bastard returns

If you are too deliberate, it will not work, not to mention that the nobleman's talk is just the inference of the poor monk. You really don't have to care too much about whether he exists or not. It's just icing on the cake. Venerable Lingxu stroked his long beard, and looked at Huyan Yuanchen with distant eyes, "I see that your thoughts seem to be very confused, and you actually care so much about the so-called nobles. Have you lived in Dazhou for so many years?" , Can you still not let go of some things in the past after all? "

"People have seven emotions and six desires. I can't do it like the master so that all four things are empty. Some things, even if I force myself to let go countless times, will eventually be difficult." Huyan Yuanchen moved his gaze out of the window again, "And even if I can really let go, and the master thinks, will those people let me go."

"Amitabha, many worries in the world are rooted in the word 'desire', no matter what, you just want to be ashamed of your heart." Venerable Lingxu clasped his palms together and recited a scripture.

That night, Ning Xiang quietly ran into the ancestral hall and came to the room where Mrs. Liu was locked up. Mrs. Liu woke up a long time ago, but she was out of breath. In addition, she was very uncomfortable after drinking a stomach full of chicken blood. not enough.

Seeing his own mother being tossed into this appearance, Ning Xiang couldn't help becoming angry from embarrassment.The sorceress asked him to invite him here. In order to avoid suspicion, Ning Xiang never showed up, but waited for news in the restaurant outside.In fact, she does not approve of Liu's use of such illusory methods, and she has persuaded her before, but Liu's loss of her most precious daughter is already very angry, and she just wants to make Ning Yuan pay with blood, so she can't care about others Yes, Ning Xiang also thought, this method may not be able to get rid of Ning Yuan, at least he can play tricks on him a few times, but he did not stop him, but when he was sitting in the restaurant waiting for news, he was in a hurry , Mrs. Yan still sent someone to look for him back, saying that something happened to Mrs. Liu, and he had to go back and have a look immediately.

"That little bastard, how dare you treat me like this." Liu Shi lay on the bed panting, "I will never let him go! I will never let him go!"

"Mother, it's important for you to take good care of yourself now." Ning Xiang was also itching his teeth with anger, but he was not stupid, he had just died of his sister, and he had suffered [-] slaps. I'm afraid that neither Shen Shi nor Ning Ruhai will have a good face towards them, and Ning Yuan is right now in front of Shen Shi, if they continue to act recklessly, sooner or later they will dig a hole for themselves to jump into!

"Are you so worthless! My mother has been bullied like this, how can I swallow this breath!" Liu Shi raised her hand vigorously and poked Ning Xiang's eyebrows, "You are two years older than him, and you The only adult young master in the mansion, if he can't deal with a guy from a humble background, it's all right, and you want me, a mother, to go ahead for you, you are not ashamed!"

"I..." Ning Xiang covered his forehead with a look of grievance on his face. He was about to speak when he heard a noise coming from the direction of the main hall of the ancestral hall outside.

"Mother, let me go out and have a look." Ning Xiang comforted Liu Shi, and went out of the side hall. He happened to see Ning Yuan leading several servants into the main hall. He followed them out of curiosity, and saw them go straight up to the second floor. Then Ning Yuan picked up a tablet placed on the edge of the desk.

That is Ning Pinger's tablet!

"What are you doing?" Ning Xiang had a bad premonition in his heart, and he didn't care about sneaking around, and immediately asked, "Where are you going to take Ping'er's tablet?"

"Hey, it's the second brother." Ning Yuan turned his head, with a surprised expression on his face, "I haven't seen the second brother all day, I'm still wondering where you have been, the second brother may not know, today A big incident happened in the house, but it frightened grandma."

"I don't have time to talk nonsense with you!" Seeing Ning Yuan's face, Ning Xiang couldn't help getting angry, he pointed at the tablet in Ning Yuan's hand, "I'm doing it for you, where are you going to get Pinger's tablet?" go!?"

