Chapter 10 Chapter 10 The Lost and Found Gold Hairpin
The ladies of each family were talking about it. They only knew that several doors were sealed and had no idea what had happened. Officials of all ranks could not get out. They thought it must be a serious matter, so they all detained the people they brought with them.
Now the door is sealed and we can't go out. At noon, the sun is very strong, so we can only hide under the eaves or in the shade of trees. This makes the place even more lively, and everyone is guessing what has happened.
When Baozhu and Rong reunited with their family, they were pulled over and asked whether they had found Chai and whether anything had happened. Baozhu just shook her head and said that she had not found Chai and was afraid of causing trouble. She also mentioned the questioning she had just received from the inspector. After hearing what Baozhu said, Baorong naturally did not mention anything else.
I thought the delay would last a long time, but unexpectedly, several doors in the garden were opened in less than half an hour. I guess the inspector has found the thief.
As soon as the door was opened, many people wanted to go out, and the whole family squeezed out. The rented carriage was still waiting outside. The Zhen and Dong families got on the carriage and went to Fanlou.
The table was booked long ago, and as soon as the guests arrived, they started ordering dishes. This was a housewarming party. The house had been bought, and they just had to clean it up and move in.
They chatted like this, and as soon as the carriage stopped, they arrived at the restaurant.
This Fanlou is indeed the most famous restaurant in Bianjing City. Some dishes cost several strings of cash for a small plate. However, the dishes are indeed exquisite. Zhen's father has been cooking for many years since he was able to do so. One can tell from just one look and taste that even a dish of cabbage has a very complex soup. Both the Zhen and Dong families are from Suzhou, and they ordered half southern dishes and half northern dishes on the table.
Baozhu took a careful look and saw that Fanlou was also hiring cooks, waiters and waitresses. The salary was not specified, but seeing how busy they were, she thought the salary should be quite high.
Zhen's father naturally saw it as well. He thought of coming to ask about it tomorrow. He had just bought a house and was short of money. He couldn't delay finding a job. If this one didn't work out, the last southern food restaurant was also recruiting a chef. He couldn't let the whole family go hungry if he had such great skills.
Dalang originally wanted to find a job as a cook in a restaurant or a hotel, but today he saw countless vendors outside. If the vendors didn't make any money, there wouldn't be so many. He thought this small business could also make money, so he planned to partner with Baozhu to set up a small stall first.
Baozhu had some ideas in mind, but she was too busy to set up a stall for the time being.
Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, and the school has suspended classes for one day. The two families are sitting in the private rooms, which are full.
The wine on the table was specially bought from the wine shop. Dong Hengzhi was a very well-educated man. He first offered a glass of wine and congratulated them, then said,
"Today I won the prize in the dragon boat race, and I was given two pieces of brocade and two pieces of silk. I will send them to my uncle's house as a housewarming gift from his nephew."
Zhen's father couldn't help but praise him for being sensible.
After lunch, my aunt went back with Grandma Zhen first, and my second brother went back to school to review his lessons.
Since the house was transferred, the whole family has been cleaning up. The well in the yard had not been used for a long time and had some branches, leaves and dust accumulated on it, so they hired a well cleaner to clean it out.
There weren't many old furniture in the house originally, so the children had been running around the city these days. If they could find any old ones, they would buy them. The price was more than half the price. After cleaning them, they would move back home. Only if they couldn't find any old ones would they go to a shop to buy new ones.
Baozhu and her daughter wanted to go to the street again to see if they could buy some good ones to use for the time being. They didn't dare touch the money at home, but the furniture had not been purchased yet. In addition to what they had already bought and the cabinets and countertops they had bought from the shop, Baozhu and her daughter still needed a dressing table and a doily. Xu asked someone to buy two more boxes and chests. Dalang originally planned to go with Xu to the new house near the Imperial College to clean up, but Xu said she was afraid that the two sisters would not be able to lift the things, so she asked Dalang to go with them.
During the meal, Uncle Dong learned that Father Zhen wanted to inquire about the recruitment of a chef for Fanlou. After the meal, he called Father Zhen to go with him to discuss the matter with the head manager of Fanlou. He worked in the Guanglu Temple and usually dealt with food and drink, so naturally he had some friendship with the head manager. Father Zhen had been cooking southern dishes for more than ten years, and it was a skill passed down from his ancestors. It would be best if there was an acquaintance to say hello. Even without Uncle Dong's introduction, this matter might still be accomplished.
After Baozhu and Dalang left Fanlou, they went back to the street outside Jinmingchi. The area around Jinmingchi has been very lively these days. They had seen enough of the hustle and bustle in the morning and did not go there in the afternoon. This time they came to check out the stalls outside.
Dalang was still holding the colored paper that Grandma Zhen had used to bet on when winning or losing. Grandma Zhen had just won a prize, and she had asked Dalang to claim the prize.
The old lady bet that the inspector would be the first, and it was only then that Baozhu learned that the inspector's name was Pei Yanqing. Many people bet on him to win the first prize, so the odds were not high. Grandma Zhen only bet on two strings of silver, but she also spent eight strings of silver to bet that Hengzhi's cousin would be the second. Fortunately, the old lady bet correctly. In total, she spent ten strings of silver and got sixty strings in return.
It is easy to guess the first place, but it is a bit difficult to guess the second place, because outsiders only think that those scholars are not capable of rowing.
