Voices could be heard from time to time.
It was still cloudy outside. In the simple courtyard, people would occasionally walk by, and there would occasionally be people poking their heads in from the outside to look in. Then, they would run away.
In the main hall, Hong Ti took the tea tray from the skinny young man and placed the tea on the main and guest seats. She heard the two of them talking about a topic she didn't quite understand.
"… Liheng is also a Confucian scholar. What books did he read in the past?"
"… When I was studying, I learned the Analects of Confucius, Zuo Zhuan, and The Doctrine of the Mean … The Analects of Confucius is better …"
"… It's the right path. But I remember that my master didn't think much of The Doctrine of the Mean. Hehe, he said that those books were useless and far from the Great Way … I read more because of that …"
"… Actually, the Great Way is the same …"
Since Ning Yi's identity was hard to confirm and he came back quietly with Hong Ti, there weren't many people in the village who were alarmed. Other than the old man's welcome at the courtyard gate, there was no other welcoming ceremony. At this moment, in this small courtyard, everything was happening as if an ordinary mountain girl had brought her new son-in-law home. Some people were curious, but no one made a ruckus. In the living room, there was only a simple and plain conversation, and there were not too many ups and downs. In the courtyard, the men were silent while the women curiously did their own things and quietly guessed the development of the situation.
"Speaking of which, Liheng's home is in Jiangning. I've been there before, but I don't know how Jiangning is now …"
Liang Bingfu sat on the main seat and spoke to Ning Yi with a slightly serious expression. His eyes were bright and his back was straight. On a chair diagonally to the side, Ning Yi also answered the questions respectfully. In the room, Hong Ti was silent. At this moment, she looked like a newly married daughter-in-law, but also like Ning Yi's sister. She first brought tea for the two of them, then massaged Liang Bingfu's shoulders, and then sat on the seat next to Ning Yi. She lowered her head slightly, and her eyes were calm. Sometimes, she felt bored and clasped her hands between her legs.
After talking about the situation in Jiangning, the old man asked about Hangzhou. He drank the tea in his cup, and Hong Ti went up to refill it. The old man knocked on his walking stick and smiled. "Hong Ti, if you feel bored, go and do something else. We'll keep him here for dinner. Go and get someone to prepare. "
Hong Ti nodded and glanced at Ning Yi. Ning Yi smiled and waved his hand. "I'll accompany Grandpa Liang."
Not long after, Hong Ti left the room and gently stroked her hair. The few men who were walking around in the courtyard, pretending to be bored, quickly moved to the side. At this moment, most of the people here were the elders and core members of the Green Wood Stronghold, as well as their families. They were preparing dinner in the kitchen, and Hongti went over to help. She washed the vegetables and fruits under the eaves, occasionally turning her head to look at the room.
After a while, she waved her hand to summon the dark-skinned youth who was in charge of taking care of Liang Bingfu and asked him about the old man's physical condition today. From the conversation she heard, she knew that the old man's physical condition was not as energetic as he appeared to be.
In fact, although Ning Yi didn't have high attainments in traditional knowledge, he was in contact with Confucian masters like Qin Siyuan and Yao Zunian every day. Liang Bingfu was just a mediocre person, and he hadn't studied the knowledge of the past for many years. It was impossible for him to question Ning Yi. After chatting for a while, it was basically Ning Yi talking and the old man listening. However, the old man had been supporting the village for so many years, so he would occasionally express some opinions when he thought of something.
Although it was summer, the afternoon passed very quickly. Not long after, the sky had already turned dusk. After dinner was prepared and the table and chairs were laid out, the old man sat straight and chatted with Ning Yi. At this time, he had already talked about the work that the Right Minister's residence was responsible for, the situation in the Northern Lands, the situation at the border. Starting from Zhang Jue's matter, Ning Yi told the old man one by one. These matters could not be answered half-heartedly. The old man listened carefully, and when he heard about Zhang Jue's death, he let out a heavy sigh. When he heard about the reactions of various parties, his right hand tightened its grip on the handle of his walking stick, trembling slightly. After dinner, Hong Ti wanted to persuade him to rest, but the old man just waved his hand. "You go out. I will continue to talk with Liheng."
Hong Ti walked out of the room and went to the courtyard. It was cloudy during the day, and the light of the moon and stars couldn't be seen at night. Torches were lit in the valley below, and there were two torches burning on the back gate of the courtyard. She looked down in the faint light for a long time. The two men who were most important to her were chatting inside. For her, it was a very complicated feeling.
After a long time, she went into the courtyard and lit the lanterns under the eaves. Hearing the creaking sound, Ning Yi walked out from the room with warm yellow light opposite. He stood there and looked at her for a while, then raised two fingers in front of him and shook them with a smile.
