Life was boring. To put it nicely, it was leisurely. When it rained continuously, he played five-in-a-row with the little girl, occasionally practiced calligraphy, and read ancient books. Although it was not as entertaining as modern novels, he had always been able to endure this kind of monotony. Since he had come to the ancient times, it was not very painful for him to read a book without punctuation for half a day and figure out the meaning of each word and sentence.
Of course, there were other messy things that happened in the past few months.
A new son-in-law married into the family. In this era, he never had much status. The situation of the Su family was actually more complicated. Today, the real power of the Su family was Su Tan'er's grandfather who was still alive. Most people called him the Old Great Grandfather. The Old Great Grandfather had three biological sons, who were divided into the first, second, and third branches. The one who was in charge of the outside world was the first branch, which was Su Tan'er's father, Su Boyong. And Su Boyong only had one daughter, Su Tan'er. Su Tan'er was quite capable in business, which directly overwhelmed the men of the other two branches and became the main reason for this complicated relationship. The men of the other two branches had always hoped that Su Tan'er would marry in the future and become spilled water, so that they would have the opportunity to inherit the Su family in the future. Now that a guy came to marry into the family, it destroyed their hope. Even if they restrained themselves from ridiculing him, they would always roll their eyes at him.
In addition to the three branches of the main branch, the Old Great Grandfather also had brothers and sisters. The Su family had now expanded to a large scale. There were no less than 30 or 40 people who were cousins with Su Tan'er. Whether they were close or not, they were not warm to the son-in-law who married into the family. Of course, if they were warm to him, it would be very troublesome for him. It was a big family, and the situation became more awkward when they ate together every night. He could only sit aside and count sheep. Except for his father-in-law, mother-in-law, two concubines, and Su Tan'er, no one would talk to him. It was quite boring, and the conversation of these people was not meaningful, which made him even more bored. Let's eat … how good it would be to take it back to the room to eat …
Of course, he was not afraid of the loneliness and boredom. His past experience was enough for him to face all kinds of situations easily. But taking a step back, of course, no one liked or pursued this kind of feeling. Now that he was watching Go with great interest, if he had a choice, it was naturally more enjoyable to play mahjong with everyone.
At least for the time being, he was not affected by the entanglement of interests and intrigue. Of course, if he stayed here, there would be trouble sooner or later, but it was not a big problem. Both Old Great Grandfather Su and Su Boyong were alive and well. No matter how big or small a family quarrel was, it was limited. Of course, now that he was living in the Su family, the first problem in front of him was actually work.
When he woke up, it was because he had been hit on the head with a brick, and he seemed to have some memory loss. Many things were temporarily put on hold. Later, when he gradually recovered, the Su family did not have any expectations for him. But if he really had nothing to do, of course, it would not be good. It was not until recently that someone brought up the question of what he wanted to do. He was not clear about this question. Business, being a shopkeeper or accountant in a certain branch — of course, it was more likely to be a supervisor or something like that — was actually not necessary, and he did not want to get in touch with it. Looking at the attitude of his father-in-law, it seemed that he intended to let him go to the private school run by the Su family to be a teacher. He could also do some learning. After all, in the past, he gave people the impression that he was a poor scholar who did nothing but study.
After this matter was brought up, it was temporarily rejected by Old Grandpa Su. He said that after a period of time, he would let Ning Yi see what he wanted to do. However, in Ning Yi's opinion, the matter of him becoming a teacher after a period of time was more or less confirmed. He had also conversed with Old Grandpa Su a few times. Most of the time, it was the old man talking about the friendship between his ancestors and talking about daily life. However, since the old man was able to support such a large family, he was naturally an astute person. He probably noticed that Ning Yi's recent temperament was somewhat different from the bookworm he used to be, so he delayed the conversation a little.
