The third day of the fifth month was a sunny day.
For Ning Yi, it wasn't a special day. He ran as usual, ate as usual, and attended classes as usual. Of course, the city of Jiangning was indeed very lively these days. Walking on the streets, one could occasionally see some brothel performances. People relished in such things, and often talked about some girl who had many flowers, or two men who fought over a woman's affections. Even if it was an ordinary matter, when it came to a teahouse or a restaurant, there would always be many twists and turns, and it was quite dramatic.
In these two or three days, Su Tan'er was indeed somewhat busy. She left early in the morning and returned late at night. What she was doing was somewhat secretive, but Ning Yi vaguely knew an outline. It was probably related to something like "Palace Guide." Recently, Su Tan'er had been doing many things in a discreet manner, but secretly, she was indeed heading in this direction. She wanted to become an imperial merchant and build a relationship with Bianliang, and … she probably had already found a direction.
These days, there were two kinds of imperial merchants. Since Tan Yuan and Black Water sued for peace twice, there was a great demand for cloth and silk to compensate the north. The imperial family wouldn't pay a high price, but it was tantamount to a small profit but quick turnover. After building a relationship with the imperial family, there would always be some compensation. On the other hand, nowadays, the imperial court of the Wu dynasty was collecting good things everywhere. If the real good silk could be sold to the palace, there would be many benefits after this line was established. Su Tan'er wasn't just delusional. On one hand, she was looking for connections, and on the other hand, she was improving the technology and looking for a breakthrough. This time, it was probably the technical team that she had secretly set up that was in trouble. In some key aspects of the technology, the merchants were also unusually secretive. Once something happened, besides Su Tan'er and Su Boyong, it was likely that the shopkeeper in charge wouldn't be able to make the decision. But really, it wasn't that she was busy, but that she couldn't relax.
At present, Ning Yi also didn't understand what Su Tan'er's overall plan was. After all, it was just some speculations from idle chatting. But his wife, who was only nineteen years old and usually gentle and polite, had a big appetite in this area, which was admirable. There are no strange schemes in the world. It's just a matter of having a big appetite and an even bigger appetite. Once this matter is properly settled, there will be no more suspense for Su Tan'er to take charge of the Su family. The other two branches will probably still have to waste their time on some basic troublemaking. Their horizons were different.
Although not many people would be able to react, Su Tan'er wasn't taking any shortcuts. She was, after all, putting in effort to improve the technology and then fighting for opportunities. Although luck might have played a part in it, from a certain point of view, Ning Yi could only think that some women in this era were probably more pragmatic than many men in this era. Su Tan'er was nineteen this year. No one knew how long she had been planning this.
Regarding these things, Ning Yi appreciated them in his heart and didn't pay much attention to them. During the day of the second day of the first year, Xiaochan still accompanied the young miss to go out. On the third day, she carefully dressed up and came to the school with Ning Yi. To be honest, these two days, Ning Yi felt that the little girl was a little strange, as if she had something on her mind. Last night, when she was walking, she was swaying and only woke up when she bumped into a tree. Today, she was a little absent-minded, of course, only a few times. Most of the time, she was no different from usual, chattering and following behind. At noon, after school, she went out with Ning Yi to eat something. She held a small bag of sweets in her arms, but she didn't eat them. Occasionally, when Ning Yi looked at her, she showed a very serious expression.
"Did something happen to your family?"
"Ah?"
"You're a little strange these two days … If something happened to your family, you should help as much as you can. It's okay to tell me …"
As Ning Yi said so, the little girl blushed a little, and then she shook her head desperately.
"No, nothing. Xiaochan's family is fine … really fine …" After emphasizing this, she looked at Ning Yi guiltily. "Uh, that … It's just that they're happy. It's very lively tonight. A few years ago, the young miss took us to see it. At that time, the young miss and we were all dressed as boys. The young miss looked very good, but Juan'er and I couldn't dress up well, hehe …"
Ning Yi curled his lips. It should be fine. Since Xiaochan didn't say, he naturally didn't need to ask, "Then today, Xiaochan won't dress up as a man before going?"
"Ah …" Xiaochan dressed up beautifully today. She was wearing a white summer dress with floral patterns, looking slim and lovely. At this time, she looked down and was a little embarrassed. "It's not necessary to change. Xiaochan dressed up for a long time this morning …"
"Then I won't change."
