"Dong dong dong dong …"
The drums of Nan City came from afar. Yang Fan, Maqiao and Pasta were still walking leisurely.
Before the opening of a shop in the middle of the day, the drums had to be beaten three hundred times. The drums had just been beaten and it was still early to leave the shop. There was no hurry.
Luoyang's business was more developed than Chang 'an. Rich merchants frequently traded in the three cities. Nan City had hundreds of trades and professions. There were more than three thousand shops in total. From afar, they looked like one. Elm and willow trees intersected with each other. Jewelry shops, bookstores, bran shops, slave markets, and Chong Lou Yan Pavillion all reflected each other. They attracted merchants and rare goods.
Bei City was connected to the Cao Canal in the east. All the ships from all over the world gathered at the bridge east. There were often more than ten thousand ships filled up the river. Merchants and horses blocked the streets. Merchants gathered to sell spices, curiosities, silk, tea, and other goods. Hotels and restaurants were also located in this area, connecting the two cities north and south of Luo River into one.
Xi City was similar to Nan City, but it was more focused on wholesale. Its main customers were merchants from other places. The "market" of the Tang dynasty only opened in the middle of the day. Of course, the small stalls in the shops were not subject to this restriction.
"Epsilon Majoris, you're not a child anymore. Why don't you take care of yourself? When you sleep at night, you must cover yourself with the quilt. It's getting cold. Do you want your aunt to cover you with the quilt? "
"Yes, yes, yes …"
"Don't eat like a reincarnated hungry ghost. Chew carefully and swallow slowly. Don't always eat cold food. Eat on time. That way, your stomach won't get cold."
"Yes, yes, yes …"
"Look at you. Can you walk properly? Don't tremble! You don't learn from the good ones. You're a hooligan! "
"Yes, yes, yes …"
As the three of them walked, Pasta lectured Maqiao. Maqiao looked helpless. He frowned and said, "Xiao Ning, actually I …"
Yang Fan immediately coughed and dragged out his voice, "Aunty Liu said that last night …"
Maqiao immediately shut his mouth. Pasta turned to Yang Fan and asked, "What happened last night?"
Yang Fan caught a glimpse of Maqiao's pleading eyes. He chuckled and said, "Actually, it's not just last night. It's been like this for the past few days. Epsilon Majoris is thirsty at night. He always doesn't drink the boiled water on the stove and drinks the cold water directly from the vat. I guess it's because of his cold stomach."
Pasta turned her head and glared at Maqiao. She said coquettishly, "That's why I said you don't know how to take care of yourself. Are you still young? You're already a grown-up, yet you drink cold water all day! From now on, you have to get rid of this bad habit. "
Maqiao laughed dryly and said, "Alright, alright, I will definitely change, definitely change! Ah, the market door is open. Hurry up, hurry up. "
The 'market order' sounded and the market door slowly opened. There were already thousands of people crowding in front of the market. It was a bustling scene. When Maqiao saw that Jiang Xuning didn't need to be long-winded, he felt relieved. He hurriedly called out and rushed forward.
Every 'market' in Luoyang had four doors. Yang Fan and company came to the south door. When he saw that the market door was open, Maqiao immediately quickened his pace. Pasta couldn't continue lecturing him, so he also quickened his pace to catch up. Yang Fan followed behind. His eyes turned slightly, and he suddenly cried out and held his stomach.
Pasta stopped and turned around. "Xiao Fan, what's wrong?"
Yang Fan said, "I suddenly have a stomachache. I need to find a place to relieve myself. Sister Ning, you and Epsilon Majoris go in first. I will look for you later."
Pasta nodded and said, "Alright, Epsilon Majoris and I will walk along the cross street."
Yang Fan raised his hand and said, "Alright, you guys go first. See you later!"
Maqiao snorted twice and said to the sky, "God has eyes, evil will have its retribution!"
Before he could be proud of himself, Jiang Xuning's reprimanding voice was heard, "What nonsense are you spouting now? Can't you just be serious? You're really … "
The two of them chatted all the way into the market. Yang Fan held his stomach and dragged his feet behind. When the two of them entered Nan City, he also quickened his pace. After entering Nan City's main entrance, he turned left and hurried along a row of horizontal shops.
Although the market had just opened, it was only open for half a day. Therefore, the moment the shops opened, the well-prepared merchants began to shout with all their might, trying to attract the citizens of Luoyang who had just entered the market.
The Li family's lacquer and miscellaneous items shop, the Wang family's flower and fruit shop, the Xiao family's ink, brush and inkstone, the Liu family's charcoal, the Chen family's winery, and the beef and mutton shop. Along the way, embroidered flags fluttered in the wind, blocking out the sun. In between, there were also many jewelry shops and fragrant medicine shops opened by the Hu people.
At this time, the Hu people referred to the Persians, Abbasid Caliphate, Indians, Romans, Sogdians, and other races of the Western Region. The Turks, Turks, and Huihe could not be called Hu people. Otherwise, he would think that you were looking down on him.
There were all kinds of people. Officials, gentry, ladies, ladies, concubines, peddlers, pawns, Chinese, and Hu people. There were people on horseback, in carriages, and on foot. They all went their own way.
As far as the eye could see, there were many beauties. Even if one did not want to buy anything, they could just stroll around and look at the beauties. However, one would not be able to see the charming scene of "a city full of steamed buns" here.
This was because there were only two types of women who could wear open-necked dresses in two different places. One type was noblewomen and the daughters of ministers. They could be worn in mansions and the palace. The other type was the singing and dancing dress. They could be worn in brothels. Other women would not even have the chance to wear it, much less wear it on the streets.
Yang Fan entered Nan City, turned left, and went straight to the Ren family's gold and silver shop. He had to exchange the golden hairpin for money before he could buy things. In this era, gold and silver were not the common currency and could not be used for direct transactions. In this era, when buying and selling things, one would usually use the Kai Yuan Tong Bao as payment. If one wanted to pay in large quantities, one would use silk cloth as the general equivalent.
The golden hairpin in Yang Fan's hand weighed less than one tael. At most, it could be exchanged for two thousand taels. However, Yang Fan saw that the hairpin's workmanship and design were exquisite. An ordinary gold and silver shop's craftsmanship would not be able to create such an exquisite hairpin. If the gold and silver shop accepted his hairpin, there was no need to melt it and it could be directly resold as jewelry. This was why Yang Fan insisted on exchanging it for three thousand taels.
The store manager, Honest Ren, belittled the quality of the gold and ridiculed the workmanship. After speaking for a long time, Yang Fan did not say much. He only smiled and said, "Manager Ren, it's fine if you only want to exchange it for two thousand taels. However, you have to forge this hairpin into gold in front of me."
Honest Ren picked up the hammer without another word and raised it high above his head. He stared at the golden hairpin on the chopping board. After staring for a while, he gripped the hammer and glared at Yang Fan. He said fiercely, "You win! Two thousand five hundred taels. I will not increase it any further! "
Yang Fan said, "Two thousand eight hundred taels. The hairpin is yours! Otherwise, I will go to the Fu family's gold and silver shop. "
Honest Ren slammed the hammer on the anvil with his right hand and quickly picked up the hairpin with his left. He gritted his teeth and said, "Deal!"
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