Chapter 25: Red Sleeves Waving All Over the City

The spring in the south of the Yangtze River has entered the plum rain season, and the rain has fallen one after another. There are layers of water vapor rising from the ridges between the mountains. From a distance, it looks like a dragon flying into the sky, or like an immortal ascending to the sky.

A donkey cart carrying Chen Heng and his son came to the outside of Yangzhou City. The owner of the donkey cart pulled the reins and stopped the car, saying to the passers-by he met by chance: "Two guests, Yangzhou City is ahead."

Chen Heng jumped out of the car first and stomped his numb feet, "Old man, I'm sorry to bother you."

"What's the trouble? We are all out." Although the old man's hair and beard are all white, his mental state is very energetic. After Chen Qi took down all the luggage, he said to the father and son: "You two, let's say goodbye here."

He was delivering goods to Yangzhou City. He had to go through the west gate, and the inspection by the officers and soldiers would be relatively more detailed. People like Chen Heng can directly enter the city through the east gate.

The official road under his feet felt slightly muddy because of the continuous rain for several days. When he came to the east gate, Chen Heng could see a long queue. Seeing that the queue entering the city could not see the end for a while, he looked at the appearance of Yangzhou City with some leisure.

Since the opening of the canal in the Sui Dynasty, Yangzhou has gradually become a famous city in the world. The poem "Yangzhou in March with fireworks" is talking about this moment.

Looking at the end of the line of sight, flags fluttered on the three-meter-high city wall, and occasionally a team of patrolling guards walked on the arrow slit. It happened that a beam of midday sunlight passed through the gray clouds and shone on the blue-brown wall. The clouds dispersed and the sun was bright, and it seemed that the sun was about to come out.

"Is Yangzhou City so big?"

Chen Qi said with some disbelief. The largest place he had been to in his memory was Taixing County. He thought that all places in the world were similar. Now he knows the meaning of "accepting sixty-nine scenic spots and accounting for eight points of prosperity" often said in operas.

Chen Heng was no exception. After all, it was the first time in his life to go far away. Some scenery can only be felt in person to be shocked.

With this little expectation, the father and son could not wait to take out the pass and hand it to the inspecting officers and soldiers. After learning that Chen Heng came to participate in the prefectural examination, they waved their hands to let them enter the city without even checking their etiquette.

As soon as they entered the city gate, they felt something unusual. The shops opened at the entrance extended along the long street. Ten steps away was a post station, and next to it was a small open-air tea shop. Another ten steps, there were two shops. The sign read Yongjia Lacquerware Shop, and no one knew what it did. The other was called Granny Liu Meat Pie, which was obvious at a glance.

Another ten steps, it was Taikang Bridge, and the gurgling river swayed the boat under the arch bridge. After passing it, the building in front of them immediately rose a bit, and the crowds coming out of the alleys gathered into an exaggerated flow of people, blocking Chen Heng's sight.

Now I want to see it, but I can't see any scenery. Chen Heng could only raise his head. Above his head, those who were able to build two-story buildings all had lanterns and ribbons hanging on the eaves without exception.

It was really strange. How long had the Lantern Festival passed? Why were these still there? Chen Heng was a little confused, but he didn't know that this was the habit of the people in Yangzhou.

With the convenience of transportation between the north and the south, and the salt administration as the foundation of their livelihood. The prosperous life gave the people of Yangzhou enough energy to pursue the romance of life.

I heard that the people of Jinling like to hang lanterns and decorations during festivals? Then we will cover the city with lanterns all the time.

I heard that the famous prostitutes on the painted boats along the Qinhuai River have been romantic since ancient times? Then we also have world-famous ones...

This cannot be said, this cannot be said.

Chen Heng looked at the prosperous scenery for a few more times, and then took Chen Qi's hand to start looking for an inn. They arrived on the first day of April. Calculating the time of the provincial examination, they would have to stay in Yangzhou for more than ten days.

Fortunately, they had fifteen taels of silver prepared by their grandmother, which should be enough for the expenses of the father and son during this period if they save a little. As a result, they found four or five inns in a row, but they were all full.

After finally finding one, the waiter said directly: "The two guests came at an untimely time. We only have two upper rooms and one lower room in the store."

