Ever since the end of the year, the way Ning Yi and Su Tan'er got along with each other had become more and more natural. Of course, this was not the way of "husband and wife" in this era, but just the way of "two weirdos" getting along.
After the showdown before the New Year, Su Tan'er found a balance for her position for the first time. After she felt at ease, many things became easier. In the past, she always wanted to put in a lot of effort to maintain the "home" mode, but now she didn't have to be so deliberate. In the past, she always had to take the initiative to find topics to talk about at the dining table, weighing what could be said, what would interest the other party, and what needed to be avoided to avoid making the other party unhappy. It was the same feeling when talking about business. Naturally, there was no need to do so now, but there were more topics to talk about. There was no need to deliberately find topics to talk about.
Even though Ning Yi would go out for a jog every morning, the couple would often have breakfast at home before going out in different directions. Su Tan'er would sit in a horse carriage, while Ning Yi would walk lightly. At this time, Xiaochan was usually faced with two choices: follow the young mistress or follow the son-in-law. Of course, she could also stay at home, but the other two choices were obviously more useful. If she followed the son-in-law, there was nothing to do, but she could listen to the son-in-law's lectures and stories. Every time she listened to the son-in-law's casual and fascinating stories, she would think that the son-in-law was really knowledgeable...
Of course, recently, Su Tan'er had been busy. It was always like this at the beginning of spring, so Xiaochan still chose to follow the young miss. As mentioned before, although she treated Ning Yi and Su Tan'er as simple and innocent, she was quite reliable when it came to handling things. She was not only responsible for serving people. Once, Ning Yi saw her scolding people angrily. She frowned very seriously and looked very fierce. While scolding people, she even pointed out that some of them were scheming against each other. "Don't think that I didn't see it!" Then, he looked at the ruler and scratched his head. "Oh no, the ruler that Miss wants …" He turned his head and said, "Hurry up and go!" After sending everyone away, he turned around and ran away. Ning Yi couldn't stop laughing behind him. She was trained as a manager. Of course, there was no conflict between the two. They were both part of her character.
Ning Yi would return home at noon or in the afternoon. Sometimes, he would be with Xiaochan, because Xiaochan would run to him before the noon class ended. If Xiaochan didn't go to him, he would be alone. Su Tan'er would be back after noon. Sometimes, she would be in the room, sometimes in the living room, and sometimes sitting in the pavilion in the courtyard. Juan'er and Xing'er would sometimes follow him, and sometimes they would not. They also had to deal with some trivial matters of the servants in the first branch.
When Su Tan'er was thinking, she liked to bite her hand. Sometimes, she would bite her fist, and sometimes, she would gently bite her fingers. Most of the time, she would show this expression when no one was around. One evening, Ning Yi came back. In the afterglow of the setting sun, Su Tan'er was sitting in the pavilion in a light yellow dress, reading a book. Her white teeth gently bit the tip of her thumb, and occasionally turned a page. Ning Yi walked over and was about to greet her when Su Tan'er suddenly turned back. She was still biting her fingertip, and her big eyes looked at Ning Yi for a moment. She looked confused and innocent. Then, she turned back and quietly continued to read the account book.
Seeing that she ignored him, Ning Yi shrugged and walked away, feeling a little bored. He thought that this woman was really calm. Not far away, Su Tan'er shouted behind him, "Husband! You scared me to death! "When he turned back, Su Tan'er was looking at him angrily, patting her chest with her hand. After a moment, Ning Yi spread his hands speechlessly, and Su Tan'er also laughed impatiently.
From the time they got home, to dinner, to the time they spent at night, and finally to bed, they gathered together and chatted, talking about this and that. Sometimes, Ning Yi felt that Su Tan'er was somewhat similar to him in the past. Of course, the specific problems she faced were different, and her mood and confusion were also different. Sometimes, he thought that the problems Su Tan'er faced might be more severe than his. She was a woman. If there was a man in the Su family who was smarter and more capable, things would be very simple. If she was a little stupid, things would also be very simple. However, she was in this gap, so she could only move forward, and from time to time, she had to face the problems she faced because of her identity as a woman.
