“My husband is an odd person. Search: \(Complete Book God Station\) to read high-quality literature for free.”

“Hmm?”

Snowflakes were falling. The two people called husband and wife stood on either side of the pillar, looking at the surrounding courtyards stretching into the distance. Turning her head slightly, Su Tan'er lowered her head a little, a smile spilling from the corners of her mouth.

“Actually… it’s not really that my husband is odd. When Tan'er was little, she also liked to stand on this floor and look out. Did my husband notice? The view from here is the best.” She pointed into the distance. “There, that’s where Father and Mother’s courtyard is… Second Aunt’s… Grandfather’s is a little obscured… Third Uncle is over there… That lantern should be Wenying and her group walking…”

Under the night sky, the various areas of the Su Mansion were clearly divided under Su Tan'er's guidance. There were also figures carrying lanterns moving between the courtyards. Su Tan'er skillfully pointed them out one by one, and after a moment of thought, she added,

“When I was little, I didn’t live here, but I often liked to come here to play, sitting on this floor and looking around. When the nanny couldn’t find me, she knew to come looking for me here. When I saw the nanny coming up, I would often hide inside. Hehe, I always hid in a different place. The nanny was so clumsy. Once, I hid in a new place, and she couldn't find me. She called out for a long time…”

“Every time the nanny came to find me, she would say that it was windy up here, or that it was time to eat. My husband probably wouldn’t imagine it, but when I was little, I was very healthy. I could blow in the wind and not get sick at all. I liked to run around like a boy, chasing and fighting, but they later stopped playing with me. As for eating, why eat? Sometimes I didn’t even feel hungry. When I asked the nanny, she didn’t know either. Heh, when Mother gave birth to me, Father said he wanted a boy to inherit the family business, but a girl was born instead. Father said it was fine, that he had a proper lady. Actually, I don’t really seem like a proper lady…”

She tilted her chin up and smiled, but there were no shadows in that smile. Even though she didn't have much scholarly knowledge, at least in terms of "looking like a proper lady," she had no problems at all.

“So later… um, later, when I could choose my own courtyard, I moved here with Xiao Chan and the others. My husband probably doesn’t know, but when I dared to move in, I lived in the room over here, because the view was better. But… then I moved over there. Does my husband know why?”

“So you can’t see others, and others can’t see you, right?”

Ning Yi casually answered. Su Tan'er was silent for a long time: “My husband… did you ever have any ideals or ambitions?”

“Me…” Ning Yi thought about things from a long time ago, “I wanted to build houses.”

“Uh?” This answer clearly surprised Su Tan'er. After a moment, she said, “Build houses? Like… a bricklayer?”

“Haha.” Ning Yi raised his head and laughed. “That’s right, a bricklayer, a carpenter… um, something like that.”

“I never would have imagined…” Su Tan'er murmured. Ning Yi tapped the railing lightly with his fingers, then took out a washed preserved egg and handed it over the wooden pillar. “Here, try this.”

“A duck egg?”

It was snowing, and the light shining up from below onto this corridor was quite bright, but it wasn’t possible to distinguish the slight different patterns on the duck eggshell. Su Tan'er didn’t really mind. She took the duck egg and gently tapped it a few times on the railing, then slowly peeled off the shell, stopping after peeling off a few pieces.

“I… when I was little, I actually wanted to be a magician… Heh, of course, I just thought that way. Every year, the family hired opera troupes to perform. When I was little, it looked so magical. I always thought that if I learned it, I might be able to fly and become an immortal. Later, I learned some things, like what I taught Xiao Chan the other day. My husband, look…”

She stretched out her left hand there, her fair wrist glistening in the snowflakes, as if emitting light. She held a few pieces of eggshell that she had just peeled off on her slender fingers, then gently rubbed her fingers, and phosphorescent dust scattered down from her fingertips like fine threads, magical and magnificent. This was probably a secret recipe learned from those actors. After the performance, she chuckled softly, somewhat happily.

