The Wen Dynasty didn't have so many rules, and even welcoming guests was quite a legacy of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. So it didn't hurt that Song Mu was invited to the side courtyard of his house, and even his female family members accompanied him.
At that moment, Tao Fengming also arrived in the courtyard, lying on a deck chair, holding a pot of hot tea and drinking. Song Mu sat aside and watched Gu Fengjie bring the chessboard pieces.
Gu Fengjie likes Song Mu quite a lot, perhaps because there are no boys of the right age to play with him at home, and Song Mu, the elder brother, makes him feel extremely comfortable in everything he says and does, so he has already become acquainted with him not long after they have just met.
I am very willing to talk to Song Mu.
Instead of playing Go in the small courtyard while basking in the sun, Song Mu still had some fun in winter.
Tao Fengming was just drinking tea. No matter where he was, he seemed to have that carefree look.
Song Mu was playing Go, releasing a few white stones to create several "eyes" in succession, and then relied on the "eyes" to block his breath and eat one of Gu Fengjie's white dragons. Gu Fengjie immediately scratched his head and scratched his head in disbelief.
"Brother Mu, why are you so powerful? My father... can't beat me."
Song Mu just smiled slightly, thinking that he could win with this three-legged cat kung fu. Your father might have deliberately let you go, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to win so smoothly.
However, Song Mu also smiled and said that he was lucky. The child quickly adjusted and wanted to fight with Song Mu again.
The two of them were playing Go in the courtyard. Today, Tao Fengming did not urge Song Mu to study, and everything seemed content.
Not long after, Song Mu had just escaped from Gu Fengjie's dangerous move. He was hesitating whether to make a move and understood the game, when a gentle voice sounded next to him.
"Xiaojie, you lose."
Xiaojie raised his head, his face was full of confusion, and a slender jade finger had already pointed at it. At that moment, Xiaojie looked over, his face was full of confusion, but suddenly he saw it, and his face suddenly felt very painful.
"Sister, why don't you help me?"
Song Mu turned his head and saw Gu Qingqing. She was standing nearby watching the chess game with a focused expression.
However, she seemed to have noticed Song Mu's gaze, and she turned her head to look at Song Mu, revealing a shallow smile.
Xiaojie didn't notice all this. At this moment, he just grabbed Gu Qingqing's sleeve and said repeatedly.
"Sister, this doesn't count just now. You have to help me in this game. I always lose."
Song Mu said nothing at the moment, and Gu Qingqing also smiled slightly, nodded and said.
"Mr. Song, then I will settle with you for Xiaojie?"
Song Mu naturally nodded and signaled, and Xiaojie immediately started a new chess game with great interest.
However, this game was quite long.
"Mr. Song, this time...how long will you and your husband stay in Jinling City?"
Gu Qingqing asked softly, guiding Xiaojie to drop a sunspot.
Song Mu looked at the chessboard, picked up a white piece, and said slowly.
"I will follow Master's arrangements for everything. However, Master has many old friends in Jinling City, so he may stay longer."
Song Mu said this and looked to the side. Gu Shifan went out to entertain guests. Tao Fengming was lying on a couch in the courtyard, covered with a big cloak and leaning against the heater. He seemed to be asleep.
Gu Qingqing also raised her eyes to look at Tao Fengming, but then she looked at Song Mu and said softly.
"Then if that's the case, the young master can travel more in the city. I heard that Jinling also has a lot of beautiful scenery. Maybe then the young master can be like what he did in Lin'an..."
At this point, Gu Qingqing's words suddenly stopped. At this moment, his eyes looking at Song Mu were slightly lowered. At that moment, he forgot to help Xiao Jiejie with his chess piece.
Song Mu looked up, a little surprised at this moment. What he did in Lin'an happened not long ago. Even if there was news about it in Jinling City, if he wanted to know about it immediately, he still needed to pay careful attention.
However, Song Mu didn't say anything about this, he just dropped a chess piece and said in a deep voice.
