Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 64 It was obviously your oar that hit my boat

Wang Heng glanced over and saw two or three young men and women on the boat. He couldn't help but be surprised: "I heard that it is the lotus birthday on June [-]th in Fucheng, Suzhou. Men and women come out in droves, and the lotus flowers in Fengmen swim around the lake. They are crowded and boiling all day long. Could it be that we in Taicang Prefecture also have such a custom?"

Wang Cai was also puzzled: "I haven't been back for several years, but our Taicang Prefecture has become so civilized?"

Lao Lu was a little surprised and said with a smile: "Master, I thought you were here just to join in the fun. You don't know that the Huanggu Temple is dedicated to the Weaver Girl. The July Festival is originally about young people begging for tricks and singing antiphonal songs. Watching vaudeville."

Wang Cai showed a bright look on his face and said, "We used to live in the countryside. Uncle, did you tell me about this Huanggu Temple?"

As a native of Laochengxiang, Lao Lu was quite proud and said: "Actually, it is similar to a normal temple fair. It is said to be the Huanggu Temple Temple Fair, but the main thing is to set up stalls. After dark, women, children and young people from all over the country rush there. If you like the food stalls, you can also play folk songs. The most famous one is the vaudeville performance. Huanggu Temple invited several vaudeville troupes to perform together. There are many colorful scarves. Come and see them. Just take a look and you won’t be disappointed.”

Wang Cai added: "Uncle is doing business on the river. Have you ever seen a boat selling Yixing ceramics? Have you ever dealt with their boatman?"

Lao Lu thought about it and said: "It seems that there is such a boat, but I have never met it. If you want to find this boat, brother, it will not be a big problem. They are always in two places, one One is parked at the river pier behind Huanggu Temple, and the other is setting up stalls in the open space in front of the temple. The night market opens very late, so you have to look for it one by one, so you can definitely make it in time."

Under the blue-black sky, you can vaguely see the Huanggu Temple River Pier. At this time, there are many cruise ships in the Yantie Pond, crowding the river Pier to the point of being filled with water.

A small wooden boat rushed towards me. Lao Lu couldn't avoid it and turned the bow of the boat half a circle. The left side of the boat was about to collide with the wooden boat. The boatman on the wooden boat was extremely strong. He used a wooden oar to point the port side of the sloop and pushed it out. At a distance of one foot, the single-canopied boat received force, and Wang Cai fell solidly.

Wang Cai fell so hard that his eyes were filled with stars. He held the stern of the boat with both hands and looked out. He saw a little girl in green with one hand on her waist and the other holding the oar. She angrily shouted at him: "Where are you from? You are so big." How dare you block my aunt's boat?"

Wang Cai was shocked and said: "We were traveling well, but it was your oar that hit my boat."

The little girl in green rubbed her hands and cursed: "It was your boat that hit my oar."

Wang Cai said angrily: "It was obviously your oar that hit my boat."

The little girl in green said: "I'm so angry that you are so unreasonable. I will drag you to see the official."

Wang Cai suddenly said: "When you see an official, you meet the official and decide the right and wrong."

A slight cough came from the cabin of the small wooden boat. The little girl in green glanced sideways at Xiaocai and said, "I have important matters to attend to. Please bow to me and say, please forgive me." I’ll spare you.”

Wang Cai went crazy and said, "If you spare me, I can't spare you."

The little girl in green was furious and shouted: "You are a bitch, you are really blind. I am a member of Zhao Daguan's family in Qiongxi Town. I still don't apologize."

Wang Cai was so angry that he choked up and said at the top of his voice: "It doesn't matter whether you are Zhao Daguan or Qian Daguan. If you don't apologize, I will go to see the official with you."

The girl in green whispered "Xiao Rong" in the cabin of the wooden boat.

Xiaorong in green paddled the oar to create a wave of water, and the boat sped away. He turned back to Wang Cai and said, "You look like a fool in your clothes. You don't have any good talent in your belly."

Wang Cai immediately replied to her: "The gold-plated box has a white copper lock. It looks good on the outside and is empty on the inside."

Everyone was stunned by the girl at first, and then looked closely at Wang Cai's expression and couldn't help laughing. After all, Xiao Cai really didn't get any advantage.

"When the book comes to use, I will hate it less. After suffering such humiliation, I have to study hard. How can I not even scold a little girl?" Wang Cai simply stamped his feet and beat his chest.

Wang Heng said: "Master Wang Liu who talks about Pingtan on Zhouqiao is very eloquent. If you become his apprentice, you can practice it."

