Chapter 247

Another spring, tens of miles outside Dongdu City, when looking from a distance, one can see the towering city wall. At the foot of the city wall, there is a dragon protection river dozens of meters wide, with willows flying on both sides, visible to the eye. The door is decorated with blue and pink walls.

This outer city is under martial law and pedestrians are not allowed to approach.

People who want to enter the city must enter through other gates on both sides of Shuimen in the lower reaches of the Bian River.

Even though it is just a corner gate, it is larger and wider than the average county gate, and can accommodate two spacious carriages traveling side by side at the same time.

This place was crowded with people, and when we entered the city, we had to wait in line for a while before it was Xu Yi's turn to drive the donkey cart.

Yan Quyue and Ah Jin couldn't stand still. When they approached the city gate, they had already raised the curtain of the carriage and hung it on the copper hook.

The spring in Kyoto was full of greenery with a hint of coolness. They changed their clothes twice as they drove along. When there was snow, they would be delayed for several days and unable to travel. Later, when the weather gradually warmed up, they headed north again. They didn't put on their spring clothes until they were almost in Kyoto.

Several sellers pushing trucks selling food passed by the carriage. Ah Jin, who was lying on the window looking out, asked Yan Quyue next to him: "Madam, what are they selling? It smells so good."

"Me neither. I know." Yan Quyue also returned to Kyoto for the first time.

Before entering the city, I was already dazzled by the majestic and tall city walls.

How much horsepower was required to build such a high city wall? Such a huge project is almost unimaginable.

Xu Yi followed their gazes and looked over, thought for a moment, and said, "That's yellow cake eel. It's a seasonal food. If you want to try it, wait until we enter the city and ask A Xu to buy it."

After hearing this, It was a seasonal delicacy, and Yan Quyue and Ah Jin nodded in unison.

It was a good time for them to come to Kyoto. The weather was warm in spring and there were many delicious foods. After entering the city, there were many shops on both sides of the streets, offering all kinds of food and fruits. As far as the eye could see, there was a dazzling array of treasures from all directions.

It was just an ordinary street with two sides of the official road in the east water gate of the outer city. They were dazzled by the various sundries for sale.

A Xu drove the donkey cart slowly along the main street without any clue. After walking for a while, he caught a glimpse of the corner in front of him. He looked back and asked Xu Yi: "Mr. Lang, where should we go?"

Kyoto is too big.

They can't just wander around and look for places.

According to the letter sent by Xing Yuesen, it is best to find a better place to stay where Xing Yuesen lives.

But when I first arrived, I was completely unfamiliar with everything in Kyoto. It was not easy to find a suitable rental house in Yaxing.

So, Xu Yi said without hesitation: "Let's go

to the east wall of Zhuque Gate first." They are the residences of common people, as well as the residences of some low-ranking officials.

In a prosperous area where land is at a premium, if you want to install a spacious mansion, you need not only money, but also power.

The donkey cart shuttled back and forth through the streets lined with shops, detouring for several miles. It took some time to find the direction.

By the time they arrived outside Zhuque Gate, it was already noon.

The restaurant on the street outside was overcrowded and the noise was endless, but no one felt noisy or irritated. Instead, they looked at the restaurant with even more intense eyes.

Xu Yi said: "Axu, let's find a restaurant to have a meal first."

He had been on the road all morning, and his buttocks were almost numb from sitting there.

After hearing what he said, A Xu and Er Qing hurriedly found a nearby restaurant with no queue to park their cars.

The vehicle needed someone to look after it, so Erqing took the initiative to stay.

Xu Yi led others inside. Although there was no queue outside, it was packed with people inside. At this time, the shopkeeper saw the guests coming, waving his sweat towel over his shoulders, and came over to greet them with a smile: "What do you guests want to eat?"

"What good food do you have here?" Xu Yi asked him .

It seemed that this was the first time I had been back to their restaurant for dinner. The waiter looked at the few people who came in without leaving any trace, and saw that they must have a little money. His eyebrows jumped, and he quickly made a plan in his mind.

"We have a lot of food in our shop. Listen up, ladies and gentlemen, there are two cooked perilla fish, braised sheep with milk, lotus duck sticks... There are all kinds of fruits when steaming food and making seafood."

He said He named more than a dozen dishes in one breath, and just hearing the names made me want to have a piece of each one.

Yan Quyue tugged at Xu Yi's sleeves and whispered: "I want the cooked perilla duck and the lotus duck sticks."

She had never eaten these two dishes before.

