Days passed by monotonously, or rather, leisurely. During the continuous rain, he played Go with the little girl, practiced calligraphy occasionally, and read ancient books. Although the entertainment value couldn't compare to modern novels, he was always one who could endure such monotony. Having come to ancient times, spending half a day with a book without punctuation, understanding the meaning word by word, wasn't too painful for him.

Of course, other miscellaneous things happened over the months.

The new son-in-law had entered the door, and as an adopted one, he naturally didn't have much status in this era. The Su family's situation was actually quite complicated. The real power holder of the Su family now was Su Tan'er's grandfather, who was still alive. People generally called him the Old Master. The Old Master had three biological sons, divided into the first, second, and third branches. The first branch, which was Su Tan'er's father, Su Boyong, was in charge of external affairs. Su Boyong only had one daughter, Su Tan'er, who was quite capable in business, directly overshadowing the male offspring of the other two branches, becoming the main cause of this complex relationship. The male offspring of the other two branches always hoped that Su Tan'er would marry out, becoming water that had been thrown away, so they would have the opportunity to inherit the Su family in the future. Now that an adopted guy had come along, their hopes were dashed. When they saw him on weekdays, even if they restrained themselves from making sarcastic remarks, a roll of the eyes was always inevitable.

In addition to the three branches of the main line, the Old Master Su also had siblings. The Su clan had now branched out and grown to a large scale. There were no less than thirty or forty people who could claim to be Su Tan'er's cousins, whether the relationship was close or distant, good or bad. Most of them weren't very enthusiastic about him, this adopted son-in-law—of course, if they were enthusiastic, it would be a headache. Just the fact that everyone in the large family ate together every night made the situation rather awkward. He could only sit on the side counting sheep. Apart from his father-in-law, mother-in-law, two concubines, and Su Tan'er, no one would talk to him, which was quite boring. Eating a meal... it would be better to take it back to his room...

He naturally wasn't afraid of this feeling of isolation and boredom. His past experiences were enough for him to easily face any situation now. But taking a step back, of course no one liked or pursued this feeling. He was currently enjoying watching Go. If he had a choice, it would naturally be more enjoyable to play Mahjong with everyone.

Conflicts of interest and infighting hadn't affected him yet, at least for the time being. Of course, if he stayed here, there would eventually be some storms, but it wasn't a big problem. Su Taigong and Su Boyong were both alive. No matter how small or big the family squabbles were, they were limited. Of course, since he was currently living in the Su family, the first problem he faced was actually work.

When he woke up, it was because he had been hit on the head with a brick, and he also had some memory loss. Many things were temporarily put on hold. Later, he gradually recovered. The Su family didn't have any expectations of him, but it wouldn't be good if he was too idle. Recently, someone had mentioned the question of what he wanted to do. He wasn't clear about this question either. Doing business, being a manager or accountant in a branch store—or more likely, being a supervisor—these were actually unnecessary. He was too lazy to get involved again. Judging from his father-in-law's attitude, it seemed that he intended for him to be a teacher in the Su family's private school. He could also do some scholarship, after all, his previous image was that of a foolish scholar.

After this matter was brought up, it was temporarily rejected by the Old Master Su, who said to wait a while longer and let him see what he wanted to do himself. However, in Ning Yi's view, the matter of becoming a teacher after a while was probably already certain. He had had several conversations with the Old Master Su. The Old Master mostly talked about the friendship between their ancestors and chatted about family matters. But the old man, who was able to support such a large family, was naturally also a shrewd figure. He probably saw that his recent temperament was somewhat different from that of the previous bookworm, so he extended the time a little.

Of course, he hadn't deliberately concealed too much recently, insisting on making himself look like a foolish scholar. The days were long, and concealment wasn't a solution. He had been looking at everything with a sightseeing mentality. Of course, one could probably see part of a person's character from their temperament and behavior. But to determine how someone was, whether they were suitable for business or teaching, or whether they were a good person or a bad person, just like judging a person's character by watching them play Go, was impossible. As long as he didn't do anything crazy, if he continued like this for a while, the Old Master would get bored of observing and would probably arrange for him to teach.

That's good.

Although he wasn't a top student with good grades and character in his previous life, he could understand ancient Chinese here. His previous identity wasn't a great Confucian scholar, so no one should have too high expectations of him. If he were to teach, the conservative approach would be to have the students shake their heads and recite articles every day, which would barely pass. When he was in a good mood, there would be no problem in using some modern knowledge to fool people. Living in the Su family like this would also be justified. If he wanted to leave, there was no need to think about it at all since he didn't know anyone here. Even in modern times, to live well, one had to have considerable connections. It was especially true in ancient times. Even if he had once built such a huge commercial empire, he wouldn't think that he could "go anywhere in the world" with a few taels of silver in ancient times. In any case, the Su family was currently the best haven.

