The old man he met when entering the city was just a small episode. After that, Ji Yuan never met any acquaintances while walking through the streets and alleys. This was normal. After all, Ji Yuan didn't like to wander around in Ning'an County. Even if there were people who knew him, most of them were concentrated in Tianniufang.
What surprised Ji Yuan was that when he walked to the small street outside Tianniufang, he found that the Sunji noodle stall, which was rarely absent during festivals, was not open at its old location. Only a large water tank that Sunji usually used for washing noodles was left there alone.
Ji Yuan walked to the water tank and stopped for a moment. He saw that the wooden cover of the tank was intact, the tank was full of water and the water was clear. After a quick calculation, he shook his head and smiled, and did not stay any longer. He walked towards the opposite gate and returned to Tianniufang.
It was morning now. Those who had gone out had already left and it was not time to go home yet. There were not many people walking around in the already quiet Tianniufang. Only when passing by Shuangjingpu could you still see women washing clothes while chatting lively and gossiping about things in and outside the county.
The deeper you go into Tianniufang, the quieter it becomes. From afar you can see the familiar shade of green. As if they have sensed Ji Yuan's return, the branches of the jujube tree are swaying gently in the spiritual breeze.
Walking to the front of the courtyard, Ji Yuan glanced at the plaque of Ju'an Pavilion, then took out the key to unlock it and gently pushed open the door. This time, unlike usual, there was no dust falling.
Just by taking a look at the old scenery in the courtyard, a feeling of being at home naturally came to his heart. Perhaps in this world, only Ju'an Xiaoge can make Ji Yuan have this feeling.
The little paper crane had already flown out of Ji Yuan's arms and began to dance around the jujube tree. The branches of the jujube tree also swayed at a very hierarchical frequency. Ji Yuan watched this scene and sometimes even suspected that the little paper crane and the jujube tree could communicate. It was not the kind of superficial judgment of joy or anger, but they could really "hear" each other's "words".
At this moment, the little paper crane seemed to be telling the jujube tree about the journey, where it and its owner had been, what it had done, and who it had met.
Then Ji Yuan took out the Sword Intent Letter and hung it on the outer wall in front of the main house. Suddenly the courtyard became lively.
“Wow, we’re home!”
"We've arrived at Ju'an Pavilion!" "We're back, we're back!"
"Hurry and count the dates to see if any have been stolen."
"Yes, yes, yes, count quickly, count quickly!"
"Who dares to steal?" "There might be a fool!"
"Set up the formation, start recruiting soldiers!"
"Wait for us!" "Set up the formation!"
Some of the small characters were circling the jujube tree, while others began to line up and form a formation, about to start a new round of "fighting".
Ji Yuan looked for a while, then walked into the room alone, holding a bundle with two other sets of clothes, one blue and one white. Ji Yuan did not put the bundle into his sleeve, but placed it on the table in the room, and then began to tidy up the room. Although there was no dust, he still had to take out the bedding and other things from the cabinet and rearrange them.
…
That afternoon in Ning'an County, Sun Yaya was walking on the streets of Ning'an County with a book in her hand, looking depressed. She looked listless and listless, just wandering aimlessly on the streets. When someone who knew her greeted her on the street, she could only muster up the energy to respond, then hurried away, as if she didn't want to talk to anyone much.
Even so, Sun Yaya, dressed in a peach-pink dress, was outstanding in Ning'an County in terms of both talent and appearance. She naturally attracted attention when walking on the street. From time to time, acquaintances or not-so-acquaintances would come over to say hello, which made her, who was originally looking for peace and quiet, very annoyed.
'Where in Ning'an County is there a quiet place...'
Sun Yaya was lost in thought. As she walked, she involuntarily or naturally walked towards Tianniufang. When she saw the big vat opposite the gate of Tianniufang, she was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses. It turned out that she had arrived at the place where her grandfather used to set up a noodle stall. She turned her head and looked at the opposite side of the water vat. On the old stone door were three big characters "Tianniufang".
"Mr. Ji is not here, and there is nothing to do in Tianniufang..."
Sun Yaya murmured, and finally walked into Tianniufang as if possessed by a ghost. She was looking for some quiet time, and it would be nice to sit in front of Ju'an Pavilion, at least there were fewer people there.
Walking in Tianniufang, Sun Yaya couldn't help but run into acquaintances. There was no way around it. Not to mention that she often came here when she was a child, but also because her grandfather had a stall opposite the square, there must be many people in Tianniufang who knew her. Fortunately, the deeper you go into the square, the quieter it becomes.
Passing Shuangjingpu, crossing the Daluomen, and going through the familiar narrow alley, you can see the Ju'an Pavilion a hundred steps away and the jujube trees that are like a forest of one tree.
What is strange is that although Ju'an Xiaoge is separated from the houses of ordinary people in Tianniufang by such a long distance, no new houses have been built nearby for many years. Although it is said that it is due to bad feng shui, Sun Yaya does not believe such nonsense. How can the feng shui of Mr. Ji's house be bad
When she got here, Sun Yaya was actually relieved, and the annoyance in her heart seemed to dissipate temporarily. However, when she walked to the door of Ju'an Pavilion and had not yet sat down, she glanced at the gate and suddenly found that the door lock was missing.