Although she spoke in a low voice, the waiter was close enough to hear her clearly and said with a smile: "Madam, you have good taste. Our two dishes are both signature dishes. If you want to eat them, you have to eat them as soon as possible. If you are late, they will be gone."

Xu Yi didn't hesitate and asked for these two kinds of food, as well as a plate of white meat and two plates of biscuits.

The waiter asked if he wanted drinks, but Xu Yi waved his hand and refused.

There were customers eating at every table in the store, and there were even some people dining at the same table. Xu Yi couldn't find a good seat. The shopkeeper led them to wait for a while. When he saw someone leaving after eating and drinking, he led them over to sit down.

After waiting for about half an hour, the dishes they asked for were slowly brought out.

Xu Yi asked Ah Jin to pick some food onto a clean plate and carry it to Er Qing who was outside in the caboose. He didn't call for dinner until she came back empty-handed.

The twice-cooked perilla fish is very suitable for everyone's taste. The fresh fish meat has been marinated with perilla and fried on both sides until golden brown. The meat is delicious and fragrant when you eat it, and the unique rich aroma of perilla is in your mouth.

Another lotus duck dish is also very interesting. It is mainly made of duck meat, and then various other poultry meats are used to make the meat filling. The outside is wrapped with lard net to make a skin, wrapped into a skewer shape, and placed in a steamer. Steamed, then deep-fried until crispy on the outside. Because the shape is arranged in the shape of a lotus, the name of the lotus duck sign comes from this.

But this thing is fried food after all, and it is meat food. It tastes delicious and tempting, but it is greasy if you eat too much.

Later, Xu Yi asked the storekeeper to serve a few more cups of steamed pears and dates to relieve the tiredness.

After finishing the meal, Xu Yi called the storekeeper to pay the bill.

The shopkeeper said with a smile: "Have a good meal, sir. These cost five cents and thirty-eight cents in total."

Xu Yi: "..."

Others: "..."

It only cost them a few coins for a few dishes. Prices in Kyoto are also quite expensive.

Seeing their surprised expressions, the smile on the shopkeeper's face did not change at all, and he did not feel how expensive the price was.

A Xu took out his wallet with pain and reluctantly paid, and everyone came out of the restaurant with sighs on their faces.

Ah Jin said softly: "It is said that Kyoto is not a place for ordinary people to live. Today I have seen it."

Ah Xu nodded hurriedly and responded: "Let's save money along the way. I'm afraid all the money we save will be spent here. "

Axu is responsible for daily purchases. He is in charge of daily expenses. He knows the prices best. The prices of the few dishes just now have made him worry about his daily food expenses in the future.

If food alone is so expensive, wouldn't housing, transportation, and other sundries cost double the price?

Xu Yi listened to them, smiled slightly, and said: "The rent here is high, and the prices are naturally high."

Yan Quyue squeezed the money bag in her sleeve pocket. For the convenience of traveling, most of the money was exchanged for exchanges. Zihe Suiyin asked, "Should we go to Yanzhen Temple first?"

"Well, let's go there first." Xu Yi nodded towards her.

On the way just now, they inquired about the place Yanzhen Temple. From here, go to the entrance of the main alley and then go south, and after walking a few miles, you can see Yanzhen Temple, which is the place where Taoists and people from all over the world come to Beijing.

Yanzhen Temple is not small, and the people temporarily settled here live in the outer courtyard of the temple.

After the donkey cart entered the village, after walking for a while, you could see a row of compact low-rise houses. The little Taoist priest who received them was only in his teens, wearing a spacious Taoist robe and a gray-blue scarf tied on his forehead. He has clear features and bright eyes.

Looking at Xu Yi, who was two heads taller than him, he raised his little face and said: "The houses where believers are housed in the temple include Datongpu and single-family houses. Each person in Datongpu pays ten cents a day. Men and women live separately. A single-family house has a small courtyard in the back, and each family is paid two qian per day. "

Xu Yi and the others did not choose Datongpu, and directly asked for a single-family courtyard.

The yard is not big, with only three rooms and no independent toilet or kitchen.

Xu Yi asked the little Taoist priest after reading: "Where are you going to eat?"

The little Taoist priest said: "There is good food in the temple. You need to pay ten coins a day. There are only seasonal fruits and vegetables. If you want to eat well, you can go to the outer gate of the temple. , there are vendors selling all kinds of miscellaneous food during the morning market. "

The price is already very cost-effective. After saying that, the little Taoist priest said solemnly, "My name is Xuanyi. If you have anything you don't understand, you can come and ask me."

