Encountering Rain at West Lake

Sending Shi Changqi off at the entrance to Taiping Alley, Ning Yi stood under the plane tree at the intersection, watching the martial arts practice at the Liu Family Martial Arts Hall for a while. Search: \(¨Complete¨Book¨God¨Station¨) Read excellent literature for free.

The Shi Changqi he had just seen off was the second time he had come. The first time was yesterday, but because Ning Yi and Su Tan'er had gone out in the morning, he had waited until the afternoon, when Ning Yi and the others returned home after lunch at the restaurant. This man was sincere and seemed to have the air of a gentleman, so Ning Yi was willing to associate with him.

Leaving aside the discussion of poetry and prose, when Ning Yi was without malice and treated people with kindness, the afternoon was quite pleasant. When Shi Changqi took his leave, he said he would come to visit again in a few days, but he rushed over this afternoon, not knowing where he had heard of Ning Yi's status as a live-in son-in-law, and hastily came to verify it.

The weather was relatively cool today, so there was no need to make a special trip to West Lake for an afternoon nap. Ning Yi and Su Tan'er were both at home when Shi Changqi arrived. Su Tan'er, however, had some matters to attend to at the store and had gone out. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he went straight to the point and asked Ning Yi if he had married into the family, which surprised Ning Yi. He then readily admitted it, and the other party became anxious, asking Ning Yi if he had any past hardships or the like, implying that men should have great ambitions and should not abandon their families to become live-in sons-in-law no matter what difficulties they encounter. This implicit expression had no effect, so he strengthened his tone.

Ning Yi looked to be just over twenty years old now, and although his temperament was calm, his young face made it difficult to form an overall sense of persuasion and pressure. Shi Changqi was twenty-six or seven years old. He had originally come to visit because he had heard of Ning Yi's reputation in Jiangning, but since they talked so well after arriving, he obviously had a feeling of promoting and caring for a junior. At this time, he spoke out after suppressing himself for a while, and Ning Yi's response, which was to state the facts without defending himself, made him feel a little annoyed.

"At your age, you actually abandoned your ancestors to marry into a merchant family, and you don't even regret it. As a scholar, how can you be like this..."

Shi Changqi's attitude gradually became stern. Ning Yi listened for a long time before smiling and asking, "Shi-xiong, did you encounter something today?"

Shi Changqi realized this slightly after the question, but was still somewhat unwilling: "In any case, this kind of thing is ultimately... unwise. Merchant families value profit and are greedy, that is one thing, and Ning-xiong's wife actually shows her face every day, we..."

"Shi-xiong," Ning Yi interrupted him with a smile, "Shi-xiong came here today to persuade me to separate from my wife?"

"...I don't mean that, but..."

Ning Yi waved his hand: "Family matters are just small matters, and originally there is no need to tell outsiders, but Shi-xiong is enthusiastic, and I am also grateful. My wife is extremely good, and we have been married for two years, and our relationship is not bad. She respects me, and I like her. Leaving aside the past, if we want to formally separate, it involves a lot of things, and these things are extremely troublesome, and the final result is just to hurt the feelings of a family. I don't know what Shi-xiong thinks, but for me, the feelings between family members are extremely important. What does Shi-xiong think?"

Ning Yi was used to all kinds of things, and was not angry at all at the sudden enthusiasm of the scholar in front of him. Even if he was a little surprised, he didn't have much interest in exploring it. At this time, he pushed back with a veiled needle, and soon after, he sent the other party, who had nothing to say, out of the alley, with all the courtesy done. He understood in his heart that there would probably be no contact in the future.

Human nature is complex, Ning Yi has always understood. When he first arrived, he didn't have much feeling for the literary air of the scholars in this era. He didn't dislike it, didn't agree with it, and didn't bother to pay attention to it. After all, before that, he had no longing for this era, so there was no need to look for any resonance. Over the past two years, because he lived here, he could appreciate the atmosphere and breath of this era, like this Shi Changqi. The things he insisted on were always worth appreciating. Of course, after appreciating it, he would laugh it off.

