Tranquility

The sunset in winter is always cold.

Tang Yun sat on a branch, bent down, and stretched out his hand. Tangning silently grabbed his hand, and clasped his hands together, one black and one white.

Tang Yun pulled Tang Ning to his side with all his strength. The cold wind was bleak, and the two cuddled each other, silently looking into the distance.

The vast fields are covered with white snow, reflecting faint orange red under the reflection of the setting sun.

Tangning took a deep breath of the cold air, feeling the coolness in her stomach gradually spread to her limbs.

"Second brother, do you really want to go?"

"En." Tang Yun stared at Hongxia in the sky, and hummed lightly.

Tangning remained silent again. He understood his second brother's ambition. No matter how reluctant he was, his second brother would eventually leave here. There was a wider and more exciting world waiting for him outside.

Tang Yun put his arms around his younger brother's shoulders, "Brother married a wife, and you were admitted as a scholar. I don't have anything to worry about. I have inquired that the men in the Zhao family are not like the girls in his family. They are very loyal. Sister-in-law It's not like our mother, although it's a bit picky, but she has a good heart, and I can rest assured that the elder brother's money will be managed by her. But your money should be collected well, don't give it to the elder brother, you keep it for yourself, and you will marry a daughter-in-law in the future. They have to be used, the rice grain distributed by the county government every year, the rice is left to the family, and the money is collected by oneself.”

"Second brother, I'm not a child. I know what I should give, and I won't give what I shouldn't. Do you have any plans to go out?"

"I'm planning to go to the southernmost part, the coastal side. I heard that doing business with foreigners is very profitable. I want to make a fortune first while there are not many people doing business."

"Are you going alone? You just heard about it. What if it's not? The money is not so easy to earn, let alone other things. I don't know how many bandits and robbers along the way. You can't find business at the port of Weihai first. What to do? Wait until we have a firm foothold, and then do sea transportation, and then we can make a lot of money by transporting goods from the south.”

"Well, I'll go alone. Don't worry, I've inquired about it. The business on the Weihai side has long been divided. I think it's not easy to get a piece of the action. It's better to go to the south. There are quite a lot of people doing it but it hasn't become a reality yet. The opportunity More."

"Then you take Xiaoyin with you. It's a wolfhound. You can also help us with it. Let me tell you first, you must never go to sea. The weather on the sea is unpredictable, so we don't ask for so much money. Don't risk your life."

Tang Yun hugged his younger brother even tighter, "I know, I still want to see you become the number one scholar and become a high official."

"Brother, we have 100 taels of silver now, why don't you take 50 taels away?"

"it is good."

In the blink of an eye, it was the Spring Festival again. This year, the Tang family can be regarded as a turn of events. There are many happy events, and the status and status have undergone earth-shaking changes.

That's why a lot of people came to the Tang family to pay New Year's greetings this year. Apart from the villagers, there were also relatives who came out of nowhere. It was the first time Tangning knew that there were relatives in the family. Isn't his family passed down through generations?

Those who kissed Tang Yun had almost leveled the threshold of the Tang family, and there were also many who kissed Niuniu.There weren't many people who offered Tang Ning a kiss. It wasn't that Tang Ning was bad, but that he was too nice. The matchmaker felt that none of the girls in the surrounding villages were worthy of him.

There are many people with good conditions in these marriages. Carpenter Tang was very tempted and wanted to take this opportunity to settle Tang Yun's marriage. As a result, Tang Yun directly told the matchmaker that he would not marry, saying that he would go to the south to do business in the next year. Carpenter Tang and the matchmaker were shocked when they heard this.

In the minds of the people in Zhangjia Village, who were behind the news, all places in the extreme south and north of Dazhao were exiled for felonies. Tang Yun actually wanted to go to the extreme south. What is the difference between this and exile?

Fortunately, the Tang family still has Tang Ning, a scholar. Although there were rumors, everyone only talked about them behind their backs.Carpenter Tang beat Tang Yun, Tang Mu and Tang Ning stopped him, Tang Yun didn't get hurt much, but he was determined to leave, Carpenter Tang couldn't do anything about him.Besides, when I heard him talk about starting a business a few years ago, Carpenter Tang was mentally prepared, so I wasn't too surprised. Anyway, the youngest son is already a scholar, and the Tang family is already a class of scholars. Tang Yun can do business alone. does not affect.

