The air in the room was warm, and the winter snow made the room bright inside and outside. In the gentle sound of reading, Jin 'er always thought of that late autumn.
It was a night when fireflies no longer appeared. The flame would pass through the cover of the lantern and ripple in the courtyard into an orange-red color, setting off the garden rocks in the courtyard. For Jin 'er, that late autumn scenery always seemed to be shrouded in a layer of ambiguous smoke. Sister Yunzhu's illness was a surprise for her and Ning Yi.
During this period, Ning Yi was the first one to react. Not long after, one thing after another was taken away from Yunzhu. In fact, most of them were about Takeshi. For these things, Yunzhu, who was weak at that time, still felt a little guilty, but Ning Yi, who accompanied her by the bed, took the responsibility with a wry smile.
"Do you still remember what I said to you in front of the small building? I can't hold the sand, so I casually waved it. In fact … I originally hoped that you would find it fun to open a shop. It was really possible. After the incident with the Su family, I wanted to use Takeshi as a carrier to expand the business. In fact, it was my fault. I began to make the same mistake again … "
In Ning Yi's wry smile, Jin 'er and Yunzhu didn't understand what he was referring to when he said the same mistake. But when Ning Yi realized the problem, the way to solve it was perhaps not surprising.
After the matter with Takeshi, he went to find the most famous musician in the capital and accompanied Yunzhu to visit. The reason was not to communicate with each other, but just to listen to someone's music. In these things that could be regarded as relaxing, he occasionally came to chat with Yunzhu and read her stories from the book. In this way, Yunzhu's mood gradually relaxed. But Ning Yi went to learn a lot about music, and occasionally asked a question to Yunzhu. Even though it was ridiculously childish, it could always make people feel relaxed.
Her heart came like a mountain, and when it left, it was like the continuous spring rain. Autumn passed and winter came. Then it snowed heavily in Bianliang City, and Yunzhu gradually recovered. But the relationship between him and Jin 'er was put aside in such days.
Before going to Shandong, the two agreed that when Ning Yi came back, he would give Jin 'er an explanation. Unfortunately, after returning, Yunzhu fell ill, and the two took care of her. They joked when they were alone. But for these things, Jin 'er knew that he seemed a little guilty. Even when they were chatting in the corridor one day, she heard him say that he was a little "greedy".
"Sometimes, I feel that a lot of things are very good, and then I want them all. Whether it's Yunzhu or you, I didn't think I was a playboy before, but now I may forget it. But I don't know how to solve these things. I promised you before, but now I can't do it for a while … "
At that time, Ning Yi was sitting under the orange railing, and when he said that, it was a little like an apology. Jin 'er stood up, snorted, and kicked him on the back. After that, the two didn't talk much about it. Ning Yi was actually a little surprised by Jin 'er's silence. Fortunately, after that incident, Jin' er didn't show any feelings of rejection to him. When he was with Yunzhu, she still stayed by his side, or sometimes quarreled with him.
In November, Ning Yi took the time to visit musicians, zither players, and some craftsmen. At the beginning of December, he came to give Yunzhu a zither. The zither was made by hand. The materials used were of the highest quality, but the craftsmanship was crude. It looked like it was made by stretching the strings of the zither onto a piece of wood. Although there were some drawings on it that could be considered beautiful, in the eyes of people like Yun Zhu and Jin Er, perhaps in the eyes of anyone, this zither was an extremely clumsy work.
On the other hand, the zither, which had an inaccurate sound, made Yunzhu laugh and cry at the same time. She was moved for quite a while.
But that evening, when Ning Yi left, Jin 'er followed him out and kicked him. When Ning Yi turned around in confusion, he saw that she lowered her head.
"Ning Yi, I'm very stupid. I don't understand what you're thinking. However, Sister Yunzhu and I came from a brothel. It was normal for us to be someone's concubine or to be raised outside. It was something we should be happy about. If a man was nice to us, it was an extra thing. If he was just average, we would have a home. You said that if you think something is good, then you want it. Aren't all men like this? When you see a woman you like, you take her home. I don't know what you're thinking, but how we live is also our business. Sister Yunzhu will get sick. Many people will get sick, but they will get better. Sister Yunzhu and I don't think it's your business. Don't always think so much. "
Ning Yi was slightly stunned by these words. When he reached out to touch Jin 'er's head, Jin' er took a step closer and hugged him. Ning Yi could feel the fragrance and softness of her body as she pressed against him. Ning Yi hugged her.
"I know you won't listen to what I say, right?"
Jin 'er said in his arms. There was no resentment in her tone. Ning Yi smiled. Even though she usually appeared to be simple-minded, the woman in front of him had an intelligent and exquisite heart. When she used that gentleness on him, his thoughts and temperament could not be hidden too much from her.
"I … I can understand. It's just that I feel that I have a responsibility …"
"Mm." Jin 'er nodded softly and arched her head in his arms. "Actually, Sister Yunzhu and I know that. We're also very happy. Although I felt like crying that night when you said those words to me … I just think that you'll feel very uncomfortable like this."
"Men should be more ruthless to themselves. But I'll remember what you said."
