The Double Seventh Festival was the day when the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl met at the Magpie Bridge.
The Weaver Girl had skillful hands, so on this day, little girls would often pray in the garden, hoping that the Weaver Girl would grant them a pair of skillful hands.
The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl were separated by the Milky Way and could only meet each other once a year. Therefore, this day was regarded as Valentine's Day by the world's lovers. It was widely recognized as a good day for lovers to make vows. Later, Bai Juyi specially wrote this day in the Song of Everlasting Sorrow, "On the seventh day of the seventh month in the Longevity Hall, when no one was whispering in the middle of the night. In the sky, we would like to be lovebirds, on the ground, we would like to be intertwined branches … "
The Tang dynasty could be said to be one of the dynasties with the most holidays. The other dynasty was the Song dynasty, which was a paradise for civil servants. Of course, this was the Great Zhou Dynasty now. However, in the eyes of many Tang citizens, they had always confused this "Great Zhou Dynasty" with the "era name" that the empress had to change every few days. They had no awareness of a change in dynasty.
On the Double Seventh Festival, every family would prepare fruits, wine, and food to worship the two stars of the Ox Lady. Now that the imperial court had also treated this day as a festival and had given everyone a long holiday, and even lifted the curfew, the Tang people who loved lively events would definitely not let go of this good opportunity to party all night long.
Before the sky turned dark, the city of Luoyang began to be lively.
Little girls in every family were threading needles, and spiders were not concerned about it. The whole city of Luoyang was decorated with lanterns and colored streamers, and all kinds of music and dances were performed. It was like the New Year, attracting countless people.
Ding Ding Main Street, from the Duanmen to the Ding Ding Gate, was a straight line, eight miles long and five hundred feet wide. On the wide street, torches were lit, illuminating the world. The sound of metal, stone, gourd and leather could be heard from dozens of miles away.
In Chang 'an, the moon was like a mirror, and every family held a needle and thread at night.
Fairy dresses and jade pendants were empty, and they could not meet in heaven and earth.
Changxin was dark, and the night turned dark, and fireflies flowed in the jade steps and golden pavilions.
Ban Ji was full of sorrow, and the river and river watched the bullfight.
The current Luoyang was even more flourishing than Chang 'an. One could tell how lively it was without asking.
In the face of such a magnificent scene, although Princess Taiping's appointment was to go boating with Yang Fan on the Luo River, she would not disregard the amorous feelings of Ding Ding. Before going to the Tianjin Bridge to take the boat, they would have to stroll along the long street.
For the convenience of going out, Taiping was still dressed in men's clothing, but it was obvious that she had dressed herself up. Her lips were painted red, and her eyebrows were thin. The usual tender and charming charm was not very obvious, but there was a kind of graceful feeling like water. When Yang Fan looked at her, he had the feeling that he was looking at Wan 'er.
Taiping's eight extremely sturdy female sumo wrestlers had also changed into men's clothes, and were hiding in front of them, on their left and right sides, quietly guarding them from several zhang away. Yang Fan and Princess Taiping walked side by side, strolling along the bustling Ding Ding Street.
The street was bustling with noise and excitement, but the two of them walked very slowly and quietly.
This was the first time the two of them had strolled along Ding Ding Street since they had met by chance on Shangyuan Chang Street. Strolling along the streets, they could not help but recall the scene on top of the hundred-foot lamp tree. It was like a dream from last night. The two of them could not help but feel a slight sense of loss. Perhaps it was a nostalgia for the passing of time.
Princess Taiping looked at the sky, which was clear and bright. But because of the bustling street, looking at the sky full of stars, it seemed to be contaminated with a bit of happiness in the mortal world.
Princess Taiping sighed softly, "The Cowherd and the Weaver Maid, separated by the Milky Way, meet once a year, it is really not easy …"
This sigh was also faint. It was not known whether she was sighing for the Cowherd and the Weaver Maid, or for the difficulty of meeting with Yang Fan.
Yang Fan also looked up at the sky, and lightly said, "One day in heaven is one year on earth. In fact, the Cowherd and the Weaver Maid meet every day. The mortals in the world judge others by themselves, and think that the immortals suffer like them. "
Princess Taiping was angry and amused at the same time. She gently turned the small golden fan in her hand and knocked on Yang Fan's shoulder. She softly said, "You spoil the fun!"
The two strong female sumo wrestlers nearby immediately turned their faces away, and did not look at her.
Yang Fan smiled, and did not react to Princess Taiping's flirting.
Princess Taiping's expression slightly darkened, and she sighed again, "Even if it is as you said, the Cowherd and the Weaver Maid meet every day, why do mortals in the world place their resentment, separation from love, and unattainable suffering on the immortals?"
Yang Fan shrugged and said, "I am slow-witted, and really do not know. Speaking of which, this Qixi Qiao Qiao is a special festival for girls, although many men join in the fun. "
Princess Taiping lightly tapped the small golden fan in her palm, and said in a low voice, "A girl's festival? If it is because of girls, I think … it is probably because in a girl's heart, a good man is like the Altair star in the sky, which can only be found but not sought. It's hard to find a man I like even if I'm holding a lantern … "
In front of them, a few cute and adorable little girls, holding a few carp lanterns and orange lanterns, walked past them, as if to confirm Princess Taiping's sigh. But what entered their ears was the little girls' laughter, and they did not know the slightest bit of sadness.
Yang Fan could not bear it any longer, and coughed, "Your Highness, when are we going to go boating on the Luo River?"
Princess Taiping rolled her eyes at him and said, "There is still a night's work, the night is long, why are you in such a hurry?"
Princess Taiping's beautiful eyes turned, and she suddenly smiled, "Could it be … you like to go boating alone with me?"
