A warm current flowed through Ning Xi's heart. Wen Liang knew how much pressure he would face if he said such a thing, but he still made a promise without fear. She leaned over and gently pressed her forehead against his, feeling the boy's body temperature and breathing. Two lines of clear tears slowly flowed down her beautiful cheeks, wetting her nose, her red lips, and this dream-like acquaintance and love!
There are countless painters in the world, but none of them can paint a picture of sadness!
The lips separate at the slightest touch.
Ning Xi sat up straight, her bright eyes smiling, graceful and charming, indescribably beautiful, and said: "Liang, I'm very happy to hear you say this!"
But after a moment, her face gradually lost its luster, she turned her head away and whispered: "But I am more happy that you are safe and sound!"
Wen Liang sneered and said, "Your grandfather really is using me to threaten you, right?"
Ning Xi shook her head and said, "I am his granddaughter. It only takes a word to decide my life or death. Why bother threatening me like that..."
Her thoughts couldn't help but go back to two months ago. After receiving the news secretly brought by Lei Fang, she knew that she could no longer stay in Qingzhou, otherwise Wen Liang would definitely be in countless troubles. It happened that the matter of becoming the banker was about to start, so she used this as an excuse to avoid Wen Liang's suspicion and resolutely returned to the capital.
Old Man Ning lived alone at No. 17 Sanjiawan Hutong in Beijing. From the outside, it was just an ordinary courtyard, except for the old locust tree in the courtyard that blocked out the sun and towered into the clouds, showing a different style from the ordinary. Five years later, Ning Xi stepped into this courtyard again, thinking of the past years, and suddenly she seemed to have experienced a lot. Even though she knew that compared with the tree in the courtyard and the person under the tree, her experience was like the gap between a kindergarten child and a Nobel Prize winner, she still felt a sense of desolation and discouragement for no reason. The anxiety and determination on the way home, the courage and struggle before entering the door, all disappeared with the old man's slightly hunched back.
The old man was playing chess, with nineteen lines of chess, between life and death, black and white, blocking, merging, pushing, climbing, closing, rushing, jumping and flying. Ma Rong of the Eastern Han Dynasty wrote "Fu on Go", saying "A brief look at Go, it is similar to the use of troops. The three-foot board is like a battlefield. Soldiers are deployed and the two enemies are equal." What he meant is that the way of Go is about the struggle between the two sides!
But the old man under the tree was playing with himself!
Entering or breaking the game is all in the hands of one person!
Ning Xi walked behind him, her eyes fell on the chessboard, and she stood there silently. She didn't know how long it had been, maybe thirty minutes, maybe an hour, until even her legs began to feel numb. The old man was hesitant, twisting the white piece in his hand, and suddenly turned around and smiled, "Xiao Xi is back, come and see how to play this piece?"
Ning Xi knows chess, not just a little, but very well. It is said that if a teenager does not become a national player, there is no hope for the rest of life. Ning Xi learned chess from her grandfather at the age of four. From "Xian Ji Wu Ku" to "Xuan Xuan Qi Jing", from "Four Sons Manual" to "Blood and Tears", she has studied many chess manuals from ancient times to the present. Later, she played chess with many famous contemporary national players, which amazed everyone. However, chess is a minor art and is not Ning Xi's interest. When she was ten years old, she completely let go. Although her chess skills were no longer improving, her level was still there. After hearing her grandfather's question, she thought for a moment and pointed to a position with her slender jade finger.
The old man smiled slightly, placed the white piece at the location Ning Xi pointed, and said, "Once you have walked all the way, there will be no more taste left..."
Ning Xi lowered her head, crossed her hands respectfully in front of her, and said quietly: "It is better to lose a few pieces than to lose the initiative!"
These are all Go terminology, but when heard between the grandfather and grandson at this time and place, it seems to have a deeper meaning. The old man picked up another black piece, stared at the chessboard for a moment, threw the black piece away, and the chessboard was in chaos. He sighed, "What a pity for such a good game... Xiao Xi, come and sit next to grandpa, let grandpa see if you have become more beautiful after five years away?"
The surprise in Ning Xi's heart was in sharp contrast to the calmness on her face. Such homely words could come from anyone in the world, but it would never come from the old man in front of her. Unlike the chief designer who lived a few alleys away, the chief designer liked children, which was well known. He not only raised his own children, but also took in the children of relatives. When they grew up, he let them go and then replaced them with little ones. No one understood how such a serious person could like the noise and troubles of children, but such a family full of laughter and joy was the envy of many children in the Ning family since childhood.
Old Master Ning was very strict in managing the household, and was especially harsh on Ning Xi's parents' generation, almost to the point of being inhuman. He was a little better with his grandchildren, and would occasionally hold them on his lap and amuse them, but his stern and frighteningly serious face could easily scare the children into crying.
The sea is peaceful and the rivers are clear, work hard day and night!
Ning Hai, Ning Yan, Ning He, Ning Qing, Ning Chao, Ning Qian, Ning Xi, and Ning Ti, the Ning family has seven dragons and one phoenix, but only one Ning Xi, who has never been afraid of her grandfather since she was a child!
