Chapter 33 What are you looking at?
Jiang Si played with the chess pieces, thinking that Xie Yunshuo's interest might be increasing.
He picked up the black piece, his brows slightly raised: "One more round."
"I'm not going to play anymore." Jiang Si realized that he was still not satisfied, so she didn't want to play another round with him and continue to be defeated by him.
It's fun when there's a give and take. Being suppressed like this without any resistance, not only will she have no fun, but Xie Yunshuo's fun will also be glaring.
Despite her rejection, Xie Yunshuo was not upset. He was in a good mood and very patient because he had won the game of chess against Jiang Si.
"How about you play chess with your maid and I teach you?"
He would not say anything to give in to her. When playing chess, one must be serious and try one's best. If one gives in, the beauty of the game will be lost.
But if Jiang Si didn't want to play chess with him, he could take a step back and teach her how to play chess with others.
Jiang Si was playing with the chess piece in her hand, but she didn't expect that he didn't pester her to play chess, but instead took a step back.
He would rather teach her how to play chess with others than tell her to give in to her, which made Jiang Si feel a little better.
Although her chess skills are average, she always agrees to rely on her own abilities and never give in no matter who she plays with.
Wuchan can do it, so it is always Wuchan who plays chess with her.
Xie Yunshuo's words touched her heart.
Besides not wanting to play chess with him, Jiang Si also wanted to know how much his chess skills had improved.
Having an idea, Jiang Si did not respond directly to him, but called Wu Chan to the battle: "Come, you take the black piece."
Wu Chan responded.
Her attitude was clear, and Xie Yunshuo understood it. He stood up and walked behind Jiang Si.
Wu Chan sat down opposite.
Such a scene would probably only happen between these two casual people.
The maid sat and the master stood.
Jiang Si didn't find it strange, and neither did Xie Yunshuo.
Wu Chan had to sit down because she wanted to play chess.
Yan Qing had prepared tea outside. When he entered the room and saw this scene, he was secretly surprised. He took a few steps forward and saw the chessboard on the table. Then he realized that the maid who sat down was going to play chess with the lady, and his expression returned to normal.
The young master stood beside the lady to give her guidance.
The two masters are also broad-minded.
Yan Qing walked closer with light steps and asked softly, "Sir, can I bring you an embroidered stool to sit on?"
Xie Yunshuo didn't turn around and refused, "No need, just stand there."
It was more convenient for him to take in the overall situation and observe Jiang Si's chess moves while standing.
However, for Jiang Si, it felt like there was a pillar standing beside her, blocking her light.
She felt that he was somewhat annoying, even if it was only in the corner of her eyes.
"You'd better sit down. Standing here is blocking my light."
"Okay, bring the embroidery stool." Xie Yunshuo no longer refused.
But when the maid brought the embroidered stool over and placed it next to Jiang Si, and Xie Yunshuo sat down, the two of them actually got closer.
Jiang Si turned her head and saw Xie Yunshuo's face.
She was startled and blurted out: "You'd better stand."
Xie Yunshuo stared at her, pursed his lips, and his lip lines stretched slightly, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
"Do you want me to sit or stand?"
He was now sitting next to her, and when he spoke, his mellow voice seemed to be in Jiang Si's ears, low and clear.
Jiang Si said: "Since you are not afraid of being tired, then stand. Sit here, and I..." She couldn't think of what to say and found it a bit difficult to speak.
Xie Yunshuo had no choice but to stand up again.
To be fair, he also felt uncomfortable sitting next to Jiang Si, because in order to see the chessboard in front of her, he had to lean forward slightly, which made their seats closer.
As long as Jiang Si turned around, they could see each other's faces.
So close, our breaths entangled.
After standing up, both of them felt much more at ease, and Xie Yunshuo asked someone to put away the embroidery stool.
Both of them were extremely beautiful, and they matched like a couple from gods. When they were not arguing or fighting, Jiang Si lowered her eyes to look at the chessboard, while Xie Yunshuo stood by and instructed her.
When he stretched out his arm to indicate, the wide sleeves of his dark blue robe fell beside Jiang Si. The two of them were like immortals from this world, so much so that others dared not even look at them directly.
Anyone who stares at it can't help but take a second look.
Jiang Si had already made her move. She asked, "How are you going to teach me?"
Xie Yunshuo not only led troops to fight, but also taught martial arts and had rich experience.
