On the way to the old house, the girl Xiaochan kept talking to Li Mu about the gossip in Jiangning City: "Uncle, have you heard about it?"
Li Mu asked curiously: "What did you hear?"
The little girl looked excited and said: "Recently, a master named Li Shishi came to Jiangning. I heard that he is the number one courtesan in the capital. He is very famous, even more famous than Qilan! Many talented talents in the capital wrote poems for her.
"
"It is said that several talented people from the capital came with her this time. Among them is Zhou Bangyan, the leader of the four most talented people in the capital. I heard that he is very powerful. They say that they are here to challenge all the courtesans and talented people in Jiangning."
Li Mu smiled and said, "That's right!"
The little girl nodded vigorously: "Yes! Uncle, when they compare, if our Jiangning can't compare, uncle, will you participate?" Her eyes were a little hopeful.
Li Mu smiled helplessly: "Why do you worry so much, little girl? Let's talk about it then."
Xiaochan could only nod, still hoping in her heart that if Jiang Ning loses, my uncle would take action and turn the tide, which would be so majestic.
However, Li Mu may have disappointed her.
In the past few days, the matter of Master Li coming to Jiangning to visit friends has indeed been very popular. Even the assassination of Qin Siyuan by the Liao people has been overshadowed.
Now, this matter has turned out to be a challenge to Jiang Ning by the courtesans in the capital represented by Li Shishi and the literati in the capital represented by Zhou Bangyan.
After all, literati, talented people and beauties... who doesn't like this kind of thing, who doesn't like to join in such fun.
Now many literati in Jiangning have taken action, encouraging Qilan, Luo Miaomiao and others to prepare a performance in those few days and invite Li Shishi to come over and compete.
They don't know what's going on over there, but they've already made this matter a hot topic here.
Although I don’t know who is behind the hype and fanning the flames, the Puyang family is probably indispensable. Who asked Qilan to represent the Puyang family? Qilan and Li Shishi competed. Even if they lost, Qilan stood up on behalf of Jiangning after all, and she could gain a lot.
Bo sympathizes. Moreover, she is the number one oiran in the capital, so it is normal for her to lose. Even if word spreads, being able to compete on the same stage with the number one oiran in the capital will make people look up to her.
If they win, the benefits will be even greater. Even the number one oiran in the capital cannot compare with them. How powerful Qilan and the others must be, maybe they can be named the number one oiran in the Wu Kingdom.
The carriage moved very fast, and the two of them said this all the way, and soon arrived at the former residence of the Ning family.
This old residence is located in an alley in the north of Jiangning City. It occupies a small area and has several main rooms, several side rooms, and a small yard.
The Ning family used to be considered a wealthy family, but this can be traced back to Ning Yi's grandfather, or even a generation earlier.
Grandpa Ning Yi's family background is quite good, he is also an orthodox scholar, and he has achieved a small degree of fame. At that time, the Su family was far from its current size, and only the old lady Su Yu could make friends with Grandpa Ning Yi. At that time, I am afraid that Su, as a businessman,
Yu was the one who climbed high. But later on, the Su family's business grew bigger and bigger, and the Ning family gradually fell into decline, and the gap became wider and wider.
Seriously speaking, Ning Yi's father also enjoyed a few days of wealth when he was young, but he was the kind of prodigal scholar.
Ning Yi's parents passed away too early. According to the few memories he had when he was a child, Ning Yi's grandfather still left behind some family assets. At least the ancestral home is still there. Ning's father is a typical prodigal son. Although his family is in a low position, he still cultivates
He has the temperament of a playboy, with great ambition and limited talent, and spends money lavishly. Although he is a scholar, he has little knowledge and has never achieved any fame in his life.
In this way, the Ning family, which originally had some foundation, was quickly defeated by him. The Ning family's ancestral home was not here, but was sold by Ning's father, and then they moved to this alley. From then on, their life plummeted.
Father Ning spent a lot of time in his youth. After his family fortune was ruined, he couldn't stand the gap and became depressed. However, Father Ning had read some books. Although he had no knowledge, he thought highly of himself.
Under such torture both physically and mentally, he ended up dying young.
Ning Yi is more unlucky. He has lived here since he can remember, and his family fortune has been wiped out by his father long ago, and he has not been able to live for many days.
He didn't seem very smart when he was a child. His father, who regarded himself as a scholar, was embarrassed to let his son become illiterate and sent him to a private school since he was a child.
It's just that I haven't lived a good life since I was a child, and naturally I haven't developed the arrogance and character of a scholar, otherwise I wouldn't have agreed to marry into the Su family.
