Chapter 538 Back Lake
Sun Shan visited Jiming Temple but did not meet the legendary master.
There are fortune-telling services here, and although it is free, you still have to donate some money, which Sun Shan is not happy about.
At the same time, I am also afraid of drawing a bad lot, so I simply don’t ask for it and I won’t be afraid.
The main idea is that if you can’t see it, just pretend it doesn’t exist.
After visiting Jiming Temple, we walked around a few times and arrived at Houhu, also known as Xuanwu Lake.
Houhu Lake was originally a royal garden.
The current emperor once made Jinling the temporary capital. Later, he chose the capital as the capital. The royal gardens and palaces were opened to the public and became a tourist attraction for the people of Jinling to visit.
Houhu Lake is also open to the people of Jinling for entertainment. As a native of Jinling, Shigou knows Houhu Lake very well.
The sun shines on the lake, the waves are sparkling, and the breeze is blowing. It is beautiful even in winter.
Shi Gou ate the duck oil crispy biscuits that Gui Ge'er bought for him, and looked up and said, "Master Juren, you came at the wrong time. If you come in the summer, this place will be full of lotus flowers, and it will be very beautiful then."
Then he thought of something and said with an embarrassed smile, "Lotus seeds are also delicious. But the officials are not allowed to pick them. If you catch them, you will be beaten."
Gui Ge'er asked jokingly, "Shi Gou, you look so familiar with this place, have you also been here to pick lotus seeds?"
Shi Gou instinctively wanted to deny it, but when he thought of the presence of the Juren Master, he could only stammer and say, "I, I came here with my classmate to pick them. My classmate asked me to pick them."
Sun Shan shook his head and said, "Shi Gou, you can't pick them. They belong to the government. If you pick them, you will go to jail. And it's dangerous to pick lotus pods by the lake. The water is very deep. If you fall in, you will drown."
Shi Gou thought that he had picked it many times and it never fell, so it would not fall.
But when he met Sun Shan's eyes, Shi Gou was naturally afraid, so he nodded and said, "Sir, I will never come here to pick the fruits again. If my classmates come here, I won't come either."
Sun Shan wiped the crumbs from the corners of his mouth with his handkerchief and said admiringly, "Shi Gou is a good boy. It is a great honor to admit one's mistakes and correct them."
Duck oil crispy biscuits
Shi Gou lowered his head in embarrassment and continued to eat the duck oil crispy sesame cake.
This is a rare and delicious pancake. Normally, my family would not afford to buy it, but fortunately the scholar was generous and bought it without hesitation.
No wonder the Master said that there is a golden house in the book.
If you read more, you will find gold.
The scholar had read a lot of books, so he was willing to buy pastries even though he had found a lot of gold.
Sun Shan and his five companions found a tea stall to sit down, ordered a pot of tea, ate some cakes, and admired the emerald green lake. Their hearts felt unprecedented peace.
Sun Dali said with emotion: "The lake outside is really big. Where can we find such a big lake in Sunjia Village? If you don't go out for a walk, you won't know that the outside world is different. Many things are different from Sunjia Village."
Sun Dingnan agreed and said, "Yes. If you don't go out, you don't know how big the world is. Haha, it's also thanks to Ashan that I know how big the outside world is. Haha, just take the steamed buns for example. If you didn't tell me, I would have thought that people outside only eat rice."
Gui Ge'er is more experienced than Sun Dali and Sun Dingnan. He said proudly, "Uncle Dali, Brother Nan, if you go out more, you will find that the outside world is very different from Sunjia Village. Haha, I find that it is easier to make money outside than in Sunjia Village."
Gui Ge'er rolled his eyes. He had earned a lot of money carrying sacks these days, which would have been impossible in Sunjia Village. He touched the copper coins in his underwear and felt very happy.
Sun Dingnan shook his head and said, "It's easy to make money outside, but it costs a lot. Even drinking water costs money. Oh, if you calculate it this way, you still can't save money. We still have a place to live and don't have to pay for accommodation. If we don't have a place to live, it will cost more."
