The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 3 People’s hearts are like the sea and go with the flow

Looking back at the way she came, Liuli let out a breath - even though she had heard about the bustling West Market for a long time, at that moment, when she actually walked into the largest CBD area in the Tang Dynasty, she was still dizzy: both sides of the road There are all kinds of shops one after another, including spices, jewelry, furs, silks, and satins. They are all sold in the open. One moment, the smell of jewels hits your face, and the next second, it is replaced by a strong and choking fragrance. After two steps, , a blond woman with blue eyes leaned against the white wall and waved to people, "Newly arrived grape wine, Sanle fine wine..."

As for the "Ruyi Jiaval" in front of us, it is quite conspicuous even in such a busy city: the three-foot-wide store is twice the size of ordinary stores, and although there is only a two-foot-high eaves built under the eaves A whitewashed wall separates the store from the road, but an extremely elegant lotus pattern is carved on the wall. The three walls of the store are hung with gorgeous or elegant hangings of various colors. It looks like a colorful river. There are also pieces of fabric placed on the two large wooden tables with high legs. Two people are carrying them. The maid's woman in fine clothes is carefully selecting.

Liuli took out a clean handkerchief from her arms, carefully wiped the dust off her face, and walked over slowly.

The waiter at the door was sending away a customer with a smile on his face. When he saw Liuli's face, he was stunned for a moment and said casually, "My lady, would you like to see the new designs in our store?" Then his eyes fell on her jacket. , showing a bit of disappointment.

Liuli nodded with a smile, and said softly: "Excuse me, is the owner of Guizhuang Anshiro?"

The clerk was stunned for a moment, then replied, "Of course, there is only one Valerian shop in this West Market, I don't know how little lady..."

Liuli raised her eyebrows and smiled, "That's it! My surname is Kudi, she is the niece of the An family, but I want to trouble your village to find someone to inform my uncle, and tell my niece Kudi that there is something urgent and ask my uncle for advice."

The waiter became more and more stunned. He glanced at Liuli up and down with a look of hesitation. Then he looked back at the shopkeeper who was walking over. He thought for a moment and whispered, "Wait a minute, madam." He turned around and whispered to the shopkeeper. A few words.

The shopkeeper was about forty or fifty years old. He had a kind face, but his eyes were quite sharp. He glanced at Liuli from head to toe and frowned.

Liuli was a little nervous, so she restrained her desire to step forward and explain, and smiled at the shopkeeper as calmly as possible. The shopkeeper pondered for a moment, then waved over a boy. After giving a few instructions, the boy flew away. Only then did he put a smile on his face, walked over and cupped his hands: "This young lady, someone has sent someone to invite A Lang. Why don't you come in and wait?"

Liuli smiled and thanked her, then walked into the store. The shopkeeper wanted to invite her to drink tea in the back, so Liuli smiled and said, "I won't bother you, husband, just take a look here." After saying that, she looked up at the valerian cloth hanging on the wall.

She was originally a student in the Dyeing and Weaving Department of the Academy of Fine Arts. The graduation thesis she wrote three years ago was "On Dyeing and Weaving Patterns and Fashions of the Western Regions in the Tang Dynasty." Naturally, she knew that the so-called jiavalian technique was to use two carved wooden boards to hold cloth between two pieces of wood for dyeing. It originated from It was popular in the Northern Wei Dynasty and in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Because the craftsmanship was expensive and laborious, it was still exclusive to wealthy families. I saw the jade hanging on these three walls. The texture is mainly silk and silk. The color is usually two colors, but there are also three or four colors. The patterns are mostly connected beads, group flowers, scattered flowers and a small number of figures. It seems that the exquisite paintings of landscapes, flowers and birds, and hunting in the Tang Dynasty have not yet appeared...