Of course, he did not deliberately hide too much recently. He insisted on making himself look like a bookworm. There was still a long way to go, and hiding was not the way to go. He had been watching everything with the attitude of a tourist. Of course, a part of a person's personality could be seen from their temperament and behavior. However, to determine someone's character, whether they were suitable for business or teaching, or whether they were good or bad, was like looking at a person's character in a game of Go. It was completely impossible. As long as he did not do anything messy, and this continued for a period of time, when Old Grandpa Su got bored of observing, he would probably arrange for him to teach.
That was pretty good.
Although he was not a good student in his previous life, now that he was here, he could at least understand the ancient language. His previous identity was also not some great scholar, so probably no one had high expectations of him. If he wanted to teach, a conservative approach would be to make the students shake their heads and recite articles every day. That would barely pass. When he was in the mood, he could also use some modern knowledge to fool people. In this way, living in the Su family could be considered as justifiable. If he wanted to leave, there was no need to think about it now that he did not know anyone. Even in modern times, if he wanted to live a better life, he had to have a certain amount of connections. It was especially so in ancient times. Even if he had built such a huge business empire, he would not think that he could go anywhere in the world with a few taels of silver in ancient times. In any case, the Su family was still the best safe haven.
The rain continued for several days, so he stayed at home for a few days. Occasionally, he would see the three masters and servants of the small building opposite him rushing out with oil-paper umbrellas. He could also see their figures coming back in the rain. Corridors, attics, gardens, pavilions, and the drizzling rain washed the white stones and green tiles, making them look especially clear. They came from there, wearing either lake green, white, or light red dresses. Only the ladies of this era truly had the temperament of ladies. They were different from modern women who had been packaged. No matter how they performed, those women always had the smell of smoke or money. Seeing them now, one would feel that everything was like an ink painting. They hurried back from outside, avoided the dripping eaves, gently patted their wet clothes by the stairs, and then went upstairs … When it was dusk, torches lit up in the long courtyard. Some were fixed, some were moving, and the dark night gave off the atmosphere of an ancient mansion.
Of course, this was an ancient mansion.
Five in a Row was easy to learn, and it wasn't difficult to master it either. Xiaochan quickly learned and became a master. In the following days, whenever Ning Yi played with her, he would always lose more than he won, and this kind of entertainment quickly "infected" the small building opposite. Three days later, in the evening, Ning Yi lit an oil lamp to read a book. Xiaochan came to check on him several times, and only left after making sure that he didn't have any instructions. When Ning Yi and Scroll walked along the corridor, they saw the scene of a young girl holding a Go board in the courtyard corridor and walking towards the small building opposite. Then, he entered the room on the first floor opposite with Xing'er and Juan'er. When the light was turned on, they could see the scene of the three people playing Go inside. Occasionally, they could see silhouettes pointing and gesticulating excitedly. Xiaochan was probably teaching her two sisters how to play Go. He couldn't help but find it funny.
The heavy rain lasted for a few days before it stopped. Although he had previously told Xiaochan that they shouldn't go to the Qinhuai River to watch Go again, it was naturally just a joke. Sure enough, when he went over, the old man surnamed Qin noticed him and greeted him.
Not long after, the old man finished a game with his friend and smiled at Ning Yi, who was watching the game next to him. First, he introduced himself to his friend, and then naturally, it was time for Ning Yi and that person to greet each other. After the basic etiquette was done, he asked him to give a general idea of what he thought about the game just now. Although it wasn't too serious, after every game, if there was a good move, it was necessary to reflect on it or show it off. The nature of it was equivalent to saying a few words after the game, "If I didn't do that, I wouldn't have lost …" and so on. Since the old man invited him to participate, it naturally meant that he recognized his level of Go, and then he also made an invitation.
"Young Master Ning, are you interested in playing another game?"
Ning Yi smiled and nodded in agreement. As he collected the chess pieces, the old man spoke with a smile.
