Life in the world of film and television

The sky was clear and the clouds were floating. The pleasure boat was sailing along. Li Mu was half lying on a lounge chair on the deck, feeling the breeze on his face and admiring the scenery on both sides of the river.

After Lou Shuwan brought people on board, they also lived on the third floor of the houseboat. After all, the two lower floors were occupied by the boatmen, the manager and the shopkeeper. The third floor had the most space and the best conditions. The owner of the house was also on the third floor, so since they were guests, they should naturally be arranged on the third floor.

This was one of the reasons why Li Mu didn't want Lou Shuwan to bring the young man on board. If they were a couple, it would be fine, but letting a man and a woman with an unclear relationship live on the same floor with them would be awkward, and their mood for the rest of the trip might also be ruined.

Lou Shuwan was very smart. After getting on the boat, she found out through conversations with others that it was Li Mu who had been making things difficult for her.

Otherwise, as a merchant's daughter, based on her understanding of Su Tan'er, it would be impossible for Su Tan'er to refuse, whether it was using the pleasure boat to carry some goods or bringing people on board.

Naturally, she didn't have a good impression of Li Mu, especially when she heard that Li Mu was a son-in-law, her impression of him became even worse, although she also had a son-in-law.

Therefore, when getting on the boat, he just nodded coldly to Li Mu without saying a word, and Li Mu's expression was equally indifferent.

Visitors are guests, so Su Tan'er naturally cannot ignore Lou Shuwan. After all, the Su family wants to expand its business in Hangzhou, and even if they cannot borrow power from the local snakes like the Lou family, they should not offend them. After all, outsiders cannot help you, but they can do you harm.

Li Mu did not intervene either, although he knew that Hangzhou was about to fall and the merchants and wealthy families in the city had almost been wiped out, and it would be useless to do so at this time.

The only person Lou Shuwan was familiar with on the boat was Su Tan'er, and their identities were similar, so she could only pull her aside to talk.

As the two chatted, they got to know each other better.

She also knew about Li Mu's general situation: a scholar, married into the family, and without any official title...

Although Su Tan'er said that her husband was talented, he had no intention of relying on official titles. Lou Shuwan naturally felt that it was flattering Li Mu again. What scholar didn't want to take the imperial examination? It was just that he didn't have enough talent and could not pass.

No matter how talented he is, he can only appease his younger sister Tan'er.

The two continued chatting. When Lou Shuwan heard Su Tan'er say that Li Mu knew martial arts, she felt that he did not know how to study but only practiced boxing and swordplay, which was a lack of ambition. The smile on Su Tan'er's face seemed to be forced.

He took Su Tan'er's hand to show that he understood her difficulties. After all, if any of her husbands also liked to practice boxing and swordplay, she would have to put on a smile.

Su Tan'er was helpless. She wanted to tell her husband how capable he was, but Lou Shuwan probably wouldn't believe it. Even if she told him about his talent, it would be hard for people in Lou Shuwan's circle to hear about it. She could only keep silent and talk about other topics.

During the conversation, Lou Shuwan mentioned the son-in-law she had recruited, and said some compliments like his talent and learning. It sounded like good words, but Su Tan'er could hear the disapproval in her tone.

As she spoke, she treated herself as a sister with the same experience as others, occasionally sighing and showing an attitude of "it's all the same, you know".

Su Tan'er felt puzzled and helpless, and then she realized that there were probably very few couples as harmonious as she and her husband.

We can only talk less about such topics and talk more about business matters, especially the situation of the textile industry in Hangzhou, to prepare for the next layout.

Of course, these were just small episodes on the road. The next day, the pleasure boat arrived in Suzhou, stopped for a few days of sightseeing, then continued south, stayed in Jiaxing for a few days, and then went straight to Hangzhou.

Jiaxing is not far from Hangzhou, only about 200 miles by water. Even if the boat is not fast, you can still reach the destination in more than a day by enjoying the surrounding scenery.

This section of the waterway is very prosperous, with ships coming and going constantly, and villages and gardens dotted along both sides of the canal.

Hangzhou has been an extremely prosperous city since ancient times. Even though it is not as prosperous as Lin'an, its historical peak, it is not inferior to Jiangning and Suzhou.

After getting off the boat at the dock, Lou Shuwan invited Li Mu and Su Tan'er to stay at the Lou family temporarily, but they declined. After all, there were too many people traveling on this trip, and the Su family itself had property here. Su Tan'er also planned to buy another big house in Hangzhou in the next two days.

Lou Shuwan was not overly polite. There was the Lou family's warehouse here. She found the manager to arrange a carriage and then returned to the Lou family.

The Su family had their own manager who went to hire horse-drawn carriages. There were more than ten of them, and the group was finally settled down.

