The weather was fine, and there was no cloud in the clear blue sky. Under the sun, the 108 squares of Chang'an City were arranged like a chessboard, with dense golden light falling on the cascading undulating square walls.
The city of Chang'an is bounded by two cities, the east and the west, forming a living pattern in which the east is rich and the west is noble, and the south is poor and the north is humble. Anyone who has some money and ability is trying to squeeze in a few miles next to the imperial city to live.
But in those neighborhoods where wealthy families gather, every inch of land is so valuable that ordinary people can neither buy nor afford it. Even renting a house to live in is sky-high.
In the afternoon, the long street was full of cars and horses. On the bustling street, there were people carrying burdens to sell goods along the street, some in a hurry, and some hanging out with friends to listen to music.
The whole city of Chang'an is filled with a thick smoke and smoke, lively and full of human touch, which makes people walk into it unconsciously and indulge in it.
Under the wall of Chongyi Fang near the square gate, seven or eight snack stalls are lined up against the wall. At this hour, no one is eating. Most of the stall owners only glance at the stove, and the heat on the stove is sparse. spread out.
The stall owners had nothing to do, so they all took their own small pods and sat in the sun in twos and threes, eating melon seeds and chatting.
Zhang Di sat behind the snack stall and looked up at the sky. The sun was still bright and high, but it had tilted to the west unknowingly.
There was nothing left to eat at her stall, a handful of buns, two pieces of sesame cakes, and even the mutton soup used to cook the buns, only a shallow bottom of the pot was left.
She thought for a while and realized that the food was just enough for her and her brother's evening meal, so she started to pack the tables and chairs on the flatbed truck and prepared to close the stall and go home.
Although the little donkey pulling the cart was a little thin, its fur was shiny and smooth, and it was languid in the sun. It gnawed the grass on the wall of the workshop with its withered head. When I heard the sound of Zhang Di tidying up the tables and chairs, The donkey turned around and took a look, anxiously kicking the grass it had gnawed away.
When Zhang Di heard the sound, she quickly touched the donkey's smooth hair and said comfortingly: "Okay, okay, I'll clean up right away and go back to feed you."
The little donkey opened its big wet eyes and kicked the bald grass twice more, with a hint of urging.
The middle-aged stall owner next to him saw it and laughed: "Hey, it's really amazing. This donkey was originally dull, but how come it turned into a spirit in Adi's hands?"
Next to Zhang Di's stall is a snack stall that makes meat buns. The stall owner is very young. He looks like a young man under 20 years old. He has a pair of skillful hands. He can squeeze the meat buns quickly and well. His hands fly like flowers. In an instant, Then he pinched out a meat bun with eighteen pleats, which was round and plump. Even if it was raw, it looked very appetizing.
When the young man heard what the middle-aged stall owner said, he smiled: "If you save it from the butcher, it will become a spirit in your hands."
The lady who was frying the dumplings smiled and nodded, with a bit of sarcasm in her tone: "Isn't that right? Speaking of Adi, you are really generous. You don't know why you bought such a skinny donkey for just one tael of silver. It’s time to raise them until they are fat enough to eat meat.”
Her business was not very good to begin with and she was struggling to maintain it. Later, Zhang Di also came here to set up a stall, and her business was even worse than before.
She always thought that Zhang Di was young and beautiful, but she was old and had lost her beauty, and was not enough to attract the young man's attention, but then she tasted Zhang Di's cooking
The bun was really refreshing and chewy, and the soup was fragrant and mellow. She was very unconvinced. Such a young lady would definitely not be able to get married in the future if she came out to sell small things at a stall.
When the little donkey heard what the aunt said, he got angry. He raised his head and roared twice with his teeth bared at the aunt. The donkey's hooves kicked heavily on the ground, raising a cloud of dust. The flatbed truck was pulled forward by it. .
"Ouch, why does this donkey want to kick someone?" The aunt exclaimed, staggered, and fell to the ground.
Zhang Di was also startled, and quickly raised her hand to gently stroke the donkey's head, lying next to its ear and whispering comfort.
The donkey's ears twitched a few times and finally became quiet.
The young couple who were eating melon seeds clapped their hands and helped the aunt up from left to right.
The little lady glanced at Zhang Di and said with some dissatisfaction: "Adi, I'm not talking about you. You said we should set up a snack stall to earn a living, but you want to bring a donkey, which is dirty, smelly and kicks people. If this hurts someone, it’s up to you whether you can afford to pay compensation.”
The couple's stall sells fuyuanzi with various fillings, and business has always been booming. Ever since Zhang Di came, they cooked mutton soup buns, and poured the hot red oil on the soup. The fragrance could be smelled throughout the entire Qu Alley, and many of Fu Yuanzi's regular customers were immediately taken away.
After all, the fuyuanzi she makes is mostly sweet and made from glutinous rice, so eating too much will inevitably make it taste boring.
When the business gradually slowed down a bit, the young lady vented her anger on Zhang Di, speaking with both guns and sticks, and saying a few words of criticism from time to time, which was common.
