After everyone was gathered, two newly arrived servants carried a strange-looking windmill into the house.
In fact, according to later archaeological discoveries, there were already pottery windmills in the Western Han Dynasty, which were machines used by farmers to clean grain.
In other words, the earliest time when windmills were invented in China was during the Western Han Dynasty. This time was more than 1,400 years earlier than the appearance of windmills in Europe.
It's just that the ladies of the Tang Dynasty in this room today are all people who are not engaged in production. They are not diligent and do not distinguish between grains. They have never seen a windmill. Therefore, they all show curious eyes that have never seen the market.
.
"Xiangjun, what is this?"
"Wan Niang, what kind of good thing is this?"
"It looks so strange."
The ladies asked questions one after another, but Lin Wanwan smiled and said nothing.
Lin Wanwan's windmill is of course not the agricultural version of the Western Han Dynasty pottery windmill, but the prototype of a modern fan - a hand-cranked fan.
Its overall structure is made of wood, and the fan blades are rotated by hand to supply air. The principle is similar to the pottery windmill of the Han Dynasty, except that one is used to blow grain and debris, and the other is used to cool down and blow the wind.
After the two boys set up the big fan, they carried an ice sculpture of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Girl, half a person tall, and placed it in front of the windmill, then silently retreated.
Hongyan had been waiting for this moment for a long time. When she saw the things were put on the table, she bowed, held her head slightly high, walked to the windmill, and slowly shook the handle.
As the fan blades rotate, bursts of cool breeze blow through the fragrant ice sculptures to everyone in the room, bringing a bit of cool breeze to this hot summer day.
"Wow, it's so amazing. What is this?"
"Whew, it smells so good, what kind of scent is this...ah, it's the scent of peony flowers!" The second wife of the Zhang family twitched her nose, and after sniffing for a long time, she suddenly exclaimed.
After her reminder, everyone sniffed it intoxicatedly for a while and said one after another: "It is indeed the scent of wood peony."
"Wanwan, how can there be such a fragrance in this ice sculpture?"
Lin Wanwan said calmly: "Oh, my senior brother got this ice from the bitter cold land of the far north. It is said that there is perfume extracted from hundreds of peony flowers in it, so it has such an elegant fragrance."
Peony, also known as peony, arose in the Sui Dynasty and flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties. One of the elegant things for nobles to socialize was to appreciate flowers, compete with flowers, and taste flowers. Most of the flowers that were enjoyed and tasted were peonies.
There are many famous sayings about peonies through the ages, such as "Clouds think of clothes, flowers think of appearance", "Famous flowers attract the whole country and love each other", "The most fragrant thing in the world alone", etc. Wang Juyi, a poet in the history of poetry, once lamented "a cluster of dark flowers"
, "a gift from a member of ten households" is used to describe the preciousness and rarity of peonies.
Lin Wanwan had put a lot of effort into preparing for today's banquet. She specially purchased ice sculpture molds and peony-scented perfume online, just waiting for her to be a blockbuster today.
Before the banquet even started, everyone was already aroused by Lin Wanwan's opening, which completely broke the standard of daily banquets held by Luan County's upper class.
Slices of red cold melon, beautiful three-layer cakes, peony-scented ice sculptures, and this strange-looking windmill were placed everywhere on every dining table, all displayed in front of the guests.
These upper-class ladies in Luang County knew that they would have to spend at least a hundred gold to afford this banquet, which was simply more luxurious than the nobles in the palace!
Previously, because of the sparse number of maids and servants in the Lin Mansion, everyone who had looked down on Lin Wanwan's ostentation now had a look of astonishment on their faces.
This country gentleman is simply a walking golden doll!
Seeing everyone's expressions, Lin Wanwan laughed and joked: "I think you all agree that when there are too many things at our fingertips, novelty is what we pursue. Combining the ice of the bitter cold land in the far north with the flowers that bloom in April and May
It’s also very interesting to put wood peony, cold melon from the West, butter from the North, and tuna slices from the deep sea together!”
Zhang Erniang shouted again: "This kind of novelty must be built up by gold and silver treasures! What is blowing today is not the wind, it is money and silk, and what we eat is not fish and meat, but money! Don't worry about other principles, only those who have money
It’s the funniest!”
Lin Wanwan smiled and raised her glass to Zhang Erniang: "Then Erniang, try this Baihua Brew, does it taste like money?"
Everyone in the room laughed when they heard this, and they all raised their glasses and took a sip.
This group of people's behind-the-scenes talk that Lin Wanwan was a country bumpkin had already reached Lin Wanwan's ears. Today is to let the natives of the Tang Dynasty gain some insight into what the real happiness of rich people is.
Not only did she want to run a beauty salon to make money from the noble women in Luang County and even the entire Jiangnan area, but she also wanted to become a fashion icon and have the say in Tang Dynasty fashion.
Therefore, she must not be tainted with "country" and "earth", because once she is tainted with these two words, it will be difficult for her to collect the wool of noble women.
After drinking Baihua stuffed rice and eating tuna dumplings, Lin Wanwan led everyone to the cream cake, cut the cake, divided the cake, and ate the cake.
It was the first time for everyone to eat this novel cream cake, and they were all conquered by its dense and sweet taste.
Sugar itself was considered a luxury product in the Tang Dynasty, and the sugar in the cream cake was just right and sweet. Few women could refuse it - except those who wanted to lose weight.
"Wanwan, what is this cream cake called? Which pastry shop did you order it from? My family also wants to have one for the old lady's birthday party next month."
"You said this cream cake is not bought, it is made by my family. In the future, Hongyanxiao store will also provide this additional customized service for senior members. If you need it, just order it."
Lin Wanwan took the opportunity to once again emphasize the privileges of senior membership in her Hongyanxiao shop. Not all of the charming customers who came today were senior members, and there were several young ladies who were not willing to pay for it.
Lin Wanwan must win over them all. It doesn't matter if you have illiquid cash. You can use your treasure as collateral! Any fine embroidery or fine jewelry will do.
"That's great! Speaking of which, this Hongyanxiao shop is really good. If I don't make a facial mask and put on essential oil every few days, I feel uncomfortable all over!" Shi Erniang accepted the answer very cooperatively.
One sentence.
She wants everyone to know that she spent ten gold to become a senior member of Hongyanxiao!
"It's indeed good." Then everyone discussed the beauty and beauty products in Hongyanxiaoli for a while.
The formal banquet began. Lin Wanwan combined the local delicacies of the Tang Dynasty with modern delicacies, and all the noble ladies enjoyed the meal.
After the meal, the ladies gathered together in small groups. Some were enjoying the scenery of the courtyard in the corridor despite the heat, some were lying in the side rooms while the maids turned on the fans, and some were playing the piano in the main hall in the cool breeze.
drawn.
Lin Wanwan placed two small desks in the study, with chess on one and Go on the other, setting up a platform to accept the challenge.
Lin Wanwan, who was not a copycat at the banquet before, lost a bit in the drinking game, but now she wants to win back in the chess game.
Several noble ladies who boasted about their superb chess skills came to challenge him one after another, but they all lost.