It is almost the end of April in the lunar calendar. The West Lake is approaching the beginning of summer. The red willows, greens and brocade flowers of the spring have faded away, and have been replaced by dense green. The breeze blowing on the lake also gives off a slightly drunken feeling.
It’s almost the Dragon Boat Festival, and it’s a sunny, windy and lukewarm weather. Starting from the first day of May, it’s another day for dragon boat races on the West Lake. People from all over Hangzhou gather together to pack up their dragon boats and go to the West Lake. Come up and race boats to worship the gods.
There are various painted boats on the lake, and small boats shuttle back and forth. West Lake is famous for its "lake". The number of pleasure boats and the variety of names are unique in China. Li E, a man from the Qing Dynasty, wrote "Pleasure Boat Record", which collects the records of West Lake since the Tang and Song Dynasties. There were more than 90 kinds of pleasure boats of various colors on board. By the late Qing Dynasty, there were as many as 1,560 kinds of pleasure boats. There were treasure bottles and Mingyu boats that could accommodate hundreds of people, and there were also boats that could only carry two or three people. Small boats and melon-skin boats make people dazzled and overwhelmed.
Cai Shi followed Zhao Yingong's instructions to book a boat for sightseeing on the lake. He was a native of Hangzhou and knew where to find suitable boats. Most of the best boats on the West Lake were private pleasure boats for wealthy gentry. Jin gentry people were very proud of their status. The only option was to "borrow" the movie with him. Mr. Zhao had no relatives in Hangzhou, and his family was not well-known, so it was impossible to "borrow the boat" with the post.
Fortunately, there are also paintings boats built by wealthy businessmen. Because they are only for private enjoyment, and the wealthy businessmen want to show off their wealth and vindictiveness, the design and decoration are all very ingenious. Such boats can be rented for fun when not in use. Yes, regardless of family background.
Because Zhao Yingong wanted to meet Mei Lin's request, he asked Cai Shi to find a boat with a boat girl. Cai Shi found a prostitute's boat outside Yongjin Gate, named "Fangfei Xiaoyu Boat". It was a boat named "Fangfei Xiaoyu Boat". Meiniang's bustard's boat.
This can also be regarded as a kind of prostitute family. Generally, a "mother" takes care of several "daughters". The "daughters" include both biological and adopted daughters. They specialize in soliciting business of traveling to and from the lake. They are very common in Jiangnan. Compared with ordinary prostitutes, The "boat girls" who rock the boats are of higher quality and have more sophisticated equipment.
This boat is 66 feet long and 10 feet wide. It is fully equipped with furniture and utensils. There is a hall for drinking and bedrooms for resting. There is also a spacious balcony on the front deck with a cloth shed on it, which can be rolled up or down. Shu. Whether it’s sunny or sunny, or drizzling, visitors can enjoy a feast on the upper reaches of the platform.
At this time, the painting boat was gliding slowly on the water. Two boatmen held poles at the stern of the boat and headed towards the middle of the lake without using much force. They knew that the gentlemen wanted to enjoy the mountains and rivers and were not in a hurry. They slid slowly across the lake under their poles.
Sun Wangcai and several bodyguards stood at the bow and stern of the ship, locking up the cabins.
In the hall in the middle of the ship, sitting at an Eight Immortals table, Zhao Yingong and a group of elders who were on a business trip to Jiangnan were wearing wigs, net scarves, and silks and satins - but their postures were not very natural and they looked very awkward. .
Cai Shi took Fenghua, Jiying and other personal maids to serve him.
Because this time we were just traveling on the lake and there were outsiders present, Zhao Yingong had greeted everyone in advance. He would not talk about work or Lingao matters on the boat, but only about romance.
Several elders were busy with work on weekdays, and now they suddenly had time to visit the West Lake. Although the scenery outside was beautiful, they couldn't think of anything to say about "romance, flowers, snow and moon". So they simply enjoyed the scenery of the lake and mountains outside the window in silence.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Zhao Yingong signaled to Cai Shi with his eyes. Cai Shi nodded slightly and withdrew.
After a short while, I heard the bead curtain leading to the back cabin sound. A woman in her early thirties was born with a round face. She had a beaded hairpin stuck neatly in her hair. She wore a magnolia on each side of her temples.
A snow-green pleated skirt looks clean and neat, but still has charm.
She was holding a tray in her hand, smiling and blessing her first blessing;
"Wish you all the best, Mr. Zhao."
"Oh, come on, come on!" Zhao Yingong knew that this was the "mother" of the ship, Mei Niang, and said with a smile.
Mei Niang stood up and blessed everyone again;
"Bless you, gentlemen." Although his head was lowered, when he raised it, his eyes moved inadvertently, which was extremely charming. Zhao Yingong smiled slightly, knowing that she must have been a veteran in the entertainment industry in the past.
The elders in the painting were not interested in this - it was not that they disliked her age. According to the standards of the old time and space, there were many women in their mid-thirties who thought they were little girls, but that her appearance was too mediocre.
With a round face, small eyes and a wide forehead, her appearance is not as good as that of a farm girl selling flowers by the lake.
Meiniang saw the ceremony and said:
While he was perfunctory, he directed the maids on the boat to put out a fruit plate and tea.
The fruit plate is a Japanese lacquered red sixteen-cup plate. The auction price of this thing in the old time and space was over one million, and it is not a cheap item in this time and space. Zhou Dongtian, Xu, Mei Lin and others couldn't see the way in it, so he took a roundabout way.
