Chapter 196 Xiao Wan'er in a Panic (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
The next day, the weather was fine.
Just after dawn, the rising sun revealed the power of the dog days of summer.
The dazzling sunlight illuminated the area.
This brought a bright and sunny scene to the city of Shuzhou.
The bustling East and West Markets, the elegant Kangning Street, the solemn and dignified government offices on Zhennan Street, and the brothels and entertainment districts in the south of the city.
Perhaps because the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, ordinary people, merchants, and officials alike are all wearing smiles.
Xiaodie was no exception.
She got up very early today, tidied herself up a bit, and then asked the coachman to take her to the Kangning Street to hire a framer.
The framing master was not an outsider; he was the shop owner and his two assistants.
The boss's surname is Dai, and his given name is Nian.
Chen Yi, a regular customer, was certainly no stranger to them.
Xiaodie quietly led him to the study in Chunhe Garden.
Dai Nian looked around the study and praised it a few times before asking, "Miss Xiao Die, which calligraphy models would you like to have framed?"
Xiaodie pointed to the stack of Yunsong paper on the table, "These."
"Quite a few, how many?"
"Yes... let me count them."
As Xiaodie spoke, she counted the scrolls one by one, "One, two... Boss Dai, there are twenty-one scrolls in total."
Dai Nian wrote down the numbers, then opened each sheet one by one to measure the dimensions in order to prepare the tools.
He would record each piece he measured, and casually remark on Mr. Qingzhou's calligraphy.
Whether it's good or bad, he doesn't need to say it.
Xiaodie was well aware of this.
But at this moment, her face was tense, as if she was worried that Dai Nian would do something sneaky.
Clearly, she hadn't forgotten about losing her calligraphy copybook at the framing shop before.
Fortunately, Dai Nian was unaware of her thoughts, otherwise she would have cried out in injustice.
I recorded twenty pictures in a row, and then it was the last one.
As soon as Dai Nian got his hands on it, he noticed something was off. After weighing it in his hand, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "This calligraphy is quite large."
But when he opened the paper with the cloud and pine motif and saw the light and the artistic conception appear, his face instantly froze.
"This, this is..."
Dai Nian's eyes widened, and he almost buried his face in the calligraphy book. He then continued to explain what happened next.
Xiaodie also saw the imagery in the poem, but she clearly didn't understand what it meant; she only felt that the poem was beautiful and the imagery was lovely.
Especially at the end of the scene, when she saw the figure sailing through ten thousand mountains, she couldn't help but smile and say:
"The son-in-law is indeed a son-in-law; he writes good poems and calligraphy."
"They can even write about themselves in their poems."
Dai Nian ignored him and asked tremblingly, "Miss Xiao Die, is this really written by your son-in-law?"
Xiaodie looked at him strangely, "Of course it was written by my son-in-law."
As she spoke, she became wary and asked, "What are you going to do? You're not planning to swap the inferior one for the superior one again, are you?"
Dai Nian's hands trembled twice, and he almost threw the calligraphy copybook away.
Good heavens, this is a calligraphy model of the perfected level of calligraphy. Even if he had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to tamper with it.
Even if he has that idea, he still needs to have the ability to do it.
Not to mention him, there were very few people in the entire Great Wei Dynasty who could imitate this calligraphy so perfectly that it was indistinguishable from the real thing.
Thinking about all this, Dai Nian rolled up the calligraphy copybook with trembling hands, and solemnly promised:
"Rest assured, I guarantee with my life that I will absolutely, absolutely use the finest materials and the best techniques to mount this calligraphy copybook."
You should know that his master, his master's master... going back eight generations, had never had a calligraphy model that represented the pinnacle of calligraphy.
If he can have a calligraphy work of this caliber mounted in his lifetime, his life will have been worthwhile.
Xiaodie nodded in satisfaction, "That's good."
"In short, you can't make any mistakes this time. If you mess it up, I, I... there will be guards in the manor who will beat you with a rod."
"Don't worry, don't worry..."
Three poles in the sun.
Chen Yi got up, dressed, and washed with Xiao Die's help. Hearing noises from the study downstairs, he casually asked:
"How many have been framed?"
When Xiaodie asked, she puffed out her cheeks and said, "I just finished framing one."
"Young master, this person is very strange."
