On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, watch the fireworks at the Golden Pond in Bianjing.
On this day, the night in Bianjing City will be as lively as the day.
It is truly a city that never sleeps.
On weekdays, if a woman wants to go out, she must first have a suitable reason, and then ask the elders in the family for permission before she can go out.
Some families have very strict upbringings, and there are limits on the number of times a woman can go out every month.
But on this day every year, women can travel as they please, play together, enjoy lanterns and guess riddles, and watch lion dances and fireworks.
Because of this, this day is also the most anticipated day of the year for young men and women. It is their only opportunity to freely meet the opposite sex.
The sun is cold and the river is freezing, so river lanterns cannot be put out.
But this does not affect people's enthusiasm for the festival.
The emperor allocated some silver from the treasury, which had been somewhat empty due to his two conferments on Zen, and built a lantern tower a hundred feet high and ten rooms wide, and placed it in the most prosperous place in Bianjing.
The road near the lantern tower is so crowded that no one can walk through it. The street is full of vendors selling lantern masks and snacks. No matter how high the status is, people can only walk among the crowd.
Xu Pingyi took Xu Pingyi to the appointed restaurant on time. When they entered the private room, they saw Fan Zhongyan and Yan Shu who had just had dinner.
He took Xu Pingqi to salute Yan Shu and then bowed to Fan Zhongyan and said, "Brother Xiwen, long time no see."
"Da Lang, how are you doing these days? This is Xu Erlang, right? It's really rare to be so handsome at such an age." There was sincere admiration in his words.
Fan Zhongyan had heard about Xu Pingqi from Xu Pingyi, and had always known that Xu Pingqi was a calm and calm child, but when he saw him today, he realized that Xu Pingqi was even calmer than he thought.
"I've met Brother Xiwen, thank you for the compliment."
Xu Pingqi didn't say much. He bowed and stood to the right behind Xu Pingyi. There was no discomfort or embarrassment in his movements, and he looked relaxed and generous.
"Erlang talks less, but he is smarter than me." Xu Pingyi was chatty, but Xu Pingqi seemed like he never talked compared to him.
"The streets outside are full of people, and there are lantern riddles on the roadside. I just looked at them on the way here and found that there are a lot of interesting ones. Are my uncle Tong and brother Xiwen interested in solving the lantern riddles together?"
Xu Pingyi because of his good looks. His magnanimity is better than that of ordinary people. He is the kind of person whose every move is a sight to behold. No matter how you look at him, you will never get tired of it.
But he is very peaceful. Especially when you are with people you know well, apart from chatting, you will always feel as comfortable and caressed as the spring breeze.
It was precisely because of this that Yan Shu and Fan Zhongyan were willing to be friends with him.
Otherwise, he is not motivated by his official career. There are also some idle young men who will not fall into their eyes.
A person who could get along so harmoniously with two future prime ministers of the Song Dynasty. I'm afraid there is only Xu Pingyi.
Several people came out of the restaurant, and the light and noise outside quickly overwhelmed them.
Brother Xu Pingyi dressed simply, Fan Zhongyan even more plainly, and only Yan Shu had an official position. The clothes are quite bright.
However, in such a brightly lit place, even the plainest clothes will be covered with a layer of faint orange light.
Xu Pingyi suggested that three people compete in guessing the number of lantern riddles, and the fourth place wrote three lyrics. The third place wrote two lyrics, while the second place copied five lyrics into the book. The first place will get this booklet.
The four people here started guessing lantern riddles, and Xu Nuo had just met Hu Ling and Lu Jiuniang.
The place where they met was none other than Wanxiang Tower.
Because they were coming to Wanxiang Building, the three of them all wore men's clothes instead of the clothes carefully prepared at home.
Lu Jiuniang wore men's clothing for the first time since she was a child. She was very cautious and did not dare to look others in the eye.
As for a place like Wanxiang Building, she never thought she would come in. When she came in with Hu Ling, her palms were so nervous that her palms became sweaty.
