Chapter 82: House Viewing and Storybook
"Let's take a look at the one across the courtyard first." Xie Jinglan said directly.
Wen Ning became anxious after hearing this. Could it be that the Marquis wanted the nanny to live with her and her son? But even if there were three of them, there was no need to rent a courtyard with three entrances.
She first gave Fang Ya an apologetic smile and said in a gentle voice, "Please wait a moment and let us talk for a few words."
As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed the man's sleeve and pulled him behind the screen in the corner of the shop.
Xie Jinglan was tall, with broad shoulders and a broad back, and it was impossible for her to pull him.
Seeing her like this, the man chuckled and retreated behind the screen following her force.
Wen Ning said anxiously, "Xibao and I are the only ones living here, so how can there be three of us? But Madam wants to live with us?"
The man looked down at her, a smile in his eyes like stars. "We are a family of three. How can a family of three live apart?"
He deliberately said those four words lightly and slowly.
Wen Ning's heart sank suddenly. She had been wondering why he was so ready to agree to her going out to find a place to stay. Now she finally came to her senses.
Her ears burned at what he said, and she turned her head to look at the wooden shelf in the corner, "My Lord, please don't talk nonsense. Your status is so noble, how can you live with us mother and son outside?"
Xie Jinglan took a half step forward, and the distance between them suddenly shrank very close. "How did this Marquis become nonsense?"
Wen Ning moved her lips, wanting to refute, but was silenced by the seriousness in his eyes.
"That won't do either." She bit her lip and forced out a word from her throat, "I, I don't want to be a concubine. I rent a house of my own and I have control over the door and latch. If I go out and live in the Marquis's house, I'll be no different from a concubine."
The words were like a needle, gently piercing the calm appearance she had painstakingly cultivated all these days.
The man's warm palm gently covered her shoulder, his eyes filled with unmistakable seriousness, "I have never thought of letting Ning'er be a concubine. I think..."
Before he could finish his words, Wen Ning suddenly raised her hand to cover his mouth.
She turned her head away in panic, not daring to listen to the unfinished promise.
He was the Marquis of Anyuan, a General of Cavalry appointed by the Emperor, in charge of the military power of the capital, a man in high esteem.
And she was just a widow with a child.
He was not allowed to make impossible promises.
Wen Ning felt like there were two voices tearing at each other in her heart.
One screamed and told her to run away, break up with him, and live a peaceful life with Xibao from then on.
But the other voice was persistent, with a hint of reluctance that even made it despise itself.
This kind of reluctance is more terrifying than the fear of being a mistress.
It was like a vine, silently wrapping around her, making her heart feel stuffy, but she was still greedy for the warmth brought by her entanglement with him.
Wen Ning felt uneasy when he looked at her. She suddenly pulled her hand back and took a half step back.
"Today... let's not look at it today. Let's talk about it another day."
After saying this, she almost fled, walking quickly across the shop and back to the carriage.
A faint smile slowly appeared on Xie Jinglan's lips.
She can't escape anyway.
I just want to lay the groundwork slowly, letting her let down her guard little by little until she can no longer leave me.
…
The carriage was silent all the way. A corner of the curtain was lifted by the wind, letting in some scattered sunlight, which fell on Wen Ning's drooping eyelashes.
Xie Jinglan saw this and finally couldn't help coughing lightly, breaking the silence, "Are you still thinking about what happened just now?"
Wen Ning raised her eyes, met his gaze which was filled with understanding, then hurriedly lowered her head and whispered, "No."
"No, that's good."
He grabbed her hand and brought her to his side. "There's a bookstore up ahead. Go pick out some books. Otherwise, when you have nothing to do, you'll find some excuse to keep me away. That would be terrible."
Wen Ning was choked by his words and her cheeks turned red.
She looked up at him and glared at him, without answering, but without objecting either.
The carriage stopped outside the bookstore. When the clerk saw the couple getting off the horse, he hurried over to greet them.
