Chapter 150 A Gentleman Does Not Pursue a Good Friend
Three women make a drama.
But at this moment, the number of women in Chunhe Garden has already exceeded one hand's count.
There was only one and a half men.
One is Chen Yi, and the other is... Xiao Wuge.
In such a situation, it is rare to find a man who can handle it with ease.
They are either monks who have attained purity of mind, ignorant children, or people who have grown up surrounded by women.
Chen Yi naturally did not belong to the above three types. He was able to deal with several ladies from extraordinary backgrounds entirely because Xiao Wan'er was by his side.
Think about it.
When there is a woman with extraordinary and stunning beauty by your side, would you still pay attention to other women?
It can be considered a concrete application of the "blind spot effect".
With Xiao Wan'er, this bright and radiant lamp, sitting in the pavilion, even if she remained silent and only smiled gently, all the other women paled in comparison.
At least in Chen Yi's eyes, the only woman who could sit with Xiao Wan'er and be equally radiant was his wife, Xiao Jinghong.
Fortunately, Xiaodie was unaware of his thoughts, otherwise...
Otherwise, she wouldn't have thought about it so much.
Instead, they might say, quite naturally, that the son-in-law's judgment is correct, and that Xiaodie is inferior to the two young ladies.
Perhaps she still had a shy smile on her face, feeling that it was something to be happy about for Chen Yi to compare her to Xiao Wan'er and Xiao Jinghong.
In short, it took about two hours in one afternoon.
Chen Yi followed basic hospitality, sitting upright beside Xiao Wan'er and casually dealing with these ladies who were said to come from distinguished backgrounds.
There was a woman named Zhang, the wife of Tang Zixin, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Shu Prefecture.
There was a woman named Sun, the wife of Bai Yelin, the Grain and Grass Supervisor of the Shu Prefecture Commandery.
There is also Wan Rourou, the eldest daughter of the Wan family, a prominent clan in Shuzhou with a history spanning over a hundred years.
The first two were older, around forty years old.
The latter is not young either, in his mid-twenties, and has a decent appearance, but is still unmarried.
Perhaps because of their similar circumstances, Xiao Wan'er and Wan Rourou were noticeably closer.
Of course, in the current situation, Xiao Wan'er would not make it so obvious.
Most of the time, she respected Madam Zhang and Madam Sun as elders.
Especially Mrs. Zhang.
Her husband, Tang Zixin, was the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Shu Prefecture, in charge of supervising all officials, which was equivalent to wielding a powerful imperial sword.
According to Mrs. Zhang, Tang Zixin has been going to and from work on time lately, as if nothing important is going on.
But her status and the Tang family's position were undeniable.
Regardless of whether others have done anything wrong, they will all give her and the Tang family some face.
However, Madam Zhang was clearly tactful and did not act arrogantly because of this. She spoke very politely and did not make people feel disgusted.
“My son has been studying at Guiyun Academy ever since he passed the provincial examination two years ago. He has been completely focused on his studies and has no interest in anything else.”
"Unfortunately, he was dull-witted and failed the provincial examination last year. He is preparing to take the exam again in two years, which can be considered as diligence."
As Madam Zhang spoke, her eyes were on Xiao Wan'er, but she couldn't help but hope that Chen Yi, the academy instructor, would chime in.
Soup?
Chen Yi thought of the student in the study, Tang Ye.
He was only fourteen years old, and his knowledge was unknown, but his handwriting was decent enough.
If I remember correctly, the evaluation of the calligraphy practice book should be "bad"—it is indeed pleasing to the eye.
Judging from his age, he must have put in a lot of hard work in calligraphy.
Seeing that Chen Yi remained silent but smiled, Xiao Wan'er said naturally:
"My brother-in-law arrived at the academy today, so he probably hasn't met everyone yet. But that's alright, there's plenty of time ahead."
Seeing that Madam Zhang's smile was forced, Chen Yi smiled and nodded: "Tang Ye is the youngest student in my school, and his calligraphy is quite good."
"Yeah?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhang immediately smiled.
It was both because of Chen Yi's praise and because Chen Yi remembered that her son was happy.
After a few modest words, she implied that she hoped Chen Yi would take good care of Tang Ye, and that Tang Ye would achieve success in calligraphy.
"Where there's a will, there's a way. Your son is determined and will surely become a great talent."
It was fortunate that Chen Yi added the word "big," otherwise this statement would have sounded rather presumptuous.
