The Little Officials of the Song Dynasty

When the stars and moon were in the sky, ten thousand candles burned together.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Bianjing was bustling with excitement. Chunsheng was pasted at home and peach charms were hung. At night, the market is brightly lit. From outside the Dongsong Gate of Zhoudong to Zhounan, the roadside is full of color sheds filled with goods for eating, drinking, wearing and playing.

At the beginning of the first month of each year, Kaifeng Mansion will be closed for three days. These are all commodities to be rushed.

Gambling in the Song Dynasty was very popular. Shut-off is actually another form of gambling, but unlike gambling, it is not banned by the government.

On the day when the government opened the Guanpu, the whole city was full of Guanpu.

Customers spend much lower prices than commodity prices for throwing darts, dice, and coins. If they win, they can win the goods. The odds are different, and there are all things that can be thrown. The singers, carts and horses are all about the price.

On Panlou Street, a row of color booths lined up, and people of all colors waited in and out of the color booth to buy what they wanted.

Among them, the largest number is a colorful shed with bear head lanterns. The lantern was only black and white, and it looked like a bear, with black eyes and ears.

Looking at the color shed, most of them are young and handsome little ladies or ladies waiting in line to fight.

Standing behind the booth was a fifteen-year-old boy, wearing a dark new clothes with a circle of fur around his neck, which seemed to be used for keeping warm, his skin was white and his lips were red, and he was very delicate. He smiled and had bright eyes. Twelve points likable.

But of course, these women are not waiting in line for the products just because the stall owner is good-looking, but more because the sign in front of the stall says "Sanglan Skin Care Medicine". This skin care medicine made by Zen Master Daxiangguo Temple in recent years Very well-known in Bianjing.

It is said that the Zen master made this skin care medicine because his disciple was sunburned at the beginning, and then some of it was passed to the hands of the eighth princess.

But because it is clear that the Zen master is not greedy for money, and there are more other disaster relief, lectures and other matters, so only a few batches are produced every year, making his skin care medicines priceless in Bianjing.

Now, on the day of non-delivery, you are actually waiting in the evening market? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Even if the conditions are very harsh, five hundred wen can only be thrown once, and the copper coins must be thrown to the pure-that is, all the backs are used to win. But the ladies are still rushing, and they are quite courageous.

Just like this little lady, who has already saved all her money, she rushed to a can of whitening mask. She was anxious to ask her servant to get money back to her house, "Go, I will also rush to the moisturizing mask!"

"The little lady, wait here, and let the next one jump first." The stall owner said with a smile.

The little lady looked at the few moisturizing masks reluctantly, "Brother Yan, are there any skin care medicines tomorrow?"

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, it was Yun Yanhui, who was already fifteen years old and called the old fried dough sticks of Bianjing. He grinned at the little lady and said, "These are all. Just change the time."

The ladies present suddenly sighed together.

At this moment, another man came in the color shed. He was tall and taller than the ladies in the color shed. He was wearing a black cloak, bowed his head and came in with a cold wind and some snow on his shoulders. Grain. Recently, there have been waves of light snow in Bianliang, and I want to come here to avoid the snow.

Inside the shed full of powdery powder, when this person raised his head, he revealed a handsome face that was barely sharp, with thick black eyebrows and black and white pupils. When he saw so many little ladies, he bowed his head in surprise, embarrassed and embarrassed. Set his eyes on the little ladies.

I suspected that this person was some of Meng Lang's ladies. Seeing this situation, they couldn't help but tolerate. Although he was tall, he turned out to be a young man.

Yun Yan smiled and said: "Lang Jun, come to pour skin care medicine for your sweetheart?"

Hearing the sound, the young man tilted his head slightly, glanced back at Yun Yan shyly, and asked in a low voice, "Is there...anything you can pounce on here?"

Yun Yan replied: "You mean you don't want to pour skin care medicine, but you want to puff other things?"

The boy glanced at him again, "I—can your collar flutter? I encountered snow on the way home, and it was a bit cold."

Yun Yan replied straightforwardly: "It's okay, once a hundred writings, ten copper coins can be thrown out for five pure."

When the woman who was next in line saw this situation, she said, "Little Lang Jun still has to rush home, so let's pounce first."

The young man hesitated, said "thank you", and walked "offending" all the way to the booth, counting out a hundred words and putting it on the table. Yun Yan took out ten coins and put them in his palm, and he started tossing them.