However, he often dabbles in the world of collecting - although his collection does not afford any remotely valuable antiques, but like many enthusiasts who do not own cars but are very familiar with cars, he has a deep understanding of ancient instruments. As soon as he got on board, he
It can be seen that the various furnishings on this painting boat are all high-quality goods, and they are definitely not ordinary goods. No wonder this day's tour cost forty taels of silver, not counting the rewards.
The plates were filled with all kinds of fresh and dried fruits, melon seeds and snacks. Some of them were familiar to them and some they didn't know. They looked very exquisite.
Mei Niang was very attentive, and after a while she personally brought four cups of tea, one blue and white glaze with red peony pattern on the bowl and tea cup. Zhao Yingong took a gentle sniff, and there was a very familiar smell, which reminded him that this was the best Longjing tea.
, the nèn leaves in the tea cup are stretched and floating, which is the Mingqian tea of Longjing.
"Mei Niang ordered good tea." Zhao Yingong picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and praised, "Why is this Longjing so much softer and fresher than other tea? There are no traces of winter snow on the leaves. I don't know if there is.
What a wonderful way?"
Mei Niang smiled and said, "Master, the word 'soft and new' is used perfectly. It is exactly the opposite of the word 'hard and new'. After a long winter of torture, the tea tree will inevitably have hard skin and withered surface, and the new buds will only bloom.
The old flavor is pushed out, and it is naturally new. Instead of abandoning the buds that have passed through the winter and harvesting the new sprouts in the spring, that is the authentic way. The less is less, the more guessing is fine, and the better is wonderful.
.”
Except for Zhao Yingong, the other elders basically knew nothing about tea and the like. Listening to Zhao Yingong and this old lady talking about "soft" and "hard", they were all at a loss and uninteresting.
Seeing that the scene was a bit cold, Mei Niang quickly winked at the maid on the boat. Not long after, there was a faint sound of the skirt swinging from behind the screen, and everyone felt that their eyes seemed to light up;
, according to the standards of this time and space, her figure can be called tall, about |66 meters. Because of the hot weather, she only wore a thin pink dress, with a moon-white skirt underneath, and a Japanese pendant tied loosely behind her head.
She had a bun, an oval face, red phoenix eyes, a slightly flat nose, and a small, plump mouth, which looked round and round. She walked out slowly holding a white sunflower fan with green gauze lining and gold piping in her hand.
The woman's appearance is similar to that of Mei Niang, probably the relationship between mother and daughter. She evenly applied powder on her face and traced her eyebrows, and even the accessories on her head were carefully selected and changed, so she looked particularly fresh and beautiful, and her face was radiant. Zhao Yingong
From Cai Shi's mouth, I learned that this young woman was a well-known beauty in Hangzhou.
Of course he is not a first-class person in terms of wealth, but on the flower boat on the West Lake, he is a first-class person.
"Daughter, I have met all my husbands," Mei Niang greeted.
"Meiyan'er has met all of you, sir." The woman had already folded her sleeves around her waist and bowed gracefully.
Zhou Dongtian, Xu Xu and others have little interest in aboriginal women. According to the aesthetic taste of the old time and space, she is just a middle-aged girl at best - not to mention a pair of small feet that appear and disappear under the skirt. It's easy to see.
I got goosebumps.
Zhao Yingong smiled and said, "It doesn't matter to us, you are so busy serving Mr. Mei."
"Master Mei came to the slave family's boat, and the slave family didn't know where to sit. I hope you can forgive me for being unwelcome and neglectful!" Meiyan'er Qingqi Zhu Chun first expressed her apology. As a well-trained sister, she always speaks in a smooth manner.
It's soft and slow, giving people an indescribable feeling of comfort when listening to it.
"Um, ah, oh," Merlin hummed for more than ten seconds before he finally managed to say, "Sit down."
Mei Yaner smiled and said, "Thank you, Master." She immediately sat down beside Mei Lin. She had already taken the pine nuts from the fruit plate, peeled them off with her hands, blew them off, put them one by one on the handkerchief, and held them with her hands.
Bring it to Merlin and ask him to use it.
Don't look at Mei Lin who talks about appreciating famous courtesans every day and playing "Ming Dynasty style". This lively and fragrant Ming Dynasty famous courtesan actually sits next to him, blowing like a musk deer, and the fragrance of makeup and powder blows out one after another.
Come on, I suddenly feel at a loss. I don’t know what tune to play? Should I sing a song "Thousands of miles of ice, thousands of miles of snow drifting" to show off my "bastard spirit" or sing a song of "Sweet Mimi" to express my feelings.
What is your "literary style"? Or talk about democracy, freedom, human rights, or equality between men and women. I held it in for a long time, but not a single word came out.
Meiyan'er felt disgusted when she saw that Mr. Mei had dark skin, a burly build, and his hands and feet were not as soft as those of a scholar. He looked like a warrior fighting for a fight. Then she looked at the other gentlemen on the boat.
, except for Zhao Yingong, although he was dressed gorgeously and looked like a gentleman, his behavior seemed very uncomfortable with the clothes. Moreover, he had dark skin and thick hands and feet, and he was not like an ordinary rich gentleman at all. He looked more like a country man.
The wealthy local man.
But the ostentation of this group of people was not small, especially the few people on the bow platform, who were obviously guardians with martial arts skills. This made her feel more and more that these people were coming from wrong ways, and she became suspicious in her heart, and her words became more and more complicated.