Upon hearing that there were upper and lower rooms, Chen Qi couldn't help swallowing his saliva and asked: "What are the prices?"

"The upper room is one tael of silver a day, including three meals. Two side dishes are enough. If the guests pay more, they can also have meat. The lower room is cheaper, 200 wen a day."

Chen Qi was happy to hear this, but the waiter continued: "But there are already three guests inside, and it may be a bit crowded if you two stay."

It turned out to be a dormitory. Chen Qi's face immediately fell. The father and son looked at each other, thinking that this trip was to take the exam, Chen Qi gritted his teeth, took Chen Heng out of the inn, and continued to look for a satisfactory place.

Finally, they found an inn called "Erkang" at the entrance of an alley. The name was really interesting. Chen Heng liked it at first sight and walked in with his father.

"You two, are you really coming to my hotel to stay overnight?" The shopkeeper looked at the father and son with a strange look on his face.

"Yes, shopkeeper, do you still have guest rooms? How much is the room rate?" Chen Qi was really tired. This time, it was Chen Heng who was responsible for the conversation.

The shopkeeper smiled, looked up at the noon sky outside, and said, "At this time... our guest rooms are all empty. But you two should think clearly, there is Diaoyu Lane behind our inn, and it is very noisy at night."

"Let's talk about the room rate first."

Chen Heng asked the question he was most concerned about.

"400 Wen a day, not including three meals."

"Bed together?"

"What a joke, how can our inn do such a shameless business."

"Yes, it's you."

"Your Majesty, don't you think about it?" The shopkeeper looked straight at Chen Qi.

"It's okay. The shopkeeper will quickly arrange a guest room for us, father and son."

Chen Heng made a decision on the spot. At this price, it didn't matter if it was noisy at night.

Under the leadership of the shopkeeper, the two of them felt a little surprised when they entered the room. Although there is nothing in the house except a bed, other tables, chairs and benches. Although it has nothing else, it is clean and cheap. Chen Heng can completely tolerate some of its minor shortcomings.

He happily handed over the money and waited until the shopkeeper closed the door and left. Chen Heng couldn't help but fell on the bed. The father and son had been traveling all the way and were now a little tired. Fortunately, God was kind and they didn't encounter any wind or rain along the way. What would be the most terrifying thing if they got sick along the way.

This is what worries them about coming to Yangzhou so early. If you catch a cold or something on the road, the extra time will be enough to recuperate your body. Those who go out based on their time have little life experience.

The father and son didn't have the energy to eat for the time being, so they huddled together on the bed, preparing to get enough sleep before thinking about their stomach problems.

While they were sleeping in a daze, noisy voices could be heard outside from time to time. For some unknown reason, this sound became more and more intense from the moment it appeared, showing no signs of stopping.

Chen Heng, who was finally woken up, stood up angrily, walked to the wooden window and pushed it open, just to see if it was the bastard who was causing people to wake up in the middle of the night.

I saw the flower building decorated with lights and colors outside, as bright as day. There were many women in bright clothes in the attic, leaning on the railings and waving their long sleeves.

While Chen Heng was still dazed, he heard them shouting softly to the crowd going below:

"Sir, come in and play."

"Sir, would you like to come in and listen to some music?"

Chen Heng had never seen such a scene before, and his eyes widened unconsciously. It turned out that the shopkeeper had been talking for a long time about how noisy it was.

"Heng'er, what is going on outside?"

Chen Qi opened his eyes drowsily and propped himself up on the bed.

Chen Heng didn't dare to hesitate and immediately closed the window. He explained guiltily: "It's nothing, there's a butcher's shop outside to kill pigs. Get up early to do business."

"How many days have it been since we started killing pigs so early?" Chen Qi turned over and went back to sleep. He has been really tired these past few days. Being a father and a mother, he brought his son to Yangzhou and tormented him along the way.

"It's time, Dad, just sleep. I also want to continue sleeping for a while."

After casually dealing with the topic, Chen Heng lay on the bed in a nervous mood. He said that the colorful world was charming and hoped that his father would sleep until dawn. When they got up in the morning, they would change the inn.

Erkang Inn in Fishing Lane, I remember you! !