Chapter 8 Dragon Boat Races on Festivals
Thinking that the afternoon inspection would delay her, she had left a note not to return for dinner. By the time she got home, the whole family had already eaten. Baorong happily accepted the trinkets Baozhu had brought back, along with a package of crystal cakes and candied apricots.
Baorong also loved going out, but she was not with her today because of something. She was most interested in enjoying the spring scenery and shopping in Suzhou. If there was a festival, she would definitely dress up. The two sisters naturally slept together at night. Baozhu vividly repeated to Baorong what she had seen and heard today.
"Bianjing is truly prosperous. It's already midnight, and the streets are still bustling. The lights at Zhouqiao Night Market are so bright it's as bright as day. I suggest you stop painting those flowers and plants. Let's go outside tomorrow and take a look. It would be great if we could paint all the scenery of Bianjing City."
This really made Baorong eager to try, "Then I will go out with you tomorrow."
In the room over there, Zhen's father was discussing with his wife which house to buy. Zhen's father had a good idea about the small things at home, but he felt guilty about big things and always had to listen to Xu's advice. Xu trusted Baozhu, so most of the things at home were discussed and handled by the whole family.
"If you ask me, the two houses near the Imperial College are both nice, but the first one is a bit too small. The other one is much larger, and the previous owner passed the imperial examination and became an official. The others are in more secluded streets and alleys. Although they are much cheaper, they are too noisy with the constant coming and going."
Just hearing him mention those houses, Madam Xu immediately said the two near the Imperial College were better. Although they were more expensive, they were frequented by noble families, and the previous owner had passed the imperial examination and became an official, so the feng shui was good. Erlang had a talent for learning, so living there would bring him some cultural influence. Buying the houses soon would allow Erlang to study without worries.
Besides, Baobao Zhurong is grown up now, and she is worried about her living in the messy streets.
As Madam Xu thought about it, she felt that it made more and more sense, so she told Zhen's father not to look at other houses tomorrow, but to buy the one they saw today so that the whole family could move there sooner. They couldn't always live in the Dong family.
All the silver and money at home were exchanged for Jiaozi and gold leaves. After deducting the expenses for the journey, there was about 3,400 strings of cash left. The jewelry that I had not had time to exchange was also packed into boxes and brought along. I was particularly tired along the way because I had to leave someone to watch the boxes every night before going to bed. Fortunately, the journey was safe.
Although the Zhen family has accumulated a lot of wealth over the years, most of the money they earned was invested in the store.
Not to mention the second restaurant, even if he bought the shop next to the first restaurant, connected it up and renovated it, it would cost a lot of money. What's more, he didn't dare to sell the first restaurant, so no matter how much money the store was worth, he couldn't get it now.
"If we buy the house, there won't be much left." Xu sighed, "Dalang needs to get married, Erlang needs to go to school, and the daughters need to save for their dowries."
Zhen's father held Xu tightly in his arms and said, "I'm sorry for the hardship you've endured. Once we're settled, I'll go find a job."
The couple whispered until midnight, then closed their eyes and went to bed.
Studying in Bian Jing is a big expense. Although my uncle's family helps me, I can't always rely on them for everything in the future, otherwise even the closest relationship will be worn out.
As for buying a house, the couple asked Baozhu again. Baozhu also preferred a house near the Imperial College. Firstly, there were countless students in various schools such as the Imperial College, Taixue, and Guangwenguan, and those who could concentrate on their studies should be quite decent people, so it would be perfect for them to start a small business. Secondly, the second brother was indeed a good student. All the teachers who had met the second brother since he was a child praised him for his intelligence. If the house could be built near the Imperial College, it would be beneficial for the second brother's studies.
The house broker seemed to have guessed that Zhen's father was interested in this house. This was the strength of the broker. After asking you about your purpose of buying the house and your desired price range, the first thing he would recommend was the location that suits your taste.
First, I will take you to a slightly inferior house, and then I will take you to see some better houses. When you compare the two, there will be a gap between them. At this time, the difference will be apparent. Once you have a house you like in your mind, the others will be just so-so. After all these are laid out, then we can talk about it, and the deal will be 90% done.
