When Chen Xing asked, the old man stroked his beard and said, "...this mailbox, isn't this for you to take pictures of?"
"Ah?" Chen Xing was speechless for a moment. But soon the old man laughed and said: "Just kidding. But there are really many young people who like to take pictures in front of my mailbox. However, after recent renovations, there are fewer people. It's really weird." Chen Xing looked at it. I looked at the mailbox outside my door and thought about my surroundings.
Indeed, a bright red mailbox stood there abruptly, which was not as good as its ancient appearance.
"The real situation is that I still like to communicate with old friends through letters. Although mobile phones are very convenient nowadays, whether it is making phone calls or normal chats, I don't have the same feeling as when I write and read letters." He touched it He glanced at Chen Xing's beard and sighed, looking at how young he was, "But people of your generation probably don't understand."
"It's like reading, I should understand." Chen Xing said. It feels very comfortable to sit on a chair or sofa and read a book that makes you excited.
He nodded, hummed, and said loudly: "Absolutely, it's just such a simple situation, nothing special." Chen Xing is the kind of person who looks for his phone as soon as he wakes up in the morning before opening his eyes. It is difficult for people to imagine life without mobile phones.
But think about it carefully, do people really need mobile phones? If they are not in love, most people would be busy talking on their mobile phones for half an hour a day, but Chen Xing often plays with his mobile phone at home all day long, staring at it for at least six or seven hours.
This is a bad habit. Unfortunately, I can no longer quit. Mr. Wang's grandson had already packed the boat that Chen Xing wanted tightly, filled it with a lot of things, and asked: "Do you need us to help you send it somewhere? If necessary, you can fill in the address. "Chen Xing nodded and went over to write down the address of his hometown.
When the time comes, let mom take it back for you first. When I was going out, a man with a post office written on his back rode past this road on a tricycle, waving an envelope and shouted: "Boss Wang, your letter has arrived."
"Okay." The old man who was chatting with Chen Xing just walked out with a happy smile. Chen Xing quickly picked up the camera to capture the moment when he received the letter. The smile on his face was completely from the heart, and it was like seeing him. When I write a letter, I feel like I'm meeting an old friend who sent me the letter.
Only a letter that takes a long time to see has such ability. It takes a long time to send and receive letters. Chen Xing thinks this is a shortcoming because he is used to getting a reply as soon as possible after asking a question.
But in their opinion, this may be the charm and advantage of letters. Because the correspondence lasts longer, they look forward to it more.
Is this also considered a kind of hunger marketing? Chen Xing smiled and continued his journey in Pingjiang with his bag in hand.
He came to Suzhou to listen to Pingtan. Chen Xing remembered that the two teachers mentioned the Pingxin Teahouse before they left.
But after he came here, he didn't take the initiative to turn on the navigation system to look for it. Pingjiang Historic District is only so big. Take a look and walk around, and you can definitely find it as long as it's not too remote.
The ancient city of Suzhou basically has rivers passing through the city. The same is true for this ancient city located in the center of Suzhou city. They introduced water channels from the moat. But unlike other ancient cities, the water channels here are square and angular. distinct.
Basically, it is a place surrounded by a square canal, which looks like a market. This kind of market also divides Pingjiang into many parts.
When walking to the Kunqu Opera Museum, Chen Xing saw it on the opposite side of the museum.
"Pingxin Tea House" brand. Their small building has been renovated, but the renovation in this kind of attraction is strictly controlled, and you can't just make it look like whatever you want.
So although bright glass is used as a wall here, the entrance and the second floor are decorated in an antique style.
The second floor is a row of windows, and the low-brightness warm lights shine through the windows, much like watching people inside with candles through the screens on TV.
There is a light coming from the TV, otherwise a candle alone wouldn't be able to illuminate it so brightly. At this time, a window on the second floor was pushed open, and a girl wearing Hanfu looked outside curiously.
The atmosphere is really good. It is especially easy to see tourists wearing Hanfu like this when visiting the ancient towns of Suzhou. Many local Hanfu shops and even hotels offer Hanfu rentals.
If someone living in Suzhou wants to be a photographer, then their skills shouldn’t improve so quickly? What's that called?
The one near the water should get the moon first. Open the door and walk in. On the right is the cashier, and in front is the lobby with wooden seats where many tourists drink tea and listen to music.
There is a small stage at the front. It is similar to the stage Chen Xing saw in Wuzhen, except that it has a beautiful "Pingxinshe" curtain.