Sometimes, they would "coincidentally" meet by the pillar on the second floor. About every few days, they would look at the scenery of the entire Su family's mansion together. Su Tan'er would talk about some messy things, some of which could not be said in front of others, even in front of Chan'er and Juan'er. The main reason was that it was meaningless, or some of her plans in business, some small calculations that she was proud of, or some family gossip. A cousin had just extorted a few hundred taels of silver from her, saying that if he saw a good porcelain, the price would definitely rise. Su Tan'er gave the money with a smile, and then turned to tell Ning Yi that the guy had a mistress outside. She bit her finger and said, "In the future, you can threaten him, or tell sister-in-law, and let sister-in-law make a fuss …"
Su Tan'er was very smart, and she was also very talented in business, but after all, she was only nineteen years old. Most of the time, there was no one to talk to about the pressure she faced. Ning Yi might be the only person who could give her some space to relieve the pressure. In her opinion, this Husband understood part of what she said, but he might not understand everything. Sometimes, Ning Yi would say a few things that she did not understand, and she would just listen. At such a moment, even if Ning Yi's words were strange, and the things he said were incomprehensible, she would not be surprised.
There was one thing that was strange. Perhaps it was the first time they chatted together, he gave her a century egg. After the second chat, Su Tan'er wanted to say something, but she hesitated. Then she asked, "Husband, did you not bring anything to eat?" Then she said, "Bring something to eat next time."
After that, he would give her something to eat. A small bag of candy, peanuts, candied dates, and the like. The Su family was not short of money, so it was not difficult to provide these things. There were also pears that were hard to eat in this season. Once, Ning Yi conveniently took a large flat cake. It was late winter and early spring, and the weather was cold. It was as cold as frozen beef jerky. Su Tan'er did not mind. She took it to her mouth and slowly tore it. After eating it, she was very satisfied. Then she said, "Husband did it on purpose."
In February, the topic of conversation became even more casual. They seemed like very strange friends in this era. One was a businessman, and the other was making some deviant little inventions. Once, Su Tan'er asked Ning Yi, "Why does Husband never go to those brothels and attend the invitations of those scholars?"
Ning Yi shrugged his shoulders, "He only knows two poems. He can't pick up girls …"
Su Tan 'er stood there and thought for a long time before she could understand what he meant. She laughed and said, "I'm just using money to crush them. Those cousins of mine would always extort a few dozen taels of silver from Tan' er every time. Those who patronize them are all famous. Husband can get a few hundred taels. In addition to his talent, it shouldn't be a problem for him to meet Qi Lan, Lu Caicai, and the others … That's right, after the Lunar New Year Festival, I heard that Miss Qi Lan is quite fond of Husband. There were a few nights when she sang Husband's Green Jade Table every night. The sound of the zither was mellow and desolate. Maybe Husband and her will become a good story … "
She turned her eyes and glanced at Ning Yi. Ning Yi thought for a moment and nodded, "Is there such a thing? Then I'll go tomorrow night … After all, it's not easy for them … "
Su Tan'er ate broad beans that night. She glanced at him coldly and then chewed for a long time. Then she snorted and laughed, "Then Husband can bring Xiaochan along."
Ning Yi didn't lack money. It was mainly because he could always ask Xiaochan for money. He didn't use much, and Su Tan'er didn't have any opinion on this matter. However, even if Xiaochan was well-behaved, if Ning Yi really went to look for prostitutes, one could imagine which side Xiaochan would stand on. Even if she didn't say anything on the surface, she would definitely play dirty tricks. At this time, he sighed, "Only women and villains are hard to deal with … You are a woman with a honeyed mouth and a dagger in your heart. You are not honest at all. Give me back the broad beans, you're not allowed to eat them! "
Su Tan'er took the small bag and suddenly took a step back. She smiled like a fox, "Tan'er has been in business for several years, but I've never heard of a businessman who is really honest. Husband, please forgive me."