The next day, as one of the wealthy businessmen with whom the Su family had some connections in Hangzhou, and also traveling with Lou Shuwan, Li Mu and Su Tan'er went to visit the Lou Mansion as usual, had a meal, and also met Lou Jinlin, the current head of the Lou family.

He was a very handsome man, in his early fifties, slightly older than Su Boyong, with a beard and hair of mixed black and white.

Judging from his conversation, he is quite capable and is indeed a business veteran. Before the Su family's eldest branch took over the Wu family's assets, they might not be able to match the Lou family in terms of strength and background. Now, in terms of financial resources, the Su family is probably better. However, Hangzhou and Jiangning are thousands of miles apart, and the Lou family may not realize this.

Su Tan'er was quite friendly towards the two people's visit, showing the cordiality of an elder towards the younger generation; but she ignored Li Mu and even asked him many sharp questions.

Li Mu knew that Lou Shuwan probably told him some things that happened on the way. This person probably looked down on the son-in-law. He didn't like him to begin with, and considering his status as a son-in-law, it would be strange for him to have a good attitude towards him.

Li Mu didn't care and no longer acted like a junior. He just watched his performance quietly. After the visit, he quickly said goodbye.

On the way back, Su Tan'er looked a little angry: "This family, with good intentions, actually gave my husband a cold shoulder..."

Li Mu said, "Maybe he thought I was making things difficult for his daughter at Changzhou dock."

Su Tan'er said, "Shu Wan may have misunderstood my husband. When I talked about my husband on the road, she always thought I was lying."

Li Mu smiled and said, "That's because she and her husband don't get along well, and she thought others were the same as her and didn't get along well either.

"Yes, there aren't many people who get along as well as we do."

Although this statement was a bit self-boasting, Su Tan'er just felt that it was the truth and said with a smile, "Maybe it's because my husband treats me so well!"

Li Mu looked at her and smiled, "Isn't it because my wife is too good to me, her husband?"

As they spoke, the two looked at each other and smiled.

After a moment, Su Tan'er said seriously, "Then we will deal with Young Master Lou from now on."

Li Mu nodded in support. Given the situation in Hangzhou, it would be useless to do anything. Everything would be reshuffled after the fall.

The day after visiting the Lou family, Lou Shuwan also paid a courtesy visit to the house where the Su family was temporarily staying. She did not stay long and left a servant behind, saying that he could help lead the way. After that, she did not come again. Li Mu and Su Tan'er did not care. They did not intend to deal with them much anyway. It was enough to just save face.

There were too many people on this trip, and the Su family’s house here was too small, so the two spent the next two days buying another house in Taiping Lane in the city, and Li Mu and Su Tan'er moved there with their people.

The streets near Taiping Lane were also quite prosperous, and most of the residents were wealthy families. After settling down, Li Mu finally remembered that he had one more important matter to attend to: to visit the great Confucian scholar named Qian and deliver a letter for Qin Siyuan.

After asking around, I found out that this great scholar named Qian was Qian Jingru, with the courtesy name Xiwen. He was very famous in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The Qian family was also a prominent family in the local area. When people mentioned Qian Jingru, their faces were full of respect and admiration.

The next day, Li Mu brought Xiao Chan to visit.

When Xiaochan heard that they were going to visit a wealthy family with the surname "Qian", she thought they were the kind of wealthy people with tons of wealth and all the glittering gold. After all, their surname was "Qian". When she arrived at the place, she found that there was nothing glittering gold. Although the house covered a large area, it was quite simple.

Xiaochan said, "Son-in-law, doesn't his family have money? The yard is not as beautiful as our Su family's!"

Li Mu smiled and said, "He is not short of money. His family is a well-known landlord in Hangzhou. This is called strict housekeeping and simple and standard. If it is extremely gorgeous, I will not like it. I think it is the style of the rich who have suddenly become rich."

Xiaochan nodded, not quite understanding.

When they arrived at the gate of Qian's mansion, Li Mu handed over the visiting card and letter. The doorman outside took them, and a moment later an old butler came out to greet them.

After entering the yard, he did not go to the front hall, but led them directly to Qian Xiwen's study in the inner courtyard.

Along the way, thinking of what her brother-in-law had just said, Xiaochan looked around carefully. In terms of luxury, it was indeed a lot inferior to the Su family. Some of the buildings looked very old and had traces of repairs on them, but they looked just right and did not look shabby at all.

After looking at it more, Xiaochan suddenly felt that this plain house seemed to have a certain heritage and a scholarly air. Could this be the atmosphere of a family of scholars or a prominent family?

Xiaochan looked at it for a moment, then stood on tiptoe and whispered in Li Mu's ear: "Son-in-law, I understand what you just said. My lady and I have been to Puyang's house. She is very beautiful, but just beautiful. I don't have this feeling!"

