The first time in history

Lin'an City was undergoing a massive construction project, and Emperor Gaozong of Song issued an order to expand the original palace. He had already made preparations for moving the capital in the future.

Qian Ming walked for nearly half an hour before he arrived at the most prosperous street in Lin'an.

The scene before him instantly stunned Qian Mingduo.

This street is wide and straight, paved with bluestone slabs. There are shops lining both sides of the street with diverse architectural styles, including traditional pavilions with flying eaves, brackets, carved beams and painted rafters, as well as exquisitely decorated wooden shops, which are arranged in an orderly manner.

The shop signs are colorful and dazzling. Some are made of fine silk and embroidered with large golden characters, fluttering in the wind, which is particularly eye-catching; others are carved from heavy wooden boards and painted with bright colors.

The words on the signboards also vary in form, ranging from flamboyant calligraphy to lifelike paintings, allowing one to tell at a glance what business the store is doing.

The streets were crowded with people, and there were dignitaries dressed in gorgeous silk clothes, walking with their entourages.

There are ordinary people dressed simply but neatly. They are either busy making a living or leisurely shopping, with satisfaction in life on their faces.

There are also businessmen from all over the place, wearing distinctive clothes and speaking with different accents. Some push carts, some carry bags, and they shuttle back and forth on the streets, looking for business opportunities.

The stalls on the street are also varied, with everything you need. The stalls selling snacks are steaming and the aroma is overflowing.

The stalls selling handicrafts are filled with exquisite porcelain, silk products, wood carvings, etc. There are also stalls selling calligraphy and paintings, and books.

There are also various performing artists on the streets, including singers and storytellers.

The hustle and bustle, hawking and laughter on the streets are intertwined. The prosperity here is not only the abundance of material goods, but also the fusion of cultures and the enthusiastic display of life. Qian Mingduo deeply felt the unique charm and prosperity of Lin'an Prefecture in the Southern Song Dynasty.

He found a shop selling candles and bought twenty beeswax candles. They were two cents each. "It's damn expensive," Qian Mingduo said as he stepped out of the shop. "The money for one candle can buy two bowls of noodles. The person next door is rich, but why does she live in such a shabby village?"

Qian Mingduo was strolling leisurely on the street, humming a tuneless little tune, and he didn't care about the strange looks from people around him.

At this time, a red velvet sedan slowly came in. Su Xiaoqing opened the curtain of the sedan and saw Qian Mingduo's strange outfit, and her curiosity was instantly ignited.

"Go and call that person over." Xiaoqing ordered the maid.

Qian Mingduo was brought to the side of the sedan. He put his hands in his pockets, tilted his head slightly, and looked at Su Xiaoqing in the sedan with a faint smile on his lips.

Su Xiaoqing lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and saw Qian Mingduo's appearance. She smiled at first and then asked, "Who are you? Why are you wearing such strange clothes and swaggering in the city?"

Qian Mingduo moved closer to the sedan chair and said, "I guess you are a young lady. It doesn't matter where I came from. What matters is my clothes... People here just don't know how to appreciate them."

Su Xiaoqing frowned: "What do you mean by not knowing how to appreciate? I have never heard of such a statement. Are you fooling me?"

Qian Mingduo chuckled: "I'm not kidding you, Miss. I come from a place you can't even imagine, and life there is much more exciting than here."

Su Xiaoqing became interested: "Oh? Then tell me, what is different about your place?"

Qian Mingduo thought that he had nothing to do, so he just chatted with the young lady: "Where we are, women hold up half the sky, work and earn money just like men, and can do whatever they want. Unlike here, women are trapped in the boudoir. Also, we have cars to travel, which are much faster than your sedan chair. It will disappear in a flash."

Su Xiaoqing opened her mouth in surprise: "You are such a big shot, you are talking nonsense. What is that car? Is it made of iron?"

Qian Mingduo laughed: "That's about right. Anyway, it's a powerful thing. There's also a plane that can fly in the sky and take people everywhere."

Su Xiaoqing was full of suspicion: "You are getting more and more outrageous the more you talk. I think you are just a street thug, talking nonsense here."

Qian Mingduo was not angry, and still said with a smile: "Hey, Miss, don't underestimate me. I have a very good brain. I know a lot of things, and I may be able to bring you a lot of surprises."

Su Xiaoqing curled her lips: "You? I wonder what you can do. But your clothes are really weird. When you walk on the street, people will look at you like a monster."

Qian Mingduo said nonchalantly: "Let them look at theirs, I go my own way. I don't care what these people think. I have no choice, it's just a robe, it was washed but not dried yet, otherwise I wouldn't be walking around here like this."

Su Xiaoqing looked at Qian Mingduo, feeling both angry and amused: "You are such a weird person. Which village are you from?"

Qian Mingduo scratched his head: "It doesn't matter which village I'm from. What's important is that I'm lucky to meet you, Miss."

Su Xiaoqing snorted: "I don't have that much free time to take care of you. You should take care of yourself."

After saying that, Su Xiaoqing lowered the curtain of the sedan chair and prepared to let the sedan bearer move on. But Qian Mingduo suddenly shouted, "Hey, Miss, don't be in such a hurry to leave. I can still tell you stories and new things that happened in our place."

Su Xiaoqing hesitated for a moment, but finally softened her heart: "I think you look like a storyteller in strange clothes. How about this, my father loves to listen to stories, you can come to my house and tell stories to my father. What do you think?"

Qian Mingduo smiled and said, "Okay! But I still have some things to do today. May I ask where your mansion is, Miss?"

Su Xiaoqing also smiled, looked at the maid beside the sedan chair, and lowered the curtain. "Let's go."

"Go straight along this street to the end, then turn east, and you will see the eldest lady's mansion at the end." After the pretty little maid said this, she smiled at Qian Mingduo and hurried to chase the eldest lady's sedan chair.

"What's the eldest lady's last name?" Qian Mingduo shouted.

"My young lady's surname is Su." The little maid turned around and said.

Qian Mingduo looked at the sedan chair going away and said, "This young lady must be a rebellious person. She actually dared to talk to strangers on the street in a feudal society. She is quite impressive."

On the way back to the village, Qian Mingduo had already made up his mind. He had been preparing for the next few days, thinking about how to be a storyteller. If he could make a living from this, at least he would not starve to death in Lin'an.

The village market was still going on, and Qian Mingduo ate two more bowls of noodles. After returning home, he stood by the partition wall and coughed twice on purpose.

The woman opened the door and walked to the partition wall, looking at Qian Mingduo with a faint smile.

Chapter Six

"These are the candles I bought for you." Qian Mingduo put the candles on the wall. "There are twenty in total, and I spent forty cents. Here are the remaining ten cents." After Qian Mingduo said this, he was ready to leave.

"Wait a minute." The woman stopped him, "You still haven't calculated the money for the persimmons?"

Qian Mingduo glanced at her and said, "Big sister, I promised to give you food. What's the point of talking about money?"

"You're back so late. Have you had dinner?" the woman asked softly.

Qian Mingduo stopped as he was about to step over the threshold and nodded. As he walked into the house, he heard the door next door close gently.