It was cloudy at this time, and the clouds in the sky covered the scorching sun. There was no rest in the martial arts hall at the entrance of the alley, and several people were practicing with wooden knives in Ning Yi's field of vision. Ning Yi watched outside the door, and the people practicing knives in the martial arts hall occasionally looked at him, but knowing that he was a resident of this alley, they had become accustomed to his occasional watching.

In fact, the sword techniques taught in this Liu Family Martial Arts Hall were not very profound. In this era, without the cultivation of people like Lu Hongti, they couldn't produce much to watch. Ning Yi watched for a while, and was about to leave when a carriage drove over from the opposite side of the road and opened the curtain next to Ning Yi.

"Brother-in-law."

In the carriage were Lou Shuwan and her maid, Aguo. Although Lou Shuwan had been somewhat dismissive of Ning Yi when they first met, this woman's attitude was still clean and refreshing in the process of interacting with Ning Yi and Su Tan'er. She was not restrained, but also had the measure of a good family woman. At this time, she fanned herself with a small round fan and looked towards the other side of the road.

"The person just now was Shi Changqi. Brother-in-law, do you know him?"

"Not very familiar. Is he very famous?"

"He is famous in the Suzhou-Hangzhou area."

"Oh." Ning Yi nodded, looking at Lou Shuwan thoughtfully. Lou Shuwan didn't say much on this topic: "Is Tan'er-meimei at home?"

"She went to the store earlier. I'm afraid it will be a while before she comes back. Come in and sit for a while."

"Oh, is that so..." Lou Shuwan thought for a while, then shook her head, "I won't, I'm just passing by, and I have some things to do later. Brother-in-law, please say hello to Tan'er-meimei for me."

"Okay."

After saying this, they chatted for a few more words. Lou Shuwan lowered the curtain, and Ning Yi turned around and went home. The carriage passed the road here, and in the carriage, Lou Shuwan already had another kind of cold expression. The little maid, Guo'er, said softly, "Did Miss come over just to take this one look?"

Lou Shuwan smiled: "It was just a casual look. It's enough to see Shi Changqi leave, what else is there to see?"

"But this way, we don't know how much they argued..."

"They wouldn't really argue. When Shi Changqi left, his face was gloomy, but obviously he hadn't finished speaking, or what he said was useless. My brother-in-law is really interesting, he can even send people all the way to the entrance. We've already seen so much, what do you little maids understand... Don't bother me."

Lou Shuwan closed her eyes and thought about these things. The little maid tactfully shut her mouth. The carriage drove all the way through the city of Hangzhou, and soon returned to the Lou family. The master and servant got out of the car and went to a courtyard near the side door. After entering, Lou Shuwan directly pushed open the closed door of the courtyard. In the room, a man with disheveled clothes was teasing a maid. He only restrained himself when he saw her come in, and hurriedly buttoned up his jacket. It was Lou Shuwan's second brother, Lou Shuheng.

"What?"

"I went to Tan'er's place and Shi Changqi really went to my brother-in-law to verify it. It seems he's in a bad mood."

"Oh? Tell me, tell me..."

Lou Shuheng was a romantic and rich man. His nightlife was rich every day, and he had just gotten up at this time. Now he tidied up and washed, and his face became energetic. Lou Shuwan told him about the scene she happened to see, and his expression was a little disappointed: "Oh, so you just saw Shi Changqi taking his leave..."

"My brother-in-law sent him out, his expression was calm, but Shi Changqi's face was very bad, he hesitated and looked unwilling. In the future, you can ridicule him as much as you like, what's there to be disappointed about."

"It's nothing." Lou Shuheng curled his lips, "But listening to you, my brother-in-law's self-restraint is quite good."

"It's not self-restraint, it's not simple."

