There is a saying in China that "the Five Lakes and the Five Mountains are the best mountains and rivers", which means that if you visit the Five Lakes and climb the Five Mountains, you will reach the ultimate mountain and water scenery. However, among the Five Lakes, the magnificent waves of Dongting Lake, the majestic Chaohu Lake, the singing of fishing boats in Poyang Lake, and the charm of the ancient weirs in Hongze Lake are not as elegant and timeless as Taihu Lake.
The scenery of Taihu Lake has appeared in the poems and paintings of literati countless times, but no matter how many poems you have read or how many paintings you have seen, it is better to see it in person. It is the most beautiful season of the year in April. The vast expanse of golden bowls and the rippling waters, sitting on the railing of the third floor of the Pearl and looking into the distance through the exquisitely carved windows, it is really "still in the painting, wondering if it is in the mirror"!
The three girls obviously didn't expect Taihu Lake to be so beautiful. They were easily conquered by it. They leaned over the railing and pointed excitedly outside, forgetting their hunger for a while. Ji Su sighed, "Horse tracks across the mountains, turtle heads on the islets, the lake light is fully absorbed into the green fields; rain rolls up the pearl curtains, clouds brush the painted buildings, the scenery here is better than Hongdu. I didn't believe it when I read such words before, but today I know that words are limited after all..."
Xu Yao, who was taking photos with the camera prepared by Dushe, echoed, "Exactly. Just like what Wen Zhengming said when he wrote about Taihu Lake, 'The vast waves in the sky overturn the sun and the moon; the cold spring marshes hide fish and dragons.' I thought it was impossible to have a better view, but I didn't expect the real Taihu Lake to be even better!"
"You two teachers are so educated," Wen Liang looked at Ning Xiaoning and said with a smile, "Coach, why don't you sing a song with us?"
Ning Xiaoning was looking down at a group of silver carp swimming across the lake and said, "Don't you always call me coach? I teach physical education, I have no education!"
Wen Liang was stunned and gave a thumbs up. Ning Xiaoning's jokes never disappointed anyone. Xu Yao burst out laughing and almost dropped her camera into the river. She turned around and sat down, saying, "Master Wen, aren't you known to be as wise as Zhuge Liang and as good as Confucius in writing? Please recite a couple of poems about Taihu Lake to let me hear them. Let's see if your taste is too far behind mine and Su Su's."
Ji Su had learned bad things from Xu Yao, so he clapped his hands and said, "Welcome, welcome, warm welcome!"
Wen Liang didn't expect that he would bring trouble upon himself. He was not an expert in this field, nor was he a literary youth like Ren Yi. He really couldn't think of any poems related to Taihu Lake all of a sudden. He was just about to make an excuse to get away with it, but Ji Su's instigation forced him into a corner.
When he looked up and saw the illusory Sanshan Mountain in the distance, also known as the Turtle Mountain, he suddenly remembered a story that Ren Yi had told him. There was a erotic poem in it that was quite suitable for the current situation. Once the uncle's personality took over, it would be extremely difficult to turn back. He cleared his throat, his eyes swept across Xu Yao and Ji Su's faces, and said: "This young master is well-educated and talented, how can he be scared by you? Listen carefully, there is a poem that says: I strayed to the top of Sanshan Mountain, and peonies and lotus flowers bloomed on both sides..."
There is a fairy island in Taihu Lake called Sanshan, and peonies and lotus are everywhere, which is appropriate. However, these first two sentences sound very ordinary at first glance. Xu Yao shook his head and commented: "Ordinary, ordinary!"
Wen Liang smiled mischievously, and even his voice became strange, and he said: "I am like a butterfly stealing fragrance, playing in the flowers, when will I return!"
Xu Yao didn't react for a moment, and asked: "Whose poem is this? Why haven't I heard of it before?"
Ji Su pursed her lips and chuckled, glanced at him, but her face turned away. She seemed to be staring at the scenery outside, but her earlobes were slightly flushed.
"The author is not famous, but this poem has a brilliant and wonderful writing style. It can compete with your masterpieces, right?"
Seeing his obscene smile, Xu Yao thought about the meaning of the poem carefully, and immediately understood it, and said "Pooh". However, she was not like Ji Su who would accept it submissively. She did not fight back when being teased. She curled her lips and said disdainfully: "What a crappy poem. With this level, you still want to be a butterfly that steals fragrance? Don't you know that saying women are peony and lotus is used to insult people?"
Wen Liang cried out in grievance, "No way, peony is the prime minister among flowers, and lotus is the gentleman among lotuses. Is this considered an insult? It's too unreasonable, isn't it
Ji Su sighed in a pretentious manner and said, "I stand on Yaoyao's side this time. Have you forgotten Liu Yuxi's poem "Appreciating Peonies"? 'The peony in front of the courtyard is enchanting and has no style, The lotus on the pond is pure and has little emotion. Only the peony is the true national beauty, and the capital is moved when the flowers bloom', which is already extremely harsh..."
Wen Liang secretly cried out that it was bad. He had wanted to tease the girl, but ended up being insulted by her rich knowledge. Before he could come up with a solution, Xu Yao added another blow, saying, "This is still good. Bai Juyi's two lines, 'This flower is like Xi Shi, and the lotus and peony are both like Mu Mu', are the real slap in the face, extremely vicious! I just don't understand, is a broken azalea so beautiful?"