"These days when it rained at home, I recalled the game that day with a few friends. Young Master Ning has a lot of good moves, which are thought-provoking. I have been itching for this for many days. Today when the rain stopped, I went out. Young Master really came, haha … "
Although on that day, he more or less thought that Ning Yi's way of playing Go was not "gentlemanly" enough, he didn't take it too seriously. On the contrary, as a Go player, when he suddenly saw such a novel way of playing Go, the more he recalled and deduced in his heart, the more he "took it to heart". In this way, they chatted and played a game, but the old man lost again. Ning Yi made a little deduction with him and played another game. He didn't go home until it was late.
He continued to come the next day, and it didn't take long for the problem of his future "job" to be settled.
On the first day of July, the whole family ate together. Old Grandpa Su asked about Ning Yi's recuperation, and then mentioned that a teacher of the Academy was about to go on a long journey, and asked Ning Yi if he would like to teach in the Academy. The old man's attitude was kind, but with his status in the family, it was basically set once he said it. Ning Yi was also mentally prepared before, so he naturally nodded and agreed. Then the old man called the second son, Su Zhongkan, who was in charge of the Academy in the family, and asked him to make arrangements for the previous teacher after he left.
There was still some time before the teacher left. The main way to kill time was to run to play Go, and the rest was to read, practice calligraphy, and play Gomoku with Xiaochan. In this way, more than a month passed. His relationship with the Su family didn't develop much, but he became familiar with some of the people on the streets by the Qinhuai River.
The scenery of the streets here was good, with green trees, but the location was a little remote, and there were no big shops. Apart from the tea shop next to it, there would be a few hawkers selling breakfast or buying vegetables in the morning. The houses around were sparse, and some houses built along the river protruded out of the water, like the stilt houses by the river. Occasionally, people could be seen going down to the river to wash clothes or fetch water.
The old man surnamed Qin should be from a good family, and he was quite knowledgeable and knowledgeable. It was said that the ancient scholars were pedantic, but this old man was not like that. He would never be full of words, and he wouldn't be easily changed. There was a saying that sages were very flexible in speech and seeing things, but if one carefully thought about it, the core would not deviate from the way of Confucius and Mencius. This was a person who really understood Confucius and Mencius.
If the learning of Confucius and Mencius took off the coat that changed for the sake of ruling, the core part was actually the life principles summarized by the ancient people. Many things on the philosophical level were applicable everywhere. Ning Yi could be considered to be on good terms with this old man, and he didn't have to worry too much about chatting occasionally. This old man probably used to be an official, and now he was old, so he came out every day to set up a chess stall out of boredom. His family lived nearby, and he had a wife in her fifties and a beautiful concubine in her thirties. Occasionally, she would come out to deliver lunch, and Ning Yi had met her twice.
The old man also had some regular chess friends, and most of them were also learned old men. Some of them came from well-off families, and some seemed to have clean sleeves. At first, Ning Yi mostly sat on the side and watched, but later on, he gradually joined in and said a few words during the review. Naturally, there would be people who would criticize a junior's way of speaking, such as an old man surnamed Dong. For example, there was an old man surnamed Dong who criticized his unscrupulous little techniques. His attitude was arrogant, and Ning Yi didn't bother to pay attention to him. Arguing with this kind of old man about principles was the most boring.
Sitting by the tea stall every day, he naturally had to eat and drink some tea, so he became familiar with the tea stall's owner's family. Xiaochan was bored, so she would occasionally sit by the tea stall owner's daughter and chat. At first, it was said that the tea stall owner's daughter was a little shy and asked about Ning Yi's background. When she learned that Ning Yi was the Su family's son-in-law, she revealed a look of disappointment. From the looks of it, Ning Yi could be considered as a young master from a well-off family. The fact that he could walk around with a maid every day was proof of this. Furthermore, he could chat with Elder Qin for a long time. Occasionally, he would even talk about things that others couldn't understand. This proved that he was very knowledgeable. If she could marry him … Unfortunately, she would be marrying into his family.
