"Three guests, this is the most famous hairy crab that is abundant in Taihu Lake. After the Beginning of Autumn, it is the fattest and the meat is fresh and tender. It has been praised by literati and poets as the three treasures of Taihu Lake. Today you are here at the right time. This is the last braised hairy crab in the shop. .If I come a quarter of an hour late, I’m afraid I’ll have to wait until the fishermen on the edge of Taihu Lake bring it to me tomorrow before I can taste it.”
In a restaurant near Taihu Lake. The restaurant is not big. It is built near the lake. It has two floors. There are only a dozen tables and chairs on each floor. The boss is an old man in his sixties. There is also a young man in the restaurant. The guy is probably the waiter in the waiter. At this moment, the boss is standing in front of a table by the window touting the restaurant's signature dishes. A hand holding a pen is quickly writing on the account book in his hand. Although he sees the young man on the table, Wearing a green shirt, he looks a bit shabby. But the two beautiful girls next to him are more beautiful than the ladies from several wealthy families in the Taihu area. Some customers in the store even look at them secretly from time to time. So the boss is very interested in those girls. The young man in green shirt was still polite and wanted to earn more money from him, so he was willing to come to this table and greet him personally on behalf of the waiter.
The young man in green shirt listened to the boss chatting next to him. He looked out the window at the endless Taihu Lake. He took a sip of tea and asked lightly: "Boss, I want to ask you something. I heard that the Taihu Lake area is not peaceful recently. Why are you in your store? There are also fishermen who bring aquatic products from Taihu Lake every day. Aren't you afraid of those thieves in Taihu Lake?"
There is rebellion in Taihu. This area has known about it for a long time. But who owns the country in this world? People in this area don't care. As long as they can live peacefully, the boss is very plain. He said: "Taiping Army But they are a good army. They neither disturb the people nor make things difficult for the people in Taihu Lake. In the past, when fishermen went to Taihu Lake to fish, they had to pay fishing taxes to the local government offices. Now that the government offices in this area have been taken down by the Taiping Army, we have nothing to do. It’s handed in. Life is much easier than before.”
Taiping Army. That is the army of the Taiping Religion. Meng Xinghe asked: "Then boss, if you want to go to the center of Taihu Lake, can there be a ship to go in?"
The boss said truthfully: "My guest is going to the center of Taihu Lake. Ordinary ships would not dare to enter. The Taiping Army is stationed there. However, if the young master has something urgent to go to, he is old enough to know the way."
Meng Xinghe was overjoyed: "Boss, please just tell me."
The boss said: "The Shangguan old man who is responsible for delivering Taihu aquatic products to Lao Lu's store every day can go to Taihu Center. You have to wait one more day. When he comes to my store tomorrow morning, you can ask him to drive you to Taihu Center. .Shangguan old man is very easy to talk to. He usually won’t refuse.”
Meng Xinghe didn't know. In fact, anyone who is a fisherman in the Taihu Lake area can go to the Taihu Center. The old man Shangguan is also a fisherman. The reason why the boss said this is just to let him rest one more night in the store and earn some money.
Meng Xinghe was not in a hurry. He would wait one day before going to Taihu Lake. He immediately asked his boss to arrange three rooms for him to rest for the night.
Waiting for the next morning, the boss came to inform. The old Shangguan man was ill today and did not come to deliver the aquatic products. What came was his daughter, a woman of sixteen or seventeen years old. She was tall and had the fair and dewy skin unique to Jiangnan women. Her eyes are dark and watery, just like the clear water of Taihu Lake outside the door. Although she is dressed in coarse linen clothes and looks like a fisherman's girl, it can still be seen that she is more beautiful than those official ladies with a little dressing. He was carrying a fish basket. It was full of aquatic products caught from Taihu Lake yesterday. There were hairy crabs, prawns, and white fish. There were many types of fish. But he earned very little money.
The woman was very talkative and didn't recognize her. She heard that Meng Xinghe and the others were going to the center of Taihu Lake. She just looked at it lightly and said yes. Meng Xinghe paid the rent and the boss gave him a respectful gift and followed the woman to the edge of Taihu Lake. on the simple pier.
