Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, it had been three months since he arrived in this ancient world. Time gradually turned from spring to midsummer. Gardens, rockery, pavilions, courtyards, streets, pleasure boats … Ning Yi had also gradually become familiar with this ancient world. It was just that most of the time, he would always feel bored.
Perhaps it was because he was used to being busy in the past. Now that there was no computer, no job, and nothing to do, he would always feel itchy. The Su family was happy to see him bored. After all, the reason why they let him marry into their family was to give Su Tan'er a reason to stay in their family and not get married out. And this reason had better not be too restless. Of course, in general, he was still enjoying all this boredom. Every day, he would walk around, look at the customs and scenery of the ancient times, and look at the ancient ladies. His mind was filled with all sorts of messy things. Most of all, when he saw something, he would think about how much he could increase the profit if he did it, and how he could make money.
He had been a boss for too long, and he had become obsessed … He laughed and scolded himself. Therefore, these things were just thoughts, and then they sank into the depths of his mind.
Compared to his leisure life, his wife in name, Su Tan'er, was obviously very busy. However, no matter how busy she was, she would basically come home on time for dinner. In this sense, the ancient world had its advantages. No matter what, women could not be as casual as men. Taking a step back, the rhythm of work in the ancient world was not as breathtaking as in the modern world. Every day, carrying a computer, flying here and there, dealing with a large amount of information at any time. In an era where the flow of information was not fast, there would not be such a workaholic. You could always find time to rest, because when you gave an order, the other side would not respond.
Perhaps he regarded himself as a real honest man. Every day when they sat together for dinner, she was always the one who started the topic, exchanged information, and livened up the atmosphere. Ning Yi would just say a few perfunctory words. After so many years in the business world, he had already developed the ability to speak casually without people feeling that he was being perfunctory. He was much better than Su Tan'er. Therefore, every time they ate together, Ning Yi would think of the two people in the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
After dinner, if it was raining, most of them would stay in their rooms. Su Tan'er would read, play the piano, and do needlework. He would simply read and write, or be in a daze. Occasionally, he would find a piece of paper to do the usual business analysis, hypotheses for the stock market, and so on. Then he would feel bored — unless there was urgent, Su Tan'er would also go out in a carriage. If the weather was good, Ning Yi would basically go out for a stroll, and Su Tan'er would also go to the shops and workshops in the city. The two of them would go their separate ways.
The maidservant named Xiaochan had always been with him. In the past few months, she had probably become his maidservant, which was also arranged by Su Tan'er. It could be seen that Xiaochan wanted to build a good relationship with him. When she was tidying up in the room, she would always nag about some trivial things, such as family trifles, or where the young miss had gone and what she had done today. It could be seen that she admired and liked this young miss very much. Su Tan'er was indeed very good to the servants. As for Ning Yi's response, it was probably just a nod and a smile. When he went out, this young girl always followed behind him. Sometimes he would feel bad, so when he was tired, he would sit in a nearby teahouse and eat some snacks. The young girl would also take out some silver from her exquisite little purse to pay the bill, which made him feel that this was probably the life of the second generation in ancient times.
It was almost the same in modern times. When he went out to buy things, he did not need to swipe his own card … Well, it seemed that it had been many years since he actually went out to buy things.
Recently, he liked to watch people play chess by the Qinhuai River.
It was a street by the river that was not too lively. It was located on the outskirts of the city, and its location was slightly remote. There were no big shops, and most of the street was filled with small peddlers carrying loads. There were not many pedestrians either. Under a tree by the river, there was often an old man setting up a chessboard. Occasionally, there would be a few old men watching, and occasionally, some scholars would come over. There was a tea stall next to it. That time, he and Xiaochan were tired from walking, so they rested there. While drinking tea, they casually watched. The two old men playing chess were very skilled. He thought that it was indeed the ancient times, that even two old men could play so well. After that, he often came over. One old man was fixed, and the opponent was often changed. But after watching for a long time, most of them were acquaintances, and their chess skills were generally very good.
