This was the only man Chen Xuan had ever seen in her two lifetimes who could rival Wei Nian in appearance. Even someone as reserved and shy as Chen Xuan couldn't help but show a hint of surprise. However, this gaze only lasted for a moment before they separated.
Chen Xuan smiled at Ms. Chen and turned to continue talking with Professor Wu. To Chen Xuan's disappointment, Professor Wu was not as talkative as before and did not mention inviting her and Wei Nian to Peking University. When the salon ended, Wei Nian took Chen Xuan and Mr. Wen to say goodbye. Mr. Wen asked Chen Xuan, "How did Mrs. Wei gain?"
Chen Xuan looked serious and nodded, "It has broadened my horizons. The enlightenment I gained from spending half a day here is more than what I gained from reading books for half a year."
Mr. Wen smiled happily and held out his hand. "The next salon will be on the 8th of next month. Mr. Wei and Mrs. Wei, just come over if you are free."
"Thank you, sir. We will definitely come." Chen Xuan shook hands with Mr. Wen and said goodbye.
It was already afternoon when they left Mr. Wen's house. The winter evening sunlight seemed like thin golden glass, a kind of cold warmth, shining brightly in Chen Xuan's eyes. She was so happy that she couldn't help but say to Wei Nian, "If it weren't for Brother Anian bringing me here, I would never know that there is such a good place in the world. Brother Anian, I have grown up today!"
Wei Nian always thought that the salons of these writers were a bit boring, and he couldn't get along with them. Chen Xuan, on the other hand, felt like a fish in water. Wei Nian was also infected by Chen Xuan's good mood and joked, "I saw it. I talked with Professor Wu for half a day. What can we talk about for half a day?"
"Just talking about some university matters." Chen Xuan's eyes were more lively than ever, one moment she was happy, the next she was regretful. "Originally, I came here to ask Mr. Wen about world trends, but seeing how busy he was, I didn't ask. I'll come back to ask Mr. Wen when I have time. Professor Wu is also a very knowledgeable person."
The two of them left the alley where Mr. Wen lived, and called a rickshaw at the entrance of the alley. Wei Nian helped Chen Xuan get on the rickshaw. Chen Xuan had rarely ridden a rickshaw, so she was not very familiar with it. When they got home, Mrs. Wei glanced at the new clothes on Chen Xuan, frowned, and said to Chen Xuan with an unhappy face, "You've been out playing for half a day, why don't you go to the kitchen to help your sister-in-law and Ah Yin cook? They are too busy to handle it."
Wei Nian was speechless at her mother's words. He didn't know what was wrong with middle-aged and elderly women these days. His eldest sister was treated harshly by Old Lady Zhao at her husband's house. Her mother often scolded Old Lady Zhao for being cunning at home. But when her mother became a mother-in-law, she was just as bad-tempered to her eldest sister-in-law and Chen Xuan. Wei Nian didn't dare to scold his mother. If he tried to persuade her, he was afraid that Chen Xuan would get more harsh words. He could only keep silent. Chen Xuan was a little embarrassed that Li had to do the housework because she and Wei Nian had been at the salon for most of the day. After listening to Old Lady Wei's words, she quickly went back to the house, changed into a half-worn gray-blue cotton cheongsam, and went to the kitchen.
Li was kneading noodles while Wei Yin was washing vegetables. They were very happy to see Chen Xuan back and asked her if she was doing well in the salon. Chen Xuan washed her hands and took the basin from Li, "Sister-in-law, do you want noodles or pancakes tonight?"
"The old lady said we should eat hot noodle soup." Li didn't exchange pleasantries with Chen Xuan. When it came to making noodles, Chen Xuan was the best in the family. When Li said she wanted to make hot noodle soup, Chen Xuan knew what she wanted and kneaded the noodles with more strength. The hand-rolled noodles must be chewy to taste good. If you want chewy noodles, you must use hard noodles.
Li went to wash vegetables with Wei Yin, who couldn't wait to ask, "Second sister-in-law, what does the salon look like?"
Chen Xuan kneaded the dough non-stop, looking at Wei Yin and Li from the side. After thinking for a while, the corners of her lips curled up unconsciously. Chen Xuan seriously described her feelings, "Before I went there, I couldn't imagine there was such a place in the world. After I went there, half a day was equivalent to half a year of study for me."
