nucmednet Chapter 178 An Susu's Man
Chapter 178 An Susu's Man
Hearing An Susu say this, Si Muyan's heart tightened.
In her era of gender equality, she didn't believe in love, and in this era where men are king, she believes even less. She feels that sincerity is probably the least important thing in the world, and that was the case with An Susu in the past.
"Is he a scholar? Then he..."
An Susu held her hand. "Sister Yan, I know you're worried about me, afraid that I'll finally escape the wolf's den and fall into the tiger's den again. But I've been confused for so many years, and I've already been married before. I also understand that things in the world don't always go as we wish. I want to live the rest of my life as freely as I can. He... is very good. If he continues to be this good, of course I'm willing to continue with him. If not, I won't let myself down."
Si Muyan felt relieved.
In the past, An Susu had no idea that the An family would always stand behind her, and that her father, whom she feared, would use all his strength to protect her. Now that she knew, she was no longer afraid.
Si Muyan came to this inexplicable ancient times and did not dare to act arbitrarily because she had no confidence or backing. She could only work hard to make money so that she and her family would not be stuck in the mud.
An Susu is different, she has the capital to try and make mistakes.
An Susu continued, "Yinlang is one year younger than me. His father had originally passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, but he met with danger on his way back to the capital and died. He and his mother were left alone and driven out of the clan. My parents happened to rescue him, and that's how he was able to continue his studies. His mother died of illness a few years ago, and he said he had grown up, so he said goodbye to my father and went to Fenghuang County. Unexpectedly..."
"If you think he's a good person, then it's fine to be together." Si Muyan said, "But you can't judge a person by his appearance, so you have to be careful."
An Susu nodded. "I also thought about it for many days before I agreed. He...he came to propose marriage after he passed the imperial examination, which shows that he is quite sincere. He will take the provincial examination in the second half of the year. In addition...he hopes to marry me before he takes the exam to avoid any complications."
This scholar, a seal print scholar, was a sensible man. Passing the provincial examination would make him a juren, and he would be addressed as a master. By then, there would be so many people proposing marriage that they would break down the door. Fearing that An Susu would feel insecure, he decided to propose marriage now.
"I'm getting married for the second time, so I don't want a big wedding. And after he passed the imperial examination, his clan members came looking for him, but he beat them back. Without clan members, the wedding wouldn't be a big one, but that's what we both agree on."
After talking for a while, Si Muyan heard from An Susu that her fiancé was a good person, so she didn't say anything more.
An Susu pulled Si Muyan aside and said, "By the way, a famous gentleman came to Fenghuang County today and held a lotus banquet on the outskirts of the city. He was invited to come as well. If Sister Yan is free, would you be willing to accompany me to see him?"
This kind of banquet held by scholars and poets usually involves writing poems and painting, which Si Muyan is not interested in. Seeing An Susu's expectant look, she did not refuse.
On the way, Si Muyan had almost figured out the situation. This gentleman, known as Dongli Jushi, was a brilliant scholar, admired by many talented scholars. It was said that he had achieved the highest score in the imperial examination at the tender age of twenty, and possessed the potential to become a prime minister. However, after three years in office, he resigned and refused to return to the government, devoting his vast literary talent to the natural world.
He never married and had no children in his life, but he had female confidantes everywhere. His poems and paintings were praised by the world, so his reputation was also very good.
What made him most admired by students was that more than ten years ago, he temporarily resided in a certain place and taught a group of students. All of them passed the imperial examination that year. After that, he traveled to many places, and it was said that those who could receive his guidance were all very lucky.
So this time, the news that Mr. Dongli was coming to Fenghuang County spread like wildfire, and students from many surrounding counties came to get his guidance.
The lotus banquet was also very lively.
Of course, ordinary people can only watch the excitement from the outside. It is not easy to get close to Mr. Dongli. Moreover, only those who are invited can sit at the table and drink with Mr. Dongli.
Those places that the students couldn't get, An Susu and Si Muyan couldn't get them either. Fortunately, this place was cleverly designed. In addition to the lotus banquet on the waterside pavilion, there were steps nearby, and on the steps there was a circle of tea tables. Wealthy guests would sit here and watch the lotus banquet from a distance.
An Susu had already paid the money, and the two of them watched the lotus banquet at the tea table.
"Look, the man at the end of the banquet, wearing a blue suit, is Yin Lang." An Susu shyly told Si Muyan while pulling her handkerchief.
Si Muyan looked over, but from such a distance, she couldn't see clearly. But he was a straight-set man, not the delicate and romantic look of a typical scholar. He looked more like a warrior, and his every move had a reckless air.
His clothes were ordinary. The An family was wealthy and powerful, so although they didn't have the best of everything, they were pretty close. This Yin Lang was only wearing ordinary linen clothes, but fortunately they weren't too old, so they didn't look out of place.
Si Muyan nodded secretly. For such an occasion, he didn't ask An Susu to buy him clothes just to show off, which showed that he was not vain. In addition, his clothes were not shabby, which showed that his mentality was also good. He was not like many poor but talented people who were both inferior and arrogant.
After another glance, he found that although Mr. Dongli was over fifty years old, he did not look old at all and had a refined temperament.
Si Muyan really likes this type of scholars. Although many of them are hypocritical, she doesn't fall in love with them, so she doesn't care what they are like inside.
"This Dongli hermit is much more handsome than I imagined."
As she spoke, a familiar man at the tea table next to her took over the conversation: "Young lady, I'm afraid you don't know that back then, Mr. Dongli refused to enter the officialdom. A big part of the reason was that he was so handsome that the daughter of a high-ranking official took a fancy to him and wanted him to be her husband. He refused to agree and offended her, which is why he couldn't become an official."
The man's companion laughed, "Master Dongli is like a banished immortal. Even Miss Fengxian from Lingnan City is his confidant."
"How can you be so rude when there are women here?" Zilaishu scolded, picked up a fan and fanned himself, then smiled at Si Muyan, "Look at these two girls, they don't look like people who like poetry and books. I'm afraid you are here to see Master Dongli today? Do you have any family members at the table?"
He was so open and generous that Si Muyan didn't feel restrained and said with a smile, "My brother-in-law is at the table."
The familiar man smiled in surprise, "Your brother-in-law is truly amazing. Only those who can sit at the table are talented. Otherwise, they wouldn't be in the eyes of Master Dongli!"
Si Muyan nodded: "I see, we didn't know this before."
Zilaishu pointed at the person on Dongli Jushi's left and said, "Look at that one! He was originally just an ordinary teacher in the village school, but his talent was noticed by Dongli Jushi, so he was treated as a distinguished guest and was allowed to sit on his left!"