According to Ning Yi's previous plan, he originally planned to go directly to Yushan Academy after running around outside. At this time, he was already soaked through, so he had to go back and change clothes. It was already early August in the lunar calendar, and after being soaked through
It felt uncomfortable to go home all the way, and my physical fitness didn't necessarily improve much. I was probably going to catch a cold tomorrow. Fortunately, I didn't go far, but I met someone I knew. It was from Qin's hometown, whom I had met a few times.
Concubine.
When Ning Yi goes out to exercise, he naturally does not choose the direction leading to the busy city. Of course, the street he is most familiar with is the street where he often comes to play chess with Mr. Qin. Mr. Qin’s concubine is named Yunniang, and she is in her thirties.
, she was also a promiscuous woman in her early years, but she didn’t look like a charming woman. Ning Yi saw her several times delivering lunch to Mr. Qin. She looked dignified and generous, and she could even say a few poems to Mr. Qin during the conversation. This is
At that time, I met Yun Niang on the road. She was dressed as a peasant woman in plain clothes and with a jingle hairpin. She was carrying a rattan basket in her hand, which contained some fresh fruits and vegetables that had just been picked in the nearby fields. When she saw Ning Yi, she looked surprised.
After saying hello for a while, Yun Niang asked what happened. Ning Yi pointed to the Qinhuai River not far away: "I fell into the river." Yun Niang smiled slightly, and then didn't ask any more questions, just let
Ning Yi followed her to the house next to her: "The wind is strong in autumn, so I walked back like this. I'm afraid I'm going to catch the wind and cold tomorrow. Since I'm a good friend of Master Ning, please don't be polite. I'm also at home at this time... Oh,
Yesterday, I mentioned that the young master has not been playing chess in the past few days."
Ning Yi and Mr. Qin were playing chess in a nearby street. They only knew that the other party lived here, but they had not been there yet. At this time, he followed Yun Niang in and saw him holding a scroll of ancient slips in the living room.
The old man who was watching. His expression at this time was serious, even vaguely authoritative. It was quite different from the expression when he was setting up a chess stall by the river. When he saw someone coming in, he raised his head and squinted his eyes for a few seconds.
Zhongcai reacted and seemed to be laughing dumbly. Yun Niang walked over with a smile. Before she spoke, he nodded. After all, it was clear at a glance what needed to be done most at the moment.
"Let Xiaohong prepare hot water, Yun Niang, go and get a set of Dalang's clothes... Haha, little friend Liheng, what is going on with you?"
After finishing the business arrangements, the old man burst into laughter. There was a hint of gloating in his laughter as if he had gained a masterful hand in playing chess. In fact, he was quite familiar with playing chess these days. On weekdays, the old man often called him Li Heng boy unceremoniously.
, probably because he saw him in a panic, he smiled and called him "little friend", but his expression was quite happy. Ning Yi also smiled helplessly and spread his hands. After all, the other party's concubine was present, so he couldn't say casually: "You
This old man is gloating about his misfortune."
Compared with the Su family compound in Jiangning City, which covers a vast area, the Qin family's house is not that big, and its wealth is naturally not as good, but it can still be regarded as a good wealthy family, and it is well taken care of.
The house is well organized, makes people feel fulfilled, and is filled with the aroma of books and the atmosphere of life, which makes people feel at ease. Although Yun Niang went out to pick fruits and vegetables herself in the morning, in fact, there are also several maids and servants in this family, who are raising a lot of people.
A family with several servants is generally doing well financially.
Mr. Qin's first wife is a very easy-going and kind-hearted woman. She used to be a peasant woman, but she does not have the stingy or mean character of ordinary peasant women. Now she is in her fifties, and she usually runs the house, tends the fruits, and
The abandoned garden where Ning Yi saw Yun Niang picking melons and fruits just now was reclaimed by Mrs. Qin and her family members. Mr. Qin himself probably also did it. Perhaps it was also this kind of temperament that allowed this family to be destroyed.
With such a well-organized family and the good relationship between Mrs. Qin and Yun Niang, this couple can probably be regarded as a model family under polygamy.