This kind of mental work was probably one of the few forms of entertainment he could find here. In fact, the Qinhuai River was recognized as the most luxurious and extravagant area at that time. There were all kinds of pleasure boats and brothels everywhere. When night fell, it became a sleepless night. Walking every day, he often heard of romantic affairs and the like, but everything had to be done in moderation. Since he had married into the Su family, he was mostly cut off from this kind of entertainment. However, in his previous life, he had already seen all kinds of extravagant things, so naturally, he would not have much interest in it now.
The following day, the weather was a little cloudy, but it seemed that it was still early to rain. He and Xiaochan went to the tea stall, and there were two old men playing. After a while, a person who looked like a servant came over and said a few words to one of the old men. The old man nodded, "Grandpa Qin, there is an emergency at home, this game of chess …"
"Now that there is no clear winner, how about a draw?"
"That would be good …"
The two of them said a few words, and then the old man left. The old man who set up the chess stall began to collect the pieces. Ning Yi drank the tea in his hand and stood up, "There is no more to watch. Xiaochan, pay the bill."
Xiaochan was taking out her pouch when the old man behind said, "This young master has been watching chess recently, so you must have some experience in this field. Would you like to play a game with this old man?" There was no opponent, so he randomly picked someone.
"Uh …" Ning Yi was stunned, and looked at the sky, "It's okay … Alright."
He sat down opposite the old man. When he helped collect the pieces, there were naturally questions like "Young master, where are you from?", and so on. Ning Yi casually answered a few words, collected the pieces, and guessed the pieces. Ning Yi took the white and went first. He did not stand on ceremony and took the piece and put it on the board.
"Uh, this opening …" The old man glanced at him, then just frowned and followed.
After a dozen moves, the old man's frown deepened, and he asked doubtfully, "Young master, may I ask from whom did you learn your chess skills?"
"I learned it by looking at the chess records."
"Oh, no wonder …"
After this sentence, the old man did not say more. Under the tree by the river, the two of them silently played chess. Xiaochan sat on the side, and occasionally looked up at the sky. She really did not understand chess, but she felt that the more they played, the longer the old man thought, and the deeper the wrinkles on his forehead became. From time to time, he looked up at Ning Yi, or occasionally shook his head. The white pieces on the board were powerful, and the black pieces were gradually destroyed.
About two hours later, the old man admitted defeat. He raised his head and looked at Ning Yi seriously for a moment. Ning Yi was still indifferent as if everything was very interesting, "Young master's chess skills … are superb, but the way you play chess, is it a little …" The old man deliberated over his words. Ning Yi picked up the pieces and smiled, "Seeking victory in chess is like two armies facing each other. There is no difference in the way you play chess."
"Playing chess is the skill of a gentleman …"
"The old man thinks that playing chess can show a person's character." Ning Yi said casually, and took back the pieces one by one, "Is it accurate?"
The old man was stunned, and then shook his head with a smile. He reached out to pick up the pieces, "Not really."
After cleaning up the chessboard, Ning Yi and Xiaochan went back in the direction of Su mansion. On the way, Xiaochan looked at him with a little surprise, and couldn't help asking, "Young master won?"
"Yes, I'm afraid I can't go and watch chess in the future."
"Why?"
"Look, didn't he think I was a bad guy?"
"He thought you were a bad guy after a game of chess?" The little girl looked back and said, "It must be because you won, so he was angry … Husband is so narrow-minded."
Of course, this was just a casual remark. The old man was also a person with a lot of self-restraint, so he naturally wouldn't be angry about this kind of thing. However, in this era of chess, there was a lot of propriety. When friends played chess, it was fair and aboveboard, and some aggressive or even ungentlemanly tricks would not be used indiscriminately. But for Ning Yi, playing chess was just a simple game of brain power. In addition, there was an imbalance of information between the two sides. Although the old man had a very high chess skills, he was still defeated by Ning Yi's small tricks one after another, which gave Ning Yi a little satisfaction of the modern people bullying the ancient people.