Ning Yi waved his hand, and Xiaochan's nervous expression relaxed. She stretched out her hand to grab the corner of Ning Yi's clothes and jogged a few steps behind him. Her white wrist was white and fair. "Son-in-law is so good … So wise and mighty …"
"Ignorant and incompetent …" Ning Yi laughed.
It was still early, and the city gates of Jiangning City were not closed tonight. The majority of the people who went to Egret Island to watch the show usually gathered in the evening. At that time, the pleasure boats and floats would set off together, parading along the way. Of course, although there were people who went for an outing in the afternoon, all kinds of vendors and acrobatics would also go there at this time. At night, even if many people couldn't enter the main venue, they would still watch some performances in the surroundings. When the performances in the venue ended, they would return with the pleasure boats and floats, enjoying the singing and dancing of many beauties along the way.
At this time, Ning Yi didn't plan to go to Egret Island. He also didn't have any beauties to support. He and Xiaochan walked all the way to Elder Qin's stall. Qin Siyuan wouldn't join in the fun tonight, but it was said that Kang Xian would still go.
The afternoon breeze blew by the riverbank, and the willows swayed slightly. Water splashed against the riverbank in waves. Ning Yi and Elder Qin chatted while playing chess, while Xiaochan sat on a stool next to them. Under the hem of her skirt, her legs kicked and her embroidered shoes swayed gently. She looked at the scenery while nodding her head and singing. She was singing the song Ning Yi taught her, "When the Moon Appears". It was a relaxed and cozy feeling. Today, she didn't wear a bun on her head, and her hair flowed with the wind. She looked young and innocent, but vaguely, she seemed to have grown up.
The song was immersed in the afternoon breeze by the riverbank, perfectly matching the melody of the wind and water. Elder Qin laughed and said, "Although the tune is a little strange, Miss Xiaochan sings really well." Xiaochan was happy. She had practiced this song for a long time.
A little more time passed, and it was close to evening. In the small courtyard behind Golden Wind Restaurant, Yuan Jin 'er was removing her makeup, enjoying the little bit of relaxing time she had. Although it was her official performance tonight, there were many social engagements that she had to attend to in the past few days. Starting from the morning, she had to deal with the visits of scholars and rich men. She had to deal with the males who didn't like each other because they were jealous of each other. She had to stabilize the situation and control the atmosphere. She tried her best not to let anyone really get angry, so that they could fight each other secretly without actually shedding all pretense of cordiality. For her, it was very exhausting.
In fact, the invisible competition of the flower festival had already started half a month ago. These days, it was basically like this. Only this afternoon did she have some free time, and she only had to deal with the greetings of the more important guests like Cao Guan. Just now, she played a song on the stage outside and listened to everyone's praises. Then, she calmly thanked them and came back to remove her makeup. During this period of time, Cao Guan and the others came to see her again. Only then did she have some free time. From now on, until the evening, when the flower parade started, it belonged to her. As the head of one of the Four Great Courtesans and the face of Golden Wind Restaurant, she didn't need to perform on the flower parade. She only needed to rest and store up her energy for tonight's performance.
"There's nothing to worry about tonight, as long as I can make it to the top 16 … I've been busy these past few days, so I'm hungry. I can't eat much. Mom even told me to eat less. She basically wants me to starve to death …"
She didn't really touch up her makeup after removing it, so her hair was also messy. At this moment, Yuan Jin 'er was lazily leaning on the cool bed. Her fair and tender shoulders and bare feet were completely exposed. As she spoke, she held a plate of candied fruits in front of her chest and stuffed them into her mouth. Soon after, that plate of fruit was snatched away by another person in the room.
"Mom told you to eat less because she was afraid that you would get bloated during the performance. If you want to eat, you should eat some soup and rice. If you eat fruits now and don't eat dinner at night, what if you get bloated during the performance? What if you spit it out? Aren't you afraid of choking … "
Yuan Jin 'er originally wanted to snatch the fruit plate, but that hand reached for her mouth. She made an "Oh" sound and closed her mouth. She puffed her cheeks and didn't want to open them. Then, she struggled for a while. That hand patted her face impatiently. She climbed into the cool bed and chewed all the food. Then, she coughed for a long time and covered her throat. "Uh … I swallowed the core of the fruit. Cough, cough …"
The hand poured half a cup of water. "You're only allowed to drink one mouthful. You can eat later."
"Got it, Sister Yunzhu … Ah, no, Brother Yunzhu."
