In the water towns of the south of the Yangtze River, rivers crisscross each other and people travel mostly by water.

There are several large and small docks in Hangzhou City, and the three largest docks are near Wulin Gate, Yongjin Gate and Qiantang Gate respectively.

Wulinmen Wharf is located in the northwest of the city and is connected to the Jiangnan Grand Canal. It is the only waterway for people traveling from the south to the north. Because the thousand-year-old Xiangji Temple is not far from here, this wharf is also called Xiangji Temple Wharf.

Yongjinmen Wharf is located in the west of the city, beside the West Lake, and is an important road to Taihu Lake, Lin'an and other places.

Qiantangmen Pier is located between Xiangji Temple Pier and Yongjinmen Pier. There are many temples nearby, with incense smoke curling up all year round and pilgrims flocking in. It is said to be "the incense basket outside Qiantangmen".

Yu Tang and his crew's passenger ship docked at Yongjinmen Pier.

They had to disembark here and either transfer to a small awning boat or hire a sedan chair to go into the city.

Taking a boat is much cheaper than taking a sedan chair, and it is also much more comfortable. You can also see the scenery along the way. The only downside is that it takes longer than taking a sedan chair. Fortunately, Yu Wen and his friends planned to stay in Hangzhou for a few more days, so they had a lot of free time. He decided to take a black-covered boat into the city early in the morning.

Perhaps it was because he had stayed on the boat for too long, when he got off the boat, Yu Tang's legs felt weak and he felt like he was shaking all over.

Yu Yuan supported her and pointed to a man selling big bowls of tea under a big locust tree in front and said, "Would you like to have a cup of tea and rest for a while?"

The dock was crowded with people, shouting, hawking, calling, and clamoring, each sound louder than the last, so noisy and bustling that it gave one a headache.

"No need!" Yu Tang said tiredly, "Let's go to the inn quickly!"

Once at the inn, she could have a good rest.

Yu Yuan nodded.

Yu Tang took the opportunity to look around the pier.

The bluestone steps are thick and solid, the hole-free arch bridge is beautiful and quiet, and the river is filled with all kinds of boats.

She didn't see the Pei family's boat.

Yu Wen had already contacted a black-covered boat, and for five cents a person, he would be sent to Ruyi Inn next to Xiaohe Street.

He said, "When I come to Hangzhou, I usually stay there. It's cheap and clean, the boss is nice, and the food is delicious."

Yu Tang and Yu Yuan nodded and followed Yu Wen onto the awning boat.

The boat girl served them some refreshments.

Yu Tang couldn't help but whisper to Yu Yuan, "The Pei family's boat should have arrived before us, how come we didn't see it?"

Yu Yuan laughed and teased her, "Didn't you say that even if you looked at it a few more times, it was someone else's boat? Why are you concerned about their boat too?"

Yu Tang was so angry that he said, "Forget it."

Yu Yuan laughed softly a few more times before saying, "They probably entered the city from Wulin Gate."

Yu Tang was puzzled.

Yu Yuan said: "The Xiangji Temple Pier leads to Taohua River in the inner city. They were sailing a two-masted ship, so they should have entered the city directly."

It is comfortable to have your own boat.

Yu Tang curled his lips.

Yu Yuan pointed to the riverside houses and weeping willows on both sides and asked her to look at them: "Beautiful, right?"

Willow leaves drooped like green silk on the river surface, vines covered the riverside houses, colorful flowers bloomed beside the stone tables and bamboo chairs, and kohlrabi and bamboo shoots were drying on the roof terrace. Little girls and boys in flowery clothes were playing shuttlecock and cricket at the door, and there were peddlers carrying baskets and selling "peanut crisps" and "embroidery scissors".

"Very beautiful!" Yu Tang was fascinated by the sight.

Yu Yuan said enviously: "It would be great if we could move here, business would definitely be better."

Isn't it "a person who leaves his hometown and becomes a pariah"?

Having lived two lives, Yu Tang never knew that Yu Yuan could be so courageous.