Xie Jinglan waved him off and told him to do as he pleased. He then said to Wen Ning, "Go ahead. Pick out any book you like."
When Wen Ning entered the room, she saw a man who looked like the owner standing behind the counter. He was wrapping books with mulberry paper. When he saw her come in, he just smiled and nodded without disturbing her.
The walls of the bookstore are lined with bookshelves, reaching from the ground to the beams.
She glanced at the labels on the bookshelf and was surprised to find that there were so many books here.
The entire opposite wall is filled with classics, history, philosophy, and miscellaneous books. The classics are covered with indigo cloth, the history is covered with ochre satin, and the miscellaneous books are all covered with dark nanmu plywood. The clerks arrange the books in the shelves according to the classification of the Four Treasures.
On the left side was a cabinet dedicated to mathematics. On the upper shelf was a yellowed bamboo-paper edition of the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, and in the lower middle were books such as The Mirror of the Sea for Measuring Circles and The Ancient Mathematical Classic.
On the right is a collection of miscellaneous stories, ranging from quaint sketches to mundane affairs. The talented scholar and beautiful lady on the cover have their clothes fluttering in the wind, and their eyebrows and eyes are lively.
Seeing the medical and agricultural books displayed on the shelf behind her, her eyes lit up.
There are two large pear wood desks in the middle of the bookstore, with sandalwood burning on both sides. The green smoke curls up and wraps around the bookshelves.
A newly arrived manuscript was spread out on a desk, the pages still smelling of ink.
Five or six young men gathered in front of another desk. They looked like students from a nearby academy and were whispering about something.
When I saw Wen Ning standing in the room filled with the fragrance of books, she seemed even more elegant than the women in the embroidered storybooks on the desk.
The men fell silent at once, forgetting to turn the pages of the books in their hands, and just stared at her blankly.
Xie Jinglan took in the entire scene, and when he saw that the students looked at Ning'er too directly, his brows couldn't help but frown.
Then the man deliberately took half a step forward, just blocking Wen Ning's side.
Wen Ning was already feeling a little uncomfortable with the sudden gaze, and when she felt the breath coming from her side, she subconsciously moved closer to Xie Jinglan. Her eyes quickly swept across the table, and she walked towards the medical book area at the back.
Xie Jinglan stood behind her for a moment. Seeing that she was flipping through medical books over and over again, he raised his eyebrows slightly and turned around to walk to the storybook shelf.
His fingertips casually swept across rows of book spines, and his eyes lingered on the covers with pictures of talented men and beautiful women.
He had always only read classics, history, and military books, and occasionally read some mathematical books. He always scoffed at such miscellaneous books.
But today, for some unknown reason, or perhaps with some hidden agenda, when I came to my senses, I found three or four books piled in my arms, all of which were filled with sweet stories.
There is "The Beauty on the Prince's Couch", which tells the story of a cold-faced prince who dotes on a maid and sends away three thousand beauties in the backyard for her.
There is also "Spring Night on the Embroidered Couch", which tells the story of a cold-faced general and a fleeing female doctor. With their silver armor still on and red candles burning brightly, the treatment turned into a recipe for lovemaking at Wushan.
He casually opened a copy of "Three Lives" and saw a line of beautiful small characters on the title page:
"Read it when you have time, and perhaps you will understand that some fates cannot be avoided."
Xie Jinglan curled up a satisfied smile and stuffed the book into his arms.
Turning to the hidden shelf in the corner, he saw some booklets with ambiguous patterns on the covers, and his eyes darkened.
He also had a book of this kind of secret stories about sex, which was given to him by his sister Xie Wan two years ago.
It was ridiculous that Wen Ning was completely unaware of it at the time, and thought it was just an ordinary book, so she personally placed it on his desk.
However, he had looked at the pictures of the sexual positions for a long time a few days ago, but he did not dare to try them on Ning'er. She was so shy that she would probably be scared and unable to sleep all night.
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