The singers happened to be Zhou Bojun and Lu Shian. The two of them should be partners, with Zhou Bojun playing the sanxian and Lu Shi'an playing the pipa.
As soon as you hear Sister Lu's name, you can tell that she is very cultured, unlike Chen Xing who has a single name. It is said that his grandfather watched the sky at night when he was born and said that the stars were particularly bright that night, so he was named Chen Xing.
But it's okay, it's better than some weird names. Chen Xing ordered a cup of tea and sat down. Sister Lu saw Chen Xing and nodded with a smile.
They sang a song slowly. This song is very common in ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River. Whether it is Xitang, Wuzhen, or Zhouzhuang, Chen Xing heard this song sung outside many teahouses.
This song was mainly sung by female voices. Zhou Bojun's hands kept playing the three-string accompaniment. His eyes also caught sight of Chen Xing, so he smiled and nodded like Sister Lu.
Many tourists looked back at Chen Xing. Then there is a song called "Songstress from the End of the World". Wow this song! His mother likes Teresa Teng very much, so Chen Xing has listened to Teresa Teng's version many times. When he heard the announcement just now, he felt that he should be able to resist.
But I didn't expect that Chen Xing would fall into the trap as soon as the Wu-language version was sung. Maybe it’s because I can understand Wu dialect, and Sister Lu’s singing also has a sense of story. Especially when Sister Lu sings the part about finding a friend, when she changes the tone of the friend, Chen Xing’s ears are numb. .
Suzhou Pingtan is really a good song but not popular. In Chen Xing's impression, it seems that Pingtan has never been promoted in any media, and it is too low-key. The key is that it is also a wonderful form of artistic expression, but they have received far less attention than Peking Opera.
There are so many forms of artistic expression in China, why didn’t the Spring Festival Gala consider anything other than Peking Opera?
Forget it, their family hasn’t watched the Spring Festival Gala in several years, who cares who the program team invites. Chen Xing listened carefully to the singing.
In addition to some modern songs and local Suzhou tunes, the two people on the stage also performed some traditional jokes.
When these traditional jokes are sung, many tourists cannot understand them and can only feel the tune and music. However, Chen Xing's happiness cannot be discounted.
Listening to it in a teahouse is much more enjoyable than listening to it in a hotel in Wuzhen, and it even takes much longer.
After a while, two other Pingtan actors came to replace them, and then Chen Xing met Zhou Bojun and the others.
Chen Xing always felt that the way they looked at him was strange, and he couldn't help but look down at his clothes.
Then he raised his head and asked, "What's wrong? We haven't seen each other for just a few days. Sister Lu doesn't recognize me anymore?"
"We didn't expect you to be so powerful."
"They are just bragging." Chen Xing raised the camera and asked, "Then can I take a picture of you?"
"Of course." Lu Shi'an nodded and said, then suddenly thought of a question and said: "Is it free?"
"Free." This was something he wanted to take, so he didn't need to charge money. Chen Xing even thought about spending some money to let them be his models before, but now it saves trouble.
When he heard that Chen Xing was being asked to take photos, Lu Shian was fine, but Zhou Bojun was a little nervous.
"Are we filming in a teahouse?"
"No, there are many places with beautiful scenery outside." He didn't come here to take pictures of humanities, so he naturally wanted to take pictures as long as they looked good. Only if he could visually express the softness of Suzhou Pingtan would he be successful.
So he will use the scenery of the ancient town instead of the interior of the teahouse. Although the two people in front of Chen Xing are Suzhou Pingtan artists, they still don't know how to pose naturally in front of the camera.
It has to be guided slowly. Guiding them was much more difficult than guiding the previous dancers, but after eliminating their nervousness, the progress was very fast. Before dinner, Chen Xing had saved all the styles he wanted to shoot into the camera.
"Then thank you teachers first." Lu Shi'an shook his head. Although he was tired from taking photos, he was not as tired as singing and playing the piano in the teahouse.
After staying for a day, it was nice to go outside and look at the scenery.
"You're welcome. We should thank you. Thank you for your willingness to promote our Pingtan." Chen Xing said with a smile: "What's the point? As a Chinese, I definitely should. Let's go. I'll treat the two teachers to something to eat. , I have worked hard all afternoon..." Zhou Bojun refused to let Chen Xing come to treat him, so he paid for the meal himself.
It's just an ordinary Suzhou restaurant on the roadside. Chen Xing has become accustomed to Suzhou cuisine after eating it for a while. It is not spicy anyway, and pays attention to the original flavor, freshness, smoothness and tenderness. What she is best at is various sweet and sour, braised and steamed recipes.