The other person in the room was Nie Yunzhu. Today, she was dressed as a man in a black robe. Her long hair was tied up and she wore a scholar's scarf. If she held a fan, she would look like a man with a feather fan and a silk scarf. Of course, at first glance, some people might think that she was a man, but it was easy to recognize her. Dressing up as a man required not only makeup, but also good performance and talent. Nie Yunzhu might be good at makeup and performance, but she lacked talent.
In the past, Nie Yunzhu would not easily get close to Golden Wind Restaurant. But now it was a little different. In the past two months, the voice of the century egg had been quietly developing. She hired some people under the guidance of Ning Yi. Later, when she wanted to hire one or two cooks, she also went through Yuan Jin 'er. After all, now she could only find some connections here. Now she gradually regarded herself as a businesswoman. Although she was not like that at all, she did not talk about business with people in a complicated way.
In two months, although the century egg had become famous as Ning Yi predicted, the business was silent and low-key. Some things that were brewing had not yet come out. Nie Yunzhu resumed occasional contact with Yuan Jin 'er. The most important thing was that Yuan Jin' er wanted to be in the limelight in this Top Beauty Competition. The mother of Golden Wind Restaurant made an agreement with her that if Yunzhu could help a little, they would try their best to help her do something in the future.
"In fact, Cao Guan is really enthusiastic this time. Compared with last year, I don't know how much effort he put in. Jin 'er, look at these poems, he really put in a lot of effort …"
Nie Yunzhu smiled and sorted out some poems on the table. On the other side, Jin 'er smiled and stood up on the cool bed. Wearing only underwear, she stroked her hair. She was famous for her vivacity, but now she looked a little charming. "He just wants to get back for what happened last year." As she spoke, the young girl's body gently stretched out on the bed, slowly swaying along with the predetermined dance steps. Her slender bare feet casually kicked, creating light footsteps on the cool bed. With a sway, her soft body leaned back with a wave of her hand. Just as she was about to fall, she quickly turned around and her hair danced in a circle. She took a step forward and froze there. Then, she naturally bowed down to express her gratitude.
"Actually, Jin 'er doesn't care whether she becomes the top courtesan or not. The Four Great Line Leaders are different. If they become the top courtesan, I don't know what they will become. After Feng Xiaojing became the top courtesan, it was said that one day, she was forced by the commander, Lord Cheng, to the point that she almost jumped off a building. If it wasn't for someone who spoke up, I'm afraid that Lord Cheng Yong would have pulled out his sword and killed her. If I become the top courtesan, I'm afraid that I'll have to find someone to marry immediately … "
"At that time, I'll have to redeem myself, and my net worth will be even higher."
"There's bound to be someone who's willing to marry. After all, it's the top courtesan. It'll be good for me to brag about it …"
"Could it be that Jin 'er still hasn't found someone who's willing to marry her?"
Yunzhu asked with a smile. Yuan Jin 'er frowned, and then her mouth almost turned into a pig's snout. She walked to the table and sat down angrily. She reached out to grab the fruit platter, but Yunzhu reached out and pushed it away.
"Sister Yunzhu just likes to say these discouraging words. Men … Hmph, anyway, Sister Yunzhu always has a good man who likes her. By the way, I also heard a few days ago that Gu Yanzhen came back in March. He wooed Sister Yunzhu and even helped Sister Yunzhu sell century eggs, but Sister Yunzhu slapped him on the face in the street, and he lost all his face … Gu Yanzhen, on the other hand, graduated from high school, got an official position, returned to his hometown in glory, and even has money. Jin 'er really wants to marry this kind of man. Sister Yunzhu doesn't know how lucky she is. "
Yunzhu laughed, "Jin 'er, you also said that men … In this way, I'm also the same. I can't find someone who's willing to marry me. If Jin' er is really willing to marry, is it really impossible to find a man like Gu Yanzhen?"
"But I don't like it. Maybe Gu Yanzhen is a good man …" Yuan Jin 'er was joking, but at this time, she shrugged her shoulders, found a melon seed at the corner of the table, and secretly peeled it and threw it into her mouth, "Then … Sister Yunzhu's Liheng, the great scholar, is it possible that he's also not willing to marry?"
Yunzhu took a coat and threw it on her face, and said with a smile, "Don't talk nonsense about this. I may not want this reputation, but Liheng is a man with a family, don't tarnish his innocence."