The old housekeeper probably heard what Xiaochan said, and the smile on his face became more natural. As he walked, he said, "The master just came back from giving lectures in the countryside yesterday. It's not common for Master Ning to come to the study to chat when he comes to visit for the first time. Grandpa has an easy-going personality, so you can be more casual."

Probably thinking that Ning Yi was a junior who came to visit with a letter from somewhere else, he gave him a few words of advice so that he wouldn't be nervous after meeting his master. He had seen such situations many times.

Li Mu had a lot to say, so he just nodded, smiled and thanked him.

The Qian family's house is quite large. When passing a corner, a figure suddenly ran by and almost bumped into several people. The man was about twenty years old. He was stunned for a moment, bowed to several people, and seemed to have something urgent. He turned around and was about to leave. Li Mu saw a red coral pen holder dropped on the grass he had just passed by.

He smiled softly, pointed at the coral pen holder on the ground and said, "Brother, did you drop something?"

The man was stunned for a moment, looked at the pen holder on the ground, then looked at the old housekeeper, his face was a little bitter, and he seemed a little embarrassed, but he still turned around and picked up the pen holder, and said seriously: "Isn't this grandpa's favorite coral pen holder? Is it lost again? I'll go and return it to grandpa."

He bowed, picked up the pen holder and ran away.

When they reached the gate of the small courtyard where the study was located, they saw the young man from before, struggling to walk out of the study holding a heavy box in his arms. Judging from his flushed face, the box must be very heavy.

This kind of scene, especially Xiaochan's face full of curiosity and surprise, made the old housekeeper not know whether to laugh or cry. He quickly pulled her aside and explained in a low voice.

Although the Qian family was a wealthy family in Qiantang, Qian Xiwen was very strict in managing the household and kept it simple. The children in the family usually had very little monthly allowance. They would not even receive it in advance until the due date.

However, there are always people who need money urgently. Once, a young man in the family took Qian Xiwen's favorite coral pen holder. After Qian Xiwen found out, he posted a notice at home, offering a reward of ten strings of cash to anyone who could help find it. Later, he fulfilled his promise, which was a way out for those young men in trouble.

After this incident, the pen box was lost about seventeen or eighteen times a year. Every time the notice was posted, someone would return it, and Qian Xiwen always paid for it.

Perhaps they felt that such educational significance was insufficient, and that a silver note of ten strings of money was just a small sum, so they required that all future rewards could only be received in the form of copper coins, and that they could only receive them and take them away by themselves.

One penny weighs several grams, one string of coins weighs several kilograms, and ten strings of coins weigh dozens of kilograms. For these pampered children, it is a great hardship to carry back ten strings of coins weighing dozens of kilograms.

Adding the money received by someone, it almost always represents who stole the pen holder, and it cannot be concealed, so no one dares to take more and can only restrain themselves.

If I wasn't really short of money, I wouldn't do this if I encountered such a situation. It also has certain educational significance.

After entering the study, I finally saw the great scholar Qian Xiwen. His hair and beard were half white and combed neatly. He was wearing a neat and simple gray robe. Although there were no patches on it, it was obvious that it had been washed many times and some parts had turned white. He had just finished reading Qin Siyuan's letter.

He looked up at Li Mu and said with a smile: "It has been eight years since we parted in the capital. How is your health?"

Li Mu said: "Mr. Qin is still in good health. He may have arrived in the capital by now."

Probably treating Li Mu as a junior who needed care, he chatted with him for a while and began to ask Li Mu what books he usually read and what level he had learned.

Li Mu just answered casually, but he was a very well-educated person. No matter how Li Mu answered, he was always humble and gentle, and what he said was very reasonable. From Li Mu's perspective, he was indeed a very learned person.

Sure enough, the person who can be described as a great scholar by Qin Siyuan is indeed not simple.

After chatting for a while, Li Mu left two pieces of calligraphy and Qian Xiwen also took a few books from the bookshelf.

"I have already annotated these books. If Li Heng finds them interesting, he may wish to read them often."

Li Mu took the book and looked through it casually. There were Zuo Zhuan and Spring and Autumn Annals...

"Thank you, Mr. Qian. I will accept it."

After a few more polite words, Li Mu said goodbye.

After returning home, there was nothing much to do. Except that Su Tan'er would take a few shopkeepers to inspect the market and visit some partners from time to time, the rest of the time the two of them would take a few little girls to travel and play.

I walked around West Lake, Xizhao Mountain, Leifeng Pagoda, etc., and saw Hangzhou was about to suffer a catastrophe. I wondered when it would be able to recover its current prosperity. (End of this chapter)