The Legend of Zhen Huan: Year after year, we share the spring breeze

Suzhou, formerly known as Yangxian, borders the vast ocean to the east and Zhenze (Taihu Lake) to the west, where the water and sky merge into one. Rivers crisscross the city, and bridges abound, creating a truly picturesque Jiangnan landscape where "houses lie along the river, and waterways and small bridges abound."

The Ming Dynasty scholar Tang Bohu once wrote a poem titled "Things at Changmen":

Three thousand green sleeves go up and down the building, and millions of golds flow east and west.

The market never stops at five o'clock in the morning, and the dialects from far and wide are always different.

This shows the prosperity of Suzhou City.

The most beautiful scenery in Suzhou must be Tiger Hill in the northwest of the city.

This mountain was called Haiyong Peak in ancient times. According to legend, King Helu of Wu was buried here with three thousand swords. The energy of gold and silver turned into a white tiger guarding the place, hence the name.

If you want to visit Tiger Hill, you must start from Shantang Street.

In the old days, scholars and poets who visited Tiger Hill usually rowed boats from Shantang. Along the way, they passed charming water bridges, pink walls and flower shadows, and finally arrived at Tiger Hill.

When the three of them arrived here, it was already dusk, and the lights of the pleasure boats on the banks of Huqiu River were lit up one after another.

An Lingrong stood on the bluestone slabs near the shore, gazing at the cluster of pleasure boats in the distance. The vessels, with their carved beams and painted buildings, looked even more magnificent in the darkening sky. Scarlet gauze lanterns swayed gently in the evening breeze, staining the shimmering waters a rouge hue.

The evening breeze brought bursts of stringed instrument sounds, mixed with the singing girl's clear Wu dialect folk songs, which were particularly charming in the night.

Shen Yunfei followed her three steps behind, opening and closing the folding fan in his hand.

"Cousin, do you really want to go?"

He looked down at his dark blue gown - a plain style he had changed into before going out, and even took off the jade pendant around his waist.

But even so, he still felt uncomfortable standing near these pleasure boats. The faint scent of cosmetics wafting from afar, mixed with the smell of alcohol, made his ears hot.

An Lingrong chuckled: "Why are you so nervous?"

She pointed to the shore and said, "If you're really in trouble, just wait for me there!"

"No, there are all kinds of people here. I must follow you."

Before he finished speaking, a glass lamp floated over from a distance.

The man holding the lantern was a boy of about fifteen or sixteen, with delicate features, red lips and white teeth. He was wearing a gray-blue shorts and a delicate silver ivory plate on his lapel, which gleamed in the candlelight.

"Greetings, gentlemen." The servant stood firmly five steps away, holding a lantern in his right hand and his left hand on his waist, performing a standard welcoming gesture.

The corners of his lips held a hint of a smile, neither too warm nor too respectful. "It's getting late. Would you like me to lead the way?"

As he spoke, his eyes were level and his expression was normal, as if he was completely unaware of the uncovered ear piercing on the earlobe of the "young master" in front of him, nor did he notice the overly handsome servant beside him, and he did not notice that the pendant of the folding fan in the hand of the last young master was made of top-grade Hetian jade seed material.

Who among those who could make a living as a guide at the foot of Tiger Hill wasn't a shrewd person? He had long since developed a pair of sharp eyes - seeing through things without saying anything was the foundation of this business. Since the noble man was interested in playing around in the world, they, the errand boys, naturally had to cooperate to ensure the success of this show.

It was the first time for all three of them and they didn't know how to answer him.

Seeing that they didn't speak, the servant raised the lantern higher:

"A hundred steps ahead is Tingyuxuan, where a storyteller from Jinling is performing today. Further east is Zuixianlou, where they've just received several jars of twenty-year-old pear blossom white. To the north, Huifengzhai has just opened, featuring a zither player from Yangzhou who plays Guangling San beautifully. If you find the noise unpleasant, there's a quiet teahouse to the west, with a table by the water, perfect for moon-viewing."

