webnovelvip Chapter 399 Jin Province
Chapter 399 Jin Province
What are some fun things to do in Shanxi Province?
"Pingyao Ancient City, Qiao Family Compound, Mount Wutai, Hanging Temple, Yingxian Wooden Pagoda—which one would you like to visit?"
Shen Yuege thought for a moment and said, "Pingyao Ancient City. I heard it's very well preserved, and we can see what an ancient city looked like."
"Okay. Let's go to Pingyao then."
To get from Xi'an to Shanxi Province, you have to cross the Yellow River.
Lu Ran drove his RV onto the Yellow River Bridge.
The bridge is not wide, with four lanes in both directions and pedestrian walkways on both sides.
The Yellow River water under the bridge was thick and yellow, like a pot of boiled corn porridge, flowing slowly eastward.
Shen Yuege leaned against the car window and looked for a while before saying, "The Yellow River is really yellow."
"Otherwise, why would it be called the Yellow River? Should it be called the Qinghe River?"
"That's not what I meant. I meant, this is an excessive yellow. It's completely different from what you see on TV. The Yellow River looks quite magnificent on TV, but this looks like a mudslide."
"The shots on TV were filmed from carefully selected angles. This one is without makeup, without any beauty filters."
Shen Yuege was amused by his analogy and took out her phone to take a picture.
After taking the photos, he looked at them and said he couldn't capture the yellow hue, so he put his phone away.
After crossing the Yellow River Bridge, we entered Shanxi Province.
The terrain of Jin Province is very similar to that of Qin Province.
Both provinces are predominantly plateaus, with loess plateaus, loess ridges, and loess mounds everywhere.
What we see are gullies carved out by the water, some tens of meters deep and others several meters deep.
Between the gullies are patches of flat land, where crops are grown. This season, the crops have been harvested, leaving only bare land.
The road is starting to become difficult to travel.
The asphalt road winds along the mountain ridge, with a cliff on one side and a steep cliff on the other.
Lu Ran drove very slowly, at a speed not exceeding forty kilometers per hour.
Fortunately, there weren't many cars on the road. Occasionally, a large truck would appear, and you had to carefully pull over to the side when passing it.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Shen Yuege looked out at the ravines and said, "This place looks so poor."
"Shanxi Province used to be poor. The land was hard to cultivate, water was hard to find, and there were many natural disasters. Then coal was discovered, and it suddenly became rich. Now the coal has been almost exhausted, and it has returned to its original state."
After driving for more than two hours, the two arrived at a small county town in Jinzhong.
The county town is not large, with a main street running north to south, lined with gray brick and tile houses, similar in architectural style to those in Qin Province, but simpler and without as much decoration.
There weren't many people on the street. A few old men were squatting by the roadside playing chess, surrounded by several people watching the game, who would occasionally shout "Checkmate!"
Shen Yuege was hungry, so the two of them found a noodle shop to eat at.
The noodle shop is small, with five or six tables and a handwritten menu on the wall.
Lu Ran glanced at the menu and found that he didn't recognize most of the noodles on it.
He was dazzled by the variety of noodles: knife-cut noodles, pulled noodles, shredded noodles, hand-pulled noodles, cat's ear noodles, he luo noodles, cha jian noodles, min jian noodles, and ti jian noodles.
"Which one do you want to eat?" he asked Shen Yuege.
Shen Yuege stared blankly at the menu: "I've never heard of any of these names. Cat ears? What's that?"
"Cat ears are a type of dough shaped like cat ears, hence the name."
"And what about the tenderloin?"
"Use chopsticks to scoop the batter into the pot. The scooped-out noodles are pointed at both ends and round in the middle, hence the name 'scooped-out noodles'."
Shen Yuege ordered a bowl of knife-cut noodles, and Lu Ran ordered a bowl of shaved noodles.
When the noodles were served, Shen Yuege glanced at her own bowl.
The knife-cut noodles are shaved very thin, thick in the middle and thin at the edges, like willow leaves floating in the soup.
The broth was soy sauce-colored, with a few slices of beef, some greens, and a little cilantro floating on top.
She picked up a mouthful with her chopsticks, chewed it, and nodded: "Delicious. The noodles are very chewy, unlike the noodles in Qin Province."
"The noodles in Qin Province are softer, while those in Jin Province are firmer. Although they are both noodles, the textures are quite different."
Lu Ran's shaved ice also arrived.
