Yan Shisheng walked out of the main house, took a few steps along the eaves, and saw a family huddled anxiously in the corner.
Outside the gate, on the fence, fires were like stars, accompanied by the sound of raindrops. The townspeople and villagers, holding umbrellas, stood on tiptoe and stretched their necks, wanting to see what the Yan family, whose gate was guarded by guards, looked like now.
When Yan Shisheng came out, his family rushed over and stared at him eagerly.
Yan's father was middle-aged, but he looked handsome and elegant. He walked over with his hands behind his back, looking like a shrewd old scholar. But when he got to the front, he quickly stretched out his thin arms and grabbed the corner of his son's clothes: "Erlang..."
Yan Shisheng pulled his sleeve away from his father's hand: "Wait a moment."
He did not try to comfort his own family first. Instead, he bowed and thanked the concerned people outside through the fence. He also winked at the village chief, indicating that his family's problem had been solved and everyone need not worry.
In the drizzle and wind, only the young scholar's voice could be heard: "...In that case, I will come to thank you another day. Thank you for your concern, neighbors."
The village chief smiled and said, "It's just a small matter, we didn't do anything. Anyway, since you're back, Yan Erlang, we know that your family's problems will be solved. We're just staying here to seek peace of mind. Now that everything is fine, let's go."
Yan Shisheng bowed again.
The third son of the Yan family said in a loud voice, "Second brother, we are all from the same village, why do you have to be so pedantic and polite..."
Yan Shisheng glanced at him, and Sanlang was instantly pulled aside by his youngest sister, who signaled him not to cause trouble for his second brother.
After the people outside the door had left, Yan Shisheng told the Yan family about his conversation with Mu Wanyao.
Hearing that they could still live at home, Yan's father was relieved and a smile appeared on his worried face. He didn't dare to step forward to negotiate when his house was taken away, and he had to wait until Erlang came back to solve the problem.
The other members of the Yan family also nodded. Sanlang had some complaints about the fact that they could only use the concubine room, but under Yan Shisheng's gaze, he did not murmur his dissatisfaction out loud.
Seeing that they were calm, Yan Shisheng turned to his younger sister Yan Xiaozhou and said softly, "Little sister, you will stay in a room alone tonight, go to bed early. Get up early tomorrow and take out the Lingxi Boluo wine that we buried under the tree at the back door last year. Lingxi Boluo is a famous wine in Lingnan. Madam Mu has just arrived and may not have had it before, so you can treat her to some wine tomorrow."
The youngest sister Yan Xiaozhou was surprised.
She opened her clear eyes and tried weakly, "But Lingxi Boluo is very precious. I brewed it for a whole year and said that I would drink it when my eldest brother got married. Why should I give it to that strange girl now? She is just passing by!"
Yan Shisheng said: "No matter how good something is, it should be used at the right time. That lady Mu is of noble status, we should not only not offend her, but also make friends with her. You guys... forget it, I'll do it."
Yan Shisheng shook his head, not feeling comfortable letting his family members get close to the girl.
The scene of the maids kneeling in the whole room and Mu Wanyao being so calm still made him feel uneasy. He thought that this woman might be used to being kneeled to so often. He must not let his family get close to her. If they angered that lady, maybe their whole family would be killed.
It's better to pay more attention to this kind of thing.
After Yan Shisheng thought it over, he asked the eldest son of the Yan family, "Brother, I'll ask my younger sister to bring Lingxi Boluo here. Do you mind?"
Yan Dalang was tall and strong, with the strength to fight a tiger in the mountains. He was the strongest and most vigorous of the group. He trusted his second brother very much and immediately patted his chest: "It's okay. I don't know when I can find a sister-in-law for you. Just drink this wine."
Yan Shisheng approved.
Only his third brother curled his lips in disdain. But considering Yan Shisheng's say in their family, Sanlang did not dare to speak again.
-----
At dawn, behind the gold-embroidered silk curtains, the princess woke up in the evening. The maids were waiting outside the curtains, opening the curtains for the princess, and saw a young girl with long hair hanging down to her ankles walking out lazily.
Her bare feet, like those of a snow crow, stepped on the warm ground. She wore no shoes or socks, and her nails were painted with red nail polish, bright as petals. So crystal clear, it aroused people's reverie.
Mu Wan sat down, and the maid Chunhua and several other girls came forward to comb the princess' hair and help her try on clothes.
Suddenly I smelled a fragrance in the evening.
She frowned.
Without waiting for her to ask, Chunhua observed her expression and answered the princess while combing her black hair: "It was the youngest daughter of the Yan family who was outside making a fire and boiling wine early in the morning. She said that her second brother asked her to get some Lingluo wine that was treasured in the family for the princess."
