Chapter 8, Hu Yan Lei Feng

In front of the old man from the Qin family, one can occasionally express some relatively avant-garde ideas, even if they are somewhat unconventional; it does not matter. This old man has held an official position, possesses insight, and is capable of thoughtful consideration, not overly concerned with trivialities. They are merely chess friends, with no vested interests involved. As the old man said, having married into a merchant family, it is quite difficult to rise in terms of fame and status. The saying that a gentleman's friendship is as insipid as water may well describe this situation; he would not harm himself. Throughout the time spent playing chess, while the old man has been contemplating him, has he not also been contemplating the other party?

Then, the window of a room downstairs was pushed open, revealing the busy face of Chan'er inside: "Young master, you don't need to come down, I will bring the water up."

Ning Yi was too lazy to engage in back-and-forth with her. He reached for the kitchen knife, and there was already a bowl prepared on the ground outside the fence. Ning Yi simply walked over, squatted down, grabbed the wings, and then firmly held the struggling hen's head, forcing it to extend its neck. He then gently waved the knife.

This nobleman... this young master... that... gentleman...

The city is shrouded in mist, presenting a scene no different from yesterday. As I approach the place where I emerged from the water yesterday, I hear some sounds coming from the river not far away; it is the direction of something that has fallen into the water. Looking out, I can vaguely see a figure swaying there, seemingly supporting a small boat.

Forget it, let's find someone who can cook to help out, like that aunt who helps you find your chicken or something. It's not easy to kill a chicken, so don't waste it. Also, go see a doctor; you might have a cold... I have a cold too. I'm leaving now, no need to thank me; I'm a living Lei Feng... Ah-choo

Ning Yi was just about to leave when he sneezed. The woman on the boat also sneezed and fell back into the small boat with a thud. When she got up, she looked over here with some embarrassment. Ning Yi, feeling a bit awkward, curled his lips and said: "The chickens are already drowned, what are you still trying to fish that knife for..."

He turned around, jogged away, and disappeared into the distance. The woman behind him watched him leave and only then slightly reacted, furrowing her brows: "Live... Lei... Feng? Live? Or Hu? Hu Lei Feng... How strange..." After all, there is no one with the surname 'Live' in this world. As for 'Hu', there are indeed some. The woman pondered quietly for a while, thinking that the other person might be from a minority ethnic group, or perhaps his surname was Hu Yan, which would make him Hu Yan Lei Feng. That name sounds a bit imposing; perhaps that is it.

The Su family has a large kitchen; therefore, there are no separate kitchens for cooking in these two small buildings. However, there is a place for heating water and washing up in the small room downstairs, as in winter, if one wishes to take a bath with a bit of care, a fire is lit under the bath tub, making it inconvenient to set the bathroom upstairs. Currently, Xiao Chan has adapted to Ning Yi's habit of exercising early in the morning and plans to carry hot water upstairs. Ning Yi, on the other hand, has already come down. As a modern person, he is not particular about such details; it is no trouble for him to boil water himself. A few days ago, when he got up early in the morning and ran down to wait for the water to boil, he idly squatted by the stove adding firewood, which left Xiao Chan somewhat at a loss. During mealtime, Su Tan'er tactfully said, "My husband, please do not do such things." Xiao Chan, feeling as if she had done something wrong, lowered her head beside him, while he merely smiled and said it was no bother.

Yesterday, the woman chased the chicken into the river, and soon after, Ning Yi was pulled in as well, missing the subsequent events. It seems that the chicken was quite remarkable, flapping around and surprisingly managing to come back up. The local customs are rather simple; upon realizing she had lost her chicken, they even returned it to her. Ning Yi marveled at this in his heart, and after a moment, he said: "Could you pass me that pole?"

That morning, during class at Yushan Academy, the discomfort in his body had intensified. After finishing the class, he vomited once on the way home, confirming the deterioration of his condition. This time, Xiaochan was by his side, so upon returning home, he was treated like a seriously ill patient and was taken upstairs to be protected in bed.

The small boat rocked violently, and the woman cautiously climbed up, gently supporting herself against the side of the boat. As she lifted her head, her hair was slightly disheveled, and she caught a glimpse of a man by the riverbank who was watching the performance with a sideways glance. Her eyes widened in an instant, and she appeared somewhat flustered. It was then that Ning Yi clearly saw that one end of the long bamboo pole was tied with a net bag, which still contained some mud and sand. After the woman carefully stood up, she held a kitchen knife in her hand.

No need to trouble yourself, I can just go to www.hetushu.com myself

Regarding his current physical condition, Ning Yi did not possess much confidence. However, after exercising for a few months, it was normal to feel a bit dizzy upon waking in the morning. He opened the door to let in some fresh air, and soon his mind became clear.

