On the fourth day of May, the day before the Dragon Boat Festival, the streets and alleys of Bianliang City are already filled with the fragrance of rice dumplings. Every household has hung calamus and mugwort leaves. Even the city gate is covered with calamus and mugwort leaves.
Waiting for things, people coming and going, full of festive atmosphere of the approaching festival.
The carriage drove out of the city gate and headed towards the bank of the Yellow River.
Cotton clouds were floating in the sky. After leaving Bianliang City, there was a flat river as far as the eye could see. Trees were planted along the official road. There were occasional village fields, chickens and dogs walking, and tributaries of the river passed by the village. Carriages drove for a while.
, they arrived at their destination, which was a manor nestled among green forests. It was built along the nearby river. There were several large and small villages nearby. It was obvious that they were all villas for wealthy families.
Ning Yi came out of Bianliang City today to attend the invitation made by Master Li before. The Dragon Boat Festival is approaching, and the capital oiran's life is not leisurely. She went out to visit friends and find a teacher, and when she returned, she was following the birthday boat.
The team headed north, and the days were actually delayed. In the event of major events such as the Dragon Boat Festival, in recent days
Except for some guests who couldn't be turned away, she spent the rest of the time rehearsing the program that needed to be performed at the Dragon Boat Festival. Zhuangzi here is the property of Fanlou. Today is the last day of rehearsal, so she told her mother Li Yun that she wanted to find purity.
, come here for training, and invite a few friends over for a private party.
Since the person he was going to meet this time was a woman after all, Xiaochan was no longer his maid at this time. Ning Yi did not take anyone else with him when he went out this time. He just drove Dongzhu, the servant who was accompanying him north, to drive over. After informing his name,
, then a maid welcomed him in. Before he reached the inner courtyard, he heard the sound of silk and bamboo, and a woman was singing lyrics and music.
"...a few scattered yellow plum rains. Different places meet again. The corners of millet are covered with gold. The grass and cattails are covered with jade, and the scenery is still rough..."
"It's the girl who is practicing the new words written by Zhou Bangyan and Zhou Daguanren."
The maid led the way and introduced him. Obviously she also knew how lethal Zhou Bangyan's lyrics were to ordinary people.
Turning through the small door in front, we entered a hall with ventilation on all sides, with curtains hanging around it, which was quite cool. Miss Shishi danced her skirt and sleeves in the hall, and sang the new song with the cooperation of a group of musicians.
Poetry, two people are already sitting in the place with the best view in the hall. One of them is Yu Hezhong, and the other one is Er.
He was in his early teens, but he seemed to be calmer than Yu Hezhong. When Ning Yi came in, the teacher girl in the hall turned her head and smiled at him. The smile was clear and full of old friends.
The joy of meeting was not as charming as the rumored oiran from the capital, and almost even Ning Yi was infected unconsciously.
In terms of effect, such a smile is even more attractive than the smiles Yunzhu and Jin'er have when they treat others. Perhaps for Yunzhu and Jin'er, their life back then was about struggling to rise and fall in the rolling waves.
.Working hard to find the direction, but for her, it may be that she can dance with ease.
She smiled and gestured to Ning Yi, but Shishi did not stop. While singing the new lyrics said to be written by Zhou Bangyan, she danced slowly. She didn't dance fast, but there was an exciting feeling in her movements.
With a pleasing temperament, elegant and majestic, Ning Yi walked around and nodded to Yu Hezhong and another person. After sitting down, he listened to the song.
"...The shirt is cut by Ai Hu. The hairpin is decorated with red talismans, and the arms are wrapped with red threads. The powder is applied to fragrant cotton, and the silk silk is used to call the wind to fan the small window at noon. The people of Shenxiang have gone far away. I advise you to stop drinking and feel nostalgic for the past..."
"...Slowly twittering oriole's throat, tapping the elephant board, it is better to read Li Sao's poems. The fragrance of lotus is darker. Gradually it is introduced into Taotao, deep in the drunken countryside. Lying on the river head, listening to the sound of painted boats and stacking drums..."
