Although it is the beginning of autumn, speaking of it, it is still in the dog days of summer. As the saying goes, the hot weather after autumn is deadly. The heat of summer has not faded away. On the contrary, it is the time when the heat wave is rising. A layer of water vapor seems to be evaporating above the West Lake.
But fortunately, the water is not as good as the land. When the wind blows into the boat, it is still relatively cool. A boat opens the window, rolls up the gauze, and slowly wanders on the lake.
Those who can receive invitations to the party today are basically people with family backgrounds. Even if there are relatively poor people, they are usually literati with a wide network of friends. When we were on the shore, we saw people greeting each other, and it was still early.
The weather was also hot in the afternoon, and not many people came at this time. However, after a while, one after another boats came onto the lake one after another, and we could see the scale of the gathering. Each boat was marked with various colors.
There are signs on each household, such as the Cao family, the largest rice merchant in Jiangning, the Long family, a cloth merchant, the Chen family flower shop that runs a brothel, there are also official ships that have set anchor, and so on.
Although it was a midsummer afternoon that was not suitable for visiting the lake, it was still enough to see the prosperity of Hangzhou as a water town in the south of the Yangtze River. Occasionally, two ships could be seen approaching each other, and the people on the ship were greeting each other on the side. They were all in the same boat.
People in a circle know a lot of each other.
The weather is a bit hot, and it is not yet time to dock and disembark, so those who have arrived early would rather float on the lake for a while. Occasionally, when they see someone they know, the small boat will move closer to the larger ship. Since many people come together,
Although the big gathering has not yet started, small gatherings are already taking place on the boats. Some rich people, some wealthy people, and some scholars are chatting and laughing, giving advice. There are also ships belonging to the Wude Army garrisoned in Suzhou and Hangzhou, which are shipped early in the morning.
Some soldiers went up to Xiaoyingzhou to clear the area and garrison it, waiting for the arrival of the Hangzhou magistrate and others.
Since some businessmen and poets brought their families, the women in the brothel could not be invited blatantly. However, except for the Chen family, which was originally engaged in this kind of business, there were two oirans in the flower shop to accompany them. If the rest wanted to go to the island to participate,
In fact, there is a way. Some talented scholars did not come with them. If they had good personal connections, they also invited their confidante from the brothel to accompany them in a private capacity. However, these people have to form their own circle.
It is difficult to mix with those who have families.
The female relatives in these families may also like to listen to stories about talented men and beautiful women on weekdays, but once they see it with their own eyes, they will naturally feel unhappy and spontaneously resist ridicule. The clear distinction between the two parties is one of the interesting things in this kind of situation.
It is always difficult to blend romantic romance and warm family affairs.
When the Lou family's big boat came over, the weather had cooled down a little. The people on the boat at this time were mainly Lou Jinlin, Lou Shuwan, and Lou Shuheng. His eldest son Lou Shuwang was not in Hangzhou at this time. Originally, Lou Shuwang was not in Hangzhou at this time.
Lou Shuwan's husband Song Zhiqian also followed him all the way. Just after a few friends greeted him, Lou Jinlin expressed his position: "Shuwan and Zhiqian should go over to spend time with their friends." It seemed that Lou Jinlin was talking at home.
It's quite gentle. When mentioning the two of them, Lou Shuwan's name is always mentioned first and Song Zhiqian's name is last. Since their status is low, no one finds it strange.
Song Zhiqian was originally a little afraid of his father-in-law. After hearing these words, he felt like he was being pardoned. However, Lou Shuwan rubbed her forehead: "It's too hot at noon. I'm a little sleepy. My husband, please come over." Song Zhiqian hesitated for a while, but was finally persuaded.
So I changed my boat and went with some friends.
In addition to the three most important people of the Lou family, there are also several affiliated members of the Lou family who are following them at this time. The main reason is that Lou Jinlin has always cultivated people to be the right-hand men for his children, and this time he also brought them out to meet people and see the world.
Just now on the shore, Lou Jinlin said hello to a local wealthy businessman. At this time, the boat left the shore, and soon someone shouted loudly to come over to the boat. The Lou family's hands and eyes are very good in Hangzhou, although they are not as good as the Qian family's.