Hu Ling said with a smile: "I didn't even see you like this when I was playing Cuju in the palace. Why are you so timid and like a little chicken now?"
"Participating in a Cuju performance in the palace is a legitimate act, and what I did today was something my father repeatedly emphasized not to allow my brothers to do. None of my brothers had done it, but I did it. If my father knew I will definitely be disappointed and I will naturally be nervous.”
Lu Jiuniang entered the box and felt more relaxed when she saw that the furnishings in the box were quite orthodox.
"It's okay. If your father pursues the case, just say that it was Liu Niang who wanted you to come. It was your sister who was worried about her safety and had to come with her. The entire responsibility should be placed on her." Hu Ling took the photo irresponsibly. He patted Lu Jiuniang on the shoulder and gave her this unreliable suggestion.
Then he poured himself a glass of water very skillfully.
As soon as she put the cup of tea to her mouth, Xu Nuo opened the door and came in.
"My ears are very good, and I can hear everything you say clearly." Xu Nuo came to Hu Ling's side with a catchy expression. The naughty smile on her face and the fact that she was dressed in men's clothing made her look a bit dandy. a feeling of.
Hu Ling glanced at her, drank the water from the teacup, and poured another one before saying, "It's not like you don't know that I said that because I knew you were coming. Don't pretend to be stupid on purpose."
Xu Nuo smiled, turned around lightly on her toes, and the lantern in her hand also spun in a circle.
She said to Lu Jiuniang: "If your father finds out, you can really put the responsibility on me. My father loves me very much and won't say anything against me."
Before Lu Jiuniang could answer, Hu Ling shouted out from the other side.
"Where did your lamp come from?" Hu Ling saw the lamp Xu Nuo was holding and immediately jumped up from the stool to take it over to look at it. "It's actually better than the one I made. You're so clumsy that you can't even embroider a handkerchief." When did people become so ingenious?"
Xu Nuo glanced at Hu Ling with a dark face.
Isn’t it okay to not mention the female workers, not to mention the embroidery, and not to mention the handkerchiefs?
Lu Jiuniang had also heard about the bad things about promising female workers. Seeing the scene, she seemed a little embarrassed. She chuckled and explained to Hu Ling: "It wasn't Liu Niang who made it, it was my eldest cousin who made the lantern. I also have one. I'm afraid I broke it and didn’t take it out.”
This explanation sounded too much like showing off to Hu Ling's ears. Her hand holding the lantern tightened, and she snorted and said, "It's great to have a big brother, and it's great to have a big cousin."
Today, she was stopped by Xu Nuo and Lu Jiuniang from slapping the shameless guy Jiaren County Master, and she was still not happy.
Nowadays, even lanterns are not as beautiful as others.
"My eldest brother is indeed very good, just amazing. No one I have ever met can match his appearance." Xu Nuo praised Xu Pingyi with satisfaction and snatched his lantern away.
Speaking of good-looking people, Hu Ling naturally felt that she also had the right to speak, and immediately said: "My senior brother is the one who is good-looking, and Zhu... Shopkeeper Zhu is also pretty good."
She originally wanted to call Zhu Shang by his first name, but when she thought that Lu Jiuniang was there, she euphemistically called him Shopkeeper Zhu. (To be continued)
ps: The author made a mistake yesterday and didn't notice the word count when uploading the second chapter. This afternoon I realized that the word count was less than 2,000 words, and then I realized that I would not be able to attend full time this month. I suddenly felt very sad and heartbroken. I felt that staying up until one o'clock in the morning every day for half a month was really hard. Fortunately, Du Huaying comforted me in time and told me that even if I didn't have perfect attendance, it would be worth the effort if there were sisters reading the articles I wrote. Thanks to Watanabe for your comfort, I am full of energy again now. Thank you also to Illusion Baby for your messages in the book review area. I read every message you leave carefully. Group?~