"That's good …"
During this period of time, Ning Yi had always remembered the feeling that evening, the body of the woman in his arms and the words she said. Although he still couldn't get over the problem he couldn't solve, he felt much more relaxed.
That day, he accompanied Yunzhu and Jin 'er to study and chatted. He also listened to Yunzhu play a song with the guqin he made. Although the quality of the guqin was poor, it was still beautiful under Yunzhu's fingertips. Yunzhu smiled. She wanted to write a book on how to play a good sound with a lousy guqin. Although that was what she said, she treasured the guqin in her hands very much.
After that, Ning Yi took a ham home. When he reached the courtyard of the Ning family, Su Wenyu was chatting with Tan 'er and the rest about what happened during this period of time. After dinner, Ning Yi and Su Wenyu talked for a while about the camp in Shandong. When they returned to the courtyard, the lights were warm. Tan 'er hugged Ning Xi and looked at the snowman in the courtyard. Ning Yi returned to the room and played with his wife and child. Su Tan 'er hugged Ning Yi and sat on him. She said softly, "What did you do in Shandong to torment Wenyu like that …"
"What happened?"
"After he came back, he wanted to hug Xi 'er. He looked gentle but he scared Xi' er to tears. Wen Yu was a little embarrassed. I can see that he's not the same as before. I've never seen anything that could change a rich family's young master in just a few months … If he was imprisoned, perhaps his temperament would change, but it's not like this … "
"It's hard to say." Ning Yi shook his head. "It's not that I can't say it, but it's meaningless. It probably won't happen in the future. That is … something that can topple one's outlook on life …"
"Then forget it, in case the child hears it." Tan 'er pursed her lips and leaned her cheek against Ning Xi's little face. Ning Yi was also playing with him, making him giggle and shake his body.
"No matter what, after having a different experience, he's finally starting to grow, right?"
"That's right."
When the couple talked about this in the warm room. In the bustling Right Prime Minister's Residence in Bianliang City, in the brightly lit study, Qin Siyuan was asking Wang Shanyue about various things in Shandong alone. In the courtyard outside, there came the sound of children running around. When it came to the campsite, Wang Shanyue also hesitated slightly.
"… Actually, it's hard to say. Ning Liheng is very serious about this. I've gone to see it and I've seen the situation of Su Wenyu in the Su family. I think … it's too strange … "
The candlelight swayed. Wang Shanyue stood there and told the details of the process.
"… In the beginning, it seemed that they were just obeying orders from the higher-ups. At night, they were asked to talk about some of the bad things they had done in the past. They were asked to tell stories about karma and retribution. But the stories were actually very simple and not deep … The whole process was actually that simple. On one hand, the camp was very strict. On the other hand, Ning Liheng treated these people's confession as a kind of reward …"
"… Whoever spoke the most sincerely, the best, and the most reasonable, he let them live a better life. He also managed the others … In the beginning, he personally supervised them and chose those who confessed. At that time, maybe some people deliberately pretended to confess and deliberately pretended to tell stories. But as time passed, things slowly changed. Life in that camp was very boring. It gave people the feeling that life might pass very slowly. In a month's time, he established the entire operation system, and then most of the time, he actually let them manage themselves … "
"In that kind of environment, it was very difficult for people to wholeheartedly pretend and lie. Everyone began to listen to the stories and fought to be the first to say what they had done wrong and why they had done wrong. Even if they were pretending, they would say that they regretted it. As they spoke, they could not hold back their true thoughts. Because in that place, admitting their mistakes was a kind of glory … People would not allow themselves to live in an environment that they did not agree with. Either they changed the environment, or … they had to change themselves. This was what Liheng once said. It seemed to be a kind of tearing syndrome. "
"… It was like a group of bandits kidnapped a group of people. At first, these people were afraid of the bandits. But after a long time, it was easier for them to have a good impression of the bandits. If the bandits were friendly to them, it was easier for them to think that these people were good people … It was not because they really felt that way, but because people had to lie to themselves. They could not let themselves live in a background of fear. They could only give themselves a reason to feel that the environment was not bad …"
"Then in the second month, after Liheng left, things became more and more intense. The attitude of those who confessed became more and more sincere, but those who felt that it was dangerous began to secretly tell others not to do so. Then, there were a few riots. My men and the people from the Zhu family went there a few times, but in fact, most of the movements were suppressed by their own people. Those who confessed and felt that they had done wrong stopped the others … "
"At that time, the small leader that Ning Yi had chosen was the team leader. One of the team leaders tried to kill someone and escape, inciting others to rebel, so he stepped in to stop him. Even after he stopped him, he did not allow others to act rashly. He said that it was his own fault that he was stubborn, and in the end, he committed suicide in front of that person … "
"The whole situation reached the third month. More than a hundred people were sent away, and more than thirty died. Twelve of them committed suicide … It was only three months, but the situation in the camp was that everyone felt that they were guilty. Some of the men who were still killing people a few months ago were washing their faces with tears. Everyone wanted to do something good, but as an outsider, it really felt … very scary. Fortunately, Liheng called for a stop at this time. He sent more than three hundred children to learn from them, and they became masters and disciples …"
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