Originating from the southern end of the Grand Canal and bordering the Qiantang River estuary to the east, Hangzhou has long been depicted by literati as the epitome of "water towns south of the Yangtze River," crisscrossed by waterways both within and outside the city. These waterways not only contribute to the beautiful scenery but also to the city's commercial prosperity, comparable to Jiangning and Bianjing, though it has yet to reach its true economic peak.

In the original timeline, Hangzhou was not yet at its zenith as a commercial center before the Southern Song Dynasty moved its capital here, even though its commerce was already quite developed. Its peak came after the capital was relocated and renamed Lin'an, which led to a surge in commercial development, supporting half of the Southern Song's prosperity.

The situation is similar now. Currently, Hangzhou's most bustling commercial area is still located between Guanxiangkou and Yangbatou. As for the vicinity of Taiping Lane, where Ning Yi and Su Tan'er are currently residing, there are also thriving markets, but they cannot compare to the former. The lane is suitable for residences, with several towering camphor trees. A small Liu's Martial Arts school at the entrance seems to be doing well, filled with shouts and laughter every day, which occasionally sounds quite lively.

Having arrived in Hangzhou for several days, the main activity has been leisurely sightseeing in carriages and on foot. Without detailed tourist maps, exploring the city feels like treasure hunting in a secret realm. They've visited West Lake, and naturally, Xizhao Mountain and Leifeng Pagoda cannot be missed. The children are most curious about whether the White Lady truly resides beneath the pagoda. As for the Ten Scenic Spots of West Lake from later generations, they will have to be discovered one by one.

Casual sightseeing sounds romantic, but in reality, it can be quite dull. People from later generations, accustomed to the coldness of cities, might be intrigued by some authentic ancestral halls and alleys. However, genuine ancient streets are far from the romantic and pleasant tourist attractions of later times. The stone and dirt roads are interspersed with narrow alleys, some with sewage flowing freely, chickens clucking, dogs barking, and begging children lying on the roadside. After seeing it for a while, one realizes that this is not scenery but life.

Without the layout, decoration, and management of modern scenic areas, appreciating the scenery relies more on one's own mood and associative thinking. A towering tree in an alley might not be particularly beautiful, but if you are in the mood, the myriad rays of golden light filtering through the branches can become delightful scenery. However, after seeing it many times, the same scenery can become ordinary. Therefore, if one truly seeks some excitement, the bustling and gaudy commercial districts are more satisfying. As a result, after visiting some fixed classic spots, Ning Yi, Su Tan'er, and others have chosen to frequent commercial areas like Guanxiangkou and Yangbatou.

Frankly speaking, despite admiring the sentiments of literati and enjoying poetry and songs, Su Tan'er is not, at heart, a particularly sentimental person. Accompanying Ning Yi on leisurely strolls through the streets, taking rests in tea houses when tired, listening to storytelling and folk songs, her mind is likely more occupied with planning where to set up warehouses, workshops, and how to open shops in the future.

Ning Yi is not particularly enthusiastic about admiring the scenery either; it is optional for him. To him, he has seen many landscapes that have been modified in various ways in later generations. The authentic scenery of this era might initially be novel and feel peaceful, but after getting used to it, it is pretty much the same. Essentially, he is not a person who likes scenery; he appreciates the interaction between people more. Watching the bustling streets, the haggling of the crowds, the chatting and laughter in the tea houses, and his wife and maids pointing and whispering always brings him joy. Compared to the pleasures of landscapes, he prefers this artificial kind.

After settling down in Taiping Lane and observing the small martial arts school several times, he was inspired to consider exercising during this time.

Of course, Su Tan'er would never think that her husband should learn at such a small martial arts school. Chan'er, Juan'er, and others likely shared the same idea. He mentioned it casually during dinner one evening, and that night, the three maids looked at him with a mixture of melancholy and hesitation. Their status prevented them from interfering with their master's decisions, but because Ning Yi was usually easy-going and their relationship was as close as family, they were concerned about him and worried that he might do something "unconventional."

