After staying in Yangzhou for a few days to complete official duties, it was already the end of the twelfth lunar month before I knew it. The weather was very cold. Zhang Ning even felt it was colder than Beijing. Kang-burning was not popular in South Zhili, and there was no need to keep warm in many places.
There are no facilities in the house, so that in addition to being able to block the wind, the temperature is almost as low inside the house. Unlike the capital, where it is still cold outside in winter, it feels much better as soon as you enter the house. There seems to be a saying that the cultural fortunes in Jiangsu and Zhejiang are prosperous.
It is related to the environment and living habits. Cold is good for exercising people’s cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems.
It hasn’t snowed yet, so I’m afraid there won’t be any snow in South Zhili in the twelfth lunar month this year. The auspicious snow heralds a good harvest, so snow is a good thing. Remembering that there was thunder one night in August this year, it’s a bit strange that the weather will be vague next year.
If you can get home before New Year's Eve, you can not only celebrate the New Year at home, but also stay a few more days to do other things and make some preparations to find the whereabouts of the Peach Blossom Fairy. According to custom, people who are not from the same family do not visit others at the end of the year.
It's a courtesy, unless it's a debt, just like in "The White-Haired Girl". So Zhang Ning can justifiably wait until the first month before visiting his boss Wu Yong.
After the plan was agreed upon, Zhang Ning said hello privately to the master of the Yangzhou magistrate, and returned to Nanjing by land with his official position. As an additional official, he had the title of magistrate for some reason, and the officials in the government also
There's no need to ask. It's better that he doesn't interfere with the government affairs of the government, so as to avoid confusion among the extra officials.
Zhan Zhuli, who was the messenger, was originally Zhang Ning's bodyguard, but he was never seen. Zhang Ning rode alone again when he returned to Nanjing this time. Riding a horse was faster than walking by water. He actually learned how to ride a horse during his last escape.
Already.
I really wanted to see Zhang Xiaomei as soon as possible... I was very hasty when I left, and I didn't even have time to say a farewell. Although I sent letters later, they were definitely not as good as the meeting. But within a few months, Zhang Ning felt that
It's like looking forward to meeting old friends for many years.
Maybe it's just because of the inconvenience of information? If you were separated from your loved ones for a few months in modern times, and you could make phone calls and send text messages from time to time, it wouldn't be so annoying.
Zhang Xiaomei has only been in his life for a few months, and the time they have spent together is even shorter. Now she seems to be more familiar with her, but still has strange and unspeakable feelings. In short, she cares about her very much and hopes she is well.
... It was already the twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month when we arrived in the capital. This year, the twelfth lunar month is small and only reaches the twenty-ninth, which means New Year's Eve is tomorrow. As soon as we entered the capital, we saw the long streets decorated with lights and a festive atmosphere, no matter how cold the temperature was.
It was low, there were more people in the streets than usual, and some places selling New Year's goods were extremely crowded. Many women were wearing red clothes, and the warm colors made the weather seem less cold.
The excitement of the New Year has made the Ming Dynasty more and more peaceful. Even if the mountains and rivers were divided and the war was chaotic, there would be no such scene even during the New Year.
However, in recent years, the Ming Dynasty's army fought on both the north and south fronts, employing hundreds of thousands of troops. Zheng He's fleet at sea led nearly 30,000 officers and soldiers, and more than 200 large and small warships. The journey was thousands of miles and wasteful; in addition, the Han people obtained military supplies from the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty.
It didn’t take long for Yongle to recuperate after regaining his clothes and clothes. Before Yongle, he had experienced several years of "Jingnan Campaign" with hundreds of thousands of soldiers. The burden on ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty was still heavy, and they were not considered wealthy at this time. Jiangsu and Zhejiang
Maybe it's better. People live frugally on weekdays, but their consumption during the New Year is still very large. This is probably a long-standing tradition of the Chinese people.
The street was so crowded that Zhang Ning found it difficult to walk while holding the horse, but he still had to squeeze into the crowded commercial area because he wanted to buy some gifts for his family.
After he becomes a Beijing official, the Ministry of Civil Affairs will send documents to the place of his birthplace. People in his family should know that he is an official, so the gifts given to his uncle should not be too shabby. However, after calculating his net worth, he can completely handle the New Year. Previously, the Ministry of Civil Affairs
After paying 50 taels of settling-in allowance, after deducting the 8 taels of rent deposit paid to Yu Qian and the 10 taels lent, there was still about 30 taels left, and the cash register was 82 taels when he left the capital. Normally, Zhang Ning does not spend much on his own, so he has a total of 82 taels.
One hundred and eleven taels of money. There are three main expenses that are about to be paid. Wu Yong, the doctor of the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing, cannot get rid of the five or sixty taels that are missing. It is a gift for his family when he goes home, and he may go to the countryside to offer sacrifices on the first day of the first lunar month.
The children of the Zhang family must be given lucky money.
Anyway, money comes and goes, but that's it.
The family is not too poor. Now that it has been closed in recent years, there should be no shortage of things like new year's goods. Zhang Ning doesn't need to worry about it, just express his intention. So he bought tailor-made clothes for men and women at a street market at a higher price than usual.
New cloth, tea leaves, common ginseng, and children's toys were piled on the horse's back.
