Film and Television World Life Record

Xue Jin was somewhat angered.

"You! The Su family patriarch is truly blind."

"Hmph, let's go!" With that, he stormed off with his two servants.

Chapter 586 Nie Yunzhu

The following days were incredibly leisurely; I spent my days drinking tea, reading books, strolling around, and practicing swordsmanship.

Li Mu had been to the Qinhuai River area many times and was familiar with the surroundings. One day, while strolling with Xiao Chan, he discovered a secluded spot by the river. The scenery was beautiful, and there weren't many people around.

Quite a few talented men and beautiful women come here for a spring outing.

Li Mu recently wanted to find a quiet place to practice martial arts. Although the Pine Crane Boxing Manual and the Yangwu Sword Technique were good, he would get tired of practicing them every day.

Other martial arts skills would be too conspicuous and eye-catching to practice at the Su residence, so they had to find them outside.

This place is just right. Although there are many talented men and beautiful women during the day, it's different in the early morning, as most of them don't get up that early.

So every few days, Li Mu would get up before dawn and walk along the Qinhuai River to this place.

Whether practicing boxing, swordplay, or simply sitting cross-legged facing the rising sun, breathing in the rising purple mist, even if there's no significant improvement in skill, the feeling of comfort is more important than anything else.

Early that morning, Li Mu got up as usual, washed up, and had his toothbrush and tooth powder ready, though the taste was definitely not as good. He walked out of the courtyard through the side gate. A few rays of white light were faintly visible on the horizon, and it was still somewhat dim. Occasionally, he would encounter maids or stewards from other courtyards, who would call out "Young Master" and greet him.

After leaving the Su family's courtyard, we followed a shortcut to the Qinhuai River.

As dawn broke, the painted boats on the Qinhuai River floated slowly under a light mist. Occasionally, one could see boatmen and weary courtesans standing quietly at the bow.

As the hustle and bustle of the night faded, a new day began. Li Mu frequently encountered people on the riverbank who looked tired, hurried, and often disheveled; most likely, they had spent the night on some pleasure boat.

He quickly arrived at his destination, a place that was usually bustling with men and women enjoying the spring scenery during the day, but was now quiet and peaceful.

After cultivating for more than half an hour, it was already bright daylight, and the banks of the Qinhuai River gradually became lively. Li Mu sheathed his sword and returned to the Su family along the Qinhuai River.

Just then, a beautiful woman with a bare face, carrying a kitchen knife, hurriedly ran towards them from afar.

Li Mu was slightly surprised, then heard a clucking sound from a hen. It turned out that the woman was chasing a hen. The hen seemed to sense the approaching danger and ran wildly through the woods. Despite the woman's persistence, she couldn't catch it.

A woman and a chicken, one chasing the other. The hen, driven to desperation, fled aimlessly towards the Qinhuai River, but the woman refused to give up. In fact, she increased her speed, as if she and the hen had a mortal grudge.

Seeing pursuers behind her and a large river in front of her, and unable to stop herself, the hen decisively jumped into the river.

The woman seemed to be getting anxious. She had chased the hen for so long and was about to catch it when it tried to jump into the river. As she ran, she swung the kitchen knife in her hand and chopped at the hen.

Unfortunately, the hen fell into the water without incident, and the cleaver not only missed its target but also fell into the water as well.

The woman seemed to freeze for a moment, but because she was running too fast, she couldn't stop herself by the riverbank and was about to fall into the river. Li Mu looked at the scene so close to him speechlessly, and with a sway of his body, he was behind the woman.

Just as the woman was flailing her arms and losing her balance, about to fall into the river, the man swung his long sword, scabbard still attached, across the water and gently pushed her away. The force of the blow made her stand up, stumble back a few steps, and land on the grass with a thud. She cried out in alarm, looking at the river with lingering fear.

Li Mu said, "Don't shout, it's alright now. Just be more careful next time."

The woman then realized that she had been saved by the young man beside her, and quickly stood up and curtsied, saying, "Yunzhu thanks you, young master, for saving my life."

Li Mu looked her up and down a few times, and it really was Nie Yunzhu.

"You're welcome, it's easy."

He pointed to the hen in the river and asked, "Shall we chase it?"

Nie Yunzhu shook her head in frustration, feeling very down.

Since leaving Jin Feng Lou two years ago and building a two-story house on the banks of the Qinhuai River, she has spent almost all the money she had saved over the years.

However, her maid Hu Tao stayed by her side, relying on each other like sisters. The two lived together and made a living.

However, while she excels at poetry, songs, and music, she is not good at these mundane household chores, which Hu Tao has to take on most of. She can only do what she can.

She wasn't idle every day; she embroidered beautiful brocades, occasionally made shoe soles and handkerchiefs, and every few days she would go to Jinfeng Tower to teach a piece of music. That's how she managed to support the family.

However, since Hu Tao fell ill last month, these household chores have inevitably fallen to her. Washing clothes and cooking seem simple, but the clothes she washes are never as clean as Hu Tao's, and the food she cooks is barely edible.

A couple of days ago, I bought a hen from my neighbor, intending to nourish Hu Tao's body. However, I didn't dare to kill the chicken. After struggling with it for a while, when I finally gritted my teeth and tried to kill it, the chicken ran away.

She chased after it, getting angrier and angrier. In the end, the chicken fell into the river, and she almost fell in herself, but luckily she was rescued.

Seeing her dejected look, Li Mu laughed and said, "Go back. It looks like you're not going to be able to kill this chicken today."

