(It’s too expensive to live in the Song Dynasty. Who among you still has tickets? Please support the Chen family and his son...) -
When the first ray of morning light shines on the earth, a string of clear, melodious, and highly penetrating hammering sounds echo in the alleys of Qingshen County, accompanied by a loud chant:
"Mao hour has arrived, the morning light is faint, the day is clear, and there is haze on the riverside. It gets cold in the morning and evening, so you need to prepare jackets..."
Chen Ke was awakened by the sound. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and couldn't believe his ears. What was this? It was a weather forecast! This evil old society was too humane.
Chen Xiliang had already gotten up, fetched water from outside, asked his sons to go down to the ground to wash their faces and mouths, and then went out to have breakfast...
As the saying goes, "Food is the most important thing for the people." As soon as the sun rises, people will worry about their stomachs.
People in the Song Dynasty were very good at enjoying themselves, and urban residents seldom opened fire. Especially breakfast, which was basically provided by the nearby breakfast shop, including porridge, rice, snacks, meat and vegetable snacks. In addition to breakfast, tea and second-hand food were also provided.
Soup. If you're a bit lazy, I can even bring you the noodle soup...that is, the face wash water. This is probably the earliest "long-sleeved arrogant citizen".
Although it is definitely not as cost-effective as doing it yourself, people in the Song Dynasty rarely calculate this economic calculation. Even a poor scholar like Chen Xiliang who brought up his family felt that this was a matter of course.
Of course, they were new here and hadn't booked a restaurant yet, so they had to go out to eat.
When they heard that they were going out to eat in the morning, Wulang and Liulang were all happy. Only Sanlang and Chen Ke said: "That will cost a lot of money..."
"You're so sensible, but life doesn't come from your mouth." Chen Xiliang touched his head and said with a smile: "I haven't had a good meal in a few days. Let's go quickly."
After briefly freshening up, the five father and son went out. At this time, the county town was still quiet, and the sound of the dough cake shop and the rolling and rolling sounds of the Hu cake shop that had been ringing since the fifth watch was particularly clear, which also made the brothers wake up.
hungry.
On the street, there were already busy brokers and vendors, and hotel clerks delivering food, pushing carts and carrying burdens through the alleys. Chen Xiliang found a second brother who was carrying a burden of food and asked him about the direction of his store.
So I took my sons and found the breakfast shop with a big sign with the word "food" on it.
This store was opened earlier in the stilted buildings facing the street. The stilted buildings on these streets were all in front of shops and backyards. Many people rented them for commercial and residential use, and they were even directly the owners, taking advantage of the location to start business.
The store is not big, with only five tables, but looking at the food boxes offered at running prices, you can tell that it mainly sells takeaways. Of course, diners are also welcome. When customers arrive, the waiter greets them with a smile: "
It’s your first time here, please have breakfast. We have all kinds of food and soups!”
"Here comes the second brother." Chen Xiliang took his four sons inside and sat down around a pair of cypress tables and stools. In these days, the shopkeeper is called eldest brother, and the waiter is called second brother...
"The guest looks unfamiliar, as if it's his first time here." The waiter served him free rice porridge and greeted him politely.
"I just moved here yesterday."
"Congratulations on your new housewarming." The waiter smiled and clasped his fists, pointing to a row of bamboo signs behind the counter and said: "Our shop is best at making cakes, but the last five items are not available in the morning. What do you want to use?"
The Chen family's father and son followed what he pointed at and saw different cakes written on each brand, each with a clearly marked price... sesame cakes, soup cakes, cooking cakes, ring cakes, sugar cakes, shortbread cakes, enough for seven or eight
Similarly, there are also things that are not called cakes, such as steamed buns, flat food, wontons...
Chen Ke mobilized Sanlang's memory and suddenly realized that in the Song Dynasty, pancakes did not just refer to round foods that were processed by barbecue. All foods made of flour could be called pancakes. The pancakes that later generations called pancakes were not used in this meeting.
It's called "Shaobing". Soup cake is noodle soup; Cooking cake was originally called steamed cake. In order to avoid the taboo of today's officials, it was renamed "Cuibing". In fact, it was steamed buns made in a cage. As for the steamed buns at this time,
In fact, they are stuffed buns...
Chen Xi ordered five bowls of soup cakes and a basket of steamed buns. Fearing that they were not enough, he also ordered five cooking cakes. Who knew that in the blink of an eye, there would be nothing left... The children were very hungry and greedy.
, that's called a wind and the remaining clouds, leaving no trace behind! Like Chen Ke, he has never eaten anything serious in this world, but now he feels like he can eat a cow. Wulang is hungrier and thirstier than him, and Erlang hasn't eaten seriously for several days.
Even Korokuro stuffed it into his mouth as hard as he could, as if he had nothing to eat next.
"Eat slowly, don't choke, just order more." Chen Xiliang's nose felt sore, and he quickly ordered food. Finally, he was served five steamed buns, three bowls of soup cakes, and ten steamed cakes, and he was about to be full.
their bellies.
"Thank you for your kindness, fifty-two cents. It's the first time our guest has come here, and the shopkeeper said, I'll give you fifty-two cents." The waiter reported the account with a smile.
