Hong Yanwu's parents met for the first time in the late autumn of 1936. At that time, the lotus flowers in Shichahai had long withered, but the fragrance of golden osmanthus in Dongyue Temple was still strong.
On the same day, Shou Jingfang asked Hong Luchen to listen to the afternoon play. Since it was still early, he suggested going to Longfu Temple to visit the bird market during the "red bird season" (commonly known as autumn is the peak season for bird markets).
At that time, the time and place of the bird market in the capital were not fixed, and were mostly attached to temple fairs. They were organized in installments every month starting from the third day of the lunar calendar.
The third day of the lunar month is Tutu Temple, the fourth day is Flower Market, the fifth and sixth day is Baita Temple, the seventh and eighth day is Huguo Temple (commonly known as the West Temple), the ninth and tenth day is Longfu Temple (commonly known as the East Temple), and so on.
On the 13th, 23rd, 14th, 24th and other days. Among them, the bird market at Longfu Temple is the most prosperous. Later, two days are added on the first and second day of the lunar month, so there are no empty days in January.
.
Of course Hong Lucheng knew Shou Jingfang's unique hobby in toys, and was afraid that if he didn't go with him, he would complain for several days, so he readily agreed.
Unexpectedly, the two of them hired two rickshaws and just walked to the west entrance of (Nvnai) Zifu, when black clouds suddenly floated over their heads. Amidst the thunder and lightning, it rained heavily in an instant.
It was raining and windy, and the whole street turned completely white in an instant, and the felt awning that came with the rickshaw couldn't even cover it.
Since God is so disrespectful, let alone the bird market, they will definitely not have to visit the bird market. Hong Lucheng and Shou Jingfang will probably get wet in the water.
Fortunately, Hong Lucheng got wise in his anxiety and remembered that his "Jinlan Zhai" was nearby, so he quickly ordered the two cars to head west to Donghua Gate.
In addition, the two coachmen were really running in the white rain without any effort. This prevented them from getting completely soaked.
He gave the two coachmen double the fare, and as soon as they entered the shop, Shou Jingfang praised Hong Lucheng for his intelligence.
Because if you really go to other places to take shelter from the rain, let’s not talk about it, even if you arrive, you just need to take shelter from the rain, but "Jinlan Zhai" is different. This is a good place to eat and drink.
As for the shopkeeper of "Jin Lan Zhai", the arrival of the young master of the young master's family and the eldest son of the Shou family is tantamount to the arrival of two superstars. Naturally, they should be warmly entertained and fawned over.
The shopkeeper not only greeted the waiters to serve tea quickly, but also lit up the fire in front of the hall to dry clothes for the two of them. In addition, he also asked the oven manager behind to quickly prepare two special tributes.
That is the pastry shop only owned by the Hong family, and a pastry that only regular customers can enjoy by chance - "Eight Treasures Urn Stove".
The name of this "eight-treasure jar stove" sounds quite bluffing, but to put it bluntly, it may disappoint many people, because it is actually a filling-less round cake made by reassembling dim sum dregs.
However, it does have its own unique features, which is why it is called "Eight Treasures".
Speaking of which, we have to talk about the traditional pastry shops in Beijing. The Hong family sells all Manchu-style pastries, which are very different from Southern and Western-style pastries.
The Manchus call dim sum "祽饽", and the dumpling shop is also called "Dazi Dumpling Shop". Saqima, mince flower cake, hibiscus milk cake, small dumplings, puff pastry, cream ottoman, etc.
This kind of "Dazi Pastry" mostly uses honey, ghee, butter and various nuts.
Therefore, it is precisely because of the blending of these various and high-quality scraps that the roasted food will be long-lasting, soft, delicious, and extremely sweet.
Especially the aroma of a newly-baked hot-plate stove can be smelled a mile away, so there are many people who "dismount after smelling the aroma" and those who are introduced to the door by the aroma.
But Hong's pastry shop doesn't sell this kind of thing. It's given away for free to those who come here specially and regular customers who catch up. By chance, you can eat it for free, and if you don't, you can buy it if you want.
Can't catch it.
The Hong family’s intention was very clear. It was not for anything else but to gain popularity at the expense of small profits. As a result, it was implemented over time. These worthless snack scum not only promoted the Hong family’s business, but also won many new customers.
The lasting favor of regular patrons.
Of course, with their identities as Hong Lucheng and Shou Jingfang, they have special conveniences for this kind of good fortune. They can come at any time and have it at any time. It is not subject to restrictions. How else can it be said that it is a private business?
But no one expected that just when Hong Lucheng and Shou Jingfang took a sip of hot tea and were baking clothes around the stove, two more women came in from the door and were quite embarrassed by the rain.
One is a twenty-eight-year-old girl with beautiful appearance wearing foreign student clothes, and the other is a middle-aged woman in her thirties or forties. From the looks of it, you can tell they are a lady and her maid.
Sure enough, the maid greeted the shopkeeper. She said that they came out of Zhongshan Park and caught up with the rain on the way home. Who would have thought that the car broke down halfway again, so they came in to take shelter from the rain as a last resort. I wanted to ask the shopkeeper.
For your convenience, make them a cup of hot tea.
After saying this, without waiting for the shopkeeper's reply, Hong Lucheng stood up and agreed. This is the Hong family's consistent principle of doing business. Harmony brings wealth, and people's popularity comes first.
