, is only a small note. Since everyone wants to reward money, it would seem more in copper coins. So every time, the young masters in the family would have to work hard to carry it back …"
When the old housekeeper talked about this, he laughed amusedly. Ning Yi and Xiaochan finally understood. Every time it was lost, every time it was found, and every time it was lost, it was lost again. How could this Qian Xiwen not understand? He was only pretending to be confused, giving people a chance to show mercy outside the law. Every time, whoever brought it back would naturally be the one who took it. These people's identities would be exposed every time, so they naturally did not dare to act recklessly. They would only dare to take the brush case when they really needed to spend money. Ten strings of coins was probably just a way of teasing these children.
Thinking about it, when Ning Yi took out the brush case, the other party's expression was so strange. This brush case would only be taken away by the children in the family. How could it really be found by someone else …
Carrying the box and the books that Qian Xiwen had given them, the master and servant drove the carriage back. When they reached home, Su Tan'er was also slightly surprised to see the ten strings of coins. Ning Yi told her what he saw at the Qian family today. Su Tan'er also sighed.
"That Old Qian is really a good person. He's also very good at managing his family."
"He's an interesting person. But … I probably won't have too many opportunities to interact with him in the future …"
"Yes." Su Tan'er nodded. She turned her head to look at this free and easy husband. Her gaze was somewhat complicated.
After another two days, Ning Yi began to follow the plan with his wife. As the son-in-law of the Su mansion, he accompanied her to visit many merchants related to cloth merchants in the Hangzhou area. He strictly adhered to his role as a foil and escort. He did not do anything that would cause unnecessary trouble. Once he finished greeting them, he completely hid his presence and let his wife subtly and gently show off her skills.
In Hangzhou, the Su family did not have much of a foundation. If they wanted to develop here, it could almost be counted as starting from zero. It was only under such circumstances that he could more clearly see his wife's ability and ability. As far as his bad taste was concerned, watching these various kinds of confrontations was also one of the most enjoyable things for him.
He was already tired of these things, but it was always interesting to occasionally watch without any responsibility.
A standard, simple, and dutiful son-in-law. This was the first impression he gave to the entire Hangzhou in the following summer …
*****
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