Encountering Rain at West Lake

The autumn equinox poetry gathering brought everyone together, but of course, such gatherings were always for those with status and position. On Xiaoying Island at this time, although many came alone and then joined up with acquaintances, only about a quarter or a fifth of the people were actually qualified to participate in the banquet. The rest were servants, maids, and order-keeping soldiers arranged by the Hangzhou government to prevent accidents. These people were not counted among the attendees.

In Ning Yi's group, only he, his wife, and the two Su brothers could actually go onto the large boat. In addition, the three maids, the boatmen, and the coachman Dong Zhu, who stayed in the rear cabin, had to wait in their own houseboat below while the banquet was in progress.

Therefore, when it was time to disembark and stroll around Xiaoying Island, Ning Yi and Su Tan'er did not bring Juan'er and Xing'er with them, but only Xiaochan. If she wasn't needed on the large boat, she would have to return later.

Ning Yi had just told Su Tan'er about Xiaochan's concerns, and knowing Su Tan'er's personality, she wouldn't want this little maid, whom she considered a sister, to remain unhappy. But there were too many people present, and it wasn't a suitable time for private talk. Before long, they encountered Wen Haiying, and Su Tan'er went off with her. Ning Yi and Xiaochan strolled along, visiting the Bao Ning Temple on the island and burning incense. Because there were so many people, Xiaochan simply stood to the side and bowed.

At that time, the girl closed her eyes, her expression devout, and her silky bangs seemed to glow in the slanted sunlight. Ning Yi felt purified by the sight, so he also clasped his hands and bowed.

"Did Master make a wish just now?" Xiaochan asked curiously, walking beside Ning Yi as they left the temple.

"What about you?"

Xiaochan shook her head. "I won't say, or it won't come true."

"Oh, so you want to make my wish not come true..." Ning Yi laughed, looking at Xiaochan. "Actually, I wished for Xiaochan to grow... bigger."

Xiaochan's figure was fine, but her clothes were usually loose and baggy, making her look like a girl in a New Year's painting. But having been around her for so long, he had occasionally seen her in more fitted clothing at home, revealing quite an alluring figure. However, her appearance was still childish and youthful, so he wondered if she would still look like this in her thirties or forties... Of course, that was actually a good thing. Ning Yi rarely made wishes when praying to the gods. He was just saying it casually, but Xiaochan probably misunderstood. She lowered her head and muttered softly, "Xiaochan is already big..."

She was now seventeen years old. If she were outside, a girl like her would usually be married already. Xiaochan was probably thinking about today's events and felt a bit sad. She didn't want her words to sound like a complaint, so she kept her voice very soft. Ning Yi couldn't help but laugh. He reached out to pat her head, but Xiaochan, well-versed in avoiding such things, hugged her head and ran away.

They continued their stroll, stopping under the shade of a tree by the water. Flecks of gold filtered through the branches, falling on them like golden cicadas. People passed by, and a woman was playing the zither under the trees across the water. Earlier, when Su Tan'er was present, Xiaochan was reserved, not wanting to appear too lively in front of the young mistress and master, as that was a maid's duty. Now that she was only with Ning Yi, she was much more lively, telling him about the origins of the woman playing the zither.

"...Her name is Lu Yingtong. She's one of the most famous courtesans in Hangzhou, and she associates with many officials' daughters. I heard that this Lu girl once met a poor scholar and spent all her savings to send him to the capital for the imperial exams. Now she's still waiting for him to return as a successful candidate. Everyone who heard this story was very moved, and many wealthy daughters and officials' daughters went to comfort her. You see, even though there are many people around her, she doesn't give them the time of day..."

"Oh, oh, so touching..."

"Miss Lu is so beautiful. If I could play the zither so well, Juan'er and Xing'er would be so envious! And that scholar going to the capital for the exams, if he comes back someday..." Xiaochan held her face, stars in her eyes.

Ning Yi wasn't interested in such stories, but Xiaochan's fondness for them was a very pure feeling. He didn't want to spoil her mood, so he smiled and said, "Does Xiaochan know any scholars going to the capital for the exams who lack travel expenses?"

"I don't. Xiaochan will marry... uh, marry Master. If Master wants to go to the capital, Xiaochan will take out all her savings, and then... it would be best if Master took Xiaochan with him. If we run out of money in the capital, Xiaochan can do business to earn it back..."

"Oh," Ning Yi nodded, whispering, "How much private money have you saved?"