Madam Zhang's smile grew even more dignified. "I don't need Ye'er to achieve anything as extraordinary as Mr. Qingzhou. Some talent is enough."
This is, of course, a humble statement.
After all, in a large family like the Tang family, having minor talents can only ensure that the family does not fall for a time.
Only those with great talent can elevate a family to a higher level.
Chen Yi and Xiao Wan'er were well aware of this, so they simply laughed it off and brushed it off easily.
During this time, the other two also spoke up.
Madam Sun came from a lower social class; compared to the Xiao and Tang families, the Bai family she belonged to was merely a small clan.
However, the grain and fodder supervisor in charge of Bai Yutang was an extremely important department of the Dingyuan Army.
Even the old master and Xiao Jinghong would value and win them over.
Therefore, Chen Yi and Xiao Wan'er naturally had no intention of neglecting each other.
At least Xiao Wan'er, having been exposed to family affairs from a young age, wouldn't neglect Madam Sun.
As for Madam Sun's demands, they were quite simple.
She only hoped that her son, Bai Yutang, could enter that academy and study calligraphy under Chen Yi.
Although she phrased it delicately, Chen Yi knew in his heart that her son must have looked down on him before.
To put it nicely, it's called "literary men belittling each other" or "there's no first place in literature." To put it bluntly, it's like saying, "What can a son-in-law like him teach people?"
Therefore, Chen Yi did not agree and passed the buck to Mr. Yue Ming and others at the academy, politely declining the offer.
Madam Sun was well aware of her child's condition. Although she was somewhat disappointed, she did not insist.
It seems they're planning to find other ways to get people into the academy.
Nothing more.
It is truly astonishing that a student at Guiyun Academy has achieved some success in calligraphy today.
The more knowledgeable a scholar is, the clearer they are about the difficulty of mastering calligraphy.
Talent, hard work, opportunity, and guidance from a renowned teacher are all indispensable.
Clearly, in the eyes of these powerful families who have figured out the ins and outs in such a short time, Chen Yi is the combination of "opportunity + famous teacher".
Nobody wants to miss such an opportunity.
Even if there is only a one percent, or one ten-thousandth of a chance.
As for the last daughter of the Wan family, Miss Wan Rourou.
She seemed to be just visiting, only echoing Xiao Wan'er's words throughout.
When talking about Chen Yi, she did not mention whether her relatives, friends, or brothers were studying at Guiyun Academy.
I can only praise Mr. Qingzhou's great talent. Throughout history, there have been many teachers who teach calligraphy, but very few who can teach the way of calligraphy.
It's more like they came specifically to be the straight man for the Xiao family.
However, Chen Yi knew that Wan Rourou must have come to the Xiao family with a request.
It's likely related to the "murderer" Liu Jing was found by the Criminal Investigation Department earlier.
After all, the murderer was a guard of the Wan family's Nianlin Hall.
Thinking about all this, Chen Yi couldn't help but glance at Wan Rourou a few more times, intending to see when she would explain her purpose.
Instead of hearing Wan Rourou's words, he was met with a reproachful look from Xiao Wan'er, who noticed the strangeness in his eyes.
Chen Yi knew she had misunderstood, so he toned it down a bit.
You're a patient, so you get to make the decisions.
In this way, both host and guests were happy.
As evening approached, Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Sun left one after another, having both gained something and were naturally in good spirits.
Wan Rourou also took her leave.
Throughout the entire process, she never uttered a single word about "Nianlintang" or "Guiyun Academy".
This proved Chen Yi's guess wrong.
After seeing everyone off, Xiao Wan'er did not return to Jiaxing Garden, but instead went back to Chunhe Garden.
As she instructed Xiaodie and Cuier to prepare dinner, she stared at Chen Yi with her bright eyes.
After Xiaodie and the others had gone far away.
Chen Yi met Xiao Wan'er's gaze, glanced down at himself, and asked with a smile:
Is something wrong?
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wan'er did not respond. She simply sat down at the stone table in the pavilion and looked him up and down as if she were meeting him for the first time.
Chen Yi raised an eyebrow, having already guessed what was going on, and then sat down next to her with a smile, saying:
"The incident at the academy was just an accident."
"Although I did teach them calligraphy, the first lesson was only a general outline, just to introduce them to the basics."
"I was quite surprised and also a bit of a headache to suddenly have a student who has achieved some success in calligraphy. There will be many more visits like today in the future."
"And then there's the academy, with Mr. Yue Ming and the other students. I doubt they'll let me have any peace and quiet."