An Lingrong's eyes shifted, suddenly pointing to the tallest pleasure boat in the middle of the river. Twelve glazed palace lanterns hung from the three-story eaves, and the vermilion lacquer railings reflected the water's light, a truly magnificent sight. "I want to sit there!"

The servant's eyes flashed, and he bent down even deeper: "Sir, you have good eyesight. That is 'Zuiyuexuan', the most luxurious place here."

After saying this, he turned sideways to lead the way, "Please follow me."

The three of them followed the servant onto the floating plank connecting to the pleasure boat.

The float rose and fell gently with the river water, and small drops of water splashed from time to time in the gaps between the wooden boards.

A quarter of an hour later, when they reached the pleasure boat, the servant suddenly cleared his throat and called out in a drawn-out voice, "Mother Zhao—it's time to welcome the distinguished guest—"

The shout was full of ups and downs, with the ending twirling and floating upwards, clearly a skill acquired in the marketplace.

But after a moment, the bead curtain in the boat rustled.

A woman in her mid-thirties came out from behind the curtain. She glanced at the three men, startled for a moment, then quickly smiled. "Oh, hello, gentlemen, you've arrived. Please come in."

The voice was like one soaked in honey, sweet but not greasy, enchanting but not coquettish.

Mother Zhao led the three people inside as she spoke. The fragrance of agarwood wafted from the pleasure boat, mixed with the sound of stringed instruments, making it seem like a fairyland.

Shen Yunfei fell last and took out a silver ingot from his sleeve and handed it to the servant.

The servant took the silver and bowed deeply: "Thank you for the reward, sir." Then he turned and left.

An Lingrong looked up and saw that every detail of the pleasure boat was exquisite. The walls were hung with Suzhou embroidery screens, the floor was covered with scarlet carpet, and several glass lamps hung from the ceiling, casting shadows on the gilded beams and pillars, making the whole room bright and glorious.

Faint sounds of laughter and stringed instruments could be heard from the room upstairs.

Mother Zhao led the three of them to the round rosewood table by the window and attentively poured three cups of Biluochun tea. "What would you like to have for fun, gentlemen?"

She asked with a smile, "Listen to music, watch dancing, or have a few clever maids play drinking games with you. I can arrange it for you."

An Lingrong brought the teacup to her nose and sniffed it, but did not drink it.

"Mother Zhao, I've booked your pleasure boat."

With a "bang", the teapot in Mother Zhao's hand almost fell out of her hand.

She calmed herself down and forced a smile, "Sir, what do you mean by that?"

An Lingrong placed the teacup back on the table. "We have just arrived in Suzhou and haven't found a suitable place to stay yet."

She looked around, her eyes sweeping over the exquisite furnishings one by one, "I think your place is very nice. Starting tomorrow, you don't need to receive other guests. As for the money..."

The corners of her lips curled up slightly, "No problem."

Shen Yunfei was shocked when he heard this. Without caring about the differences between men and women, he pulled An Lingrong to a corner.

"Cousin!" He lowered his voice, sweat already beading on his forehead. "This pleasure boat looks expensive. I... I don't have that much money!"

An Lingrong suppressed a smile, raised an eyebrow and asked, "How many do you have?"

"This time when I went out, my father asked the accountant to give me three thousand taels..."

"You don't have any private savings?"

"Yes, I do..." Shen Yunfei rubbed his fingers awkwardly, "My monthly allowance is 20 taels, and this month I still have... 8 taels left..."

An Lingrong looked at him like this and finally couldn't help but chuckle: "Don't worry, I have money."

Returning to the table, An Lingrong asked, "How is it?"

Mother Zhao had already come to her senses, and her smile became even brighter: "If there is money to be made, I am naturally willing to do it."

As he spoke, he attentively refilled the tea. "How long will you stay, sir? What do you need to prepare?"

An Lingrong nodded with satisfaction: "I'm not sure yet. If I need anything, I'll call you."