Chapter 245: Watching
The day before, Li Xiaonan had received a message from Gu Yan’s messenger: if she was free on the sixteenth of the first lunar month, he would take her to Loutou Town to see it. Li Xiaonan immediately agreed.
Ni Rushi and his mother lived in Loutou Town.
On the morning of the sixteenth, just after breakfast, Wan Jing arrived. Li Xiaonan got into the cart with Wan Jing and left. Li Jinzhu and the others leisurely packed two large carts of belongings and set off back to Pingjiang City.
Gu Yan waited by the post road north of Kunshan County. Seeing Li Xiaonan leaning out of the cart, he smiled and said, “Want to ride for a while? The wind already carries the scent of spring.”
“Okay!” Li Xiaonan replied with a smile.
It wasn’t just the wind that carried the scent of spring; spring was everywhere. The flower buds on the peony trees at Tang Weng Weng’s house had already burst.
Li Xiaonan stood up from inside the cart. Her beautiful mare, with an excellent temperament, was led close to the large cart. Li Xiaonan grabbed the saddle and mounted the horse.
Shi Gun handed a horse whip to Li Xiaonan. Li Xiaonan took it, flicked it, and handed it back to Shi Gun. She couldn’t use the whip well, and it was more of a hindrance in her hand.
Gu Yan watched Li Xiaonan settle into the saddle and smiled, “Can you still ride?”
“Of course!”
Li Xiaonan twitched the reins a few times. The horse snorted and continued to walk steadily.
“Gallop!” Li Xiaonan patted the horse’s neck. “Look at these spring mountains and waters, don’t you want to run freely?”
Gu Yan laughed heartily and tapped Li Xiaonan with his horse whip, “Hold the reins tight and sit steady.”
Li Xiaonan quickly gathered the reins and held on. Gu Yan urged his horse forward, and Li Xiaonan’s mare followed, running along.
From where they met Gu Yan to Loutou Town was only the distance of a single gallop.
With only half a li to the town, Gu Yan reined in his horse. He looked at Li Xiaonan, who still seemed eager for more, and smiled, “Later, I’ll take you to the northern grasslands and let you run to your heart’s content.”
“This is enough,” Li Xiaonan wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Alas, when she rode a horse now, she felt like she was flying. People really degenerated so easily and adapted so easily.
“Shall we walk?” Gu Yan suggested.
“Okay.”
“Wait…”
Before Gu Yan could finish speaking, Li Xiaonan had already rolled off the horse’s back with a clean, decisive movement.
Although her dismounting posture was not elegant, it was effective, and so fast!
Gu Yan was so angry he could only swallow.
Next time, before letting her dismount, he would have to have someone prepare!
Loutou Town held a morning market, and the sixteenth was the first major market after the new year. The market had already dispersed, and there were not many people on the wide main street. Shop assistants on both sides were sweeping the ground with large brooms, chatting and laughing loudly.
Li Xiaonan followed Gu Yan, entering through the back door of a two-story restaurant at the head of the town. They followed a servant who had been waiting and went straight up to the second floor.
The entire second floor had been cleared, and servants guarded both staircases.
Gu Yan led the way into the private room in the center.
The windows of the private room facing the main street were all propped high. Fine bead curtains hung down from the middle of the windows, blocking the view from outside but not affecting the view from the private room.
Shi Gun brewed tea and served it.
Gu Yan stood beside Li Xiaonan and pointed to a small alley diagonally opposite the restaurant.
“Ni Rushi and his mother live in that alley. They rent a house, three rooms in the back. The back rooms borrow the gable wall of the schoolroom in front, and Ni Rushi studies in that schoolroom.
“Ni Rushi’s father’s family is in Ni Family Village, five li away. Twenty-seven or twenty-eight years ago, Ni Rushi’s father went to Qinfeng Road alone to do business and never returned.
“When Ni Rushi was eight years old, his mother took a marriage certificate and brought him back to Ni Family Village.
