Film and Television World Life Record

The Su family did the same, starting preparations for the Qingming Festival, and the entire mansion suddenly became much more lively.

Li Mu remained as leisurely as ever. If a man who married into the family did not change his surname, he could not enter the ancestral hall and did not even have to participate in ancestral worship, which was quite good for him.

However, for people of this era, not being included in the ancestral hall meant being disregarded. But who in the Su family dared to ignore Li Mu? According to Xiao Chan, the elders of the Su family discussed whether to find a way to allow Li Mu to participate in the ancestral worship, but they couldn't come up with a solution. After all, the clan rules were in place, and everyone was very troubled. Li Mu remained silent, and that was all that could be done.

And so, time flew by, and Qingming Festival arrived. Li Mu, with Xiao Chan, returned to the old house. As for Su Tan'er, she had to participate in the ancestral worship ceremony and could only go later.

Chapter 624 Old Neighbor

On the way to the old house, the maid Xiao Chan kept chattering to Li Mu about the gossip in Jiangning City: "Young master, have you heard?"

Li Mu asked curiously, "What did you hear?"

The little girl said excitedly, "Recently, a famous courtesan named Li Shishi came to Jiangning. I heard she is the number one courtesan in the capital, and she is very famous, even more so than the famous courtesan Qilan! Many talented men in the capital have written poems for her."

"It is said that several talented men from the capital accompanied her this time, including Zhou Bangyan, the foremost of the four great talents of the capital. He is said to be very powerful, and it is said that they came here to challenge the most beautiful courtesan and the most talented men in Jiangning."

Li Mu laughed and said, "Is that so!"

The young girl nodded vigorously: "Yes! Young master, if Jiangning can't beat them, will you participate?" Her eyes held a hint of hope.

Li Mu smiled helplessly: "Why is the little girl worrying so much? We'll talk about it later."

Xiao Chan could only nod, still hoping that if Jiang Ning lost, her son-in-law could step in and turn the tide, how impressive that would be.

However, Li Mu may have disappointed her.

These past few days, the news of Li Shishi visiting friends in Jiangning has indeed been quite a hot topic, even overshadowing the assassination of Qin Siyuan by the Liao people.

Now, this matter has unexpectedly become a challenge to Jiangning by Li Shishi, representing the most beautiful courtesan in the capital, and Zhou Bangyan, representing the most talented literati in the capital.

After all, scholars, talented men and beautiful women... who doesn't like this kind of thing, who doesn't like to join in the fun?

Now, many literati in Jiangning have taken action, urging Qilan, Luo Miaomiao, and others to prepare a performance in those few days and invite Li Shishi over for a contest.

While people over there are still unaware of what's going on, this matter has already become a hot topic here.

Although it's unclear who's behind this hype and instigation, the Puyang family is likely involved. After all, Qilan represents the Puyang family, and even if she loses to Li Shishi, she'll still garner sympathy as she's representing Jiangning. Besides, Li Shishi is the top courtesan in the capital; losing is perfectly normal. Even if word gets out, the fact that she can compete with the capital's number one courtesan will still earn her respect.

If they win, the benefits will be even greater. Even the top courtesan in the capital can't compare to Qi Lan. How powerful must she be? She might even be able to claim the title of the top courtesan in the Wu Kingdom.

The carriage moved quickly, and the two chatted all the way until they arrived at the Ning family's former residence.

This former residence is located in a hutong in the north of Jiangning City. It is not a large place, with several main rooms, several side rooms, and a small courtyard.

The Ning family used to be considered a prominent family, but that goes back to Ning Yi's grandfather, or even further back.

Grandpa Ning's family was quite well-off, and he was a traditional scholar who had even achieved minor official rank. At that time, the Su family was far smaller than it is now, which is why Grandpa Ning was able to befriend him. Back then, Su Yu, being a businessman, was probably the one who was climbing the social ladder. However, as the Su family's business grew, the Ning family gradually declined, and the gap between them widened.

To be honest, Ning Yi's father did enjoy a few days of luxury when he was young, but he was the kind of spendthrift scholar.

Ning Yi's parents passed away too early. Based on his limited childhood memories, Ning Yi's grandfather left behind some wealth, at least the ancestral home was still there. However, Ning's father was a typical spendthrift. Despite the family's decline, he still developed the characteristics of a spoiled brat. He was ambitious but incompetent, spending money extravagantly. Although he was a scholar, he had no knowledge and never achieved any official rank in his life.

In this way, the Ning family, which originally had some wealth, was quickly squandered by him. The Ning family's ancestral home was not here; it had been sold by Ning's father, and they moved to this alley, where their lives plummeted from then on.

