In winter, it gets dark early, the sun is slanting west when you come out of the inn, you have walked around half a street, you have eaten a few steamed dumplings, and when you come out of the steamed dumpling shop, it will be dark.

The whole Gulou Street is very lively, Xuzhou Mansion pays attention to the New Year, every household in the month of Layue has to worship their ancestors, even the emperor has to give a big gift to the palace, those big families will do it big, small households will do it small, and the items of the sacrifice will be bought together with the New Year's goods. Gulou Street is full of shops, lanterns are hung under the eaves of each shop, a whole street is crowded with water, the road out of the city is called blocked, and there are even those who carry the roll of the bed, just waiting to rush to the temple to burn incense.

Everyone ate steamed dumplings, spicy soup, butter cakes and other traditional snacks in Xuzhou, and then went to a restaurant specializing in southern food to taste the dim sum of Suzhou and Hangzhou.

Dim sum mold placed under the glass cover, what to eat will be ordered, the shopkeeper will write the menu on a piece of paper, to the back kitchen to report the name of the dish, the chef is now, the guest officer only needs to sit on the table and wait, in front of the three teapots, a pot of rain Longjing, a pot of jasmine tea, a pot of Lao Jun Mei, what to drink is poured by yourself.

Except for Chen Xiucai, everyone is the first time to come back to such a store, and they only feel that this southern store is full of elegance, which is different from the local store in Xuzhou. On the second floor, there are Suzhou and Hangzhou women holding a pipa in their arms singing and commenting, wearing a hat on their heads, and the curtains hang down long, and they can't really see their faces in a hazy way, only hearing a soft and glutinous voice. Everyone thought it was very novel, and when they saw that the dim sum mold was small, and the two plates were not as big as a steamed bun from Li's family, everyone ordered some of them. Wine-stuffed osmanthus dumplings, red bean lantern festival, fried crispy dumplings, pork lard rice cakes, mudu jujube mud and sesame cakes, fried steamed buns, crab shell yellows, fish-flavored spring rolls. Chen Qiping was clamoring to eat meat, and finally ordered another dish of braised mutton.

Mo about two teas, the shopkeeper held the tray. It took three trips to get the dim sum together. The dishes were so delicate that they filled the table.

Everyone raised their hands to eat, these snacks were often eaten by Chen Xuejiao in her previous life, and her favorite food was fish-flavored spring rolls. This spring roll skin is thinner as paper, round as a mirror, transparent and soft. Fish-flavored spring rolls. As the name suggests, the sea bass meat is supplemented with shrimp to make a filling, and the fish flavor is rich. Chen Xuejiao clipped one. When you put it in your mouth, it is fragrant and tender, and it is even more delicious than what you ate in your previous life. It's no wonder that fish-flavored spring rolls have been developed over the years. to modern times. It's normal for tastes to change.

Chen Xiucai likes to eat crab shell yellow the most, Chen Xuejiao saw him take a bite and stretched her eyebrows, and thought that the snacks in Suzhou and Hangzhou in this store were very authentic, after all, Chen Xiucai had stayed in Suzhou and Hangzhou for so long, and if the taste was different, he would frown.

"It's delicious, exactly the same as the taste of Suzhou and Hangzhou." Chen Xiucai really praised it.

"Mother, what do you like to eat?" Chen Xuejiao asked Li with a smile.

Li smiled: "They all love to eat, they all love to eat." “

Chen Xuejiao smiled secretly. The taste of this Suzhou and Hangzhou cuisine is too sweet, I'm afraid Li is not used to eating it.

After everyone has eaten enough. There is still a small half table left on the table full of snacks.

Suzhou and Hangzhou snacks look exquisite, there are only a few at most in a dish, but most of the snacks are oily and sweet, and it is good to eat as a snack, but if it is eaten as a staple food, it is too greasy. Li and the others ate Suzhou and Hangzhou snacks for the first time, and they only felt that such exquisite food was not obvious, who would have thought that they would be full after eating half a plate, and the rest would be put in a food box and brought back to the inn.

Coming out of the restaurant, Gulou Street was full of people, and the cries of selling came and went, so everyone walked around for a while.

Passing through the middle of Gulou Street, the most lively and prosperous place, a palace-like mansion occupies most of the street. There was a stage outside and he was singing, singing "Monkey King Makes a Mess in the Sky". As soon as Sun Monkey appeared, he played with the golden hoop stick dozens of times, and the music suddenly stopped, and Sun Monkey roared like thunder on the ground: "The emperors of the world take turns to sit."

Chen Xuejiao stood beside Chen Xiucai, and when she turned her head, she found that Chen Xiucai's face had changed.

What kind of era is this, the era when the supreme ruler is the imperial power, and someone dares to openly shout at the people on the dragon chair on the stage. The actor who played Sun Monkey was agile, and his face was heavily painted with oil paint, so he couldn't see his face clearly, but his eyes shone a trace of cruelty.

