National Tide 1980.

Yunyuan is not only large, but also exquisite and interesting.

Keiko Matsumoto accompanied her parents and finally arrived at the gate of the two side-by-side courtyards where Kang Shude and Jiang Nianyun lived.

But for Han Yingming and his wife, the scenery here is very different from the big garden outside.

You know, Jiang Nianyun loves flowers.

This year, a patch of French roses was planted in her garden, and she also planted scented tuberose and mint to repel mosquitoes.

Because he couldn't bear to see Kang Shude's yard bare.

She took the initiative to ask the gardener to plant marigolds in a corner of the garden, planted lotus flowers and raised goldfish in several large water tanks in the two courtyards, and personally planted morning glories and trumpet pines at several courtyard gates.

These vine-like flowers and plants grow very fast.

When Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko came back some time ago, these flowers and plants had not yet grown over the wall, they had only climbed to the corridor.

But now it is different. After just a dozen days, these flowers and plants have grown into green leaves and have spread over the wall.

In this hot summer, it has become a cool scene with unique charm.

Especially the bird-shaped pines hanging down from the corners of the wall, blooming inside and outside like red apricots blooming outside the wall.

The beautiful bird-like feathers are lush and delicate, and the small flower shape and bright color climb up, as lovely as shining red stars.

Especially when it trembles gently in the breeze, it seems like it is talking to you, which can really arouse people's interest.

No matter who passes by here, they can't help but stop to admire the luxuriant flowers and leaves.

Then they would often pick a few flowers and hold them in the palm of their hands as a souvenir.

Han Yingming and his wife were no exception. When Han Changzi saw the flowers, he immediately exclaimed, "What beautiful flowers!" and they were attracted by these exotic flowers that they had never seen before.

Then Han Yingming, as the husband, can only accompany her.

Fortunately, it was only noon and there was still a slight breeze, so we wouldn't get sunburned.

And when you have seen enough, you can go inside. Under the large area of ​​shade provided by the reed mats on the ceiling in the courtyard, there is another humorous picture made up of small creatures. It makes people feel fun as soon as they walk in.

It turned out that there was a rectangular birdcage hanging in the corridor of the main room, and a thrush was singing alone in it.

And under the birdcage, a little yellow cat was staring at the cheerful bird intently, acting as a loyal listener.

Under a large pomegranate tree near the east wing, there was a small long-haired white cat playing with a feather.

But the most interesting thing was a little "Sanhuaer". It was lying beside the big lotus tank in the yard, with its tail erect and its body stretched out, staring at the goldfish swimming in the tank with its little head poked out.

It was not until everyone walked into the yard one after another and the sound of footsteps was clearly heard that the three kittens reacted from their own fun and suddenly disappeared.

This scene is perfect for painting. If there were a painter skilled in painting here, I'm sure a witty and interesting "Three Cats Picture" would have come into being.

Probably having heard the noise in the yard, a girl wearing an emerald green spring-summer plaid cheongsam and holding a cloth in her hand hurriedly came out of the north room.

This is also a staff member of Yunyuan. This kind of clothing is the work clothes of female employees.

When she saw Matsumoto Keiko and others, she immediately knew that guests had arrived.

The girl was indeed very smart. She quickly bowed and greeted, then ran up the stairs and opened the curtain to report inside.

Soon, an old lady who looked only in her forties or fifties, but was actually over sixty, also walked out of the house quickly.

She has a plump figure, a fair face, black eyes, and a dimple on her cheek, which makes her look very charming.

Only the broad and elegant forehead bears the marks of time.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome to my humble home."

Although she spoke the Beijing dialect, her voice was soft and gentle, and her breath was as sweet as orchid, which matched her graceful and exquisite appearance perfectly.

There is no doubt that this person could not be anyone else but Jiang Nianyun, the person in charge of Yunyuan at this time.

Jiang Nianyun looked up and down at the guests with eyes filled with smiles.

She only heard Matsumoto Keiko call her "Fourth Auntie". Before Matsumoto Keiko came to introduce herself, she took the initiative to say, "Keiko, these are your parents, right? No wonder they gave birth to such a beautiful daughter like you. They are indeed elegant and graceful people..."

Then, he asked Han Yingming and his wife whether the journey was hard.

With the help of Matsumoto Keiko's translation, Han Yingming and his wife realized that the kind and beautiful lady in front of them was actually the cheap aunt from the United States that their daughter had mentioned on the road, Ning Weimin.

She was also Shen Cun's mother who went to Japan to attend a wedding on behalf of Ning Weimin's relatives and friends not long ago.

Jiang Nianyun is beautiful. She loves beauty and understands beauty.

The combination of these three beauties makes her stand out wherever she goes and whatever occasion she attends.