Mu Wan was surprised. She didn't expect that Yan Erlang, who asked his sister to bring her some brewed wine last night, actually brought the wine.
Such a small matter was not even a lie to her.
Mu Wan shook her head and looked down at her long, white fingers, laughing to herself.
Chunhua observed the princess' half-smile and half-smile, and hesitantly judged: "...I'm afraid there won't be any good wine in the countryside of Lingnan. If the princess doesn't like it, I'll let the girl from the Yan family leave."
Leaning on the couch, Mu Wan glanced at the maid with disdain.
She said slowly, "Lingxi Boluo from Lingnan, Shaochun from Jiannan, Sichuan, and Ruoxia from Wucheng, etc. These are all famous wines in the world today. You are really interesting. You have come to Lingnan, but you have never heard of Lingxi Boluo, the most famous wine in Lingnan."
The maid Chunhua smiled apologetically: "I am a humble servant with little knowledge and a layman. How can I compare to your erudition and talent?"
Perhaps it was because her compliment sounded nice, Mu Wan raised her lips and smiled.
A peony dotted the forehead in the evening, its petals drooping, its golden and green shining bright red, fresh and charming.
-----
Yan Shisheng went to school in the rain with an umbrella before daybreak. Yan Xiaozhou, the youngest daughter of the Yan family, was extremely well-behaved. When the sky was still gray, she dug out the wine jar buried under the old tree at the back door and, according to her second brother's instructions, made wine all morning.
Who knew that this female guest was so arrogant? Yan Xiaozhou was holding a wine jar and inviting people to drink, but the female guest's maid stopped her at the door and said coldly, "The lady is not awake yet, you wait for a while."
Yan Xiaozhou was somewhat dissatisfied, but she was also timid. Seeing her house surrounded by guards, she did not dare to get angry and could only wait for the person to wake up in a wronged manner.
Yan Xiaozhou's feet were almost numb from standing in the corridor before a maid opened the door and let her in.
At a distance, Yan Xiaozhou stood at the bottom of the hall inexplicably, not understanding why she had to wait for the female guest to call her like a maid. When she was confused, Mu Wan finally came out, wearing a pair of high-heeled shoes.
Yan Xiaozhou opened the wine jar and signaled the maid to pour the wine. Yan Xiaozhou not only brought wine, but also opened the food box and brought a bowl of fragrant and soft cheese.
Her voice was soft and gentle, and she put down the dishes very cleverly: "My wife just woke up, it's not good to drink only. I also prepared lychee yogurt for my wife, I hope my wife likes it."
Mu Wan sat down, resting her hand on her cheek, watching the clever youngest daughter of the Yan family. She smiled and said, "Who asked you to prepare the cheese?"
Yan Xiaozhou lowered his head and whispered, "My second brother said that my wife is from the Central Plains and may not be able to get used to our food. My second brother said that northerners eat cheese, and we have lychees here, but they are rare in the north. Combining the two, maybe my wife will like this kind of breakfast."
As she was speaking, the maid had already returned to Mu Wanyao with the plate.
Mu Wan stretched out her finger and took a bite of cheese. The soft food melted like milk as soon as it touched the tip of her tongue. At the same time, the fruity aroma of lychee neutralized the natural fishy smell of cheese, making it really soft and delicious.
Mu Wanyao took another sip of wine.
She thought thoughtfully: "This wine seems to have more than just the taste of Lingxi Boluo."
Yan Xiaozhou was a little surprised. Only then did he believe that this girl was really as his second brother said, of noble birth, and had even drunk Lingxi Boluo.
Because even if they produce this wine in Lingnan, it is not affordable for ordinary people. They only have one jar hidden in their house, and they feel bad if they drink it themselves, but this lady can taste whether the taste is authentic.
Yan Xiaozhou explained: "My second brother said that it has been raining recently and my wife has been traveling for days, so she might be tired. He asked me to add some red dates to the wine to clear her mind and nourish her spleen."
Mu Wan shook: "..."
Maid Chunhua: "..."
Chunhua was somewhat bewildered, and felt a sense of crisis. Because Yan's Erlang was too meticulous, he had taken away all the work that the maids were supposed to do. Would the princess think that they were too incompetent?
Mu Wanyao took another sip of wine.
She sneered, "Who wants to clear the mind and nourish the spleen? It's really unnecessary for a certain country bumpkin to do so."
Yan Xiaozhou was slightly angry. Even though she was afraid of this girl, she still mustered up the courage to look up and say, "You can't say that about my second brother!"
There was a flaming look in her eyes, which made the somewhat delicate face of the youngest daughter of the Yan family look full of life.
Mu Wan shook his head and chuckled.