"Where else can I take it? Naturally, I will take it out of the ancestral hall and throw it away." Ning Yuan showed a regretful expression, "Sister Ping'er is really pitiful, and she is also stupid. She insists on making grandma unhappy. Now the memorial tablet It's a pity that I can't be incensed by the clansmen in the ancestral hall, I'm afraid I can only become a lonely ghost, and I don't think I can have a good pregnancy in the next life."

When Ning Xiang heard Ning Yuan's sentence "Take it and throw it away", he was already speechless in surprise, but when he heard Ning Yuan's next sentence, he heard the kind of express regret but secretly sarcasm His tone made him even more angry, and he shouted: "Shut up! What kind of nasty words are you talking about! Letting Ping'er enter the family ancestral hall to receive incense is the intention of my father and grandmother. How dare you go there carelessly?" Move it, don't put it back, be careful I'll show you!"

"Second brother, you are wrong this time. Third brother, I really can't bear the crime of messing around with family tablets." Ning Yuan made a terrified expression, "I was ordered by my grandmother to Move sister Ping'er's memorial tablet out of the ancestral hall, not only have to move it out, but also take out the side door, smash it, and burn it to ashes, so as not to prevent such ominous spirits from ruining the Feng Shui of our Ning Mansion." After finishing speaking, Ning Yuan He turned his head to look at an old woman next to him. "Mother Luo, do you think so?"

It was only then that Ning Xiang noticed that the person standing beside Ning Yuan was Mama Luo who was serving Shen Shi personally.

Mother Luo took a step forward, and said to Ning Xiang with a cold face: "The third young master did come to handle housework under the order of the old lady. If the second young master has any opinions, he can naturally go to the Shou'an Hall to meet the old lady. Please don't hinder the third young master here."

"Go away, you old servant, you dare to talk to me in such a tone!" Ning Xiang was really anxious, and moved the tablet that had entered the ancestral hall out of the ancestral hall again, which was tantamount to removing this person from the family. It is already a great shame and humiliation for those people, let alone smashing the tablet and burning it to ashes.Ning Ping'er is his own sister, if she is treated like this, how will the servants in this mansion treat her elder brother in the future!Isn't everyone able to push their noses and faces at him!

Luo's mother is Shen's dowry maid. Even though she is a slave, Ning Ruhai still calls herself a junior in front of her. Where has she ever been subjected to such anger? He also had opinions on their lineage, and now Ning Xiang dared to yell at her, even if she didn't say anything, the anger in her heart couldn't be suppressed no matter what.

"Second brother, Mother Luo is right. If you have any objections, you can naturally go to see grandma and ask her to understand." Ning Yuan glanced at Luo's mother's gloomy face, and continued to say to Ning Xiang: "But having said that, As the younger brother, I still advise the second brother not to go to your grandmother to make trouble, because my grandmother originally planned to do it herself to remove the memorial tablet from the ancestral hall. The third brother saw that my grandmother was getting old, and I thought that there might be some troubles. Some guys who don't know how to praise jumped out to rush at her, so they begged the grandmother to step over for a while, think about it, if the grandmother wanted to throw a younger generation's tablet from the family ancestral hall with her own hands, how angry she would be That's all." After speaking, Ning Yuan shook his head and clicked his tongue twice.

A guy who doesn't know how to flatter?There was a bang in Ning Xiang's head, what is this little bastard Ning Yuan talking about?To say that he is a guy who doesn't know how to flatter?

Seeing that Ning Xiang had turned red with anger, Ning Yuan didn't stop, but continued: "Sister Ping'er is really pitiful. She died without face. Originally, tablets were not allowed to enter the family ancestral hall. In the end, father and grandmother Seeing how pitiful she was, she took the risk to save her face after death. Not only did she not know how to be grateful, but she even avenged her kindness. She was not at peace when she went to hell, and ran back to seek bad luck from her father and grandmother, trying to destroy the house. Fengshui and Fufu, so disrespectful and unfilial, how could grandma tolerate her, and made her mother lose face in front of her. At first, her mother tried her best to persuade her to let Ning Pinger enter the ancestral hall, but in the end it turned out like this Such a result, it’s embarrassing to think about it, alas.”

