Chapter 5: Exploring Hangzhou

Gou Ju Ling is conversing with a cloaked individual inside a tea house across the street, completely unaware of Xiao Ming above the tavern opposite.

A familiar person he least wanted to see

Xiao Ming scoffed at this fashion trend. He had read Lu Xun's articles and knew that during the Jin Dynasty, Taoism was prevalent in society, and the nobility enjoyed consuming golden elixirs. This later evolved into the consumption of cold food powder. Excessive consumption of these substances led to itching all over the body, resulting in increasingly loose clothing. However, since social elites and high-ranking officials promoted this trend, the common people followed suit.

Xiao Mingqiang suppressed his anger, knowing that he could not act recklessly in this situation. Currently in a bustling area, even if he wanted to seek trouble with Gou Juling, he had to wait until the latter was alone before taking action

The Qinghefang, extending from Zihe and Ningmen to Chaotianmen, is situated adjacent to the imperial palace and central government offices, surrounded by the residences of royal relatives, nobility, and high-ranking officials. Therefore, the shops here offer "precious jewels and rare items, seasonal fruits and flowers, seafood and game, and extraordinary artifacts, all of which are unparalleled in the world, gathered in this place"

In addition to the three larger commercial districts mentioned above, there are also some smaller commercial streets. Under the neighborhood system, in fact, "large and small shops are all interconnected." Each commercial street has a certain degree of specialization and distinct characteristics, with stores often referred to by terms such as guild, group, or market. For instance, the Pearl Market in Ronghefang is not only bustling but also sees transactions often amounting to tens of thousands.

Between Qinghefang and Qingtai Street lies a lane known as He-Tu-Shu Fanzi Lane, which serves as a commercial street for the production and sale of fans. Wang Xingji Fan Factory was established here. Other similar workshops include those for jade grinding, drilling, belt making, gold and silver forging, mounting, decoration, oil production, woodworking, brick and tile making, masonry, stonework, bamboo crafting, lacquer work, nail and hinge making, barrel hooping, tailoring, incense and candle making, paper crafting, and the production of funerary items

The northern commercial district extends from the Shed Bridge to the Zhong'an Bridge and the Guan Bridge area, where the largest tile house, Beiwazi, was located at that time. Therefore, this area concentrated a large number of bookstores and dining establishments

The season has already entered winter, and it has been over a month since Xiao Ming arrived in the Song Dynasty. Xiao Ming felt it was time to investigate that time vortex, as his body had not experienced any major issues for a long time. Therefore, he bid farewell to Gu Shouzheng and prepared to leave.

Xiao Ming sometimes sits in the room reflecting on his experiences, pondering how he arrived in this era, but memories always bombard his mind in various fragmented forms, sometimes causing him considerable headache

After Guo Shiye talked for a long time with the cloaked figure, the two of them stood up and left together. Xiao Ming hurriedly followed them downstairs, quietly trailing behind. He had wanted to settle accounts with Guo Juling since the last prison break and would not let him go this time. He did not dare to follow too closely, fearing that the two would notice someone was tailing them

Xiao Ming settled down on the second floor, ordered some food and drinks, which were not expensive. He leaned against the railing, enjoying the view of the street and the passersby. He was in high spirits, looking around left and right, when he unexpectedly spotted an acquaintance in the crowd

Before the Northern Song Dynasty, the commercial district in Hangzhou was limited to the area from Guanxiangkou to Yangbatou. During the Southern Song Dynasty, three commercial districts were established along the Imperial Street, namely the North, Central, and South districts. The area from Guanxiangkou to Yangbatou remained the main commercial district

Xiao Ming originally did not know much, but now with nothing to do, he began to share the knowledge he had about modern steel metallurgy with Gu Shouzheng for discussion. In his spare time, he also helped by swinging a hammer and forging iron, familiarizing himself with the entire workshop process. Thus, half a month passed in this manner

Xiao Ming found himself amidst it all, and could not help but feel a bit dazzled. He beheld the red towers and painted pavilions, the embroidered doors and pearl curtains, as carved carriages competed on the heavenly streets, and fine steeds raced along the imperial roads. In the willow-lined paths and flower-laden lanes, one could only hear the sounds of new voices and clever laughter. In the tea houses and wine taverns, one could see the musicians tuning their instruments. Truly, the flowers adorned the roads, and the sound of flutes and drums filled the air; the gold and jade shimmered in the sunlight, and the fragrant silks floated in the breeze.

There are also official alley comb shops, gold selling shops, crown shops, fish markets in the north of the city, crab shops in the east of the city, ginger shops, lotus root shops, pig shops in the north, cloth shops at Henghe Head, meat markets at Xiuyi Lane, rice markets in the north of the city, flower markets in the west of the city, green fruit markets on the muddy road, orange markets on Houshi Street, and dried fish markets at Hunsui Dam, among others. Some of these shops and markets are purely commercial establishments, while most are handicraft workshops that produce and sell their own goods or process goods on behalf of others.