In addition, she is a lady from a noble family, and she is noble in her dress and in the way she treats others.

Just like the way she dresses today.

The cheongsam was made of red satin with dark floral patterns, and had two very beautiful ribbons on the collar and cuffs.

The ribbons are embroidered with patterns of flowers, birds, bees and butterflies.

The butterflies dancing among the flowers, depicted by the fine embroidery, convey the exuberance of life and the liveliness of spring and summer, flowing out from the cuffs and collar.

The pair of embroidered shoes on her feet were also colorful.

She even put on light makeup, perfume, and a long pearl necklace.

In fact, her appearance in such a gorgeous dress was simply "shocking".

Not only did Matsumoto Keiko's parents, who had never expected that such a famous figure could emerge in poor China, immediately realize that hearing about him was not as good as seeing him in person.

Both Han Yingming and Han Changzi bowed and saluted, doing their best to show Jiang Nianyun the highest courtesy, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

They said to each other, "It's our first meeting. Please take care of me. I heard from Qingzi that this child has caused you a lot of trouble. Sorry for the trouble."

"Yes, Qingzi has been a lot of trouble. As parents, we would like to thank you. Thank you for taking care of Qingzi these days."

Even Matsumoto Keiko praised her warmly and sincerely, "Fourth Aunt, you look so beautiful today! You are the most beautiful woman among all."

However, Jiang Nianyun's reply was so thoughtful, and she was appropriately polite to Han Yingming and his wife.

"No, no, please don't be so polite. Qingzi is a well-behaved and smart child. How could she cause trouble to others? I like her very much. I wish she was my own daughter. Since we are all family, please don't say such nonsense."

On the other hand, he also responded cleverly to Keiko Matsumoto's compliment.

"You kid, you are making fun of your aunt again, right? I am not a great beauty, but I still have to dress up because today we have distinguished guests! Besides, your parents are not just ordinary distinguished guests, because we are relatives. Well, let's invite them to sit in the house."

This naturally added a bit of harmony to the atmosphere, and the two people felt closer to each other.

Besides, to be honest, Jiang Nianyun did pay enough attention to this meeting.

Not only did she dress herself beautifully, she also made many practical preparations for receiving guests, which touched Keiko Matsumoto's family.

Knowing that Kang Shude couldn't consider so many details, when Matsumoto Keiko went to pick someone up today, Jiang Nianyun personally arranged for people to come here to clean up the accommodation for Matsumoto Keiko's parents.

Now the two rooms on the west side that had been idle have been cleaned up and are in great shape.

Not only did he clean the room spotlessly and prepare all the necessary things, he also took the age of Matsumoto Keiko's parents into consideration and made some decorations that would suit their preferences.

So when both sides finished their polite exchanges in front of the courtyard gate, Jiang Nianyun and the others led them into the room and let them settle their luggage.

Matsumoto Keiko's family was flattered and almost couldn't take their eyes off. In addition to the main hall, the north house of this small courtyard has suites on both the east and west sides.

As soon as they entered the outer room, they found that all the wood here was nanmu color, with blue and green as secondary colors.

Wooden couplets, with green characters written on the nanmu ground, and plaques, with blue characters written on the nanmu ground.

All the porcelain is blue and white. The decorations on the long table include a pair of multi-colored peony bonsai and an old-fashioned clock. Hanging on the wall are four screens of flowers and birds by Wang Xuetao.

Although there are no gold plates or silver bowls, the combination of these things looks elegant and luxurious.

It is particularly worth mentioning that the colors are elegant and quiet, without any vulgarity, and are completely low-key luxury.

In this house, there are no bright colors such as bright red or bright green except for the peonies in the flowerpot and a few roses in the vase.

It makes people feel relaxed, comfortable and peaceful, which is very much in line with the aesthetic of the Japanese.

Then he entered the inner room and took another look, which revealed the secret and revealed another world.

Because this bedroom is the same as the one on the east side, the floor is raised very high, and one has to climb a flight of stairs to enter the room.

The floor is covered with tatami, which looks like straw mats, giving people the feeling that they have to take off their shoes and get on the kang as soon as they enter the door.

This makes the window appear lower, and you can see the cat running in the yard while sitting on the floor.

The closets and partitions for bedding in the room are all sliding type, and at first glance they are old-fashioned Japanese style.

Although it is not like a real Japanese house, you can directly see the scenery inside the courtyard by opening the silk sliding door.

But as long as you open the Chinese-style windows, it is also very convenient to enjoy the moon and enjoy the breeze.

In addition, the room is also equipped with various Japanese furniture and daily necessities.

Cushions, small coffee table, desk, bookcase, TV, VCR, radio, palm leaf fan, electric fan, mirror, mosquito coil, ashtray, stationery, Japanese novels, Chinese and English newspapers...

