After leaving Gushan, Xu Yan and his party entered Hangzhou City from Yongjin Gate.
Yongjin Gate has a fascinating story. Legend has it that during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, King Qian Yuanjin of Wuyue diverted water from West Lake into the city, excavated the Yongjin Pond, and built the gate. Legend has it that this gate is named after the place where a golden bull emerged from the lake.
As the only way to travel from Hangzhou City to West Lake, the area around Yongjin Gate is extremely prosperous.
Yongjin Gate not only has a dry gate, but also a water gate.
There are rows of restaurants and shops inside and outside the city, cruise ships and cargo ships coming and going in an endless stream, and the pier is bustling with people, which reminds Xu Yan of Zhang Zeduan's "Along the River During the Qingming Festival".
Xu Yan was in high spirits and recited a poem: "Long battlements connect to the clear water, where the water and sky merge into one; tall buildings connect to the bustling city, where the fireworks of thousands of homes are surrounded."
After hearing this, Xu Wei silently recited: "Long battlements connect to the clear waves, watching the water and sky merge into one; tall buildings connect to the bustling city, surrounded by the fireworks of thousands of homes... The young master's casual words are peerless and beautiful. It would be a pity if he did not become a poet or lyricist of this dynasty."
Xu Yan smiled and said, "It's just a matter of emotion. By the way, Brother Wen, what do you think about opening a bookstore in Yongjinmen?"
Xu Wei's eyes lit up when he heard this.
"Xu also had the same idea. Outside the Yongjin Gate lies the small Yingzhou Island, where the Cold Food Festival is even more romantic. Red boats fill the lake with singing and music, and beyond the flowers stands a tall building.
On a warm sunny day, with light mist floating, one can enjoy oneself freely. Three thousand beauties, twelve railings, and a cloud."
After Xu Wei finished reciting the poem, he said leisurely, "Such a beautiful place should have some literary atmosphere."
Xu Yan nodded and said, "In that case, let's go and see if there is a suitable shop."
Yongjin Gate is extremely prosperous, with all kinds of shops standing side by side, including the Yahang (traders' shops).
Xu Yan found a 'Jinhan Dental Clinic' and strode in when he saw that it was doing real estate business.
Xu Wei and Shuangxi followed closely behind.
The owner of this pawnshop was a thin man in his forties with a goatee on his chin, who looked extremely shrewd.
Seeing that Xu Yan was dressed like a rich young man, he walked towards him with a smile.
"Sir, please come in quickly. Lingzi, please serve the tea."
Xu Yan looked around and found that the shop was not big. The limited space was basically filled with various cabinets.
The old shopkeeper saw that Xu Yan was very curious and thought that he must be a playboy. He had already made up his mind to make a lot of money from him.
"Are you here to buy property?"
He said this with great care.
As the saying goes, you should tell the truth to people and tell lies to ghosts. Just based on Xu Yan's silk shirt and the jade pendant tied around his waist, he could buy a house. Such a noble young man certainly wasn't here to rent a house.
If he really mentioned renting a house, Xu Yan would definitely run away. Wouldn't that be a slap in the face?
"In that case, I wonder if you want to buy a villa or a shop?"
"I want both."
Xu Yan said domineeringly.
The old shopkeeper was already beaming with joy. Oh, this is really the case that if business doesn't come to him, it will come in pairs.
He hadn't opened the store yet today, but he didn't expect to get a big order as soon as he opened.
He swallowed his saliva and said with a smile, "Young Master is truly a wonderful person. In that case, why don't we go look at other businesses first?"
Xu Yan nodded and let the old shopkeeper introduce him.
"Since it's a second home, you must buy one near West Lake. The only suitable places to live north of West Lake are around Yulian Pavilion and Xiling Bridge. But there are too many temples there—Zhaoqing Temple, Dafotou Temple, Zhiguo Temple, and Manou Temple—and I'm afraid they'll disturb your peace and quiet. The west is quieter, but lacks the bustle of West Lake. West Lake Middle Road is quite nice, though. The area around Qinlou, Pianshiju, and Shijintang is beautiful and has a great environment. Are you interested?"
The old shopkeeper worked hard to sell the house, probably because the houses in this area were the most profitable, and countless rich young men had bought villas here.
Unexpectedly, Xu Yan refused outright: "Forget about this generation. It's too close to Lonely Mountain."
He thought to himself that he had finally bought a villa to live in peace and quiet, and now buying one to be near Mr. Qian was just asking for trouble.
The old shopkeeper groaned inwardly, this young man had so many demands.
But he didn't want to miss such a fortune, so he had to continue flipping through the room list.
After looking for a long time, he suddenly came across a suitable house and was overjoyed. "I got it! There's a house at the foot of Santai Mountain, west of Yanggong Dike. Not only is the environment quiet and peaceful, it's also very close to West Lake. Young Master, you may not know this, but the Inner West Lake has a unique charm compared to the Outer Lake. Moreover, the Inner and Outer West Lakes are connected, and there's a small pier not far from this house. Young Master, you can go boating on the lake with your beloved. When you're tired, you can recite poems under the moon or play the zither by the window. It's a wonderful experience! Isn't it!"
The old shopkeeper was so excited that his spit almost sprayed on Xu Yan's face.
Xu Yan frowned and said, "Is it really as good as you say?"
Seeing this, the old shopkeeper patted his chest and said, "Jinhan Dental Clinic never brags. The houses we introduce are all real. If you are interested, I can take you to see the house now."
Xu Yan was really moved.
According to the old shopkeeper, this villa should be located on the south side of Santai Mountain, roughly where Santai Dream Trail is located. Later, Xu Yan had visited that place and it was indeed a first-class secluded place, rarely visited even by many Hangzhou locals.
The most important thing is that it is very close to West Lake, which is the kind of place that offers peace and quiet in the midst of bustling city.
"I'll go take a look at this house when I have time. But Yanggong Dike is too far from here, so you should first introduce the shops. After we've seen the shops, it won't be too late to look at other properties."
Xu Yan didn't want to go back and forth and take the detour, so it would be better for him to stick to the principle of proximity and choose a bookstore first.
The old shopkeeper quickly responded, "You are absolutely right, sir. I wonder which shop you would like to buy?"
Xu Yan said calmly, "The one near Yongjin Gate is good."
The old shopkeeper nodded and said, "Sir, how big a shop do you want, and what will it be used for?"
"Selling books."
"The young master is indeed an elegant man."
The old shopkeeper quickly looked through the house list and soon picked out a shop.
"This shop is on the north side of Hanyun Street. It has a huge frontage and a large courtyard. Since you want to open a bookshop, you will definitely need to print books, so a shop with a courtyard is perfect for you."
Xu Yan thought to himself, "Every man has his own specialty." The old shopkeeper was able to find a shop that met the customer's needs in such a short time. He really had something special.
"In that case, take us to have a look."
The old shopkeeper also noticed that Xu Yan was the one who had the final say among the three, and immediately said with a smile: "This shop is very close, we can just walk there."
After saying this, the old shopkeeper took the key and walked ahead, followed closely by Xu Yan and others.
Just as he said, the shop was very close to the pawnshop, only about a hundred steps away.
Arriving at the door, Xu Yan took a quick glance and had a good first impression, so he turned to Xu Wei and asked, "Brother Wen, what do you think?"
"It has a good orientation and is quite prosperous this time. It's a good shop."
Xu Wei, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke.
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