In March, spring is warm and flowers are blooming. Three people and one dog bid farewell to their family members at the door of their house and got on the ox cart.

Arrived in town at noon.The three brothers found a restaurant and had their last reunion dinner.

At the east city gate, Tang Mu held Tang Yun's hand, with tears in his eyes, choked up for a long time, and then said: "Be careful in everything, don't stand out when things happen, safety is the most important thing, if you encounter any difficulties, write a letter to your family, If you really can’t do it, come home, and the elder brother will take care of you.”

Tang Yun's hands trembled, and he nodded severely.

Tangning unwrapped the burden on her back and handed it to Tang Yun, "I bought this dress according to your size, and it's the right time to wear it. My second brother's previous clothes are too old-fashioned, and most people outside are snobby. , this dress is just right, not eye-catching and not shabby, my second brother wears this on weekdays. There is a recommendation letter sewn into the clothes. Dr. Lu made a good friend when he was in Qiongjing, named Zheng Hu, who was in the shipping business Yes, he is bold, you can go to Qiongjing to inquire, Dr. Lu said that he is very famous, if you have any difficulties, you can go to him, it is more or less the way."

Tang Yun nodded, and then put it in his bag.

The groom who was driving the carriage behind was already shouting impatiently, and the people who were riding with him also poked their heads out to complain.Tang Yun hugged his eldest brother and younger brother again, and reluctantly took Xiaoyin into the car, and gradually walked away under the eyes of his brothers.

Tang Ning watched the carriage gradually turn into a small black spot, and her heart was filled with worry and reluctance. Tang Yun didn't know how many hardships he had to go through along the way, whether he would be stolen, robbed, or cheated. He is only 14 years old, will others bully him for being young?

"San'er, it's getting late. Eldest brother is going back too. Your sister-in-law's pregnancy has been a little unstable recently. You should stay in the city for a few more days and play with your friends. The house is not busy, so don't worry about going back."

"Well, sister-in-law's health is important, brother be careful, I'll go back in a few days."

Tang Ning and Tang Mu parted ways, and walked slowly towards Dr. Lu's house.But his mind was always thinking about the second brother’s journey. Fortunately, he split the 50 taels of silver bills into small cheat sheets and put them together with the recommendation letter. The second brother had 100 taels on him. There are more than 80 taels, and the cost is enough.

Suddenly Tangning realized something was wrong, and reached into the hidden pocket on his side waist. When he touched a few pieces of paper, his heart beat faster. He quickly took it out and took a look. It was a small bill of three chapters and ten taels. He read it again and again. It was the bank note with the smallest denomination in Dazhao, but not the ones he gave to his second brother.Holding the banknote, Tang Ning stood in the middle of the street in a daze. The passers-by walked by, but he didn't seem to be in the same world as them.

A gorgeous carriage came leisurely from a distance, and pedestrians stepped aside one after another to watch. Such a gorgeous carriage is rare in Cangping County, and once it appeared, it took up more than half of the street width.The carriage pulled up behind Tangning and was blocked by him. The coachman yelled a few times, but Tangning didn't seem to hear him.

Seeing that the carriage stopped, Xie Baiyun raised the curtain and was about to ask, but his sight was caught by the handsome figure standing in front of him, and he couldn't move away.

He didn't expect that Tangning left such a deep impression on him, so deep that he could recognize him immediately when he saw his back. Even though the boy had changed a lot in this year, he still recognized him.

He got out of the carriage, waved his folding fan, ignored the envious eyes of the passers-by, and tried to make his steps look casual and leisurely.

As soon as Tangning came back to her senses, she saw Xie Baiyun's magnified face under the sun. At this moment, there was a faint smile on this charming face, but it didn't have the cynical aristocratic atmosphere when he first met him.

"Brother Ning, what a coincidence, are you going to Dr. Lu's house? I'm going to visit him too, how about we go together? I haven't seen you for a year, and Brother Ning is getting more and more beautiful. I was stunned seeing it." .”

Tangning secretly sighed, it turned out to be the same.

