"Why don't you go?"
"I'm too lazy to go."
"Young master hasn't written poems in Jiangning for a long time. If you don't go this time, those people will say strange things again."
"Let them say strange things. Anyway, these people are like gossips. They only say strange things all day long and have no pursuit in life …"
"I heard that they are all very learned people. Several times, they invited young people to sit and discuss, and then they became famous. Young Master Li Pin, who is very familiar with young master, has been there. And the former Gu Yanzhen, I heard that he shined in front of these people. Later on, he was regarded as one of the few great talents in Jiangning. Later on, I heard that he entered the Imperial Examinations. "
"And then he died …"
"What did Husband say?"
"Nothing … You women only know how to be vain. Think about it, those who attend this kind of literary gathering are all above the age of thirty or forty. It's not wrong to learn and greet them, but if they are really powerful, they will become officials or become officials. That's why they study so hard because they don't have this kind of connections. What's the county magistrate's advisor, the prefectural magistrate's advisor, the Wang Family's guest? Those who have no future will study hard and then test the young people. If the young people go up, it will show that they are powerful. Your young master has no intention of becoming an official, so why should he test them … There aren't even any beauties … "
"But the county magistrate's advisor and the Wang Family's advisor are also very powerful …"
"Powerful?"
"Yes."
"Uh … You have to keep up with the times. Don't look at these people the way you used to. Now, we can ignore the county magistrate's advisor. Anyway, they are a group of people in their forties and fifties. There is a generation gap, and there are no beauties to add to the fun … "
"There are."
"… Do you have to disagree with me?"
"…"
"Young master, I was wrong."
"I don't dare …"
"That's more like it … What beauties will there be?"
"Pan Duoyi! Chen Xiaoxia! "
"Miss Qi Lan will probably go too …"
"Luo Miaomiao …"
"Who is the real man? Why do you know better than me …"
"Hehe …"
The spring scenery in March is picturesque. When the wind blows the petals over the city, the small courtyard of the Su family is full of laughter. In the courtyard, a family was chatting while making Kongming lanterns. Yellow paper, paste, brush, ink, inkstone, and some bamboo sticks used to make the lampshade frame were scattered around. Even Su Tan'er, who was nearly ten months pregnant, was also joining in the fun, holding a piece of paper that was going to be pasted on the lampshade and drawing pictures. She was currently in a calm state of mind and had a natural air of elegance about her. However, she was still a woman in her early twenties after all. Her long hair was tied up behind her head with a ribbon, and she was still elegant and smart when she participated in the discussion between Chan 'er and Juan' er.
After all, at this time, she was much more innocent than in the future. Even though she had been involved in scheming and scheming in the past few years, once she had cleansed her mind, she seemed much younger and more innocent than the twenty year old women in the future who had been pregnant for nearly ten months. At this time, most of her thoughts were on the child and Ning Yi. The other side of her state of mind was mature, and the precipitation was a special kind of attractive temperament. Occasionally, when her eyes met Ning Yi's, he could feel that she was smiling and talking.
It had been almost half a month since he had returned from Hangzhou. The poetry meetings and romantic atmosphere in the outside world had not changed much from when he had left Jiangning. From time to time, he could hear such news around him, which increased the reality of being in such an era. The invitation that was sent yesterday, at least for Jiangning, might be a very important gathering. If a grand occasion like the Mid-Autumn Poetry Meet and the Yuanxi Poetry Meet was a carnival for the entire upper class, then this kind of banquet was probably similar to the Mensa Club's banquets in the future. It was relatively private, but due to the different participants, it had a different impact.
This kind of gathering did not only make people happy about poetry, but also had higher requirements for the meaning of the classics, theories, and strategies. Of course, there was no intention of testing them. A group of poor Confucian scholars would exchange their experiences with each other. But if there was someone like Ning Yi who had made a name for himself and was invited, there would often be a round of tests. If he could pass, it would prove that he had the ability to discuss classics and history with them. This was undoubtedly a great affirmation of that person's knowledge.
For Ning Yi, this kind of thing was, of course, to be avoided. This was not a matter of plagiarism or whether or not there was a template for reference. If Confucianism really had much of a guiding effect on life, then Ning Yi's own life experience had already exceeded that category. It was just that everyone's way of expressing themselves was different. He did not look down on these people, nor did he need to carry a heart of respect to ask for help or prove anything to these people.
