Chapter 9

After listening to his uncle's brief explanation, Qin Dewei finally understood the general situation.

The Xu family, the Marquises of Wei, owned a garden in the prime location of the eastern part of the city, known as Dongyuan. This garden was occupied by Xu Tianci, the youngest son of the previous Marquis of Wei and the current Marquis of Wei's uncle, who was known as the Lord of Dongyuan.

Recently, Xu Tianci had renovated and expanded Dongyuan, and today he was hosting a literary gathering there, inviting many guests and celebrities to participate. It was estimated that all the prominent figures in the literary circles of Nanjing would attend.

Qin Dewei, as a constable, was assigned by the county office to go there for duty. He felt a bit excited and was filled with anticipation.

For a literati, such an occasion represented fame and profit. Who wouldn't want to attend? As a穿越者 (穿越者 means "time traveler" or "one who has crossed over"), he had a wealth of modern poetry and literature to draw from.

He didn't dare to expect to make a stunning debut, but if he could create a slightly outstanding poem and gain some recognition in the literary circles, and meet a few people in the industry, it would be a good start.

The biggest hurdle might be not being able to enter the venue. If his uncle could bring him in, it would mean a chance to gain some benefits.

However, after the excitement subsided, hunger returned, and Qin Dewei found it hard to walk quickly, as spirit could not replace material needs.

Qin the constable was a bit anxious; he needed to hurry to his duty and didn't have time to take Qin Dewei to eat.

Qin Dewei suddenly noticed a熟肉铺 (熟肉铺 means "cooked meat shop") ahead, with salted ducks on display. He pointed and said, "Why don't we buy one of these? Cooked food can be eaten while walking, and it won't delay Uncle's time!"

"Half a duck!" Qin the constable replied succinctly.

Then, with a grimace, he pulled out twenty coins from his deepest pocket and, with a pained expression, exchanged them for half a salted duck.

This made Qin Dewei realize even more clearly that his uncle was not doing well.

Twenty coins could be compared to twenty yuan in 2020. If his uncle's job as a constable was lucrative, why would he be so stingy about twenty yuan?

From this, Qin Dewei further deduced that after his穿越 (穿越 means "time travel"), he would have to live a hard life at his uncle's house and needed to find ways to earn money to improve his life and continue his studies.

After eating a few bites of duck and drinking some cold water, Qin Dewei felt much more comfortable.

After this period of adjustment, he had gradually adapted to this world and now had the leisure to look around at the street scenes.

The first thing he noticed was how low the buildings were. Having been used to modern skyscrapers, the buildings on both sides of the street seemed very low.

The second thing he noticed was how narrow the streets were. Compared to modern multi-lane roads, most of the streets here were not very wide.

However, Nanjing was one of the two largest cities in the world at the time, and he was walking on the bustling Sancha Street, where there were many shops.

In ancient terms, this was called a densely populated and bustling market. The "ancient and elegant" shop signs were numerous, giving a unique flavor of a classical metropolis.

Walking southeast from Sancha Street, they arrived at Wuding Bridge on the Inner Qinhuai River, which was a transportation hub.

Qin Dewei paused on Wuding Bridge and looked east, where many people were also looking in the same direction. From Wuding Bridge eastward, the Qinhuai River's banks were home to two famous areas.

On the north bank was the famous Confucius Temple and the Jiangnan Imperial Examination Hall, where scholars and literati gathered.

On the south bank was the even more famous Qinhuai Old Courtyard, a place of red lights and green wine, where famous courtesans and singers gathered. The famous "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai" from the future were active in this area.

Scholars from the Southern Capital had to come to this area to socialize and network... whether they mingled on the north bank or the south bank, it was a matter of great importance.

Qin the constable led his nephew across Wuding Bridge to the south bank of the Inner Qinhuai River and then turned east.

As previously mentioned, the south bank of the Qinhuai River east of Wuding Bridge was the domain of the courtesans, collectively known as the "courtesan quarters."

