On the second day of February, the dragon raised its head.

At the beginning of the middle of spring, the five elements of "Mao" belong to the wood, the hexagram is "earthquake", all things are full of vitality, and spring ploughing begins.

However, Hangzhou is different, at least in the last ten years, since the sea trade boom, the city of Hangzhou due to its geographical location, showing the prototype of a commercial city.

Hangzhou is connected by waterways, here is the southern end of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the Qiantang River connects the Fuchun River and the Qiantang River, and Wuchang can be reached through the tributaries.

Therefore, it was the second day of February of the spring ploughing festival, and gradually became a fixed festival of the assembly in Hangzhou, and the merchants from all over the world rushed to Hangzhou on this day, and the merchants who walked the streets and alleys would begin to carry the burden on this day, and those shops would also choose to open their doors on this day, and even the farmers in the countryside would choose to pick up the mountain goods and game on this day to earn a few oil and salt money, and even the people from several nearby prefectures would gather here.

And this year is even more lively, in the past few years, the Chinese New Year's Eve had to go to work, the peasants were worried every day, and the merchants did not dare to take risks, that is, last year Xu Hai was destroyed, Wang Zhi came to surrender, and after half a year, the officials and troops successfully strangled a number of small groups of Wu Kou, and the peace came down, so this year's market was particularly lively.

Master Huang was very pleasantly surprised by such an atmosphere, "I haven't seen such a grand occasion for many years, and I still remember that on February 2 of the 30th year of Jiajing, I bought a Huizhou merchant's Huimo inkstone here, and I have been using it until now......"

But such an atmosphere made Zhao Zhenji very dissatisfied, "February 2nd, the Agricultural Festival, the plan of the year lies in spring, the light rain in spring is as expensive as oil, so abandoned farming, sacrifice the original and seek the end!" ”

Master Huang didn't refute, only smiled and pointed everywhere, the two of them left the yamen early in the morning, crossed the Qiantang River, and are now in Fuyang County.

"Dong Weng? Traveling today? Observing the people's feelings, restaurants have always been mixed, why not have a drink for a while? ”

Zhao Zhenji smiled and nodded? The two of them picked a restaurant at random to enter? Didn't have a private room? Just sit in the lobby.

This restaurant is not small, but the style is not high? There are few literati and writers who come and go, and most of them are businessmen? More than a dozen tables in the lobby were full, and it was easy to vacate one for Zhao Zhenji and Master Huang to sit down.

"Let's have a few good side dishes and blanch a pot of Shaoxing rice wine." Master Huang said with a smile: "You can't enter Zhejiang without drinking rice wine, there is a restaurant within ten steps of Xiangzi, and every household drinks and sings Wu songs." ”

"Ah, presumably Mr. is from Shanyin, so how about scalding a pot of flower carvings?" Xiao Er grinned and said, "I wonder if the two gentlemen can eat spicy?" ”

"Spicy?" Zhao Zhenji was stunned? "Ginger or garlic?"

The so-called spicy in later generations basically only referred to chili peppers, but before the large-scale popularization of chili peppers? The so-called "spicy" through "spicy"? Refers to ginger or garlic.

"Sir, you just came to Zhejiang, right?" Xiao Er proudly pointed to a dish on the table next to him? "This is just coming in? Genuine money pepper! ”

"Qian Jiajiao?"

"Don't listen to him!" A merchant at the next table complained: "Now any restaurant says it is Qian Jiajiao!" ”

"Of course." The guest at the other table laughed and said, "With the word Qianjia, the value has soared, and I have earned twice as much silver!" ”

There was a burst of laughter in the lobby, and the second child didn't blush? Tuan Tuan arched his hand and smiled: "Ladies and gentlemen, all the peppers in Zhejiang are passed down from the Qian family, and it can't be said wrong to say that the Qian family peppers are from the food garden, besides, our peppers are from the food garden......"

"Not to mention other places, most of the chili peppers in the entire Hangzhou Prefecture are from the food garden." A man shouted.

"That's it, but speaking of which, it's the restaurant in Zhenhai that does it well." A middle-aged businessman stroked his long beard and said with a smile: "And there are also golden rods, shredded artichokes, but unfortunately the price is too high, and there are only a few plates a day." ”

"It's the same with chili peppers back then, and it's estimated that they'll be cheaper in two years."

"I've heard of the golden rod, which is said to have been given to the Qian family by the owner of Wufeng."

Zhao Zhenji, who had been pricking up his ears, turned his head and asked, "That chili pepper was also given to the Qian family by Wang Wufeng?" ”

"This ......," the middle-aged businessman hesitated for a moment, "I haven't heard of it, but as early as the thirty-second year of Jiajing, there were chili peppers in the food garden, and many literati in Hangzhou visited and tasted them." ”

Zhao Zhenji's heart was cold, in the thirty-second year of Jiajing, Qian Yuan was just a showman, and he had already hooked up with Wang Zhi!