Xu Yi curled his lips and smiled: "Then I'll give you more trouble, Taoist Master Xuanyi." As he said that, he asked a lot of questions he didn't understand politely, and asked him to take him to the place where the carriages and horses were kept.

Guanli only provides sheds for parking cars and horses, and the sheds are unattended. Some businessmen coming to Beijing will bring their servants and slaves, and there are people guarding in front of each car to be wary of someone stealing it.

It seems they need to hire someone too.

However, they still don't know where the Yahang in Kyoto that hires manpower is.

The little Taoist priest Xuanyi said without hesitation: "There is a tooth line to the south of every city gate. You will know where it is if you ask."

After getting the answer, Xu Yi thanked the little Taoist priest again.

The little Taoist priest had other believers to receive, so after settling them, he left very quickly.

Watching him walk away, Xu Yi and his party were not in a hurry to move the boxes and belongings brought from the carriage into the small courtyard.

They only stayed in Yanzhen Temple for a short time and would not stay for a long time. They all moved to the small courtyard and then moved back again soon.

"Let's take a break first." Xu Yi ordered, "Me, A Xu and Er Qing will take turns watching the car. A Xu, you know the way well. Go to the south of the street and find out where Brother Xing's home is. I have the address here. , you go over with the greeting note I wrote."

"Okay, Sir, I'll go there right away." A Xu took the note and set off without any delay.

The rest was left to Xu Yi and Er Qing.

They moved the boxes and cages they needed from the carriage to the small yard. Ah Jin wanted to step forward to help, but Xu Yi stopped him.

"You talk to my wife," Xu Yi said.

...

On the other hand, Xing Yuesen received the news that Xu Yi was coming to Kyoto last month.

He had been waiting for more than half a month, but he still hadn't waited for Xu Yi to arrive in Kyoto. During this period, every day when he came home from the office, he would ask the concierge if he had received Xu Yi's message.

Today, Xing Yuesen was taking a break from work at home, and suddenly there was a noise in the courtyard outside the study.

Xing Yuesen walked out of the study with a solemn expression, and saw his eldest brother Xing Luyuan not doing homework, but dancing with a sword in the courtyard.

He frowned deeper and shouted displeasedly: "Brother Yuan, what are you doing?"

Xing Luyuan was startled when he heard the voice.

Oops, he disturbed his father. Xing Luyuan turned around with stiff shoulders, the hand holding the sword clenched nervously, and his mind was spinning rapidly, trying to find an excuse to excuse himself.

But he underestimated Xing Yuesen's majesty. How could he be so easily prevaricated by him in two or three sentences? He lowered his head and replied honestly: "Dad, I'm practicing my sword."

Xing Yuesen had a headache. His eldest son didn't like to study. I usually like to watch those generals playing with bows and swords. This year, I don’t know whose idea it was, so I secretly bought a sword and came back to practice.

He also said that he would participate in the competition at Kyoto Academy.

Xing Yuesen: "..."

He finally got admitted to Kyoto Academy, but instead of studying hard, he went to practice swordsmanship?

His fists were slightly firm, and his desire to beat his son became more and more serious.

It's a pity that Xing Luyuan doesn't know his father's love for boxing and he loves martial arts training deeply.

Xing Yuesen pinched his irritated eyebrows: "I heard from your college's teaching assistant that your college will take the Imperial College exam this year, and the top three students can enter the Imperial College. Why do you practice swordsmanship here if you don't read books?"

Xing Luyuan His scalp was numb, and he whispered back: "... I have finished studying all my homework." Xing

Yuesen raised his eyebrows: "Then I will study it twice more." "Dad, you have so much homework, do you need to read it twice?" Xing Yuesen sneered: "You have time to practice swordsmanship? No time to read it?" Li, I planned to go back to the house to warm up my books. Seeing his son's look, Xing Yuesen's eyebrows jumped: "Come back." "Dad, is there anything else?" Xing Luyuan came back without knowing why. Xing Yuesen said: "Wen has finished reading and can go practice sword practice."

After saying that, he didn't even look at his son's smiling face. I secretly and helplessly thought that being a father is not easy. I was afraid that it would not be good for him to be restrained all the time, and I was also afraid that he would be too indulgent and harm the child.

His brother Yuan is also a young scholar.

It would be a pity to abandon literature and martial arts. Judging from the past few years, Xing Yuesen had a vague feeling that the man in the court had been secretly suppressing those high-ranking generals.

Martial arts is not a good way out.

...

At the same time, a tall young man wearing a cloth shirt came towards the Xing family's mansion with a post in his hand.