"how?"
Little Butterfly rambled on and on, finally saying at the end:
"When I asked him to come this morning, he was clearly with two other trainees, but when it came time to start work, he did all the work by himself. Isn't that strange?"
Chen Yi chuckled, guessing that the framing shop owner must have seen the artistic conception of the calligraphy in "Thoughts After the Rain" and didn't want to entrust it to someone else.
"It's okay if it's slow, as long as it's finished before the Mid-Autumn Festival."
“Son-in-law, I will definitely keep an eye on him for you.”
"There's no need to be so nervous..."
Amidst laughter and conversation, Chen Yi dressed himself neatly.
Because he was going to accompany Xiao Wan'er to Fengchun Tower today, he specially changed into a brocade robe.
The navy blue silk robe was so light it seemed weightless, wrapped around a pure white shirt underneath, and the gold and jade belt at the waist was paired with navy blue boots.
It has a certain air of nobility.
However, Chen Yi was usually lazy and easygoing, and even though he was able to put on a good show and carry off the clothes, he still looked rather thin and weak.
Xiaodie looked left and right, but couldn't figure it out.
She felt that her son-in-law, dressed in these clothes, was the most handsome man in the world.
Therefore, as she was being looked at, her face unconsciously flushed, and she quickly said:
"Young master, please have a seat. Xiaodie will prepare some food for you."
Chen Yi was slightly taken aback when he saw her leave immediately after speaking, but he didn't think much of it.
However, after glancing at himself in the bronze mirror a few times, he hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath, and his expression became more peaceful and dignified.
The next moment, his laziness vanished, replaced by an air of nobility, and even his frail and weak appearance disappeared.
He resembled a noble young master from a prominent family.
Chen Yi glanced at it a few more times, a smile playing on his lips. "You could call this a talent, right?"
It's calculated naturally.
Regardless of the change in his demeanor at this moment, or the disguise he wore when he was Liu Wu, Hei Ya, and others, his expression, movements, and eyes were all incredibly lifelike.
No one could see his flaws at all.
I simply ate two pieces of pastry.
Chen Yi went to the study to check on the mounting progress; the mounting of the second calligraphy copybook had just been completed.
When Boss Dai saw him coming, he changed his previous mercenary attitude, bowed solemnly, and spoke solemnly, as if he were not receiving a mounting job, but a matter of life and death.
It was probably an expression of gratitude for having him handle the calligraphy piece.
Chen Yi smiled and said some comforting words, then instructed Xiao Die to help out while he took Xiao Wuge to Jiaxing Garden.
Xiao Wuge left reluctantly.
Clearly, he hadn't forgotten being rejected by Xiao Wan'er and Chen Yi yesterday.
"Brother-in-law, can I come with you to Fengchun Tower?"
Chen Yi refused decisively, "No."
Xiao Wuge said helplessly, "Brother-in-law, you've always been on my side, why aren't you helping me this time?"
He just wanted to be lazy and didn't want to study etiquette.
Chen Yi patted his head and said with a smile, "It's not that I don't want to help, but the situation is special."
"What's so special about her? Is there something wrong with the Liu family sister from Jingzhou? Her family is indeed wicked."
Seeing that Xiao Wuge had guessed pretty accurately, Chen Yi didn't give a direct answer, but only offered a few words of comfort:
"The Mid-Autumn Festival is in a few days. I'll take you out for a stroll then."
"Is it settled?"
A gentleman's word is as good as his bond.
Perhaps having overheard their conversation, Xiao Wan'er, who had been waiting at Jiaxing Garden, smiled and asked upon first seeing them:
"What gentleman's word?"
Before Chen Yi could reply, Xiao Wuge, precocious as ever, said, "This is a secret between me and my brother-in-law, right?"
Chen Yi smiled and nodded, then spread his hands towards Xiao Wan'er, saying, "I dare not disobey the young marquis's order."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wan'er looked at Xiao Wuge reproachfully and asked, "You're only close to your brother-in-law. Have you forgotten who used to take you out to play during Mid-Autumn Festival?"
"Elder sister, things are different now."
"What? I was your older sister in previous years, but not today?"
"no……"
"Um?"
"Yes, no, I mean... Hey? Big sister, pulling your ear will break it. Brother-in-law, help, help, help..."
