The Jialu River flows from Xinmi County in Henan Province all the way to the east, zigzags and turns, flows through Xingyang, Zhengzhou, Zhongmu, Kaifeng, Weishi, Zhoujiakou along the way, and finally flows into the Huai River. The predecessor of this river was the "chasm" when Chu and Han fought each other. Chu and Han once "took the chasm as the boundary, divided the world in the middle, cut the chasm to the west for the Han, and the east for Chu". This river was built by the Wei State during the Warring States Period, and the river has flowed for more than 2,000 years, flowing out of how many heroes and beauties in ancient and modern times, how many winds and snows and snow, and how many blood and tears of the suffering people in the Central Plains. The yellow river nourishes the land of the Central Plains and feeds countless people. The waterfowl by the river flew into the distance in the afterglow of the setting sun, and the fishing boats in the river began to collect their nets and go home, only the merchant ships still took advantage of the sun to set, and drove rapidly eastward, and their destination was not far away in a major town of Shangfu----- Zhuxian Town outside Kaifeng City.

Zhuxian Town is thirty miles south of Kaifeng City, and the Jialu River flows through the center of the town and flows into Huaishui. This Zhuxian Town, together with Foshan Town in Guangdong, Jingdezhen in Jiangxi, and Hankou Town in Hubei, is called the "Four Famous Towns". Since the Ming Dynasty Chenghua period is the outer port of Kaifeng City, the river in the town extends in all directions, and the completion of the Sunjiadu ferry port has made Zhuxian Town become an important commercial town in the Central Plains. During the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, its prosperity reached its peak. Jin merchants, Hui merchants, Shaanxi and Gansu merchants, Huguang merchants, Fujian merchants and local merchants gathered here, building ticket numbers, opening pawnshops, selling leather goods, transporting tea, they did not drill holes, no business and no business. Three religions and nine streams, five elements and eight works, dignitaries, peddlers and pawns, down-and-out literati, prostitutes in Qinglou, bandits and horse thieves, roosters and dog thieves also gather here. Wine shops, teahouses, brothels, theaters, gambling houses, inns, pharmacies, and silk villages are next to each other. The streets are full of traffic, people come and go, and the river is endless. It really responds to Taishi Gong's words: The world is bustling, and it is all for profit; The world is crowded, all for profit.

At the east end of Zhuxian Town, there is an inn called "Confucian Old Shop". The shopkeeper's surname was Kong, an old man in his sixties, thin, with a gray beard and a sparse braid. The courtyard of this shop is quite large, with two courtyards, the first two rows are guest rooms, the last row is where the carriages and horses are parked and the guys in the shop live, as well as the forage house and the stables are here. There are matching rooms on the east and west sides. It is divided into a high-class, medium-sized private room and a third-class large shop. In the middle row there is a five-room Dori room, which is a place for guests to eat. Guests often have nothing to do after eating, and they start gambling here for fun. The boss is also happy to let the guests play the money, because there is a considerable amount of money to be drawn every night.

There was a young man named Shoko in the store, about fifteen or sixteen years old, he shouldn't have been a buddy at such a young age, and he couldn't do any heavy work. Because of the plague around Ruyang County last year, both his parents died in this disaster, and poor Xiangzi became an orphan. His uncle barely survived by running a pickle shop next to the old Confucian shop, so he took him in. Uncle is not bad to him, but his aunt is different. pulled a face every day, pointed at Sang and scolded Huai, smashed pots and bowls, and never gave him a good face all day long. Fortunately, his father was a veterinarian who specialized in treating horses. The skills passed down from family to Shoko were also passed on to Shoko. The uncle saw that the family was inhumane and afraid of hurting the child, so he led the child to the old store of the Kong family, and begged Boss Kong to find a job for his nephew, saying that he only needed food and shelter, and did not need wages. Boss Kong was very embarrassed at first, thinking that what could the child do at such a young age, and he didn't feed him for nothing? Later, Uncle Xiangzi said that this child could heal horses, and Boss Kong immediately became interested. Because many of the people who live in the hotel ride horses and drive, the horses often get sick, but there is no one who knows how to watch the horses in the entire Zhuxian Town, and many people are very worried about this. Horses often die of illness, and if this child can heal horses, it will be regarded as a savior of horses, and he will earn himself more money. Immediately found the sick horse in the store and let Xiangzi heal, and the hand was eliminated, and the result was immediate, and the horse was really cured. Boss Kong happily accepted Xiangzi, and in addition to taking care of food and housing, he also gave a hundred old money as pocket money every month. Of course, Xiangzi is also willing to move out of his uncle's house, and save himself from looking at his aunt's old donkey face.

