"Let me think about it," Yourong said hesitantly, "This is a big deal. I have to think about it carefully."
Wuyan knew that this was a waste of time and was in no hurry to rush her. He whispered: "You make up your own mind. There must be a long-term strategy."
At this point, the conversation was almost over. Yourong said that he was a little sleepy and wanted to take a nap.
"Just go to the guest room at the back to rest. It's quiet inside and outside there, and you can't hear any loud noises." Wu Yan gave a narrow look.
Yourong's face turned red. The two stood up, with Yourong leading the way. Going out from the side door of the courtyard, there was a passage. Not far along the passage, there was a small door.
When I opened it, I saw a very small courtyard with three rooms. There was another door in the courtyard, but it was locked.
The female relatives of wealthy families come to offer incense and have a short rest. Guest rooms are provided in the nunneries of a certain size. Naturally, Ganlu nunnery also has two such courtyards. Although the courtyards are small, they are elegantly decorated and very quiet.
"I won't go in." Wuyan said with a smile, "You can go alone. But don't forget the time!"
Yourong nodded, but her heart was beating wildly. Ever since Mrs. Shi set up a matchmaker and made good things happen in Wuyan, the two of them had only met three or four times. But every time they met, she had endless aftertaste.
It's not that she covets the love of men and women. It's because Mr. Zhou in the past had very little interest. Although he was kind and well-paid, he rarely talked to her and Yui on weekdays. Occasionally, he would say a few words in small talk. It’s crazy talk that he doesn’t understand. It’s just that Yui is illiterate. She is more or less educated, but she can’t explain it to him at all.
This Uncle Pan is not only an elegant man, but also understands the little girl's mood. He can touch her heart with a few words and a single movement. This kind of comfort and joy cannot be experienced by Mr. Zhou.
Pushing the door open, she saw a flower bed in the courtyard, planted with pear trees, which was now bare. The tile-paved floor was full of Jiangnan charm and had been cleaned cleanly. Standing under the eaves of the corridor was exactly what she had been dreaming about. Lover.
The two of them held hands and looked at each other, smiling, their affection unspoken.
Pan Cheng'an helped her lift the door curtain and led her into the main room. There was a fire wall in the room, and the interior was as warm as spring. A pot of peonies, the annual flower, was in full bloom. In the center was a square table for four people, with only two seats. There is a thin rattan round chair. On the table are twelve plates of fresh and dried fruits and various side dishes to go with wine. Rice wine is simmering on the small red clay stove. The aroma of the wine is mixed with the fruity aroma of several large pots of bergamot, making you drunk without being drunk.
"This Wuyan is so enjoyable!" Yourong said with a smile.
"She enjoys this kind of thing even in my family." Pan Cheng'an said with a smile, "There is a wonderful thing about the capital in winter, that is, the fire wall and the fire kang make the whole room feel like spring. If it is in the south of the Yangtze River, it will be damp and wet." It’s so cold that I can only shiver.”
"If it were me, I'd rather wear a silk coat and shake." Yourong said with a smile.
Pan Cheng'an smiled. Although a man is not said to be able to conquer a city or conquer a country, this smile is enough to "throw fruit into a car". Just this smile made Yourong's heart beat wildly.
"Take off your outer clothes and have a few drinks together to relieve the winter cold." Pan Cheng'an said.
Immediately he took off his outer cotton robe and gown, and the two of them poured and drank together.
Private meetings between men and women have their own kind of romance, especially in this cold winter, when the snow is white outside and the north wind is howling. Inside, the red clay stove makes the room feel like spring, and there are wine lovers by the side. It can be called
Bliss on earth.
After a glass of wine, his cheeks were rosy, but Pan Chengan had an ulterior motive.
It has been three or four months since he got the chance to meet Yourong through Mrs. Shi. This was the fourth time he had a private meeting in Ganlu Temple. During this period, he spent about one hundred taels of silver.
After spending so much money, he would naturally get an excessive return. With his beautiful appearance, he could take it to Jiangnan and resell it for at least two hundred taels. But he had spent a lot of money, and this little money could not satisfy his appetite at all.
Yourong is a concubine of a rich family and has a son. Logically speaking, she will have a lot of private houses and jewelry. If she can be persuaded to wrap up and elope, she can get all of these.
Over the past few days, he has learned almost everything about the Yourong and Zhou family. Now the owner’s whereabouts and life and death are unknown. It is a time when the future is uncertain and at a loss. It is a good time to persuade her to elope.
What's more, she just showed her homesickness.
Pretending to be a person from Jiangnan, I was just trying to create an elegant and handsome persona, but now it was a mistake. In this way, "elope" also has the meaning of "returning to hometown", and Yourong is no longer so conflicted.
.
Just as I was thinking about it, I heard Yourong ask: "Uncle Pan is from Jiangnan. I wonder where he is from?"
Yourong was born in a thin horse family. Although he had little social experience, he was very shrewd. Pan Chengan knew that this sentence meant to interrogate the details.
He was delighted because she had never asked this question in their past interactions.
If the other party sees you as a casual marriage, it’s a dream come true, so there’s no need to come to the bottom of things.
It seems that the "Lang" is affectionate and the concubine is also interested.