"You...you..." Ning Xiang was so pinched by Ning Yuan that he couldn't even utter a word of rebuttal. He pointed at Ning Yuan, his fingers trembling, but Ning Yuan didn't intend to talk to him anymore, holding the tablet He and Luo's mother and a group of followers passed him and walked out.

Ning Xiang turned his head viciously, staring at Ning Yuan's back viciously, as if he wanted to burn two holes in his back with his gaze.

Ning Yuan, one day I will make you kneel at my feet to beg for mercy!Let's wait and see!

In the Ruining courtyard, the eldest lady Yan was wearing a white silk nightgown embroidered with gold thread, reclining lazily on the imperial concubine's couch, tasting a small bowl of bird's nest and white fungus soup served in a white jade bowl.

The bird's nest is the best blood swallow, collected by the swallow farmers on the edge of the cliff near the sea in Qingzhou. Due to the scarcity of production and the steep cliff, it is extremely difficult to mine. If the swallow farmers are not careful, they will fall off the cliff and die, so the price is extremely high. Expensive, even rare in the palace.In the Ning Mansion, even the old lady Shen only had white swallows to use. The Liu family boasted that her natal family was rich, and would occasionally use blood swallows, but they were just ordinary products. How could they know this top-notch blood swallow, so For Yan Shi, it's just a small snack for daily beauty.

The weather was sweltering, and the bird's nest and white fungus soup was filled with ice, which made it more crystal clear, cold and smooth in the mouth, Yan's close-fitting Mrs. Xu fanned her persistently, and said in her mouth: "My servant, look at this young lady's new arrival." The blood swallow that was sent was really good, so I also sent a bowl to Eldest Young Master, seeing that Eldest Young Master is eating delicious and sweet food, and his complexion is also good, I think he is already more than half healed."

"Zhan'er suffered from heart disease, how can it be so easy." Yan sighed lightly, put the white jade bowl aside, as if thinking of something, "The doctor Rui'er said she was looking for is now What's the matter?"

"Don't worry, ma'am, didn't the young lady send a letter a few days ago, saying that she has already found this person? It won't be long before the doctor arrives."

"It's said to be a miracle doctor, but I don't know if it's useful." Yan's face showed a worried look, "Even Venerable Lingxu can't do anything about Zhan'er's illness. I'm afraid this so-called miracle doctor is also an embroidered pillow."

"Ma'am, you have to trust the eldest lady." Xu's mother said: "The eldest lady sends someone to send this high-quality blood swallow from time to time. I think she misses the madam and the young master the most. How can something like this go wrong."

"I'm just worried that Rui'er will be too impatient, so it's easy to do stupid things with good intentions." Yan shook her head, "And she always thinks about others, but doesn't think about herself. It's really annoying. She has been married for three years. It’s been a year, but no good news will come out, if it continues like this, when the husband’s family can’t stand the loneliness and starts to pick up concubines from one concubine to the mansion, she will be able to bear it.”

The two were talking, when suddenly a servant girl came in to announce, "Ma'am, the master is here, and he has already entered the gate of the courtyard!"

"The master is here!" Yan's face revealed surprise, and at the same time she stood up, she did not forget to hand over the unfinished bowl of blood swallow to Mother Xu, and let her put it away so that Ning Ruhai could not see it, and then she put on her clothes. Wearing such a nightdress, she walked to the door and stepped down towards Ning Ruhaifu who was striding over, "Why don't you let me know if the master wants to come, I am in a hurry, and I haven't prepared anything."

"You don't need to prepare anything. I haven't seen you for a long time. I just passed by the door, so I wanted to come in and have a look at you." Ning Ruhai's face was gloomy, thinking that she was tormented by the sorceress incident today, so Yan hurriedly asked He took his seat, and said to Mother Xu: "Go to the kitchen and get a bowl of eight-treasure sweet cheese, and put some more soothing incense slices, so that the master can sleep peacefully after drinking it."