The annual Zhuxian Town Conference on the eighth day of April is coming again. The eighth day of the fourth month of the fourth month has a history of nearly several hundred years, Zhuxian Town reached its peak in the Kangxi period, here is not only a forest of shops, but also a holy place of worship for the three religions of Shi Yi and Taoism. There are more than a hundred temples, Taoist temples and mosques of various kinds. In the last years of the Qing Dynasty, although the grand occasion was not as good as before, various temples were still second to none in the land of Zhongzhou. Every year on the eighth day of April is the birthday of the Buddha Shakyamuni, dozens of monasteries in the town have to hold a grand "Buddha bathing fasting party". The so-called "bathing Buddha fasting meeting" is on the eighth day of the fourth month, each temple has to bathe the Buddha, first dust off the Buddha statue with a whisk, and then pour it from the head with perfume, and then wipe it clean, that is, to bathe the Buddha. This custom began in the Song Dynasty, and Meng Yuanlao's "Tokyo Menghualu--- on the eighth day of the fourth month" recorded: "On the birthday of the Buddha on April 8, the ten major Zen monasteries each have a bathing Buddha fasting meeting, decoction of fragrant medicine and sugar water, called bathing Buddha water." ”

As soon as April entered, the entire Zhuxian Town became extremely busy. Good men and women from all over the country, traveling merchants rode horses, sat in sedan chairs, drove cars, and hurried here with burdens. The business of large and small inns is very hot, and it is basically full after the third day of the first month of April, and it is even more difficult to find a room after the fifth day of the first month.

When Qin Zhenxuan and Guangde walked into Zhuxian Town, it was already close to sunset. As soon as he entered the east gate, Guangde's two eyes seemed to be a little insufficient. He looked east and west, and saw that the shops were next to each other, and the restaurants were next to each other. Although it was late in the evening, the flow of people on the street was still unabated.

Zhen Xuan pointed to an inn in front of him with a hookah and said, "The old Kong family shop in front of you will rest there tonight." "Okay, oh." Guangde waved his whip and drove the car into the old store of the Kong family.

The two asked for a second-class room, Xiangzi took the key, carried a pot of boiling water and led the two to the room: "Two, this is your room, is dinner in the store or on the street?" Qin Yuxuan said: "We have just arrived, and we want to rest and then go for a walk in the street." Dinner is just a casual bite to eat on the street. Xiangzi replied: "Okay uncle, you take a break first, and then have fun at night, the night of this Zhuxian Town is more lively than the day." Greet me when you come back, and I'll bring you water to wash your feet." Okay, I'm going to serve the horses. With that, Shoko exited the door.

The two of them sat in the car for a whole day, and they were very tired. Qin Yixuan said: "Now that the sun has not set, let's sleep first, and then get up and go to the street after an hour." After saying that, he put the hookah on the head of the bed, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep. Guangde drove for a day, and he was even more tired and couldn't stand it, so he fell asleep in bed. After a while, the room was filled with snoring.

When they woke up, it was time to turn on the lamp, and they got up and washed their faces, then walked out of the inn and down the street to the west. At this time, the lights were on, and the lights of thousands of homes in Zhuxian Town were bright. The streets are as brightly lit as day. The enticing aroma of wine wafts from the restaurant; In the opera garden, Henan Bangzi auspicious symbols are adjusted to the gongs and drums; The temple was filled with cigarette smoke and the sound of chirping chanting; At the door of the brothel stood the well-dressed kiln sister and the old bustard, laughing and pulling passers-by by the arms and dragging them in. The stalls and snacks along the street are mouth-watering: steamed buns, peanut cakes, chicken blood soup, mutton kang buns in the outer building of Kaifeng Mansion; Kaizhou's Wang Wu's Zhuang Bun, Wuxingji's Donkey Meat, Zhang's Bad Fish; Hu spicy soup in Xiaoyao Town, Zhoujiakou; lamb stewed noodles in Zhengzhou; Lingbao's mutton soup; Beef soup in Luoyang; Nagagaku's baked noodles; Runan's chicken meatballs...... Dazzling, overwhelming, mouth-watering. For a while, the sound of laughter, gongs and drums, shouting, and horse barking were endless, storytellers, pendant singers, fortune tellers, face-to-face, picking, burden-bearing, selling dog skin plasters, and selling tricks. It is simply the sleepless city in the Bianliang City of the Song Dynasty.