"Dad, what is this place?" Intuition tells Chen Xuejiao that this place is extraordinary.

"It's King Peng's Mansion." Chen Xiucai replied and said softly.

No wonder, only King Peng dared to live in such a luxurious place, and a courtyard would occupy most of the street.

I heard the people around me cheering: "Good singing!" ”

It's just that this good singing is because the singing skills of the drama are good or the drama just said is good, then it is unknown.

The drums on the stage were loud, and the actor who played the Jade Emperor was beaten by the monkey Sun, and bursts of cheers and laughter broke out around. The more and more people gathered, Chen Xiucai stood on the outermost side and protected his wife and children tightly, for fear of being scattered.

It was the first time for the Li family to watch such a big drama, but they didn't think that there was a rural drama to look good, they just felt that it was messy and noisy.

"Dad, there are so many people, let's take three girls with us, it's not very convenient, I think it's better to go back first." Li said in his mouth, looking at Xue Jiao, Xue Ru, and Jing Hao with a wrong eye, and he was still holding Qi Ping tightly in his hand, lest someone take advantage of the chaos.

"Alright, let's go back." Chen Xiucai leaned closer to Li's side and said loudly.

As the flow of people around me grew, the slightly smaller voices were drowned out.

After a day in the car, I was already a little tired, and I was even more tired when I was squeezed by the crowd.

Everyone listened to the play for a while, and saw that there were more and more crowds, so they agreed that Chen Xiucai and Li's mention yì should go back to the inn to rest first, and they didn't care about tonight, after all, there was still tomorrow, which was enough for them to buy New Year's goods.

When she squeezed out of the crowd, Chen Xuejiao heard someone whispering.

"Who do you guess is the monkey on the stage?" A reading man wearing a turban whispered to the person with a fan next to him.

"Who is it?" The person shaking the fan opened his eyes wide and made a careful identification.

The turban-wearing scholar whispered to the fan shaker, and the fan in the hand of the fan shook in shock. He said in a trembling voice: "It's him...... I said, who is so bold to sing this play in King Peng's mansion......"

"Be quiet."

"How can you tell?"

"Last year, King Peng invited our people from Xuzhou Mansion to eat and drink in the palace, and I also went."

……

It's vague and not very real. Chen Xuejiao turned around and saw that the entire stage was red, and the gongs, drums, huqin, and shouts were noisy.

The person who played Sun Monkey turned out to be King Peng, I really can't see it.

turned his head and met Chen Qi'an's gaze. Chen Qi'an knows that his sister likes to read and has opinions. The decision to kill is worse than that of a boy, and he sighed softly to Xue Jiao at the moment: "Is this play a warning to the world that there is going to be a rebellion?" ”

Chen Xuejiao looked at the crowd of people coming and going around her, and gave her brother a warning look. walked over and said in a low voice: "My brother is a scholar, I can understand some things, keep them in my heart, and don't spit them out at will." ”

Chen Qi'an smiled. It was indeed his negligence.

The entire Xuzhou Mansion was the fief of King Peng. King Peng then and now the saint earned your life and death for the throne. If it really can't be suppressed, I'm afraid that the people of Xuzhou Mansion will be implicated.

"Prosperity, the people suffer, death, the people suffer." Chen Qi'an sighed.

Chen Qi'an is a scholar in the end, although he is young, he sees the problem very thoroughly. Chen Xuejiao gently pulled Chen Qi'an's sleeve and said very seriously: "My brother will take the imperial examination in the future." In the future, if you become a magistrate, you must focus on the people of Limin. Jiangshan Sheji will also be moved back. ”

Chen Qi'an nodded solemnly.

Chen Xiucai listened to the conversation of a pair of children, and his heart was extremely relieved, and he couldn't help but think of Master Qin in his heart.

After Master Qin went to Jingshi, he wrote a total of two letters back, one was the August Festival, and the second time when the first snow fell, Master Qin said in the letter that he would set off from Jingshi in the near future, Chen Xiucai calculated, if he hurried up, he might be able to come in the spring.

A young man in fresh clothes and angry horses stood alone in front of a stall selling lanterns, as if he was watching lanterns, but his ears were listening to the movements on the stage.

Suddenly, he glanced at a familiar figure in the crowd, and when he looked at it, it was gone.

The boy left the lantern stall and looked around in the crowd, but he didn't see it.

I couldn't help but shake my head and laugh, maybe it was a temporary delusion.

……

Chen Xuejiao and the others were completely squeezed back to the inn.