"Grandpa Liang, he …" Hong Ti walked over.
"He's already asleep," Ning Yi said softly. "The old man is really energetic."
"He forced himself to stay up."
"I know, but this also shows how much importance he places on this matter. This is his test for me …"
"Grandpa Liang didn't make things difficult for you …"
"Yes, but I also place great importance on this matter." As they spoke in a low voice, the two of them strolled out of the courtyard. Ning Yi smiled. "The things that the old man has done are actually very respectable. He has shouldered a lot of responsibilities … just like you."
"I … I'm not as busy as Grandpa Liang."
"Different responsibilities."
The summer wind blew from the mountainside. They walked to the side of the road that overlooked the valley. Ning Yi squatted down, and Hong Ti squatted down with him. In the valley, every family had already had their dinner. There was not much entertainment at night. People crowded on the roads between the houses and chatted. The sound of children playing and playing could be heard in the darkness. In the distance, the outer gathering of Lu Liang was even more lively, and also a little chaotic. Hong Ti pointed down and introduced to Ning Yi where the residences were, where the supplies were stored, where the new houses were built, where something happened, and so on.
Soon, she introduced a few courtyards at the bottom of the mountainside. Those were the places where the "guests" who came to Lu Liang gathered. Minister He with the Qi family background, the envoy sent by Dong Pang'er, the deputy general sent by Wusheng Army, the hero who claimed to be invincible in the Central Plains, and the mountain leaders in the nearby Lu Liang Mountain … Most of them came with their own goals or missions. There were also those who really believed that Hong Ti was going to have a martial arts competition to find a spouse. These days, they all tried to contact Liang Bingfu. Since Hong Ti did not return, Liang Bingfu kept the matter under wraps and delayed it.
"Since I'm here and you're back, don't let the old man be so tired. Let's settle these things in the next few days," Ning Yi said in a low voice. "You basically know who they are, right?"
Hong Ti nodded. "I know."
"Well, when Zhu Biao comes to me later, I'll tell him what to do. I'll know what to do in the next two days. But before that, take me to see the progress of 'that thing'. "
"Okay." Hong Ti stood up, raised his hand, and pointed to a place behind the side of the mountain. Vaguely, there seemed to be a dark red light shining in the darkness there.
Soon, the two of them walked along the mountain path in that direction. It was the blast furnace workshop hidden in the mountain. For Ning Yi, whether it was the minister, the envoy, or the enlistment order that shook the north of the Wu dynasty, none of them were the purpose of his coming here. Outside Lu Liang Mountain, the Gold Men were gradually reaching their peak, and the Mongolians were sweeping and expanding. Sometimes, when he thought about the inconspicuous Lu Liang Mountain, he felt a little bored.
But of course, there were also very important things here, such as the crazy woman in the mountain village, the old man who finally fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion, and the woman who was the master of a village with patches on her clothes. Sometimes, he would remember the simple words Hong Ti said when he first met her: "You don't live like a human …" Compared to that, a group of clowns jumping around was really boring and helpless.
However, even though he had such emotions, he still had to solve these trivial problems before he decided to do what he wanted to ask him to do. That night, Ning Yi and Hong Ti went to see the progress of the improvement of the blast furnace and the steel produced. After receiving Ning Yi's entrustment, Hong Ti and Liang Bingfu both did their best. Although there was not much progress, they had already done their best. Then, he met with Zhu Biao and told him about the investigation of the outsiders in the village. Then, he began to make more detailed plans and explore more ideas.
At the same time, on the side of Lu Liang, in the village that originally belonged to the small rattling horse, the integration and reorganization of the mountain bandits had reached the final stage. The next morning, they set off with the soldiers and arrived at the Green Wood Village that night. As the envoy of Prince Jin, Tian Hu, they were settled and received. When she asked Hong Ti to meet, she also began to ask people about the identity of the other people who came this time. Then, she quickly responded and began to contact and visit each family.
It was also that evening that Ning Yi was on the hillside. He was holding a pair of binoculars when he saw her in the group. At this time, the lens of the telescope was purely polished by hand. Even the best product was not very clear, so he held the telescope and looked at it for a long time.
"Wow, is that … Lou Xiaowan or Lou something … Where is Shuheng …" Ning Yi held the binoculars and looked left and right for a long time. After thinking for a moment, he handed the binoculars to Zhu Biao who was beside him.
Then, he was a little happy. "Ah, at least I know why I was beaten. It is more or less a good thing …"
Of course, that night, Ning Yi did not go to greet this old friend whom he had not met for a long time.
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