In the two-story building across, warm yellow lights streamed through the window panes, casting a layer of warmth over the courtyard. The three young maidservants were accustomed to rising early, while Su Tan'er would sometimes wake up early and sometimes late. However, it seemed she had already gotten up this morning, as a silhouette of a woman could be seen in the second-floor window, grooming herself in front of a mirror, with the young maidservants bustling about. As Ning Yi stepped down the stairs, Juan'er was just passing through the corridor towards the small building, slightly bending her knees in a gesture of respect, softly greeting, "Young Master, you are up." The three young maidservants were accustomed to rising early, while Su Tan'er would sometimes wake up early and sometimes late. However, it seemed she had already gotten up this morning, as a silhouette of a woman could be seen in the second-floor window, grooming herself in front of a mirror, with the young maidservants bustling about. As Ning Yi stepped down the stairs, Juan'er was just passing through the corridor towards the small building, slightly bending her knees in a gesture of respect, softly greeting, "Young Master, you are up."

Uh ... ...

This path has been traversed many times. Upon reaching the designated place and turning back, I finally discovered the woman's residence halfway through. It is a quaint two-story building by the river, with a small terrace extending out over the water, exuding a certain elegance of living above the water. However, in terms of practicality as a residence, it may be somewhat inadequate, especially in winter when it is likely to be quite cold. At this moment, the woman is standing beside a small vegetable garden outside the building, which is enclosed by a fence. The hen she chased yesterday is now inside the fence. Holding a kitchen knife, she hesitates for a long time before finally stepping in to grab the hen. The hen flaps and struggles wildly in resistance, prompting her to awkwardly retreat and hurriedly close the fence.

Gentleman, has the hot water boiled?

The woman was not entirely oblivious to right and wrong. After reaching the shore, she immediately apologized, also expressing her regrets to Ning Yi for the events of the previous day. She had been saved in the morning but had slapped someone, likely feeling embarrassed about it. Ning Yi, however, did not pay much attention to this; he waved his hand and said, "It's fine, it's fine. I still have to keep running, so I'll be on my way."

Upon leaving the courtyard of the Su family, he continued to jog along the original path. Along the way, he contemplated what to say during class today and recalled some traditional Chinese songs he knew. Some of the songs he could no longer remember completely, perhaps they did not align with the literary style of this era. However, entertainment has become exceedingly scarce these days. He thought that in a while, he might forget even more, which made him feel it was indeed necessary to transcribe the lyrics of the songs he still remembered. After pondering for a while, he also thought about poetry. He had not been a good student during his school years and had not deliberately memorized many poems. However, over the following decades, he had explored a wide range of literature and still remembered quite a few famous lines. This was a valuable resource, and it would be a pity to forget them in the future.

Good

Ning Yi ran over while watching, and the woman went in once more. This time, she had already caught the hen, but as she turned around, the hen struggled and escaped, feathers flying everywhere. In her panic, the hen had already flown out of the fence, and Ning Yi, unable to stand by, quickly grabbed it in his hands. This time, both wings were tightly held, making escape impossible. When the woman saw it was Ning Yi again, she was momentarily stunned, likely about to express her gratitude or apologize. Ning Yi extended his hand and said, "Hand me the knife"

Turning around, he sneezed again, ignoring the strange question from the woman behind him, "Are you being pursued, young master?" and continued to run away. Both repaying kindness and seeking revenge are troublesome matters. Not to mention the practicalities, one has to endure a lengthy exchange of gratitude, and the etiquette between men and women is also complicated. Why bother? He was currently suffering from a cold, and it was more practical to run and work up a sweat.

The small boat was a certain distance from the shore. The long pole could originally reach it, but to lift it horizontally, the woman's strength was insufficient. The leverage also posed some danger to the small boat. After several attempts, one end of the long pole reached the shore, yet it remained submerged in the water, out of Ning Yi's reach. He had no choice but to walk upstream for a while before finding another bamboo pole by the roadside. He then extended it from the shore and finally managed to pull both the woman and the boat over.

Since friends can be made, it doesn't matter. Occasionally, if I express a few advanced insights and see the other person deep in thought, it actually satisfies my vanity. For him, it's merely idle chatter; in fact, these insights are not absent at present, just articulated differently. If it were truly sensitive matters, he naturally would not touch upon them.

Ning Yi spoke no further, swiftly slicing the hen's throat, and began to collect the blood into a bowl. Once the blood had drained steadily, the hen showed little struggle. He then tossed the hen to the ground, placed the knife on the bowl, and stood up.