Was it because his past life was too difficult for him to think about it? Or was it because she was too busy to know?

Yu Tang's smile faded little by little.

Yu Yuan was still talking excitedly while looking at the scenery on both sides of the river: "When I first came to Hangzhou with my father, I thought it was a good place. Even if I was selling dried fish, I had more customers than we did. Our place is still too isolated. The same people come and go, and they talk about the same things all the time..."

Yu Tang listened quietly and drank a cup of tea slowly.

The awning boats docked at the shore. On both sides were shops with three to five storefronts. The tall signs were either embroidered with gold threads or inlaid with silver threads. Most of the pedestrians on the street were dressed in silks and satins and had servants with them. The whole street looked bright and gorgeous.

But where is the Ruyi Inn?

When Yu Wen was paying the bill, Yu Tang was holding the bag and looking around.

Then, a sign with a large word "Dang" written on one side and the word "Pei" embroidered in gold thread underneath was prominently imprinted in her eyes.

Yu Tang was dumbfounded.

Is this Pei’s pawnshop?

Isn’t it said to be in some Fangren place in Shiyao River?

Aren’t they going to Xiaohe Yu Street?

So where is she?

Yu Tang hurriedly pulled Yu Wen's sleeve, pointed at the Pei family's sign and said, "Dad, look!"

Yu Wen, however, didn't seem to be surprised. He smiled and said to her, "You have sharp eyes. That's the Pei family's pawnshop. It's a pity that the shopkeeper Tong is not here, otherwise I would take you to visit him later."

So what are they here for?

Yu Tang's eyes widened.

Yu Wen reacted.

He laughed loudly and said, "Silly girl, the river in front of us is called Shiyao River, and the road we are standing on is called Xiaoheyu Road. The area where Pei's pawnshop is located is called Fangrenli. Do you see the small alley next to the pawnshop? From there to our side, it is Jishanli. Ruyi Inn is in that alley."

In other words, they lived behind Pei's pawnshop.

Yu Tang was furious.

How come she keeps running into people named Pei everywhere when she arrives in Hangzhou?

Yu Wen thought his daughter's appearance was very interesting, so he pointed to a bookstore next to the Pei family's pawnshop and said, "See it? That's also owned by the Pei family. And the shops selling antiques, rouge and powder, and wigs next to it are all their shops - Fangrenli, Jishanli, and the neighboring Ziwafang and Dingminju are all theirs."

Then where is not their home?

Yu Tang asked, "Does the third master of the Pei family also live here?"

"How is that possible?" Yu Wen laughed, "They have a separate courtyard in Fenghuang Mountain, and they also have houses near Qingbo Gate, Meijia Bridge, and Mingqing Temple. However, since they entered the city from Xiangji Temple Pier, they are either living in the separate courtyard near Fenghuang Mountain or in the house near Meijia Bridge."

Yu Yuan was surprised and asked, "How did you know this, uncle? This is the first time I've heard of it."

Yu Wen said with some pride: "It was Shopkeeper Tong who told me. Shopkeeper Tong said that the houses near Meijia Bridge and Qingbo Gate belong to Mr. Pei San. They were left to him by his maternal ancestors. They are not the property of the Pei family."

Yu Yuan was surprised and asked, "Whose daughter is Mrs. An from the Pei family?"

"The girl from Qiantang's Qian family." Yu Wen said, "The one with the surname Wu Yueguo, Qian."

Among the four major surnames in Jiangnan, the Qian family is the largest.

Yu Yuan asked, "Didn't the ancestors of the Third Master of the Pei Family have sons?"

"It is said that there was a son who died of illness before he reached the age of twenty." Yu Wen said, "Although he later adopted a nephew, half of the family's property was given to Old An as a dowry, and the other half was divided among his grandchildren and nephews. When the old lady of the Qian family passed away, the eldest and second grandfathers of the Pei family had already started families. Only the third grandfather Pei was young. The old lady of the Qian family was afraid that the third grandfather Pei would suffer a loss when he proposed marriage, so she left a lot of property to him."