He didn't hesitate and said openly, "You play it yourself first, and then I'll tell you what's wrong and how to improve it."
Jiang Si couldn't help but glance at him, but this glance no longer contained any emotion, but was sincere instead.
She thought that with Xie Yunshuo's arrogant and complacent temper, he would teach her directly, lead her from the front, and use his methods on her.
However, what he said allows people to retain their autonomy and then put forward suggestions for improvement. This can help people realize the gap between themselves and the Master, leave a deeper impression, and help them make progress, which is indeed better.
Jiang Si was surprised that Xie Yunshuo had such a side to him.
He not only knows how to play chess, but also knows how to advance and retreat when teaching others, and teaches according to the students' abilities.
"Okay, let's do as you say." Jiang Si was satisfied.
She also likes this way rather than being led by the nose.
She made a few moves in her own way, and then waited for Xie Yunshuo's instructions.
The situation was not obvious at first, he just told her how to establish it.
The two of them asked and answered each other in a harmonious manner. Seeing that he had real talent and knowledge, Jiang Si did not resist and listened carefully, and indeed gained something.
After playing two games of chess with Xie Yunshuo, Jiang Si found that he had a good sense of the overall situation. Sometimes, for the sake of the subsequent situation, he would even suffer some losses in the early stage and sell when necessary.
When he followed his instructions, closed the net, reversed the situation, and ate up a large number of other people's pieces, Jiang Si felt a full sense of accomplishment from Go for the first time.
The unpleasant feeling of being completely killed by Xie Yunshuo just now disappeared in an instant.
She smiled widely, because she was in a good mood, and she spoke kindly to him, which was rare.
"You're truly amazing. You can actually come up with such a clever strategy."
Scarcity makes things valuable. I heard a lot of praise, but the praise from Jiang Si was so rare that it seemed particularly precious.
Just like the last time when he helped her pick osmanthus flowers and was praised by her, Xie Yunshuo felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
"If you want to learn, I can teach you other tricks."
For some reason, their two sentences of conversation made everyone around them feel a little embarrassed.
The voices of the two masters, one soft and sweet, the other deep and melodious, were like the cry of phoenixes.
Jiang Si nodded: "Next time, I've had enough rain today."
She had been sitting for too long and was a little restless, so she had to get up and walk around.
Jiang Si was not a person who could sit still. After playing a few games of chess to pass the time, she just wanted to stand up and take a walk.
The ground outside was still wet, so she led her maid out, walked around in circles under the corridor, and looked at the yard in the rain.
She left the room and Xie Yunshuo sat in his original position. The chessboard on the table had not been cleared away yet. He took the chess pieces off one by one and put them back on, arranging them into the same position as the white and black pieces had been in the first ten moves.
According to his method, he used Jiang Si's chess moves and played against himself.
However, when he was placing these chess pieces, his mind was not calm. He often held the chess pieces in his hands and would not put them down until he thought for a while.
The chess pieces felt unfamiliar; they were not from his yard, but were brought by Jiang Si herself.
The white pieces are ordinary chalcedony, and the black pieces are obsidian, which are cold to the touch and heavier in size.
He asked Qiu Ze to set out his chessboard and chess pieces. Only after using the chess pieces he was familiar with did he feel a little calmer.
However, I was dragged outside without noticing. I didn't know what Jiang Si was doing outside. I couldn't go anywhere, and she had been gone for so long.
Xie Yunshuo shook his head, feeling that he seemed to have some illness and couldn't concentrate.
At this time, Jiang Si walked along the corridor outside the house and all the way to the porch, avoiding the place where rainwater accumulated, and sat on the bench railing of the porch.
It's a bit chilly after the rain in late autumn, but the air is fresh, with the scent of earth and grass.
Jiang Si looked at Xie Yunshuo's yard and liked it more and more.
His Xian Yi Residence has few houses, only three in the front and back, with many corridors, small flower gardens, several moon-shaped gates connected to each other, and a large bamboo forest.
The scenery is not big, but small and exquisite.
It is more spacious and unique than the square courtyard of the Jiang family.
The stones and bricks, washed by rainwater, were glossy and black, clear and clean. The mud pit was filled with pebbles, especially white pebbles, so there was little mud splashing out.
Although there is water, it is clean everywhere.
Jiang Si thought that it would be even better if she could plant some of her favorite flowers, but she didn't know whether Xie Yunshuo would be willing.