If one looked at the past, the literary and poetry meetings seemed to be the mainstream of this era. People seemed to live their lives like this, but in reality, these were just minor details. No matter who became famous outside, or which beauty in the brothel got together with which scholar, most people still lived their lives according to their own pace. In the past few days, in order to enlighten Zhou Junwu, he talked about things like airplanes and hot air balloons. When he returned home, he talked about it with his wives and maids. Everyone felt that it was interesting, so today they held a competition to make sky lanterns. Each person would make one and fly it in the courtyard at night, competing to see who made it better and more interesting.
"Sky lanterns, although they look small and simple to make, are actually very knowledgeable. Generally speaking, the temperature of the fire is actually relatively fixed. As long as the weight of the sky lantern is higher than … uh, I remember it's 23.56 grams, which is about half a tael, then it won't fly no matter what. So … Xing 'er, your frame is too big. If you don't remake it, it won't fly, haha …"
The atmosphere in the small courtyard was harmonious. During this time, Ning Yi's mood was also quite relaxed. As he carefully stuck his own lamp cover, he pretended to seriously point out the shortcomings of the others. In reality, he wasn't very good at this kind of hands-on ability, but in any case, everyone was sitting together to pass the time. Everything could be done slowly. Su Tan 'er asked, "If it can't fly above half a tael, then wouldn't the method you taught Little Prince Zhou be useless?"
"You need a higher temperature, better materials, and the things in the balloon can also be changed. There are still many ways to use it …"
After chatting about balloons for a while, everyone talked about the recent literary meetings. Ning Yi added cartoon portraits of Su Tan'er and the others on the lampshade of his Kongming lantern. He also added some flowers and plants, making it look rather exquisite. Originally, he wanted to add a poem, but after writing two lines, the paper was torn, so he had to tear it down and redo it. Because "their son-in-law knows everything," Chan 'er, Juan' er, and Xing 'er would come over from time to time to ask him how their lanterns were doing. He would also smile and comment on it.
When it was time to release the lanterns that night, everyone else's sky lanterns slowly flew up in the courtyard. Even his wife's sky lantern, which wasn't very well pasted, flew shakily into the sky. Only Ning Yi's lantern, which was placed on a small shelf, didn't react. Xiaochan supported Su Tan 'er and stood on one side, while Juan' er and Xing 'er stood on the other. They had strange expressions on their faces and didn't say anything. It was obvious that they were trying to hold back their laughter.
Ning Yi stood there blinking for a long time. He rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "If anyone dares to laugh, I'll deduct this month's money."
Su Tan 'er looked at him with her hand on her stomach. She said softly, "Husband, I think you said that today is the sky lantern competition?"
"Did I say that?" Ning Yi glared at her. Then, he stared at Xiaochan, who looked like she was about to laugh. Xiaochan hurriedly waved her hands. "Son-in-law, I didn't laugh."
"I didn't say that you laughed. Juan 'er and Xing' er have done well. They haven't made a sound yet. One tael of silver will be deducted from each of them this month. Xiaochan, you won't get anything … And you, if you want to laugh, just laugh. It's not good for the child to hold it in for so long. Let's go in … "
He supported Su Tan 'er and turned to walk into the room. Behind them, Juan' er and Xing 'er were both protesting. However, everyone knew Ning Yi's temperament. At critical moments, he was dignified and imposing. Normally, he was very casual with his family. Although he said that his salary would be deducted, in reality, no one would care. Su Tan 'er leaned on his shoulder and laughed softly. When they returned to the room, the two of them sat in front of the window. Ning Yi rubbed her stomach to calm her emotions. Xiaochan brought tea and hid behind Ning Yi. Ning Yi looked back at her and narrowed his eyes. "I'll deal with you later."
Xiaochan's status as a concubine had been confirmed, but the courtyard hadn't specially arranged a maid for her. There were only slight differences in clothes compared to Juan 'er and Xing' er, but it wasn't obvious. She was dressed in a clean and simple Jiangnan woman's outfit. Like Zhao Ling 'er, she occasionally wore a skirt or silk pants. At this time, before Ning Yi could pull her over and hug her, she ran away.
Outside the window, four Kongming lanterns slowly rose into the night sky. Juan 'er and Xing' er looked up and jumped at the side of the courtyard. Not long after, they ran to the corridor on the second floor and could only hear their voices. Xiao Chan went to the courtyard and looked left and right to inspect Ning Yi's Kongming lantern. In the end, she still found that ink had soaked a thin seam on one side of the Kongming lantern. Thus, she carefully pasted the thin seam again and lit it again. This lonely Kongming lantern finally flew up. When the night wind blew, it was blown a little off course. Then, it was blocked by a branch in the corner of the courtyard. It floated below the branch and could not fly up. In the night, it was like a small lantern was hung on a tree at the side of the courtyard.