February passed in this kind of ordinary day for Ning Yi. His students, Nie Yunzhu, Xiaochan, Su Tan'er, Chemical, and sometimes he met up with Elder Qin and Elder Kang. They chatted for a while, and sometimes he learned about the situation of Song Xian and Wu Liejun from other channels. He recalled the woman's martial arts, but the female assassin had already disappeared after the New Year's Eve.
At the beginning of March, the Su family was also busy with business, but Su Tan'er still took a day off and went for an outing with Ning Yi and the three maids outside Jiangning City. When they came back in the afternoon, they went to the teahouse to drink tea. They inadvertently heard a few people dressed like scholars talking about century eggs next door. They said that the woman who ran the century eggs was a talented and beautiful woman, but she only wanted to support herself with her hands. She researched the method of making century eggs, and a scholar admired her temperament. He had been pursuing her for several years. At this time, with a little trick, he opened up a market for the novelty in less than half a month.
In fact, although Nie Yunzhu was also busy now, it was impossible to say that the reputation of the century eggs had spread far. At this time, the "little trick" that these people were talking about was the matter of him asking Li Pin to help find someone to act as a scapegoat. He found it funny in his heart. He didn't know how Li Pin got involved with Nie Yunzhu because of this matter, and even pursued her for several years. He was too careless, and now Li Pin was in trouble. But after listening for a while, he found that this was not the case.
"This Gu Hong, Gu Yanzhen, was already famous in Jiangning a few years ago. This time, he returned from Tokyo because of this woman. Now that he already has a scholarly reputation, he is still deeply in love with her. It is truly rare …"
"The method used is also ingenious. In just a few days, the problem was solved … A gifted scholar and a beautiful woman, in time, it will become a story."
"I don't think so. That woman showed her face in public and ran such a business. She is really not a good match …"
After listening for a while, he realized that these people were talking about the man named Gu Hong Gu Yanzhen. Recalling that Nie Yunzhu seemed to have some implications a few days ago, he thought of something and couldn't help but shake his head and smile.
The next day, before dawn, in front of the small building, Nie Yunzhu was sitting on the steps waiting for him as usual. When she saw him coming, she showed a smile that was no different from usual. Ning Yi looked at her for a while and rubbed his forehead slightly, "Have you been very tired recently?"
"Huh?" Nie Yunzhu was stunned. Then, she shook her head in confusion.
Ning Yi sat beside her and deliberated over his words, "Why … didn't you tell that Gu Yanzhen clearly, and let him … stop the matter?"
In the darkness, the morning wind carried a chill and the small building sank into silence. After a while, Nie Yunzhu's voice came from the side, "Liheng … how could it be … Liheng … why … ask this …"
"Uh, I just heard … that Gu Yanzhen …" Ning Yi spread out his hands, not knowing how to express himself.
"I … I, I have nothing to do with that Gu Yanzhen … they are talking nonsense … Liheng … uh … I …"
There seemed to be something wrong with Nie Yunzhu's voice. Ning Yi turned his head and looked over. In the darkness, there was only light coming from the side of the building. In the light, the woman's expression seemed to be somewhat resentful, as if she wanted to emphasize something but couldn't grasp the main point. Ning Yi looked for a while and found it hard to understand. He slowly said, "Hmm, I understand …"
Nie Yunzhu glanced at him and frowned as if she was about to cry. Then, she took a deep breath and looked at Ning Yi seriously, emphasizing each word.
"I have nothing to do with that Gu Yanzhen."
*****
This chapter took a lot of effort. To be honest, it has a sub-plot. I thought about it for nearly two hours before removing it for the balance of the subsequent plot. I will first post it in the book review section. Those who are interested can take a look and then add it to the related section.
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