It was nearing the end of May, and the weather was getting hotter. The ever-increasing temperature and the advancing date were pushing the city step by step towards the dog days of summer. In previous years, Su Tan'er would have moved upstairs a month earlier. Although it was hot during the day, the second floor was much cooler at night if the windows were left open. However, she hadn't ordered the move this year. Ning Yi, for his part, would follow her lead. Since she hadn't said anything, and Ning Yi didn't mind, naturally no servants would come to help move the furniture upstairs.

In the evening, they ate in the living room—sometimes they would move to the small gazebo in the courtyard. The five of them were just a small family, and once they were familiar and the atmosphere was good, they didn't need to pay too much attention to formalities. Ning Yi himself was easygoing. Su Tan'er probably valued those red-tape customs more than he did in many respects, but at home, she also liked this kind of feeling. After the three maids adapted to Ning Yi's style, they would occasionally say that the stories Master was telling in the school were not good. These stories were mostly relayed by Xiao Chan.

As the weather got hotter, they wouldn't stay in their rooms after dinner, but would usually go out for a walk. The Su residence was quite large and had its own small garden, where they would usually stroll to cool off. Su Tan'er would talk and chat with the women from the other households. She used to be a relatively serious person, going in and out with her maids every day. Most of the men in the other households couldn't casually chat with her, and the women were even less inclined to get close to her. Now, perhaps because she had the status of a married woman, she occasionally joined in on topics. Others said that Su Tan'er had become gentler since getting married, and they admired Ning Yi for it.

Now, in the Su residence, there were very few people who were truly foolish enough to give Ning Yi a cold shoulder. He had a reputation for talent, and the Old Master valued him. The story of how he went to the Wenmo Building during the courtesan competition and intimidated others from writing lyrics had also spread. He himself seemed easygoing and well-behaved, sticking to the school and not getting involved in business. Others originally thought that after getting married, Su Tan'er would become even more assertive because she had a live-in husband. They didn't expect the two to get along harmoniously and properly. When they saw Ning Yi, they would inevitably greet him and exchange a few pleasantries. People like Wen Ding and Wen Fang were even somewhat respectful. Of course, it was hard to say they were truly enthusiastic; they weren't on the same level, and it could only be said that they seemed friendly.

In short, by summer, he had become acquainted with everyone in the Su residence to some extent.

Su Tan'er was generally busy, but these things didn't require Ning Yi to worry about them, nor did she need his concern. Every few days, they would meet on the second floor, eat something, and vent some complaints to relieve stress. Her mentality was still good, just busy. Occasionally, Ning Yi would go out for a walk in the evening. Sometimes Xiao Chan would follow along, taking a stroll along the Qinhuai River. If Xiao Chan didn't follow, he would go to the small courtyard near the school and meet Lu Hongti.

After returning home at night, Su Tan'er would have people bring several bowls of iced red bean soup or other chilled snacks. The Su residence stored ice every year in preparation for summer, and only the masters could eat it. Su Tan'er's small courtyard had the best treatment. After all, she was in charge of the main household, and Xiao Chan and the others often got their share of these treats. Eating these chilled snacks with Su Tan'er and Ning Yi in the evening was probably the most pleasant time of the day. If it were anyone else in the residence, even the masters, they would have to think carefully before wanting to eat a bowl each time.

After eating, the temperature had actually dropped. They would occasionally chat, occasionally play chess, and occasionally each had their own things to do, until the lights gradually dimmed at night. After the lights in Su Tan'er's room went out, Ning Yi would go to bed, letting the courtyard quiet down.

His morning runs and exercises, which started before dawn, never stopped. Most people probably didn't notice he had such a habit. When he ran to the river bend with the small building, Nie Yunzhu would be sitting on the steps waiting for him. The Zhuji's business was going smoothly. The main store had already begun to have some obvious regulars and repeat customers. The method of distributing wooden tokens with the four small carts also seemed interesting. Some people had searched for a long time in the city to collect all four tokens, which could be considered a kind of card-collecting fun.

Of course, currently, the main income was not provided by the main store and the four small carts, but by Zhuji's preserved eggs, which were still rapidly spreading to various restaurants in Jiangning. At this time, there was no need for Nie Yunzhu to personally discuss these businesses. Her subordinates had already hired many employees. Ning Yi had set some relatively mature rules and regulations for the operation of these personnel, which could greatly reduce the burden of control. Thanks to the publicity during the courtesan competition, many restaurants and teahouses in Jiangning already had preserved eggs on consignment, and the situation was now opening up in various high-end brothels. Everything was developing rapidly, but surprisingly steadily.

Of course, most of the time, Nie Yunzhu wouldn't report these business-related things to Ning Yi. She liked to talk about fresh, trivial little things. New things happened every day after the shop opened, things she had never seen or heard before, which she told with great interest. She would also sometimes mention the marriage of Hutao and Erniu, which was being prepared and would be held in a while, which would be one less thing to worry about.

She still maintained the habit of only sitting on the steps and chatting, with the dim lights of the room behind her casting a glow. Nie Yunzhu would make a pot of tea in a tray and just leave it on the steps. When Ning Yi came over, he would drink a small cup, say a few words, and watch him leave. It was the faint light of dawn, and the city gradually appeared in silhouette as he departed.

Due to Lu Hongti, Ning Yi didn't go to the river to play chess as often this month, but of course, he still went a few times. Qin Lao had been concerned about the flood situation recently. It was currently the flood season, and it was said that the situation in several places was critical, with breaches in several rivers. He didn't know what the situation would be like.

"This is not a good year..." the old man sighed. If Kang Xian came over, he would often say the same thing.

"If this continues, I'm afraid there will be a wave of refugees again by July..."