"When I was still as old as Xuejiao, there were lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and I came to Xuzhou Mansion with your grandfather and uncle to see the lanterns, it was still a festival, and it was not as lively as tonight." Li sat down, took a sip of tea, sighed, thought about it, and suddenly asked Xue Ru, "Xue Ru, have you squeezed it?" Why are there so many people, this is still usual, if it is the fifteenth day of the first month, wouldn't it be a person to death. ”

Chen Xueru sat on the bed, holding the stove that Chen Xuejiao stuffed into her, she still saw such a big bustle for the first time, she only felt fresh, but she forgot the discomfort on her body, and smiled at Li's and said: "I didn't squeeze it, my sister and cousin have been protecting me." ”

"There are so many people, I saw those selling sugar gourds, and I couldn't squeeze in to buy them." Chen Qiping only remembered to eat, and pursed his mouth in annoyance.

"You know how to eat, you didn't eat enough tonight, but you ate a big bowl of mutton." Chen Xuejiao scratched Qi Ping's nose, and was tilted by Qi Ping's head and rubbed against his neck.

"Let's think about going to Dingfu early tomorrow morning to deliver the embroidered statue." Chen Xuejiao got down to business.

"I heard that such a big family has to vote for a post when they meet, and a few days ago, they gave us a post, and we also voted for a post, which shows that we are sincere." Chen Qi'an followed.

Chen Xiucai also agreed.

This post was written by Chen Qi'an, and the names of the inscriptions were written Chen Xuejiao, Chen Xueru, and Wang Jinghao.

Everyone discussed it again and rested one after another.

I didn't sleep all night, and when I woke up the next day, I ordered the little guy in the inn to go to Dingfu with the stone to post it. After the stone came back, Chen Xuejiao asked him about the post.

“…… The concierge of Nading Mansion received the post, so he sent it in, and in less than half an hour, there was a message, asking me to help the eldest lady say hello to the girls, and said that it was difficult for you, such a cold day, to personally come to Xuzhou Mansion to send embroidered statues. ”

Chen Xuejiao rewarded the stone with four pieces of silver, and gave an additional four pieces to the shopkeeper.

Breakfast is eaten in the inn, hot porridge, buns, side dishes, although simple, but also clean.

After breakfast, Shi Gang wanted to hire a car.

I heard someone asking downstairs at the inn, "Where does the daughter of the Chen family live?" ”

Chen Xuejiao walked out and replied crisply through the railing: "Here?" ”

The person who came was Mama Wu, Sister Ai's nurse, Chen Xuejiao had seen it twice, but she was also familiar with it.

Talking about grandma let into the guest room, Chen Xiucai took Chen Qi'an and Chen Qiping to avoid to another room, and the mother and daughter of the Li family talked with Mama, and the second child of the inn served hot tea.

Chen Xuejiao thought that this was the portrait of Mama coming and going in person, and she was relieved, so it was okay, they ran back and forth. However, if this is the case, then there is no need for Sister Ai to post.

“…… Mama, this embroidered statue ......" Li took the embroidered statue from Jinghao's hand and personally held it to Mama Wu.

Mama Wu didn't answer, patted her thigh, and said angrily: "Mrs., don't laugh at the old slave me, I saw that the old slave was chatting with his wife and the girl, but he forgot about the matter, our eldest lady heard that you live in the inn, so I won't send the old slave to pick you up." ”

really went to Dingfu, and the Li family was a little undecided. She is a country woman who has never been to a high-ranking family, and she can't help but be worried.

Chen Xuejiao thought, since people invited us to go, we should go generously, if we don't go, people will treat us as a small family. Of course, I can only think about this in my heart, but I can't say it, so I smiled and said, "Then I will disturb my grandmother to lead the way." ”

Seeing that Chen Xuejiao was so down-to-earth and generous, Mama Wu was overjoyed, and said to the Li family: "My eldest lady and the second girl of your family have the same temperament, and they should be destined." ”

"The carriage outside is ready, madam, let's go now, the eldest lady is looking forward to it at home." Mama Wu stood up with a smile, and the maid who followed at the door led the way, and Li took Xue Jiao a few down.

After getting into the carriage, Mama Wu suddenly asked, "Why don't you see the little young master following?" ”

"He's going to go with my dad and brother to see the monuments." Chen Xuejiao explained with a smile.

Seeing the monuments is just a pretext, when we came, everyone agreed to go to Dingfu, only the Li family took Xuejiao, Xueru, and Jinghao to go.

"The little master is so young, and it's such a cold day outside, I'm afraid it's not easy to go out." Mama Wu frowned, "I don't think it's better to take it with me." ”

Li tried her best to refuse, she heard that the big families in Xuzhou Mansion have strict rules, and they pay the most attention to the difference between men and women, and they are going to see the eldest lady of Ding Mansion, I am afraid that it will be inappropriate for Qi Ping to go.

Mama Wu seemed to see Li's concerns, so she said, "What a child he is!" ”

As he spoke, he asked the maid who followed him to invite Qi Ping down, and the little maid who followed him picked Qi Ping into the carriage, and when everyone walked and sat down, the carriage headed towards Ding's mansion. (To be continued......)