After he finished speaking, Xiao Wan'er didn't continue the conversation but instead asked:
Why is my brother-in-law staring at Miss Wan?
"Forehead……"
Chen Yi was slightly taken aback, then realized what he meant and said, "Big sister was staring at me like that just now because she was thinking about this question?"
Xiao Wan'er's pretty face flushed slightly, but she still forced a straight face as she looked at him, "Who's staring at you?"
"There were outsiders present just now, and it wasn't a good impression for you to stare at Rou Rou like that."
"If word gets out, people will think...think that you and your second sister don't get along."
Chen Yi chuckled and remained silent, simply staring at her.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths...
Xiao Wan'er gave him a playful glare, her face flushed even more, and turned her head away, still stubbornly insisting that this was not a good thing.
Then, she patiently explained:
"Miss Wan is a bit older than me and is still unmarried, but that doesn't mean she hasn't been able to find a husband."
"It was the young master of the Wang family who was originally engaged to her who passed away ten years ago, which is why she..."
At this point, Xiao Wan'er noticed out of the corner of her eye that Chen Yi was only looking at her with a half-smile, and couldn't help but scold her, "Are you even listening?"
Chen Yi smiled and nodded, saying, "Of course I'm listening, but..."
He paused, a mischievous glint in his eye, and then changed the subject, saying, "But a beautiful lady is sought after by a gentleman, so I..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Wan'er turned her head and looked straight at him, saying urgently:
How could you say such a thing?
"What 'slender figure'? What 'a gentleman's pursuit'? No way!"
After seeing the mischievous look in Chen Yi's eyes, Xiao Wan'er realized what was happening, and her face turned even redder.
Even her eyes turned slightly red.
I reckon he was either embarrassed or angry.
Chen Yi couldn't guess correctly for the moment, so he lost his playful intentions and explained, his smile fading slightly:
"I happened to run into the people from the Criminal Investigation Department outside the mansion gate earlier."
"It is said that the Criminal Investigation Department has found the murderer who killed Liu Jing. The person is a guard of Nianlin Hall."
"I also heard them say that Nianlintang is owned by the Wan family, so when I saw Miss Wan Rourou, I couldn't help but take a second look."
After hearing his words, Xiao Wan'er naturally understood.
But at that moment, the conversation from just a few moments ago was still echoing in her mind.
Moreover, those conversations weren't all Chen Yi's teasing; they were mostly her own overreactions.
It's mostly shyness, embarrassment, shame...
She was so ashamed that she eventually became a little annoyed.
It wasn't directed at Chen Yi, but rather annoyed that she herself had been careless and lost her composure.
Xiao Wan'er didn't think any further. After a moment of silence, she turned her head, stood up, and walked out of the pavilion, saying without looking back:
"knew."
"Brother-in-law, you've had a busy day, get some rest. I'm heading home now."
Chen Yi watched her walk away and asked in surprise, "Big sister, didn't you just have Xiaodie and Cui'er arrange for us to have dinner here?"
Upon hearing his words, Xiao Wan'er paused briefly before suddenly quickening her pace.
If she weren't feeling a bit weak, she probably would have run straight back to Jiaxingyuan.
This person... is ignoring him.
Let him be the "beautiful lady, sought after by gentlemen."
It would have been better if she hadn't thought of that sentence. But once she did, Xiao Wan'er couldn't help but think of that poem.
She felt even more embarrassed...
She disregarded her health and ran back to Jiaxingyuan.
They took it seriously after all.
Seeing Xiao Wan'er's figure completely disappear at the end of the corridor, Chen Yi smiled, withdrew his gaze, shrugged, and muttered a few words.
The general meaning is that the eldest sister is a bit easily teased.
Of course, he could only say this to himself.
If he were to say it to Xiao Wan'er's face, he would at least receive a scolding and lecture.
However, based on Chen Yi's understanding of Xiao Wan'er, he knew she wouldn't really be angry.
At most, she'll ignore him; she's rarely both sharp-tongued but soft-hearted.
At dinner time.
Xiao Wan'er did not show up as expected.
Furthermore, when she instructed Cui'er to have dinner at Jiaxing Garden, she specifically asked Pei Guanli and Xiao Wuge to stay and join them.
As a result, only Chen Yi and his servant Xiao Die remained in Chunhe Garden.
Xiaodie naturally didn't think much of it; on the contrary, she felt that having dinner with her son-in-law was like going back to the days when he was confined to his home.