There are not many flowers in his yard, mostly vines, and Jiang Si likes peonies.
Once the peony is planted, it will overshadow the main feature, and he probably doesn't like that.
His yard is rather elegant.
However, Jiang Si still decided to ask. She sat for a while and walked around, and saw an old servant pruning a banana tree.
She watched for a while, seeing the yellow-green tender banana leaves curling and unrolling, and then she returned to the house with satisfaction.
When I returned to the main room, I saw Xie Yunshuo still fiddling with the chessboard, playing chess with the white piece in one hand and the black piece in the other.
I wonder if he saw her come back, as he continued fiddling with the chess pieces.
Jiang Si came closer to look at him, but Xie Yunshuo still didn't raise his head, looking as if he was concentrating on thinking.
Jiang Si found it a little strange that he could be so focused while playing chess with himself.
In fact, Xie Yunshuo had already seen her out of the corner of his eye.
For some reason, he didn't look up at her.
In fact, there was no pattern to the moves of the chess pieces in my hand.
Jiang Si didn't notice anything slightly wrong with him and just thought he was too focused on playing chess.
Since there was no one opposite him, she sat down opposite him. After sitting down and looking carefully, she found that he had changed the chessboard and chess pieces.
His chess pieces, the white ones are made of mutton-fat jade, and the black ones are like smoky quartz, so luxurious.
She took two chess pieces from the chess cup and played with them in her hands. They felt delicate and cool to the touch, and were truly top-quality pieces.
Xie Yunshuo asked her, "Do you want to get off?" Jiang Si shook her head and said, "It depends on you."
It is very difficult to play chess with yourself. When she saw the stalemate between the white and black pieces on the chessboard, each with its own form, she knew that Xie Yunshuo had put a lot of thought into playing the game with himself.
She was watching with great interest, but Xie Yunshuo stopped moving while it was raining.
Jiang Si was enjoying the game and urged him, "Why don't you play anymore? Are you hesitating? You don't hesitate when playing chess. If you play against yourself, your strategy will be in vain."
Her words were rhythmic and slightly teasing. Xie Yunshuo shook his head: "No more. Playing chess requires concentration."
These words came out without thinking. Jiang Si stared at him inquiringly, "Why aren't you calming down?"
Xie Yunshuo knew that he had said something wrong, so he raised his hand to pick up the chess piece. He could think of nothing while picking up the chess piece.
Jiang Si took the opportunity to ask him, "Can I plant some of my favorite flowers in your yard, or even just put them in pots, but I prefer them to grow in the soil."
"What?"
Xie Yunshuo understood that she had just gone out to look at the yard, and he began to think about renovating the yard.
Jiang Si paid attention to his expression and reaction, and said frankly, "I like peonies, but if I plant them, they have to be huge fields."
Xie Yunshuo: "Not good."
Jiang Si sat up straight, her face furrowed. "Why not?"
"Too gaudy, not suitable for Xian Yi Ju."
Jiang Si stared at Xie Yunshuo and took a deep breath. "I don't know what kind of ethereal and ethereal Buddhist you are, but how could you find the peony so vulgar?"
She was a little angry and didn't want to talk to him, so she got up and left.
Before Xie Yunshuo could say the next sentence, "If you like, then plant a few," she forgot that she was proud and had little patience.
Jiang Si went out again and did not return until lunch time, and she did not say anything to Xie Yunshuo again.
She didn't say anything, and he couldn't find a chance to tell her that he had changed his mind.
The two of them were deadlocked again.
Jiang Si went to bed early at night because she had to go out the next day and didn't want to delay any longer.
For some things, once you miss the best time, it's too late to say anything.
Jiang Si was still feeling angry before she went to sleep. She didn't take Xie Yunshuo's suggestion of planting flowers seriously.
She didn't expect him to agree, but after a while, the layout of the yard changed.
If someone pulled out her flowers in her yard and planted them elsewhere, she would not agree.
She knew it all, but she still couldn't let go of Xie Yunshuo's rejection of her and gritted her teeth.
"Xie Yunshuo, damn it!"
After cursing this, Jiang Si felt much better.
She thought that since she couldn't grow flowers, she would buy some potted plants with flowers in bloom and put them in the house for her to see.
After one night, the matter was over.
The ground outside was dry yesterday afternoon. When Jiang Si got up in the morning and saw the bright sky, she knew that her guess was correct.