Pan Cheng'an is a chameleon who writes notes. His life experience and background are all made up in several sets. They are perfectly matched and will never reveal any flaws. He said: "My old home is in Jingjiang County, Changzhou Prefecture."
"Is there an old house or a new house?"
"Yes, the new house is in Wujin County. The old house is in the countryside, with a large area and a farm and tombs. I have to go there to take care of it from time to time. The elders think that the city is too noisy, so they mostly live there now."
"My uncle is from Changzhou, but his accent is not very similar..."
No matter how smart Pan Cheng'an is, he can't learn many dialects. Fortunately, he already had an excuse, saying: "My family is not indigenous, but my ancestral home is Huguang. My grandfather was from a poor family and went to Jiangnan to make a living and earn a share of the family business."
That’s why I ended up here. Today, the elders in the family, especially the old servants, speak Huguang dialect. I can’t speak it at all, but I can’t speak Jingjiang Wujin... Hahaha.”
"My master's Mandarin speaking is better than that of an official." Yourong praised, "Where can I find a high position, my master?"
"My grandfather originally wanted my father to be a scholar, but after thirty years of studying, he was only a scholar..." Pan Cheng'an sighed deliberately.
"A scholar is the root of a prime minister, so it is not easy."
"Although my father did not win the imperial examination, he has not given up the ancestral business in the family. Therefore, the family can still maintain a well-off situation."
"If my uncle's family is well-off, wouldn't this be a poor family?" Yourong said with a smile.
"There are many wealthy families in the south of the Yangtze River. My family can only be regarded as relatively well-off."
"Yes, Jiangnan is such a good place." Yourong sighed, quite melancholy.
Pan Cheng'an knew that she was homesick, so he took the opportunity and asked, "Is the girl from Yangzhou?"
"That's not true. My family is just in Yangzhou. In fact, my family is in Xinghua County, Gaoyou Prefecture." Yourong nodded, "I haven't been here for a few years, and I don't know if the scenery is the same as usual? Now the world is full of war and chaos..." After that,
A worried look on his face.
"It's true that the war is in chaos, but the south of the Yangtze River is always a blessed land." Pan Cheng'an comforted, "Xinghua is not far from Changzhou Prefecture, just across the river. If you have any letters or items you want to take back, just leave them to me."
"Yes, you are going back to Jiangnan." Yourong looked a little disappointed, "When will you go back?"
"We'll leave as soon as the river jelly opens." Pan Cheng'an paid attention to her expression.
"Once you go, you won't come back again?"
"This...it's hard to say." Pan Cheng'an said hesitantly, "I came to Beijing originally to seek a career. If there is a chance, I will come in the future."
The meaning behind the words is that there is no chance to come back again.
Although they knew it was a romantic marriage, the two had been deeply in love over the past few months, and now on the eve of their separation, Yourong couldn't help but feel a little sad.
Pan Cheng'an said: "Speaking of which, I can't bear to part with you either... Alas!" He sighed long and deliberately.
"What's the reluctance?" Yourong asked knowingly.
Pan Chengan whispered: "You really don't know?"
"I'm not a worm in your belly, how do you know?"
The man sighed slightly and seemed to be talking to himself: "Don't you know my heart yet?"
Yourong pretended not to hear, just lowered his head and sipped the wine. After a long time, he asked again: "You have been away from home for a long time, so you probably miss your home."
"Zhuo Jing is in poor health and has two children in the same family, so he is naturally worried." Pan Cheng'an said calmly. With his age and life experience, it is impossible to say that he is still single. "Fortunately, I have my mother to take care of me at home, so I can still be happy."
You can rest assured."
"A family as big as yours doesn't have any concubines around you?"
"Concubines naturally have their merits, but both of them are born in the countryside and don't travel much." Pan Cheng'an said, "I can only help with housework. If anything happens, I have no idea."
Yourong didn't say anything. He thought for a long time and suddenly said: "I will go to Beijing to seek a future. Will it be done?"
"Of course it's done." Pan Cheng'an showed a proud expression, "Money can make all the difference. What's more, I only want to be a student in the Imperial College, so it doesn't take much trouble."
"Maybe let me take a look?"
"Why did I carry it with me when I was told by the Ministry of Rites? I kept it at Yun'er's place. You have to see and bring it back next time."
"I'm afraid there will be no next time..." Yourong murmured.
"What?" Pan Chengan showed a surprised expression.
Yourong immediately told Xu Yong's story: "Looking at what he meant, I'm afraid the master has already suspected it, but there is no evidence."
Pan Cheng'an looked nervous - he wasn't pretending, he had inquired about Yourong's master, and he was definitely someone he couldn't afford to offend. If he was really caught by the other party, his life would be at stake.
"If this is the case, it would be better to make plans early." He said involuntarily.
"What's wrong with Uncle Pan?" Yourong stared at Pan Cheng'an's face closely.
In the blink of an eye, Pan Cheng'an had already figured it out in his mind: the matter has come to this, and there is absolutely no reason to let go. At worst, he will not be able to "do business" in the capital in the past few years.
Now he looked at Yourong with firm eyes and said, "I have made up my mind. I wonder what the girl thinks?"