Although the family liked the house not far from the Imperial College, they also looked at several other houses in order to negotiate the price. The locations of the other houses were not as good as this one, but the houses were much larger. There were also several houses in more remote areas of the outer city, and the alleys they passed through were full of stench. In order to earn more rent, some homeowners even built shacks outside their own yards and rented them to those outside "tourists".
Zhen's father also asked about the current prices of shops in Bianjing City. Some locations are shockingly expensive and inconvenient to live in, so he decided to give up the idea of buying a shop for the time being and focus on letting Erlang study.
Zhou Yaren helped negotiate with the original owner for several times, and finally bought the house for 2,500 strings of cash, and some of the old furniture inside was also given away. Now it is considered good for a family to have the money to buy such a large house. At the foot of the emperor's capital, Bianliang, there are endless ships coming and going every day. It is extremely difficult to have a place to stay in this huge city of Bianliang. Now, most of the people living in the city are outsiders who rent houses.
You have to go to the yamen to pay the deed tax and sign the deed. The yamen is familiar with the process and has completed all the procedures. This yamen is an official yamen, and it costs 25 strings of cash including the intermediary fee. However, the yamen also has to sign and seal the deed tax and send a copy to the yamen. If there is any mistake in the future, he will be responsible, so it is extremely necessary to spend this money.
Seeing that the broker was quite capable, Baozhu simply asked about the matter of settling down. The broker did know some tricks, so Baozhu gave him another ten strings of cash as a deposit, and promised to give him another ten strings of cash if the matter was settled. The money did not have to be shared with the broker. The broker was even more dedicated, and worked for two consecutive days until the family's settlement was settled. Originally, she had thought that if there were any difficult issues, she would have to ask her uncle for help, but in fact, these brokers were more proficient in this.
Lian Baozhu was really envious of the forty-odd strings of cash she earned. People say that as long as you have the ability, the city of Bianjing will be full of gold, and this is indeed true.
The family now lives in their aunt's house and can see that not only the daily necessities of life, but even the drinking water has a price. The water in the Dong family's backyard is bitter and can only be used for washing. Drinking water has to be bought from outside. Although the two families are close, the Zhen family couple does not want to trouble others, and it is inconvenient to live there for a long time, so the family wants to move into the house as soon as possible.
But the house had rarely been lived in, and it was covered with dust, so it needed to be cleaned first. Although some old furniture was kept, there was still a lot to buy. The restaurant and house in Suzhou were sold at a low price. It was not easy for the family to save up the family fortune, and now they had to start from scratch. Thinking of this, Baozhu felt a dull pain in her heart.
Although this house is not big, there is enough space in the yard. What is more worth mentioning is that there is a sweet water well. Xu simply cleared two ridges of land, surrounded them with stones and sowed some rapeseed. Now it is different from being in Suzhou. She can't make a living for the time being, so she has to live frugally.
Xu also thought that after things settled down, she would catch some chickens and raise them, so that she could pick some eggs for her children to nourish their bodies.
The original owner must have grown a lot of flowers and plants in this yard. After he moved out, the yard became empty, leaving only a wintersweet. Weeds grew at the base of the wall, and Xu piled up the rotten branches and leaves, intending to spread them on the ground as fertilizer. It took her several days to clean up the yard.
During the past few days in Bianjing, while looking at houses, I have a general understanding of the inner and outer cities. After settling down, the family has their own plans. Xu saw that the housekeepers were making a lot of money and had some ideas in mind, but she didn't know how to get into the business.
Not to mention the busy days in recent days, just say that on the fifth day of May, the Dragon Boat Festival, Jinming Lake was open to officials of all ranks and their relatives working in Beijing.
The venue for the Jinming Lake dragon boat race was set up early. Every year, Jinming Lake is only open to the public in March and April, which is a great time to enjoy the spring flowers.
It is closed during the Dragon Boat Festival. The royal family opens the palace to the many officials and their families in Bianjing City for entertainment. Polo, Cuju, and Touhu each have their own fun. The most lively one is the Jinmingchi Boat Race. No matter they are civil officials or military generals, all the good men from each family come out to compete. The ten best teams are selected to race on the Dragon Boat Festival.