Liuli secretly breathed a sigh of relief. In recent months, she has been intentionally or unintentionally inquiring about the businesses of several uncles. She knows that her uncle An Erlang is the richest in the spice and jewelry business, and her younger uncle Qi Lang is a merchant and travels between Xizhou and Chang'an all the time. They are also engaged in the trade of female slaves, while the second uncle, Anshiro, specializes in cloth and is famous for his unique Ruyi Jia Valerian in the Western Market. He also has a huge fortune-making Jia Valerian and a Mingxin embroidery workshop. At that time, something moved in her heart, and she slowly made a plan.

Liuli was thinking about how to talk to her second uncle later when she heard a woman behind her sigh, "Is this all you do these days?" Then the shopkeeper's smiling voice said, "My wife is a regular customer. After thinking about it, I know that when it comes to patterns, apart from the Weaving and Dyeing Department, there is probably no place in Chang'an that has more up-to-date patterns than ours."

The noble lady said: "The elegance and elegance of Dongshi is also good, but unfortunately none of them have the colors I want." The shopkeeper smiled and said, "This is not difficult. The lady can tell the appearance and let the painter consider the painting first. Just have to wait another month.”

The lady hurriedly asked, "How much does it cost?" The shopkeeper said, "The price is clearly marked. If it is made of high-quality raw silk, it will be based on the price of the top grade in the industry, which is 760 cents per horse. Half of the deposit must be paid in advance."

Liuli quickly looked at the samples hanging on the wall, and saw that they were all marked with grades and prices. The lowest grade was 320 yuan, the middle grade was 450 yuan, and there was no top grade. I guess the so-called top grade was customized and required Redrawing and plate making are naturally much more expensive.

Liuli didn't look back, but moved her feet a few steps that way. She only heard the noble lady say, "My grandma loves peonies the most. Although your family has one or two, she is not rich enough. I am thinking about making a three-color peony sandwich." If Valerian is made into a shawl, maybe the shopkeeper will draw it first?"

The shopkeeper's voice sounded a little embarrassed, "Peonies are the most difficult to paint among flowers and birds. I also need to discuss with the painter. If the lady sincerely wants it, it is better to come here tomorrow." The lady couldn't help but hesitate, "Tomorrow What..."

Liuli didn't hesitate anymore, turned around and said with a smile, "The little girl also loves peonies the most. She has painted some patterns when she has nothing to do. If my father-in-law trusts me, I would like to paint a picture for my wife to see."

 The shopkeeper and the lady were both surprised. The lady looked Liuli up and down, and then looked at the shopkeeper doubtfully. Liuli smiled and bent her knees slightly, "I am the niece of the owner of this shop. I have learned to draw patterns since I was a child. Today is the first time I come to my uncle's shop. It is fate that we meet each other. The painting is simple. It doesn't matter if Madam doesn't like it. Then he smiled at the shopkeeper and said, "Can I borrow a pen and paper? I need a small pen or paper. Cooked linen paper is best." The lady looked a little curious, tilted her head and smiled. , "Then I'll have to thank you, little lady."

Liuli had already seen clearly that this woman was probably in her early thirties, with thick muscles like snow, fine eyebrows, and a plum blossom on her forehead. She was wearing six pomegranate dresses and a shawl with five haloes of silver mud. She really looked like this. Like the beauty from the Tang Dynasty who walked down the painting, what is rare is that her eyes are somewhat innocent, and her smile is bright, making people feel weak in their hearts just looking at her.

The shopkeeper was a little hesitant, but when he heard Liuli asked for these two things, he thought about it and turned around and ordered the clerk to take out pens, inks, paper, inkstones, etc. He also left half a table empty and finished grinding the ink.

Dip the tip of the Liuli brush lightly, take a deep breath, and draw a picture of peonies with branches on the paper: a double peony and a single peony are the main flowers, with dianthus and camellia behind.