Opening the door with the key, Li Mu and Xiao Chan walked into the small courtyard. Except for some fallen leaves, it was quite clean. There was no sense of desolation caused by the weeds that filled the yard after it had been abandoned for a long time.
This is also thanks to Su Tan'er, who knew that this was his old residence. Every one or two months, he would arrange for maids and servants to come and clean it up, clearing weeds and sweeping away dead leaves.
Li Mu walked around the yard. Xiaochan, who had a scarf on her head and a rag and broom in her hand, had already started sweeping inside and outside.
Walking into the house, Li Mu took a casual look, and based on his memory, pulled out an old wooden box from under the bed.
I opened it and took a look, and there wasn't much inside. They were just some knick-knacks or childhood toys. They looked tattered and junk, but they did have some commemorative significance.
Li Mu rummaged through it, and sure enough, he found a few small pieces of silver and more than a hundred copper coins, which he had deliberately hidden before for some urgent needs.
There are also some shabby books in the box, among which there is actually a volume of a thousand-character text, which is also filled with annotations, which was probably used when I was a child studying.
After looking through the small box and having nothing to do for a while, Li Mu found a rag and was about to wipe the table when Xiao Chan hurriedly stopped him and reached out to snatch the rag from his hand.
"Uncle, how can you do this job? Just leave these to Xiaochan. If you feel okay, uncle, you can walk around or talk to acquaintances and friends."
Li Mu smiled helplessly: "Okay!"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! The early spring season is warm and cold at first, but the sun is good today, and the warm light spreads all over the courtyard and the bluestone alley outside.
After standing in the small courtyard, Li Mu took the thousand-character essay from his childhood and walked out of the courtyard in boredom. He came to the alley and looked around. There were courtyards with rows of house doors and a few old trees dotted around them.
Between black tiles and blue walls. Although he was taciturn and a nerd when he was a child, the neighbors around him still had some impressions.
However, the alley was quiet at this time, there was no one around, and he was too lazy to socialize. He sat quietly on the bluestone bench at the door, aimlessly flipping through the thousand-character essay in his hand, thinking of what to do to pass the time.
, suddenly saw a man and a woman walking towards the alley.
It is said that they are a man and a woman, but in fact they are both dressed in men's clothing.
The woman has an oval face, a pointed chin, a small cherry mouth, and wears white Confucian clothes. Even though she is dressed as a man, she can be recognized as a woman at a glance, and she has good looks, even stunning beauty.
"Could this be Li..." Li Mu thought to himself.
Over there, a man and a woman were walking in the alley, pointing at small courtyards. Suddenly, the woman saw Li Mu sitting on a bluestone bench, holding a torn book in his hand and looking through it.
, I feel that it is somewhat similar to a figure in my impression, but I am not sure about his temperament and demeanor.
The woman walked quickly forward, stopped suddenly, hesitated and asked: "Sir, is this yard behind you your home?"
Li Mu looked up and said, "Yes! Who are you?"
A smile appeared on the corner of the woman's mouth, and she said with some surprise: "Ah, it turns out you are really Xiao Ning..."
The woman said happily: "My surname is Wang. I lived here for two years when I was a child. At that time, you often sat on this stone bench and read. My home is over there." She pointed to another rather exquisite courtyard.
When she said it, Li Mu really had an impression. According to his memory, there was indeed a relatively sophisticated family living in that courtyard when he was a child. There was a very beautiful little girl. The two of them often saw each other and talked to each other, but they were not too familiar with each other.
, he didn’t even know what they were called.
After living there for two or three years, I moved away.
Could it be that the little girl is Master Li when she was a child?
At this time, another figure walked over quickly, but it was the man. As he walked, he said: "Brother Wang, why are you walking so fast... This is..." He looked at Li Mu.
The woman gave it a try and pointed at Li Mu: "Hezhong, do you still know this young master?"
The man named He Zhong probably didn't hear the conversation clearly. He glanced at Li Mu a few times and then looked at the yard behind him. He seemed to have remembered something. After a while, he said: "Could it be... the little nerd... um... what's his name?"
Coming..."
The woman named Wang frowned slightly: "He is Xiao Ning."
Only then did the man suddenly realize. He patted his forehead and said, "Yes, my name is Xiao Ning. Look at my memory."
As he spoke, he walked forward with a warm look on his face, and even patted Li Mu on the arm, pretending to be affectionate.
"Xiao Ning, do you still remember me? It's me, Yu Hezhong. I used to live there, and we used to play together when we were kids. I remember that you were often punished because we asked you to come out to play.