The "tijian" is pointed at both ends and round in the middle, just as its name suggests.
The noodles are thinner and smoother than knife-cut noodles, and they melt in your mouth.
The soup base is mutton soup, which is very delicious, with a layer of oil floating on top.
After finishing their noodles, the two of them each ordered a bowl of noodle soup.
People in Shanxi Province have a habit of drinking a bowl of the soup used to cook the noodles after eating them, which is called "the original soup helps digest the original food".
Shen Yuege thought this habit was quite good; she felt warm all over after drinking it.
After leaving the noodle shop, the two continued driving towards Pingyao.
Less than an hour later, the city walls of Pingyao Ancient City appeared on the horizon.
The gray-black city wall squarely surrounds the ancient city in the middle. The wall has crenellations and watchtowers, and it looks a bit like the city wall of Xi'an, but smaller and more exquisite.
Red lanterns hung on the city wall, adding a touch of color to the gray-black wall.
Lu Ran parked the RV in the parking lot outside the ancient city, and the two of them walked into the city.
The ancient city itself is free to enter, but the smaller attractions inside require tickets.
The two of them bought a pass that allowed them to visit all the attractions in the old town.
Once inside the city gate, there was a wide main street.
The street is lined with buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties, with gray bricks and tiles, wooden doors and windows, and signs and red lanterns hanging at the entrances.
The ground is paved with bluestone slabs, worn smooth and shiny by hundreds of years of footsteps.
There were quite a few people on the street, but it wasn't as crowded as the Muslim Quarter in Xi'an.
Tourists strolled around in twos and threes, some taking photos, some buying things, and some eating.
The street was lined with shops selling knife-cut noodles, Pingyao beef, lacquerware, cloth shoes, and vinegar.
As soon as Shen Yuege entered the ancient city, she was attracted by a vinegar shop.
Several large vats filled with vinegar were placed at the entrance of the shop.
The shop owner was a burly man in his forties. He held a long-handled wooden spoon and scooped a spoonful of vinegar from the jar for passersby to taste.
Shen Yuege took a small cup of vinegar, took a sip, and her brows furrowed from the sourness, but she didn't spit it out and swallowed it.
"How is it?" the shop owner asked.
"It's sour. But not as strong as the vinegar from the supermarket. This sourness is mild, and it also has a fragrance."
"Of course. This is aged vinegar, brewed for three years. The vinegar in supermarkets is diluted; how can it be the same?"
Shen Yuege bought a bottle, asked the shop owner to pack it up for her, and then left.
Lu Ran followed behind, watching her get jealous, and thought to himself that this woman had bought enough stuff to open a small supermarket.
The two walked along the main street and passed a shop that rented out period costumes.
A row of Hanfu and ancient costumes hangs at the entrance of the shop, in red, green, blue, purple, and all sorts of colors.
Shen Yuege stopped at the store entrance, looked at it for a few seconds, and then turned to look at Lu Ran.
"What's wrong?" Lu Ran asked.
"I want to film it."
"What are you filming?"
"Take photos in ancient costumes! Coming to Pingyao Ancient City without taking photos in ancient costumes is like not having come at all."
Lu Ran followed her into the store.
The shop owner was a woman in her thirties surnamed Wang. She was very enthusiastic and praised Shen Yuege as soon as she saw her.
"Girl, you're so pretty. You look good in anything. You look like a big star."
Shen Yuege was a little embarrassed by the compliments, but she still chose a set of Ming Dynasty Hanfu, a red top with a blue horse-face skirt, a kingfisher feather headdress, and a round fan in her hand.
When she came out of the fitting room after changing her clothes, Lu Ran was stunned for a moment.
Shen Yuege was already beautiful, but she looks even more beautiful in period costume.
The red top made her skin look fair, and the blue skirt accentuated her figure.
The kingfisher feather ornaments shimmered with a faint blue light under the lamp, and a peony was embroidered on the round fan.
She stood there, like someone who had stepped out of an ancient painting.
"What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a beautiful woman before?" Shen Yuege felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by him.
"I've seen beautiful women before. But I've never seen one this beautiful."
"Don't give me that. Hurry up and go change your clothes too."
"Should I change mine too?"
"Of course. If you were standing next to me in modern clothes, the photo would look like it was taken in a time-travel drama."
Having no other choice, Lu Ran also picked out a set of Ming-style men's clothing.
