It turns out that this place where fireworks are sold and places that sell laughter are also divided into three, six or nine classes. The lower class is a prostitution house. Ordinary peddlers and lackeys can spend a little money to vent their anger. This is a low-class place that sells meat and is naturally vulgar. , the middle class is a brothel, where most of the women are mediocre in appearance, and the best among them is the courtesan. It is rare to have one or two courtesans in a brothel, but if you want to have sex with the courtesan, you need a lot of money.
The best places in the land of fireworks are workshops or courtyards, which are often known as painting workshops and academies. The women among them are all of good looks, and they are all proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and songs. It can be said that they are both talented and beautiful, and the top fireworks Since there are so outstanding women in this place, there are not many of them. For example, there are only about ten women here in Xiangquanfang.
Literati mostly admire themselves for being romantic, and they are quite proud to be able to talk about poetry with the courtesan. But if you go to Xiangquanfang, you may only be able to drink and watch folk music in the front hall. This is the case, Xiangquanfang If any woman in the village comes out to perform, she will definitely attract a lot of attention. Therefore, although the scenery in the back garden is beautiful, it is not accessible to ordinary people. These talented women are completely different in the front and backstage. It is really wonderful.
(I learned that a cousin named Cang came from Dongyang, and he took the name of a teacher and wandered into the Chinese entertainment industry. The fact that such a dissolute person can become famous in China also shows that the Chinese entertainment industry is a place where filth and evil spread. Don’t you see, those kinds of sects, so-and-so exposures, and even the romantic affairs of some so-called public servants, hey, the Chinese world is like this, it is very regrettable,)
After listening to the detailed explanation of the broom, Dakui couldn't help but sigh, and immediately took the dog's leftovers, stones, broom, dustpan, and bench to Xiangquanfang.
Da Kui walked through the door swaggeringly, but when the five people including the dog, the stone, the broom, the dustpan, and the bench arrived in front of the door, they were blocked by four strong men standing in front of the door to greet them. Da Kui walked for a while and found that five people behind him No one followed, so he turned around to look for them, only to see five people, including a dog, a stone, a broom, a dustpan, and a bench, arguing with the four strong men outside the door.
Dakui walked to the door and couldn't help but asked: "They are my followers, why are you blocking them from entering?"
One of the men with a rosy nose chuckled and said: "Sir, I see that you must be a wealthy and powerful person. Naturally, you can come and go as you please, but they are servants. This place is a gathering place for wise and elegant people. If If anyone can get in, wouldn’t it be chaos?”
Da Kui couldn't help but secretly curse: "A place where wise men and women gather, it really needs to be both a palace and an archway." Although he thought in his heart, his face was kind: "Hahaha, you guys have worked hard, and a few coins are enough." Everyone, please accept it." With that, Dakui took out five taels of silver from his arms and handed it over.
Unexpectedly, the man with rosacea refused to accept it and refused blindly: "Sir, I know that you are not short of money, but I can't break the rules just because of your reward."
Hearing this, Dakui sighed and said, "In that case, I'm leaving." After saying that, he collected the silver ingot and walked out the door.
Goulan brothel is open for business, so there is no reason to kick the guests out. Seeing Da Kui about to leave, the rosaceous man quickly apologized and said: "Forgive me, sir, I'm just talking nonsense. Don't forget your thoughts." As he said this, He lightly slapped himself twice on the face.
Seeing this, Dakui couldn't help but stopped in embarrassment and asked: "I brought a few followers here today to see the world. If you can't wait, we will go somewhere else to have fun."
The man with rosacea smiled and said: "My lord, what are you talking about? In that case, please listen to what I have to say. My lord, you might as well ask a few of your followers to change their clothes and come back. It's easy to communicate with such a small person."
Hearing this, Dakui couldn't help frowning and said: "It's already night, but where can I change my clothes?"
The rosacea-nosed man chuckled, stretched his hand to the left and pointed across the street: "There is a tailor shop across the street. Not only can you make clothes custom-made there, but you can also rent them. No matter what style of robes you want, you can find them here."
Dakui couldn't help but be stunned, what, there is rent.
Curious in his heart, Dakui said: "So I will take them to change clothes. Hey, there are so many wonders in the world." After that, he went out and took five of his subordinates to the other side of the street.
It's no wonder that people are not allowed to enter. This is the case for all brothel turtles. As the saying goes: Respect your clothes first and then others. Without a gorgeous outfit, it is difficult to be looked down upon in this land of fireworks.
There is also a common saying that describes this harsh world very aptly, that is: a horse in a carriage shop should be killed even if he is not guilty. Why is it said that the horse in a carriage shop is a summary of the five kinds of business; it is talking about ordinary people. The drivers who drive carriages from noble families are mostly bullies. The people who sail boats privately on rivers are mostly people who add insult to injury. The country taverns and inns that are not opened in market towns and prefectures are mostly shady inns, and they are often people seeking wealth and murder. , it is not a private carriage and horse of Caobang Salt Transport. Whenever I pull people's feet, there will always be people who are unscrupulous and unscrupulous, and this horse is the turtle man in front of the Goulan Gate. They judge people by their appearance and are extremely powerful. , (In ancient times, men who worked in brothels were called Turtle Gong, and in modern times, those who lead women in the meat-selling business are called grooms) People who work in these five professions are really popular, so there are carriages, boat shops, footmen, and horses, which is not guilty. It should also be said that he should be killed.
Dakui brought the dog's remains, stones, brooms, dustpans, and benches, and a group of six people arrived in front of the clothing store. He looked up and saw a plaque across the door of the store with the words "Firework Street Silk and Satin Shop" written on it.
