Chapter 9
Tianhua Street, located at the foot of the emperor, is also very lively today.
Ever since word spread that Princess Jingrou was hosting a flower fair, clothing and jewelry shops had been packed daily. Many young ladies from official families and noble families were meticulously preparing, hoping to showcase their best selves at the event and find their ideal husband.
Today was Liang He's second time staying with Fu Jinwan. Originally, Fu Yuanshi was also going to go with them, but the third daughter of the Fu family suddenly came to visit. After receiving a message from the servant, Fu Yuanshi hurried back.
Fu Xiu, the third daughter of the old lady of the Fu family, is a domineering sister-in-law and also Li Junlian's close friend. She often stands up for Li Junlian and makes Liu Xiaoxiao angry.
When Liang He and the other two had already arrived at Xianhua Pavilion, Fu Yuanshi hurried back after receiving the news. Moreover, considering Fu Xiu's temper and his dislike for Liu Xiaoxiao, she also took Fu Jinchu with her. Thinking of this, Fu Yuanshi asked Fu Jinwan and Liang He to stay.
Liang He paused as he watched the carriages depart. The Fu family's carriage was heading back, while the carriages of the other young ladies from the official families were heading towards Xianhua Pavilion.
Liang He and Fu Jinwan watched the carriage leave. Inside, Yuan Jing sighed, "The letter said that Fu Xiu returned to the Fu family this time and brought her daughter Zhang Pianran with her. Besides visiting Old Madam Fu, she must have come for this flower show as well."
Fu Xiu had married Zhang Huihao, the then top scholar in the imperial examination. Her future was promising, but a year later, the previous emperor suddenly passed away, and the new emperor ascended the throne. The new emperor oversaw a major restructuring of the court, and Zhang Huihao was appointed an official in Liangzhou. The family relocated from the capital to Liangzhou.
The flower show hosted by Princess Jingrou this time was extremely grand, and all the unmarried noblemen and ladies in the capital were invited.
Fu Xiu brought his daughter here not only to pay a visit to Old Madam Fu, but also with the obvious intention of choosing a good marriage for Zhang Pianran.
"This Miss Fu is also someone who is unwilling to accept the status quo. She has lived in the prosperity of the capital since she was a child, accustomed to fine clothes and delicious food. She must be unhappy living in the countryside. Now she has brought Miss Zhang here. If she can find a young man from an aristocratic family or a nobleman of the royal family through this flower show, she won't have to marry into the countryside. Her status and position will be different."
Nanny He was sitting next to Yuan Jing. She heard her young lady's sigh and knew what she was sighing about.
"Yes, the capital is a good place, prosperous and wealthy. But Liangzhou is not bad either. I can't bear to let my Jinwan marry so far away. If someone bullies her, I, as her mother, can stand up for her." Yuan Jing couldn't help but think of Fu Jinwan. Fu Jinwan's wedding ceremony was coming soon, and her marriage was not far away.
When Yuan Jing thought of this, she felt depressed.
The carriage continued to move forward until it arrived at the Fu Mansion.
——
On the other side, in Xianhua Pavilion, groups of people came and went. Some women who bought satisfactory jewelry left happily, while some women who did not get the jewelry they liked left dejectedly.
As soon as Liang He and Fu Jinwan walked in, someone came to lead them to the second floor.
On the second floor, there are several separate rooms filled with the latest accessories from Xianhua Pavilion. Many prominent young ladies from prominent families have come today, and even the head of Xianhua Pavilion, Ren Da, has come out to greet and introduce them, not to mention the other heads of the shop.
"Miss Fu San, Miss Fu Er, Xianhua Pavilion has recently produced many new pieces of jewelry, and they are absolutely unique. Today, we have the last two new pieces left, one for Hua Wu and the other for Hua Yu."
The person who greeted Liang He and the others was the fourth shopkeeper of Xianhua Pavilion, whose surname was Zhang. All the shopkeepers in Xianhua Pavilion, whether they were the chief shopkeeper Ren or the other five shopkeepers, were referred to as shopkeepers in Xianhua Pavilion, with their surnames added for distinction.
Shopkeeper Zhang spoke as he opened the jewelry boxes named Hua Wu and Hua Yu. In the center of the Hua Wu jewelry box was a translucent white hairpin with a hint of green. The pattern was a simple bamboo leaf, elegant and simple. Also in the same jewelry box was a pair of white pearl earrings.
In another jewelry box called "Flower Rain", when you open it, you can see a pink and white gardenia-shaped hairpin and a pair of light white jade earrings.
When Liang He saw the gardenia hairpin, he thought that the original owner had many such hairpins.
Fu Jinwan saw the gardenia hairpin and then looked at Liang He. Without dwelling on Liang He for too long, she said to Shopkeeper Zhang, "Then let's take these two. We also happen to like them."
"Do you like it, second sister? I see you seem to buy gardenia hairpins often, and it seems you have collected every color. You must like them very much." Fu Jinwan turned to Liang He and said.
Fu Jinwan had some vague memories from her childhood that Madam Liu seemed to often wear a gardenia hairpin.
I also vaguely remember my mother saying that when Fu Jinchu was fifteen years old and came to school, she gave him a green hairpin carved from the jade that she brought as a dowry. It was a gardenia hairpin as a birthday gift.
I remember Fu Jinwan asked why it was gardenia and not other styles?
At that time, Fu Yuanshi replied that she had specifically researched what Fu Jinchu liked. After all, she was adopted by her and was her daughter, so a mother always had to understand her daughter's preferences.