When the two arrived at Lu's house, the servants reported that Dr. Lu was in the pharmacy and it was inconvenient to receive guests.Of course, these words were addressed to Xie Baiyun, not Tangning.Xie Baiyun understood Dr. Lu's temper and didn't care about it. She took someone to the usual guest room, but Tangning went to the pharmacy alone.

Tangning gently opened the door with the key. Dr. Lu likes to be quiet when he is making medicine.But when he came in, he heard a cheerful child's voice,

"Grandpa, what is this for? Is it going to be released next?"

"Well, we have to wait for the dregs in the water to sink before we can release the tallow grass." Dr. Lu said patiently.

Tangning walked around the wooden frame and saw a child squatting on the desk, curiously picking up a blade of grass and looking over it.Next to him was a high shelf for fixing containers, almost as tall as a child. Dr. Lu was standing in front of the desk cutting something, and his thumping sound was a little lighter than usual.

Tang Ning leaned on the shelf, the corners of her mouth curled up unconsciously, and she looked at the young and old with tender eyes. The warm sun in the winter afternoon shone through the window and shone on them, covering them with a faint golden light, making them extraordinarily soft. .

Tangning didn't bother them, he just wanted to clear his mind quietly at the moment, gradually his eyes drifted away, as if seeing distant memories through the person in front of him, many people and many things came and went, but he always only chased after one figure , Slowly, only that person remained in his eyes, those eyebrows, that expression, and the corner of his mouth, that was his second brother.

In Tangning's mind, there was no language, no words, only one person, his second brother.The image of the second brother became more and more clear before his eyes, and then gradually blurred until it disappeared.His eyes returned to the old and the young again, but the scene at this time was different from before. Tangning couldn't tell what was different. In fact, at this moment, there were only pictures in his mind without words. Everything was just feeling.

I don't know how long it has been in this state, he turned around and returned to his room in a daze, as if there was some guidance, he took out the painting box, took out the canvas, picked up the paintbrush, and moved his hands unconsciously, smearing, his mind The lingering images gradually appeared on the canvas. Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, the setting sun set to the west, and the canvas was stained with a halo of yellow, confusing the colors on it. It was just when Tangning finished painting.

"I didn't expect to see you in a year. Brother Ning's painting skills have improved a lot. This painting is really different. It's different from the previous paintings. The characters in the paintings are nothing special, but I feel that there is something more than those pictures of beauties. Say no. Come out." Xie Baiyun stared at the painting, frowned and said in distress, as if he didn't know how to express it.

Tangning turned her head suddenly, staring at him with her dark eyes, Xie Baiyun looked at his dark eyes with no glimmer of light, and a shudder appeared on his back, "Ning, Brother Ning, what's wrong with you?"

Tangning paused for a while before she seemed to find her own language, and there was some light in her eyes, "Brother Bai Yun, Ning has something to say, but I don't know if I should say it or not."

"Brother Ning, please tell me."

"The Master said: 'Don't do to others what you don't want done to you'. Since I met Brother Bai Yun, you have repeatedly entered my room without my consent, watched my painting, and even disturbed me aloud. Ruoning also treats Brother Bai Yun like this, brother Bai Yun is willing? Brother Bai Yun always says that he regards Ning as a brother, but never respects Ning's feelings, how about it?"

Xie Baiyun lowered his eyebrows and thought for a while, before giving a deep salute, "What brother Ning said is very true, he ignored brother Ning's feelings, and apologized for brother Ning's feelings. He will treat brother Ning with respect in the future." .”

Seeing Xie Baiyun's sincerity, Tangning stepped forward to help him up, "I'm ashamed to say it, but Ning is narrow-minded."

"No, it's my brother's fault. My brother came from a good background. He was flattered and self-righteous since he was a child. He took other people's respect for granted but didn't return the same respect. If Brother Ning hadn't reminded me, my brother would not only be offended by this. People, it is more likely to miss more friends in the future. Brother Ning can be outspoken, he is really a good friend, and he should be grateful for his brother. How dare he blame Brother Ning, I only hope that Brother Ning will raise more points in the future."

"Hehe, by the way, the family teacher has already given Ning a watch, and Brother Bai Yun can call Ning 'Zian' from now on."

"In this way, I congratulate Zi'an for giving me my watch. My brother is here to ask Zi'an to go to the front hall for dinner. Dr. Lu has been waiting for a long time."