“But of course, Father and Mother wouldn’t allow me to become an actress. When I was too young, I couldn’t feel some things. Gradually, as I grew older, I realized that Father and Mother were a little unhappy. Father wanted a son, but even after marrying two concubines, he still couldn’t give me a younger brother or sister. Sometimes, Father would of course… of course feel…”

Perhaps because these words were a little difficult to say, Su Tan'er paused there for a long time before taking a deep breath. “Anyway… from that time on, I felt very strange… Why can’t girls inherit the family business? They obviously don’t do anything better than me. Even when they went to the school to learn poetry and arithmetic, I disguised myself as a boy and went too… Of course, I would be seen through, but no matter what, I wouldn’t go out, whether they hit me or scolded me, I had to sit there and finish the class. Fortunately, it was the family’s own school, and later Grandfather also spoke up… So now, those girls like Xiao Qi can go to school, and it was me who stubbornly fought for it…”

As she spoke, she slowly peeled the eggshell. At this time, she smiled slightly, and then, as if she had discovered something, she “eh” ed. She held up the half-peeled preserved egg, and the amber yolk and the patterns within reflected the light from below.

Ning Yi turned around and leaned on the railing: “Preserved egg, you can eat it.”

“Hmm?”

Having never seen a duck egg with this appearance before, Su Tan'er thought for a moment, and then brought the preserved egg to her mouth, took a bite, and then returned to the topic.

“I know that my husband might not like to hear these words. Men don’t like to hear women talking about these things. I never tell anyone else, but I feel… that I must tell my husband these things, even if my husband doesn’t like them… Tan'er also wants to say that Tan'er is not a domineering, bossy, or unreasonable woman. Spending half a year with my husband, I think my husband’s personality might be able to listen to these strange thoughts. Tan'er really wants to… wants to manage the Su family well in the future, but it’s only with this kind of feeling. Tan'er and my husband are husband and wife, and have a promise to grow old together. Tan'er doesn’t want my husband to be like them, and have too many grudges against me… If… if…”

She tried hard to choose her words, and Ning Yi smiled: "If I really go and become a bricklayer?"

Su Tan'er thought for a moment and smiled: "I also want to be a juggler."

“Heh, actually…” Ning Yi took out a folded piece of rice paper from his bosom, waved it in the air a few times, opened it, and handed it to Su Tan'er. “Take a look at this.”

There was not enough light. There were some strange drawings on the rice paper, drawn with a brush, and then there were various patterns, vaguely a piece. Su Tan'er looked at Ning Yi with a slight suspicion, and then picked up the drawing and carefully looked at it in the dim light…

The shapes of the various objects on this rice paper were a little strange, and many places had completely incomprehensible lines and characters, which were somewhat similar to the Persian and Uyghur scripts from the West. After looking at it like this for a while, Su Tan'er admitted that she couldn't understand it. She raised her head: “My husband is this… investigating things?” She might not understand the drawing, but she could guess what category it belonged to. The family started with silk weaving, and she had naturally seen many drawings of looms and the like. If you wanted to talk about it, it would be difficult to distinguish who was more complicated.

In this era, Confucianism valued humanities and belittled the investigation of things. Su Tan'er never thought that her husband, who was usually indifferent and whose many behaviors were incomprehensible, was actually seriously studying these things. In fact, the Su family also had talents who specialized in researching and improving looms, but they were basically used as repairmen. Craftsmen and artisans had a low status in this society. Even if they exaggerated it a bit and added a name like "investigation of things," others would not understand. Although many years later, the so-called "investigation of things to obtain knowledge" was understood in Confucianism as containing a side that emphasized physics, in this era, the true so-called investigation of things really had little to do with these. They discussed the inherent laws of things as a direction for life philosophy. If it developed towards physics, it would be ingenious and lascivious skills, despised by people.