"so good!"
Chen Xuan nodded vigorously, "It's very good. The people there are all very knowledgeable. I met a university professor who is very knowledgeable. There is another person, I don't know him, but I just met him once. Hey, Ah Yin, I used to think that Brother Anian was good-looking enough, but the person I met is almost as good-looking as Brother Anian. Oh, this is really, do you think there are such handsome people in this world?! Isn't it strange?"
Wei Yin and Li both had smiles in their eyes and couldn't help laughing. Wei Yin looked like he agreed with what Chen Xuan said, "Strange, there is actually someone who is more handsome than my second brother. How can it not be strange?"
"He's not better looking than Anian, but he's almost as good looking." Chen Xuan said fairly.
Wei Yin pursed his lips and smiled, "That's also very rare."
"Yes." Chen Xuan didn't notice Wei Yin's joke, she continued to talk about the salon with Wei Yin and Li, "There was also a lady who cut her hair short, just like the short hair we saw in the picture album the other day. Alas, I didn't dare to speak much before when I went out, for fear of speaking badly, let alone talking to other men. The salon is not like that. Just like what the Xu family's sister said, men and women are the same, equal, and those who get along well can sit together and talk. There are also many books there, even if no one talks, it's still good to read. It's really a very, very good place, Yin, you can go with us next time."
"Okay." Wei Yin agreed immediately.
Everyone was talking about the salon, kneading the dough to let it rise, and processing the dishes, and then they all went to Chen Xuan's room to talk.
Wei Yin thought about going to the salon with Chen Xuan next month, so he couldn't help but discuss with Chen Xuan, "Sister-in-law, do you think I should make another new dress?"
"Your clothes are all very nice. Look, the clothes I'm wearing were made according to the style you helped me design. You're smart and pretty. Mr. Wen is such a friendly person. You'll definitely be fine if you go."
Wei Yin's white fingertips circled the end of her braid and spun it around randomly. "If it was any other occasion, I wouldn't worry at all. Sister-in-law, didn't you say that everyone in there is educated? They must be modern people. I haven't been to school. Nowadays, many modern people look down on those who haven't been to school and say that people like us are old-fashioned."
"It's not too late to start studying now. I learned to read from you, Ayin. If you could study, you would definitely learn much faster than me. I have only been studying for a few days. When Mr. Wen asked me what books I had studied, I told him the truth. Mr. Wen didn't laugh at me for not having enough education. He is really a very good person. He even said that he would let us come over next time." Chen Xuan's eyes were soft. This was the first time in her two lives that she had seen such a generous elder like Mr. Wen, so she respected him very much.
Wei Yin was not comforted at all, but became even more uncertain. "Why are you asking me what I studied when I go there?"
"Yeah." Chen Xuan didn't think there was anything wrong with it and nodded honestly.
Wei Yin dropped the braid and became more worried, with a serious look in his eyes, "What did you say, second sister-in-law?"
Chen Xuan followed Wei Yin's instructions and even Li was quite surprised. "Second brother, have you read so many books?"
Chen Xuan waved her hands quickly, "Don't you know me yet? I have only read five Chinese books and three foreign books. I haven't read any other books. Do you know how big the living room of Mr. Wen's house is? It must be the size of our three rooms. There is no partition in the middle. The row against the wall, from east to west, is a row of large bookshelves with top shelves. They are neatly stacked with books. There must be thousands of books. As soon as I saw this row of bookshelves, I knew how knowledgeable Mr. Wen was. Do you think that the three or two books I have read are nothing compared to others? But even so, Mr. Wen did not think I was not well-educated. I think that such a big man with status and knowledge has a very broad mind."
Mrs. Li couldn't help but nod her head after hearing this, agreeing with Chen Xuan's words, "Second brother's wife is right."
Wei Yin bit her lip and said nothing.
Because she had attended the salon, Chen Xuan became more motivated to study that night. To Chen Xuan's surprise, Wei Nian, whom Chen Xuan considered a lazy young man, actually took out two novels sent by Smith from the drawer and chose one of them to read. Chen Xuan nodded secretly, thinking that the salon was indeed a great place. Even someone like Wei Nian, who didn't like studying, knew how to study after going there twice. It seems that I should go there more often in the future.
However, Sharon's influence on the Wei family goes far beyond this.