So, the two went to eat together again.

After dinner, drink tea.

"Uncle Lu, do you still have any ancient calligraphy and paintings here? The ones I gave you last time have already been used up." Tangning said rather distressed.

"No, you don't have to worry. I'll go talk to him in two days. He has a lot of calligraphy and paintings himself, but he wants you to bring them. Isn't that a toss-up? No one would do that."

"Why, Zian is short of calligraphy and painting?"

"The family teacher is teaching Zi'an to appreciate calligraphy and painting antiques. Brother Bai Yun knows Zi'an's family background, how can there be so many calligraphy, paintings and antiques, so he asked Uncle Lu to borrow them."

"It's simple. Yimozhai has a lot of antique calligraphy and paintings. If you want to borrow them, Zian can go to the shopkeeper."

"That's not good. After all, those are valuables, and Yimo Studio didn't sell them."

"It's okay, those are my brother's private possessions, if Zi'an wants to use them, just go and get them. Does Zi'an still want to be polite to me?"

"So thank you brother Bai Yun."

"You're welcome. Brother Wei will take Zi'an to have a look tomorrow. By the way, I can also help Brother identify the authenticity."

The next day, Xie Baiyun took Tangning to Yimo Studio.

As soon as he entered the door, Xie Baiyun saw Tangning's painting at a glance. He pointed to it with a smile and said, "Zian, did you draw this sunset picture earlier? It's much worse than yesterday's one."

Tangning suddenly turned her head and looked at Xie Baiyun with her big black eyes.

This time Xie Baiyun finally saw his own reflection in those clear eyes, which was very clear.Looking at this pair of beautiful eyes, a cluster of small flames suddenly sprang up from the bottom of his heart, which was so bright that Xie Baiyun's heart beat faster.

After yesterday's incident, he had treated Tangning as a true friend, and he had already given up trying to take advantage of her. He didn't want to lose the only friend who treated him sincerely besides Mo Yi.But he didn't want to drag his friend into bed either. Xie Baiyun desperately wanted to extinguish the small flames, but who knew that the flames were small but brighter and brighter, Xie Baiyun was powerless.

"Brother Bai Yun, how did you know that Zian's painting is a picture of the setting sun instead of the picture of the rising sun?"

"Hehe, it's obvious. The colors are different, the feeling is different, and the lines are different." Xie Baiyun stared at Tangning's painting of peach blossoms every day. After watching it for a year, he became familiar with Tangning's painting techniques. Besides, Tangning's own paintings His skills have also improved a lot, so it's not surprising that he can see the sunset.

Tangning smiled slightly. Only then did he realize that Xie Baiyun was also very cute.

Tangning didn't ask any further questions, but instead pointed to a picture of Hansong and said, "Dude, can you put this picture away for me, and put it in a better box."

Xie Baiyun asked strangely: "Although Han Shanzi's paintings are famous, but he has just passed his age, so he can't be regarded as everyone. Is it necessary to appreciate them?"

Tangning smiled and said, "I bought this painting. I'm going to ask Mr. Min to be a matchmaker tomorrow. This painting should be regarded as a thank-you gift."

When Xie Baiyun heard this, the little flame in his heart immediately bowed his head aggrievedly, and it went out automatically without pinching it. He endured the inexplicable sadness and said: "Oh? I don't know which girl is so lucky to be favored by Zi'an."

"She is the husband's daughter. Our childhood sweethearts grew up. It is my blessing that I can marry her."

Tang Ning had already made up her mind. She would ask the county magistrate to propose marriage first, and then tell the family when the matter was settled. At that time, they would not ask the county magistrate to withdraw the marriage, would they?

Xie Baiyun didn't want to discuss this topic, so he said instead: "Zi'an will come to Yimo Studio a lot in the future, and he always comes from his home in the city. It's very inconvenient. Why don't you teach Zi'an how to ride horses for brother?"

Tang Ning's eyes immediately lit up when he heard that. Since Shu Hongyu lived in Dr. Lu's house, he often came to visit him, and borrowed calligraphy and paintings by the way. Besides, he often went out to get together with Zhao Qian and Jin Yongfu. Learning how to ride a horse was indeed much more convenient, and he was earning a lot of money now. Money can afford a horse too.

So Tangning immediately agreed.