Ning Yi has been listening to Yunzhu's songs for so long. Although his appreciation of poetry and singing is not that great, he has already got the hang of it. Speaking of which, Yunzhu's singing skills have returned to his original nature, especially when he sings to Ning Yi.
When Yi and Jin'er listened, there were very few fancy words, and the pure sound could make people
Immersed in it, it seemed to cleanse the mind, and the head and even the whole body seemed to be covered by the gentle voice and massaged. Even if Ning Yi often made some funny modern songs to sing to her, she could always find it.
The feeling Ning Yi wants is either joyful or sad or tender.
In this sense, whether the skills of Li Shishi's musicians or the singing skills she showed while dancing, there is still a gap between her and Yunzhu. But what appears in the other party is not a single extreme.
The girl's singing voice, her eyes, and her every move and dance all seem to be giving perfect hints, and together they form a picture.
Although the dance was not fast, in the singing, she almost showed countless styles, the joy of the Dragon Boat Festival, the tranquility when the rain fell, a girl, a woman, a woman living in a secluded boudoir gently shaking her fan, a drinking gentleman
, Reading Taxi. These feelings flowed through her eyes, body, and singing voice, and the three-dimensional moment became blurry again, and then turned into a complex human world.
That poem was written by Zhou Bangyan. At this time, when writing Dragon Boat Festival poems, he either only described human feelings and style, or he had to write about Qu Yuan, who was sentimental about the time. Zhou Bangyan's poem also wrote about these two, but it did not fall into the category.
Xia Cheng, his writing style is graceful, the first half describes the Dragon Boat Festival scene, which is
His usual strength is to write about flowers and flowers. In the second half, he writes about nostalgia for the past and "Li Sao". However, in the latter part of the second half, when he "gradually leads to the intoxication and the depths of drunkenness", everything is forgotten.
It is blurred in the distant view, downplaying everything described, leaving the world with complexity.
At this point in Li Shishi's singing, his voice and music gradually became softer, and when it ended with "Lying on the river head, painting boats and making noises and stacking drums", his voice gradually became softer and his movements gradually stopped, but surprisingly, the surrounding people
On the contrary, the movement was amplified. The wind blew, the leaves rustled, and the entire hall seemed to become more three-dimensional. In the hall, the woman perfectly expanded the hint to the entire world.
She lowered her hands and stood there motionless, closing her eyes and letting the breeze blowing around her ruffle her hair. After a moment, she suddenly opened her eyes and opened her mouth widely, as if shouting: "
Ah——" But no sound was made. After the musicians beside her saluted, she came over with a casual attitude: "How? How?"
"good."
The three of them all clapped their hands sincerely, and Master Li laughed: "Actually, it's almost done. I came here to be lazy, and I don't know if my mother will scold me..." Then he introduced the three of them, except
Yu Hezhong, Ning Yi, and the other one is Chen Sifeng who has been mentioned many times.
To be fair, most of the three men present had little interest in meeting their childhood friends in the capital. If they were just friends who had played together, in fact they just lived across the street from each other, but
The three of them are not close friends. Perhaps the one who really likes this shaved head is Li Shishi, but he has no friendship. There is no enmity between them. Since they are together, it doesn't matter if they get to know each other.
In the following time, several people chatted with each other under the guidance of Li Shishi. Although Yu Hezhong and Chen Sifeng probably had a good impression of Li Shishi, they didn't have much affection at this time.
Deliberately treat Ning Yi or each other. After all, it is just a gathering of friends. I met Ning in Hezhong.
Yi. Chen Sifeng had heard Li Shishi say it several times before. He knew his identity and that he might be talented, but he could no longer pass the imperial examination. In the following time, although they occasionally mentioned each other's families, they mostly talked about Zhou.
Kuniyan's new lyrics, the grand gathering in the capital, the teacher's performance, etc., all in harmony.
Ning Yi had not been to the capital before. Naturally, he was not very aware of how popular Li Shishi was in the capital. Yu Hezhong and Chen Sifeng explained it. Shishi either chuckled or supplemented, and responded to her sincerely and skillfully.
Personally speaking, it was probably a relief to be able to get along with a few of her "old childhood friends" like this.