When he returned home that day, Su Tan'er was also coming back from outside. The little maid named Xing'er was asking a few people to move cloth to the young miss's room. It was probably the new goods, as it was colorful. Seeing that they came back, Juan'er came down from upstairs with a big wooden box, "Young master, young master, the young miss heard that you like playing chess very much. She saw it on the street today, so she specially bought it for you." In fact, it was a gift from someone else. Su Tan'er didn't need it, so she casually took it back, but it was a box containing the Go game. Ning Yi was startled. "In that case, please thank my wife for me."
"Thank her yourself, young master." The little girl smiled and ran upstairs again. Ning Yi shook his head and returned to his room with the Go game. There was no one he knew here, so who should he play with?
By the time Juan 'er returned to her room, the people who were moving the goods had already left the courtyard. She imitated Ning Yi's voice and said, "Miss, the son-in-law said' please thank the wife for me '." Then, Su Tan'er, who was looking at the account book, knocked on her forehead. The master and servants grew up together. Although they talked about seniority, they always had a close relationship like sisters. However, when Su Tan'er was busy, it was not good for her to joke too much. After looking at the account book, Su Tan'er carefully looked at the cloth. At this time, Chan'er and Xing'er also came in. When she saw Chan'er, she smiled, "Did you go out with young master to watch chess again today?"
"Yes." Chan'er shook her head, "I don't understand."
"I don't like Go either." Su Tan'er shook her head. After a busy morning, she finally had a little rest. She picked up a piece of Xuan paper on the table, frowned and asked Chan'er, "Is this really written by young master?"
The Xuan paper was taken by Chan'er in the morning. At this time, she looked at it and confirmed, "Yes, I saw young master write it. He said he was practicing calligraphy."
Su Tan'er frowned and looked at it a few more times before putting it down. This poem was taken by Chan'er in a hurry in the morning. After that, Su Tan'er was ready to go out. After running around for half the morning, she had time to read it when she came back. Xing'er, who was downstairs just now, had not read it yet. Seeing the rich expression of the young miss, she came over with interest. In fact, the three maids had learned poetry and arithmetic. At this time, when they held it in their hands, their little faces wrinkled like buns.
"Three lotus roots floating in the blue pond … the raft can have thoughts, dew … the wet sand wall, the quiet dawn at dusk … what does it mean?"
In the other room, Ning Yi stood in front of the table and tidied up the Xuan paper. He was ready to throw it away or burn it. He had written ten pages of calligraphy yesterday. Only now did he realize that one page was missing. After thinking for a while, he shook his head and smiled, "It would be strange if you could understand it …"
Then, there was a thunderstorm.
The heavy rain in summer came fiercely. In the sky, it was dark as if it was evening. However, in such weather, when one opened the window and looked at the garden outside in the heavy rain, it was quite leisurely. From this side, one could occasionally see the scene of Su Tan'er walking in the opposite room with a few young maids. After a while, when Chan'er came over with some colored cloth, Ning Yi was in front of the study table, opening the box of Go and looking at it. "Young master, Young Miss said that this is newly imported silk. She asked me to measure it for young master to make a set of clothes. Young master, see which color you like."
"Anything."
"Making new clothes can't be done casually," the young girl muttered and took a ruler to measure Ning Yi's height and length. Ning Yi looked at the heavy rain outside and then looked at the young girl beside him.
"Do you have anything on in the afternoon?"
"Nothing."
"Let's play chess."
"I don't know how to play Go."
"If you don't know how to play Go, I'll teach you how to play Gomoku."
"Gomoku?" The young girl looked up at him with a confused look in her eyes. She had never heard of this kind of chess …
Therefore, in the small courtyard that was usually quiet, one could often hear the cheers of young girls in the afternoon. Although it was usually quiet and steady, Su Tan'er was only eighteen years old and the three young maids by her side were only fourteen or fifteen years old. When something interesting happened, it was inevitable that they would get a little carried away. In another room, Su Tan'er sat in front of the window reading a book. The two young maids, Xing'er and Juan'er, were sitting on a small bench and embroidering. Occasionally, they would hear the faint cheers of "I won, I won" in the rain and couldn't help but look up curiously. After repeating this a few times, Xing'er pricked her finger with a needle. She sucked the tip of her finger in her mouth and looked over in confusion.
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