The boat was a small flat boat. It was filled with piles of fine white fishing nets. The woman shook the oar and warned, "Young Master, please be careful. After the Beginning of Autumn, the wind in Taihu Lake is strong. The fishing boats are very small. Even the fishing nets are very small." There is no place to stay. Just find a place to sit down and hold on to the side of the boat. Don't stand up. Otherwise, you will fall into Taihu Lake."
Meng Xinghe sighed: "There are people coming and going on the river, but I love the beauty of sea bass. You look at a boat. It goes out of the storm."
He sat cross-legged on the fishing net, staring at the vast Taihu Lake. The woman rocking the boat was quite envious when she heard him read poetry. She said: "Young Master must have studied in the county school. His poems are really good."
In ancient times, studying was the exclusive preserve of men. Except for some wealthy families who could afford teachers to open schools at home to teach women the "Book of Songs", "The Analects of Confucius" and the Four Books and Five Classics. Women from ordinary families, who can go to school to study, may be in the eyes of women. The county school is already the highest-level private school. The students who come out of it are more literary than ordinary people no matter where they are. How did she know that Meng Xinghe not only went to the county school, but even went to Jiangdu Province to study. In the end, he also I went to the Imperial College to study. I was the top scholar in the last academic year.
At this time, the little junior sister who had nothing to do interrupted and said: "Sister, you don't know. My brother-in-law is very powerful. He is the number one scholar."
"Who is the Number One Scholar?" The woman rocking the boat was confused by her junior sister. Women like them, fishermen, have been dealing with fish and shrimps on the river since they were born. In addition to hearing stories about talented men and beautiful women from other people's mouths, what? No. 1 scholar, high officials, princesses, princes and grandsons, all those noble people don't know.
It's so simple. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will build a big house on the edge of Taihu Lake. I will come here for vacation when I have nothing to do. Meng Xinghe smacked his lips. He didn't want to destroy the innocent side of this simple Jiangnan woman. He said: "The Number One Scholar." It’s not a thing. It’s just like the fish and shrimp in the lake. It has to swim hard to escape the fishing net.”
The girl blinked her beautiful eyes: "The No. 1 Scholar is also uncomfortable, and Wan'er doesn't like it. I'd rather be happy fishing in Tai Lake."
Meng Xinghe looked at her and smiled very briskly. She was like a beautiful water bird flying over Taihu Lake. She asked with a lot of words: "By the way, the girl is kind enough to give us a ride. I don't know your name yet."
"Wan'er. Shangguan Wan'er." Shangguan Wan'er stood on the bow and sang: "Lotus can be picked in the south of the Yangtze River. There are fields of lotus leaves. Open the green umbrellas. Fish play among the lotus leaves."
She cheerfully sang a folk song about lotus picking in the south of the Yangtze River. Meng Xinghe, who was sitting at the stern of the boat, was shocked and stood up from where he was.
"Hey, Young Master, you are in danger of dying. Be careful of falling into Taihu Lake." Shangguan Wan'er immediately handed over the oar to Meng Xinghe to catch it, lest he slip and fall into Taihu Lake: "You really are in danger of dying. Sit down quickly."
Meng Xinghe, who felt much calmer, sat down again. He glanced at Wu Meiniang next to him and Shangguan Wan'er in front of him. He thought to himself, this Wan'er may not be the other Wan'er. If that's the case, God is really acting secretly. There are arrangements.
Seeing that he was quite calm, Shangguan Wan'er pouted and said, "My father often said that you gentlemen like to go out for sightseeing. I really don't know what there is to see in Taihu Lake. But you like to take risks." She obviously didn't know that Meng Xinghe was here to negotiate. Instead, she regarded him as a young master out for fun.
Meng Xinghe couldn't answer. But Wu Meiniang, who was sitting next to him and had been silent all this time, found it difficult to speak. She said: "Wan'er, I see you are quite smart. Let me ask you, do you want to study."