Qin Dewei was startled but also a bit excited. He tentatively asked, "Uncle, where are we going? Not to belittle you, but do you have enough money to enter the courtesan quarters? I've heard they are gold mines... If you don't have enough money, let's think of another way..."

Qin the constable found himself increasingly wanting to scold his nephew. This had happened several times today. His nephew, who used to be so well-behaved, had changed a lot after a fever.

"You're too young to think about such things!" Qin the constable restrained his anger.

Qin Dewei followed his uncle, walking along the river but not entering the mysterious courtyards or boarding the gondolas with red glass lanterns moored by the river.

Then they turned into the famous Wuyi Alley and walked to the eastern end of the alley. Qin the constable stopped and said to his nephew, "We're here."

Although they were in the famous Wuyi Alley, Qin Dewei was not interested in the historical significance. "What about the literary gathering?" he asked urgently.

Qin the constable explained, "Beyond the alley entrance is Dongyuan. I've been assigned to stand guard at the entrance, so I don't need to go further."

"Are you serious?" Qin Dewei was shocked. "Just here?"

Qin the constable asked, puzzled, "What else did you expect?"

Qin Dewei was getting anxious. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. He had been fantasizing about making a big splash at the gathering and reaping fame and fortune. "Can't you go inside to stand guard?"

Qin the constable rolled his eyes. "The noble Lord of Wei has countless servants and soldiers. A small constable like me doesn't deserve to stand guard inside. I'll just stand here at the entrance, representing the county office."

"But you said you'd bring me to see the literary gathering!" Qin Dewei complained, feeling like he had been wronged.

Qin the constable nodded and pointed to the entrance. "That's right. I'm bringing you to see it. The attendees will pass by here to enter the garden.

So if you stand here with me, you can see their风采 (风采 means "demeanor" or "aura"). I can help you recognize the celebrities, and you might even see some beautiful women. Isn't that a way to see the gathering?

Look! The one who just went in is Gu Lin, the leader of the literary circles in Nanjing and the head of the Qingxi Society.

The young man beside him is probably Wang Fengyuan, a nephew of Gu Lin, who is said to be the next leader.

Hey, I don't recognize this new official. He must be a recent arrival in Nanjing..."

Qin Dewei didn't want to speak, feeling like crying. What his uncle called "seeing the gathering" was nothing like what he had imagined.

He had imagined at least getting into the garden and feeling the atmosphere. But what his uncle meant was just standing by the roadside, watching others go in. What was the point of that?

He wanted to be a star walking the red carpet, not a fan in the audience.

Looking at the entrance of Dongyuan not far away, Qin Dewei felt his heart turn cold. It was only a few dozen steps away, but it seemed as distant as the horizon.

Wildflowers grow by the Zhuque Bridge, and the sun slants over the entrance of Wuyi Alley. The swallows that once nested in the halls of the Wang and Xie families no longer fly into the homes of commoners.

Unwilling to give up, he had to think of a way! Qin Dewei gritted his teeth, determined not to accept his fate, or he would never have a chance to succeed.

He glanced at Qin the constable and sighed. His uncle's mindset needed to be changed; otherwise, they would always be on different wavelengths.

For example, today, his uncle thought it was great to watch the big shots walk the red carpet from a distance, while he believed they should try to get on the red carpet.

Qin the constable looked at his nephew and sighed. His nephew was a bit restless and unrealistic, and his mindset needed to be changed.

Just as Qin Dewei was pondering a plan, a familiar voice rang in his ear, "Hey, isn't that Qin Dewei?"

Without looking up, he knew who it was—his old classmate from the Yin-Yang Academy, Yang Bo.

Yang Bo looked at Qin Dewei teasingly and continued, "What are you doing here? Learning how to be a constable from your uncle? You should learn well, because I'm going in!"

Qin Dewei looked at Yang Bo with a fierce expression.