Back to the end of Ming Dynasty to be a warlord

Chapter 3
"Mom, do we owe a lot of money?"

After eating, Yang Chao asked directly.

Although my sister didn't mention the money owed, Yang Chao guessed that if it wasn't for the money owed, my father wouldn't have to go out every day before dawn and come back late at night, my mother wouldn't have to do needlework for others, and my sister wouldn't have to wash for others. Dirty clothes.

The mother comforted: "It's okay, my mother is here."

After eating, Yang Chao continued to walk around, and he couldn't help feeling anxious. He always felt that he was very capable and had so much theoretical knowledge in his stomach, but now he didn't know how to improve the fate of this poor family, so he couldn't help feeling annoyed. .

"Brother Yang, Brother Yang!"

At this time, a voice sounded.

Yang Chao was familiar with this voice, it was a classmate who studied in a private school with him, his name was Hu Quan.

My mother was sitting in front of the house, holding a basket in her hand with needles and threads in it. She was helping others with needlework and mending a long gown.

The mother also heard the voice, and muttered: "Here comes the little iron rod."

Hu Quan’s father is Hu Wanguan, and his family’s ancestry is a butcher. White knives go in and red knives come out to kill all day long. People say that such a person will be beaten with an iron rod by the Lord of the Underworld after death, and he will only be forgiven if he breaks a hundred of them. Therefore, everyone called Hu Wanguan to be tortured with an iron rod.

Hu Quan is the son of Hu Wanguan, that is to say, he was beaten by the iron rod.

However, the relationship between Hu Quan and Yang Chao is very good. They have been friends since childhood. These days when Yang Chao fell ill, Hu Quan would come to visit every now and then, but every time he came empty-handed, Yang's mother was a little unhappy.

"Ah, brother Yang is all right!"

He came to Yang's house not once or twice, he barged in carelessly, and saw Yang Chao in the yard when he entered the door, he could not help but scream with joy on his face.

Mother Yang coughed twice, when Hu Quan saw her, he quickly bowed and said "Second Aunt".

Mother Yang hummed, dropped her needle and thread, and went into the house.

Then Hu Quan said to Yang Chao: "Brother Yang, are you feeling better?"

Yang Chao nodded: "Brother Lao Hu is concerned, it's done."

Hu Quan clapped his hands: "That's good, that's good. Let's just go out for a stroll."

These days, Yang Chao is recuperating at home every day, and his heart is anxious. In fact, he has long wanted to go out for a walk.

He nodded and said, "Okay, we should go out for a walk."

Shouted into the room: "Mom, I'm going out for a walk."

He hurriedly grabbed Hu Quan and walked out. His mother had already run out and shouted, "You're not well yet!"

Yang Chao had already walked out the door, strode several hundred meters, and hid at a corner, so that he would not be afraid of his mother chasing him.

Then he asked, "Where are you going?"

Hu Quan laughed and said: "Of course I went to Wuding Bridge. You don't know, today Funing Hou Zhu Guobi hosted a banquet at the Qinhuai River, and invited the Kou family, Yin Chun, and Li Shiniang to help. Everyone went to watch the fun. Let's go to Wuding Bridge. Dingqiao, I can definitely catch up and take a look."

The wealthy sons of Nanjing are usually romantic, and they often invite not only one singer, but a group, which is called a gathering, and organizing this kind of gathering is also called a "doing meeting". Gathering in groups is really like going to a market.

In the past, Yang Chao also liked to join in the fun with poor scholars like Hu Quan.

Hu Quan came to see Yang Chao today, and seeing that Yang Chao was recovering, of course he wanted to take him with him.

"Brother, where are you going?"

At this time, my sister actually came after her, no need to ask, she must have been chased by my mother.

"Just walk around."

Hu Quan answered first, Hu Quan was a little afraid of Yang Chao's aggressive sister.

"Mother said, don't play too late, come back early."

Sure enough, it was the mother who asked the younger sister to chase him, but she didn't stop Yang Chao from going out.In the past, Yang Chao had a perverse personality, and his parents were always accommodating, and couldn't control him at all. If Yang Chao wanted to go out to play, no matter how late it was, his parents could only say "come back early".

"understood."

Yang Chao said softly.

Although his younger sister looked full of disbelief, Yang Chao didn't intend to worry his family, he couldn't do what the original stubborn scholar did.

The two soon walked to the Qinhuai River. Both sides of the Qinhuai River are densely packed river houses. This kind of river house is tall and thin, and it looks like a standing woman. It is usually a two-story or even three-story building. Coupled with the blue or red brick walls, and the occasional moss covering the shade, the house alone gives people a quiet and elegant feeling.

If you are on the second and third floors of the river house, you can have a panoramic view of the Qinhuai River when you open the windows. Therefore, these river houses are the most expensive real estate in Nanjing. Whenever the imperial examinations are held, scholars from all over the south come to I like to rent this kind of river house. At that time, the rent of a river house was seven or eight taels a month, and it was not always possible to rent it.

