Chapter Twenty-Three Reunion

  The next day, he spent another whole day in the Apricot Grove Garden. When he returned home, Madam Yu merely said: "It's fortunate that you still know how to come back. From three years ago when you entered the Apricot Grove Garden, from morning till night, your shadow was nowhere to be seen. These two days are even more excessive. Look at what time it is! Your father is working hard in his study room, and he can't compare with your diligence."

  Just as he finished speaking, Ning Shibei came out of the house with Xuan Ge'er riding on his neck. He smiled and said: "What are you plotting against me again? I'm almost becoming a fool by writing eight-part essays. What else is there for you to plot that's worth my attention?"

  Aunt Lan cried out in surprise, hastily stepped forward and took Xuan Ge down, scolding: "You're also too indulgent with him, what's the meaning of this? If someone sees it, not only will you be ridiculed, but it won't be good for Xuan Ge either." After finishing, she said to Xuan Ge again: "If you dare to be so reckless again, I'll really hit you."

  As they spoke, the family finished dinner. Madame Yu then said to Ning Shibao: "Master has been working hard these days, I know that too, but there are some things you should pay attention to, our daughter is about to go to clan school, and I have prepared ordinary things like pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, but the qin still needs your careful selection, this matter no one in the household is better than Master at it, why don't you go select one tomorrow when you go out?"

  Ning Shi Bo said in surprise: "Really? Xiaoyao is going to the clan school? How come I don't know?"

  Yu's wife smiled and shook her head, saying: "Nowadays, apart from studying, what else do you know? Alas! It can be said that I have finally put my mind at ease. Who knows who Xie Yao followed, why she likes to play with those medicinal materials? I was worried that she would get into that path and couldn't get out. Now it's good, the old lady is kind, letting the sisters go to school together. It seems that they have also given up on that side. Otherwise, a good girl like her, if word gets out, will only be known for being skilled at playing with medicinal materials, what kind of talk is this?"

  Ning Shibuo smiled and persuaded his wife a couple of times, then packed up the matter of buying a piano and had his good friend Tan Cheng personally go select a good one, only then was Madame Yu satisfied and stopped nagging.

  On the second day, Ning Xianyue stood in front of Jiang Lao Taikun and finished her etiquette, then she and her sisters chattered excitedly as they accompanied each other to the clan school. Ning Xianyue walked beside Ning Xianbi, smiling and saying: "Sixth sister, you've been at Xinglin Garden for three years, I'm surprised you could bear it. You must have found it boring listening to Third Master's lectures on medicinal herbs just to please Old Lady Jiang. But you actually listened attentively and didn't even care about us. Now that we're finally together again, you should spend more time with us in the future. By the way, how did you encounter the Grand Princess's carriage that day? And what startled the horse?"

  Ning Xianbi knew that Ning Xianyue had been enthusiastic about Shen Qianshan since she got to know him, but she didn't expect that it was from this time on that she began to take an interest. Because of Dandan's casual mention of a couple of sentences, Ning Xianyue seemed somewhat dissatisfied, and the other girls also shouted that it was too simple, wanting her to elaborate, which made her involuntarily smile wryly in her heart.

  Because these sisters all lost to Bai Cai Zhi in the end, Ning Fenbi didn't want her sisters to be too enthusiastic about Shen Qianshan. However, it seems that things don't develop according to her wishes. Thinking back to the sisters' later disputes, she couldn't help but feel disheartened. She thought to herself, "Since everyone likes to listen, I might as well promote him properly. When he's surrounded by so many girls, he probably won't notice me anymore." This was perfect; they wanted to know, and it wasn't like she forced them to listen.

  Thinking of this, she composed her face and said in a low voice: "Since you all want to hear it, I'll tell you, but we must agree not to mention it in front of grandmother. After all, we're girls, even if we're young, talking about other boys behind their backs is no good thing. If you leak this out, and there's any news from Third Grandfather later on, I won't be able to tell you."

  The girls immediately became spirited, and they all agreed to come. Ning Fengbi added fuel to the fire, describing Shen Qianshan's heroic appearance that day in vivid detail. The several girls listened with amazement, their faces filled with admiration.

  The morning lesson was to teach reading and writing, because it was an enlightenment class, so naturally only the "Three Character Classic" could be taught. The girls had already been enlightened by their mothers at the age of three or four, let alone Ning Fenbi. However, the teacher read with enthusiasm, shaking his head and nodding, and they could only listen patiently. After that, he asked a few girls to recite a few sentences, and the teacher was very satisfied. Seeing that the sun had reached its peak, he let them go back.

  Old Master Ning went to the residence of Princess Chang again today. Ning Xianbi was in the Apricot Forest Garden, shaping the dried medicinal mud into pills. This task was extremely simple for her, but she had to pretend to be clumsy, so she kept reshaping them until they were perfectly round. The little maid Yuer watched from the side, gasping in amazement and shaking her head: "My lady, you're not afraid of hardship! After shaping these pills, how will you eat your meals?"

  As soon as the words fell, the sound of footsteps was heard in the courtyard. Yu'er exclaimed with joy: "I think Third Master has returned." She went out to welcome him, but turned around and ran back in, her small face flushing red as she whispered: "There's... there's a young gentleman I don't know..."

  Ning Xianbi's heart sank, and indeed, Ning Derong lifted the curtain and came in, followed by Shen Qianshan. Seeing Ning Xianbi making pills, the old man couldn't help but exclaim: "My heavens, you little girl, who allowed you to move? You've only been taught some basics, haven't even seen me work, yet you dare to take action... Heavens! What is this thing you're making? Is it a medicinal pill? So you're using the old man's medicinal mud to play with making mud people?"

  Ning Fibiao didn't expect Shen Qianshan to follow her, and now being scolded by Ning Derong, she felt her face turning red. She was the most unwilling to lose face in front of Shen Qianshan, so she quietly retorted: "What's the matter? It's just a pig, isn't it? You didn't come back, I was bored myself. Look, I haven't wasted the rest, these few are still good, aren't they?"

  Ning De Rong looked at the few pills and indeed, they were not bad. He couldn't help but sigh and resignedly said: "Forget it, forget it, with your half-bottle of water skills, being able to form them like this is already good enough, it's all thanks to heaven's blessing." After speaking, he suddenly remembered Shen Qian Shan and slapped his forehead, saying: "Look at my memory, young master please wait a moment, I'll go get the medicine."

  "Ha ha, I've told you countless times, just call me Qian Shan, you have great kindness towards our Wang Fu, even my father and uncle are very respectful to you, how dare I be called young master by you?" After finishing, he leaned in close to Ning Fengbi, looking at the few medicine pills and laughing: "These aren't even round, it seems that Mr. Ning doesn't know how many things have been ruined by you, this is already a blessing from heaven."

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