Generally speaking, a first-class noble family, but after several generations of accumulation, it is only a little inferior and cannot be underestimated, so many people came to visit, and some scholars came to say hello to Lou Shuheng.
Among the several children of the Lou family, although Lou Shuheng seems to be a playboy with a lazy temperament, he is also very talented in poetry and literature. He was also known as a child prodigy in Hangzhou when he was a child. He was originally very talented, but later failed to develop.
He worked hard but also achieved some results. He was also the youngest son of the Lou family. He was deeply loved by his father. He had an occasional arrogance in his character, which others took for granted.
As an adult, he was more interested in women than poetry. With his family's money and power, even if he didn't talk about poetry or blatantly bully others, it was easy to pick up girls. Later, his father had an opinion, so he occasionally managed the business. Smart people do things.
, and with the help of capable people in the family, it was all smooth sailing. From then on, in the eyes of everyone, he became a celebrity with an indifferent temperament. He did not write much poetry and lyrics, but he was also considered to be a great talent. He was also good at business, so he was naturally capable.
A symbol of omnipotence.
This kind of reputation accumulation is relatively orthodox. Compared with Ning Yi's reputation in Jiangning, he is also able to write poems and scheme with people, but he is relatively low-key. His cooperative identity makes people subconsciously feel that he is a bit hard-working. If we talk about Lou Shu
Heng can be regarded as the growth history of the proud son of heaven, while Ning Yi's reputation is a bit like the history of the struggle of the dark grassroots.
There were some people sitting on the boat, eating ice-cold drinks. Soon, some people started talking about the Su family, mainly because they heard that the Su family had some relationship with the Lou family.
"I just saw over there what seemed to be the small boat of the Su family passing by on the lake. I took a look and saw that there weren't many people moving on it. Over there by the window, the people on the boat seemed to have fallen asleep on their stomachs, haha...
"
"In such weather, the lake is indeed a good place to take a nap. Those Su family members really know how to enjoy it."
"The two young masters of the Su family saw it... Speaking of which, these two are also talented people, but for some reason the Su family actually let a woman take power... Does Brother Lou know about this?"
The person who spoke was also a cloth merchant named Luo from Hangzhou. He asked curiously, but Lou Jinlin smiled and said: "The daughter of an old friend of mine came to visit me once. I just wanted to say that I am familiar with you, but it is my daughter Shu.
Wan has more contact with her. If you are curious, Lao Luo, you might as well ask Shu Wan, I don’t know very well."
Lou Shuwan, who had said she was sleepy before, was standing behind her father as a vase. When someone mentioned it, she also smiled slightly. She went over and poured a cup of tea for the middle-aged man named Luo: "The Su family was originally in Jiangning, over there.
I didn’t know much about it, but I, Tan’er, am a really capable person, and my sister can’t compare to her… Well, does Uncle Luo Shi know Luo Tian?”
The man nodded: "Of course I know that his cotton material is of the highest quality in Suzhou and Hangzhou. Why does my niece ask about this?"
"There is already a business deal between Luo Tian and Tan'er. Uncle Luo Shi must have heard about it, right?"
The businessman surnamed Luo thought for a while: "In the past two days, I did hear that there was a small business, but there was not much contact. To be honest, Na Luotian is famous for being stubborn, even though it was only a small amount.
But now that I’m thinking about it, I don’t know how Miss Su persuaded her. Does my niece know?”
Lou Shuwan smiled. The Su family did not cause much discussion in Hangzhou. At this time, everyone was just talking about it as a conversation piece after dinner. However, Lou Shuwan had a beautiful figure and a sweet smile. At this time, everyone was already attracted by
Her curiosity aroused and she couldn't help but wait for her next words. Lou Shuwan turned around beautifully while holding the teapot:
"I do know the inside story. Na Luotian is stubborn in business, but he has an extremely doting wife by his side. His wife was originally the daughter of an official family. Later, he got in touch with Luo Tian and fell in love. Luo Tian
He wanted to marry her, but it took a lot of effort. However, in the past few years, his wife's temperament had become increasingly melancholy, she fell ill, and sometimes she couldn't eat.