They bought a pound of "five-spice dried tea" in the "Yutang", and then came to Kaifeng "Xingshengde" to buy a package of dried fried peanuts in the branch of Zhuxian Town, and came to the "Xishuangtai Restaurant" on Youhuan Street. called a boy chicken, cut a plate of cooked beef, and asked Xiao Er to serve half a catty of bamboo pole wine. The two of them sat by the window facing the street, watching the street scene and drinking each other.

Qin Yixuan said: "Do you know what this Zhuxian Town is famous for? Guangde shook his head. Qin Yixuan said: "There are many things that are famous in this Zhuxian Town, such as the Yuewang Temple, the mosque, and the dried spiced tea that we eat this "Yutang". But the most famous is its New Year's paintings, Zhu Xianzhen's New Year's paintings and Tianjin Yangliuqing, Suzhou Taohuawu, Zhili Wuqiang's New Year's paintings and called the 'four major New Year's paintings' of this dynasty. ”

At this time, Qin Yixuan looked up and asked Xiao Er to add wine, and suddenly saw a person walk into the tavern and sit down at a table in a corner. Qin Yuxuan felt familiar, so he glanced at it a few times, and as soon as the man raised his head, he immediately took his gaze back and called, "Little Er, serve the wine." ”

It was not too late for the two to return to the inn, and they saw that the five chase rooms in the middle were brightly lit. A group of in-house guests are idle and doing nothing and are gambling money. Laughter and unlucky curses continued to be heard from the room. Qin Yixuan has always hated this kind of occasion, and Nunu said to Guangde: "Go, go back to the guest room." You tell that Xiangzi to make two basins of foot-washing water. Guangde responded to find Xiangzi, and Qin Yuxuan got up the stairs and walked to the second floor.

As soon as I went up to the second floor, I heard the sound of reading aloud. Xuan Xuan took out the key and opened the door of his house, but did not enter immediately. He listened sideways to what the guests in the next room were reading. I heard the man say, "...... I don't want to go, I'm worried. Where do you live? Lost his horse? What do you want? Under the forest. ”

Qin Yanxuan heard that this person was reciting the chapter "The Book of Songs, the Wind and the Drum". This is also his favorite poem. He couldn't help but continue: "Death and life are broad, talk to Zicheng." Hold the hand of the son, and grow old with the son. Yu is broad, not I live. Yu Xun Xi, I don't believe it......"

The sound of reading in the room stopped abruptly, and I heard the door "creak" open. A scholar-like person walked out of it and bowed and swept the floor: "Mr. is very knowledgeable, can you invite Mr. to sit in the house and have a cup of tea?" Qin Yixuan realized at this time that he was a little reckless, as if he was showing off his talents. At this time, Guangde led Xiangzi over, and Xiangzi was holding an iron kettle in his hand, steaming white. The teenage child was a little struggling to carry a pot of water, and Qin Yixuan said: "Guangde, you wash your feet and sleep first, and I will talk to this gentleman." Guangde and Xiangzi answered and went into the house.

Qin Yixuan hurriedly returned the salute at this time: "I'm really sorry, disturbing Mr. Purity, it's really abrupt, forgive the sin." The man hurriedly said, "Don't dare, sir, please sit in the room." The two walked into the room and sat down in their chairs. Qin Yanxuan only saw clearly at this time that the man had a round face, a pair of eyes were not big, but they were bright, his figure was not high, he was a little fat, and a braid was black and shiny and dragged to his waist. On the table is a copy of the "Book of Songs" engraved and printed in the Daoguang period, in blue leather, bound with thread on the right side.

I saw that the man made a bowl of tea for him: "Mr. is really a learned person, dare to ask Mr. Honorable Name?" Where is Futai? Qin Yuxuan arched his hand again and again: "Shame and shame, where are the well-educated people?" It's just a show of talent in the next place, and I didn't even pass the exam. I am a native of Kaizhou, with a small surname of Qin, a name of Xuan, also known as Qin Sanbao. ”

After hearing this, the man hurriedly got up: "Oh, it turned out to be Qin Sanye from Kaizhou Hongji Hall." I have admired your name for a long time, and I am disrespectful and disrespectful. Qin Zhenxuan said curiously: "May I ask where is your mansion, sir?" How do you know about me? The man said: "Why is the third master so confused, although I have never known you in my life, but who doesn't know Zhang Xihe of 'Zhongjingtang' in Nanyang, Henan and Qin Sanbao of 'Hongjitang' in Kaizhou?" Although you haven't been lifted, you have read your poems early in the morning, and you really admire it. ”