Chapter 313: Chapter 313: Jiangnan
There were three pairs of six people, except for Feng Yiping, the others were all going out of the province for the first time. Except for Yu Lian, the others had been growing up, and everything had been going well for them, carefree and very happy. They were very excited along the way.
One walkie-talkie was in Xiao Zhijie's group, one was in Yu Lian's hand, and Huang Jingping was holding the other. The group in the two cars a few hundred metres behind them kept talking non-stop, there was never a moment of silence.
At this point, it turned into a poetry recital, everyone racking their brains to recite the poems they had learned about Jiangnan. It seemed that the girls had done their homework beforehand, one after the other, and it looked like they wouldn't be able to stop for a while.
Yes, Jiangnan!
This is a word that sounds poetic, and when most people mention her, they don't mean a geographical concept, but rather her literary image. These literary ideas are written in textbooks, novels, and shown in movies and TV dramas.
When people think of Jiangnan, they think of a specific scene: a misty rain, a small river that divides a town nestled among green trees and red flowers in half. Along both sides of the river, there are courtyards with green tiles and white walls, one next to the other. On the river, black-painted boats with rickety sound gently paddle by. From the windows of the houses along the river, there is the faint sound of a ballad, or the melodious and refreshing sound of a guzheng or yangqin floating out.
The boat skilfully navigates under a quaint stone arch bridge and then under the flowers in someone's backyard. The flowers are dazzling red, the leaves are also green and shiny. The boat meanders along the river. In the distance there is a verdant hill, on top of which there is a tower. Underneath the tower there may or may not be an underground palace...
Wait, there's one more important thing. On the smooth stone slab streets of the small town, there must be a girl with a lilac complexion. She has a lilac complexion and a lilac fragrance, but not the kind of melancholy that comes with a lilac complexion. She also carries an oiled paper umbrella and speaks softly as she greets acquaintances on either side of the street. When she notices you, a stranger, staring at her, she will smile sweetly, then bow her head most gently and walk quietly away, not taking a single cloud with her. Then, you might feel a little lilac-like melancholy...
However, most people who go with this kind of attitude are going to be disappointed, like these people on the bus, including the two drivers.
In fact, there are many scenic spots along the way, but there are so many choices that it is hard to choose. In the end, they unanimously decided not to see any of them and just go straight to the resort in their hearts.
Two days later, in the afternoon, a slightly tired but undiminished group of people finally sat down to drink tea by the West Lake. They had just been to the Broken Bridge, the Moon over the Calm Lake, finished walking the Su Causeway, seen the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, and the Fish Viewing at the Flower Harbor, and were taking a short break.
The three girls sat for a while, taking pictures in various poses, while the three of them leisurely lay back in the chairs, holding a cup of tea they said was Longjing, and looked at the painted boats on the lake not far away.
Xiao Zhijie stuffed a piece of green tea-filled pastry into his mouth, 'It's really good, it was really worth the trip.' ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
Wang Changning lay on the chair, blowing on the misty breeze and fan-fanning with all due seriousness, 'It lives up to its reputation, what do you think, Yiping?'
'Me? To be honest, I like this kind of travel too. Although I've been here many times since, I've only walked along the lake at most, and I haven't seen even half of the so-called Ten Scenes of the West Lake.
Back then, most of the time I came here for work, and the thing about travelling is that it really depends on your mood. When you have things on your mind or a burden on your heart, or when you're still struggling to make a living, it seems hard to calm down and come to see the beautiful scenery you yearned for as a young person.
When he finally had a bit of a foundation and came back again, it seemed that the enthusiasm was gone. Many times, he would stay by the West Lake and at most just look out the window. He would rather stay in the hotel watching TV, surfing the internet and sleeping, than bother to go out for a walk.
This state of affairs is very good now. He can be described as having both the money and the leisure. He doesn't follow those tourist groups that are called tours but are really shopping trips. Just lying by the West Lake for an afternoon is also a very pleasant thing to do.