Mother Xu immediately took orders.

Ning Ruhai closed his eyes and leaned there to doze off, while Yan Shi stood aside and gently rubbed his forehead for him.Her movements were gentle and her well-maintained fingers were exceptionally smooth, Ning Ruhai couldn't help opening his eyes again, and looked at her a few more times.

Although Mrs. Yan is the eldest lady, Ning Ruhai hasn't spent the night with her for a long time. The biggest reason is that she is getting old, and she is not as beautiful as the third wife, Mrs. Liu, who is in her prime. Delicacy is even worse than that of her aunt Zhuang who just entered the mansion. A woman over forty years old does not have the capital to compete for her husband's favor in the hands of a group of delicate concubines. She never competes with others for her duty, so whether in the eyes of Shen or Ning Ruhai, she has always been a model of dignity and virtuousness.

Now Ning Ruhai's most beloved third wife, Mrs. Liu, has repeatedly let her down, which inevitably makes her feel disheartened about the once gentle hometown of Hexinyuan. Tonight, he originally wanted to rest in the house of his aunt Zhuang. , I just walked to the gate of Ruining Courtyard, which I hadn't stepped into for a long time, and suddenly my heart felt hot, so I went in to have a look.

Now I see that Yan Shi is only wearing a nightdress, with her arms and most of her breasts exposed. Because of her age, her face is not as bright and charming as the young concubine, and her skin is getting richer and looser. Right, as fair as when he was young, and without many wrinkles, upon closer inspection, the brows and eyes are full of the charm of a mature woman, completely different from the young concubine he usually dotes on, such a novel feeling, Ning Ruhai couldn't help but feel hot all over, he reached out and grabbed Yan Shi's arm, pulling him into his arms.

Yan's whispered, she knew what Ning Ruhai was going to do, and she was unavoidably shy under the surprise, "Master, this concubine hasn't bathed and changed clothes yet, and I'm an old man, how can I serve the master anymore? Go to another aunt."

"Where are you so old, I think you are still as good-looking as when you were young." While talking, Ning Ruhai untied Yan Shi's skirt from behind, and instead of going to the bed, she just put her hand inside.

Mother Xu came back with eight-treasure sweet cheese, walked to the door of the room, and heard voices from inside through the door, he guessed what the two masters were doing, so he didn't go in, and just stood guard at the door.After all, Ning Ruhai is also in his 40s. There is no such thing as a young man, so he didn't let Xu's mother wait for long. About two quarters of an hour later, Yan opened the door with neat clothes and a bright face, and walked out. After being favored by rain and dew by accident, her whole situation improved a lot.

"Master has already gone to bed, tell the servants to watch the door, don't let people go in and startle the master, tell the kitchen to prepare some hot water, I want to take a bath." After Yan finished speaking, she walked to the bathroom, but she heard Mother Xu said: "Second young master is here, waiting to see you."

"Ning Xiang? It's so late, what is he doing here?" A thoughtful expression flashed in Yan's eyes, and he quickly regained his composure, "Understood, you can lead me there first."

Ning Xiang was waiting in the main hall, and when he saw Mrs. Yan coming in, he knelt down without saying a word, and said hoarsely: "Mother, please make decisions for my mother and my sister!" He kowtowed three times in a row.

Mrs. Yan glanced at Xu's mother, and Xu's mother understood, and immediately stepped forward to help Ning Xiang up, "Second young master, don't worry, if you have something to say, please speak up, madam is your aunt, how can there be any reason not to make decisions for you."

"Mother, don't blame Xiang'er for being abrupt, but that Ning Yuan is really deceiving! He relied on his grandmother's backing, so he blindly abused us. Now that my sister is dead, he still doesn't let her go. My sister's memorial tablet was taken out of the ancestral hall, not to mention smashed and burned!" Ning Xiang said, not knowing whether he was too angry or too humiliated, his voice choked up, "There is no reason in the world to bully people like this The same brothers and sisters, did he actually kill each other so heartlessly!"

