They woke up to find it was already evening, and the first thing they did after waking up wasn't to go to the restaurants and entertainment venues to watch the performance.
Wang Yan was so excited that she took Wang Da Niang and Wang Ying to the top of the third floor of the West Building to overlook the capital.
Upon arrival, it was indeed as rumored: the top of the West Tower overlooked the Imperial Palace.
Turning your head to the other side, you'll see the Zhouqiao Night Market, where rows of lights create a dazzling, flower-like street scene.
I walked around and admired the beautiful scenery of the capital city, with its thousands of fiery trees and ten miles of silver flowers.
Wang Yan and her companions were about to go down to the entertainment district to watch the performance when they saw several young noblemen leading a group of singers and dancers to the rooftop of the West Building.
Aunt Wang frowned, then quickly pulled Wang Ying and Wang Yan over and led them downstairs.
They just saw that the street scene at Zhouqiao Night Market was beautiful, but actually the most beautiful night market lights in the entire Tokyo City are at Baifanlou.
At night, the Baifan Tower is illuminated by flickering candlelight and bright lights, creating a dazzling and radiant scene that resembles a fairyland.
It should be known that the lights of Baifan Tower at that time were a major attraction in the capital. Many merchants from other places would come to visit and stand at a distance at night to admire this beautiful sight. Not to mention the lights inside Baifan Tower.
With the Lantern Festival approaching, a lotus lantern is placed between the tiles on each rooftop of the building, its flickering candlelight illuminating the exquisitely carved and painted railings.
Wang Yan didn't want to rush even when going downstairs; she took one step, stopped, and looked around. If the luxurious decor of Baifan Tower were converted to modern standards, it would probably be considered a six-star hotel, right?
The building's structure was so luxurious and exquisite that Wang Yan felt it was even better than a five-star hotel. Much better!
It's Chinese New Year, and this place is so lively. Coming here is definitely the right decision.
The best part is that it feels like the money you're spending isn't even your own; that feeling is just so great.
Wang Da Niang and Wang Ying grinned broadly the whole way, laughing at everything they saw.
Wang Yan smiled at first, but when she walked to the second-floor pavilions (each a small, private room) and saw several female attendants sitting in the outer corridor waiting to be "chosen by name," her mood soured.
Although they knew that these women in the restaurant were just sitting on the sidelines enjoying the music, or perhaps going to dance.
Wang Yan still felt somewhat uncomfortable, wondering if it was because it was different from modern civilization.
In particular, he saw a woman about the same age as Wang Ying being tossed a purse by a young master and asked to perform a dance to entertain the guests.
Wang Yan felt very uncomfortable looking at their words and actions.
The little girl had just seen them come down when Wang Yan met her gaze and smiled gently at her.
Half of her good mood was ruined, and Wang Yan didn't want to sit in the second-floor attic anymore.
She tugged at Granny Wang's sleeve, wanting to go to the "doorway" in the first-floor lobby. It was like a theater, with chairs below. You could pay a few dozen yuan to buy a seat and watch the performance on the stage.
A storyteller is performing on stage. He sits alone behind a table, using a folding fan and a brightly lit object as props.
Discussing scriptures and doctrines, talking about the past and present, today the storyteller is telling the story of "Fifteen Strings of Cash: A Joke Turns into a Misfortune".
The general plot is that a man borrowed 15 taels of silver from his father-in-law, but the silver was stolen at night, and he was also murdered.
His concubine, having overheard the man's joking remark that he would drive her away and abandon her, secretly ran back to her parents' home that morning.
She happened to be traveling the same way as a young man, so the two traveled together. However, the neighbor of the deceased man discovered that she had run away, so he arrested them both and handed them over to the authorities. In the government office, a scene of torture and forced confession unfolded.
When Wang Ying and the others came down, they happened to be talking about this part of the story. Only at the end did they realize that the murderer was a bandit from the mountain who had just come to their house and stolen the 15 taels of silver.
It was only after the man's legal wife reported the matter to the authorities that the grievances against the concubine and the unrelated young man were cleared.
This story is really not a pleasant one to hear, and I don't know if it's because of the influence of those two idiot young masters.
Just then, a head popped out from a pavilion on the second floor. "Gentlemen, please enjoy yourselves to the fullest. All the drinks are on me today."
Wang Yan looked up and exclaimed, "Oh my god, isn't this idiot the same guy who just threw a purse of silver at that girl's face?"
"Why not spend it if it's not going to be a waste?" Wang Yan ordered three jugs of Meishou wine and three jugs of Zhi's family wine for Wang Da Niang.
I bought two jugs of coconut wine for myself and Sister Ying, so someone else is paying for it, isn't that?
You stupid idiot! Aren't you just imitating that rich young master from Wuxing by showing off here?
Wang Yan wasn't bothered by the man's arrogance; what bothered her was that she recognized him as the one who had just thrown his purse at people.
Why not spend his money if it's free? Go for the most expensive wine!
After ordering the drinks, she turned to look at the other customers around her, and she guessed that they all had the same thought as her.
With some suckers willing to pay the bill, several jugs of the Baifanlou restaurant's signature liquor, Shoumei wine, were placed on each table.
Wang Yan listened to the audiobook while sipping coconut wine. She had ordered two jugs, which she naturally couldn't finish.
About 15 minutes later, the young man came down to pay the bill and left.
Wang Yan was extremely disappointed. She had originally planned to order two more pots of wine and bring them to Fatty Wang when she went to his residence in a couple of days.