But that's not what he wants to talk about now. 'I can see that being born in a good place is really important.'
'What's the matter now?' The girls are back. Zhang Qiuling sits next to Xiao Zhijie and takes a piece of sesame candy from the plate on the table, takes a bite, and then, probably thinking the taste is just so-so, she slips it into Xiao Zhijie's mouth.
Huang Jingping took off her sunglasses, picked up a small peach pastry and asked Feng Yiping if he wanted some. Feng Yiping shook his head. 'Why do you say that? Think about it. Why is the West Lake so famous? It's mainly because of the many humanistic allusions associated with it.
Since the Han Dynasty, after the Han people migrated south from the Central Plains, there have been so many historical figures here, leaving behind so many poems, legends and stories of talented people and beautiful women. Look at these inscriptions, they are either of ancient emperors or current leaders. Otherwise, with its natural scenery alone, would it be so famous, completely overshadowing other lakes in the country?
Then why do so many people come here? Of course it is because it was born in a good place. For example, our provincial capital is bigger than it, and there are not one or two lakes with better scenery than it. Why are they all unknown? It's not because they are unlucky and weren't born in a good place!'
His words were spoken from the heart, but the young people, who had little life experience and knew nothing of sorrow, could not understand. Huang Jingping, as usual, agreed with him, but the only people who really understood were the two drivers at the next table, who nodded in agreement.
'Nonsense, that's a crock of shit!' Zhang Qiuling didn't like what she heard, but she couldn't find a reason to argue, so she snorted in derision, picked up another piece of mung bean pastry, and ended up with a mouthful of powder. She then passed the rest to Xiao Zhijie.
Xiao Zhijie was delighted, perhaps thinking of such a thing as equivalent to indirect kissing. Of course, judging from his previous crime of daring to hold Zhang Qiuling's hand when they were in junior high school, it is feared that they had already started kissing when they were both studying in the county.
'Forget it, what's the point of talking to them? 'Let's go to the Quyuan Wind and Lotus Pool,'
It was the right time of year to go to the Quyuan Wind and Lotus Pool. Climbing up to Yingxun Pavilion, several people were reciting the poem 'After all, the West Lake is different in the middle of June than at any other time of year. The lotus leaves touch the sky in an endless expanse of green, and the lotus flowers are a different shade of red when they are reflected in the sunlight.' Indeed, our few thousand words cannot do justice to the vividness of the poet's twenty-eight characters.
On the surface of the water, the lotus leaves are lush and the lotus flowers enchanting. The gentle breeze brings with it the sweet fragrance of the lotuses, making people feel indescribably relaxed. However, after a while, Xiao Zhijie became restless and clamoured to go see the Kangxi Emperor's handwriting at Jingbei Pavilion. He has always been interested in these emperors and generals.
It can be said that the grandfather and grandson, Kangxi and Qianlong, can truly be named the ambassadors of Jiangnan. During their reigns, they repeatedly travelled to the south of the Yangtze River, leaving behind many anecdotes. Nowadays, many small shops, no matter what the dish, will try to associate it with one or both of them. Of course, along the way, calligraphy is also indispensable.
However, Kangxi, the emperor of all time, made too many typos. Now, of the two remaining steles, the one for Viewing Fish at Flower Harbor has a few typos, and the one for Lotus Pool in the Windy Courtyard has another typo in the word 'qu' (曲). He didn't care, but it was a pain for his grandchildren, who tried every excuse they could to justify it.
They gathered with interest next to a tourist group, eavesdropping on the tour guide's explanation, listening to him talk about why he wrote the character qu. The three girls were not at all interested in this. 'Let's go, our feet are sore and we're hungry. Let's find somewhere to eat. Don't we still have so much planned for the afternoon?'
The afternoon's schedule mainly involved shopping, such as for silk. They said they were too tired and hungry to walk, but when they said this, their eyes were clearly sparkling. In their eyes, perhaps, no matter how beautiful the scenery was, it was no match for the attractiveness of silk!