The first three are all backs, and then three more fronts are thrown one after another, and then the back is thrown again, continue to throw, the fifth back is good luck, not full of ten coins have been thrown, it has reached the standard for Yunyan to draw back. .

"Acceptance." The boy's cheeks were slightly red, and he put the copper coin back into Yun Yan's hand.

Yun Yanhui also took off the collar very readily. When he saw that the young man was tall, he put his collar around his neck across the table, and the gray fur Weibo was lined with the black cloak, which was pretty good. Big.

The boy's chin was sinking into the warm scarf, and he smiled sweetly at Yun Yan with his brows and eyes, and the whole color shed was about to light up immediately.

Yun Yan couldn't help but laugh, and took out another umbrella from under the table and put it in the boy's hand, "I still giggled, remember to send the umbrella to me home when I look back, otherwise I won't pay you back a hundred."

"Thank you, Brother Yan." The young man took the umbrella embarrassedly, and lowered his head out of the color shed.

At this moment, the ladies in the color shed knew that the stall owner and the boy had met each other.

"No wonder this young man wants to go in here to hide from the snow!"

Yun Yan replied, "I'm sorry, that's a little brother of mine, who just made a joke with him." Who knew he also made a joke along the way, and even asked if other things weren't it.

That's right, the boy hiding in the snow wearing a black cloak is the No. 1 silly white sweet in Tokyo, who also grew up with Zhao Yunchu.

...

After Zhao Yunchu left, Yun Yan's Guanpu business was still so hot and rewarding.

By the second clock, almost everything was thrown away, people were almost scattered, Yun Yanhui also put away the money and the remaining medicine. Because the medicine is clear, half of the income from tonight will be donated to the temple.

Outside the shed, the people who came to pick him up also came.

A tall middle-aged man dressed in a quilt, drove the donkey to the station outside, watching Yunyan come out with something in his arms, and stretched out his hand to take it.

This person is named Fu Yunfeng. He was a teacher in a martial arts gym. He lost his wife and no children in his early years. He met Zheng Ping through his old neighbor Hu Sanniang about six years ago. After getting along for more than a year, they felt good with each other. They all agreed, so Zheng Ping remarried to him.

Therefore, Fu Yunfeng is Yun Yanhui's stepfather.

Fu Yunfeng drove the Yunyan back to Daxiangguo Temple. When he got home, he hadn't tied the donkey, and there was snow again outside. "If you get off the road, it's not a coincidence. Brother Yan, your mother cooked the hot pepper. Soup, go in, I'll catch the donkey."

"Okay, it's hard work, Uncle Fu." Yun Yan pushed back the door and entered, and she could smell the spicy soup. "I can smell it, spicy soup."

Zheng Ping came out of the room and said, "Wash your face first, and the soup will be warmed up for you-hey, where's your bib?"

Yun Yan replied casually: "I met Yunchu today and it was snowing at that time, so I gave him his scarf and umbrella. Fortunately, it didn't snow on my way back."

Shuangyi and Xiaobao also came out of their rooms. In the past two years, the family has become wealthy. There are not enough rooms and they don’t want to move back or change houses. After all, the bamboo forest next to them is just keeping babe. It has been expanded a bit, and now there are separate rooms for the three children.

Shuang Yi went to bring the spicy soup, while Xiao Bao and Zheng Ping poured the hot water together and told Yun Yan to wash his face and wipe his hands. Then he sat at the table, soaked his feet in a pot of hot water, and drank his spicy soup in his hands.

The fragrant and spicy, peppery broth, as soon as the mouth of the broth with the aroma of pepper, coupled with the hot water under your feet, was suddenly driven away from the cold.

Yun Yan finished a few mouthfuls of the soup, wiped her feet quickly, and stepped into the warm cotton shoes. These cotton shoes were specially made by Zheng Ping according to his request. The white quilted slippers have panda ears and eyes sewn on the toe.

Fu Yunfeng also came in, and drank a bowl of hot and spicy soup.

Zheng Ping complained to Yun Yan and said, "You kid, during the New Year, you have to go out to set up a stall. The family is not short of this money now."

Fu Yunfeng smiled and said, "Ping Niang, haven't you noticed that Brother Yan just likes it, just like when people go out to fight for the holidays, he makes money also belongs to the holidays."

Zheng Ping said helplessly: "Yes, this kid..."

In the past few years, Ge Yan was responsible for the expenses of the family. Now, he is able to live relatively well. It is also because Ge Yan, besides errands, has unexpected income from time to time.