Ning Yi and his wife watched from the window as Xiaochan and the others scratched their heads under the tree. Then they found wooden sticks and bamboo poles and poked at the tree. But the tree was a little tall. The three girls busied themselves for a long time without any results. In the end, the night wind blew and the Kongming lantern swayed. It broke away from the tree and flew into the sky.
It was quiet all around. The lantern rose into the sky and merged with the stars. It was a pleasant and charming spring night.
Half of the nights, Ning Yi slept with Xiaochan.
For rich families, after the wife was pregnant, it was normal for a concubine to sleep with the wife. The concubine often had the opportunity to compete for the husband's favor during this time. On Ning Yi's side, the situation was quite different. Previously, they were in such a tense environment in Hangzhou. After returning to Jiangning for half a month, Su Tan'er really had a chance to make arrangements. She was already more than nine months pregnant. Ning Yi felt that her condition was more important. Naturally, Su Tan'er was a little touched. But most of the time, she insisted that Ning Yi should accompany Xiaochan.
Xiao Chan's side gave off a rather peculiar feeling. When they were alone in Hangzhou, they had already noticed it. Recently, these feelings became clearer. When it came to sex, she was willing to do almost anything. As long as she felt that Ning Yi liked her, she would do anything. On the other hand, she was an extremely pure girl. When it came to this kind of thing, she did not make a sound or speak. When she was nervous, she desperately bit her lips and blushed even if she made a little sound.
Ning Yi did not have a strong need for sex. He had not been able to fall in love with anyone before. But after experiencing the top life, this kind of thing was not a taboo for him. Because of his self-control, he did not want to have sex. But when it came to women, as long as there was a need, he had experienced, seen, and felt everything.
He had sex with Xiaochan for more than half a year. When they were in Hangzhou, Ning Yi thought it might be because the girl desperately wanted to comfort him in an extreme environment. Later, he gradually found out that when Su Tan'er ran away from the marriage, Xiaochan had received the pre-marriage education that a rich family should receive. She probably felt that she was a maid and a concubine and should do everything herself. But deep down, she was extremely pure. When the two of them stripped naked, Ning Yi let her look at him, she would still blush. Then, she would close her eyes and bite her lips. There were several times when Ning Yi softly said a few words to her and asked her to speak, but the girl would only stutter in a daze, "Say, say what …" Her mind was a mess and she could not say anything at all.
When they were doing this kind of thing, the other party was willing to do anything. She was very active, very cooperative, and very obedient. But in her heart, she only cared about being shy. Sometimes, Ning Yi could not help but feel frustrated. He did not do too badly.
"Actually … I feel … very comfortable." When Ning Yi really asked, Xiaochan could not avoid it. She could only answer with a blushing face like a mosquito. Then, she asked with concern, "Son-in-law, do you feel comfortable?"
"Uh … comfortable …" With such an answer, it was like two primary school students kissing for the first time. For such a wonderful feeling, Ning Yi could only sigh. But in all fairness, he liked it in his heart.
The weather was not cold anymore. Wearing thin undergarments and silk pants, Xiaochan was used to sleeping on her side and hugging one of his arms. She did not mind where Ning Yi touched her. Sometimes, when Ning Yi turned his head, he could see the smile on the corner of her mouth in the faint light. She felt very satisfied and happy, just like a child curling up next to him … a little girl curling up next to him.
For Xiaochan, perhaps this was what she really liked.
The next day, Ning Yi finally did not go to the invitation of the literary meeting. In the following days, the saying that Ning Yi did not deserve his reputation and that Ning Yi did not dare to go to the meeting began to spread among the Jiangning scholars. Since it was promoted by people with ulterior motives, it was not surprising that such a thing happened. But the Su family was affected. Because of this, Su Chonghua, the Mountain Elder of the Academy, specially came to preach to Ning Yi. Because Ning Yi only looked at him strangely, he finally had to leave resentfully.
At this time, Ning Yi was no longer thinking about the things in Jiangning City that had nothing to do with him. In the south, Fang La was still stubbornly resisting. Calculating the time, Liu Guagua's troops might have entered the mountains. Tong Guan began to consider withdrawing his troops to the north. Ning Yi had also formally considered what he could do in the capital city. During this time, Kang Xian came to him once and asked if he would consider managing some affairs in the Office of Secret Investigation under the name of Princess Cheng. This was out of Ning Yi's expectation.
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