Xiaochan was joking earlier, but now her face turned red. "N-Not much, really..."

They talked about her private money for a while. Ning Yi's intention was to cheer her up, and he described her as even more capable than Lu Yingtong. Xiaochan hurriedly waved her hand, saying, "No, no, no." Before long, she forgot her worries and cheerfully chattered about recent gossip she had heard in Hangzhou about talented scholars and beautiful women. No matter how much Su Tan'er trained her to be a capable young woman, she, like Juan'er and Xing'er, naturally enjoyed discussing these juicy stories and occasionally imagining themselves as the female lead in some story or comparing them to things happening around them.

"I think, Master and Mistress are even... uh, happier than them. Juan'er and Xing'er think so too..."

Xiaochan said this with a blush. Suddenly, a voice came from behind, "Ning Liheng." Ning Yi turned his head, and she also turned her head. In their view, holding a folding fan, dressed in a white robe, Lou Shuheng delivered a punch to Ning Yi’s face...

**********************

Su Tan'er and Wen Haiying rested for a while in a pavilion on one side of Xiaoying Island.

The surrounding shade was mostly filled with women, mostly wives from various households. They had greeted a few people earlier, but they were mostly strangers.

In Hangzhou, Wen Haiying, the wife of Luo Tian, ​​could be regarded as the hostess. As a girl, she was the daughter of an official and knew these upper-class women in Hangzhou, but her nature had always been gentle. Since marrying Luo Tian, ​​because she had married into a merchant's family, she had lost contact with her former sisters. In recent years, her secluded life had made her feel depressed, making it difficult for her to interact with others. Now, although she has generally resolved her emotions, Su Tan'er, who accompanied her, was more free and easy when it came to talking to people.

Of course, Su Tan'er’s temperament was outstanding among these gentle women, but it could not be regarded as unique. According to Wen Haiying's introduction, she knew several women who were not only virtuous and outstanding, and praised for their ability to help their husbands and educate their children, but also excelled in socializing among women, making them the same type of women as Su Tan'er.

“Over the years, it’s been passed down. Here in Hangzhou, there is a Red Turban Society, which means women are not inferior to men. It’s not a strict association. They are all women. When they reach adulthood, they know about it and join in. Sometimes they chat and do needlework together. When I was young, my sister took me to join, but I didn’t know many people. Later, after I got married, I didn’t get together anymore. Look, Xia Jie under the tree over there is the granddaughter of Tang Xiuxuan, Master Tang. She is very kind, but I was timid at the time and didn’t talk to her much..."

Wen Haiying usually doesn’t interact with people much. Now that she has a trusted sister, she is quite talkative, talking about interesting things from her youth. She felt that she was dull at the time and others would probably not recognize her, but after a while, two women came over to greet her. One was the daughter-in-law of a Hangzhou Tongzhi, and the other was the granddaughter-in-law of the Chang family. After introducing each other, the other party did not care that Su Tan'er was the daughter of a merchant. They sat down and chatted in the pavilion.

They chatted about Wen Haiying's memories of her youth, then talked about Wen Haiying's sister, Wen Haiying's reputation as a talented woman in the past, and then naturally turned to today's gathering. Everyone was a wife, so of course it was impossible to talk about men in such vulgar matters. They simply talked about poetry. Lou Shuheng and his group were writing poems earlier, and these two women were also nearby, watching those people enthusiastically spread their poems. Of course, among the women, some also appreciated them.

"...Just now I saw Miss Su talking to Lou Shuheng. It seems that the two families know each other. To be honest, Young Master Lou's poem is really excellent. In just a few words, he wrote about the atmosphere here in Xiaoying Island...Oh, when it comes to poetry, Sister Wen's writing was the best back then. What does Sister Wen think?"

Wen Haiying thought for a while: "I haven't actually written much in recent years, but...it's really good..."

When asked about Su Tan'er, Su Tan'er naturally also said it was good: "Actually, I don't know as much about poetry as several of you sisters, but it sounds very good." In fact, as far as she was concerned, anyone who could write poetry was great. When she was a girl and attended poetry gatherings, whoever was praised the most, she naturally thought was the best and was deeply impressed. After marrying Ning Yi, that feeling faded a lot, but if she had to judge good or bad, she could only speak based on other people's cheers.

