Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 144 Visiting Yang's Tile House

Crab is a dish with a special taste. Although it is made from eggs and duck egg yolks, it is blended with ginger and vinegar. It is soft, tender and smooth, and tastes like crab meat, with a unique flavor.

Shen Yu specifically told Jiang not to make too much, and everyone shared a spoonful of the dish. After tasting it, everyone said it was delicious. Yu Cheng looked confused: "Sister, I didn't see you buy crabs today, why does this greasy egg taste like crab meat?"

Crabs are not expensive at this time. Crabs are the fattest during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The crabs need to be raised for a few days after they are bought and all the mud and sand are spit out before they are edible. However, Shen Yu and her friends went to buy them on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and they were already out of stock.

Shen Yu pretended to smile mysteriously: "I didn't buy any crabs today, and you like to eat them, so I had to think of a way to make some."

Yu Cheng knew Shen Yu was teasing him, but he was not annoyed. He smiled innocently and said, "Big sister, this is also delicious, and it is not difficult to eat. Just make more next time."

Li and Jiang were both amused by what they heard. Li said with a smile, "Our Yucheng is really easy to feed. He loves whatever Yuzhi cooks."

When they had almost finished eating, Li divided the big reunion cake into six portions and placed them on small plates in front of each person.

The filling is salty, crispy and fragrant, with plenty of fried five-nut fillings. Although the crust is thin, it is crispy and crumbly. Compared with the small reunion cakes made these days, it tastes differently.

After dinner, along with the cool night breeze, the sound of flute and the singing of the singing girl could be heard faintly.

Although osmanthus wine tastes sweet and goes down smoothly, it has a strong aftertaste.

After a few drinks, Shen Yu already felt a little tipsy.

Li and Jiang were also a little drunk, and their cheeks were slightly red.

Yucheng asked Li: "Mother, listen, the evening show has started. You said you wanted to go to the show. Do you still want to go?"

Li was extremely happy today. Although Shen Yu was framed by Mrs. Hu and had to go to the yamen, fortunately, he was lucky and the matter was investigated clearly. Shen Yu was now sitting peacefully at the table eating and drinking.

She had been living a very difficult life in the past few years. During the festivals in previous years, she could only buy two kinds of fruits to show her gratitude.

This year I have money in my hand. When I go shopping during the day, I only need to choose the quality of the ingredients. I don’t have to worry about whether I have enough money. I feel so happy.

Hearing Yu Cheng's words, he stood up with a smile and said, "Why not go? Let's go for a walk now."

Shen Yu also wanted to go out for a walk.

I was in a good mood in the evening. I ate a little too much, and with the alcohol in my head, I felt a little suffocated sitting in this room.

Go out and walk around, and you will sleep more comfortably at night.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, every family drinks, enjoys the moon, worships the moon, prays for blessings, and has fun in the evening.

Music suitable for the Mid-Autumn Festival would be played in brothels and theaters. All major restaurants would have private rooms facing the windows. Rich families would often book a place here, sit by the window, enjoy the gentle breeze, look at the bright moon above, and look down at the world's fireworks below. Elegant people love this tune the most.

Li took the lead, and Jiang was the last one to lock the gate. The group walked towards the bustling center of the county town in a mighty manner.

There is a street over there called Lejing Street, and several famous tile shops in the county are located on that street.

At this time, Wazi was like a modern comprehensive shopping district, with all kinds of food for sale, singing and dancing, folk art, juggling, rap, etc. There were also interesting stalls such as divination, painting and writing, and head ornaments and hairpins.

As long as you have money, it's a great pleasure to spend time there.

Li heard all this from the ladies in the neighborhood, and when she had nothing to do, she told Shen Yu and a few others about it.

Sometimes I would sigh: "Rich people really know how to enjoy themselves. They can sit in a tile house, eat and drink, and listen to music. If they want something, they don't even have to lift a foot. They can just ask the boys waiting to buy it for them. They just have to pay the money. No wonder they don't get bored even if they sit there all day."

Shen Yu listened to Li talking about these things all day long and was very curious about Wa Zi. He wanted to see what the entertainment city looked like in ancient times.

The government stipulated that during festivals, Wa Zi had to perform festive music, and the common people could enter and watch at will, instead of having to buy tickets to enter like on ordinary days. This was considered a holiday benefit given by the government to the common people, with the intention of enjoying the festival together.

When they arrived at Lejing Street, Li asked passers-by standing on the street, and then led a group of people to Yangjiawazi.

Yangjiawazi is located in the middle section of Lejing Street, the best location. Famous singing girls and geishas are proud to perform in Yangjiawazi.

When Shen Yu went out for fun, he never worried about where to go or what to do. He just followed Li's arrangements.

To her, everything in this era is fresh and vivid, and is an experience she has never had before.

Arriving at the door, Yutao paused as she looked at the carved and painted facade. She pulled Li's sleeve hesitantly and said, "Mom, this place looks so grand. Can we really go in?"

Li had an attitude of 'I know everything'.

She raised her head and said confidently, "Of course, Madam Lin told me that during the Mid-Autumn Festival, from August 13th to August 16th, you don't need to buy a ticket. The government has reserved the place for the people. As long as the people are dressed neatly, they can enter freely."

As she spoke, she pointed to the family walking in front of her and said, "Look, the lady walking in, her clothes are made of similar material to ours, and no one is stopping her, so just follow her in."

Shen Yu looked carefully and found that there was indeed no gatekeeper at the door. The family that had just entered looked like ordinary people. It seemed that a grandmother had brought her son, daughter-in-law and grandson to watch a play and have fun.

Li took the lead and walked inside, and the children quickly followed.

The facade of the Yang family tile house is extremely wide and large, and the entrance is decorated with an arch and a colorful tent made of flowers and colorful silk.

There is a wind-killing lantern every other step on the steps on both sides of the entrance, lighting the way in as bright as day.

Four big red lanterns were hung under the eaves of the entrance, with tallow candles as thick as children's arms lit. Through the thin silk gauze, the entrance was illuminated red, filled with festive joy.

After entering the door, Shen Yu felt like a real country girl, and her eyes were not enough.

As you enter the door you will see a spacious lobby surrounded by a circular gallery, and on the upper and lower floors are small pavilions with bright lights for people to feast and enjoy music.

There is a stage in the middle of the lobby, on which two dancers with their faces covered with veils are dancing to the high-pitched and clear flute sounds. Their postures are graceful, as if they can fly away with the wind at any time.

There are scattered seats under the surrounding stages where you can sit down and watch at will, but it is not as good as the surrounding corridor pavilions, where the height is level with or higher than the stages, providing a better view for watching singing and dancing.

Shen Yu followed Li's group through the passage left by the scattered seats, through the lobby, walked through an aerial corridor, and arrived at another pavilion. Before they got close, they could hear the sound of singing.