It's a sunny day today, so there's no need to delay going out.
Besides, Miaoyu Villa is outside the city, so it’s not certain whether it will rain or not.
It was a sunny day, and Jiang Si was in a good mood. She had swept away the gloom of yesterday, got up early, put on the clothes she had prepared long ago, combed her hair into a simple bun, and wore a velvet flower and a white jade hairpin.
Her clothes today are mainly simple green, with a goose yellow belt as a supplement.
Others need bright red to enhance their complexion and look more beautiful than flowers, but she does not look old or dull in green clothes. Instead, she looks like a delicate flower among the green leaves.
Before going out, she had to say good morning to her mother-in-law. Xie Yunshuo came to wait for her in front of the main house.
Originally, Xie Yunshuo was looking sideways at the flower garden in the yard. When he heard footsteps coming from inside the house, he turned his head to look.
When he saw the beautiful woman appear, his eyes, which were fixed on Jiang Si, did not blink for a moment.
Her hair today hangs down on the side of her face, making her look softer and refreshing.
I am used to seeing her bright and neat appearance, but today she looks particularly different.
Jiang Si was talking to a maid, turned her head and saw his eyes.
Xie Yunshuo did not restrain himself, and the meaning of his expression was too obvious.
Jiang Si walked up to Xie Yunshuo and asked him bluntly, "What are you looking at?"
She knew that she was dressed gently today, and she still remembered that Xie Yunshuo once said that he hoped to marry a gentle and docile woman.
Thinking of this, Jiang Si snorted coldly: "Don't look at me. I just made it like this to make it easier to comb my hair again. I'm not a delicate and affectionate girl, and I didn't dress up for you."
As soon as she opened her mouth, the pungent smell came back.
In fact, Xie Yunshuo's eyes and mentality did not change because of her appearance.
But she had put on rouge today, which made her complexion look rosy and her hair was in a gentle bun, as if she had a bit of a shy girl, which had a different meaning.
But Xie Yunshuo couldn't explain to her, so he just said, "You misunderstood."
Jiang Si didn't understand, she felt she had not misunderstood.
After saying good morning, Xie Qinghan went out with Jiang Si.
Xie Yunshuo returned to Xian Yiju alone.
For several days in a row, I saw Jiang Si in this yard, everywhere I looked.
As soon as she left the house, the place became deserted without the sound of women chatting and laughing.
Xie Yunshuo stood at the gate of the yard, looking around again and again, thinking about the words he had not had time to say.
After hesitating for a few moments, he called someone over.
On the other side, the carriage that Jiang Si was riding in was heading towards Miaoyu Villa, passing through the outer gate of the south city and heading southwest.
Although Miaoyu Villa is outside the city, it is originally the property of the Duke of Yu's Mansion. The road along the way is laid flat and solid, without a single stone.
The driver drove steadily and people sitting in the carriage hardly felt any bumps.
Jiang Si hadn't been out for many days. It was her first time going out to see people after her marriage and she was very happy.
She brushed aside the carriage curtain and looked out through the rolled-up bamboo brush at the colorful forest outside, covered with fallen leaves.
Xie Qinghan suddenly remembered something important, and after hesitating, he said to her, "Sister-in-law, do you know that there are other people at Miaoyu Villa today?"
"Oh?" Jiang Si turned around, "Who are they?"
Xie Qinghan hesitated, "My cousin Wei Ning and the others are here too."
Jiang Si's smile remained unchanged: "So it's them, I see."
Xie Qinghan was a little surprised. She took the initiative to remind Jiang Si because she knew that her cousin Wei Ning and the others didn't seem to like Jiang Si very much in the past.
They happened to get together today, and she was worried that something might happen, so she reminded her sister-in-law in advance.
As a result, Jiang Si didn't seem to take it seriously. Xie Qinghan admired Jiang Si a little.
Jiang Si was not pretending, she really didn't take it to heart.
She didn't care about it before, and now she is married to Xie Yunshuo. What can they do even if they hate her?
I hope I don't ruin her good mood.
Jiang Si recently rode in the carriage of the General's Mansion. The roof was covered with a red canopy and it was pulled by four horses. It was majestic and noble. The interior of the carriage was spacious and had a table with fruits and incense burners.
In the past, she didn't care much about wealth or status, but after marrying into the general's mansion, she lived a better life than before, and she felt that things were getting better and better.