The siblings shared a deep bond, and Chen Yi, being an "outsider," naturally wouldn't go to their rescue.
After letting Xiao Wuge follow the teacher who taught etiquette to the study, Xiao Wan'er then called Chen Yi to go out.
Not long after, a carriage drove out of Jiaxing Garden, leaving the Marquis's residence and turning towards Kangning Street.
Chen Yi and Xiao Wan'er sat side by side in the carriage, with Shen Huatang and Xie Tingyun, the master and sister, driving in front of them.
But...
Perhaps because a man and a woman were alone in a room, Xiao Wan'er kept her head down after getting into the car.
Beneath the red cloak, her hands were clasped together in her bosom, unconsciously intertwined.
She knew what she should say.
The carriage was too stuffy, which not only made Chen Yi notice something was wrong, but it was also unlike her usual behavior.
But when she got to the point of saying it, she felt it was inappropriate.
Or perhaps it's because they weren't prepared and were worried that their tone of voice would sound unnatural.
Perhaps it was because the topic was boring, and they were worried that it would make the atmosphere even stranger.
For a moment, Xiao Wan'er lowered her head even further, revealing only a pair of bright eyes staring at her toes.
A moment later.
Xiao Wan'er took a deep breath, quietly turned her head, and glanced at Chen Yi beside her. Seeing that he was looking out the window, she felt a little relieved.
At least some of her subtle actions went unnoticed.
However, despite feeling relaxed, she also harbored some resentment.
Why isn't this person saying anything?
Chen Yi, unaware of her thoughts, lifted the curtain and peered out the window.
He wasn't deliberately avoiding topics of conversation, but as the carriage sped along, he noticed some unusual things happening on the street.
For example, when we left the Marquis's residence, the number of city guards that came towards us was more than twice the usual amount.
For example, outside Corning Street, several detectives were watching passersby.
Then there were also some constables of various ranks who would stop someone from time to time to question them.
Chen Yi overheard some conversation as he passed by.
"...Last night, the officers from the Criminal Investigation Department were brought down again, and the Commander was furious..."
"Several evil spirits have appeared outside the West Market. To prevent them from escaping..."
"With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, be on high alert!"
Chen Yi understood and thoughtfully lowered the curtain.
I have a general understanding of the current situation.
He turned his head to say something, but met Xiao Wan'er's gaze, which seemed both angry and reproachful, and was slightly taken aback.
"Big sister, what's wrong with you...?"
Xiao Wan'er was startled when he suddenly saw her. Before he could finish speaking, she turned her head away and hurriedly interrupted him:
"I, I... I was looking at all the people on the street."
"The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, Second Sister should be back soon, and so should Grandpa, and Wuge..."
She herself didn't know what she was saying.
Ultimately, they wanted to pretend that nothing had happened.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. After saying a few words, Xiao Wan'er blushed deeply and wished she were under the car instead of inside it.
Chen Yi was still looking at her with a half-smile, but seeing her flushed face, he knew that if he didn't say something, she would definitely be so embarrassed that her old illness would relapse.
"Leaving the Mid-Autumn Festival aside for now, I see that you prepared a gift for Miss Liu today, eldest sister? What is it?"
Two simple questions finally brought Xiao Wan'er's blank mind back to normal.
She paused slightly, stopping her previous rambling, and replied softly, "Some bedroom items, like rouge boxes."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Chen Yi exclaimed "Wow!"
"Eldest sister is truly beautiful inside and out, well-educated, and courteous. Such thoughtfulness..."
It's really just a forced compliment because there's no good word to describe it.
However, the effect is remarkable.
Xiao Wan'er's blush faded at a visible speed, and she couldn't help but say, embarrassed and annoyed:
"Brother-in-law, what are you saying?"
Chen Yi pointed ahead and said mischievously, "I don't think that Miss Liu would be as meticulous as my eldest sister."
Xiao Wan'er understood his gesture and pretended to pat him.
However, he knew in his heart that he was using silliness to calm himself down.
So she did something she rarely does – she rolled her eyes cutely.
"Sister Zhaoxue seems to be very well-mannered, especially that time before..."
Let's chat for a bit.
Xiao Wan'er then regained her usual composure, though a trace of shyness still lingered in her heart.