"Hey, Xiang'er, get up first." Yan sighed quietly, showing a helpless expression, "I know about Ping'er's memorial tablet, and I sympathize with her, but you said it yourself, Yuan'er has Your grandmother supports him, even if he is really wrong, I, as a mother, will punish him, and with your grandmother on top, I will be powerless."

"Then let him show off so much!" Ning Xiang said: "Mother, Ning Yuan doesn't even look down on me as the second brother now, and he has no idea of ​​ordering the seniority at all. I'm afraid that if he continues to let things go like this, he will have a long future, and he will definitely have the courage to ride on the elder brother's head, and mother must punish him!"

"Xiang'er, mother sees that you are really out of breath." Yan's expression suddenly turned cold, and she assumed the majesty of a mother-in-law, "As brothers, you should respect brothers and sisters, how can you be a little bit more respectful? Some conflicts, so I ran to my parents to complain and asked them to punish each other? You are already 16 years old, and you are considered an adult man, but you behave like a child, don’t you think it’s ridiculous!"

Ning Xiang was overwhelmed by Yan's sudden change of face, he was stunned for a while, then lowered his head, and murmured: "Mother... Mother taught me a lesson."

"Also!" Yan continued to sternly: "You just want your mother to punish him, and you don't even think about it. Why did your mother punish him? Is there anything wrong with him that my mother can punish? If the name is not right, then the words are wrong." Shun, even if some things are to be done, they must be well-founded. As a woman, mother understands the things in these sage books. You have read the books for many years, but you don’t take them to heart at all. If your father I know, I still don't know what it will be like to be disappointed!"

"Mother...I...I'm not..."

"Okay, it's too late today, mother thinks you are not calm, you should go back and calm down, think about what I just said, or review the books you have read." Yan said After finishing, she stood up and extended her hand to Mama Xu, who helped her to walk in knowingly.

Ning Xiang still knelt there, thinking about Yan Shi's words in his mind, and muttered in his mouth: "If the name is not correct, the words will not go well. There are reasons and evidence... There is reason and evidence..."

"By the way, Ms. Xu, the Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon. Can the master tell me whether our house will participate in the dragon boat competition this year?" Yan's voice drifted over at this moment. She didn't seem to go far, and she seemed to be talking to Ms. discussing something.

"Of course I want to participate. The old lady also said that the dragon boat in our mansion is going to be prepared by the third young master this year. It can be regarded as a test for the third young master." Mother Xu said.

"That's it." Yan seems to have breathed a sigh of relief, "I hope Yuan'er can do a good job, every year the dragon boat competition is very important to the master, if he can win, it will be a matter of saving face, but Yuan'er is careful. , I think there will be no mistakes."

After all, footsteps sounded again, and the two gradually walked away.

"Dragon Boat Competition?" Ning Xiang's eyes suddenly flashed a cold light.

066 Boatman Prince

There are three major festivals in Dazhou, the Yuanjia Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month, the Duanyang Festival on May 25th, and the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifth day of September.The dragon boat race on the Duanyang Festival is one of the three folk customs, just like the Yuanzi banquet on the Yuan Festival and the lantern appreciation on the Mid-Autumn Festival. Because of the strong navy of the Zhou Dynasty, the emperor also appointed dragon boats as a necessary marching exercise for the army. Therefore, the dragon boat competitions held in various big cities in Duanyang every year not only attract the attention of ordinary people, but also serve as a vanity fair for various families to compare with each other. The "Nine Suns Festival" on the emperor's birthday comes to Beijing to perform dragon boat performances for the emperor. If they can win the top three, according to the usual practice, if the head of the family to which the dragon boat belongs is an official in the court, he will be promoted to a higher level regardless of his official position.