And before the tea was served, Hong Lucheng gave up his chair and invited the lady to sit near the fire to warm up.
The young lady was a little shy at first, but she couldn't stand the loyal servant's repeated persuasion, fearing that she would be sick and unable to explain when she returned home. Hong Lucheng was kind and polite, so he declined several times, and finally came over with a blushing face.
But when she sat closer and loosened the wet braid on her head, Hong Lucheng's heart jumped violently uncontrollably.
Because the young lady's long thick braid hung down to her heels. The thick black hair, against the young lady's shy face, made her look like a peach blossom stained with dew.
The glass hazy with water vapor, the aroma of the freshly baked "Eight Treasures Urn Stove", and the lady's delicate figure with a long braid, create an artistic conception of "Looking at Penglai in the distance, half covered by clouds and half covered by haze".
It also made a picture with ancient and warm colors appear in his mind.
Although he couldn't look directly at her due to politeness and the differences between men and women, he still felt an uncontrollable attraction.
He suddenly understood something in his heart, if a woman's profile is beautiful, then she can be considered a real beauty.
The profile of this lady is very beautiful.
On this day, Hong Lucheng's subsequent behavior was somewhat abnormal.
He was originally able to answer questions and was very good at building relationships with customers, but he kept talking and only made the "eight-treasure furnace" stutter. His words were stuttered and his behavior was as clumsy as a different person. Compared with him, he had a fair face and a straight body.
, Mei Fengyi’s appearance is not proportional.
And I have to say that girls are very sensitive. The young lady seemed to sense something. She glanced at his face and instantly turned red.
Then she tasted a piece with extra reluctance, thanked her politely, and then turned away embarrassedly. Through the glass, she just concentrated on watching the rain on the street making blisters on the street.
The water under the eaves flowed into a line.
As for the other people in the room, the shopkeeper was concentrating on checking the accounts. Shou Jingfang and the maid were not distracted, chewing in confusion.
The two dishes of "Eight Treasures Crock-pot Stove" soon went into their stomachs.
When the rain stopped and the sky cleared, the lady bought two boxes of hibiscus cakes and saqima from the shop to take away as a reward for the hospitality.
But in addition to two foreign dollars, she also left Hong Lucheng with the feeling of lovesickness that "will ruin a lifetime and make you haggard, only for a few evenings."
The young lady's beautiful face was something that Hong Lucheng would never forget. For a long time, he almost always wrote words similar to "Pure as pure as a chrysanthemum in autumn".
I don’t know how many paintings I have painted with a background of steamed glass. In front of the glass there is the back of a beautiful woman, and of course there are three or two sand fruits or a sleeping cat, and even a twisted diseased plum.
From then on, he, who had always been immersed in his family business, became restless and began to go to Zhongshan Park and "Jinlan Zhai" frequently.
When he arrived at the shop and asked a few questions about the business, he would just sit in front of the glass window and look at the street scene in the distance. He would often drink a cup of tea completely into water. He would stare blankly at the "Eight Treasures Urn Stove" on the plate.
He didn't know what was wrong with him or what he should do. He just felt that other than this, it was even more difficult to explain the annoyance in his heart...
In fact, he knew very well that in this era when most personal marriages were only approved by parents, it was almost impossible for him to decide on his own marriage.
But it was this chance encounter, an unexpected coincidence, that made him desire his first desire for the opposite sex.
The longing and longing he had never experienced before made him begin to believe in the saying "a thousand miles of marriage is tied by a thread", which prompted him to start looking for the trace of the lady with a kind of stubborn persistence.
With only the hope of good luck and without knowing any relevant information about the young lady, he hoped that Yue Lao would tie the red thread between him and the young lady.
However, maybe fate is really destined, and who is in the same family as whom has already been arranged by fate. Hong Lucheng's immature hope actually changed because of his persistence.
As time passed, the shopkeeper of "Jin Lan Zhai" couldn't stand it anymore.
Seeing that Shaodong's family was getting thinner and gloomier, he actually understood why. So, he told the truth in private. He told Hong Lucheng the identity of the young lady, Wanyan Yunlin, the eldest lady of the East Mansion of the Wanyan family in Banmuyuan.
.
She also said that her father has passed away, and now she only has a widowed mother and one brother. Although she is a close relative of Wanyan Lixian's family in Xifu, they don't move around very much.
Just because the old lady Guarjia was born into a noble family, she was always decisive and clear in doing things, her self-esteem and self-confidence were full of violence and authority, she was not easy to communicate with, and the family tradition was extremely strict.
The shopkeeper's original intention was actually to say that the gap between the two families was too big. The Tianhuang noble family originally despised merchants, and now there was a barrier between the Hong family and the new rich. It would be difficult for the two families to become in-laws no matter what. He thought that he could
Let the young master change his mind and give up his good intentions.
But Hong Lucheng listened, and although he had some worries in his heart, he couldn't help but feel sad. On the contrary, he was extremely happy to know the whereabouts of Yi Ren, and then he made up his mind and tried his best to take the initiative to fight for his own happiness.
In this way, love at first sight, which seems a bit cliché nowadays but is quite real, really became a lifelong opportunity for Hong Lucheng and Wang Yunlin to hold hands.