The gap between scholars and martial artists was still too large at this time. In a sense, Ning Yi had already gained considerable fame in poetry and literature, even though he usually didn't care. However, when he decided to become an apprentice in a small martial arts school, others could easily sense the incongruity.

Even if he didn't care, how could Chan'er and the others bear to see their master being bossed around in such a small martial arts school? Although it might not happen if he paid money, even someone like Chief Cheng of the Jiangning Hundred Blades Alliance would treat him with respect and courtesy if they met him now. In short, such a small martial arts school in the streets was not something he should associate with.

That's what they thought. Throughout the evening, their gazes while serving water and lighting candles seemed to be speaking volumes, but they couldn't bring themselves to say it. Su Tan'er didn't express her opinion either, remaining silent and gentle. The family had only been living in this courtyard for a few days, and many things were still being purchased and decorated. When it was time to sleep, Su Tan'er went to the adjacent room to bathe. Chan'er brought a basin of water for washing feet, knelt by the bed, took off Ning Yi's shoes and socks, and gently immersed his feet in warm water.

Ning Yi usually did these things himself, and he didn't need Xiao Chan to help him take off his shoes and socks. Having spent so much time together, they were basically used to it. But today, Xiao Chan seemed to be doing it smoothly. Ning Yi smiled and said, "Alright, I can do it myself." Xiao Chan only looked up at him once, then lowered her head and said softly, "Chan'er has nothing else to do..." She was petite, kneeling there and focusing on what she was doing without saying anything else. In Ning Yi's eyes, she looked like a mistreated young wife, which made him both amused and exasperated.

Ning Yi had only been slightly tempted by the idea of the martial arts school, just mentioning it casually. Regardless of the opinions of Xiao Chan and the others, whether he agreed with them or not, he enjoyed it. He was waiting for the little maid to persuade him, but instead, the girl was just like when they first met, tearfully saying, "Although Xiao Chan is a little maid who doesn't understand anything, she wouldn't gossip about such things..." This time, she just lowered her head and didn't say anything.

After a while, Su Tan'er returned. She was wearing a moon-white robe after her bath, and her hair was still a little wet, flowing down like black satin. She walked to the bed, moved the lamp to a different position, and only opened the window after brightening it slightly. Xiao Chan picked up the basin and left with her head lowered.

Ning Yi lay down on the bed, finding it amusing. Su Tan'er sat by the window, letting the cool summer breeze help dry her hair. She seemed to be preoccupied, occasionally lowering her head to think, but her eyes met Ning Yi's. After a moment, she smiled quietly.

After a long time, she got up, closed the window, went to bed, used a palm-leaf fan to drive away the mosquitoes in the tent, and then extinguished the lamp. The night began to quiet down. When the watchman struck the hour of midnight on the streets, the room lit up again. Someone got up and cleaned up some traces of exercise. When the light went out again, the two nestled in bed, wrapped in thin sheets, already a little tired.

In the dark room, after a while, a soft whisper sounded.

"Is Husband bored?"

"Hmm?"

"About learning martial arts."

After this sentence, there was a moment of silence.

"It was just a whim, we'll talk about it later..."

"But..."

"Chan'er and Xing'er are giving me such looks, and Juan'er is quiet, but she's watching from behind. It makes me feel like I'm a young man on the path of no return, who can stand that?"

"If Husband really wants to..."

"It's purely a whim, I haven't decided yet. The martial arts school is small, we'll talk about it later. I know what I'm doing."

"Mm."

"Besides, I promised to spend these two months with you..."

"Oh."

At the beginning of their journey, the two of them had made some plans. As people who had been in business, they knew the purpose of coming to Hangzhou. So, in addition to tourism, there were still many things that could not be avoided. Ning Yi needed to participate mainly in visiting various unfamiliar merchants, such as local Hangzhou fabric merchants, silk merchants, cotton merchants, dye merchants, and so on. It would be a huge network of relationships.