They chatted while playing chess, and in the beginning, it was naturally carried out in a harmonious and friendly atmosphere. After two weeks, they were considered to be familiar with each other. Perhaps the old people would think that some of the casual words that Ning Yi said were thought-provoking, but of course, there were also times when they felt that it was deviant. This was a difference in customs. Ning Yi didn't care about trifles, and the two discussed while playing chess. A month later, they seriously talked about the problem of his identity.
Ning Yi didn't hide his identity much, and he mentioned it before, but the old man just nodded with an "oh". At that time, he just regarded him as a new chess friend. Now that they could talk about it and could barely be regarded as friends despite the difference in age, the meaning of mentioning it was naturally different.
"You can be considered a person who is ignorant but skilled. The matter of marrying into his family … is really a pity …"
Ning Yi didn't dabble much in the classics and history sub-collections, and he wasn't good at memorizing homework, so he couldn't be regarded as a professional. In this aspect, Elder Qin could be regarded as a great scholar. They had known each other for a long time, so naturally he could see this point. Therefore, the evaluation of "ignorant but skilled" was actually a very high praise, and Ning Yi also smiled.
"There's nothing wrong with marrying into his family. You see, I come out every day to drink tea and play chess. My money is given by Xiaochan, and my food and accommodation are all good. In a few days, I will become a teacher and teach a group of students without any burden. I am a lazy person, which is already very good."
Although this was the case, nowadays, the status of a son-in-law was lower than that of an ordinary official wife. After the wife married into the family, the memorial tablet could be placed in the ancestral hall after she passed away. A son-in-law didn't even have the qualification to enter the ancestral hall, and was no different from a concubine. It was really true that no matter what they did, they would be looked down upon by others. Basically, all the path of pursuing fame and wealth had been cut off, and they could only work hard as an accessory of the Su family. Ning Yi had seen many things in his previous life, but ordinary young people wouldn't have such a state of mind. Elder Qin probably saw that he had some talent and couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"… Moreover, the Su family is a family of merchants. Merchants pursue profit, and although they also want fame, even if you are talented and knowledgeable, I'm afraid that the matter of fame and wealth will never fall on you."
The old man said this because he had a deep understanding of Ning Yi. Putting aside the attitude of the outside world towards a son-in-law, even if Ning Yi was really talented, the Su family wouldn't want him to take the imperial examinations and become an official. When they first let him marry into the family, it was because they saw that he was a bookworm. Old Grandpa Su was a righteous person and remembered the agreement he made with Ning Yi's elders. While Ning Yi could be considered to be a bit of a scholar, he wasn't really that knowledgeable. When he married into the family, Su Tan'er was also able to suppress him. Even from Ning Yi's point of view, the bookworm in the past had actually benefited from it. He didn't have any hidden criticism towards the Su family, so he just brushed it off with a smile. However, when she heard the old man talking about the Su family, Xiaochan, who was sitting at the side and inadvertently overheard it, blushed and couldn't help but come closer.
"Old … Old Grandpa, after the son-in-law married into the Su family, the young miss has never mistreated the son-in-law. The young miss is a very good person, and she will not mistreat the son-in-law in the future!"
The little girl's expression was nervous, and she was extremely serious. She had grown up by Su Tan'er's side, and they were as close as sisters. At this time, she couldn't necessarily understand the deeper meaning behind the old man's words, but she roughly knew that the old man was talking about the Su family. Normally, when the master of a family spoke with outsiders, the maidservants generally had no room to interrupt. However, the status of a son-in-law was special. Some gave face, while others were disdainful. However, Xiaochan had followed by Su Tan'er's side and had an excellent upbringing. Naturally, she wasn't the latter. She was just nervous about the young miss and the reputation of the Su family. She didn't know how much courage it took for her to say these words that carried a hint of rebuttal. Her hands were clenched into small fists in front of her, and she was very nervous.
In the past, Xiaochan had always quietly stayed at the side, obedient and sensible. Elder Qin had already gotten used to the existence of this little maidservant. At this time, he was slightly stunned. Ning Yi looked at Xiaochan a few times, and then he laughed and raised his hand to put down a chess piece.