Wen Liang knew this allusion and said hurriedly, "The poem of Lord Qingshanshi doesn't count. He prefers cuckoos. Didn't he also write 'Looking back at the peaches and plums, they are all colorless, and the lotus is not a flower'? He is clearly fighting against lotus and peony. His character is questionable, so it doesn't count!"
"Okay, then except for Mr. Qingshanshi," Xu Yao would occasionally learn a few catchphrases from Wen Liang. She thought that Qingshanshi was very vivid in describing Bai Juyi, so she used it casually, not knowing that this title actually had a deeper meaning. "The Peony Flower by Luo Yin of the Tang Dynasty: Peony and you are close, where can lotus hide from the fragrant dust? One is a maid, and the other is so inferior that she has nowhere to hide. Could it be a good word?"
"Come on, come on, the ancients weren't kind either. They just praised the peony, but the peonies and lotus were covered with bullet holes!" Wen Liang was completely convinced. He had intended to tease her and get a few roll of the eyes. Uncles like this, but he didn't expect that it's wrong to use flowers to describe women. He said, "It's only been a few days since we last met, how come you all have become Li Bai and Du Fu? Don't you study hard and read some sad poems and vulgar lyrics every day? Let me tell you, if you don't do well in the final exam, you can never think of going out to play again!"
Xu Yao and Ji Su looked at each other, suppressed their smiles, and knew that sometimes they had to give men some face. They nodded honestly and said in unison: "Got it!"
Ning Xiaoning leaned on the railing from beginning to end, as if she was indifferent to the play of the three people. In fact, her eyes had already flowed along the lake at the foot of the three mountains to the peonies and lotus on both sides. Looking at the egrets flying across the water, a faint pain also passed through her heart.
There are three people in the boat, who is Peony, who is Lotus, and who is the other one, and what is he
Or, nothing at all!
After the poetry debate, we started to taste the delicacies. Two skilled male waiters brought various specialties to the table. The first dish was "Liangxi Crispy Eel", followed by the three white dishes of Taihu Lake, including lotus whitebait, rice wine whitefish, boiled prawns, crab meat shark fin, lotus leaf steamed pork, Taihu tofu, braised spring bamboo shoots, whitebait and water shield soup, etc., which made people drool. After the boat banquet, there were also boat snacks, which were made by wrapping the stuffing with cooked rice flour, kneading it into various shapes and steaming it. The stuffing can be meat, vegetarian, salty or sweet, and kneaded into various images of flowers, fruits, fish, insects, birds and animals, which were small and exquisite and lifelike.
While eating delicious food, appreciating the beautiful scenery of Taihu Lake, and listening to the noisy and playful chatter among four people, there is no longer any trouble in the world. What a great pleasure it is!
Halfway through the meeting, Wen Liang got up to go to the restroom. When he passed the second floor, a small private room opened its door and a man walked out. It was Wei Yan, whom he had just met last night.
The two of them bumped into each other, Wen Liang greeted them and said, "Secretary Wei, how come it's such a coincidence?"
Wei Yan was startled and hurriedly asked the door behind him to be closed. However, in just a moment, Wen Liang had already seen a girl sitting inside, who was busily tidying up her slightly messy clothes.
"Ah, yes, what a coincidence, what a coincidence," Wei Yan looked very uncomfortable and asked awkwardly, "President Wen is also coming to have lunch?"
Wen Liang smiled and said, "These are the first time for a few friends to come here. Bringing them to see Taihu Lake can also contribute to the tourism industry in your county."
Wei Yan smiled awkwardly, which made Wen Liang, who was used to all kinds of social occasions, feel a little uncomfortable for him. He pointed downstairs and said, "I'll go downstairs, or... come together?"
Wen Liang deliberately stretched out his words to prevent Wei Yan from following him foolishly. Fortunately, this man's IQ was not too low. He was obviously relieved, waved to the waiter standing outside, and said, "Mr. Wen, you treat me. I just came out to add a dish..."
Wen Liang said goodbye and went downstairs, shaking his head all the way. Wei Yan had such a psychological quality, but he was still trying to keep a beautiful woman in a golden house. He couldn't even say polite words when he was bumped into. I said I wanted to go to the toilet, but you said you wanted more food. If this gets to the officialdom, wouldn't it be another enduring joke? How sad and pathetic.
The two and a half hour boat ride passed in a flash. When they returned to the dock and got off the boat, Xu Yao was still a little reluctant to leave. She said to Wen Liang, "Can we come back when we have time?"
Wen Liang still remembered the grudge and said, "That depends on your final exam results..."
Xu Yao asked tentatively: "The top 20 in the grade?"
Wen Liang shook his head.
"fifteen?"
Shake your head again.
"The top twelve, no higher!"
Wen Liang pouted and said, "You were ranked eleventh last time, so why don't you move up one place this time? As long as you're in the top ten, you can do whatever you want!"
Xu Yao counted on her fingers in distress, with a heroic expression on her face, and said, "Deal!"
Although the boat was moving very slowly and the ups and downs were almost unnoticeable, the feeling of being on solid ground was much better than being on the water. Wen Liang looked around and didn't see Wei Yan. He might not have gotten off the boat yet, or he might have left earlier. Just as he was about to call Viper to get the car, a black Peugeot drove over from a distance and stopped in the parking lot opposite. The door opened, and a pair of delicate legs moved out of the car, followed by the curved curve of the hips under the gathered narrow skirt, then to the waist, to the chest, and then to a beautiful face.
Yao Shang smiled and walked down from the car. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation or monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)