The rain had been falling for days, so he stayed at home for days. Occasionally, he saw the three maids and their mistress across the small building go out in a hurry with oiled paper umbrellas, and he could also see them returning in the rain. The corridors, courtyards, pavilions, and gardens were washed exceptionally clear by the drizzle. They would come from that side, wearing dresses of lake green, white, or light red. The ladies of this era truly had the temperament of ladies, unlike the packaged women of modern times. No matter how they performed, those women had the aura of fireworks or money. At this time, looking at them made one feel that everything was like a landscape painting. They hurried back from outside, avoiding the dripping eaves, lightly patting their wet clothes by the stairs, and then going upstairs... As dusk approached, lanterns lit up from the continuous courtyards, with deep red and dark red halos. Some were fixed, some were moving, giving the black night a particularly ancient mansion atmosphere.

Of course, this was an ancient mansion.

Go was simple to learn, and not difficult to master. Xiao Chan quickly learned it and became a master. In the following days, Ning Yi always lost more than he won when he played with her. And this entertainment quickly "infected" the small building across the way. Three days later, in the evening, Ning Yi lit an oil lamp and read a book. Xiao Chan came to see him several times, confirming that he had no instructions before leaving. When Ning Yi closed the book and walked to the corridor, he saw the girl holding a Go board and walking towards the small building across the courtyard below. Then she entered the room on the first floor of the opposite building with Xing'er and Juan'er. The lights came on, and he could see the three of them playing Go inside. Occasionally, there were silhouettes gesturing and cheering. Xiao Chan was probably teaching the two sisters how to play. He couldn't help but find it amusing.

This rainy weather lasted for several days before it stopped. Although he had told Xiao Chan not to go to the Qinhuai River to watch Go again, it was just a joke. Sure enough, this time when he went there, the old man named Qin, who set up the Go stall, noticed him and greeted him.

Soon after, this old man finished a game with a friend and smiled, waving to Ning Yi who was watching the game from the side. First, he introduced him to the friend he was playing against, and then naturally Ning Yi greeted that person. After the basic formalities were done, he asked him to talk about his views on the game they had just played. Although not too seriously, after each game, if there was a brilliant move, it was necessary for Go friends to review or show off, which was equivalent to saying a few words like "If I hadn't done this, I wouldn't have lost..." after the game. Since the old man invited him to participate, it naturally meant that he recognized his Go level, and then he also made an invitation.

"Young Master Ning, are you interested in playing another game?"

Ning Yi smiled and nodded in agreement. While putting away the pieces, the old man smiled and said,

"These days it has been raining at home, I have been recalling that game with you with several friends, Young Master Ning had many wonderful moves, which are thought-provoking. The old man has been itching for many days because of this. Today the rain stopped and I went out, and Young Master came, haha..."

Although he thought that Ning Yi's method of playing Go was not "gentlemanly" that day, he didn't take it too seriously after all. On the contrary, as a Go player, suddenly seeing such a novel Go method, the longer the time, the more he recalled and deduced it in his heart, the more he was "preoccupied". They played a game while chatting, but the old man lost again. Ning Yi did some deduction with him, and then played another game, and then went home when it was getting late.

He continued to come the next day, and before long, the problem of his future "work" was finally settled.

On the first day of July, the whole family ate together, and the Old Master Su asked Ning Yi about his recovery from his injuries, and then mentioned that a teacher in the academy was about to travel far away, and asked Ning Yi if he would like to teach in the academy. The old man's attitude was kind, but with his status in the family, once he said it, it was basically settled. Ning Yi had been prepared for this, so he naturally nodded and agreed. Then the Old Master called the second son, Su Zhongkan, who was in charge of the family's academy, and asked him to arrange for him to take over after the previous teacher left.

There was still some time before that teacher left. The main way to pass the time was to go to play Go, read books, practice calligraphy, and play Go with Xiao Chan. In this way, more than a month passed, and there was no major development in his relationship with the Su family, but he became familiar with some people on the street by the Qinhuai River.

The scenery on this street was still good, with shady green trees, but the location was a bit偏僻, with no large shops. Besides the tea stall next to it, which was slightly fixed, there would also be a few hawkers selling breakfast or buying vegetables in the morning. The surrounding houses were sparse, and some of the houses built along the river would extend out over the water, like stilt houses by the river. Occasionally, one could see people going down to the river to wash clothes and fetch water.