However, as a merchant who could also understand the value of artisans, Su Tan'er obviously had no prejudice against this matter. Ning Yi smiled: "I do it when I'm bored. I don't know if there will be any results in two or three years…"

Su Tan'er said: "Actually, there are also several old masters in the family who have some experience in these matters, but…" She did not discriminate against these people, but after all, the status of artisans was low. If her husband ran to chat with them about these things all day long, even if those old men were more respected in the Su family, Ning Yi would obviously be criticized. At this time, she wanted to say something but stopped, but fortunately, Ning Yi also shook his head.

"It's not urgent, I just like to think about it when I have nothing to do."

"I don't know what my husband's drawings are for?"

Ning Yi paused: "To eat. It's hard to say now."

He looked at the object in Su Tan'er's hand. Su Tan'er then noticed it and reacted. She looked at the preserved egg with only a small half left: "Could it be… this is also my husband…"

“Yeah, basically.”

Su Tan'er was stunned for a long time, then put the remaining half of the preserved egg in her mouth, chewed slowly, and swallowed it. Ning Yi looked at the courtyard in the distance. Su Tan'er propped her hands on the railing, lowered her head, and didn't know what she was thinking. After a long time, she smiled quietly. The smile seemed a little dazed, and it also seemed that she had done something superfluous.

“Actually, my husband already knew what Tan'er was coming to say, right?”

After a moment, Ning Yi nodded: “I can probably guess some of it.”

“My husband is not a bookworm.”

“Heh…”

“My husband's storytelling at school is meaningful.”

“That was indeed just saying it off the cuff.”

Su Tan'er ignored him, looked into the distance, and continued, “The *Shui Diao Ge Tou* was not said by a Taoist priest either.”

“…”

“My husband is a talented person.”

“Cough, I really don’t…”

Su Tan'er had determined some things in her heart, and was now talking to herself. After a while, she turned her head and looked over. This time, it was probably a question: “But my husband, that day at the He Mansion, did you really see through the He family’s thoughts and also guessed about the Xue family’s affairs?”

Ning Yi looked at her for a few seconds: “If I said yes, would you believe it?”

“Then my husband was born with knowledge, and Tan'er’s experience over the years would be completely useless…”

Su Tan'er wrinkled her nose and smiled brightly. Obviously, she had already found the answer. On this point, she was still very confident. This confidence actually had its basis. In fact, for Ning Yi, it wasn’t really that he had guessed correctly. He just happened to coincide with the He family’s ideas because of some fragmented pieces of information. Since Su Tan'er thought that way, Ning Yi naturally didn't need to explain anything.

“My husband is an odd person,” she concluded.

“So is my wife, right?”

“Hehe.” Su Tan'er smiled happily. “Tan'er is relieved.”

The snow fell silently, stretching across the entire Jiangning City. In this myriad of noisy human world, this laughter was like a warm yellow window quietly opened in some corner, gently nestled in this world.

Winter of the seventh year of Jinghan in the Wu Dynasty. Time seemed like an eternal painting, a scene of warmth and peace in the heavy snow.

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

The courtyard where Song Mao lived.

The lights in the room flickered, and the light and shadows swayed slightly on the window lattice. The young man had already come in and paid his respects. On one side of the room, a middle-aged man with a dignified and upright appearance sat at the table, writing while chatting casually with the other party. As for what he was saying, he was afraid that not a single word had entered his heart.

Su Wenxing did not dare to question his uncle about Ning Yi. At this time, he could only say something, hoping that his uncle would give him an answer sometime.

I don’t know how long it took before a bell rang from afar. Song Mao put down his brush, raised his head, and pressed down the rice paper.

“This post is not finished yet, so I’ll write it after I come back.” He stood up with a smile, turned to look at his absent-minded nephew, then walked over and was silent for a long time: “Wenxing, how difficult do you think it is to defeat your cousin Tan'er and take over the Su family?”