In the past, when they were in Jiangning, Su Tan'er occasionally visited local merchants with whom they had many existing relationships. With Su Boyong in charge, Su Tan'er had enough foundation to visit in the name of a junior, and she would not be bullied. However, if she had to visit all kinds of people around the New Year, it would still be best for Ning Yi to accompany her. In Hangzhou, they were all strangers, so this was even more the case. It was not only about accompaniment and protection, but also about trust.

"But those things..." Of course, as a man, accompanying his wife to visit one unfamiliar merchant after another in the capacity of a live-in son-in-law was, in a sense, not something extremely honorable. However, Su Tan'er's mind was not necessarily on this at this time. Her body was numb and tingly, and her thoughts wandered, forgetting what she was about to say.

"Hmm?"

"But... but those things... are actually quite boring..."

"Don't you want me to accompany you?"

"No! No..."

Her body moved slightly, reflexively pressing her lower body closer, which also helped her get rid of some awkwardness. That hand gently patted her buttocks, then returned to her waist. It still tickled... but she still didn't move. She could endure it.

"Actually, walking around and meeting all kinds of people, I find it quite interesting."

"Mm."

"If someone bullies you, since I don't have much to do anyway, I can help you figure it out."

"Okay."

After speaking, she felt too excited and shrank her head into her husband's neck. Knowing that her husband was very capable and could be her support, she felt very happy. But on the other hand, she felt that her husband should not get involved in the intrigues of the business world; he should be doing bigger things. Thinking of bigger things, she remembered that Old Qin seemed to have asked her husband to go to the capital to become an official, but her husband refused. She felt that part of the reason was her, and she felt a little guilty.

There was guilt and selfishness. She was just a merchant, and she had fallen in love with her husband. She felt that everything about him was good, and sometimes she felt that her husband should not be a live-in son-in-law. If she were an outsider, she might now think that Su Tan'er was not worthy of having Ning Yi as a live-in husband. But she was not an outsider, and her heart was filled with doubts. She could only turn a blind eye and pretend not to hear, hoping that no one would mention it. She hoped... that he could show his talents, that his ideals and ambitions could be realized, that he could continue to be a live-in husband in the Su family, and that he could always be by her side, and that she could make him feel that he was not a live-in husband, that they could be as loving as ordinary couples...

She also knew that it was impossible to have everything perfect. She couldn't help it, she just thought about it, so she could only be an ostrich in this regard and didn't want to think about it at all.

"The shop... it's actually been chosen, and the warehouse has also been chosen. We're just waiting to finalize it in the next few days. Wen Ding, Wen Fang, and Mr. Chen have all arranged things..." Slowly, she sorted out the random thoughts in her mind and said softly, "The day after tomorrow... no, the day after the day after tomorrow, let's start visiting the people we need to visit one by one..."

"Mm, the day after the day after tomorrow... that's fine..." Ning Yi nodded, then remembered something, "Then I'll go send a letter tomorrow."

"Ah? Send a letter?"

"When we left Jiangning, Old Qin knew I was coming to Hangzhou and asked me to visit a friend named Qian here and give him a letter. When I arrived a few days ago, I casually asked, and someone said that the old man had gone out to lecture, so I didn't go to his house. He should be back these days. I'll go take a look tomorrow. Whether he's there or not, I'll just give the letter to his family." He thought for a while and added, "Finding someone with the surname Qian right away, I think it's a good omen."

"Is he... a very powerful Confucian scholar again?"

"Probably." Ning Yi smiled, "But I don't get along with every old man. I'm just delivering a letter, nothing else. And then these next two months will all be yours..."

Su Tan'er was silent for a moment and nudged him with her head, "It's 'accompany'."

"Oh." Ning Yi nodded and smiled softly, "It's 'accompany'."