The old man named Qin should have a good family background. He was a learned and knowledgeable person, who had seen a lot. It was said that ancient scholars were pedantic, but this old man was not like that. He would never speak in a flowery style, nor would he quote the words of sages at every turn. He was very adaptable in his speech and affairs, but if you chewed on it carefully, the center was still inseparable from the teachings of Confucius and Mencius. This was a person who truly understood Confucius and Mencius.

If the teachings of Confucius and Mencius were stripped of the coat of serving the rulers, the core part was actually the life principles summarized by the ancients. Many things on the philosophical level were universally applicable. Ning Yi could talk to this old man, and he didn't have to worry too much when chatting occasionally. This old man probably had been an official before. Now that he was old, he came out to set up a Go stall every day because he was bored. His family lived nearby. He had a wife in her fifties, and another beautiful concubine in her thirties, who would occasionally come out to deliver lunch. Ning Yi had seen her twice.

The old man also had some fixed Go friends, who were mostly learned old men, some with wealthy families, and some who seemed to be as poor as church mice. At first, Ning Yi mostly sat on the side and watched, but later he gradually became able to participate and say a few words during the review. Naturally, there were also people who held their identities and criticized his remarks as a junior. For example, an old man named Dong had criticized his unscrupulous small techniques. He was arrogant, so Ning Yi was too lazy to pay attention to him. It was the most meaningless thing to argue with this kind of old man about principles.

Sitting by the tea stall every day, he naturally had to eat something and drink some tea, so he became familiar with the owner's family. Xiao Chan was bored, and would occasionally sit with the tea stall owner's daughter and chat. During the initial period, the tea stall owner's daughter was said to have been a little shy and inquired about Ning Yi's background. When she found out that Ning Yi was the Su family's adopted son-in-law, she revealed a disappointed expression. Because it seemed that Ning Yi was a wealthy young master with a very good family background. The fact that he could take a maid with him everywhere every day was proof, and the fact that he could talk to Qin Lao and chat with him, and occasionally say things that others couldn't understand, proved that he was very learned. If she could marry him... it was a pity that he was an adopted son-in-law.

When chatting while playing Go, at first, it was naturally carried out in a harmonious and friendly atmosphere. After two weeks, they could be considered familiar. The old man might think that some of the words Ning Yi said casually were thought-provoking, but of course there were also times when he felt that they were rebellious. This was a difference in customs. Ning Yi was informal, so the two of them would discuss it while playing Go. After a month, they seriously talked about the issue of his identity again.

Ning Yi didn't hide much about his identity. He had mentioned it before. The old man just nodded at that time, merely treating him as a newly acquainted Go friend. Now that everyone could chat, and they could barely be considered a friend ignoring their difference in age, the meaning of mentioning it again was naturally different.

"You are a person who can be considered learned despite not being a formal student. The matter of being an adopted son-in-law... is really a pity..."

Ning Yi didn't have much knowledge of the classics and histories. His rote memorization was not good, and he wasn't a formal student. Qin Lao was a great Confucian in this regard. After the two sides had been in contact for so long, he naturally saw this, so he gave the evaluation of "learned despite not being a formal student", which was actually a very high praise. However, Ning Yi just smiled.

"There's nothing wrong with being an adopted son-in-law. You see, I come out to drink tea and play Go every day, Xiao Chan gives me money, and the accommodation is good. I'm going to be a teacher in a few days, and there's no burden to teach a group of students. I'm lazy and like to eat, so it's already very good."

That's what he said, but the identity of an adopted son-in-law in this era was lower than that of a regular wife in an ordinary family. When a wife entered the door, her spiritual tablet could be placed in the ancestral hall after her death, but an adopted son-in-law didn't even have the qualification to enter the ancestral hall, and was no different from a concubine. He was really looked down upon no matter what he did, and he had basically cut off all paths to fame and wealth, and could only struggle as an appendage of the Su family. Ning Yi had seen through the vanities of the world in his previous life, but the average young person didn't have such a state of mind. Qin Lao probably thought that he had some talent and couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"...Besides, the Su family is a family of merchants. While merchants pursue profit, they also value fame, but even if you have talent and knowledge, the matter of fame and wealth, I'm afraid, will not fall on you in the end."