After Ning Yi took a hot bath and put on new clothes, Mrs. Qin looked at his outfit and liked it very much: "Sir, Mr. Ning looks somewhat similar to Da Lang in these clothes."
Ning Yi looked at the clothes. They were indeed the style of young people and the fabric was new. They probably belonged to Mr. Qin’s son. The old man had two sons, both of whom were out of town. Hearing what his wife said, Mr. Qin nodded and then asked.
Why did Ning Yi fall into the river? Ning Yi told the unfortunate things that happened before, and the old man laughed again.
"You kid, it's so abominable that you taint someone's innocence."
"This is such an understatement..."
"Haha... but... let's beat it up? Is there any allusion to this sentence?"
"..." It's not good to talk to knowledgeable people. Ask for allusions when you have something to do. When playing chess, Ning Yi smiled and explained, and then just said: "It's a long story." After a while, Mrs. Qin
After preparing breakfast, he and Yun Niang called Mr. Qin and Ning Yi over. During the dinner, they talked about Ning Yi's experience in the first few days of classes at Yushan Academy. For Mr. Qin, Ning Yi was a complete novice in teaching.
, naturally it was inevitable to laugh and scold Ning Yi for misleading others, and then talked about the Mid-Autumn Festival.
"Puyuan Poetry Club... The Pu family's six-boat row is quite interesting, but most of the people who go there are not very talented in poetry. If it is said that many talented people flock to it, it is Zhishui of the Pan family after all.
Poetry party..."
"Oh, a talented person...a very talented one?"
"Haha, it's hard to say what the big talents and the small talents think. There are always some poetic talents. Every year at the Mid-Autumn Poetry Festival, there are always a few good poems from Zhishui Academy. If the three generations of the Pan family are Hanlin,
Those who are talented and want to learn and be heard are always willing to take that path..."
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival in Qinhuai, talented men competed, wrote, and beauties sang. There were many poetry gatherings, large and small, and there were often invisible competitions between poetry gatherings. A good poem was produced in one poetry gathering, and another was produced in another poetry gathering.
The better ones are often hyped up on this night, and become a good story in the months or even years that follow. Naturally, this is also due to the hype of various merchants and even the government behind the scenes, but no matter what,
The reputation of Qinhuai River was enhanced in such an atmosphere.
The Puyuan Poetry Club and the Zhishui Poetry Club were one of the most influential poetry clubs that night. Although the Puyuan Poetry Club was called Puyuan, it actually consisted of six large boats connected into one, floating on the Qinhuai River all night.
, drink and recite poetry, watch fireworks and lights on both sides of the river, and there will also be various performances on the boat.
The Pu family was originally a wealthy businessman, but his status as a businessman was low. After getting rich, he wanted to become a scholar. Unfortunately, such a thing could not be accomplished in a few years or more than ten years. His family was very big, and it had not happened in the past few years.
There have been a few talented literati, who are slightly better than the Su family, but they are still not considered a scholarly family in the eyes of the world. The Puyuan Poetry Fair is famous for its grandness, luxury and liveliness on the Qinhuai River, but most of the people who attended it are
People with business background or connections similar to the Pu family, such as Xue Jin and Su Tan'er, join in the fun. Some of them claim to be literati and compose poems, while the other half are used to build relationships and discuss business. The quality of the poems varies, it is
The most luxurious poetry club, but it is incomparable with the top poetry clubs in terms of literary style.
The Zhishui Poetry Society is a gathering of truly top talents in the Qinhuai area. The Pan family that hosted the poetry party was a real scholarly family, with three generations of Hanlin scholars. Pan Mingchen of this generation was a Hanlin bachelor and also the minister of the Ministry of Rites. The poetry societies held by his family had always been famous.
Many students who are interested in gaining fame flock to it. Of course, if you really want to be qualified to participate in the poetry meeting, you must have certain talents or sufficient connections. Except for some well-known talents who can get invitations, every Mid-Autumn Festival
Before the festival, many talented people went to the Pan Mansion to submit famous invitations and poems in order to win favor. In addition, many famous prostitutes in brothels were also proud to be invited to participate in the Shisui Poetry Society.
, this is completely different from the meaning of the Puyuan Poetry Society spending a lot of money to hire people every year.