After that, the four of them arrived at the river side of the village, which is a tributary of the Yellow River. The water flow is quite clear. At this end of the manor, there is a water pavilion protruding from the river bed. The clouds in the sky blocked the sunlight, and the pavilion
It was quite cool in the bathroom, so the master and his servants brought in drinks and cakes, and they chatted and laughed while eating something simple. There was also a small boat by the river, and the few of them agreed to paddle out to the river later.
Ning Yi did not forget his business experience and asked a few people for their opinions on why restaurants and brothels make money. Soon after, the teacher called the musicians and rehearsed on the grass next to the pavilion. In fact, it was just a performance for the three of them.
Take a look. At this time, they became a little familiar with each other. While chatting and walking around, Ning Yi saw a lot of small four-petal flowers folded from paper hanging in a nearby embroidery room.
There was also handwriting. After reading it, I asked what it was.
In these days, paper is still a relatively valuable thing after all, especially the paper folded into flowers. It looks quite beautiful and is much tougher than ordinary paper. Of course, it will not matter in future generations, but now, I am afraid that every piece of paper
Paper has to go through many processes to achieve such an effect. When he asked about it, Shishi smiled.
Explain that these papers are indeed relatively expensive, but they are sold in many places in the city, especially in brothels. Many talented people will buy them, write their own poems on them, and then fold them into flowers and give them to the girls they like. Although most of them are given to girls in brothels.
There are many people who get married because of this, so this paper is also called marriage paper.
"In fact, many times, marriage is just like paper..."
Speaking of this, Shishi sighed, then laughed again, and told Ning Yi some interesting stories between men and women in the brothel. At this time, Yu Hezhong and Chen Sifeng seemed to have something to do, or had something to say to each other, and left.
Wait. During Li Shishi’s explanation, Ning Yi frowned and thought of something, and then
Recalling what happened to Yuan Jin'er that they were distressed about, Yunzhu and Xiaochan might not be a little emotional because of Jin'er. Since girls like to give gifts, it would be good to write a love letter yourself and give it to them on the Dragon Boat Festival. Xiaochan
I like poetry the most. Yunzhu may be a little more indifferent, but I will definitely like it.
Thinking of this, he immediately asked Li Shishi how he made the flowers. The other party became curious, so Ning Yi told him that he could give flowers to the women at home. He was already married, and he had a wife, concubines, and children. There was no need to hide it, so he told Li Shishi
It had been a long time since I had given any gifts to my family. Shishi's expression became gentle. He found some paper and taught Ning Yi how to fold flowers.
"But... I'm teaching Brother Ning how to fold flowers. Can you show me the poetry that Brother Ning wrote in it?"
"Ah..." Ning Yi was slightly stunned.
"Teacher, I promise not to sing it out." She raised her fingers and made a serious promise. In fact, Ning Yi was slightly surprised that her request was too small, and she didn't want to sing it out, and she was too unkind to her.
What's the point? He smiled and nodded in agreement.
During this time of folding paper, the other side of the field of vision, in the garden next to here, suddenly became lively. The servants were running around, as if they were setting up a party. The grassland on the other side of the river was connected.
, Ning Yi looked over and asked: "Who is that person over there?"
The teacher turned his head and glanced, then lowered his head and folded paper as usual: "Over there, it is the Viscount's villa. It has not been used for a long time. There may be some party... We can't afford to mess with it."
I don’t know why she said she couldn’t afford to provoke the problem at this time, but at the same moment, a voice also sounded in the yard next door: “Don’t be like this, everyone, I asked clearly, that person next door
Today’s visit is Miss Shishi... I can’t afford to offend her.”
"I'm just an oiran, you can't afford to offend me, and we're not targeting Mr. Li for anything. Let me lend you a place to pay back my mother-in-law..."
"That's not what you said. Everyone... you are clearly here to cause trouble. Miss Shishi is entertaining a few friends over there, so there is no need to be so jealous. If I offend Miss Shishi, what else will I have in the future?
How can you hang out in Bianliang Fengyue Market if you don’t want to go to Fanlou? Hey, everything is easy to discuss..."
As the man with the identity of a viscount wailed helplessly, people around him came in one after another, swept the courtyard, cleaned the dust, placed items, and began to decorate the party venue...