During this dinner, Chen Xing found another dish that he liked very much. The color and appearance are a bit like their famous Sichuan seafood dish, but the bamboo shoots in it are crisper, and there is no kelp or sea cucumbers. Instead, bacon and pork belly are used. The pork belly is cut into large pieces the size of Dongpo pork.
The bamboo shoots are especially delicious, forget about the meat. The pork belly in this restaurant is a little fatty, but Chen Xing still likes the fat meat made using the Dongpo pork method. It makes it more comfortable to eat without feeling the fat texture.
Following them back to the teahouse to get his backpack, Lu Shi'an asked Chen Xing, "Have you found a place to stay tonight?"
"Yes, thank you, Sister Lu." In fact, he hasn't looked for it yet, but he is not planning to live in the ancient town. Suzhou City outside is so prosperous. Isn't it easy to find a place to live?
After returning from Paris for so many days, Chen Xing also wanted to find a hotel with a bathtub and lie in it to feel comfortable.
Coming out of this scenic spot, Chen Xing stopped a taxi.
"Master, are there any better hotels in Suzhou?"
"It depends on what you think is good. The closer one is the Metropark Hotel, and the further one is the Marriott Hotel and Shangri-La Hotel. It depends on where you want to go."
"Go to Marriott." Chen Xing has stayed at Marriott hotels many times, so he subconsciously went to a hotel that he was more familiar with.
"Okay, handsome guy, put on your seat belt first." He spoke very interestingly, not like Mandarin, nor the northern dialect or the Sichuan and Chongqing dialect, nor the Suzhou dialect.
Chen Xing fastened his seat belt first and asked, "Where is Master from?"
"Me? I'm from Wuyuan, Jiangxi."
"Jiangxi?"
"Yeah, does my accent have a bit of a strong accent and you can't understand me?"
"No, no." Chen Xing shook his head and said,
"It's just that I happen to be going to Jiangxi, so it feels like a coincidence."
"That's it, haha." When he heard that the guest was going to his hometown, the driver was also happy and said, "Whether it's a business trip or a tourist trip there."
"Let's count it as travel." After all, traveling on business and traveling makes money. He had already chatted with the leader of the tourism and cultural bureau over there on WeChat and told Chen Xing to send him a message when he arrived in Jiangxi, saying that he would come to pick him up in person. At the same time, he also revealed that there would be a good sum of money for promoting any scenic spot in Jiangxi. Publicity fees.
This is a bit like TanDian Internet celebrities promoting restaurants, but Chen Xing's side is more high-end and freer.
There are also many girls wearing shorts on the streets of Suzhou. Chen Xing kept looking out the window. There was no delay in chatting and I asked a lot about Jiangxi.
The driver talked about his hometown in Jiangxi and said that he hadn't seen his children for a long time. Chen Xing turned to look at him...
"Master, are you already married?"
"Yes, the child is six years old."
"You can't tell at all. Master, you are so young." He looked like a white-collar worker in his mid-twenties, with neatly combed back hair and a clean face.
If he hadn't said that his child was six years old, Chen Xing wouldn't have believed that he was actually married.
"haha, thank you."
"Your hometown is in Jiangxi. It's very inconvenient for you to come here to work." The driver was deeply touched. He sighed and nodded and said, "I haven't been back since the Chinese New Year. I have to go back and forth from here to Jiangxi." It takes a day, but I don’t have the time. Sometimes it’s still very sad to hear her crying on the phone.”
"girl?"
"Yes, it's very cute." He showed a sweet smile and wanted to take out his mobile phone to let Chen Xing see his daughter, but it was not convenient now, so he said, "It's really cute anyway."
"I believe it." Chen Xing said. The driver was quite handsome and tall. Very responsible.
Maybe because of his personality, most of Chen Xing's friends are similar to him, such as Zhou Peng, or the group of friends he made in Paris, who all have fun-loving personalities.
This is a good man. Chen Xing sighed with emotion and raised his hand to look at the time. It was only after six o'clock.
"Master, how long does it take to get from here to your hometown?"
"It takes four or five hours by train, right?"
"What about driving?"
"More than five hours of driving? I don't know, I've never driven back." Chen Xing put his hand on the passenger seat, leaned forward, and asked seriously: "Do you want to go home now?" I’ll drive home here, and I’ll cover all the gas and travel expenses along the way. If you get hungry later, I’ll treat you to a late-night snack.”