"Then I will definitely travel around with Master to see more of the beautiful scenery of Jinling."
Gu Qingqing nodded slightly, and the topic between the two of them got back on track again. As the topic gradually deepened, the chess game finally came to an end.
Song Mu dropped a chess piece, and the white piece was dominant. Song Mu smiled slightly and said to Gu Qingqing.
"Accepted."
Xiaojie, on the other hand, was holding the chess pieces and puffing out his cheeks. He looked at the situation in front of him for a while, his face becoming bitter again.
"I don't want to play anymore. Why do I always lose? I want to go play with daddy."
The little guy ran away in a hurry. Song Mu and Gu Qingqing both stood up, and then stopped. Gu Qingqing said helplessly.
"My little brother is quite competitive. Apart from reading, he is most passionate about playing chess."
"This is also a good thing. You are keeping a low profile and biding your time. You will definitely be an excellent scholar in the future."
"I just can't just let him write my poems silently. There are many great principles in the Four Books and Five Classics that are suitable for him."
As he said this, Song Mu looked at Gu Qingqing next to him. The other person's expression paused slightly, and then a blush appeared on his face.
Immediately, Gu Qingqing said to Song Mu.
"Master, I only teach him a few songs occasionally..."
Song Mu smiled, looking at Gu Qingqing, and said slowly.
"Miss Gu also likes poetry and other things?"
Gu Qingqing nodded slightly, but then said to Song Mu.
"When my sisters and I were studying, we read a lot of poems, so we started to enjoy reading them more."
Song Mu nodded. Although most women in the Wen Dynasty did not go to private schools, this did not prevent them from reading poems and books, which was another sign of being a lady.
However, the blush on Gu Qingqing's face became even more intense at this moment, and her tone became gentler and softer.
"The little girl read the young master's poems by chance, and then realized that the young master was not only superb in martial arts, but also talented in literature."
Hearing this, Song Mu suddenly felt a little embarrassed on his face. He smiled slightly, looked up at Gu Qingqing and said.
"This is really an honor for Song Mu."
Gu Qingqing nodded. The two of them had a common topic for the time being and chatted in the courtyard.
Not long after, Tao Fengming seemed to wake up leisurely, and then he refused to stay for dinner no matter what. Naturally, Song Mu couldn't stay longer, so he also followed him out of the valley house.
When he was walking on the street, Tao Fengming tightened his cloak. Song Muzheng asked with concern, and Tao Fengming showed a faint smile and said.
"Jing Zhao, what do you think? Do you have some ideas in your mind?"
Song Mu was stunned and looked at Tao Fengming with a somewhat embarrassed expression, but Tao Fengming said as if he understood.
"You are just like me at that time. Although you can be carved from good wood, in the final analysis you are just a piece of wood."
When Tao Fengming said this, Song Mu finally understood what it meant and was about to explain it immediately, and Tao Fengming spoke.
"Before, I told you to concentrate on your studies, but now that you are Jieyuan, you have to think more about some things."
"The Gu family has a good family tradition and treats people kindly. When you visit today, you should understand why."
"By the way, I still have many friends in Jinling City that I need to visit. Let's stay until after the Lantern Festival before leaving."
As Tao Fengming said this, he tightened his cloak tightly and walked in front. Song Mu paused in his steps. Looking at the other person's back, the look on his face was indescribably complicated.
Song Mu felt a sense of joy in his heart. The feeling was infatuating, but then he looked at Tao Fengming's somewhat stooped back, and was quite touched in his heart.
At this moment, Tao Fengming is like an old father. Although he is not good at words, he is always thinking about himself.
It was a kind of long-lost family affection, just like the first night I came to this world and saw Song Liangda sleeping in a corner of the room on the floor for his own safety.
Song Mu's expression suddenly surged. He sighed slightly and pursed his lips silently, but he quickly followed.
"But I have never experienced this scene in my previous life, and I don't know... what to do."
Song Mu said with some helplessness in his heart, following the direction of the setting sun, he and Tao Fengming headed towards Sun's house.