Nie Yunzhu blushed slightly, then said, "May I ask your esteemed name, young master?"

Li Mu didn't try to be mysterious: "Ning Yi, Ning Liheng."

Nie Yunzhu curtsied and said, "So it's Young Master Ning. I am so grateful for your life-saving grace..."

Before she could finish speaking, Li Mu waved his hand and said, "No need to be so polite. Goodbye, you should go home too!"

Nie Yunzhu watched Li Mu leave, then looked at the hen still thrashing about in the river before hurriedly rushing home.

……

When Li Mu returned home, Su Tan'er and several maids were already up.

While they were practicing the Pine Crane Boxing Manual, Xiao Chan was running around giving pointers and corrections.

Ever since Li Mu taught Xiao Chan the essence of the Pine Crane Fist, the little girl has been showing off, practicing for a while every morning in front of the other girls. Her dashing figure is the envy of them all. They often hear Xiao Chan praising how good this kung fu is, not only for strengthening the body but also for health and beauty. After practicing it, she can now walk around with her son-in-law all day without getting tired.

The girls couldn't resist any longer and immediately wanted to learn.

When Xiao Chan proudly told him the news, Li Mu flicked her forehead. It had taken him nearly a month to teach Xiao Chan the Songhequan manual properly, let alone several other girls.

So he entrusted the important task of teaching to Xiao Chan, and would give her some pointers whenever he had time.

The girls were learning quite enthusiastically and were already able to imitate the movements. Even Su Tan'er couldn't resist and had recently started learning quietly as well.

Upon seeing Li Mu, Xiao Chan said happily, "Young Master is back! I'll fetch you some water to wash up."

Xiao Chan was used to Li Mu often going out to exercise early in the morning. In her understanding, exercising meant sweating, and naturally, she would need to wash up when she got back.

Li Mu laughed and said, "You teach them here, I can fetch the water myself."

Xiao Chan said, "How can that be? I'll fetch water for the young master first, and then I'll teach them later." With that, she took small, quick steps and ran off.

Li Mu smiled, greeted Su Tan'er, and returned to his room.

At noon, after lunch, Xiao Chan started nagging in his ear again, talking about some trivial things about the Su family.

However, this time the news is about him.

He'd been idle and carefree lately, but this couldn't go on indefinitely. Someone from the Su family suggested finding him something to do.

Many people agree.

Some people suggested that he work as an accountant in a shop or as a manager in a small store, but Su Tan'er's father, his cheap father-in-law, rejected both suggestions.

He seemed to prefer Li Mu to become a teacher at the family-run private school, since Ning Yi had previously been perceived as a poor scholar.

This position is easy, avoids family conflicts, allows for scholarly pursuits, and involves less intrigue and backstabbing.

However, the matter was eventually put aside by Old Master Su, who said that after some time, Li Mu would make his own decision about what he wanted to do.

It's probably because Li Mu's behavior lately is different from what I've heard before, so I want to observe him more closely.

This is simply because Li Mu didn't deliberately hide anything; aside from some things that weren't suitable to be displayed, such as his exceptional martial arts skills, he acted as he pleased.

After all, there's a long road ahead, so it's better to live a little more easily.

According to Li Mu's guess, Old Master Su actually wanted him to become a teacher at a private school, a leisurely job where he wouldn't get involved in family struggles and would be respected.

This is good for him, for Su Tan'er, and for the Su family.

If nothing untoward happens after a while, it will probably be settled that he will be assigned to be a teacher at a private school.

It started raining again in the afternoon; the rainy season in Jiangnan is so long.

Occasionally, through the window, one could see the master and his servants across the street, holding oil-paper umbrellas, laughing and joking as they went in and out.

Seeing Xiao Chan's expectant look, Li Mu could only smile and grant her a break. A short while later, the sounds of several maids chattering and playing Connect Four could be heard.

The next morning, Li Mu went out for exercise again. When he returned, he encountered Nie Yunzhu again, at the same spot where she had almost fallen into the water the day before.

However, this time she wasn't holding a kitchen knife, but a long bamboo pole with a fishing net tied to it, covered in river silt.

Li Mu asked, "Miss Yunzhu, what's going on?"

Nie Yunzhu was a little embarrassed when she saw that it was Li Mu, and whispered, "I'm retrieving my knife."

She then added, "The chicken is back; we'll have to kill it with a knife today."

Li Mu asked, "You're back?"

Nie Yunzhu nodded and quickly explained, "I bought the chicken from Aunt Chen's house a few days ago. The chicken didn't drown, but it ran back to Aunt Chen's house. Aunt Chen found it this morning and brought it back to me."

Li Mu laughed and said, "Aunt Chen is quite nice; she brought the chicken back."

Nie Yunzhu said, "Yes! Aunt Chen is a very kind person. She knew I was afraid to kill chickens, and she even taught me how!"

After chatting for a few more minutes, Li Mu learned where Nie Yunzhu lived. It was a two-story building on the banks of the Qinhuai River, with a small terrace extending out over the river. There were no neighbors nearby, making it a very quiet and elegant place.

Li Mu had just passed by that small building and never expected that this was Nie Yunzhu's residence.

After chatting for a couple of minutes, Li Mu waved goodbye and left again.

Nie Yunzhu watched him leave, a look of curiosity on her face. In the past, she was quite adept at social interaction and knew many people. This young master surnamed Ning always had unexpected moves.

Shaking her head, Nie Yunzhu continued searching for her kitchen knife.