"Could it be..."
Sun Yaya was stunned for a long time, and her heartbeat suddenly began to speed up slightly. She swallowed, carefully reached out to touch the gate, and then gently pushed it forward.
With a "creaky" sound, the door of the small courtyard was gently pushed open. Sun Yaya's eyes widened subconsciously. In her sight, a man wearing a wide-sleeved gray shirt and a black jade hairpin was sitting in the yard drinking tea. She rubbed her eyes hard, but the scene in front of her did not disappear.
"Come in, what are you doing standing at the door?"
When Ji Yuan's calm and gentle voice came, Sun Yaya's tears suddenly welled up.
"Sir, you are back? I, I, I forgot to knock on the door..."
Ji Yuan looked at her and nodded.
"come in."
"Um!"
Sun Yaya wiped her face with her sleeve in an ungraceful manner and walked into the small pavilion with a little restraint. At the same time, she looked at Ji Yuan carefully. Mr. Ji looked the same as before, as if they had parted just yesterday.
Ji Yuan was also looking at Sun Yaya carefully. The girl's figure was now much clearer in his eyes, not to mention other changes.
"Girls change a lot when they grow up. I almost couldn't help myself."
"Hey, sir, do I look better now?"
Ji Yuan clicked his tongue and made a joke.
"You're cuter when you're a kid. At least you never cry!"
"Sir, I am crying for joy, it's different!"
Sun Yaya opened her mouth to refute, and after a few words she felt familiar with Mr. Ji again. Mr. Ji was still the same man as before. She sat down directly at the stone table in the yard, and when Ji Yuan was about to pour her tea, she quickly took the teapot.
"Sir, I can do it myself, hehe!"
After pouring some tea, smelling the fragrance and taking a sip of the tea, Sun Yaya felt as if all her worries were left behind and her heart became peaceful.
After a long time, she opened her eyes and found Ji Yuan was flipping through the book she brought. The book was called "On Female Virtues". Ji Yuan took a quick glance and knew that the content was basically something like the Three Obediences and Four Virtues.
Seeing Sun Yaya looking at him, Ji Yuan put the book on the table.
"Why read this kind of book?"
Seeing Mr. Ji pulling her back to reality, Sun Yaya could only force a smile.
"I can't help it. This crappy book is very popular nowadays. Besides, Mr. Ji, Yaya, I'm already eighteen years old. I have to get married eventually. This book... Oh, so annoying!"
Seeing Sun Yaya holding her ears and shaking her head, Ji Yuan also laughed. It seemed like she was still the same child. She was still eighteen years old
"The matchmakers are almost breaking down your doorstep, right?"
"Yes, it started when I was sixteen, and now it's getting worse... Even my grandfather..."
Sun Yaya said this angrily, and paused before continuing.
"Even grandpa actually said that if I don't get married now, no one will want me... Mr. Ji, please go and take a look at our family. The situation... Oh, let's not talk about this. By the way, when did you come back? Why didn't you come and tell Yaya?"
"I just came back and just cleaned the house."
Sun Yaya nodded, took the book from the table, and felt annoyed again, pointing at the book.
"Sir, do you know that the most abominable thing is that this book was written by a woman. It was only published and circulated a few years ago. It was written by a woman!"
Sun Yaya's words were somewhat indignant, giving Ji Yuan a sense of déjà vu of "why should women make things difficult for other women?" But in fact, similar books have existed before, and perhaps this one is more "exquisite". Even if Dazhen has Master Yin, this society is still relatively feudal, and many deep-rooted ideas are difficult to change in a short period of time.
"This is not the most infuriating thing. Sir, do you know that some of the families that came to propose marriage are quite powerful? When the matchmaker proposed marriage, it felt like they were offering us a bargain. Should I just shamelessly go for it? And my parents are actually like this too. My grandfather is a little better, but he also wants me to marry into a wealthy family..."
As she was talking, Sun Yaya leaned her head against the stone table and rolled her eyes.
"Sir, do you understand how I feel?"
"Sir, I'm not a girl, so I'm afraid it's hard for me to empathize with you, but I still understand."
Sun Yaya smiled, thinking that Mr. Ji was a sensible person, and then rolled her eyes.
"By the way, sir, have you eaten yet? Do you want some braised noodles? I'll go home and get it for you."
The thoughts jumped very quickly, which fully demonstrated that Sun Yaya had recovered her spirit.
"Uh, Ji is not hungry, so I won't need it for now."
As soon as Ji Yuan finished speaking, Sun Yaya immediately took up the conversation.
"You have to have dinner, right? The house has just been cleaned, so there must be something missing. You can't start the fire. How about... come to my house for dinner? You've never been to Yaya's house before, and Yaya has been practicing calligraphy all these years, so it's a good opportunity to show you the results!"