Chapter 62 Heavy Snow (I)

Jinling City is a very special place for Chen Ningtian. It is where the people she misses live and where she carries many of her youthful fantasies.

Zhenyi and Chen Ningtian met at the age of eleven and separated at the age of fifteen. They accompanied each other and occupied each other’s brightest youth. When they met again after eight years, their eyes were filled with tears instead of smiles, and their eyes were filled with bitter and happy tears.

Chen Ningtian had changed a lot inside and out. Zhenyi pulled her to sit on the high stool next to the window. She wiped her tears with a handkerchief and looked at Zhenyi in front of her seriously. She smiled with tears in her eyes and said, “Deqing, why do I seem to be the only one getting old? Why are you still the same as before?”

People’s appearance will naturally change with age, but in Chen Ningtian’s eyes, Zhenyi is still as light and graceful as when she was young. If there is nothing that has changed, it is that her outline and aura are clearer. Originally, she was a graceful green mountain, and now she is a graceful green mountain after the morning mist has dissipated.

When the morning mist dissipates, more people will naturally see its true appearance.

As Chen Ningtian spoke, the hem of her dignified and clean skirt swayed. She lowered her eyes and saw the cat sitting upright with its head raised, raising one paw and fiddling with her dress.

Chen Ningtian was surprised and delighted, he couldn’t believe it, he bent over and picked up the furry orange-white thing: “Orange? The orange is still there…”

She held the orange in her arms, her tears wet the cat’s fur. She raised her head slightly and saw the densely packed numbers and formulas on the small manuscript paper. She burst into laughter, feeling very amused and felt that nothing had changed around Deqing.

It’s the same for people, cats, and even these calculation manuscripts that I can’t figure out no matter how hard I try, and will fall asleep after just a few glances at them!
“Deqing, do you still remember that your desk was placed next to the window like this? You taught me math, but I couldn’t understand it after just a few days. You even bit my pens until they were worn out…”

“It’s not a big deal if the pen is bald.” Zhenyi continued, “Then you simply stopped learning and just held the orange aside to stroke its fur. The cat is only a step away from becoming bald in your hands.”

Chen Ningtian smiled, lowered his head and touched his forehead to the orange, then talked about many interesting things in the past.

She only recalled the past, but Zhenyi was more concerned about her current situation. The letter was always shallow. Zhenyi held her friend’s thin and slightly cold hand and said, “Wanyu, are you living a good life?”

This question seemed too simple, but it made Chen Ningtian’s heart twitch. She looked at her friend for a moment and said softly, “Both children are very obedient, and they have no worries about food and clothing… What’s wrong with such a life?”

As Orange got older, he became more and more arrogant, and would not allow anyone other than Zhenyi to hold him for too long – many people simply did not master the true technique of holding a cat, and a cat would not feel comfortable at all on a person.

But on this day, Juzi lay in Chen Ningtian’s arms, letting her hold her for a long time, listening to her and Zhenyi talking.

It was getting dark when the maid of the Kong family, who was standing outside the house, urged through the door.

Zhenyi originally wanted to keep Chen Ningtian here overnight, but at this point she did not “abruptly” try to keep him. Even though she was reluctant, she could only see her friend off in the car.

The green donkey cart ran across the stone road, and the sound of it went away in the cold wind.

The young monk sat cross-legged in the hall, and the sound of tapping surrounded the wooden fish.

The reason why Chen Ningtian was able to stay in Jinling for a few more days was because she lied to her husband’s family who were traveling with her that she was not feeling well – or it couldn’t be said to be a lie, because she really had a cold and a bad cough, but she caught the cold on purpose.

The day before leaving Jinling, Chen Ningtian finally went to Qixia Temple on the pretext of praying.

After meeting Zhenyi, Chen Ningtian once again asked Zhenyi to confirm: [Deqing, you haven’t told him about that, right? ]

With just the word “he”, Zhenyi knew what she was talking about and answered her: “Since I have promised you, I will keep my mouth shut.”

When Wang Jie was involved in an imperial examination case and was imprisoned, Chen Ningtian asked her husband to write a letter to plead for Wang Jie. The words of the descendants of the Kong family in Shandong always have some weight… That was the first time Chen Ningtian “crossed the line”, even though the Wang Jie she was talking about was just the descendant of her family’s old friend and the brother in her heart.

Her husband finally agreed to her, but when the letter was handed to Zhenyi, the matter of Wang Jie was settled, the imperial examination case was settled, and all worldly affairs were settled.