“The Ni Clan said that Ni Rushi did not resemble his father and was illegitimate, and they did not allow Ni Rushi to acknowledge his ancestors.
“Ni Rushi’s mother then filed a petition with the yamen. The lawsuit lasted for more than half a year, and the documents were sent to Qinfeng Road. The marriage certificate was real, but the bloodline could not be clearly determined, and Ni Rushi indeed did not resemble his father. In the end, they reached a compromise:
“Since the marriage certificate is real, Ni Rushi’s mother is a wife of the Ni family. Ni Rushi, even if he is her adopted son, should be included in the Ni Family Genealogy. Since the Ni Clan does not recognize Ni Rushi, they will select another suitable person to be adopted under Ni Rushi’s father’s name, inheriting the thirty-seven mu of paddy fields under Ni Rushi’s father’s name.
“Ni Rushi’s mother only asked to be included in the family genealogy so that Ni Rushi could take the Child Scholar Examination. After that, Ni Rushi and his mother moved to Loutou Town and rented a place behind the schoolroom.
“After the lawsuit was settled, Ni Rushi’s mother was ill intermittently for nearly three years. Ni Rushi ran errands and did odd jobs in the town, earning money to support the two of them.
“After Ni Rushi’s mother recovered, she washed vegetables and bowls in the kitchen of this restaurant. After saving some money, Ni Rushi entered the schoolroom behind the house.
“Although Ni Rushi started school at fourteen, he could already start from the Rhyming Dictionary when he enrolled.
“Your family’s workshop is between Loutou Town and Pingjiang City, and most of the people employed are from Loutou Town. Ni Rushi’s mother was among the first to join your family’s workshop, and Ni Rushi often came to your workshop to do heavy lifting, such as loading and unloading eggs and preserved eggs.”
Li Xiaonan listened intently and couldn’t help but exclaim, “You investigated so thoroughly!”
“This is not thorough at all,” Gu Yan said, pushing Li Xiaonan’s shoulder with his folding fan, gesturing to a brocade bag on the table. “Inside are Ni Rushi’s ink scrolls from his last Child Scholar Examination, as well as his usual few essays. Take a look.”
Li Xiaonan hurried over and took out several thin scrolls from the brocade bag.
Gu Yan sat down beside her and watched Li Xiaonan finish reading. He smiled, “His policy essays are not as good as yours, but much better than your brother’s. His poetry is much better than yours, and his investigation of things seems to have gone astray.”
“His policy essays are also better than mine; he’s just lacking in experience,” Li Xiaonan said after finishing, placing the thin scrolls back into the brocade bag.
“He has read too little. His writing has a sharp, decisive tone. In the last five or six years, he has been fetching well water every evening to wash himself, saying it’s to temper his will and physique. This is a man with great ambition,” Gu Yan said with a smile.
Li Xiaonan frowned. Just as she was about to speak, a servant standing in a corner of the window reported in a low voice, “Sir, he’s out.”
“Come and see,” Gu Yan quickly stood up and gestured to Li Xiaonan.
Li Xiaonan followed closely and stood by the window, looking down.
In that small alley, first a head with a worn headscarf appeared, and then the whole person came into view.
Ni Rushi was tall and thin, with a straight posture and light, quick steps. He walked very fast, and his whole person looked agile and nimble.
Turning a corner, Ni Rushi subconsciously looked up at the second floor of the restaurant.
Li Xiaonan looked at Ni Rushi’s face and let out a soft sigh.
His face had eyebrows like long swords and eyes like cold stars. His nose was straight, his lips slightly thin, and he exuded a heroic spirit, so handsome it was dazzling.
“Very handsome?” Gu Yan looked at Li Xiaonan.
“He’s so handsome, why isn’t he married yet? He’s twenty-three this year, right?” Li Xiaonan kept looking at Ni Rushi.
Gu Yan smiled.