Just like tonight, the two of them ate while discussing which dish was delicious and which was undercooked.
They chatted and laughed until it got dark.
Pei Guanli came skipping and hopping, the bell around her neck jingling incessantly, clearly in a good mood.
"Brother-in-law, did you upset Wan'er again?"
Chen Yi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why do you say that? Did your older sister say something tonight?"
Pei Guanli chuckled and said, "Sister Wan'er didn't mention her brother-in-law, but she kept talking about Wu Ge, telling him not to learn bad things from a certain academy teacher."
"Learning music, chess, calligraphy and painting is fine, but learning poetry is the only thing that's not allowed. They even said they'd hire a teacher to teach Wu Ge etiquette."
"..."
Chen Yi thought to himself, "Xiao Wan'er is really annoyed."
It seems that his previous idea of "ignoring people" should be extended by a number of days.
The last time he examined Xiao Wan'er, he glanced at things he shouldn't have, and Xiao Wan'er ignored him for most of the day.
Will it take a whole day this time?
Two days, or maybe three days.
Chen Yi pondered for a moment, then asked, "Weren't you competing with Shen Huatang and Xie Tingyun today? How did it go?"
Pei Guanli's smile vanished instantly. She pouted and glared at him, saying:
"Brother-in-law, now I know why Sister Wan'er didn't let you come over for dinner."
"You, why do you have to bring up something you don't want to talk about?"
Chen Yi flicked her forehead, "If you haven't fought, you haven't fought. There's nothing shameful about it."
He couldn't do anything to Xiao Wan'er.
I can still manage to discipline that little rascal.
Pei Guanli covered her forehead, looking sullen, and said, "Even if we didn't fight, I would still lose if we only compared techniques without using true energy."
Chen Yi couldn't help but laugh when he thought of that scene.
"It's normal that your cultivation level and skills are inferior to those two fellow disciples because your cultivation is not up to par."
Pei Guanli's eyes glistened with tears as she stared intently at him: "Brother-in-law, please help me..."
One breath, twenty "help" characters.
Chen Yi glared at her and said irritably, "Help me? Me, a weak scholar, writing you a challenge letter?"
Pei Guanli pouted, knowing he didn't want to be exposed, and her whole demeanor crumbled.
Seeing this, Chen Yi shook his head helplessly, dipped his hand in water, and wrote a few words on the table.
"Cultivate first, and we'll talk about it when the opportunity arises."
After reading it, Pei Guanli's sadness vanished instantly, and she said with a grin, "I knew my brother-in-law was the best, he loves me the most."
"...morality."
...
A few days passed in the blink of an eye.
August is approaching.
The weather in Shuzhou was as hot as a furnace.
Even Chen Yi, a martial artist with considerable cultivation, could feel a slight heat, let alone others.
Xiao Wuge was the first to break down and moved to Jiaxingyuan overnight, saying it was closer to Xiao Wan'er and less hot.
This provoked Xiao Wan'er to pretend to hit him twice, but she could only let him be.
But because of this, without Xiao Wuge acting as a middleman, the two houses, Jiaxingyuan and Chunheyuan, separated by only one wall, seemed to have lost all contact.
For several days in a row, they lost contact with each other.
To be precise, Chen Yin was able to occasionally hear what Xiao Wan'er was saying thanks to his hearing.
Whether Xiao Wan'er could hear what he was saying is unknown.
Ultimately, because of Wan Rourou's matter, Xiao Wan'er still remembered the saying, "A fair maiden is sought after by a gentleman."
In addition, there has been a lot of good news from the government in the past few days.
One reason was that the tense atmosphere in the Xiao family eased the day after the old master visited with Liu Si and the Chief Justice.
Although not explicitly stated, the dispute between the Xiao and Liu families should be able to proceed with a peaceful outcome.
Chen Yi was fully aware of this.
As long as the Liu family of Jingzhou accepts that the "murderer" is not a member of the Xiao family, there will be no major conflict between the Xiao and Liu families.
Even if he didn't accept it, Liu Hong, the provincial governor of Shu Prefecture, couldn't possibly force the old man any further.
This can be seen from a recent letter from Li Huaigu:
"The department reports that the summer grain tax in the three towns will be calculated at the minimum rate of 1/20."
That is approximately 100,000 shi of grain.
The difference between the inside and outside is five times.
It's estimated that even if the Xiao family and the three towns are unwilling, they will still have to pay this tax.