The heavy snow covered the mountain temple with a layer of silver.

Chen Ningtian thought, even if he was just an ordinary old acquaintance, since she was passing by here, she had reason to meet him. After all, she and him had never done anything against etiquette when they were young. He was such an open-minded gentleman, leaving her enough room to have a clear conscience, but… but, seeing him in a thin monk’s robe sweeping the temple path in the snow, she could no longer lift the umbrella in her hand over his head.

When Chen Ningtian stopped, the young monk also stood up and looked over. Between their eyes was a long stream of falling snow. The snowflakes were soft and thin, but they cut a thousand-foot chasm in the sky, making it impossible for anyone to get closer. The Yueling Jijie said: [Light snow, the third sign, the closure will turn into winter.]

When the three phases of Minor Snow are over, the Major Snow solar term arrives.

During the winter month, Qian Yuling returned to her parents’ home to give New Year gifts.

Jiaxing is not far from Jinling, and Qian Yuling would go back and forth several times every year. Because of this, the younger generations of the Qian family were very familiar with this elegant aunt. Whenever Qian Yuling returned to Jinling, there would always be younger generations asking her for advice.

Today, someone comes to ask for advice on calligraphy and painting, and Qian Yuling is no problem; tomorrow, someone comes to ask for advice on poetry and prose, and as an aunt, I can also easily answer; but the ten-year-old nephew who comes the day after tomorrow brings a math booklet –

“You’re asking the wrong person.” Qian Yuling smiled and looked at the person who was helping to sort out the letters and manuscripts: “Yiji, you should go and ask this neighbor lady for advice.”

Qian Yiji was only about ten years old. He looked at Zhenyi with half belief and half doubt, and bowed to her for advice.

From then on, for three days in a row, every time Zhenyi came to see Qian Yuling, Qian Yiji would come to ask her for advice on mathematics.

Seeing that he did have some understanding of mathematics, Zhenyi said to him, “Why not read through the Calendar and Calculation first? The answers to the questions you asked these days are in the books.”

Qian Yiji was stunned for a moment before he said, “Is what the lady was talking about Mr. Mei Wendi’s “Calendar and Calculation”… It’s really hard for me to read it now…”

Zhenyi was also stunned for a moment: “Is it difficult to read?”

“…” Qian Yiji said nothing, just stared with his eyes wide open.

Qian Yuling couldn’t help laughing. She said to Zhenyi, “Do you think everyone is like you, able to understand those difficult calculations at the age of eight or nine? You can’t understand them just by knowing the words!”

He added: “Not to mention his age now, even many great people including me may not be able to understand the profound and complicated contents of the book “Calendar” now!”

Zhenyi suddenly thought of something, and she smiled and said to Qian Yiji: “Wait for two days, I will come back in two days.”

Two days later, Zhenyi handed Qian Yiji a handwritten booklet, which contained the first half of the “Calendar” that she had simplified and analyzed.

Qian Yiji was surprised and delighted, as if he had found a treasure, and he admired Zhenyi even more.

The Qian family had many children who often visited various literary societies in Jiangnan. This handwritten booklet was passed on to the Jinling Mathematical Society, where it caused quite a stir. Someone praised it, saying, “It can really be said that… its meaning is concise and clear, its principles are simple and clear, its outline is complete, and it is thorough and concise.”

“If he had not known the Calendar in detail, if he had not mastered mathematics like the back of his hand, it would have been impossible for him to make such a detailed analysis!”

“If it weren’t for decades of research, I’m afraid it would not be possible…”

“I wonder who this gentleman is? We never knew there was such a great master of mathematics in Jinling City!”

When people heard that the person who wrote this book was a woman, and a young woman at that, there was silence for a while, but then it became even more of a sensation.

This book was copied and circulated among people who were interested in mathematics. In the spring of the following year, it was passed to a student in Xuancheng. He took it back to Xuancheng and gave it to his good friend: “…This is the “Small Calendar” that came from Jinling City. Who can you guess who wrote it? – It’s a girl from Jinling! I think I heard you mention it!”

In the courtyard where spring is in full bloom, Zhan Mei, who was wearing a plain robe, took it and looked at it carefully. A long-lost smile flashed in his eyes. After a while, he said, “Second sister is good at much more than this.”

Good evening everyone, I’m here to drop an update.

Today, a new long novel in ancient Chinese language, “On Sunny Days”, was published. It tells the story of a little wolf cub-like girl. If you are interested, you can go and see if it suits your appetite~