"Haha, you old man, worrying about nothing. You've offended Xiaochan this time, haven't you? If these words of yours were to spread in the Su family, the one who would suffer would be me. "
The old man also laughed. "Haha, a slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue. I'll let Miss Xiaochan know that this old man's words had no intention of criticizing the Su family. However, it was indeed a slip of the tongue to talk about the family matters of others. My apologies, my apologies …"
He generously apologized to Xiaochan. Xiaochan didn't seem to be angry. She was just serious. That nervous and serious expression didn't fade even after she left with Ning Yi. In fact, it seemed to have deepened. She followed behind Ning Yi with her head lowered. Her already petite body seemed to have become even smaller because of her silence. Ning Yi pursed his lips helplessly. He turned around and comforted her, "What's wrong? Are you still angry? "
Before he finished speaking, he saw Xiaochan's shoulders shrink and her mouth flatten. Tears rolled out of her eyes like pearls from a broken necklace.
The matter seemed to be quite serious … Ning Yi was stunned. Then, he softened his voice. "Just what happened?"
"Xiaochan …" That little girl choked with sobs. She raised her head to look at him. "Although Xiaochan is a little servant girl who doesn't understand anything, she wouldn't gossip about this kind of matter. Son-in-law, you said that if this matter were to spread, then you're pointing at Xiaochan, pointing at Xiaochan … not doing her duty …"
Xiaochan shrugged her shoulders and choked with sobs even more. Ning Yi looked at her for a long time. He had originally thought that this little girl was unhappy because of the old man's words. Who knew that she felt wronged because of his joke? Then, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Son-in-law … you're still … goo —"
Before the little girl could finish her sobbing words, something leaked out. It was Ning Yi who suddenly stretched out his hands and pinched both sides of her cheeks, pulling her face into a flat pancake. This time, it was the little girl's turn to be stunned. Her eyes were wide open like lanterns. After blinking twice, Ning Yi let go of her face and gently patted her shoulder. "Let's go." He turned around and left.
After a while, the little girl caught up with him. She had a frightened expression on her face. At the same time, her face was bright red. "Son-in-law, Son-in-law, you …" She wanted to denounce Ning Yi's actions just now. In reality, this matter could be big or small. In the past few months, the two of them could be said to have been together day and night. Occasionally, Xiaochan would help him measure his clothes, but more often than not, she would help him put on his clothes. There was actually some physical contact, but that could be considered as unintentional touching.
The history that Ning Yi came to had basically gone off the wrong path. However, the Wu dynasty was actually very similar to the Song dynasty. Although the Cheng and Zhu Confucianism did not appear in the slightest, at this time, there was already a lot of attention paid to keeping a distance between men and women. Xiaochan was a maidservant. She had to serve the people by her side, so it was impossible for her to have the same demands as other women. If Su Tan'er had married Ning Yi, as one of the three maidservants, it was almost certain that she would be Ning Yi's concubine in the future. Then there would be no problem. However, now that Ning Yi had married into the Su family, everything was actually decided by Su Tan'er.
After all, the status of a son-in-law was low. Among the common people, it was generally believed that a man with a bit of backbone or determination would not marry into the family. This was also because in many families, the status of a son-in-law was actually no different from that of a slave. Most families of women only treated the man who married into the family as a long-term worker. Of course, the situation of each family was different. If the relationship between the husband and wife was good, or if the son-in-law had some ability, he would naturally have his own place in the family. This was not surprising.
In the Su family, Old Great Grandfather Su remembered the friendship of the previous generations and actually took good care of Ning Yi. As a result, the Su family would not openly look down on him. Although Su Tan'er had once expressed opposition to this marriage, her current attitude towards Ning Yi could be considered peaceful. However, even if this was the case, or if their relationship developed in the future and they became real husband and wife, the possibility that she would allow Ning Yi to have an intimate relationship with Chan'er was not high. Although the three maidservants had followed Su Tan'er since they were young, and Su Tan'er would probably never let go of these three maidservants in the future, it was more likely that she would betroth them to some loyal and promising servant, and at the same time, keep them in the Su family for the rest of their lives.