It was probably because she showed a different side of herself in front of Chen Yi than before, and it was clear that she had some complicated thoughts like a young girl.
Chen Yi didn't think much of it, only feeling that this version of Xiao Wan'er was more real.
If she always remained like an ethereal fairy, how could she possibly appreciate the bustling and noisy world?
Not long after.
The carriage stopped outside Fengchun Tower.
Chen Yi followed Xiao Wan'er downstairs, glanced around, and saw two carriages parked on one side.
All of them had canopies as roofs, and the rooms were magnificent, with family emblems hanging on the curtains.
Upon identifying the clan emblem, Chen Yi secretly raised an eyebrow.
"The Liu family's two carriages..."
"Besides Liu Zhaoxue, Liu Wen is here too?"
"Or perhaps it's Liu Yu, the head of the second branch of the Liu family?"
Chen Yi looked at the bustling Fengchun Tower, his face remaining calm, but he couldn't help but become wary.
I didn't check the almanac before going out today; I'm afraid this luncheon might be a bit strange.
Xiao Wan'er, however, did not care about these things.
She was not a woman with deep thoughts or scheming, so she only glanced at them before standing side by side with Chen Yi, waiting for Shen Huatang and Xie Tingyun.
Just then, a joyful voice came from the side:
"Please forgive me, Sister Wan'er, I didn't know you had arrived. Please forgive me for not being able to greet you outside in time."
Chen Yi and Xiao Wan'er looked over and saw Liu Zhaoxue, dressed in a yellow dress and with fresh makeup, walking out of Fengchun Tower.
She had obviously been waiting here for a long time.
Xiao Wan'er bowed slightly and said gently, "I just arrived too."
Liu Zhaoxue returned the greeting, then, as if they were old friends, took her hand and said with a smile, "After all, it was the younger sister who invited the older sister, so we can't be impolite."
As she spoke, she noticed Chen Yi standing to the side and said with her smile unchanged, "This must be the renowned Mr. Qingzhou, right?"
"I did not know that Mr. Qingzhou would also be coming. If Zhaoxue is impolite later, I hope he will forgive me."
Chen Yi nodded calmly, "No need to be so polite."
"You should be more polite. I've heard that recently, countless people from both inside and outside Shu Prefecture have wanted to see you, but it's been difficult to get an appointment."
"How could I dare to neglect you today, sir?"
Liu Zhaoxue smiled and said, "There are too many people here, why don't we go upstairs first?"
Xiao Wan'er glanced at Chen Yi and nodded, saying, "I'm sorry to bother you."
"Sister, you don't need to be so polite. This place in Shu Prefecture..."
Seeing the two enter Fengchun Tower, Chen Yi looked up at the upstairs and followed them with Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang.
really.
As soon as the group pushed open the door to the cubicle, they saw Liu Wen standing to one side inside.
Xiao Wan'er paused, her smile freezing on her face. She was clearly surprised to see him there and was somewhat at a loss.
Liu Wen took the initiative to greet her, bowed, and said with a smile, "We meet again, Miss Wan'er."
Liu Zhaoxue glanced at Xiao Wan'er, whose expression seemed somewhat strange, and then explained:
"My second brother is hosting a banquet for some friends at Fengchunlou today, so he will stay here for a short while before leaving."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wan'er hesitated before returning the greeting, "Young Master Liu."
Liu Wen immediately smiled and gestured for her to proceed, giving Liu Zhaoxue an approving look.
However, when he saw Chen Yi behind him, his expression turned somewhat displeased.
But he didn't react. He turned around and followed Xiao Wan'er and Liu Zhaoxue to sit down.
Chen Yi noticed the expressions on Xiao Wan'er's and Liu Zhaoxue's faces, so he stepped forward and sat down next to Xiao Wan'er.
Liu Wen stopped in his tracks, his face turning grim. "You..."
Liu Zhaoxue noticed this and greeted him with a smile, "Second Brother, please sit down quickly and let's talk."
Liu Wen glanced at her, then sat down next to Chen Yi, directly opposite Xiao Wan'er.
The four people took their seats.
Shen Huatang and Xie Tingyun stood guard outside the door.
Then Liu Wen's voice came from inside: "Miss Wan'er, I was presumptuous before, please forgive me."
"However, I must say that after seeing you that day, I fell in love with you at first sight..."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