After hearing what Sun Dingnan said, Gui Ge'er and Sun Dali thought it made a lot of sense.
They've been spending a lot of money these days, spending it faster than they make it. If they weren't rich, they would be spending more than they earn.
Gui Ge'er sighed and said, "Not to mention anything else, even a few branches of winter plum blossoms have to be bought with money. Oh, Jinling is really greedy for money."
Gui Ge'er knew that Sun Shan liked flowers, plants, water and fish, which are what all scholars like, and Sun Shan is no exception.
So he bought a big vat to grow flowers. In the cold winter, Jinling was not like Guangzhou, only the wintersweets bloomed well, so Brother Gui bought a large bunch of wintersweets and grew them in water.
The reason I chose a big jar is that vases are too expensive and not cost-effective.
If you were in Sunjia Village or Yuelu Academy, you could just go and cut it secretly, there would be no need to buy it.
Later, Guiger used the big tank as the bottom, cut a small pond, and bought a few small koi to raise.
Oh, that one is expensive. If Sun Shan didn’t like it, Gui Ge’er would not be willing to buy it.
After the small courtyard was simply decorated, Sun Shan smiled more often and Gui Ge'er was not so distressed anymore.
While munching on some pastries, the little boy Shigou listened to Sun Shan and his friends complaining about the high prices in Jinling.
Shi Gou said with deep sympathy: "Master, things in Nanjing are very expensive. My grandfather always said that noodles in Nanjing are as expensive as jade, and firewood is as expensive as gold."
Sun Shan is now in a state of living beyond his means, so naturally he feels that prices are too high.
But it’s expensive, there’s nothing you can do. Your illness isn’t healed yet, and you need to rest slowly.
Sun Shan also wanted to go to Beijing or return home, but when he thought about the free medical treatment he received in Nanjing, he didn't want to leave in a hurry.
It was hard to find an imperial physician, and even harder to find free medical care. His biggest expense now was food.
Sun Shan could afford it as he did not indulge in lavish food and fish. He planned to stay in Nanjing for treatment until he was completely cured.
Of course, there was another reason why he planned to stay in Jinling. The literary culture was flourishing here, and there were many talented men and beautiful women. He wanted to find an academy here to study and further his education.
To be honest, Sun Shan had no confidence in this imperial examination. He wanted to gain experience. But he was stopped halfway. It could only be God's will.
Since it is God's will, then just go with the flow. It is better to stay in Jinling and study hard.
Beijing has the most talented people, but prices there are high and there is no free medical care.
Sun Shan thought about it and decided not to go to the capital.
Stay in Jinling to get help from the imperial physician and the Xu family.
To be honest, his sequelae are still quite serious. His legs become numb if he walks for too long and he has to sit down and rest.
The handwritten characters are uglier than before, very superficial and not solid.
Words like Sun Shan give people a very bad feeling.
As the saying goes, a person's handwriting reflects his character, and Sun Shan didn't want to lose points because of his handwriting.
Therefore, he had to stay in Jinling until the old imperial physician took care of him.
If Sun Shan were to hire another famous doctor, firstly he would have no connections and secondly it would cost a lot.
Sun's money cannot be spent easily. It needs to be considered carefully before it can be used.
After some random thoughts, seeing that the time was almost up, Shi Gou took Gui Ge'er to find a carriage. He asked for a reasonable price, and everyone took the carriage back.
The carriage first drove into Jinxiufang. Sun Shan asked Gui Ge'er to pick up some cured meat, cakes and candies for Shi Gou to take home. This was today's tour guide fee.
Shi Gou asked timidly, "Master Juren, on the first day of the new year, I will come to wish you a happy new year, okay?"
Shi Gou really wants to play with Mr. Juren. There are so many delicious foods here and Mr. Juren is also very kind. Shi Gou likes him very much.
Sun Shan smiled and said, "Okay, come over on New Year's Day."