Su Wenxing’s mind was originally on Ning Yi, but when he heard this question, he seriously thought about it: "I dare not deceive my uncle. Cousin Tan'er, she… is indeed outstanding in her ability. If she really takes charge of the main house, nephew… has no confidence at all…"

It was a little difficult to say these words, but honesty was obviously the most important thing in front of his uncle. After Su Wenxing finished speaking, Song Mao shook his head and patted him on the shoulder: “You think too much. There is one thing you must never forget. Your cousin Tan'er, she is just a woman.”

"I… I understand, but what she does is really…"

“Why do you always want to defeat her?” Song Mao smiled. “The Su family is always run by the old patriarch now. Even if the old patriarch passes away, there are still the old patriarch’s brothers. Even if it’s a collateral branch, they have the right to speak. You have to think, if Su Tan'er really takes charge of the Su family, when she is truly on her own, the pressure she receives from the outside world because of her female identity will be the greatest. The old patriarch gives her a chance and lets her manage things now, but after all, she is still under the protection of your uncle. What do you think is greater: the pressure she receives in the Su family, or the pressure she will receive from the outside world when she takes charge of the Su family in the future?”

Su Wenxing was confused: “Uncle is saying…”

“Heh, you… your ability doesn’t need to surpass her, and you don’t need to defeat her in the business world. As long as she can’t safely take over the Su family, swallow your second and third branches, or directly overwhelm your second and third branches, that will be breaking the game. In the final analysis, she is just a woman. Her ability has to be dozens of times higher than yours to do what you can do, and you only need to maintain the status quo. If her ability can’t take down the second and third branches, and only maintains the main house, then the old patriarch will never hand over this family to her, because as a woman, she can’t bear the burden of the Su family with just that. Wenxing, will your second and third branches quietly let her swallow you?”

Su Wenxing had already understood, and was now a little excited: “How… how is that possible? How can we sit still and wait for death!” This was simply a battle that could be won by sitting down.

“Your father understands this principle, and your third uncle also understands it, but they won’t tell you explicitly, for fear that you children will lose your fighting spirit. Now that you know the principle, don’t spread it around. The things you should do, you still have to do them with all your might, understand?” Song Mao patted him on the shoulder. “Let’s go, accompany your uncle to reminisce with your father and mother.”

“Yeah.” Su Wenxing nodded, and was about to follow when he remembered something. “But uncle, what about Ning Yi… He is cousin Tan'er’s husband. To cause trouble for her, wouldn’t this be the best opportunity?”

“This matter…” Song Mao walked to the side, picked up the sobering tea that had already cooled, took a sip, and weighed his words in his mind. A person who could talk and laugh with people like Qin Si Yuan and Kang Xian, regardless of whether he had talent or learning, could he be easily dealt with by a little kid like you? Years of experience in the officialdom allowed him to automatically filter out some things, and he never wanted to say harsh words. But looking back at his nephew’s appearance, and thinking about how there were after all some real feelings over the years, he still sighed.

“This matter… no matter how others do it, I want Wenxing you to stay out of it. Regardless of whether that Ning Yi has talent or learning, you must remember this matter.” He paused and said the one sentence he least wanted to say tonight, “…to avoid humiliating yourself.”

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

At night, there was thunder and lightning, and the entire community was struck out. I almost ran to the internet cafe, but fortunately the electricity came back later, and I finally rushed out this chapter. By the way, before the power went out, I had a super cool action. When the first lightning struck outside, I decisively clicked the save button on Word, and three seconds later, everything went dark. Sure enough, I’ve been accumulating enough RP recently, and sincerity can predict the future. This little monk is about to attain enlightenment and become a veritable Banana Great Demon King ^_^

Considering how difficult this chapter was to come out, please actively vote for Sanjiang and recommend it. Thank you everyone ^_^

Also: Thanks to the support of classmate Canghai Guhong 5779, the first leader of our *Uxorilocal Son-in-law*, has appeared.

(Volume 1, *Jiangning Morning Wind*, End)

Support (Complete Book God Station) to share this site with those little friends who need it! Please leave a message if you can't find a book!