She asked lazily, "Why doesn't your second brother come and serve you himself?"
Hearing this woman saying that her second brother was here to serve, Yan Xiaozhou felt even angrier. When she was about to refute, she saw Mu Wanyao looking at her with her beautiful eyes. There were tiny pieces of floating ice hidden behind that smile.
Yan Xiaozhou shuddered, and his voice became weaker again: "...My second brother went to school."
Mu Wanyao said "Oh" faintly and pushed away the cheese and light wine on the table with some boredom.
She is not a glutton for food and drink.
It just lacks interesting people to entertain.
-----
The rain is still falling.
The Yan family was trembling with fear, fearing that Madam Mu would cause trouble again.
But it didn't happen. Since Yan Xiaozhou brought wine to Mu Wanyao in the morning, Madam Mu didn't come out to walk around. Except for the extra maids and guards in the yard, which made people feel uneasy, nothing happened at home.
In the afternoon, Yan Shisheng asked for leave from the school and returned home. He had already asked for leave for several days. Firstly, it was difficult to talk to the guests at home, and secondly, it was really inconvenient to go out on rainy days, so he simply studied at home and did not go to the school.
After Yan Shisheng came back, he heard from his family that Madam Mu did not talk to them again and did not even leave the house. Yan Shisheng breathed a sigh of relief.
He thought about it and felt that it would be nice if they didn't disturb each other and lived in peace.
After comforting everyone at home, he let those who needed to practice martial arts practice martial arts, and those who needed to study study. Yan Shisheng also took out a book from his bag and prepared to study.
He was worried, thinking that at the end of each year, the prefectures and counties would select qualified students and send them to Chang'an to take part in the examination at the beginning of the next year, so that they would have a chance to become a Jinshi.
But he has taken the exam for three consecutive years and has not been recommended by the prefecture and county to go to Chang'an. This is the fourth year, and I don't know if it will be feasible...
Yan Shisheng blocked out all distracting thoughts, spread out the scroll, and prepared to read. But when he lowered his head, he found that the light in this side room was not good, and it was dim and he couldn't see the words clearly.
Yan Shisheng hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't bear to light a candle in broad daylight. He rolled up his book, braved the rain and went outside to the corridor to find a suitable place to read.
Sitting under the porch, listening to the sound of rain, Yan Shisheng opened the "Book of Documents" with satisfaction.
Yan Xiaozhou, the youngest daughter of the Yan family, came secretly and complained to Yan Shisheng, saying that the woman was terrible. She also asked Yan Shisheng worriedly when the woman would leave.
-----
Mu Wanyao leaned against the window, sitting upright in front of a chessboard, playing chess with herself. She found the game boring and gradually became a little sleepy, so she leaned her head against the window, nodding her head, and fell asleep.
The maids saw the princess like this through the curtain and murmured in private, but no one dared to step forward and ask the princess if she wanted to rest.
In the twilight hours, I dreamed of her riding a horse among thousands of stone tablets. The wind blew her clothes, and she rode leisurely, feeling extremely happy, and all the gloom in her heart was swept away.
The white horse raised its head and whinnied loudly. The princess on the horse looked back at the stone tablet and the army behind her. She couldn't help but laugh. However, before she could provoke those who were chasing her, she suddenly fell. The horse under her stepped on empty space and she fell from a high place...
"Bang!" Mu Wan shook his head and it hit the chessboard.
The sound was so clear that it startled the maids.
Mu Wanyao opened her eyes, lifted her skirt, stepped onto the chessboard, leaned against the window, and listened attentively to the deliberately suppressed voices outside - the culprit that woke her up from her dream.
Seeing the princess being so unrefined, the maids looked at each other with strange expressions.
-----
With a "pop".
Yan Shisheng was sitting on the steps, lowering his voice to persuade his sister not to talk nonsense, when the window behind him opened and a bowl of chess pieces fell on his head. The chess pieces fell down like hail, almost killing Yan Shisheng.
This is murder.
The Yan family brothers and sisters stood up hastily, and Yan Shisheng held his sister in his arms to protect her. The chess pieces hit him with a crackling sound, but he gritted his teeth and endured it. He turned his head and saw the window behind him open, and Mu Wan looked out.
A piece of rain brushes my face, and the fragrance lingers.
She smiled: "Are you asking me when I will leave?"
Yan Shisheng immediately said: "I'm afraid there is some misunderstanding between us..."
Mu Wan smiled and said, "There is no misunderstanding. I heard that you wanted me to leave earlier. I was going to leave tomorrow, but now I plan to stay here for a long time. Yan Shisheng, you will be tortured by me for a few more days. Are you angry?"
Yan Shisheng: ...
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