Gu Shouzheng was still reluctant, but could not go against it - after all, he had borrowed books from Xiao Ming, so he let it be, giving him some travel expenses and parting with tears.

Upon seeing him, Xiao Ming's anger surged uncontrollably, for it was this very person who had treated him like a guinea pig, administering a dose of strange medicine that had caused Xiao Ming to suffer greatly.

For modern metallurgical technology, it is a systematic discipline. Xiao Ming, who is originally a liberal arts student majoring in finance, has recently taken an interest in researching ancient wrought iron techniques alongside Gu Shouzheng. This has led him to temporarily play the role of an expert, but over time, his lack of genuine knowledge will inevitably be revealed. Fortunately, he understands the importance of knowing when to stop.

Before long, the dishes and drinks were served, but Xiao Ming's mind was not on them. In fact, the food at this restaurant was quite good, including deer shadow stuffed with river clam, West Lake vinegar fish, and sauce duck tongue, along with fine Huadiao wine. Unfortunately, Xiao Ming could not appreciate the taste at all, as he was fully focused on the person sitting across from him, Gou Juling

After coming out, Xiao Ming had no particular destination in mind. He thought about what Hangzhou was like over a thousand years ago, so he decided to take a stroll and have a look. During that time, the commercial activities of the Northern Song Dynasty were extremely prosperous, and apart from the capital Bianliang, Hangzhou was the most flourishing city in the southern region.

He is now dressed in a long robe, pretending to be a Confucian scholar, with a hat on his head to avoid being mistaken for a Liao person with a shaved head and braided hair, and he has come out with his wide sleeves flowing.

After walking for half a day, Xiao Ming felt hungry. He touched the few coins in his pocket and decided to find a restaurant to eat. He lifted his long robe, feeling quite unaccustomed to it. At that time, the scholars of the Song Dynasty greatly revered the people of the Jin Dynasty. The Jin people wore long robes with wide sleeves, which were loose and free, embodying a celestial demeanor. Therefore, in terms of attire, they also emulated the Jin people.

Xiao Ming thought: "This is the gap, a huge generational divide. Without modern knowledge, it is indeed difficult to get by in the Song Dynasty"

The two traveled westward, exiting through the western gate. Master Gou hired a horse-drawn carriage, and the two bid farewell. Gou Juling headed alone towards Lin'an County, while the remaining cloaked figure walked southward towards Pingjiang County.

The streets are bustling with a continuous flow of pedestrians, and various vendors and laborers of all kinds are present. Although it is nearing winter, the atmosphere remains very lively. Men and women, young and old, are all dressed in vibrant colors, and there are even itinerant men with flowers in their hair passing by, which piques Xiao Ming's curiosity

Xiao Ming finds the people of this era quite interesting; they merely meet by chance, and the time spent together is limited, yet they behave as if they are sworn brothers

A reverse pagoda is something that Xiao Ming repeatedly thinks about. According to Xiao Ming's judgment, there should be a "time vortex" there. Although he also knows that the prospect of returning to the modern era is quite bleak, he is always unwilling to accept the situation without understanding what is going on.

Tang Li Hua's "Inscription on the Wall of the Hangzhou Prefectural Office" once described Hangzhou as having "twenty miles of double-masted ships and thirty thousand shops." In fact, this situation only truly took shape during the Song Dynasty. In the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, as conflicts erupted in the Central Plains, the Qian clan of the Wu-Yue Kingdom adopted a strategy of safeguarding their territory and ensuring the well-being of the people, avoiding military conflicts. This not only spared Hangzhou from turmoil but also laid a solid economic foundation for its development during the Northern Song period

However, he finally managed to organize some content. It seems that he had offended a gangster known as Black Lao Gan, who runs an internet café, and subsequently pulled the power switch, causing chaos among the people inside the café. Black Lao Gan sent people to search for him, and as a result, he hid on Turtle Mountain, where he encountered an explosion incident. There seemed to be some tower involved, which was located in a temple, seemingly called "Ciyun Temple." The memories of this experience are fragmented.

This acquaintance is none other than the sharp-nosed, monkey-faced individual with a pair of mouse-like whiskers, who is indeed the junior disciple of An Daquan, the clerk Gou Juling from Lin'an County. This person is also the one who personally administered the injection for himself

The original tall buildings, made of steel and concrete, have now transformed into ancient structures adorned with intricate carvings and paintings. The various streets have also undergone significant changes, bearing no resemblance to the modern Hangzhou that he was familiar with. Xiao Ming turned his head for a long time, feeling dizzy. This was the moment when Xiao Ming truly began to face the ancient Song Dynasty on his own, walking among a crowd of ancient people, listening to their calls to children, greetings, business dealings, and haggling. Suddenly, Xiao Ming found it quite enjoyable.

He found a restaurant called "Cui Song Ju" and stepped inside, deciding that his first journey as a distinguished scholar in the Song Dynasty would involve enjoying some light drinks and dishes, to see if it would inspire him to compose a poem.