In his youth, Ning's father indulged in a life of debauchery, squandering the family fortune. Unable to bear the loss, he became depressed and unhappy. However, Ning's father had some education, though he lacked true learning, and he held himself in high esteem.

Tormented both physically and mentally, he met an untimely death.

Ning Yi was rather unlucky. He had lived here since he could remember, and his family fortune had long been squandered by his father. He hadn't had a single day off in a long time.

He didn't seem very bright when he was young, but his father, who considered himself a scholar, couldn't bear to let his son be illiterate, so he sent him to a private school from a young age.

He simply didn't have a good life growing up, so he naturally didn't develop the arrogance and integrity of a scholar; otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to marry into the Su family.

Li Mu and Xiao Chan unlocked the door and entered the courtyard. Apart from some fallen leaves, it was quite clean. It didn't have the desolate feeling that comes from a yard that had been abandoned for a long time and was full of weeds.

This was all thanks to Su Tan'er, who knew this was his old residence and would arrange for maids and servants to come and tidy it up every month or two, clearing weeds and sweeping up dead leaves.

Li Mu walked around the yard, and Xiao Chan, with a headscarf wrapped around her head and a rag and broom in her hand, had already started cleaning inside and out.

Upon entering the room, Li Mu glanced around casually and, based on his memory, pulled out an old wooden box from under the bed.

I opened it and took a look. There wasn't much inside, just some trinkets or childhood toys. They looked tattered and worn, like junk, but they did have some sentimental value.

Li Mu rummaged through it and, sure enough, found a few small pieces of loose silver and more than a hundred copper coins, which he had deliberately hidden away for emergencies.

There were also some old books in the box, including a scroll of the Thousand Character Classic with annotations, probably from when I was a child.

After rummaging through the small box, with nothing to do for a while, Li Mu found a rag and was about to wipe the table when Xiao Chan hurriedly stopped him and snatched the rag from his hand.

“Young master, how could you do this kind of work! You can leave these to Xiao Chan. If you feel free, you can go around or talk to some acquaintances or friends.”

Li Mu smiled helplessly: "Alright!"

Early spring is a season of fluctuating temperatures, but today the sun shines brightly, its warm rays bathing the courtyard and the surrounding bluestone alley.

Standing in the courtyard for a while, Li Mu, holding the Thousand Character Classic he had read as a child, idly walked out of the gate into the alley. He looked around; rows of courtyards and houses stood side by side, with a few old trees dotting the black tiles and green walls. Although he had been quiet and a bookworm as a child, he still remembered some of his neighbors.

However, the alley was quiet at this moment, and there was no one around. He was too lazy to socialize. He sat down quietly on the stone bench by the door, aimlessly flipping through the Thousand Character Classic in his hand, wondering what to do to pass the time, when suddenly he saw a man and a woman walking into the alley.

Although they were described as a man and a woman, they were actually dressed as men.

The woman had an oval face, a pointed chin, and a cherry-like mouth. She wore a white scholar's robe. Although she was dressed as a man, she was easily recognizable as a woman, and her appearance was extraordinary, even stunning.

"Could this be Li..." Li Mu wondered to himself.

Over there, a man and a woman were walking and stopping in the alley, pointing at the small courtyards. Suddenly, the woman saw Li Mu sitting on a blue stone bench, flipping through a tattered book in his hand. She felt that he looked somewhat similar to a figure in her memory, but she was not sure about his temperament and expression.

The woman walked quickly forward, then suddenly stopped, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Young master, is this courtyard in the back your home?"

Li Mu looked up and asked, "Hmm! Who are you?"

The woman smiled, somewhat surprised, and said, "Ah, so you really are Xiao Ning..."

The woman said happily, "My surname is Wang. I lived here for two years when I was a child. You often sat on this stone bench to read back then. My home is over there." She pointed to another rather exquisite courtyard.

When she mentioned it, Li Mu actually remembered it. According to his memory, a rather refined family did live in that courtyard when he was a child. There was a very beautiful little girl. The two often met and spoke, but they weren't very familiar with each other. He didn't even know her name.

They lived there for two or three years, then moved away.

Could it be that the little girl is Li Shishi when she was a child?

At this moment, another figure walked over quickly. It was the man. As he walked, he said, "Brother Wang, why are you walking so fast... And who is this..." He looked at Li Mu as he spoke.

The woman kept him in suspense, then pointed at Li Mu and asked, "Hezhong, do you still recognize this young master?"

The man named Hezhong probably hadn't heard the conversation clearly. He glanced at Li Mu a few times, then looked towards the backyard. Seemingly remembering something, he hesitated for a moment before saying, "Could it be... Little Bookworm... um... what's his name again..."