Yue'er said: "Xiao Yuequan, a famous commentator in our Changzhou County, is still related to my family. If you want to learn art, I will definitely recommend you to go."

Wang Cai couldn't tell for a moment whether they were kind or sarcastic, so he only glanced at them with suspicious eyes. Wang Heng and Yue'er couldn't help but laugh. They were looking at Xiao Cai and tried not to laugh. Their expressions were all pale. Stiff.After rowing forward a few more times, Lao Lu said, "Master, there are too many boats in front of us and we really can't squeeze in. The boats have stopped here. The old man is waiting for you on the boat."

The three of them stepped aboard the sampan and went ashore. Lao Lu said to them diligently: "There is an old neem tree on the east side of the stone bridge, and a leaf of the boat is tied to it."

Stepping onto the embankment, the lanterns for several miles above the embankment are all blooming, the sound of oars, the shadows of lights, and the fresh flowers are floating, making it dazzling.However, it is still very difficult to identify a ship that has never been seen before under the light.

There are countless small boats docked at the river pier behind Huanggu Temple. Walking along the river bank, you can tell that they are selling cargo boats. There are about five or six boats. They are all vendors selling melons, fruits, lotus roots, and flower head ornaments. .

Ships that carry ceramics would probably be slightly larger and heavier in draft, but so far, I have not seen any ships with ceramics on their bows.

Hearing the heavy gongs and drums in front of Huanggu Temple, Wang Heng said: "This boat is probably related to the Yangzhou Lottery Group. We might as well go ahead and look for the Yangzhou Lottery Group."

This was also what the other two people thought, so they ran to the front of the temple. A stage was set up in the middle of the open space in front of the temple. There were bursts of gongs and drums, and bursts of cheers and exclamations from the onlookers.

It was the time when the vaudeville performance was about to start. There were several layers of people inside and outside. Wang Heng and Xiaocai could still reach it, but Yu'er had to stand on tiptoe.

The performers on the stage include performing chest-breaking boulders, ancient colorful tricks, and some using fire pots and bamboo poles to perform climbing up mountains of swords and under seas of fire. The most eye-catching one is a group of girls performing rope tricks, as graceful as butterflies. The dancing back and forth is really beautiful, but there is no performance by the colorful troupe.

Not finding the girl from the lottery group, everyone's disappointment deepened.

Stalls and restaurants were set up in rows on the open space in front of the temple. Many people went into the lamp sheds, walked on the lantern bridge, and sat on the stalls for a while when they got tired from watching the magic.

Wang Cai asked everyone if they were a little hungry, and he immediately won some dried tofu for everyone to eat.

I saw Wang Cai walking towards a stall on the left. There was a big lamp hanging on the stall, "Double Couple", and a couplet written in ink next to it "Because of the lotus, I got the lotus root". This is also an old couple. Wang Cai is full of folklore. The story certainly won’t faze him.

The storekeeper shouted loudly: "Whoever answers the lower couplet will be rewarded with a hundred spiced dried tofu."

Wang Cai immediately stepped forward with confidence and said to the store: "Brother, I will match the pair."

The shopkeeper, with a spring breeze on his face, took out a white ball fan and said: "Brother, buy a fan first, and then make a pair. A fan costs two cents."

Wang Cai was surprised and said: "This fan of yours costs two cents. In the market, it costs two cents for one cent."

The shopkeeper smiled brightly and said, "This fan of ours is extraordinary. It was blessed by the Weaver Girl in Huanggu Temple."

The fan costs two cents a piece, which is a bit expensive, but considering the five-spice dried tofu price of 100 yuan, it's still worth it.

Wang Cai paid out two large coins and said to the shopkeeper: "Listen carefully, the second couplet of lotus root, which is derived from lotus, contains apricot and brussel plum."

The store owner immediately clapped his hands and cheered, praising: "Brother, you are really a talented person. I think you have a handsome appearance, you are outstanding, you are a talented person."

The store owner shouted to the waiter to present the prize, and the waiter happily took a piece of dried five-spice tofu and gave it to Wang Cai.

Wang Cai was stunned for a long time and asked: "Why isn't the prize worth a hundred pieces of tofu? Why is it only one piece?"

The store owner quickly blamed the waiter for his incompetence. He took the dried tofu in Wang Cai's hand, carefully broke it into two halves, and said with a smile: "Brother, break the dried tofu into pieces."

It turned out to be such a "break-up". Everyone was stunned by this profiteer and couldn't help laughing at this time.

(End of this chapter)