"Now that you are ready to attend, have you prepared any poems, little friend Li Heng? There are also a few chess players in the Pan family. If you are interested, you can ask for an invitation."
After Mr. Qin finished speaking, he looked at Ning Yi across the table. Ning Yi smiled and shook his head: "I don't understand poetry, so I just went to Puyuan to see the excitement."
He refused so lightly that Mr. Qin couldn't say anything else. After breakfast, the sun was already high outside, and Ning Yi had to say goodbye and go to Yushan Academy. After sending him to the door and watching him go, Yun Niang
Next to Mr. Qin, he smiled and asked: "Master, is it possible that Mr. Ning really doesn't understand poetry?"
"Xiao Yun'er, what do you think?"
Yun Niang blinked: "Liar?"
"Haha, I can't figure out whether he knows it or not. If he said it in the first few days, I would have believed it. Now, it's hard to say." Mr. Qin shook his head and smiled, "I
I have seen a lot of people in this life, and I have also seen young people who are either seeking fame or being really talented and learned. Some of the really knowledgeable people follow the teachings of Confucius and Mencius and are moderate, modest, and courteous. Others are wild and eccentric, acting flamboyantly, and being uninhibited.
But he is really talented, and he always amazes people. But no matter what, these are just the same thing, but this boy from the Ning family is the only one whose thoughts are really hard to understand."
"When I first played chess with him, I felt that he took the wrong approach and made aggressive moves, but he always made people think. I just thought he was a young man with a flamboyant personality and quick thinking, but he didn't talk too much.
But after playing for a long time, I realized that his chess moves were both upright and strange. He was not bound by the rules at all. After chatting for a while, I also felt that although this boy from the Ning family spoke casually, he was calm and diluted on the inside.
The thought-provoking statement sounds novel, but in fact it is not far from the truth."
"I remember a few days ago when he mentioned that he was going to teach in a school, he casually mentioned a few words. Teaching is not about teaching people how to do something, it should be about teaching people why to do it. The ancient sages and sages wrote books and established theories, and the most important thing is just to say
This is the sophistication of human nature and the principles of the operation of heaven, earth and human beings. Only those who understand these things and then know how to do them are the real scholars. He said it casually at the time. If those shallow people heard it, they would probably call him a madman.
It’s a hater for students, but...the truth is indeed this truth. Seeing mountains is mountains, seeing water is water, seeing mountains is not mountains, seeing water is not water. If you can go back to seeing mountains as mountains and seeing water as water, then only
He understands the book. Well, don't spread his words too much, otherwise I'm afraid it will cause some trouble to others."
"I know it."
"The time we met is still short, so it's too early to draw too high a conclusion. However, when we were playing chess, he also said a few verses that fit the occasion. Those verses were very good, but I had never heard them before. If I just talk about
He said he doesn’t understand poetry, but I don’t believe it.”
Mr. Qin turned around and walked back, and Yun Niang followed him: "Then why does Mr. Ning keep hiding his capabilities and bide his time? No matter what..."
"So I don't understand it, but I understand one thing." Speaking of this, Mr. Qin frowned slightly, then shook his head and sighed softly, "As Xiaoyun said, some young people, even if
If you are talented and knowledgeable, you may hide your talents and bide your time, or you may deliberately hide your clumsiness, be able to withstand loneliness, and endure temporary temptations. This is also the hope that you can achieve more achievements in the future, and one day you will leap over the dragon gate and become a successful person. But, any such person,
It is impossible for them to choose to marry into a merchant's family as their son-in-law before they become famous and successful. Throughout the ages, how many people who married into a merchant's family have been able to make achievements? Alas, if he is really talented, it will be a pity..."
Mentioning this, Mr. Qin still felt a little regretful. It is normal for men to have fame and wealth or ambition. Judging from the contacts in these days, even if Ning Yi has a little ambition, he will not marry into a businessman.
At this time, the people's wisdom was not yet enlightened, and the difference between uneducated people and educated scholars was very easy to see. Let's not talk about whether he is really talented, just that he has this kind of conversation.
A generous person can do whatever he wants without starving to death, so why bother getting married?