When passing by a silk and satin shop, Zhang Ning just took a look and realized that Uncle Xindao's family was relatively low-key and didn't know how to wear silk clothes, so it was useless to buy them. Unexpectedly, the person standing at the door to greet guests still took the initiative to greet them despite the heavy flow of customers.
: "The young master has come back from abroad to make a fortune? He will buy two pieces of good satin for the wife at home. You must be right. Women like this the most."
Zhang Ning was about to ignore it and was about to leave, but couldn't help but ask: "Is there anything made for women...silk handkerchief or something like that?"
"Yes, yes, you can definitely choose something you like!"
So Zhang Ning first grabbed a handful of copper coins and gave him a tip, asking him to find someone to look after the horses and goods. Since it was the Chinese New Year, it would be more generous to reward the boys who went out to do errands.
Many people were looking around and choosing in the shop, and the colorful silk fabrics hanging had been touched by countless people. No one paid attention to them after being persuaded to come in. It took a long time for a waiter to come to greet them. They were indeed too busy at this time.
"What do you want to pick, sir?" the waiter asked.
There were people around, and Zhang Ning felt a little uncomfortable talking to this young man, so he frowned and said, "Is this the only thing your store has?"
"You watch first, I'll call the madam." The young man said hurriedly.
After a while, a woman in her thirties or forties came down from the counter. At this time, women rarely showed up to do business, but at this time, there were not enough people to help. After all, businessmen were not as particular as scholar-bureaucrats.
harsh.
"I want something for women, something a little better," Zhang Ning said.
The woman pointed to the cave door inside and said, "There is it inside. I will take you to see it."
As soon as I entered the cave door, I saw a variety of colorful and beautiful gadgets inside, such as bellybands, bras, handkerchiefs, etc. Even though the market in Nanjing is not very open, the store did not dare to sell these gorgeous gadgets.
The things hanging outside are eye-catching. There are mostly female customers inside. When they see a good-looking male customer come in, they all turn their backs in shame.
Zhang Ning looked around, pointed to a pair of hanging light red gauze and asked, "Is this a tube top?" The color is indeed good, it is white and rosy, just like a healthy woman's skin color, which is attractive.
When a young girl next to her heard Zhang Ning's careless words, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.
"Young master, you are so knowledgeable." The woman chuckled, taking it off and handing it to Zhang Ning. Zhang Ning took it in his hand and felt it was soft and slippery, and the material seemed to be very good. But except for a small piece on the front
Apart from being thicker, the whole thing is transparent, which seems a bit too "interesting" for an unmarried girl like Zhang Xiaomei... It is indeed very attractive, both in color and pattern. The first few golden osmanthus petals are gorgeous and restrained.
, the fine workmanship is completely unmatched by street stall goods.
The woman said: "It is made of yarn as the base, and then intertwined with silk and cotton as the pattern. It is carefully carved and the whole is like a perfect jade. Sir, please take a closer look. The pattern on it is not embroidered, but woven."
"Just like Yun Jin, I understand this." Zhang Ning nodded, "It's just not very dignified."
The woman laughed out loud: "This is something you wear underneath. How can outsiders know whether it is dignified or not?"
If Zhang Ning said he was giving his sister a bra, the woman would probably be speechless. Zhang Xiaomei probably bought the silk thing with her own savings. It is not easy for a young girl to save some personal money, and she also likes beautiful things.
Zhang Ning lost it... she would definitely not tell anyone else if she wanted to make up for it in private.
But this one is a little inappropriate. Although it is really beautiful, when you pick it up, you will feel that the other ones are very crude.
Zhang Ning wanted to put it back with some hesitation. Seeing this, the woman persuaded him: "Young master has good vision, why should you give up?"
"How much? This." Zhang Ning couldn't help but ask.
The woman said: "It's not expensive. You can buy such a perfect thing for fifteen taels. This is the only one in our shop."
Fifteen taels is not expensive. How many taels does a piece of fine silk cost? Such a small piece is worth several pieces of silk, but it also proves that it takes a lot of work to make it, and it is a good thing.
Zhang Ning was willing to spend this money for Zhang Xiaomei, but he just felt it was not suitable, so he didn't think about buying it. He bargained casually: "Ten taels."
"We don't bargain. Everything in our shop is worth every penny. We operate with integrity and no one can cheat. Moreover, it is the peak season. The young master is undecided today. Maybe he will be bought by someone else when he comes back in the afternoon." The woman said.
.
Zhang Ning said without changing his expression: "Twelve taels, if it doesn't work, I won't talk about it."
The woman pondered for a moment, then finally nodded and smiled: "Okay! I am happy for my wife to win the young master's affection, and I will give you a discount."
Zhang Ning stopped worrying too much about the appropriateness, paid and left, hiding the wrapped things in his arms.
The total cost of several large pieces of new cloth on horseback was less than one tael, and a small gift for the girl was only twelve taels. Zhang Ning felt much better, even if they were a family, there was a difference between being close and distant.
Leading the horse and entering from Liren Street, the familiar alley was filled with the smell of firecracker smoke. Red lanterns were hung at the door of each house to represent the prosperous year. Couplets were also posted by the door gods, including Li Jing.
Such portraits and the festive atmosphere can be seen everywhere. The alley was much quieter, but Zhang Ning's ears were still ringing with a "buzzing" noise after being squeezed in the crowd for a long time.
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