This kind of temptation is quite great for local officials everywhere, and Ning Ruhai is not immune to it. Ever since he was swept out of Huajing, he has not given up the idea of ​​returning to the ranks of Beijing officials in these years.He is now in the Jiangzhou garrison, and Cao Guichun, the governor of Jiangzhou, is on top of him. If he can be promoted by virtue of the dragon boat competition, there is no reason to give him the post of governor, and he has a great possibility to return to Huaxia. Beijing, so Ning Ruhai prepares very hard for the Dragon Boat Competition every year. Unfortunately, even though he holds the Jiangzhou garrison in his hands, he has the most powerful and powerful man, but he loses to the Cao family every year. The first line of the fleet, even the capital of Jiangzhou has never won, let alone performed for the Nine Suns Festival.

In addition, because of Ning Ping'er's incident this year, there was a lot of trouble in the Ning Mansion. Before the outside material discussions completely subsided, Ning Ruhai was not willing to go out and show his face. In addition, he felt that this year might still be inferior to the boats of the Cao Mansion. It's meaningless to focus on the team, so I listened to Shen's words and assigned Ning Yuan to take care of the preparations for the dragon boat competition.

Ning Yuan has become more and more fond of Shen Shi recently, and Shen Shi's idea is to let this grandson who is currently the most favored by him practice a little more, so that he can help Ning Ruhai take care of some trivial matters faster in the future, but for this kind of Ning Yuan is very disapproving of something that looks beautiful but is actually thankless.

"If you don't do this well, you have to take responsibility for it, but if you do it well..." Ning Mo slightly propped his chin with his right hand, holding a sunspot between his slender fingers. After thinking for a moment, he moved towards the southeast corner of the chessboard. Go down, "Call to eat."

"Actually, when we didn't do well, our mansion has been fighting for so many years, and we are only second every year. There is no reason to change me. Instead, we can take the leader away." Ning Yuan threw the white stone in his hand aside. In the chess box, "Forget it, I won't play any more, it looks like I've lost."

"It's rare for me to see you so frustrated, so don't you have the mood to do a good job?" Ning Mo said with a smile, "If you can really win the leader, it will be really beautiful, not only in The family has a face, and can go to Huajing to participate in the Nine Suns Festival, and the Nine Suns Festival is the most lively time in Huajing City every year, such an opportunity can't be asked for by others."

"Then I have to talk to the leader first." Ning Yuan chuckled, "Father entrusted me with the dragon boat this time, although grandma suggested it first, but how much firewood was added by the eldest lady in the open and in the dark, you and I love each other. I know it well."

"I know what you're worrying about, if she didn't plan on you, I wouldn't believe it anyway." Ning Mo said: "I just don't know what her plan is, but based on what I know about Da Furen, Nine times out of ten, it is also a trick of borrowing a knife to kill people, so you don’t need to be troubled by yourself, and if something goes wrong, you can clean it up for the outside world.”

Ning Yuan nodded, "Sure enough, my brother is thinking of going with me again. I see that Ning Xiang seems to be very peaceful recently. I think he is going to work hard and make a big move."

"Anyway, you just need to know it in your heart. There are less than ten days left until the Duanyang Festival. If you want to deal with it properly, you should prepare early." Ning Mo stood up, "I have been out for a long time, although the back garden It's remote, but it's hard to guarantee that no one will come, the less people know about my relationship with you, the better, let's go here first." After speaking, he nodded to Ning Yuan, and led his personal maid out to play chess gazebo.

"Master, do you think that someone will play tricks on the dragon boat competition to harm us?" Zhou Shi asked behind Ning Yuan.

Ning Yuan didn't answer, but sat there thinking for a while, then stood up and said, "It's still early, you should accompany me to the dock by the pier first."

When it comes to shipbuilding, no prefecture or county can compare with Qingzhou's shipyard, but if it is compared to building river boats, with the convenience of the Jinghua Canal, Jiangzhou is the only one in the country. Therefore, Jiangzhou's official shipyard , the scale is also very large, Ning Yuan sat in the carriage and walked for a long time before entering the workshops where dragon boats were built for various prefectures from the main entrance of the dock.