"As a live-in son-in-law, how can he be so simple." Lou Shuheng tidied up his clothes in the bronze mirror on the table, "He's said to be the number one talent in Jiangning, but I've met him a few times and I haven't felt it at all. Tan'er-meimei is not simple, I wonder if Tan'er-meimei deliberately praised him. Didn't he just write a few poems..."

"According to Su Wending and Su Wenfang, when the Su family had problems, Tan'er-meimei fell ill, and Tan'er-meimei's father was assassinated, he suddenly took action and turned the tide. The Wu family in Jiangning was schemed to death, and in the end everyone knew how powerful this obscure scholar was."

"That's what they say, but in the past month or so, what things has he done besides following women around? What did he do to turn the tide, maybe it was Su Tan'er's deliberate plan. At most he knows how to hide his clumsiness, as for self-restraint, he can't do anything anyway... Isn't my brother-in-law's self-restraint pretty good too?"

Lou Shuwan frowned: "Do you have morning sickness? Just talk, don't involve me."

"I am..."

Lou Shuheng turned his head to argue, but with a bang, Lou Shuwan slapped the table. After a moment, she took a breath and sneered coldly: "A few days ago, my father said that he wanted you to marry the Su family, and I saw that you were very interested in Tan'er-meimei, and you were also a little inappropriate towards the Su family's brother-in-law. Hmph, I see clearly today..."

Lou Shuheng stood up straight over there, with his back to her. After a moment, he turned his head: "I just have a good impression of her, so what? She's pretty good, having a good impression doesn't mean I want to do anything. I feel sorry for her, okay, you're my sister and I feel sorry for you too, why does a man have to marry into a family if he's capable... If you admire him, then let him marry into our family instead..."

"Lou Shuheng, you're full of stinking dog farts!" Lou Shuwan cursed, then said: "Get out."

After saying that, she turned and left.

*******************

The Lou family siblings inexplicably lost their temper, and Shi Changqi on the other side was actually quite depressed. The reason why Lou Shuwan would go to Taiping Alley to see the situation was not because of Ning Yi, but mainly because of him.

He went to visit Ning Yi, originally with sincerity, because Qian Xiwen's evaluation of Ning Yi's poetry and prose was quite high, and he also said that he had met him recently and his evaluation of the person was also good. After a visit, his impression was quite good. That night, he participated in a brothel gathering and casually mentioned the meeting, saying that the number one talent in Jiangning had come to Hangzhou, that he had met him, that they had talked in detail and were very happy, and that the other party was open-minded and unrestrained, with excellent demeanor, and so on.

Wherever there are people, there is a jianghu. The black society mixes with face, and so does the literary world, especially in brothel gatherings, in front of women. Shi Changqi's literary talent is very good. Since his poetry and prose became great, he has often been sought after and is also a person who loves face. He made this friend, and the other party has strength, so he naturally praised the person with embellishments. The problem is that he praised him too high, and he couldn't get off the stage.

Suzhou and Hangzhou have their regional culture. As poets, everyone was somewhat unhappy with Shi Changqi's behavior of saying that a Jiangning person was so good. Shi Changqi also understood this, but Ning Yi's previous poems were there, and he was confident that the other party could also see the difference. If he were to recommend someone to visit in a moment of enthusiasm, he would have to weigh it in advance. Ning Yi had been in Hangzhou for more than a month, but none of these scholars had met him. Knowing oneself but not knowing the other, everyone hesitated for a while. Coincidentally, Lou Shuheng was among them at that time. He was unhappy with Shi Changqi and waited until the other party had praised him almost enough before speaking.

"That guy is a live-in son-in-law."

"A live-in son-in-law of a merchant family."

"For more than a month, he has been following women around to talk about business, and the women are doing the talking..."

Lou Shuheng was usually a powerful person. He grasped things accurately, and the words he said were just right. Shi Changqi was saying it happily, and he threw this matter out, just to block the other party's room for maneuver. You said you knew a friend who was so powerful, so exaggerated, and you were so happy, but he was a live-in son-in-law, did you know...