"I know, I know. Sister Yunzhu, you protect him." Yuan Jin 'er took off the coat from her face, and muttered, "Sister Yunzhu, didn't you say that he would also go tonight? After the introduction, Jin' er will go to seduce him, and see what kind of person he is. Hmph, when his wife finds out, she can call people to Golden Wind Brothel to beat me to death. Jin 'er will fight with her, and see who's the winner … Maybe Sister Yunzhu will fly away with him in the future, and live together with him … "
"You're full of nonsense …"
"Hee hee." Yuan Jin 'er smiled, "By the way, why did Sister Yunzhu hit Gu Yanzhen that day? Jin' er only heard about it, but I don't know the details."
Nie Yunzhu thought for a while, and took a deep breath, "He was indeed a modest gentleman, but he was too impulsive at that time, so I hit him … He's not a bad person, and it's hard to tell who's right and who's wrong in this matter. Let's not talk about it anymore."
Thinking back, on the day March made the decision, when she met Gu Yanzhen again, she told him all the cards, and naturally did not mention anything about Ning Yi, but this time she rejected him very thoroughly. Gu Yanzhen was probably a little flustered, and said a lot of explicit words, and also asked if she had a lover, and in the end, he even came to grab her hand. At that time, she subconsciously slapped him, and later washed her hands many times, but she still felt a little disgusted.
At that time, there were a lot of pedestrians on the street, and Gu Yanzhen also had a friend there. The slap was not heavy, but it still stunned him, and after that, he did not pester him again. It was just that Gu Yanzhen's previous publicity was too high-profile, and later the slap also spread within a certain range. Unexpectedly, even Jin 'er knew about it. This kind of thing was not what Nie Yunzhu wanted to see. Although she was a little annoyed by that impulsive pull, a gentleman should not speak ill of him. At this time, she naturally did not want to see this rumor deepen and tarnish his reputation.
Yuan Jin 'er roughly understood her thoughts, and at this time, she nodded with a smile, "But tonight, Young Master Gu will also go there, Sister Yunzhu … No, Brother Yunzhu, what if he sees you?"
Yunzhu smiled, "I'll be all black, and only hide in the dark, who can really recognize me? This time, I'm only going to cheer for you, Jin 'er, and I don't want to meet anyone else."
"Uh? Then what about Young Master Ning? "
There was a slight silence, after a moment …
"Jin 'er is wrong! Sister Yunzhu, please spare my life — "
The sound of begging for mercy faintly came from the courtyard, mixed with laughter like silver bells, and the yellow of the setting sun gradually rose from the west.
On the other side, on the bank of Qinhuai River, Elder Qin put away the chess stall, and with the help of Ning Yi and Xiaochan, they arranged things and walked in the direction of home. Elder Qin invited Ning Yi to have dinner at home. Everyone was familiar with each other anyway, so there was no need to decline too much. After dinner, Elder Qin, his two wives, Ning Yi, and Xiaochan strolled to the side of the road together. The color of the setting sun was magnificent. Ning Yi and Elder Qin were talking in the front, and behind them were the three women of three generations of a family. Xiaochan was still young, and the second wife, Yunniang, who used to be a famous prostitute, teased her, making the little girl blush. The first wife of the Qin family looked on kindly from the side.
In fact, the sound of gongs, drums, and music had already sounded on the street, and there were teams passing by from time to time. Elder Qin smiled and said to Ning Yi, "If you see Mingyun, say hello to him." Although he didn't go today, on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, he would probably bring his family to join in the fun for the dragon boat race and the Courtesan Competition. Then a team came along the road, and everyone stood on the side of the road. It was the support of the magistrate, and a large number of soldiers accompanied it. The Jiangning magistrate was riding on a horse, and when he passed by, he probably saw Elder Qin and even bowed to him. Elder Qin was now a commoner, so he also responded politely. Then he tilted his head to Ning Yi and smiled.
"A few days ago, you asked County Captain Song Xian. At this time, the commander of the Martyr of Wulie Army, Cheng Yong, and County Captain Song Xian are both here. Here."
In the team, the two people behind the magistrate on horseback seemed to inadvertently look over. Cheng Yong, who was slightly plump, looked at the crowd on both sides of the road with a smile. As for Song Xian, his eyes were cold and serious, and he had quite an imposing manner. Ning Yi smiled. In fact, some time ago, he had asked around and found out that he had already "met" this Song Xian several times on the street. To him, he already knew him. However, the New Year's Eve had passed, so it was useless to know what he looked like.
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