The woman surnamed Wang frowned slightly: "He is Xiao Ning."

The man suddenly realized, slapped his forehead and said, "Right, her name is Xiao Ning. Look at my memory."

He walked forward with a warm expression, and even patted Li Mu's arm affectionately.

"Xiao Ning, do you still remember me? It's me, Yu Hezhong. I used to live over there. We used to play together a lot when we were kids. I remember we used to make you copy books and memorize texts as punishment because we asked you to come out and play. But later I went to Beijing with my parents. I never thought we would meet again after so many years."

Li Mu did indeed know this Yu Hezhong; they had played together as children. However, just like his nickname "Little Bookworm," he was rather withdrawn as a child, had few friends, and always carried this book around, especially enjoying sitting on the stone bench by the door with a book in his hand. Li Mu's relationship with Yu Hezhong was actually quite ordinary.

He smiled and said, "Yu Hezhong...of course I remember, but you've changed quite a bit over the years."

Yu Hezhong also remarked with emotion, "A lot has happened over the years, and things have indeed changed quite a bit. But Xiao Ning, I remember back then you were... you were still a bookworm, but now your demeanor has completely changed."

The two chatted for a while, and then the woman next to them joined in. The three former neighbors, now reunited after a long separation, were quite emotional.

As the conversation got more interesting, Yu Hezhong began to recount his experiences over the years.

“Xiao Ning, you don’t know, I was just twelve or thirteen years old back then. My father was promoted to a position in the Ministry of Revenue, and I had to go to the capital with him. I was unfamiliar with the place and people, and I made quite a few jokes when I first arrived in the capital.”

"Now that I've lived in Bianjing for so many years, things have gradually gotten better, and I've adapted to life there. But, Xiao Ning, to be honest, the atmosphere in the capital is still different from that in Jiangning. If I have the chance someday, I still want to go to the capital to take a look."

"I'll treat you to a meal then, to show you the hospitality of a good host..."

After talking for a while, Yu Hezhong glanced at the woman beside him and suddenly said, "Actually, the biggest surprise of this trip to the capital was reuniting with Miss Li... and Miss Wang. Speaking of which, Miss Wang is the true host of the capital. When I went to the capital back then, I also received a lot of help from Miss Wang."

After a brief conversation, Yu Hezhong introduced himself. Although he had not passed the imperial examinations, through his father's connections, he had secured a minor official position in the Ministry of Revenue. Although his potential was limited, he was financially secure enough to live comfortably for the rest of his life.

The three chatted and laughed. Yu Hezhong initially spoke with a sense of superiority, after all, he had returned from the capital, already had a government job, and his father was also an official, so it was normal for him to feel superior.

However, Li Mu's clothes were all made of expensive fabrics and were crafted with exquisite skill, something that ordinary people simply couldn't afford. Coupled with his refined demeanor and extraordinary manners, his initial sense of superiority gradually disappeared, and his address changed from "Little Ning" to "Brother Ning."

However, compared to He Zhong's still naivety in interpersonal relationships, this former neighbor girl seemed much more sophisticated.

While Yu Hezhong was talking non-stop, she listened calmly with a smile, occasionally chiming in with a word or two.

What's astonishing is that whenever Yu Hezhong boasts, if it's only about himself, she smiles and nods, adding to the praise. But if it's about Li Mu, and there are lecturing or unpleasant words, her gaze stays elsewhere, showing a slight absent-mindedness, without offering any hint of agreement.

If this subtle control is shown only once or twice, it's not a big deal. But if it can be done perfectly every time, that's truly remarkable.

This cannot be explained simply by good upbringing or even a charming and sophisticated personality. It means that these qualities can only be gradually cultivated through sufficient opportunities and practice.

In this era, women had few opportunities to appear in public. Take Su Tan'er, for example. She was well-mannered, had a good grasp of people's hearts, and was quite adept at social maneuvering. However, she was a bit too sharp and not smooth enough compared to this other woman.

After chatting with his two old neighbors for a while, and seeing that it had been quite a while, the two were about to turn around and leave when Xiao Chan came out curiously: "Young master, who are you talking to?"

The two of them paused for a moment, seemingly not paying much attention to Xiao Chan's form of address.

Yu Hezhong asked, "Brother Ning, could this be my sister-in-law?"

Xiao Chan blushed: "No! I'm just a maid in the house."

Knowing she was a maid, there was no need for a formal introduction. After Xiao Chan greeted her, the group chatted for a few more minutes before taking their leave.

Xiao Chan watched their departing figures with curiosity: "Young Master, who are they?"

Li Mu said, "My former neighbor."