This street outside was set up today. The vendors all came from various places in the inner and outer cities to join in the fun. Although the outer wall of Jinming Lake is high, there are some high platforms outside the wall where you can see the scene inside. Some merchants and wealthy families are not allowed to go in, so they go up to the heights to watch the fun. Over time, on the Dragon Boat Festival, many people gathered here, and the people naturally wanted to join in the fun, so these small stalls and vendors became more and more numerous.
There are all kinds of snacks from beginning to end. In addition to these snacks, there are also various drinks and sweet soups. On both sides of the street, there are old ladies and girls selling flowers with baskets asking passers-by if they want to buy flowers.
The custom of wearing flowers in one's hair is very strong in this dynasty. No matter whether one is an official or a wealthy family, they all like to wear flowers in their hair to show their elegance. Therefore, the flower-selling business is also good. Officials and wealthy families wear famous flowers, and ordinary people are considered elegant even if they wear a gardenia in their hair.
They walked all the way to the City God Temple. The family was short of money, so they naturally couldn't afford to buy boxes made of expensive wood. Most people bought second-hand goods in the City God Temple area. The three brothers and sisters took a walk around and decided not to buy a dressing table for the time being. They only bought four sets of gold-plated camphor wood boxes. The prices here were very low, and Baozhu's price was cut by more than half. The eldest brother and Baorong were shocked, but the shopkeeper finally agreed after several attempts to refuse.
Baozhu thought to herself that she had lost, as she had not cut enough.
The four boxes were sent back by the shop assistant first. Baorong didn't want to come out again after he went back. Baozhu was thinking of getting a cart from the shop so that it would be cheaper to carry big items back and forth in the future.
In addition to eating and drinking, there are also many entertainment activities during the festival. The government organizes dragon boat races in Jinming Lake, and there are also spontaneous folk dragon boat races in the Bian River. Every year, the rich families in the city donate money, and the prize money for the first prize is quite large.
In the morning, there was a boat race in Jinming Lake, and in the afternoon, there was a boat race in the Bian River. The sun rose in the afternoon and it was even hotter than in the morning. Baozhu and Dalang each bought an ice drink. Don't underestimate these vendors. If one of them is famous for its delicious food, sometimes even the young ladies and gentlemen from official families will send people to buy some for it.
Let’s not talk about anything else, there is a very famous Yang’s sesame cake in the city. It was because the late emperor ate it and praised it, and it immediately became famous. Now there are shops selling it everywhere.
After Baozhu finished telling this anecdote, she turned around and saw her elder brother staring at the sky in a daze, as if imagining that some nobleman would taste the food he cooked, become famous, and have money pour into his home.
The atmosphere of the Dragon Boat Festival was strong in the city of Bianjing. Even the air was filled with a faint smell of realgar. Although it was a bit pungent, it made people feel at ease when they smelled it.
The sachet Baozhu wore around her waist was sewn by Xu yesterday. It can ward off the five poisons and evil spirits, so everyone in the family wore it today.
After watching the boat race on the Bian River and trying some food from a few stalls, Baozhu took the opportunity to ask people in a roundabout way whether she had to pay any money to set up a stall today. Naturally, people were vague in their answers, but Baozhu didn't get discouraged. After asking a few people, she finally got a rough idea of the rules for setting up a stall in Bianjing City.
The Sun family was offended at the beginning, and the Sun family was quite powerful. Although my uncle said that the Sun family had no roots in Bian Jing, they still had some acquaintances in Beijing. He didn't want to implicate my aunt's family, so he had to keep a low profile. If he opened a restaurant, it would certainly be conspicuous, but there were so many vendors in Bian Jing that even if the business was good, it would not be very eye-catching.
Let's wait a few years and then plan to open a store. Who knows, by then the family may still be able to return to Suzhou.
Baozhu stood on the bridge and looked around. The noise was endless. There were thousands of roads in Bianjing City, and she could always find a way out.
As the sun set, there were more and more people on the street. After a whole day, she had a better idea of what to sell if she wanted to set up a stall.
The eldest brother went to inquire about a shop that could make carts. Baozhu crossed the bridge and was planning to go look for her eldest brother, but she heard someone calling behind her. When she turned around, she saw it was the inspector Pei from the morning.
She saw the adult handing her a hairpin. She didn't react at first, but when she took a closer look, she found that it was the one she lost today. Baozhu ran over and found her hairpin back. A look of joy appeared on her face.
I thought it was impossible to find it. This gold hairpin is indeed worth some money. The family's livelihood is becoming difficult, so this hairpin is even more precious. Moreover, it was carefully chosen for her by her mother, and the thoughtfulness in it is difficult to measure with money.
Baozhu took the gold hairpin with great care and rubbed it back and forth happily. The turquoise and fine gold setting on the butterfly wings were originally a little loose, but now it was fastened. It must be that this lord had someone set it firmly. The hairpin was brighter than before. Baozhu thanked him several times but still felt it was not enough. She asked Lord Pei if he had eaten yet. She might as well see which stall had good food so that she could buy some for him.
Pei Yanqing shook his head, handed over another copper plate, and said with a smile,
"You're very polite. It was thanks to you that we caught the thief this morning. Otherwise, the garden would have been sealed off forever. If anyone wants to thank you, it should be me. I should have done you some favor, but since this matter involves a distinguished person, it's not appropriate for me to take credit for it. For now, I'll just consider it a favor I owe you. If you ever run into any trouble, take the sign and come to the government office to find me. I'll be happy to help you."
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