In that case, there is no need to worry about other things.
When she arrived, carriages with lanterns bearing the characters "Xiao" and "Qin" were already parked in the woodland area of Miaoyu Villa. All her friends had already arrived.
As they were all still unmarried, it was not as troublesome for her, a married woman, to go out. The servants of Miaoyu Villa led her in and served her tea in the private room in the front yard for her to sit down.
The orchard is on the hill behind the backyard.
The private rooms in Miaoyu Villa are not enclosed, but are transparent pavilions with wooden railings and gauze curtains on two sides as transparent partitions.
You can also see people in other pavilions.
Looking across the curtain, the people sitting in the pavilion nearby had not arrived yet, but flower arrangements and tea had already been set out. They must be the group of girls that Xie Qinghan mentioned, Liu Weining.
The waiter brought the person over, and Xiao Qiangyue and the others stood up and surrounded Jiang Si.
Several people sat together intimately, with endless things to talk about, and most of their conversation revolved around Jiang Si.
Ask her how her marriage was going, whether she had any quarrels with Xie Yunshuo, how her in-laws treated her, and so on.
Everyone was distracted for a moment and didn't notice that there was a little girl following Jiang Si.
Jiang Si pulled Xie Qinghan in front of them and introduced her to them: "This is the third daughter of the General's Mansion's main house, Xie Yunshuo's younger sister, named Qinghan."
When everyone saw that she had brought her younger sister-in-law with her, their numerous questions immediately fell silent. They all waited for her to speak next before deciding how to respond.
Xie Yunshuo's sister was rarely seen by everyone before, and no one knew what she looked like. Why did she come with Jiang Si when the sisters gathered today?
When Xie Qinghan met her sister-in-law's friend for the first time, she was a little reserved. Jiang Si held her hand and was very affectionate.
"My third sister is always at home. I brought her out to relax. If there's nothing else to do, let's talk about our own things. I'll send her to the back mountain to pick fruit later."
When everyone saw that Jiang Si was very affectionate towards the third sister, they knew that this was a good thing, otherwise she would not have been brought in front of them.
So you still have to say what you need to say, but be a little cautious and don't say it too directly.
They still asked how Xie Yunshuo treated her, and Jiang Si naturally said yes first, as did her parents-in-law and elders.
As they were talking, the sound of a group of people walking and talking came from the courtyard outside. They were standing under the pavilion, on the winding bluestone slabs.
Those people were standing at the bottom of the stairs. When they saw them there, they were immediately dissatisfied with the peaceful mood they thought they had today.
"Why is there someone else here?" The tone sounded a bit arrogant.
Jiang Si turned her head and saw several pairs of eyes staring at her. They were Liu Weining and others, and even the imperial concubine's niece Xu Honghan.
These people actually came close.
They were all dressed in gorgeous clothes, various kinds of flowered silks and brocades, with bright colors and heavy makeup. They were like flowers in full bloom, which was pleasing to the eye.
Jiang Si herself didn't like to dress like this, but she liked to see others do so.
But these people don't like her, and when they meet her, they speak in sarcastic and veiled manners.
"Miss Jiang, oh no, now Madam Xie, how are you? How come after getting married, you dress so old-fashioned and submissive? It's not like you."
They were referring to Jiang Si's outfit today, which was almost the same as before, but she looked less imposing, and her hair bun was gentle and soft, as if she had become a different person.
Several people looked at each other, their eyes darting around, their lips moving slightly, and they whispered a few words.
They kept talking like this, never changing the place, but in front of others, making it obvious to everyone that they were talking about her.
"She dressed like this, is she trying to please your cousin?"
Jiang Si glanced at it and then turned away, continuing to chat and laugh with her friends.
Even a dog can't spit out ivory, she could guess what they were talking about.
Jiang Si didn't mind. No matter how many words others said, they were not enough to make up a single strand of her hair.
It is enough for you to know how you are doing, and you don't need others to agree with you.
Xiao Qiangyue complained, "Why? When you were still in the boudoir, they were jealous of your beauty and were picky about you. Now that you're married to Xie Yunshuo, one of them is his cousin, and the other is interested in Xie Yunshuo, how can they still say such gossip?"
Jiang Si said indifferently, "Jealousy breeds gossip. Who would gossip about someone they don't care about?"
Everyone laughed, and Xiao Qiangyue nodded at her: "You are the only one who knows how to curse."
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