Fu Jinwan remembered that at that time she felt that her mother was partial to her, but she was not jealous. She also felt that Fu Jinchu was quite pitiful because he had no mother.
However, her mother's kindness to her was not as good as a few words from outsiders.
Fu Jinwan looked at Liang He, whose emotions were indistinguishable. When she looked at her, Liang He smiled gently at her.
At this moment, Fu Jinwan's face turned cold, and she looked out the window with an indifferent expression, trying to divert her emotions. Because she didn't want to see her and Fu Jinchu really become enemies in the future.
Liang He watched Fu Jinwan turn away from her, the smile on her face faltering. She was about to reply that she liked him, but before she could say anything, Fu Jinwan's expression changed. But then she thought of something else and didn't care anymore.
Shopkeeper Zhang, who was watching the two sisters getting along, was not surprised. He had heard and seen a lot of the inner-house struggles among the royal family and nobles.
So, in this comparison, the Xu family's inner house is the most harmonious, even though they are a bit overbearing.
Seeing Fu Jinwan so straightforward, Manager Zhang quickly asked someone to hand over "Flower Dance" and "Flower Rain". Chu Lan and Chu Li paid the silver and took them.
"Hahaha! Miss Fu San is the most straightforward person I have ever met!" The other ladies would have to pick at least one day.
Shopkeeper Zhang did not say the last sentence because the eldest daughter of the Xu family who was still choosing had not left yet.
Xu Yin, the eldest daughter of the Xu family, somehow became interested in women's jewelry. A few days ago, she rushed in wearing a red robe, and since that day, she has been coming here all the time, but she just couldn't find anything she was satisfied with.
Zhang, the shopkeeper, had always been devoted to Xu Yin and allowed her to "order" him. When Xu Yin wanted the old jewelry, he found it in the attic on the third floor. However, Xianhua Pavilion had a lot of old jewelry, and instead of destroying it, they kept it in the attic.
While helping to move the old jewelry Xu Yin wanted, Shopkeeper Zhang suffered a relapse of his back injury. When Xu Yin arrived today, Shopkeeper Ren learned of the situation and personally received him.
Liang He and Fu Jinwan were sent to the door by Manager Zhang. They had only taken one carriage when they came, and the carriage that was going to take Fu Yuanshi back had not arrived yet.
"Wanwan, where are we going? The carriage hasn't arrived yet, why don't we find a place to sit for a while?"
Liang He looked around to see if there was an inn or someplace to rest. He saw the Tianhua Restaurant in the distance, located to the right and front of Xianhua Pavilion. But it seemed quite crowded, coming and going.
Liang He wanted to find another one and saw a "Ji Qing Restaurant" opposite Tianhua Restaurant. Liang He thought the environment there should be good and there would be relatively fewer people, so it should be good too.
Just as he was about to ask Fu Jinwan if she was going, the system's voice suddenly rang out, "Xiao Hezi, Xiao Hezi! Song Ji, Song Ji is inside. This trip was not in vain."
The system's voice suddenly rang out. Liang He originally wanted to ask which restaurant Fu Jinwan went to, but just as he was about to say it, the system spoke again: "Song Ji is at Tianhua Restaurant."
Liang He knew what was going on, so he said to Fu Jinwan, "Wanwan, there's a Jiqing Restaurant up ahead. Should we go sit there for a while?"
"Besides, I'm hungry."
Liang He looked at Fu Jinwan expectantly, and Fu Jinwan felt embarrassed to keep a straight face towards her. She just uttered "hmm" and let Liang He hold her hand and walk over.
Tianhua Restaurant was owned by the richest businessman in the capital. This businessman was very mysterious and did not reveal much information. No outsiders had ever seen him. All we knew was that his surname was Shen and his given name was Jinsheng.
Liang He took Fu Jinwan to the entrance of Tianhua Restaurant. The restaurant was three stories high, and lanterns were hung on the eaves of each floor. From a distance, the lanterns on each floor seemed to be red, but they were different when viewed up close. The first floor was bright red, the second floor was dark red, and the third floor was red-orange. Moreover, each lantern had a different style when viewed separately.
Therefore, Tianhua Restaurant is also called "Lantern Drunk", which has the same name as the most famous wine in the restaurant.
The unique layout of Tianhua Restaurant has attracted many restaurants to imitate it, but only Jiqing Restaurant across the street has made a name for itself.
Liang He pulled Fu Jinwan inside. As soon as they entered, they found the restaurant on the first floor full of people. Seeing that Liang He and Fu Jinwan were dressed simply, but their overall temperament was outstanding, the waiter tactfully led them to the private room on the second floor.
"Miss, please come in. We have a lot of guests today, so there should be room in the private room on the second floor. I'll take you in right away."
As the waiter spoke, he introduced the restaurant's special dishes.
"The most famous dishes in our restaurant are the Lantern Drunken Chicken and Lantern Drunk. Would you two ladies like to try them?"
The waiter took them to a seat at the innermost part of the second floor and cut tea for them.
Liang He sat with his back to the door. Seeing this, Fu Jinwan went around to the position opposite Liang He.
After asking Fu Jinwan's opinion, Liang He ordered the signature dishes mentioned by the waiter: a serving of lantern-drunken chicken, a serving of corn and pork rib soup, a serving of jasmine cake, and a serving of drunken vegetables.
After we ordered the dishes, the waiter left.
Liang He and Fu Jinwan sat face to face, each thinking about their own things.
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