Droughts, floods, winter ice disasters, and banditry in some places. The current social structure could hardly withstand these challenges. Every few years, there were often some disasters. If the refugees had nowhere to go and could not be controlled, they would naturally come to prosperous places such as Bianliang, Jiangning, and Yangzhou in the east. Qin Lao would often think about this, put down his chess piece, and say, "Perhaps there will be war..."

The situation between the Liao and Jin seemed imminent. Of course, if it were to truly become turbulent, it would take months or years, which was hard to say. At that time, the Wu Dynasty would have to take a stand no matter what. If a fight broke out this time, it would also be related to the Wu Dynasty's national fortune. Before the army moved, provisions would go first. To support such a large-scale and thorough war would be another test for the current country.

"In any case, if we can hold on until the end of the fight, things should improve." The two old men were still relatively optimistic about this. In fact, the entire Wu Dynasty was optimistic. The Wu Dynasty still had a solid economic and agricultural base. Although the entire structure was bloated, a large burden came from the north. If the north could be settled, the entire court would breathe a sigh of relief. At that time, there would be hope and leeway for rectification and reform.

Every afternoon, he conducted experiments in that small courtyard and chatted with Lu Hongti. If it involved martial arts, he would occasionally take notes, and Lu Hongti would laugh at him. In fact, Lu Hongti had also been asking him to help out recently, looking at the strange containers and devices he designed. What she could help with was not so much chemical reactions, but rather equipment related to the production of high-proof liquor. Since Zhuji had already started to get on track, he had to brew the high-proof liquor and, after perfecting it, set up a small workshop to promote it as Zhuji's signature product.

Distillation for winemaking was not complicated for him, starting in March. He initially made a small device, and now he was starting to enlarge and improve it. This was basic technology. What changes to make to the distilled liquor in the future was not his business; he would leave it to others to do. Lu Hongti could drink, and although she didn't look rough, she drank quite quickly. However, after the first drinkable white liquor went down, she still frowned: "This wine... is too strong..."

Because she was interested in wine, she was more enthusiastic about helping. She would occasionally ask questions, and Ning Yi would tell her about distillation, vaporization, liquefaction, and so on. She still regarded these things as unorthodox, but her attitude had changed a lot: "These things you do... are still somewhat useful..."

"It's not perfect yet, barely usable. When you leave, you can copy a copy, but..."

"There isn't much grain in the mountains that can be spared for winemaking... Sometimes we rob some merchants, but the wine is drunk up quickly. Drinking it in large bowls looks like a lot, but there isn't much when you distill it..." Lu Hongti felt a little melancholy.

"We can still consider distilling a batch, it can be used for disinfection after injuries. Those with low alcohol content are useless." Speaking of disinfection, Ning Yi boasted quite a bit about concepts such as infection and bacteria, saying that those tiny bugs that could not be seen with the naked eye would crawl into the body by the thousands, some with eight hands, some furry, watching Lu Hongti frown as she listened. Then he asked, "Your wound medicine is very good, it doesn't seem to leave scars, how is it made?"

"Part of it is because of martial arts, of course, if you want it, I'll copy you a copy when you leave, but some of the medicines are hard to find." Lu Hongti glanced at him, "But, are you planning to ask for a martial arts manual, or are you planning to ask for the recipe?"

"Aren't you not planning to teach me martial arts... cough, I have to think about it."

"I'm still not planning to teach it." Lu Hongti said, smiling, "It's useless for you to learn, if you become a teacher, those students won't be afraid of you."

"But they respect me."

"You are a good person... although a bit strange, but indeed a good person."

"Cough, you don't need to emphasize it once."

Time passed, and her injuries were gradually getting better. The hidden sentries in Jiangning City should have started to relax as well. It was hard to say when she would leave: "Have you finished telling Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils?" She asked about the progress these days, "I want to finish listening to it before I leave." Ning Yi understood her character. Although she seemed to like listening to these stories now, drinking white wine and eating some snacks, once it was time to leave, she would definitely leave decisively, because she still had many things to do on Mount Lüliang.

Ning Yi was a businessman in his previous life, but not an unfeeling person. Now he regarded her as an interesting friend, able to brag to her about atoms and molecules, and take some things to chat with her for a while at night. The days were leisurely, with nothing urgent to do, nothing much to worry about, until the evening of the fourth day of the sixth month.

Xiao Chan had something to do tonight, so she said hello to Lu Hongti and would bring some wine and dishes over in the evening, leaving the Su residence after dinner, planning to buy some food on the way. Passing through a slightly secluded street, a cart carrying firewood followed him, and the strong man on it greeted him: "Hey, Ning Yi, Ning Liheng?"

The strong man was really burly, sitting on the cart, making Ning Yi look up, and a trace of something wrong flashed in his heart, because in the other person's eyes, there was no good intention. Alertness was surging up, and before he had time to start thinking about this look, the wind of a stick roared, attacking from behind his head.

"A weak scholar..."

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

Night fell, and Lu Hongti was waiting for Ning Yi's arrival in the courtyard, the wind chimes ringing softly.

The time she had spent here recuperating had been almost a month, and thinking about it made her feel a little nostalgic, which was probably unimaginable in the past. The past month had been very interesting, but in a few days, she should return to Lüliang. After that... there probably wouldn't be any chance to come here again.

Time gradually passed. Perhaps he had something to do... she thought in her heart. This was not surprising. Although he had never broken his promise before, she now knew his specific identity, and it was normal if he couldn't come because of something. It was just a pity that she couldn't hear the story tonight, and she hoped to finish listening to the story in the next few days.

So she waited a little longer, then walked into the room with a slight loss, and began to eat the cold steamed buns with the noon dishes cooling in the basin. For her, there was nothing to complain about, the things in front of her were also delicacies...

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