Secondly, in the last few days of July, the profit share that Baicaotang gave to Xiao Family Pharmacy arrived in their account.
A total of 33,000 taels of silver were sold for tea drinks. After deducting costs and taking a 50% cut, the Xiao family made a profit of 14,000 taels.
According to Wang Ji, Xiao Wan'er was stunned for a moment when she saw the silver note, and asked with a strange expression, "Was there a mistake in the calculation?"
Clearly, she wasn't surprised by the amount of money, but rather by how low the cost of those tea drinks was.
Chen Yi, however, did not take it seriously.
If it weren't for the fear of frightening Xiao Wan'er and the Xiao family, the cost could have been reduced by another four thousand taels of silver.
That's right, the tea drinks that sold for over 30,000 taels had a production cost of less than 1,000 taels.
To be precise, it was 532 taels.
The rest were costs for hiring workers, building warehouses, and transportation; they were hardly any money at all.
Even Wang Ji found it hard to believe after calculating the monthly profit of Baicaotang, let alone Xiao Wan'er.
It wasn't a huge profit, just exactly 30,000 taels.
This only represents the profits of Baicaotang alone, along with the five pharmacies of the Xiao family, within the Shuzhou prefecture.
If he had followed Chen Yi's previous plan and opened Baicaotang throughout Shuzhou and even the nine provinces and three prefectures of the Great Wei Dynasty, the daily profits would have been...
Wang Ji's eyes instantly reddened at the thought of that possibility.
Without Chen Yi's instructions, he decided to open Baicaotang in a nearby prefecture or county next month.
Chen Yi didn't stop him, but just reminded him to be careful.
As for the recipe, he wasn't worried.
Even if someone were to crack the code, it would still fall behind against Baicaotang and Xiao Family Pharmacy, which have the advantage of being the first to act.
At worst, he could research a few more tea recipes, upgrade their medicinal effects, and improve their taste.
Alternatively, they could continue using a distribution system to win over local wealthy and influential families, thereby expanding Baicaotang's influence.
He has many ways to deal with business competition.
The last piece of good news was that Xiao Jinghong sent a letter saying that the border market had been surveyed and construction was about to begin.
It is tentatively scheduled for the first day of the eighth lunar month.
Once the foundation for the trade market is laid, Xiao Jinghong will return, hoping to arrive before the Mid-Autumn Festival.
It was through this opportunity that Chen Yi met Xiao Wan'er for the first time in four days.
It's a piece of good news, not too bad, but not too bad either.
At least the two of them managed to talk, didn't they?
Besides, Chen Yi has also been staying home these past few days.
Besides avoiding the ladies and young women or scholars of considerable status who had been visiting him for days, he also took the time to gossip and get some opportunities.
Although they are all Yellow-level intelligence, the opportunities are few and far between, and the rewards are low-grade fist and palm techniques, it's better than nothing.
Most importantly, that night...
Chen Yi's cultivation level broke through again, reaching the upper stage of the seventh rank.
"Reaching the middle third rank means you're considered a second-rate expert in the martial arts world."
"If one achieves mastery of martial arts, it is equivalent to having one foot in the ranks of top-tier masters."
Just like Liu Lang, the "Knife Maniac".
His cultivation level was only at the fifth rank, but he had mastered the art of the sword, making him a notable figure in the martial arts world.
If he breaks through to the third rank, he will be considered a top-tier expert among first-rate masters.
If he makes further breakthroughs in the art of the sword, he can be called a "local overlord," a title that will be widely acclaimed.
Nearing midnight.
Chen Yi got up and went to the window, looking at the dimly lit Chunhe Garden and watching the night wind blow. "It's going to rain."
Looking at this scene, his expression remained calm, but some thoughts stirred within him.
"The hidden guards' plan to sow discord between the Xiao and Liu families has failed."
“Xiao Dongchen will definitely not let this go. Ge Laosan... after he went to the brothel to redeem that girl that day, he moved out of the Xiao mansion.”
"I suppose they've been planning that matter recently."
He pondered for a moment.
Chen Yi made a decision—to take advantage of his teaching assignment at the academy tomorrow to visit Baicaotang.
Now that Liu Lang has recovered from his injuries, it's time to ask about his progress.
And...
Before he could finish his thought, a light appeared before his eyes—
[Daily Intelligence - Low-Grade Earth Rank: At 5:45 PM, there's a tailor shop in the West Market where hidden guards are plotting something important. Many opportunities may be obtained.]
(End of this chapter)
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