As soon as he revealed the news, everyone was happy and joined in the booing. Shi Changqi blushed at the time: "Impossible, how can this be, how do you know, you're talking nonsense!" Lou Shuheng didn't say how he knew, and he was stuck in a dilemma. He said that he would expose his lies the next day and so on. Shi Changqi knew that Ning Yi might be at home in the afternoon, but he met a few people in the morning and was provoked, so he rushed to Taiping Alley to verify. Lou Shuwan, however, had learned of this interesting story from others and came to take a look.

This verification left Shi Changqi a little stunned. Originally, if he had known about this matter calmly, he would have only felt strange at most. Even if he felt that the other party shouldn't be like this, he wouldn't have gone to the door to gesticulate. Now he would become a laughing stock to some extent. He visited his teacher at night and was also a little absent-minded. He didn't know if Qian Xiwen understood this matter and what his attitude was, so he didn't say much. However, Qian Xiwen immediately saw that he had something on his mind. After thinking for a while, he asked: "Changqi, you went to visit that Ning Liheng yesterday, how did you feel?"

Qian Xiwen thought that Ning Yi was amazingly talented and showed his hand, shocking his disciple. Although there is no first in literature, it could probably be done with his poetry talent. As a result, Shi Changqi stammered for a while before finally saying: "...But, teacher, that Ning Liheng is actually a live-in son-in-law, and a live-in son-in-law of a merchant family. The student really feels that this person... this person..."

He didn't know how to describe it for a while. Qian Xiwen frowned: "Live-in? What live-in?"

Only then did Shi Changqi detail the matter. After Qian Xiwen listened, he just frowned and thought, without expressing his attitude. Soon after, he sent Shi Changqi away and summoned the old butler who had been following him.

"Qian Yu, have you heard about that Ning Yi?"

The old butler thought for a while and nodded: "This old servant... I did hear something before."

"Oh?"

"I heard that he has been in Hangzhou for more than a month and has not visited any literary talents or participated in any literary gatherings. Although he has some relationship with the Lou family, the interactions don't seem to be close. His wife's family runs a cloth business, and for the past month, he has just been accompanying his wife to visit some merchants' homes, or playing on his own, and it seems that he has no intention of making friends with literature or showing his reputation."

"No wonder..." Qian Xiwen nodded, "I was wondering why he has been here for so long and I haven't heard others mention his name..."

"This person doesn't seem like a great talent. Also, about Young Master Shi, this old servant also heard something this morning. It seems... Young Master Shi was praising Young Master Ning at the Zuihe Restaurant last night..."

Qian Yu told what happened last night in detail. Only then did Qian Xiwen laugh, thinking and shaking his head. After a long time, he looked out the door and said: "The news was already sent at the beginning of the month, Qian Yu, you also know..."

"Hmm?"

"Qin Siwon entered the capital and has now been reinstated as the Right Chancellor, above ten thousand people under the two of today. I thought about it, when Ning Liheng went south, he was already preparing for the trip to the capital. At this time, he can still write this letter, asking me to take care of this Ning Liheng in the letter... Although the words are simple, the meaning is difficult to express..."

"It seems that this Ning Liheng should be a disciple of the Qin family?"

"If he were an ordinary disciple of the Qin family, with Qin Gong's status, where would he write these two words of care for him." Qian Xiwen thought for a while, then laughed somewhat unbelievably and shook his head, "He... should not be of Qin's bloodline, otherwise he would never have married into the family. If he were a student of the Qin family, and a live-in son-in-law could be so favored by the other party, hehe, this person... is not simple, but I can't figure it out for a while..."

Qian Yu watched him stroke his forehead and think, and said: "Should we invite him to the mansion for a talk?"

"No, going to the mansion is deliberate." Qian Xiwen waved his hand, "It's also been more than a month since we last contacted. In a few days, it will be the beginning of autumn. At the poetry meeting on Xiaoyingzhou Island, you can write a post, attach my name card and send it over, invite... invite his family to come and play."

"Yes." (To be continued. Vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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