Book endorsement. But then I went to the capital with my parents. I didn’t expect to see each other again after so many years."
Li Mu actually knows this guy named Yu Hezhong, and they did play with him when he was a child. But just like his nickname, Little Bookworm, he was quite withdrawn when he was a child and had few friends. He memorized this book every day, especially
Ai sat on the bluestone bench at the door with a book in his hand. His relationship with Yu Hezhong was actually just ordinary.
He smiled and said: "Yu Hezhong...of course I remember, but you have changed a lot over the years."
Yu Hezhong also said with emotion: "I have experienced a lot in these years, and the changes are indeed a bit big. But Xiaoning, I remember that you were still... still a nerd back then, but now your temperament has completely changed."
The two talked for a while, and the woman next to them also joined in. The three former neighbors were quite emotional now that they reunited after a long absence.
The conversation started, and Yu Hezhong began to talk about his experiences over the years.
"Xiao Ning, you don't know that I was still young at that time, just twelve or thirteen years old. Because my father was promoted and served as the head of the household department, I had to go to the capital with my father. I was not familiar with the place, and when I first arrived in the capital, I also made trouble.
Lots of jokes.”
"Now, after living in Bianjing for so many years, I have gradually gotten better and adapted to the life there. However, Xiaoning, having said that, the weather in the capital is still different from that in Jiangning. If there is a chance in the future, I will still go to the capital to see it.
one look."
"When the time comes, I will let my little brother be the host and show my kindness as a landlord..."
After talking for a while, Yu Hezhong glanced at the woman next to him and suddenly said: "Actually, speaking of going to the capital this time, the biggest surprise is meeting Li... and Miss Wang again. Speaking of which, Miss Wang is the host of the capital.
When I went to the capital, I received a lot of care from Miss Wang."
After a while of conversation, Yu Hezhong also introduced himself. Although he had not been admitted to the imperial examination, through his father's relationship, he had now found a position as a minor official in the Ministry of Household Affairs. Although his potential was not great, he would be able to live a life of food and drink.
The three of them were chatting and laughing, and Yu Hezhong still had a sense of superiority in his words at first. After all, he came back from the capital and already had an establishment. His father was also an official, so it was normal for him to have a sense of superiority.
However, Li Mu's clothes are all made of expensive fabrics and the workmanship is quite exquisite. Most people can't afford to wear them. In addition, his temperament is good and his words and deeds are extraordinary. That sense of superiority gradually disappears, and he is called Xiao.
Ning also gradually became Brother Ning.
However, compared to Hezhong who is still young in terms of worldly sophistication, this former woman next door appears to be much more sophisticated.
When Yu Hezhong was talking nonstop, she listened calmly and with a smile, and occasionally chimed in with a sentence or two.
But what's amazing is that every time Yu Hezhong showed off, if it was about him, she would smile and nod, which was the icing on the cake. If there were preaching or unpleasant words about Li Mu, her eyes would always stay elsewhere.
, showing a slightly absent-minded look and not giving any hint of agreement.
If you only show this kind of subtlety once or twice, it's nothing. If you can do it every time, it's really rare.
This is not something that can be represented by a good upbringing, or even a well-rounded personality. It means that there are enough opportunities to give enough training to these upbringings, and they can be slowly developed.
In this era, after all, there are not many opportunities for women to show their faces. Just like Su Tan'er, she is also well-educated, has an accurate grasp of people's hearts, and is good at dancing, but she is a bit sharper than this woman and not smooth enough.
Li Mu chatted with two old neighbors for a while. It didn't take long. They were about to turn around and leave when Xiao Chan came out curiously: "Uncle, who are you talking to?"
The two of them were stunned for a moment, seemingly not paying much attention to Xiaochan's name.
Yu Hezhong said: "Brother Ning, are these siblings?"
Xiaochan's face turned red: "No! I am the maid at home."
Knowing that she was a maid, there was no need to solemnly introduce her name. After Xiaochan was greeted by the ceremony, they chatted for a few more words before formally leaving.
Xiaochan looked at their retreating figures curiously: "Uncle, who are they!"
Li Mu said: "Former neighbor."
Xiaochan said a little warily: "The man just now was dressed as a woman, and she was very beautiful."
Li Mu smiled and said: "I know, I was very beautiful when I was young. What do you care about others?"
Xiaochan pouted: "I did it for the sake of the young lady, so as not to save my uncle from showing up as a childhood sweetheart." She giggled and ran away.