Of course, this was just a casual prank. Ning Yi might not think so much about it, and the little girl naturally did not think too much about it. However, even if she was not angry, she was still a bit embarrassed. At this time, she rushed over with a red face and anger, trying hard to think of words to describe Ning Yi's lecherous behavior. In the end, she could only say, "Son-in-law, you, you are bullying me!"
"En." Ning Yi nodded and shrugged. "I am bullying you. What are you going to do about it?"
"Fine..." Chan'er blinked and then became angry again. "You are saying things that Chan'er does not understand again..."
"Haha." On the side of the street, Ning Yi laughed happily.
When he first arrived here, his mood was actually quite gloomy. However, after being bored for so long, his gloomy mood gradually dissipated. He felt that in ancient times, bullying people had come. He used Go to bully an old pedant, and now he was bullying a little girl. It was actually quite interesting.
Like this, they walked in the direction of their home. Xiaochan bounced behind him and talked. At first, she was a bit shy, but then she rambled on about other trivial matters. When they walked to a relatively prosperous street not far from the Su family, someone suddenly walked over to greet them and stopped them.
There were many people in the Su family. Every day when he came back from here, he would often meet some people from the Su family. Some were willing to greet Ning Yi, and some were disdainful to talk to him. Occasionally, he would meet Su Tan'er on her way back, because there was a Su's Cloth Shop on the side of the street. At this time, the man came out from the Su family's cloth shop. He was also in his early twenties. He held a folding fan and looked like a romantic scholar. From afar, he cupped his hands and said, "Brother Ning, what a coincidence." Then he walked over with two servants.
He was probably someone that the previous owner of this body knew, but at this time, Ning Yi could not recognize him. In confusion, he looked around and saw that Su Tan'er's carriage was also parked on the side of the road not far away. From the cloth shop, a small head shook and looked in his direction, then immediately ran inside. It was Su Tan'er, Xing'er. When she saw Ning Yi and Chan'er, she ran to call Su Tan'er.
The man gradually approached with a smile. Although Ning Yi did not know his name, it was very easy for him to deal with this kind of thing. Just as he was about to smile and greet him, Chan'er, who was behind him, tugged at the corner of his clothes and said, "Young master, that is Young Master Xue from the Da Chuan Cloth Shop." There was a hint of uneasiness in her voice.
Ning Yi reacted. Although he had not seen this person before, he had indeed heard of this person.
After coming to this era, he pretended to have amnesia and inquired about his previous identity. After all, it was a simple life. However, when people from the Su family, such as Chan'er and Xing'er, talked about it, there were always some things that were taboo. For example, on the night of the wedding, Su Tan'er ran away and he was hit with a brick.
However, even if it was taboo, after a few months, Ning Yi already knew what he should know. At that time, the person who sneakily hit him with a brick should be Xue Jin from the Da Chuan Cloth Shop. At this time, Xiaochan was uneasy. She was probably afraid that Ning Yi would be angry and do something that would make her suffer.
However, how could Ning Yi show any complicated expression on his face? At this time, he smiled and nodded, "Oh, is it Young Master Xue? Hello."
His smile was natural and his attitude was peaceful. Opposite him, Xue Jin was slightly stunned. He looked at the two attendants beside him and then smiled again, "I heard that Brother Ning accidentally got injured on the day of the wedding and actually lost some of his memories. I was originally there that day, but because I had something to do, I left early. Later, I was unable to find time, so I did not go to visit. How … did he really lose his memories? Could it be that Brother Ning really does not remember me? "
Opposite him, Ning Yi seemed to be a little embarrassed. With a sincere and deep apology, he smiled and said, "The things in the past, it is really … Ah, Brother Xue, please forgive me, forgive me …"
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