The old man said these words because he saw deeply. First of all, regardless of the outside world's attitude towards an adopted son-in-law, even if Ning Yi really had talent, the Su family would not want him to run to take the imperial examination and succeed. They had originally let him be adopted because they saw that he was a bookworm. The Old Master Su was a person who valued righteousness and remembered the agreement with Ning Yi's elders. Ning Yi could also be considered to have some literary talent, but not to the point of being really erudite. By adopting him, Su Tan'er could also keep him in check. Even from Ning Yi's point of view, the previous bookworm had actually benefited, and he had no complaints about the Su family, so he just smiled and didn't say anything. However, when he heard the old man discussing the Su family's affairs, Xiao Chan, who was sitting next to him and heard it unintentionally, blushed and couldn't help but come over.

"Old... Grandpa, Miss hasn't treated Young Master badly since Young Master came to the Su family. Miss is a very good person, and she won't treat Young Master badly in the future!"

The little girl looked nervous and very serious. She had grown up with Su Tan'er since she was a child, and their relationship was like sisters. At this time, she didn't necessarily understand the deep meaning behind the old man's words, but she probably knew that the old man was discussing the Su family's faults. In an ordinary family, the maid usually didn't have the room to interrupt when the master was talking to outsiders, but the identity of the adopted son-in-law was special. There were those who gave him a lot of face, and there were also those who even the maids looked down on, but Xiao Chan was raised very well by Su Tan'er, so she would naturally not be the latter. She was just nervous about the reputation of the Miss and even the Su family, and she didn't know how much courage she had mustered to say these words with a rebuttal meaning. She clenched her small fists in front of her, nervously.

In the past, Xiao Chan was always quietly staying on the side, well-behaved and sensible. Qin Lao was already used to the existence of this little maid. At this time, he was slightly stunned. Ning Yi looked at Xiao Chan a few times, but he had already laughed out loud and put down a piece.

"Haha, you old man, you are meddling in other people's business, you have offended Xiao Chan this time. If these words spread in the Su family, I'll be the one who suffers."

The old man also laughed, "Haha, I misspoke, I misspoke. I should let Miss Xiao Chan know that I didn't mean to blame the Su family in my words. But it is indeed my mistake to discuss other people's affairs, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

He apologized to Xiao Chan generously. Xiao Chan didn't necessarily get angry, but she was just serious. That nervous and serious expression didn't fade until they left with Ning Yi, and it even seemed to be a bit stronger. She followed Ning Yi with her head down all the way, and her already petite body seemed to have become smaller because of the silence. Ning Yi helplessly pursed his lips, turned his head to comfort, "What's wrong? Are you still angry?"

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Xiao Chan shrink her shoulders, flatten her mouth, and tears rolled out of her eyes like broken pearls.

Things seemed to be pretty serious... Ning Yi was stunned, and then softened his voice, "What's wrong?"

"Xiao Chan..." The little girl choked and looked up at him, "Although Xiao Chan is a little maid who doesn't understand anything, she won't gossip about this kind of thing. Young Master, if you say that the words will spread, then you are pointing at Xiao Chan, pointing at Xiao Chan... for not being well-behaved..."

Xiao Chan shrugged her shoulders and choked even more. Ning Yi looked at her for a while. He originally thought that this little girl had been sullen all the way because of the old man's words. Who knew that she felt wronged by his joke. Then he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Young Master... you still... hic—"

Before the little girl could finish her choking words, she leaked air, but Ning Yi suddenly stretched out his hands, pinched her cheeks on both sides and pulled her face into a big cake. This time, it was the little girl's turn to be stunned, her eyes widened, like lanterns. She blinked twice. Ning Yi released her face and gently patted her shoulder, "Let's go." He turned and left.

After a while, the little girl followed up, looking frightened, but also with a blushing face, "Young Master, Young Master, you..." She wanted to denounce Ning Yi's behavior just now. In fact, this matter could be big or small. During the previous months, the two of them could be said to have been living together day and night. Occasionally, Xiao Chan would help him measure clothes, but more often it was to help him put on clothes. There was actually physical contact, but it could be considered unintentional touches.

The history since Ning Yi came to this era had basically gone astray, but the Wu Dynasty was actually very similar to the Song Dynasty. Although Cheng Zhu Neo-Confucianism had not appeared without any deviation, by this time, the distinction between men and women had already been paid much attention to. Xiao Chan was a maid, and she had to serve the people around her, so she couldn't demand the same as ordinary women. If Su Tan'er married Ning Yi, it was almost certain that she would be Ning Yi's concubine as one of the three maids, then there would be no problem. But now Ning Yi was adopted into the Su family, and everything was actually up to Su Tan'er.

After all, the adopted son-in-law had a low status. In the folk, it was generally believed that men with a little backbone or persistence would not be adopted, and this was because the status of adopted sons-in-law in many families was actually no different from slaves. Most of the women's families only treated the adopted men as long-term workers. Of course, the situation was different in each family. If the couple's relationship was good, or if the adopted son-in-law actually had some ability, he could naturally have his own place in the family, and this was not surprising.