The next day, Wei Yin privately told Chen Xuan that she wanted to learn foreign languages together, and wanted Chen Xuan to help her with some references to see if Wei Nian was willing to teach. Chen Xuan said directly, "Why would you be unwilling? Brother Nian is willing to teach me. Yin, you are so smart, Brother Nian will definitely be willing to do it."
Wei Yin was not actually worried that Wei Nian would not teach her. She felt that her second brother and his wife were newly married, and Wei Yin was already a grown-up girl, so she was afraid of disturbing them. Seeing that Chen Xuan had no hesitation or reluctance, Wei Yin was happy, "Second sister-in-law, if you say it's okay, then I'll mention it to my second brother. Otherwise, if I go to the salon, what if the teacher asks me if I've read any books? I say I've read Three Character Classic and Hundred Family Surnames, and they'll barely treat me as a blind person, and they probably won't be happy to talk to me." Wei Yin's character is very similar to that of the Wei family, with a natural competitive spirit, and she wants to do everything well.
Chen Xuan said, "I told you that Mr. Wen is not such a person, but studying is the best thing in the world. Ah Yin, you are so smart, you should study more. Now Brother Anian also reads every night, he finally got the hang of it. I advised him to read more before, but he didn't listen."
Wei Yin couldn't help but laugh, "Second sister-in-law, you are still advising second brother on this."
"Of course. Your second brother is so good to me. Just think about it, our family spent a lot of money when Mr. Jiao taught your second brother. When I wanted to learn foreign languages, I was worried that he would not be willing to teach me. Unexpectedly, he agreed as soon as I mentioned it. If he had not been willing to teach me foreign languages, I would not be where I am today. I am especially grateful to him in my heart. So sometimes, when I see that he is unwilling to study, I feel very anxious. I want to tell you something, you must not tell Brother Anian." Chen Xuan is not a person who can keep things to herself, especially since she gets along well with Wei Yin. Sometimes, there are some things that she is willing to talk to Wei Yin about.
"Second sister-in-law, just keep talking. You don't know that my mouth is the tightest."
"This time, Anian and I went to the salon. Anian is such a smart man and he looks good, but he was not very popular there. I even heard people whispering about that small businessman who was trying to curry favor with others. No one said it to me in person, and I didn't know what to do. I am a coward sometimes. I felt that this was not our home but Mr. Wen's home, and Mr. Wen took such good care of us, so we shouldn't make trouble. I didn't say anything and could only pretend that I didn't hear anything." Chen Xuan felt a little uncomfortable. "In fact, Anian is the same age as me, and he can make a lot of money outside. What a great ability! I I know, he went to the salon to make more connections, which might be useful for future business. I can't help him at all in this regard. But later I thought about it carefully, people looked down on us, in the final analysis, because we are not well educated. So, those with deep knowledge look down on those with shallow knowledge. The salon is indeed a very good place. Although there are mean people there, there are also generous people. We just don't deal with those mean people, because I have never been to a better place than this, so I really want you to go there and have a look, and broaden your horizons. But in fact, it is not as expected, everyone is very friendly, this, I have to tell you first. "
"These past two days, I've been thinking about some things. Although we don't have much knowledge, that's because we started learning late and didn't have the chance to learn before. I'm still relatively dumb, so I learn slowly. But Yin, you and Brother Anian are both very smart people, and you learn things quickly. We don't compare ourselves with those who have studied for more than ten years or even decades. I just think that even if we start studying now, we won't stop, and we will continue to study for many years. The more we study, the more knowledge we will have. When we become educated people, we won't learn from those mean people. We should be nice to everyone. I think Brother Anian will learn more in the future. With his skills, he will be welcomed everywhere."
Wei Yin was very moved by what she heard, and felt that Chen Xuan was really a kind-hearted person, who was so considerate of her and her second brother. Wei Yin took Chen Xuan's hand and smiled, "Don't worry, second sister-in-law, second brother will definitely have a great future and make a lot of money, so that second sister-in-law can enjoy a good life."
Chen Xuan thought that Wei Yin didn't know that she and Wei Nian were married, so she didn't say much. She just smiled and said, "I just hope that Brother Anian is doing well."
The author has something to say: ps: Today's update is a little late. After reading yesterday's comments, I know how fickle those who love looks can be~~~~~~~~~~There will be another update before ten o'clock~~~~~~