She has not started writing for a long time, so she is naturally a little unfamiliar. Fortunately, she has often practiced using charcoal and tree branches in private recently. What she painted was the copy pattern she was most familiar with in her previous life. Later, her paintings became smoother and smoother. When I put the pen away, I looked at it and felt that I was sixty-seven percent satisfied. I was about to say a few words, but I heard a burst of cheers around me. Liuli couldn't help but be startled. When she looked up, she saw that people in the store had gathered around her at some point, and there were also a few passers-by who seemed to have just come in from outside.

The noble lady clapped her hands and said with a smile, "As expected, I have a rich family background, so it looks so beautiful when I draw it casually, and the coloring makes it even more gorgeous. I want this pattern!"

Another noble lady also said, "I want a new pattern of magpies climbing on the branches. I wonder if I can also draw one?"

Liuli wiped the sweat from her forehead, but before she could answer the question, a loud gong sound suddenly came from the distance, and everyone watching the excitement dispersed immediately. She couldn't help but be startled when she heard the shopkeeper sigh, "Unfortunately today, it's time to close the shop!"

The lady who wanted the peonies hurriedly asked her maid to pay the deposit to the shopkeeper. She only said that she was the fifth lady of the Helan Mansion. The lady who wanted the magpie tree sighed, "I'll come back in two days. I just hope I can see my little lady again.”

Liuli bowed silently and thought to herself, I hope so more than you do... But she heard someone beside her say in a deep voice, "Sister Siang has taught you how to draw flowers?"

Liuli was slightly startled, and turned around to see a tall, middle-aged man with curly hair and dark eyes standing behind him, looking at him with complicated eyes. She squinted her eyes and suddenly remembered that she had met this man when she first came to Chang'an. At that time, he talked to her in a low voice while pushing others away, but she could not understand anything at that time. He could pretend to be dumbfounded and cry without speaking. This man seemed quite disappointed and angry. He has never been seen since then - could this be his second uncle Anshiro? Sure enough, I heard the shopkeeper shout, "Alang is here?"

Liuli hurriedly saluted: "Uncle!" and replied, "When my mother-in-law was alive, I taught my daughter some lessons, and my son liked it very much. It's just that I haven't touched a pen in three years, and today I made my uncle laugh." - This is not a lie. , she had seen several half-used pens and old paint trays in her room, as well as one or two fine scattered flower patterns and several pieces of writing paper for copying "The Commandments of Women". neatly written in fine print. I think Anshi once taught her daughter to draw, and maybe Kudiyanzhong also personally taught her to write. Unfortunately, since she took over this body, she never had the chance to touch the pen, ink, paper and inkstone.

Second Uncle An raised his eyebrows, his expression became more and more serious, he coughed and asked in a low voice: "Why are you looking for uncle?"

Liuli said softly, "Tomorrow my father-in-law and my concubine will send Liuli to Taichang Temple to be selected. I really don't want to be a Jiaofang girl, so I just asked my uncle to take her in for one night. After the selection time tomorrow afternoon, I will go back." "

Second Uncle An was immediately furious: "Nonsense! Is your grandpa deceived by fat? That kind of place is a place where young ladies from good families can go? So is your child. Uncle An asked you to go back to An's house that day. If you hadn't been crying for life and death, why would you have suffered like this?"

So that’s it, language barrier really kills people! Liuli felt a sense of sadness and secret joy, and couldn't help but sigh in a low voice.

Second Uncle An looked at her and briefly glanced at the pattern Liuli had just drawn. He had obviously made up his mind and said in a deep voice, "Go to my uncle's house and stay for as many days as you want!"

Liuli responded in a low voice and followed Uncle An towards the outside of the West Market. The sound of the closing gong was still ringing in the sky above the West Market. Most of the shops on the roadside had closed their doors. There were only sparse pedestrians on the road, as if The magic moment has ended, and this land that was so prosperous a quarter of an hour ago has quickly become desolate. Liuli took out from her sleeve the patterns of hunting group flowers and flower-piercing butterflies that she had previously sketched on the backs of two pieces of paper with fine charcoal. She crumpled them into a ball quietly and threw them into the ditch on the roadside.

 (End of this chapter)