In the past, it could be said that he was in a hurry to make money because of bad family conditions, but now, he can only say that he likes to work. If he can't make money, he always wants to do something.

"I'm not a child anymore." Yun Yan corrected it.

Zheng Ping said: "You, don't talk about it, today many neighbors come to celebrate the New Year's Day. If you are not there, they will all ask you about you. See when you have to come."

"No hurry, I want to worship the festival, it's not too late for the cold food." Yun Yan returned but was not too anxious. Besides, like the abbot, understand, and Hui Chong, he also worshipped his early years, and it is not too late to go back and find a time. .

Although there are one after another holiday activities after the New Year’s Day, and it will be lively until March, but it’s impossible to pay a New Year’s greetings on the Cold Food Festival. It’s just a description, so Zheng Ping just poked Yunyan’s forehead, "Do you remember Just fine."

Shuang Yi held his face and said, "Can Yan Ge'er take me to the stall tomorrow?"

"You are not allowed to go out." Zheng Ping pressed her back with a single sentence, "I will check your cooking."

Shuangyi has reached marriageable age and is now almost eighteen.

Fortunately, at this time, there are many scholars who worship Buddhism and Taoism, and there are many literati, so there are many late marriages and late childbirths. It is not too strange not to get married in eighteen or nineteen. People who love their daughters always have to stay for a while, but Zheng Ping is also a little anxious. , Fu Yunfeng was always urged to find out if there is a suitable son from someone he knows.

Shuangyi always likes to dance knives and guns. It happens that Fu Yunfeng is also an instructor in the martial arts school. Zheng Ping thinks that Fu Yunfeng might be more in line with Shuangyi's preferences. Although she is anxious, she also likes to find a man who Shuangyi likes.

And now I'm also paying close attention to Shuangyi's cooking skills, and I can't make it too unpalatable.

Yun Yanhui also coughed, "It's good to learn how to cook. You should at least master some of Brother's private dishes. After you learn it, it's not too late to go out and play during the Lantern Festival."

Shuangyi: "You don't know. I heard that a famous warrior from the rivers and lakes has come to Bianjing and has an appointment with someone for a duel tomorrow. I want to see it, just tomorrow."

"Hey, what kind of chivalrous man," Zheng Ping wanted to bend, "How old is it, are you married yet?" She rarely saw Shuang Yi interested in men. Although Song Shiwu was not taken seriously, Zheng Ping always acted like this. , Don't ask this.

Shuang Yi: "...it's big enough to be my dad's old bachelor."

"You changed from a knight to a bachelor?" Yun Yan chuckled back, "Mother, you can rest assured, I and Uncle Fu will pay attention to her. The big deal is to stay with you for a few more years, and always meet the right one. To marry."

"Naturally it should be suitable. I think so too." Zheng Ping also reiterated her position, and then said to Shuang Yi, "But you still can't go out tomorrow."

Shuangyi: "..."

"Work hard." Yun Yan patted the back of Shuang Yi's head, yawned, and went to bed.

...

The next day, Yun Yan got up early again, drove a donkey cart by himself, and went to the flower garden of Daxiangguo Temple to pick up the seasonal flowers he ordered. Song people love pretty flowers, and both men and women love flowers, and they prefer to arrange flowers on their heads. Regardless of whether it is silk flowers or fresh flowers, just look good.

However, although Yun Yanhui is also selling seasonal flowers this time, unlike others, they are not sold one after another.

The three Zhisheng brothers were already waiting for him in the flower garden. When they saw him coming, they sang a song and asked if the new year is good. Yun Yan returned the gift and asked, "Are everything ready?"

The three of them took out animal-shaped skeletons made of bamboo pieces, including pigs, bears, rabbits and other animals, "only made twenty."

"Enough, it should be sold out in one afternoon. Go home early today and don't set up stalls at night, it's so cold." Yun Yan said back.

In the morning, they naturally want to be here, fixing these freshest seasonal flowers on the animal-shaped bamboo skeleton, and finally forming flowers and animals. It is best to use smaller flowers, which are more delicate.

The art of flower arranging in Song Dynasty has been very popular. People with a bit of taste will pay attention to how to put flowers in vases. There are not no products selling exquisite flower arranging products. But when Zhisheng and the others heard Yun Yan replied that they wanted to sell such a "bouquet", they were still surprised for a while.

However, when they tried to make a sample, they found it amazing. It is not difficult to imagine how those little ladies would rush to save all their money today.