So five years ago, she pursued Xu Ting without any hesitation, without any knowledge of strategies or means, which resulted in her ignorant girlish feelings being cruelly strangled in the cradle just as they sprouted. It was also at that time that she felt for the first time the fear and pressure that her brothers had once felt!
So five years later, she had to carefully keep a distance from Wen Liang and suppress her affection and emotions. Although she finally fell into that damn gentleness and smile, at least she had grown countless times compared to that year.
Because of this, she must never let the scene of that year happen again. She must not only protect her own love and happiness, but also seriously protect the boy's safety and future.
For these two points, she would do anything, even if
Even if I die!
This thought had been circling in her mind since the night she returned to Beijing. How to respond, how to phrase it, how to have the best of both worlds, how to make everyone happy. But after seeing Grandpa, seeing his smile, hearing his sigh, Ning Xi suddenly realized that Grandpa was old!
The once arrogant and domineering Ning Huchen is old!
Ning Huchen's original name was Ning Gouzi. Later, because of his bravery and good fighting skills, he was highly praised by Taizu, who called him "the tiger general of the army". Taizu also said that the name Gouzi was too rough, so he gave him the name "Huchen".
These two words come from "The Book of Songs? Chang Wu", which contains the line "进厥虎臣, 昚如虓虎". Ning Huchen's habit of liking literary skills and pretending to be a cultured person was acquired at that time.
The following conversation entered the mode of ordinary people. Ning Huchen asked with great interest about life and experiences abroad, and joked with Ning Xi from time to time. If this had happened in the past, the entire Ning family would probably have been in chaos, fearing that the old man had some kind of hysteria.
But Ning Xi's heart was sinking inch by inch. She seldom felt proud of her family background, and of course she would not complain and say things like "I regret being born in an imperial family". But there was one thing she could never change, that was that she had the blood of the Ning family in her body, and her name would always have the surname "Ning" in front of it!
Born for the family, you can die for the family!
When the former fierce minister showed signs of fatigue, what reason did she, as a descendant of the Ning family, have to evade the responsibilities she should bear
Because of love
But every mentally mature adult understands that real life is not Qiong Yao’s love fairy tale, because love is never everything in life!
Ning Xi's fingertips gradually turned white, and she pursed her lips tightly to prevent her white teeth from making any sound as they began to tremble slightly. Old Master Ning saw it, but he didn't say anything. He stood up and said with a smile, "I'm going to rest now. You go home to see your parents. You've been away for five years, and now you're back to play in Qingzhou. Aren't you afraid that your mother will be sad?"
Finally, Qingzhou was mentioned. Ning Xi looked up suddenly, her face pale with all color gone. She only saw the old man's slightly staggering steps and a very old back!
The second time she came to the courtyard, Ning Xi accompanied the old man for breakfast, and then they practiced Tai Chi in the courtyard together, and then stood face to face and practiced pushing hands. After a few rounds, Ning Xi had made three small mistakes. The old man stopped, took the towel from the guard and wiped his face, and smiled and said: "Xiao Xi, you are uneasy, are you worried about something?"
Ning Xi shook her head and said, "Grandpa, I'm fine!"
"Very good? I don't think so," the old man leaned back in a recliner under the old locust tree, tapped his leg joints with a small wooden hammer, and joked, "Are you missing your boyfriend? Let me make it clear, if it's a foreigner, I'll need some time to adapt, otherwise I won't be able to accept it!"
Ning Xi gritted her teeth. Seeing that Grandpa was always so amiable for some reason, she wanted to expose this. However, after the tempering with Wen Liang for a period of time, her mentality and cunningness were affected. She was much more patient than before. She endured it with great difficulty and said, "I'm single now. Grandpa, you don't have to worry about foreigners entering the Ning family!"
There was an imperceptible smile in the old man's eyes, but unfortunately Ning Xi's eyelids were drooping and she didn't see it.
"That's good, that's good!"
After chatting about some family matters, when Ning Xi was about to leave, the old man suddenly said, "I have met the son of the little girl from the Lei family, the one called Yang Zong, twice. Go meet him when you have time. If you like him, you can try dating him first."
Ning Xi was silent for a moment, then she used up all her strength and courage to say, "Grandpa, I don't want to talk about personal matters right now..."
"I know, I know. You young people all want to focus on your career. It's great to have such ambition, but personal issues can't be delayed. If you have time, go meet him!"
When the old man turned around, he seemed to suddenly remember something and said lightly: "By the way, the young man from the Wen family who did business with you was a good person, but Xiao Xi, he was just good!"
(Because of some things that I had to deal with these two days, and the plot reached a bottleneck, the update was a bit weak, but the 4-hour subscription is still maintained at the previous number. Thank you very much to all the brothers for their loyalty. Maruzi is really touched. I really want to try my best to write each chapter and want to present a wonderful story to everyone. Your support has never changed, and my intentions have never changed.)
(Sincerely!) (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)