Looking at the ten jugs of wine piled high on the table, I couldn't help but chuckle. Well, it seems we won't be able to finish all this wine today.
Aunt Wang drank half a pot of Hezhi wine by herself, while Wang Yan and Wang Ying shared a pot of coconut wine.
After finishing their drinks, they went upstairs to their banquet hall to rest, feeling slightly tipsy. The remaining wine jugs on the table were carried back by several people, each carrying three jugs.
When I woke up the next morning, the tea server from the restaurant was outside asking, "Gentlemen, what would you like to eat this morning? Would you like to order at the inn?"
After a moment's thought, Aunt Wang said, "Let's eat at the inn. We'll have two bowls of Zhenjun porridge, one bowl of five-flavor meat porridge, one bowl of stir-fried lung, one bowl of stuffed lung, and one bowl of mutton fat meat pie."
Oh, right, and bring over three servings of face wash first.
"Alright, sir, please wait a moment. Would you like our breakfast to be delivered to your room later, or would you like to eat downstairs?"
Wang Yan interjected, "Let's take it to the room."
Alright!
Before long, three female shop assistants arrived carrying three basins of water for washing faces.
Don't get me wrong, this facial cleanser isn't made from flour. It's a facial cleanser made by decocting various medicinal herbs such as Inula japonica, white clove, Angelica dahurica, apricot blossom, Lithospermum erythrorhizon, and Ligusticum chuanxiong.
They washed their faces with facial cleanser first, then rinsed them with clean water. After washing their faces, they immediately woke up.
Wang Ying took out the face powder she bought next door and applied it to her face. This was the jade face powder that Wang Yan had picked out for her.
I specifically asked about the ingredients inside. It mainly consists of mung bean powder, morning glory seeds, angelica root, poria cocos, and soapberry powder, which are ground into powder and sold in boxes.
After examining the powder, I found the ingredients to be of good quality. That's why Wang Yan asked Sister Ying to use it.
She herself didn't like drawing her eyebrows or applying powder, so she just sat there watching Aunt Wang and Wang Ying put on makeup while waiting for the food to come.
In no time, the waitress brought them all the food they had ordered.
They also gave us an extra dish of plum and ginger, and a plate of crispy sesame leaves.
The Zhenjun porridge was ordered for Wang Yan and Wang Ying, as they both prefer mild flavors.
This porridge is complicated to make, but it tastes delicious. Boil the apricots until they are soft, remove the pits, and set them aside.
Cook another pot of white rice into a porridge, add a piece of yellow rock sugar, and cook the porridge until the rice grains are fully cooked and have opened up. Then add the apricot flesh to the pot and stir.
Cook for about 15 minutes, then serve in a wooden bowl. The aroma of rice and the sweet fragrance of apricots combine to create a delightful and refreshing taste.
Wang Yan took a sip of porridge, ate a bite of meat pie, and then had a side dish.
This porridge symbolizes blessings and longevity. As the Lunar New Year approaches, for good luck, almost all guests staying at Baifanlou order this porridge for breakfast.
Wang Yan handed over the bowl of porridge. Grandma Wang symbolically scooped out a spoonful, took a couple of sips, and then happily began to enjoy her five-flavor meat porridge.
A pot of meat porridge made from rice, red dates, tofu, taro, and lean meat.
If a guest needs a drink, just scoop a bowl and bring it over. This porridge is perfect with crispy leaves.
Aunt Wang took a bite of crispy bamboo leaf and a sip of five-flavor meat porridge. Not only did the porridge contain lean meat, but Aunt Wang also found two pieces of spare ribs.
Wang Yan and her husband's eyes lit up when they saw her ribs. "Here, take these with you. I haven't even started drinking this porridge yet."
After finishing their meal, the three of them strolled downstairs to extend their stay for another night.
After paying thirteen taels of silver a day, the group didn't rush to go shopping.
Upon returning to the room, I saw several jugs of wine inside.
Wang Yan thought for a moment, "Why don't we send it to Father now? It's the New Year, and he's been busy and working hard all day at the Marquis's mansion. A couple of sips of this wine can help him relax."
Aunt Wang laughed heartily, "You're quite close to your father, aren't you? Then go if you want!"
The three of them walked to the place where carriages were parked behind Baifan Tower, spent 60 coins to hire another carriage, and rode to the Marquis's residence.
We used to refuse to walk, but now that we have money, we'll take a car everywhere we go!
When they arrived at the side gate of the Marquis's mansion, by sheer coincidence, it turned out that it was Aunt Cui guarding the gate that day.
Aunt Cui was overjoyed to see Wang Yan and the others, exclaiming, "Oh, my little sister!"
While talking, he helped Wang Yan and the others into the gatehouse to warm themselves by the fire, and then sent a boy who was sweeping the floor there to the main kitchen to call Fatty Wang over.
"You've been transferred to Jiaomen now?" Aunt Wang asked with a smile, holding a cup of tea that Aunt Cui had poured for her.
"That's right. If you really think about it, it actually covered your workload."
After being transferred here, life became much more leisurely. I no longer had to endure wind and rain, and spend my days sweeping the streets outside.
That's a great job! And you? How are you doing taking care of the kids out there?
Aunt Wang sighed, "I run a small foot massage shop, work myself to the bone every month, and earn a little money to make ends meet."
Another time, I'll bring my old neighbors to my place for a meal. Why didn't you come when I invited you last time?
Before Aunt Cui could reply, Fatty Wang arrived.
She shut up and let the family talk first, especially since it was the Lunar New Year.
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