The Rise of the Cold Gate in the Eastern Jin Dynasty

Chapter 90 Xiao Qinzhi: The next name is Xiao Shu

Wu County, also known as Gusu, was built during the period of King Helu of Wu, and was called "Suzhou" by later generations. A poem "Night Mooring at Maple Bridge" by Zhang Ji, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, made the name of "Gusu" spread for thousands of years.

The poem said: The moon falls, the crows cry, and the sky is full of frost, Jiang Feng's fishing fire is facing Mianmian.Hanshan Temple outside Gusu City, the midnight bells to the passenger ship.

Sister Lin in the classic "A Dream of Red Mansions" is originally from Suzhou.

Walking out of Changmen to the northwest, the road has been near the water for several miles, and suddenly I saw a river lying in front of me, and a bridge spanning the two banks. The driver said that the name of this river was "Fengjiang". "Closed bridge", pass "Maple Bridge".

Gusu City is there, and the "Fengqiao" is also there, but Hanshan Temple does not exist at this time, and it will take more than 100 years to be built, which is a pity.

After passing the "Fengjiang River", the road narrowed a bit. It was June at this time, the temperature was high at noon, and there were few people along the road. The lake shaped like a full moon must be Yueya Lake.

In Yueya Lake, the clear lotus covers half of it, the lake water is half bright and half green, the microwave meets the green lotus, it stops abruptly, and when you raise your head slightly, a few lotus flowers in full bloom are blooming proudly.

Across Qinghe, looking around, there are more than ten thatched cottages on the west bank of the lake, lined up one by one, and looking further away, you can see Huqiu Mountain, which is lush green in the distance.

On the other three sides of Yueya Lake, there are quite a few dwellings. Xiao Qin looked at it, and he was a little hesitant. He told Mangu to look at the ox cart, while he walked to the thatched cottage.

During the lunch break, there was no one in the thatched cottage. Xiao Qin walked from room to room, heard the sound of sweeping the floor, followed the sound, and came to the last room. He saw a student with a black face and black feet. Wearing a Confucian gown that doesn't fit the size and has been patched again and again, it looks a little funny, and he is cleaning the classroom with his head down.

"Brother, I'm here at the beginning, and I want to ask you to find someone. Is it free?" Xiao Qinzhi stood outside the window and saluted.

"Who are you looking for?" The burly black-faced student was as careful as gold, and only glanced out the window before continuing to clean.

"Xu Miao and Xu Xianmin."

"Lunch break."

"What about Zhao Yunfei?"

"Lunch break."

Xiao Qin was at a loss for words, cupped his hands to express his thanks, and then gave his speech, thinking: "Since it's lunch break, it must be inconvenient to disturb, let's rent a place first."

Back in front of the Daqing ox cart, let the driver lead the way. The driver was overjoyed, and drove the ox cart to the east of the lake. Along the way, you can see the signs hanging in front of the houses that have not been rented out, saying the rent.

Xiao Qinzhi looked at several rooms, but he was dissatisfied, it was too crowded here, not to mention the rooms were close together, the space was too small, and the sound insulation was not good, he could hear the snoring of the neighboring room.

"Is there a quiet room?" Xiao Qin asked.

"Yes, there is, but the price is relatively high, and you can only rent the whole yard. If Mr. Xiao Lang doesn't worry about the price, you can take a look." The driver said.

"Go and have a look." Xiao Qin said.

Pass through the Linhu group of rented houses by the East Lake, and walk a few dozen steps to the inside. It is a low hill. The environment here is very quiet. One yard after another is neatly arranged in rows, and evergreen trees are planted in the middle for separation. Open, there is a stream passing through in front of the gate, pouring into Yueya Lake.

All the yards in the front were rented, and only a yard named "Meilin House" was vacant. Xiao Qinzhi followed the driver and walked in, but couldn't find a satisfactory one, so he returned to "Meilin House". Then he drove to find the landlord, while he walked into the courtyard to check.