It turns out that every state and county has a place for fireworks, but it would be unseemly for brothels and brothels to be scattered all over the place. Therefore, all dynasties have concentrated these brothels in one place, so we have the term "Fireworks Land". These brothels have been The place where brothels gather is a street or an area (the Eighth Hutong in Beijing is a typical example)
The six people from Da Kui entered the 'Firework Street Silk and Satin Shop', and the store owner hurriedly came forward to greet them when they saw their employer.
Da Kui asked with a smile: "Shopkeeper, yours is the only ready-to-wear shop on this street."
The owner of the silk and satin shop on Yanhua Street is a middle-aged man in his forties. Hearing this, he smiled and said: "Yes, the craftsmanship of our shop is the best in Raozhou. If the girls in the hook bars on Yanhua Street are making clothes, they must Come to the shop,"
Dakui nodded and said: "In that case, you can make a few sets of clothes for my followers. The materials must be chosen well and the workmanship must be fine."
The shopkeeper quickly responded: "Don't worry, sir, my clothing craftsmanship here is of course second to none," the shopkeeper said and let Dakui and others into the back room. It turned out that this ready-made clothing store had set up private seats in the back room for the convenience of customers to wait, and Refreshments and fruits are served.
After Dakui sat down, the shop served tea. Dakui couldn't help but asked: "How much money does it cost for each of my followers to make a suit of clothes?" Dakui said, picking up the tea cup and smelling it carefully, he couldn't help but praise: "Well ,good tea,”
The shopkeeper made a rough calculation and said: "If all five of them do it, they will get thirty taels of silver."
"What," Da Kui's voice suddenly rose and he exclaimed. We can't blame Da Kui for making such a fuss. When he was in Lin'an, Da Kui had gone to a silk and satin shop to make clothes. A top-quality robe only cost one or two cents of silver. Although the silk and satin from Raozhou was Most of them are shipped from the hinterland of the south of the Yangtze River in Longping, Lin'an. No matter how good the craftsmanship of this shop is, a piece of clothing will not cost six taels of silver.
The store owner smiled and said, "Don't be surprised, guest. Our store has a rule that daytime clothes are half the price of night clothes. In addition, customers' clothes can be stored in our store and can be used at any time." The store owner smiled and said: " Another thing that needs to be explained to the guest is that the owner of this ready-made clothing store is the third sister from Xiangquanfang."
Dakui couldn't help asking: "Who is the third sister?"
The store owner smiled and replied: "The third sister is the madam of Xiangquanfang. She used to be the number one in Raozhou Fireworks Street."
After hearing this, Da Kui thought about what the shopkeeper said and immediately understood. During the day, ready-made clothes are cheap because customers have other places to go. At night, most of the ready-made clothes are for urgent needs, so they are more expensive. Some people come here to avoid suspicion, so they wear Chinese clothes. Store it here, so that when you go out, you will be dressed in coarse linen clothes. When you get to Fireworks Street, you will change your clothes and go out to have fun. When you are free, you will come back and change your clothes and go home. Your family will not be suspicious.
There are all kinds of things in the world, and Dakui can't help but be amazed, but then he can't help but feel troubled. The five people including the leftover dog, the stone, the broom, the dustpan, and the bench are all military men. It is reasonable to buy a smart outfit, but it is a bit strange to wear a long robe. No, Gou Sheng and others were embarrassed when they saw Da Kui, but they really wanted to see Xiangquanfang. Gou Sheng couldn't help but leaned over and reminded him softly: "Sir, isn't this place available for rent? You might as well rent it all."
After hearing this, Dakui said: "In that case, you and others will rent a set of robes for each of you here. When we return to Longping, we will buy clothes for you and others in detail." Dakui received the five thousand taels of silver specially approved by the King of Wu, so he naturally wanted to There is a big difference in spending, but you can't spend it carelessly. Dakui was born in a poor family, so he naturally knows how valuable money is.
After hearing this, the store owner smiled and said: "You need to pay twenty taels of silver as a mortgage to rent a robe, and the rent is one string per piece per day."
"What," Dakui exclaimed again, but then he slowed down and asked, "Why is it so expensive?"
The shopkeeper said: "Clothes will wear out when rented out. If they are worn out after three or two years, the shop will have no choice but to wear out the clothes. Furthermore, I need to remind everyone," but the shopkeeper looked at the leftovers, stones, brooms, dustpans, and benches. Someone said: "If your robe is damaged, you must pay for it according to the price."
Da Kui knew very well that this store owner was really a shady businessman, but he had no choice but to pay the store owner twenty taels of silver and ask the store owner to prepare a pair of luxurious clothes for each of them, including Gouzheng, a stone, a broom, a dustpan, and a bench.
Although the five people including the dog, the stone, the broom, the dustpan, and the bench were his personal followers, they still needed to take care of them like brothers. Thinking of Xu Yuan and Dong Hu, Dakui couldn't help but regret that they had always been respectful to him during his lifetime. Plus, it was because he was guarding him that he died miserably, but he never saw the splendor of the world with him before he was alive. The dog remnant, the stone, the broom, the dustpan, and the bench, the five of them just wanted to watch the excitement of Xiangquanfang. Such trivial matters are of course a big deal. You should not refuse, nor can you bear to refuse.
When Gou Sheng, Shi Shi, broom, dustpan, and bench were all dressed up, Dakui couldn't help but be very satisfied. Shi Shi couldn't help but urged: "Sir, it's getting late, let's go quickly."
Dakui chuckled and said: "Hehehe, let's go, let's go together today and have some fun."
After hearing this, the five people, including the leftover dog, the stone, the broom, the dustpan, and the bench, couldn't help but happily followed Dakui out of the clothing store and walked towards Xiangquanfang again.