They chatted a few more words about poetry. Su Tan'er listened to them talk about the benefits of poetry, occasionally echoing and nodding seriously. After a while, she thought of something. During the exchange, she naturally said: "Actually, a few days ago, when I was touring the lake with my husband, he also made a poem at the time. It seemed to be something he said casually. I only remembered a few sentences. It's also somewhat similar to their poems. Let me think..."

She tried hard to recall: "All around the banks of West Lake are monasteries, pavilions looming like sleeping blankets. Bao Ning is at...the best place, the water surrounds it, without end. No chariots come, no horses tread, sometimes the sea and moon depend on each other...He said four lines at the time, I only remember these three..." She pursed her lips, feeling a little regretful.

This was actually Qin Guan's "Sending a Monk Back to Bao Ning," a total of ten lines, one hundred and forty characters. Ning Yi had seen this kind of long poem before but couldn't remember it all. He only remembered the first four lines, and then it became intermittent. In those days, the family traveled everywhere, and Ning Yi naturally couldn't help but recite a few lines of poetry that he remembered to express his feelings, or say things like "To tour West Lake, a sunny lake is not as good as a rainy lake, a rainy lake is not as good as a moonlit lake, a moonlit lake is not as good as a snowy lake." The family was also harmonious and happy.

He recited four lines of this poem, and Su Tan'er tried hard to remember only three lines. But it sounded smooth, and she thought her husband's talent was overflowing anyway, so it must be a good poem. She also had a slight hint of wanting to show off. If Lou Shuheng could see this scene, he would probably understand that Su Tan'er didn't admire his poetry at all. Praising Wen Haiying a few words was just politeness.

Sure enough, even though it was a fragmented poem, as soon as it was said, the other three were also stunned for a long time, and then asked about Su Tan'er's husband. Su Tan'er was happy in her heart, but verbally she was humble. Wen Haiying repeatedly chewed on the poem in her heart, and then whispered softly: "No wonder my brother-in-law is the number one talent in Jiangning..." She had not had social interactions for a long time, so she knew nothing about Ning Yi's other poems. The other two women then asked, and they were surprised: "Could it be Ning Liheng of 'Shui Diao Ge Tou'..." "Is it Ning Liheng of 'Qing Yu An'?" They talked about those few poems, and Wen Haiying listened in surprise. Su Tan'er showed off successfully and happily talked about her and her husband coming here, naturally not mentioning Ning Yi's status as an adopted husband. Anyway, that was not important.

At this time, on the other side of Xiaoying Island, there seemed to be a commotion gradually rising. Among the shadows of the trees, someone looked over there, and then someone also rushed over there. It seemed that something big had happened far away, and many people were watching the excitement. The four women in the pavilion glanced a few times, and then also chatted and laughed as they rushed over there.

Before long, they vaguely saw what was happening in the crowd over there...

******************

Returning to the moment before, Lou Shuheng's punch landed firmly on Ning Yi's face.

In any case, this was a relatively peaceful period. Even though Ning Yi exercised regularly and insisted on practicing the internal skills left by Lu Hongti every day, when it came to reaction speed, without mental preparation, he wouldn't be much better than an ordinary person. Lou Shuheng's sudden punch was naturally unavoidable.

The punch turned his face to the side, and Lou Shuheng's figure came into view, causing him to frown in confusion.

If the other party had been holding a knife, he would probably have reacted immediately. But because it wasn't, the first thought that appeared in his mind was not to retaliate, but to figure out what had happened, or, given his personality, "what other outrageous thing had he done."

The first punch landed right on the money. This may have been the beginning of all the tragedy.

Lou Shuheng's personality was romantic and unrestrained, but after all, he was a scholar from a family with a very strong background. It was rare for him to get into fights or do things himself. This punch, to be honest, didn't have much offensive power against Ning Yi, but on Lou Shuheng's side, this was not his perception. He punched hard, hitting Ning Yi's cheek squarely. This punch was very smooth and felt great, so his next action was almost instinctive. He pulled back his hand and punched again, trying to continue to experience that unrestrained feeling like the Tang Dynasty.

Ning Yi raised his hand to try to block. At the same time, Xiaochan suddenly pounced over from the side and shouted, "What are you doing?"

Xiaochan, who usually seemed weak, was like a suddenly awakened mother wolf. The three maids in the house might have had this kind of aura when they were really doing things and scolding and managing servants. Xiaochan waved her hands, trying to block Lou Shuheng's violence. Of course, she was just a girl with momentum but no strength. Lou Shuheng had no good impression of her either. The fist he threw changed direction, only slightly reducing its force, and hit Xiaochan's shoulder: "Get out of the way!"