"Thank you, thank you." Chen Xiliang felt heartache while paying for it. Half a month's rent was gone... No wonder he said, 'Young man, you will eat me to death'. Now, if you have four and a half men, why don't you want to eat two of your fathers to death?
After dinner, he asked Erlang to take his three younger brothers back first: "I'll go to the county government to complete the contract. You brothers, please clean up the house and don't be naughty." The father and son separated at the door of the shop, and Chen Xiliang went to meet Qiu.
The old men met up, and Chen Chen led his brothers back.
On the way back, the morning sun was already high, and the streets were much more lively. The shops removed their row doors, hung up their banners, and showed off their products... The gold and silver paper in the paper shop was smeared with luster by the morning light.
The Futou shop moved the long table filled with hats of various colors to the street; the silk shop put pieces of new fabrics on the counter; the ceramic shop brought out large and small pots and porcelain bottles; the blacksmith shop began to jingle;
The proprietary medicine shop exudes the familiar fragrance of Saburo...
In addition to these various merchant shops, there are also merchants carrying burdens, pushing peace carts, and hawking along the street. There are those who tie the pots, sell oil, weave straw sandals, deal with snakes and medicines, and grind mirrors.
Those who sell paper, those who sell incense, those who sell salt, those who make grass and flowers, those who sell pig and sheep blood soup, those who sell pollen, those who sell ginger, those who sell pot cakes, bait and polygonum...
The strong and vivid breath of life hit his face, leaving Saburo completely stunned. He had been in this world for some time, but he always had a strong sense of alienation. Until this moment, when he saw this vibrant scene, he found that he was also
In this scene, he finally felt that he was living in the Song Dynasty.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He originally wanted to take a stroll, but there was still a lot of work to do at home, so the brothers had to leave the street and return to their small courtyard.
As soon as they returned, the brothers stared at this dilapidated house in a daze - from top to bottom, from the inside to the outside, there was nothing that needed to be cleaned up. I really didn't know where to start?
"Is labor expensive?" When his father was away, Chen Ke stopped pretending to be a child. Since both his father and brother lacked life experience, he had to support the family. Age was the biggest obstacle, but fortunately Chen Chen was used to his
Abnormal.
"What kind of labor?" Chen Chen paused for a moment before reacting: "A few years ago, when the ancestral house was renovated, the bricklayer hired by my uncle said it cost a hundred yuan a day."
"Alas..." Chen Ke sighed and said, "One month's rent."
"Uh..." Chen Chen couldn't help rolling his eyes and said, "Maybe you bargained too hard."
"Let's fetch water to wash the floor first, and pray that it won't rain recently." Chen Ke patted his butt and got up, carrying a bucket to fetch water from the patio.
After finishing cleaning up the inside and outside of the house, Chen Xiliang also came back. He was carrying a bamboo basket in one hand, filled with indica rice and vegetables, and two palm-long small fish, which were threaded through wicker sticks and hung on the side of the basket. There were also other things behind him.
A man in short clothes, carrying two baskets of pots and pans, a bench and a cutting board, and a kitchen knife in his hand... It seemed that he was so flustered by breakfast that he decided to start a fire at home.
He asked the man to move the baskets into the east kitchen, and Chen Xiliang paid him the money and goods. After the man thanked him, he smiled and said, "The official just moved here, I live in the front street."
"It turns out you are a neighbor, please come and sit inside." Chen Xiliang has already scattered a few benches into the main room of the north house, which can barely accommodate guests.
"No today, I still have to take care of the store." The man smiled and said: "When the officials settle down, I will make an appointment with all the neighbors to congratulate you."
"Welcome," Chen Xiliang said with cupped hands.
After sending the man away, Chen Xiliang rolled up his sleeves and went to the kitchen to light a fire and cook. Scholars who had gone to Beijing to take the exam were not always able to encounter inns because of the high mountains and long roads. Except for those rich children with bookboys and cooks, they all had to
Cooking by yourself.
Of course, Chen Xiliang's cooking skills are a bit wasteful when talking about the word "cooking skills". They are limited to cooking raw food into mature ones. As a result, the rice is mushy and the stir-fry is bitter. Even making a soup is just like washing the pot with water.
Like...
After working all morning, the children were hungry again. The food on the table, no matter how delicious it was, was all on the bottom of the plate in almost the blink of an eye. Seeing them eating a bucket full of rice cleanly, Chen Xiliang
I was very frightened. This was rice prepared for two meals...
It seemed that in less than two days, he would have to buy rice again. Chen Xiliang, who had never been a homeowner before, was suffering from headaches. He was originally planning to spend some time before going out to collect debts... Debt collection is a difficult job, and it really makes him think about it.
He was scared. But today he paid the rent and bought those daily necessities, which cost him half of his savings. Now it seems that it is better to start tomorrow rather than hurry up.
After the children had put away their dishes, Chen Xiliang asked them to sit down and said sincerely: "Although it is difficult at home now, time waits for no one. Your studies have fallen behind and you will never make up for it in your lifetime." After that, he took the book from the book box.
He took out three books and said: "Sanlang, Wulang and Liulang, you have wasted a whole spring, and you can't waste any more. From tomorrow on, you will study your books carefully." Then he turned to Erlang and said, "I have a lot of things to do these two days as a father.
Erlang, please postpone your return for two days, and first keep an eye on my brothers for me, and don't allow them to be lazy."