Take the kitchen, go to hetushu.com, use hot water to remove the hair, then cut it open and rinse the internal organs. By the way, how should it be cooked to make a dish, do you know

The chicken has returned

There is no need to deliberately flaunt one's uniqueness, as that is truly a taboo; he would not engage in such behavior. However, it is also unnecessary to intentionally suppress oneself to the point of becoming a "person of antiquity"; otherwise, what vigor would there be in living this life here

Thank you, young sir... As for yesterday's matter, I had just awakened at that time and had done some...

Oh.

The cloak is beautiful, but somewhat old. This woman is not a good swimmer, yet she might be able to row a little. Surprisingly, she waited until morning when no one was around to come and retrieve this kitchen knife. Is she shy? It seems that she is likely a girl who has had a relatively good living environment in the past, but the current situation is rather unfavorable. Ning Yi observed her a few times and reached this conclusion. He was not particularly concerned about others, yet the woman appeared somewhat flustered. Using a bamboo pole to support the boat, she attempted to approach the shore, but perhaps due to her anxiety, the small boat kept spinning on the water. She also seemed unsteady, nearly falling several times. ... Subsequently ... Ning Yi observed her a few times and reached this conclusion. He was not particularly concerned about others, yet the woman appeared somewhat flustered. Using a bamboo pole to support the boat, she attempted to approach the shore, but perhaps due to her anxiety, the small boat kept spinning on the water. She also seemed unsteady, nearly falling several times. ... Subsequently ...

At this moment, the sky had not yet brightened, and the entire Jiangning city was shrouded in a dark canopy. However, dawn was approaching, and from the second floor, one could see, including the Su family's residence, flickering lights appearing in the distant and nearby parts of the city. In the nearby courtyards, early-rising servants were moving about, with faint sounds of conversation. Further away, beyond the courtyard walls, streets immersed in dark outlines and the hazy lights of houses could be seen.

Oh, it was indeed that one from yesterday

He slowed his pace and approached with curiosity. The small boat rocked violently on the water, and a woman's figure stood on it, propping up a long bamboo pole. She seemed unsteady, swaying for a long time under Ning Yi's watchful gaze, before suddenly falling back into the boat with a thud. It was unclear whether she was the same woman from yesterday morning, but today she was wrapped in a pink cloak, tall and graceful, quite beautiful, though her fall and the way she climbed back into the small boat somewhat marred her elegance.

A slight silence

Good morning, Juaner

Brushing teeth and washing face downstairs—by this time, there was already a toothbrush and toothpaste, but the taste was indeed poor—then I left the courtyard, taking a path to the side gate. On the way, the roosters had already begun to crow, and a faint white light was appearing in the east. Occasionally, I would encounter other maids or stewards from the neighboring courtyards, who would greet me with "Young Master" and exchange pleasantries

If everyone truly intends to be together for many years—if there is indeed a possibility of becoming a couple—then in these small matters, rather than restraining oneself, it is better to allow the other person to gradually adapt and understand. Therefore, in many trivial aspects, they will express themselves, and they will not mind occasionally stepping into the kitchen to cook. Thus, they will share stories and experiences with a group of students in class, and this will not change. Occasionally incorporating a few modern terms that others may not fully understand into their speech is also not something to be overly concerned about. Therefore, they will share stories and experiences with a group of students in class, and this will not change. Occasionally incorporating a few modern terms that others may not fully understand into their speech is also not something to be overly concerned about

The chicken is not dead; it was returned by the aunt of the Chen family. The other party provided an explanation

After running a little over half, I truly felt that my body had some issues. Ultimately, yesterday's fall into the water did have adverse effects. However, since I was already active, perhaps running for a while and breaking a sweat would serve as a good remedy, so I continued on my way

Ning Yi had originally spoken casually. To be honest, it was quite a clumsy joke. However, he misjudged the other person's response. After hearing the voice from the center of the river, Ning Yi was somewhat unexpectedly taken aback.

The experience of living as a patient upon first arriving here will likely take another day or two to fully comprehend

In the past, she could be considered quite adept at socializing and had a good understanding of people. However, the man she encountered only revealed his own embarrassing side, and his behavior and speech were peculiar, making her usual responses somewhat ineffective. After thinking for a while, she realized that Ning Yi had already escaped, so she reluctantly picked up the old hen and carried the bowl filled with chicken blood towards the kitchen

The woman hesitated

It can now be confirmed that the woman indeed has not engaged in any work, but her circumstances are not favorable. Living in such a small building, she is likely associated with the infamous entertainment industry along the Qinhuai River, possibly as a courtesan. Some renowned courtesans, after redeeming themselves, choose to operate independently or settle in a unique courtyard, claiming to have reformed. In reality, they continue to receive patrons, remaining popular socialites. Once free from the control of others, they may even appear to be of a much higher status. Despite her beautiful appearance, it is puzzling how she has fallen to the extent of having to kill chickens herself.

Achoo

Scared?

... ... is burning