Facing north and south, there are three connected houses, two in the east and west. Plum blossoms are planted in the courtyard, and the back mountain is also full of plum blossoms. It seems very bleak now, but in winter, when the trees are withered and the only plum blossom is in full bloom, it will be quite different. up.

Generally speaking, Xiao Qinzhi is still very satisfied, but he is a little puzzled. Along the way, all the vacant houses have clearly marked their prices, but this one "Meilin Cottage" has not been marked, and they have to wait for the landlord to come and inquire about the price face to face. up.

After a while, the driver led a thin waisted lotus-walking woman holding an umbrella, and when she got closer, Xiao Qinzhi realized that it was a frail man, with a weak willow supporting the wind, and every step was fragrant, His face was as white as a person in a coffin, he waved his tail lightly, looked at Xiao Qinzhi with pretty eyes, and said tenderly:

"I don't know who is Mr. Xiao Lang's name?"

Not only did this man dress up like a woman, but he even spoke in the same tone as a woman, soft and weak, as if something had choked his throat, and he was even more feminine than a woman. In comparison, although the Chen brothers She is also very feminine, but at least she speaks normally.

Xiao Qinzhi endured the embarrassment in his heart, and said: "To rent a house, do you still need a name?" Pointing to the sign, he said: "It's not stated on it?"

The delicate man squinted, raised his slender eyebrows, fanned the wind with an embroidered handkerchief, and said in a low voice: "Young Lord, you don't know, there are many courtyards around here, or orchids, or chrysanthemums, or bamboos, but Meilin Xiaoshe is only Non-refined people are not allowed to live in this courtyard, and non-refined people are not allowed to enter. Otherwise, such a courtyard with an excellent location has been rented long ago, so how can it be kept until now?"

Xiao Qinzhi was puzzled and said: "It's strange. It's the first time I heard that renting a house doesn't look at the rent, but only the word 'elegant'. In this way, I have a question, what is an elegant scholar? By birth? By name? Or In terms of literary talent?"

The delicate man was a little impatient, and replied: "Dr. Xu teaches without discrimination, regardless of scholars, so the students who come here to rent a house are not judged by their background. A famous person is a person's name. Hearing his name, Know the person, if the name is not obvious, then the essays will be picked."

"What about literary talent?"

"Qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, Confucianism, and Xuan, just master the three."

"Who evaluates? How?"

"Of course I'll judge it, it depends on my mood."

Xiao Qinzhi held his breath, he hadn't thought about it, it was inexplicable that he could still encounter such a thing while renting a house, he felt displeased, and raised his eyebrows and said: "Please, I want to try it."

The delicate man seemed a little surprised, he frowned, and said sideways: "So that Mr. Xiaolang will know in advance, if he doesn't pass, his name must be hung on the plum wall for those who come and go to see for three days."

Xiao Qinzhi endured the unhappiness in his heart, and thought: "If I don't fight for steamed buns, how can I be underestimated." Waving his hands, he said in a deep voice: "Please!"

The delicate man was startled, put an embroidered handkerchief on his nose, smelled the fragrance, looked Xiao Qin up and down carefully, with a hint of playfulness in his eyes, and asked, "May I ask who is Xiao Lang?"

Xiao Qinzhi sonorously said: "If you don't change your name when you are going, if you don't change your surname when you are sitting, it is the same as writing Xiao Shu."

Mangu froze, pursed his mouth.

The delicate man asked again: "Where did you come from?"

Xiao Qinzhi blurted out: "Jingkou."

Jingkou is a transit point for people from the north to go south. Surnames from all over the world can be found in Jingkou, so you don't have to be fooled.

The delicate man went through it carefully in his mind, but he didn't have any impression, but his eyes were sly, and he asked again: "Do you know Xiao Qinzhi, Mr. Xiao Lang?"

Xiao Qin's face was not red, and his heart was not flustered. He said nonsense: "Xiao Qin is Lanling Xiao, and I am Donghai Xiao. We belonged to the same family 500 years ago."

(End of this chapter)