The foreman had already learned about Ning Yuan's return from the handyman guarding the gate, and he waited directly at the gate. He knew that Ning Yuan was taking care of the dragon boats in the Ning Mansion this year, so he was very concerned about the third young master Ning who had never heard of it before. Very polite, he rubbed his hands to greet him and said: "There are still ten days before the Duanyang Festival, why did the young master come here so early?"

"I guess the custom-made dragon boat in our mansion should be almost finished, so I'll come and have a look." Ning Yuan said as he walked in, the foreman hurriedly led the way, flattered him for a long time, and then led Ning Yuan to the workshop. In the backyard, there are more than ten long wooden boats that seem to have just been completed and have not been painted. The sticky, transparent sap brushed the bottom of the boat.

"What are those people doing?" Ning Yuan asked.

"They are putting gum on the bottom of the boat." The foreman said: "The bottom of the boat is soaked in water all the year round, no matter how hard the wood is, there will always be a day when it will be soaked. This glue is different from ordinary boat bottom paint. The primer can only prevent water, but it cannot maintain the wood, and it is also heavy. The resin not only prevents water, but also makes the wood harder and makes the boat more stable. We build ships in shipyards. It's this gum."

Ning Yuan nodded, and followed the foreman for a while. The foreman pointed to a dragon boat that was more than five feet long and six feet wide. Now, it is also glueing. We are moving fast, and maybe we can finish it in three or four days, especially the pattern of the bow of the ship, which is carved by the most skilled craftsman in our dock. Look, my lord. Isn't it very lively?"

Ning Yuan looked at the dragon boat for a while, then looked at the custom-made dragon boats in other mansions, and asked: "I see that the carvings on the bows of each boat are different, but are there any rules here? "

"I know, Young Master Ning, this is the first time you are in charge of the dragon boat competition in the mansion, and you don't know the taboos inside." The foreman said: "The dragon boat competition is about speed, but it also pays attention to luck. If you come across two dragon boats with the same prows, your luck will be divided by others. This is naturally very unlucky, so even if there is no such rule in Dabi, there is no taboo. People are willing to let their own bows be the same as those of others." Speaking of this, the foreman paused, and then said to Ning Yuan in a suppressed voice: "Actually, Young Master Ning doesn't know, but thanks to the shrewdness of the Second Young Master in your house, Before the dragon boat started to work, I sent the drawings early, and informed the boat that it was first carved into the pattern of "angry dragon spitting beads". Many people were very envious when they saw it. Even Dudu Cao came in person two days ago and liked this style very much. .”

Hearing this, Ning Yuan rolled his eyes, nodded and said, "This design is unique, the second brother really thought it through, but, Governor Cao really likes this design very much?"

"No, but Dudu Cao is not an unreasonable person, but he didn't say much." The foreman was shaking his head and sighing when he said this, but suddenly he heard Ning Yuan say: "Let's leave it to them."

The foreman was taken aback for a moment, then raised his head abruptly, stuttering when he spoke, "Master, what did you say, sir?"

"It's pleasing to see the angry dragon spitting beads, but I don't like it. Compared with this, I like the unicorn Tengyun better." Ning Yuan said: "Go and answer Cao Dudu for me. , since Dudu Cao likes this pattern, then I will change it with him, I think it's just a change of bow, it's not a big deal for you."

"This... This is naturally not a big effort, but." The foreman looked at Ning Yuan in disbelief, "If Mr. Ning really changed it, then the second young master in the house..."

"Father entrusted me with the handling of the dragon boat, not my second brother. Foreman, you have to find out about this matter, and don't lose your sense of proportion." Ning Yuan looked at the foreman with a gloomy gaze, and the foreman felt a chill go down his spine. .

The foreman has worked in this shipyard for several years, and he has met quite a few dignitaries. The third young master of the Ning Mansion in front of him doesn't look like he is fourteen or fifteen years old. Why do his eyes look so piercing!

"I know, I know." The foreman smiled stiffly, "We will do as the young master ordered. I think Dudu Cao will be happy if he gets a pattern he likes, and he will not refuse."