"Wow!" Yu Yuan said with stars in his eyes, "This is really the case that the emperor values ​​the eldest son and the people love the youngest son. Master Pei San is so lucky!"

"Who said it wasn't true?" Yu Wen and Yu Yuan were chatting. "Shopkeeper Tong said that the house near Meijia Bridge has more than a hundred servants, and the house near Qingbo Gate is even bigger. Usually no one lives there, and it costs a lot to maintain these two houses. Moreover, the expenses are all managed by the Third Elder of the Pei Family himself, which shows that the Third Elder of the Pei Family also has his own industries. But where are these industries? How much are there? No one knows. Because of this, when the old lady of the Pei Family was alive, the eldest branch of the Pei Family always suspected that the old lady of the Pei Family had secretly bought private properties for the Third Elder of the Pei Family..."

Yu Yuan said: "If it were me, I would also be suspicious. How old is the third elder of the Pei family..."

Anyway, the Pei family is very rich!

Yu Tang has become numb.

She didn't want to talk.

Following her father, after many twists and turns, when they arrived at Ruyi Inn, Yu Tang lost all her curiosity. She followed the waiter and went directly to her room. She didn't even look at Ruyi Inn carefully, but fell asleep on the bed.

It was Yu Yuan who woke her up: "Uncle said he would take us to Beiguan Night Market. You should change your clothes quickly. Uncle said we will leave in a quarter of an hour."

Yu Tang had never been to a night market in her life. She finally perked up a little, changed into a short jacket, wrapped her hair, and went out with her father and brother.

It was almost dusk as they headed north, but the number of people on the road increased instead of decreasing.

Yu Yuan told her: "We are going to Wulin Gate. Beimen Night Market is just outside Wulin Gate."

They won’t meet Pei Yan, right?

Yu Tang asked, "Is this the only night market in Hangzhou?"

"There are several night markets in Hangzhou, but the night market in the north is the most famous." Yu Yuan smiled, "Most people who come to Hangzhou will go there for a stroll. But if you have lived in Hangzhou for a long time, you will like to go to the night market in Xiaoheyu Street. There are fewer people there and the things are more expensive. The Beiguan Night Market is mostly visited by merchants traveling from south to north or people on ships."

Yu Wen, who was walking in front, heard what Yu Yuan said, "It's mainly because you've never been here, and I want you to see it. Girl, you won't be as free as you are now after you get married. Try to walk as much as possible while you can. You need to have experience to have courage. Tomorrow, I'll take you to the night market on Xiaohe Street. I'll show you the difference between the two night markets."

Someone like Pei Yan, even if he wants to go to the night market, he should go to Xiaoheyou Street Night Market, right?

Yu Tang became interested and asked his father with a smile: "What's delicious at Beiguan Night Market?"

Yu Wen smiled and said, "Guan Sanniang's grilled fish, Wang Po's sweet-scented osmanthus wine-brewed dumplings, Tang Ersha's steamed cakes... there are plenty. Just don't eat too much."

Yu Tang said: "Bring Mom with you next time!"

Yu Wen smiled and said, "Your mother came here twice when I was just married. Later, your mother was not in good health, so I didn't dare to bring her home. As for you, I was afraid that your mother would worry, so I didn't take you out very often."

The three of them chatted and laughed as they walked out of Wulin Gate.

Yu Tang didn't expect that Beiguan Night Market was so far from where they lived, and his feet were sore from walking there.

Yu Yuan looked at the crowd that couldn't even squeeze in, and after searching for a long time, he finally found a restaurant with seats. He discussed with Yu Wen: "Shall we take a break first?"

Yu Wen hesitated and whispered, "They have such a good business but there are not many people at home. It must be that the food is not tasty. How about we go a little further?"

They can't just sit in someone else's place without ordering anything, right?

Yu Tang thought so too, but just as she was about to speak, she looked up and saw Pei Yan and Zhou Zijin standing next to the restaurant.