Yang Fan shivered, and quickly laughed dryly, "Ah … in my opinion, let's go a little further, and walk to the Ding Ding Gate, and then walk back."
Princess Taiping snorted, and faintly said, "Those things in the palace … I am very annoyed, can't you give in to me a little?"
Yang Fan touched his nose, and did not say anything.
The two of them continued to walk forward, shoulder to shoulder, not saying a word. Their eyes slowly swept over the young boys and girls who were happily and gracefully floating past them. They did not even look at the bustling scene in the middle of the street.
"Eh? What is going on in front? "
As Yang Fan and Princess Taiping were walking, they suddenly saw a crowd in front of them. Today there were all kinds of performances and acrobatics on the Ding Ding Street, and it was not uncommon for people to gather in some places. But this place was the roadside, and it was impossible for people to not go to the center and perform by the roadside. Moreover, as they paid attention, they seemed to hear the sound of ducks and geese crying.
Princess Taiping's thin eyebrows rose, and she lightly pointed the small golden fan in her hand forward. Immediately, four strong and round female sumo wrestlers walked forward, swinging their arms.
The four women passed by, and the 'waves split apart', and a broad road was opened. Yang Fan and Princess Taiping then slowly walked in.
The crowd of onlookers was forcibly pushed aside, and at first they were quite dissatisfied, but looking at the imposing manner of this group of people, they knew that they were either rich or noble families, so they did not dare to curse out loud.
As soon as Yang Fan walked to the front, he exclaimed in surprise.
He saw a big iron cage was placed on the ground in front of him. The cage was not placed directly on the ground, the bottom of the cage was covered with a thin iron plate, and underneath it was a pile of red-hot charcoal. There were a goose and a duck in the cage, and in the middle of the cage there was a copper basin. It was unknown what was in the basin, but under the light, it did not look like clear water.
The charcoal fire heated up the iron plate, and the goose and duck were in unbearable pain, so they dashed around in the cage, circling around the fire. Sometimes they were so thirsty that they would pounce on the copper basin to drink the juice.
Yang Fan did not understand; he patted the shoulder of a nearby onlooker, who was watching with great interest, and asked, "Brother, what kind of show is this?"
The man cast a glance at him, and did not turn his head anymore; he stared at the goose and duck in the cage with great interest, and replied with a laugh, "The guests on the high platform are watching the show and the dance, and at the same time cooking delicious food. These big goose and fat duck were bought by them, and the copper basin in the cage is filled with seasoning. They said that when the goose and duck are roasted to death, they will be full of the seasoning, and their meat will be extremely delicious. Heh heh, this kind of eating method is really unheard of. "
"What?"
When Yang Fan heard this, he could not help looking at Princess Taiping, and their eyes revealed a shocked expression.
Although ducks and geese were meant to be eaten, but using this kind of cruel method to torture and kill animals was also unheard of. The two of them happened to look at the high platform in front of them.
The place where the platform was built could not be considered too close to where they were, probably because the ducks and geese's miserable cries were too noisy, the ducks and geese were flapping their wings and flying around in the cage, the goose feathers and duck feathers were flying everywhere, it was not a beautiful scene.
But the candles on the high platform were bright, as if it was daytime, from where the two of them looked, they could see the people on the platform clearly.
There were three people on the platform, three young men in embroidered clothes who were less than twenty years old, wearing embroidered clothes and a beard hat, with an extraordinary bearing. The three of them were lazily reclining on a couch, pointing at the hundreds of men and women who were dancing and singing on the opposite side of the street, talking cheerfully and wittily.
Under the light, with a cursory glance, they felt that the three of them were very handsome. One of them was standing on the side where they were standing, that person was about fifteen or sixteen years old, still a young man, his delicate and pretty eyes were already very handsome. The other person was about twenty years old, his facial features were like a painting, so beautiful that he did not look like a man.
Looking at the person on the outermost side, Yang Fan was immediately stunned. This person's appearance, could not be described as delicate and handsome, that facial features, was beautiful, clear and bewitching, charming and beautiful, the beauty of his appearance, most likely not below Ah Nu and Xiao Man. If one said that the young man in the middle was too beautiful to look like a man, this person was clearly a woman.
The reason why Yang Fan did not compare Wan 'er with Princess Taiping was because although Wan' er and Taiping were delicate and pretty, but that kind of mature woman's beauty had nothing to do with handsomeness. Handsomeness was a kind of beauty that was in between androgynous, Ah Nu and Xiao Man were slightly younger, so they were closer to this kind of beauty.
When Yang Fan thought of the problem, a suspicion immediately arose in his heart, "Perhaps this young man is originally a woman, changing into a carriage so that it would be convenient for him to go out?"
Yang Fan used his eyesight to look carefully, this person's facial features were exquisite, her skin was fair, that kind of whiteness was the real whiteness, there was absolutely no powder applied, but the pink was bright and smooth like jade.
"That is a woman!"
Princess Taiping whispered in Yang Fan's ear, seeing that he was still staring at the stage, a sudden jealousy arose in her heart, she could not help but stretched out her hand, gently pinched his waist, and angrily said, "Can't you take back your eyes?"
Yang Fan took a deep breath, still staring at the beautiful woman on the stage, and said in a low voice, "No, that's a man!"
Princess Taiping followed his gaze and glanced again, said, "I am talking about the outermost one!"
Yang Fan said, "I am also talking about him!"
Princess Taiping 'puchi' laughed, said, "Nonsense, what kind of eyes do you have, if he is a man, I don't know how many women will be embarrassed to death. Humph humph, do you want to bet, if he is really a man, I will gouge out this pair of eyes for you. "
Yang Fan turned his head, and seriously said, "Princess better not set this bet. He is really a man! Because … I have already seen his Adam's apple! "
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