The Dragon Boat Festival race is not the most lively time. The most lively scene is in March when the navy competes for the prizes and the government comes in person.
It is said that the Jinming Lake was even more magnificent in the previous dynasty. After Taizu ascended the throne of this dynasty, he felt that it was too extravagant and no one maintained the Jinming Lake. Emperor Taizong was also unwilling to bother with it. After he ascended the throne, in order to show the royal grace, he sent craftsmen to repair it. After the results were announced in March, a banquet was held at Jinming Lake for the new Jinshi. After the banquet, Jinming Lake was open to ordinary people until the first day of April.
The Dragon Boat Festival was no less lively in the garden, simply because all officials of all ranks in the city of Bianliang could come, and these officials were divided into different ranks. Whether they came for fun, to find a marriage for their children, or to curry favor with the powerful, people would come and join in the fun.
Ordinary people had no chance to enter the garden that day, so they went up to higher places or climbed trees to watch. Since Uncle Dong was also an official, he was able to get an invitation and brought both families to watch the fun.
It was a holiday and it was difficult to rent a carriage outside. Fortunately, a carriage and horse-drawn carriage company that often rented carriages was familiar with the Dong family and was able to spare two carriages.
Nowadays, it is extremely difficult for officials in Bian Jing to buy a house, because their salaries are far from enough to buy a house. Ordinary officials either live in the office or rent a house. It is extremely difficult for low-ranking officials to live decently, let alone raise horses. Horses are precious and cannot be raised by just feeding them with grass. Such precious horses need someone to take care of them.
Moreover, it was legal for officials below the sixth rank in the capital to ride horses within the city, so most ordinary people could only travel in sedan chairs.
Outside the Jinmingchi Garden, there is a long street selling drinks and snacks. Further ahead, there are also embroidered pieces of jewelry. Some people even set up tables for gambling. It is still early, but there are already crowds of people outside.
This year, my cousin Dong and the students from the Imperial College also formed a team and were on the eighth dragon boat. These days, scholars not only need to be able to speak eloquently, but also need to be able to arm wrestle with others.
I heard that some royal children are coming to kick off the dragon boat race today, so the garden is guarded by soldiers from the imperial palace and there are also imperial guards patrolling back and forth.
Baozhu followed behind her aunt and saw an extremely magnificent palace facing the water as soon as she entered. It was at this moment that she truly realized that there were countless officials in Bianjing.
The best of the best are naturally the royal relatives. Just by looking at their clothes and appearance, you can tell how wealthy their family is. These people will not mingle with insignificant officials, but will occupy the best views in the building to watch the fun.
The new nobles of the dynasty also formed their own faction. They were served by several maids when they moved around, and even when they wanted to eat fruit snacks, someone would peel the fruit and hand it to their mouths.
The noble families with prominent ancestors naturally formed their own faction. Although they are now in decline, they still have some innate pride in their bones. Then there are those petty officials with no reputation who also gather in groups of three or five to gossip. In short, everyone has his or her own circle.
My aunt also walked into a group of women. Most of them were families of officials from the Guanglu Temple. They often interacted with each other frequently, and often passed invitations to each other when they had banquets at home. When someone saw Zhen bringing a group of people, they curiously asked who they were.
Zhen replied that they were from her maternal uncle's family in Suzhou. Baozhu took Baorong to greet them politely and then said goodbye, leaving to find a place to play.
The two sisters had never seen such a scene before, so they found a secluded place and stood on the shore. A Zhong helped them set up the frame, spread out silk paper, and ground ink for painting. The boat on the lake had already been launched, and the boat race was about to begin. Bao Rong planned to paint this extremely rare scene.
At this moment, only noisy voices could be heard from the southeast, and several exquisitely crafted carriages were seen entering from the east gate. The horses' hair was crystal clear and seemed to be glowing in the sunlight. I don't know what kind of precious wood the sedan chairs were carved from. The green gauze curtains fluttered in the wind. Although I couldn't see the face of the lady sitting inside, I knew she was a graceful and elegant lady.
A maid holding a fan and an umbrella led the way in front, and the carriage was followed by attendants, and there were countless guards in front and behind.
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