Because the business is so good, few people are willing to sell the river house, and there is no market at all.

But because the banks of the Qinhuai River are right outside each river house, some river house owners set up water towers and built private docks by the river, wantonly encroaching on the river bank, causing the river bank to twist and turn, and some places are directly blocked.

Therefore, if the poor want to see the wind and moon of the Qinhuai River, they can only stand on the bridge or watch it on the bank under normal circumstances.

Yang Chao watched unhurriedly along the way. These scenery and even pedestrians gave him a feeling of both familiarity and freshness. The familiarity came from the original memory, and the freshness came from the consciousness of later generations, but soon two feelings It will tend to be consistent, just like the fusion of memories, the feeling will also fuse.

Seeing this picturesque market in Ming Dynasty, Yang Chao couldn't help but sigh in his heart when he thought that it would be handed over to foreigners in a few years.

Soon Wuding Bridge arrived, but it was full of young people standing on it at this time.

Hu Quan originally planned to go to Wuding Bridge, and the painting boat passed under the bridge. If he was lucky, he would be able to catch a glimpse of the beautiful woman on the painting boat.

As a result, when the two walked to Wuding Bridge, they found that the bridge was already full of people.

There was simply no place for the two of them to stand.

Hu Quan couldn't help sighing, if he didn't waste time looking for Yang Chao, he would definitely be able to occupy a place on the bridge.

Yang Chao in the past was indeed extremely obsessed with these romances, and he often imagined that he could become a handsome young man who went in and out of high-rise and famous buildings all the year round, but he was born in a craftsman's family, he could only think about it, and now Yang Chao is not so interested in these things. Interested.

For young scholars in the Ming Dynasty, these places were indeed very attractive, but coming from later generations, they are used to seeing all kinds of superstars, so how could they be excited about occasionally catching a glimpse of a singer on a painting boat.

But Yang Chao still suggested: "Brother Hu, let's go around Chaoku Street, maybe we can still catch up."

Yang Chao's suggestion was actually because he wanted to go to Chaoku Street to have a look.

Chaoku Street is the best place to go in Nanjing. It is close to the Qinhuai River and the Gongyuan (Confucius Temple). Not to mention the row upon row of brothels, even the streets are full of beautiful women. It is eye-satisfying to watch it, but for two teenagers, it is also very satisfying.

Although I have been there many times in my memory, Yang Chao is still very interested in going to have a look.

Hu Quandao: "Okay, let's go to Chaoku Street. After they pass Wuding Bridge, they will come to Yanqiao at the end. If they want to cross Wende Bridge, there will always be people."

After Wuding Bridge, there is Chaoku Street, and Wuding Bridge is the southernmost end of Chaoku Street.

Chaoku Street is still full of tourists. There are many scholars and scholars in Confucian uniforms and long gowns, as well as girls in red and emerald green, walking leisurely on the street.

On the side of Chaoku Street near the Qinhuai River, there are many large and small attics, most of which are river houses on the Qinhuai River, and many river houses are directly brothels.

Yang Chao likes these river houses because he understands these buildings.

In these river houses, occasionally a certain window on the second or third floor was left open, and a shadowy figure walked through it, and some intermittent singing and music came out.

Yang Chao felt that someone was using it, eating, sleeping, getting married, having children, and even getting sick and dying in it. People's stories were happening in it. This kind of building is alive, not the modern ones that give people To visit and give people nostalgic former residences and ruins.

Hu Quan was not in the mood to look at the street scene on Chaoku Street, but was in a hurry to see Zhu Guobi's painting boat.

Having invited so many singers and prostitutes, the cabins are not enough at all. Zhu Guobi, the hereditary Lord, happens to be a lively person, so he often performs on the deck of the painting boat, which feasts the eyes of tourists.

"Brother Yang, hurry up, we're coming to Yanqiao soon. If there are many people on Yanqiao, we will take a detour to the back of Meixiang Building. There is a pier there."

Hu Quan is not tall, half a head shorter than Yang Chao, his belly protrudes like an iron pot, and his Confucian uniform looks a little funny, but his two short legs run very fast, and the frequency is extremely fast.

"what!"

At this time, Hu Quan suddenly let out a snort.

At this time, the two had already come to Laiyan Bridge. Yang Chao followed Hu Quan's eyes and saw a beautiful two-story building with three large characters "Meixiang Building" written on the door couplet of the small building.

Yang Chao grew up in the city of Nanjing. He almost watched Meixianglou become famous in the past few years. He naturally knew that this was the brothel where Li Xiangjun, one of the best famous prostitutes in Nanjing, lived.

"Why is this idiot still here!"

Hu Quan sighed again.

Only now did Yang Chao see two men standing in front of the Meixiang Building. One of them was dressed in a long silk gown, dressed as a scholar, and the other was dressed as a twelve or thirteen-year-old schoolboy. Upstairs, the book boy was bored by the side, full of helplessness.

(End of this chapter)