Ning Yuan nodded. Now that he had seen everything he wanted to see, he continued to walk forward. There were two gates in this large yard where the dragon boats were dried. Ning Yuan was going to go back to the mansion through the other gate. In a small open space, a half-made boat was standing there. The boat was not big, and could only accommodate three or four people. There were only two workers working on the boat, and one of them was wearing a simple coarse coat. Facing Ning Yuan, he was standing inside the boat and beating, while the other person was shirtless, with his back to him, half kneeling outside to paint the hull of the boat.

Ning Yuan unconsciously glanced at those two people, and after taking two steps forward, he suddenly stopped, stepped back, and looked at the person facing him again.

The man was facing ordinary, with a pair of thick arms exposed outside. He looked like a practitioner at first glance. He probably noticed that someone was watching him. He raised his head, and when he saw Ning Yuan, he couldn't help being stunned for a moment. .

When he raised his head, Ning Yuan could see more clearly, and sure enough, he was right, he was indeed an acquaintance.

The man smiled unnaturally at Ning Yuan, as if hesitating whether to say hello, but Ning Yuan has already shifted his gaze to the man with his back to him. His hair is the same as that of the boatman here, simply stuck up with hemp rope Tied behind the head, the broad shoulders and muscular back glistened in the sunlight due to sweating, and the coarse trousers underneath were rolled up above the knees, revealing two strong calves.

Ning Yuan opened his mouth halfway, and it looked like he was going to say hello first, which startled the person in the boat, and he immediately shouted: "What a coincidence, Mr. Ning!" Jumped out from inside, patted the other person on the shoulder and said, "Young Master Yuan, quickly see who is here!"

"Master Yuan?" Ning Yuan was wondering if he had identified the wrong person, but the guy in the gown was clearly the guy he had seen last time, Huyan Yuanchen's guard Yan Fei.

Hearing Yan Fei's voice, the half-kneeling young man was shocked, and immediately got up and turned around. It was indeed Huyan Yuanchen, but the current appearance of the prince made Ning Yuan not pay attention to why he would The details of the workmanship here, but almost couldn't help laughing.

Perhaps it was because the paint was painted too seriously, Huyan Yuanchen showed a handsome face, and the left one was covered with dark brown paint, some even rubbed onto the chest, and it was obviously unexpected to match his face Why did I meet Ning Yuan's surprised expression here, it looked completely funny.

"Why, Mr. Ning, don't you know Mr. Yuan?" The foreman looked at the reaction of the two of them, only thinking that they were acquaintances.

"Uh, it's considered acquaintance." Ning Yuan took two steps forward, walked up to Huyan Yuanchen, looked up at the young man in front of him who was half a head taller than himself, and repeated it again in a slightly teasing tone, "Yuan Son?"

"Brother Ning, why are you here?" Hu Yanyuanchen seemed a little embarrassed, thinking about it, he knew what he looked like now, so he couldn't help raising his arm to wipe his face, but the paint on his face hadn't dried completely, and the paint on his arm There was sweat again, and with this rubbing, the original paint was rubbed into one piece, and he was covered with a big face.

Now Ning Yuan really couldn't bear it anymore. The impression Huyan Yuanchen gave him in the past has always been a calm, mature and serious style. There will be such ridiculous moments, and he immediately turned his face away, sullen laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Poor Huyan Yuanchen didn't seem to notice the situation, and kept rubbing on his face until he realized that there was also a ball of paint on his forearm. The foreman behind Ning Yuan said: "Is there any spare room for me to tidy up?"

"Yes, of course!" Even the foreman wanted to laugh, but since Huyan Yuanchen was one of his big clients, it would offend people if he laughed, so he held it back. Seeing Huyan Yuanchen asking him, he immediately pointed A wooden house in the corner said: "That house is for the boatmen to take a lunch break, there is no one in it now, Mr. Yuan can go there."

"So, you rented this boat under the pseudonym 'Yuan Chen'