"Sister, sister, what you said is true. I can go to school to study. I really can study." Shangguan Wan'er obviously didn't believe it. She was afraid that Wu Meiniang was looking for her happiness. She said: "Sister, don't try to make Wan'er happy. Wan'er's father has no money for Wan'er to study. We go fishing in Taihu Lake every day. We can only support the family. Wan'er won't think much about it." Shangguan Wan'er looked extremely disappointed. She must really want to study in her heart. of.
Wu Meiniang smiled and said: "Don't worry Wan'er. If sister can come back from Taihu Center, I can take you to Chang'an to study."
Shangguan Wan'er kept nodding: "Okay. Wan'er's father often said that women should be talented and learned. He often lamented that he had failed Wan'er. If father could hear that Wan'er could study, he would be happy and his illness would be cured. Oh, by the way, sister, what on earth are you doing in Taihu Lake? You are really going to have fun."
Wu Meiniang smiled and said: "Sister and Mr. Meng are going to Taihu Lake to do business."
Shangguan Wan'er said "oh" and didn't ask any more questions. She rocked the boat more happily. Maybe she was very happy to go to Chang'an to study. Although she didn't know where Chang'an was, it would be good to be able to study.
Meng Xinghe just listened to their conversation and sighed secretly in his heart. History is history. No one can change it. Many years later, Wu Meiniang will definitely make all the men in the world submit to her feet. But even though she does not have the aura of an emperor now, she is just a woman. She is cool and does not compete with others. Even if Miss Du takes the position of military advisor this time when she goes south and becomes an insignificant staff advisor, she has no complaints. In the military camp, she will do her best if she can. Even if she is accompanying Meng Xinghe this time. Come out. Everything is arranged by Meng Xinghe. She does not act on her own initiative. If Wu Meiniang is really a careerist and hides it so deeply, no one can really match her.
"Sir, look quickly." Just as Meng Xinghe was thinking wildly, Wu Meiniang gave him a gentle push: "It's the Taiping Army."
Meng Xinghe suddenly came back to his senses. He saw rows of ships in front carrying the army's food and grass. Walking in front, he said: "I'm afraid the Taiping Army is hoarding food and grass." He immediately asked: "Wan'er, how long will it take to reach Taihu Lake? center."
Wan'er looked at the fleet transporting grain and grass in front of her and said: "Look, there are the grain ships of the Taiping Army in front of us. We followed them. In just half a day, we saw an island in the middle of Taihu Lake with the Taiping Army's ship built on it. The military camp and ordinary fishing boats are not allowed to approach it. You don’t want to go there for fun, do you?”
Meng Xinghe nodded: "Yes. We really want to go up."
Wan'er exclaimed: "Young master, you can't go up there. Ordinary people can't go up to that place. There are soldiers guarding it. Going up there is a dead end."
Meng Xinghe smiled and said: "Don't be afraid, Wan'er. When the time comes, you just need to row the boat around the island. I will have a way to get up there."
Shangguan Wan'er was dubious and said: "Young master, what do you do? Why do you want to go to the island? Ordinary people don't dare to go. You must be a noble person."
Meng Xinghe admired Wan'er's current simplicity and said: "Wan'er, I am just like you. We are ordinary people. We just go to the island to do business. I have a few friends in the Taiping Army. Just look at them. ."
Wan'er believed what he said. After a long pause, she said, "Master, go up. Wan'er is waiting for you below. I will take you here and I will take you back."
Meng Xinghe didn't know if he could come back. "Wan'er, wait for me below. No need to fish anymore."
Shangguan Wan'er's face turned red: "Beat. While beating, wait for the young master. It will take a long time for the young master to come down, and it will take a long time for Wan'er to go back."
Meng Xinghe wanted to say no. He didn't know how long it would take him to get back down. In addition, the wind on Taihu Lake was strong. Wan'er was a weak girl, so there might be some risk. Just when he was about to open his mouth to speak, Shangguan Wan'er was already there to grab him. . Said: "Master, don't worry about Wan'er's safety. The Taiping Army will not bully us ordinary people. Besides, Wan'er has been living on the water since she was a child. She is not afraid of anything."
Meng Xinghe couldn't bear to refuse: "Okay then. When I come back, I will take Wan'er to Chang'an."
"Thank you, Master." Shangguan Wan'er hummed softly. Her face suddenly turned red.