Xiao Er, who had been waiting, asked: "Two gentlemen, do you still want Qian Jiajiao?" ”

Master Huang glanced at Zhao Zhenji and asked with a smile: "How to do it?" Same as that table? ”

"There are two kinds, one is the sauce pepper, the other is the chopped pepper, and the latter is slightly more expensive."

"Where's the more expensive?" The next table scolded: "It's more than twice as expensive!" ”

Master Huang asked curiously: "Chop the head pepper?" ”

The next table hurriedly replied: "It's just a little pig's head meat, with the nickname of money and beheading." ”

"Qian beheaded...... Master Huang couldn't help but look at Zhao Zhenji with a smile, and waved his hand: "That's it, with a few plates of other side dishes." ”

"Okay......" Xiao Er dragged a long tone to the back kitchen, there was still a lot of discussion in the lobby, Master Huang was sociable, and quickly talked to the next table.

"Money cut off heads...... What a murderer! "The table next door is the auditor," I went to see it outside the city last year, and tsk, more than 1,700 Japanese people had to be scared when they saw it...... The murder is too heavy, I am afraid that I will be punished by God in the future! ”

As soon as these words came out, the surroundings fell silent, but then several tables of people shouted.

"Those would-be robbers, not to mention the Jingguan, they should be chopped into meat sauce and fed to the dogs!" A young man scolded: "More than 1,000 Japanese people outside Changshui Town have formed a Jingguan, and which family in ten miles and eight townships does not give incense to Lord Qian to pray!" ”

"Brother must be from Jiaxing!" A fat middle-aged man raised his voice and said: "If it weren't for the defeat of Xu Hai by Lord Qian, Tongxiang would not be guaranteed. ”

A hot-tempered jumped up and pointed at the guy and scolded: "You bastard, last year the Japanese invaded Shanyin Huiji, and cut off the Xixing Canal, Lord Qian led the army to cross the Huiji Mountain on foot to rush to help, and rushed to protect Shanyin when the Japanese invaded the city, and defeated the Japanese Kou, if there is no Lord Qian, you can still sit here and eat this plate of Qian Jia pepper?!" ”

"On that day, the Qian family's guards took the lead in the battle, and seventeen people died in the battle for the Sanyin Huiji, and Lord Qian was heartbroken, so he took the head of 1,700 Japanese Kou as a sacrifice." Another halberd finger scolded: "Kill the whole county and protect the county, you don't recite the gratitude, but curse the benefactor to be punished by heaven!" ”

"Not only Shanyin Huiji, Tongxiang, but also Jiading, Chongde, and Shangyu last year, if it weren't for Lord Qian, how many people would have died and their wives would have been separated!"

Even the shopkeeper of the restaurant who was shocked and rushed over scolded: "This guy is so rude, guys, take the money and drive out!" ”

There was a burst of approval next to him, and a merchant who was familiar with the shopkeeper smiled: "The shopkeeper is so proud today, that guy often walks this road......"

"Don't do that business in the future!" The shopkeeper widened his eyes and said loudly: "My Yue family is from Yuhang, if it wasn't for Lord Qian's great victory in Linping Mountain, I am afraid that the Yue family will die!" ”

"The shopkeeper has to fall down on the grape trellis in your backyard!"

"Hahaha......"

"Bullshit, who in Hangzhou City doesn't miss Lord Qian's kindness." The shopkeeper scolded: "I was still in the old food garden that year, and I took the whole family to kowtow to the door to thank you...... Speaking of which, Mr. Qian was still a showman, he was kind to everyone, but he had to give back the gift, knowing that I had opened a small restaurant, and gave me a batch of chili seeds! ”

"Oh, oh, it turns out that it's really Qian Jiajiao from the food garden!"

"Why did the shopkeeper talk about Qian Jiajiao again?!"

The middle-aged businessman smiled and raised his voice: "Speaking of which, if it weren't for Lord Qian over the years, there would be countless lonely souls in the underworld. ”

"Of course, Broomstar!" A middle-aged man blurted out, looked at the eyes of everyone around him and quickly explained: "The Japanese are unlucky as soon as they meet it, it is the broom star on the Japanese side!" ”

"It's the broom star of the Japanese Kou, our savior!"

The middle-aged businessman got up with a wine glass and said: "Come, the shopkeeper adds wine, it's all mine, this cup of drinking, how can, Lord Qian will definitely be able to marquis all generations, and the wealth will continue!" ”

Everyone responded violently, and the shopkeeper asked Xiao Er to add wine, but scolded in his mouth: "You can be a man?" Today's vegetables are only eighty percent of the silver! ”

Some people around laughed and said: "Today, on the second day of February, the dragon raises its head, and the price will increase every year today...... You profiteer! ”

"It's not every year, it hasn't risen in the first two years, and the Japanese are making a lot of trouble."

Adding wine, the middle-aged businessman raised his glass high, "Everyone, drink this cup together, and wish Lord Qian from afar!" ”

Master Huang hesitantly raised his wine glass, but caught a glimpse of Zhao Zhenji drinking it all.

Picking two pieces of pig's head meat and chewing it, Zhao Zhenji said softly: "Regardless of anything else, this glass of wine is sincere." ”