Xiaochan "ah" and fell backward. Ning Yi's hand reached for her arm.

"I should have shouted, '**** get out of the way'..." The thought flashed through Lou Shuheng's mind. This punch was not very smooth, but his momentum was still strong. He flew a kick at Ning Yi, but in the moment when his eyes lifted up, he saw Ning Yi's changing eyes. Ning Yi's gaze shifted from Xiaochan's direction, and for that moment, his mind was blank.

It was like seeing the most somber look in his father's eyes when he was about to go crazy at someone.

He had only seen that look once since he was a child. A few years ago, the family had a fight with the Chen family in Suzhou, which almost escalated into a deadly situation. His mother had also died because of it. That evening, he went to his father's place. There were no lights in the yard. His father was sitting alone in the armchair in the room, almost blending into the surrounding darkness. Soon after, the Chen family was almost completely wiped out. He recalled that his father at that time was like a lion entrenched in the darkness.

At that time, he was at the height of his youth and deeply loved by his father, so he wasn't afraid, but he was very yearning. Later, he restrained himself a little and did some things for the family, because he hoped that one day he could also have that kind of momentum, that feeling was very good. But now it wasn't evening, and nowhere was dark. The scorching sun shone down from the sky. At that moment, he seemed to see that darkness again.

This kick landed on Ning Yi's chest with a bang.

Then there was a crisp "slap" sound, startling the sunlight and leaves.

The two men were about the same height and build. Lou Shuheng wasn't as sturdy as a martial artist, but he didn't seem weak either. Ning Yi was also just a tall, slender scholar. Lou Shuheng kicked Ning Yi in the chest, and Ning Yi's body barely moved. Then, he backhanded an amazing slap.

Lou Shuheng's body spun in the air. It looked as if he had stepped on Ning Yi's chest and jumped up, then crashed into the pool beside him with a loud thud.

****************

After a moment of shock, everyone who probably understood what had happened gathered around. Ning Yi put Xiaochan by his side and asked about her condition. In the pool, Lou Shuheng, whose head was probably confused for a long time, finally understood that he knew how to swim. He floundered in the water, coughing. Blood was flowing from his mouth and nose. He pointed upward, his arms, mouth, and entire face twisting and trembling: "You you you you you..."

"Brother Lou, are you mistaken about something?"

Ning Yi looked down and asked, one word at a time. A footprint was still clearly printed on his chest.

After that, some people squeezed over to the shore. Someone shouted, "Brother Lou! What's wrong!"

"Brother Lou, is this kid causing trouble?"

"Brother Lou..."

The shouts instantly drowned out the place. Ning Yi took a breath, then exhaled it boredly. He actually knew roughly what was going to happen next. Of course, Lou Shuheng's next reaction surprised him a bit, but it also answered the doubts in his mind.

After all, most people recognized Lou Shuheng's identity. Combined with his family's status, his friends had already surged over. Lou Shuheng also reacted at this time, pointed at Ning Yi, and shouted loudly: "Grab him! Grab them! Adulterer and adulteress! This Ning Yi is an adopted husband in someone else's home. Now he's actually flirting with a maid! Grab them! It's immoral and ruins customs! Grab them and drown them in a pig cage—"

"Is there really such a thing!"

"Shameful!"

"Grab them!"

Several scholars ran over towards this side. Ning Yi glanced at them, and then looked at Lou Shuheng, and said in a deep voice: "Don't you want to talk?" His aura was steady, and there was majesty in his words, but also at this time, an old man in the crowd glared at him and shouted: "Virtuous nephew Lou, there really is such a thing! Don't worry! Come on, arrest this adulterer and adulteress for me!"

Xiaochan shrank her body to Ning Yi's side, grabbing his clothes with both hands. She was already about to cry. A scholar stretched out his hand to grab Xiaochan. Ning Yi's eyes narrowed. With a loud bang, the first person fell to the ground solidly. The second scholar threw a punch at Ning Yi. Ning Yi took him in stride and threw him into the pool.

The commotion began to spread...

************

I've always thought that the shot in "Curse of the Golden Flower" where Chow Yun-fat took a hairpin and slapped his youngest son to the ground was the most imposing scene I've ever seen in any movie...I could almost hear the sound of a lion... (To be continued.) Vote for recommendations and monthly tickets, your support is my biggest motivation.)