He wore a dark blue robe with a black belt around his waist, a square headscarf on his head, and black cloth shoes on his feet.
When he came out after changing, Shen Yuege looked him up and down and said, "Not bad, you look alright."
The two paid and left the store with the clothes.
On the streets of Pingyao Ancient City, there are many tourists taking photos in ancient costumes.
Every few steps you can see one or two of them; some are girls taking photos alone, some are couples taking photos together, and some are families taking family photos in ancient costumes.
Shen Yuege found a photographer and asked him to take pictures for them.
The young man was in his early twenties, wearing a photography vest and with a DSLR camera hanging around his neck; he looked very professional.
"Where would you like to film?" the young man asked.
"Any pretty spot in the old city is fine. You lead the way," Shen Yuege said.
The young man led them to start filming from South Street.
South Street is the widest street in Pingyao Ancient City, lined with time-honored shops on both sides.
The young man had the two people stand in the middle of the street, with the city building in the distance and gray brick buildings on both sides in the background.
Shen Yuege held a round fan to partially cover her face. Lu Ran stood next to her, one hand behind his back and the other hanging down naturally.
"Okay, don't move." The young man snapped a few photos. "Let's change the pose. Groom, put your hand on the bride's shoulder."
Lu Ran put his hand on Shen Yuege's shoulder.
Shen Yuege's shoulders were narrow, and when his hand touched hers, it felt like he was embracing her.
"A little closer. Bride, move a little closer."
Shen Yuege leaned closer to Lu Ran, her shoulder pressed against his chest.
Lu Ran smelled the fragrance of her hair; it was a very faint floral scent.
"Okay, one more."
After filming South Street, the young man took them to the county government office.
The county government office is located on the central axis of the ancient city and is one of the best-preserved architectural complexes in Pingyao Ancient City.
Entering through the main gate, you'll find a large courtyard with a stone-paved path leading to the main hall.
The main hall was where the county magistrate tried cases. In the center hung a plaque that read "A Clear Mirror Hangs High." Below the plaque was a magistrate's table, on which sat a gavel and a bamboo tube for drawing lots.
Shen Yuege sat behind the desk, her hands on the table, striking a majestic pose.
The delivery guy took a picture, and Shen Yuege looked at it and said she wasn't satisfied, saying it was too fierce.
She changed her posture again, resting her chin on her hands and looking thoughtful.
The delivery guy took another picture, and this time Shen Yuege was satisfied.
Lu Ran was also seated behind the desk. He wasn't very good at posing, so he just sat there with his hands on his knees, looking at the camera.
The groom took a few pictures and said, "Groom, smile!" Lu Ran grinned, but his smile looked a little stiff.
"Never mind, you're actually quite handsome when you're not smiling, but you look a bit silly when you smile," Shen Yuege added from the side.
After leaving the county government office, the young man took them to Rishengchang Exchange Shop.
Rishengchang was China's first draft bank, which was the prototype of modern banks.
The courtyard is not large, but its layout is very sophisticated. The front yard is the business hall, and the back yard is the manager's office and the vault.
Shen Yuege stood behind the counter in the business hall, holding an abacus in her hand, pretending to do accounting.
Lu Ran stood outside the counter, pretending to be a customer who had come to deposit money.
The guy took a few pictures and said the story had a great feel to it, like stills from a TV series.
After taking photos of Rishengchang, the young man took them to the city wall.
The city wall of Pingyao Ancient City is well preserved. It is more than 6 kilometers long and has 72 watchtowers and 3,000 crenellations.
The young man said that the seventy-two watchtowers represent Confucius's seventy-two sages, and the three thousand battlements represent Confucius's three thousand disciples.
Two people stood on the city wall, with the dense gray-tiled roofs of the ancient city and the rolling loess hills in the distance as their backdrop.
A gust of wind blew, lifting Shen Yuege's skirt and causing her hair to flutter.
The deliveryman captured the moment and took a picture. When Shen Yuege saw the photo, she said, "This one is good. It can be enlarged and hung on the wall after it's been printed."
We took more than two hours of photos, and took more than two hundred pictures.
Shen Yuege picked and chose, finding every single one beautiful and unable to bring herself to delete any.
"Then let's keep them all." Lu Ran looked at them and found that they were all quite good-looking.
It just so happens that my villa always feels a bit empty, so hanging up more beautiful photos of Shen Yuege would be a good way to brighten things up.
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