There was even a small fridge and wine cooler in this room.

There is chilled beer and soda in the refrigerator. In addition to a bottle of whiskey and brandy, there is also coffee, Indian black tea, Fujian Dahongpao, Hangzhou Longjing, and Beijing jasmine tea on the wine cabinet.

Also prepare dried chrysanthemum, sugar cubes and condensed milk.

A set of gold-rimmed milky white fine porcelain cups and saucers, specially used for drinking coffee.

Several glass cups are prepared for drinking Longjing tea.

Drinking black tea or tasting Dahongpao, a set of Yixing tea set is a must.

There are also two blue and white covered bowls placed on the side.

As for the tea snacks and southern sugar to go with tea, they were naturally provided by Tan Gong Restaurant.

In addition, Jiang Nianyun also prepared two imported cigars for Han Yingming, who was smoking, and placed them in a small wooden box next to the ashtray.

I have to say that Jiang Nianyun was very thoughtful about them.

These things are not much different from what Han Yingming and his family have at home, in fact, they provide a lot more.

So when Jiang Nianyun said politely, "Our place is quiet, the conditions may be limited, and the hospitality may not be good enough. If there is anything missing or you need, please tell me immediately."

The entire family of Keiko Matsumoto bowed in unison to express their gratitude, and every word they said came from the heart.

"We are so sorry to cause you trouble."

"Thank you very much, thank you so much."

"Fourth aunt, thank you so much. You have worked hard today."

Even in Han Yingming's opinion, the temperature in the room was a little high. In fact, he already missed the air conditioning at home.

But considering that they were hosting him and it was not easy to prepare to this extent, he didn't want to say anything more.

Your sincerity is so evident that it is hard to refuse such kindness.

Since everything has been prepared carefully, he could still open his mouth and say that he wanted to see the conditions of a four-star hotel.

Of course not.

Forget it, just make do with it.

After all, we must not forget that this is still the Third World.

They have really given their all, it would be too much to be picky.

I think it won't be so hot here at night, so I should be able to sleep well. At worst, I can just go for a walk in the garden...

But unexpectedly, just as he thought of this and finally found some fault, reality slapped him in the face.

There was a slight sound in the main room, and the door curtain was opened.

Then I heard someone calling from the outer room, "Chairman, Bing is here."

Then Jiang Nianyun called out into the house, "Xiaofang, bring it in."

Two waiters, a man and a woman, came in carrying a large bucket and two copper basins.

The woman was the same girl as before, smiling whenever she saw someone.

Han Yingming and Han Changzi, who did not understand Chinese, were just looking on in confusion when they saw the two waiters, one placing a copper basin and the other putting ice in it.

It turns out that the big bucket is full of large chunks of crushed ice.

After the ice was poured into two basins, one was placed in the outer room and the other in the inner room.

It’s not enough to just put it on the table. There are also fresh fruits on the ice, six peaches inside and two large bunches of milk grapes outside.

The colors look so vivid and beautiful, even making people salivate.

What's more, once the two ice basins were placed in place, the temperature in the room immediately became a lot cooler.

In fact, before Jiang Nianyun could explain anything, Matsumoto Keiko's parents understood the benefits of the ice themselves.

Han Changzi couldn't help but cover his mouth in amazement, "Oh, so this is how they cool down in the capital. It's amazing. And these fruits can also be used to cool down, which is really killing two birds with one stone."

Needless to say, Jiang Nianyun naturally became humble again at this time.

"I'm ashamed. The hotel license has been obtained for a short time, but the air conditioner has not been installed yet. Placing this kind of ice basin is an old method here. I'm sorry to make you laugh. But although it is not as convenient as air conditioning, it does not require electricity. It is not like Tokyo here, where there are always power outages. Moreover, this ice is artificial ice, made from clean water, and can be eaten. It can be used to chill fresh fruits, or it can be pierced with ice cones and drunk as ice. From this point of view, this method has more advantages than using air conditioning."

As soon as these words were spoken, Qingzi immediately echoed them.

"That's right. Once the power goes out, the air conditioner is useless and can only keep the air dry. So this method is safer. In fact, as long as you use ice twice a day, it's enough. Mom and Dad, you will know it after using it. As long as there is ice, it's not hot here at all. And the cool air is much softer than the air conditioner. It can also be adjusted manually. If you want it to be cooler, just put it in front of the electric fan."

As for Han Yingming and his wife, they could only marvel and admire.

They have to admit that a great country is still a great country, and the Chinese people are truly amazing.

Even though there is no air conditioning, the wisdom accumulated over five thousand years is incredible.

  How could you even think of such a radical method and accomplish it?

Simple, practical and not fancy.

In comparison, the Japanese nobles are like bumpkins. (End of this chapter)