If it can’t be cured, my sister Tan’er got in touch with Luo Tian through her.”
"Oh?" The businessman surnamed Luo frowned. Another person present said in surprise: "I have also heard about Luo Tian's wife that Miss Lou mentioned. To be honest, many people want to have sex with the Luo family."
They all thought of this and asked doctors to give them prescriptions, but they never worked. So what kind of method did Miss Su use? Could it be that Mrs. Luo was cured?"
"My sister Tan'er gave me something." Lou Shuwan turned around and smiled, holding out a finger, "I'm not very familiar with this thing, but Uncle Luo Shi must be very familiar with it. Uncle Luo Shi, you
Want to take a guess?"
The businessman thought for a long time and said with a smile: "My niece, don't be too secretive. I couldn't have guessed this."
Lou Shuwan lowered her eyes, a flash of memory and contemplation flashed in her eyes: "She sent a box of silkworms... Well, that's it." The woman nodded and walked towards her father. Everyone was stunned for a moment.
Tai knew exactly what he was talking about, silkworms? Golden silkworms or silver silkworms? After a while, they started discussing. Lou Jinlin was also frowning at this time and wanted to speak. Over there, Lou Shuheng thought for a while, but he spoke first.
: "Little sister, don't worry about it. What's going on with a box of silkworms?"
Lou Shuwan raised her eyebrows at this time, looked at her brother, and her voice became clearer: "I'm also surprised that I heard that the Luo family and Tan'er had some business discussions in the past two days. After asking carefully, Tan'er
What the girl sent over was just a box of silkworms. It was just a few silkworms packed in a wooden box and covered with gauze. The box was only visible, but the silkworms inside were very cute. Mrs. Luo was originally a rich lady and had never been exposed to it.
These things made me feel fond of these things when I saw the silkworm nibbling the mulberry leaves. Later, sister Tan'er told her that there was a mulberry tree across the street from Luo's house, and Mrs. Luo now went out every day to pick mulberry leaves and feed them to her.
A few silkworms were happy after eating and were willing to go out of the yard. Luo Tian originally wanted to transplant a mulberry tree to his wife's yard, but Sister Tan'er stopped her, so the business was settled. That's it."
She spoke simply and simply this time. After listening to this, Lou Shuheng and others were all stunned for a long time. Lou Jinlin was also stunned for a while, and then whispered: "If this is really the case, you, Tan'er girl, can't
It's really not that simple..." Lou Shuwan nodded. In fact, what she said just now was suspenseful, and now she was straightforward, as if she was somewhat proud of it. However, the thoughts in her heart at this time were not above that.
But it is something that remains in my heart.
She remembered that not long after Su Tan'er and his wife came to Hangzhou, they settled on a courtyard and started visiting each other. Luo Tian collected some information and asked her about the other party's information. Lou Shuwan said casually at that time
We talked about Mrs. Luo. Luo Tian has a relatively eccentric temperament, and it is difficult to establish a relationship with him. Therefore, there are not many competitors. This is the reason why Su Tan'er is interested in this, but Lou Shuwan also understands that Mrs. Luo's
Bian is basically unexplainable. She doesn't know much about Luo Tian, so she just mentions it casually.
I remember that at that time, Su Tan'er's eccentric husband-in-law Ning Yi was passing by the living room. He stayed with her for a while, drank a few sips of tea, listened to what she said, and asked: "The daughter of an official family?" Then he said
She said casually: "Then give me a box of silkworms." At that time, she and Su Tan'er both looked confused and thought they had heard wrongly.
She still remembered the understatement with which the man said those words. At that time, Ning Liheng really didn't look like he was powerful. He even liked martial arts. He didn't know what he had done at that time. He came here after drinking tea and talking.
. From the beginning to the end, she didn't take this matter to heart. It wasn't until two days ago that she suddenly heard that Su Tan'er and Luo Tian had made a business deal. She inquired about it for a while, and until today, she is still thinking about that sentence.
.
The man waved his hand: "Then give me a box of silkworms..."
"Send a box of silkworms..."
Oh my god, they really sent a box of silkworms...
During the discussion, someone spoke to someone on the side of the boat. Qian Xiwen and the Qian family's boat were approaching this way...