In the Su family, the Old Master Su cared about the friendship of the previous generations, and he actually took good care of Ning Yi, so the family would not openly despise him. Although Su Tan'er had once expressed resistance to this marriage, her attitude towards Ning Yi at this time could be considered peaceful. But even so, or if the relationship between the two of them developed further in the future and they became a real couple, the possibility that she would allow Ning Yi to have a close relationship with Chan'er was not high. Although all three maids had been following Su Tan'er since they were young, Su Tan'er probably wouldn't let go of these three house-raised little girls for the rest of her life. But what was more likely to happen was perhaps to marry them off to some loyal and promising servants, and keep them in the Su family for the rest of their lives.

Of course, this was just a casual prank. Ning Yi might not think so much, and the little girl naturally couldn't think too complicated, but even if she wasn't angry, she was still a little shy. At this time, she rushed up with a blushing face and puffed up cheeks, trying to sum up the words that could describe Ning Yi's indecent behavior, and finally just said, "Young Master, you... you are bullying people!"

"Hmm." Ning Yi nodded and shrugged his shoulders, "I'm just bullying you, what are you going to do about it?"

"What are you going to do about it..." Chan'er blinked her eyes, and then got angry again, "You say things again that Chan'er doesn't understand..."

"Haha." On the side of the street, Ning Yi laughed happily.

When he first arrived here, he was actually in a quite gloomy mood, but recently, after being bored for so long, the gloomy mood had gradually dissipated. He felt that ancient times was here to bully people. He bullied the old scholar with Go, and now he bullied the little girl again. It was actually quite interesting.

In this way, they walked towards home, with Xiao Chan hopping and talking behind him. At first, she was a little shy, and then she babbled and babbled about other trivial matters. When they walked to a relatively prosperous street not far from the Su family, a person suddenly came over to greet them and stopped them.

There were many family members in the Su family. Coming back from this side every day, they often met some Su family members. Some were willing to greet Ning Yi, and some didn't bother to talk to him. Occasionally, they would also meet Su Tan'er returning from this side, because there was a Su's silk store by the street. At this time, the man had just come out of Su's silk store. He was also in his early twenties, holding a folding fan, looking like a romantic talent. He arched his hand from afar with a laugh, "Brother Ning, what a coincidence." Then he walked over with two servants.

Presumably, this was someone the owner of the previous body knew. At this time, Ning Yi couldn't recognize him. In doubt, he glanced, but saw that Su Tan'er's carriage was also parked by the road not far away. A small head swayed in the silk store, glanced at this side, and then ran inside. That was Xing'er, who was following Su Tan'er. She saw Ning Yi and Chan'er, so she ran to call Su Tan'er out.

The man smiled and gradually approached. Although Ning Yi didn't know his name, it was very easy to deal with this kind of thing. He was about to smile and greet him, but Xiao Chan pulled on his sleeve behind him, "Young Master, that's Young Master Xue of Dachuan Silk Store." In her words, there was a slight unease.

Ning Yi reacted. Although he hadn't met the person, he had indeed heard of him.

After coming to this era and pretending to have amnesia, he had inquired about his previous identity. After all, it was a simple life, but when Su family members such as Chan'er and Xing'er talked about it, there were always some taboo places, such as the matter of Su Tan'er running away on the wedding night, and the matter of him being hit on the head with a brick.

But even with the taboos, over the months, Ning Yi had already known what he should know. The one who secretly hit him with a brick should be Xue Jin of Dachuan Silk Store in front of him. Xiao Chan was uneasy at this time, probably because she was afraid that Ning Yi would get angry and suffer a loss if he did something.

But how could Ning Yi put any complex expression on his face? At this time, he just smiled and nodded, "Oh, Young Master Xue, hello."

His smile was natural and his attitude was peaceful. Xue Jin on the opposite side was slightly stunned, looked at the two followers beside him, and then smiled again, "I heard that Brother Ning was accidentally injured on the wedding day, and even suffered some amnesia. I was also there that day, but I left early because of something. Later, I couldn't find the time to visit. What... is there really such a thing as amnesia? Brother Ning, could it be that you really don't remember me?"

On the opposite side, Ning Yi seemed a little embarrassed, with a sincere, strong apology, revealing a smile of atonement, "The things of the past, really... ha, Brother Xue, please forgive me, please forgive me..."

Xue Jin stared at him suspiciously with a complicated look. At this time, Su Tan'er, who had been frowning, had also rushed out from the door of the store opposite.