Zhang Di had always endured it and did her own thing silently, but today she suddenly didn't want to endure it anymore. She crossed her arms and stared, sneered, and was about to scold, but was caught by the young couple. The man stopped him.
The man supported his wife with one hand and stopped Zhang Di with the other. He persuaded her in a gentle voice: "Okay, okay, we all run a small business together. It's not easy. Don't do it alone." We are quarreling, so we don’t have to make people laugh, Adi." He looked at Zhang Di and apologized with a smile: "Adi, my wife has a firecracker temper and what she says is not pleasant to listen to. Don't worry about it. I will make amends for you. ."
When the young lady heard this, she was so angry that she scratched her neck. She was about to jump out from behind the husband and scold her. The husband quickly grabbed the young lady and persuaded her: "Okay. Well, it’s all about looking up but not looking down, don’t you think it’s shabby?”
It’s okay if you don’t persuade, but if you do, it will make you even more angry.
The young lady blushed and kept scolding: "I, I, why am I so shabby? Oh, you think I'm shabby now. Don't you just see her as young and beautiful? She is young, but you think you are old. You still dislike me."
As the little lady spoke, she covered her mouth and started to cry.
Lang Jun suddenly panicked and coaxed and persuaded incoherently.
Zhang Di shook her head and smiled helplessly, then stopped and continued to clean up the small stove and dishes.
The husband is a good husband, but he is a bit slow at talking. He gets angry when he opens his mouth.
After persuading him for a long time, the cries mixed with complaints and curses gradually quieted down.
Zhang Di has already cleaned up the stall and cleaned up the dirt on the ground.
That little lady is red
With eyes wide open, he walked nervously to the flatbed truck, tugged at the corner of his clothes and asked, "Adi, are you closing the stall?"
Zhang Di was a cheerful person, so she left after the quarrel. She didn't hold grudges. She raised her head and smiled heartily: "Well, take it. The remaining food is just right to eat with my brother at night."
The little lady was a little embarrassed, her face flushed, and she said calmly: "Adi, I, I am impatient and can't speak. You, don't care about me." After saying that, she turned around and ran away.
Zhang Di smiled, took the donkey, and sat on the cart. With a slight wave of the whip in her hand, she drove the cart to the gate of the square, smiling and saying goodbye to the stall owners along the way.
The aunt who was frying the dumplings looked at Zhang Di walking into the sunshine. A big braid was swinging behind her. The red rope on the end of the braid was bright and eye-catching. Her fresh and agile aura was a bit more dazzling than the sun. The aunt couldn't help but sigh. Tone: "This girl is really capable. I wonder who will be lucky enough to marry her in the future."
Zhang Di's flatbed cart was particularly dazzling among the carriages coming and going, attracting many people's looks of disdain or curiosity. She didn't care, just waved her small whip, and drove the donkey cart to Zhaozhou in the south of the city. Went to Guofang.
As you go south, there are fewer horse-drawn carriages, but there are gradually more donkey-carts, and more of them are pulled by people on their shoulders.
The wheels of the cart slowly rolled over the green bricks. Several sections of the culverts seemed to be blocked. The sewage overflowed and flowed all over the ground. Things like rotten vegetable leaves, feces, rags and the like were floating in the sewage.
The wheels of the car rolled over the sewage, splashing water that exuded a fishy smell.
Zhang Di and Zhang Yan rented two rooms in Zhaoguofang, and the rent was very cheap. Originally, they planned to return to Dunhuang after the results were released in the spring, but after careful consideration, Zhang Yan could be awarded an officer if he were in Chunwei High School. You can go directly to take up the post without returning to Dunhuang. However, if you fail, you will have to take the exam again in three years. There are many famous scholars and scholars in Chang'an city. Staying in Chang'an will be extremely beneficial to Zhang Yan's retake exam.
Although living in Chang'an is not easy, Zhang Di has skills and is not a freeloader. Zhang Yan's daily income is from copying books for others, so the two of them can save a little money.
After such discussion, the two made up their minds that no matter what the outcome of the Spring Festival, they would live in Chang'an City permanently. In this way, Zhang Di's morning food stall became a snack stall, serving morning food and lunch.
Zhang Yan was afraid of Zhang Di's hard work, so he would help at the stall every day. Later, as spring approached, Zhang Di refused to let him come again and asked him to stay at home to study. However, he would still take the time to go to Zhaoguofang every day. Zhang Di was waiting at the gate of the square.
After going back and forth, most of the people in this village recognized the brother and sister and knew that they had a very deep relationship.
Zhang Di drove the flatbed truck into the square gate and paused briefly at the door, but did not see Zhang Yan. She was a little surprised, so she didn't think much about it, waved her whip and rushed home.
Meeting someone familiar on the road, he asked her with a smile: "Adi, why are you the only one back today? Where is your brother?"
Zhang Di also responded with a bright smile: "My brother is studying at home. He will leave in two days, so we don't dare to delay him."
She is beautiful, not as fair as the girl from Chang'an. Although her skin is dark, it is as bright as the sun, especially her eyes, which are as clear as a stream.
She also has a cheerful personality, and within a few days of moving into Zhaoguofang, she became familiar with her neighbors.
