Chapter 24 Missing
At the end of the song, I passed Songling Road and looked back at the misty Fourteen Bridges.

Under the control of the experienced helmsman Lao Yu, the sand ship passed Jiaxing, Suzhou, Wujiang and continued to move north.

Ou Zanghua was sitting in the room flipping through the sword manual of "Seven-String Invisible Sword". On the stove next to him was a casserole, which was sizzling with fragrance. Inside was golden fried tofu and bacon.

It is said that fried tofu was invented by Liu An, King of Huainan in the Western Han Dynasty, which made Ou Zanghua miss the opportunity to become a gourmet.

The bacon was purchased in Yueyang. The people of Hunan and Xiang began to make bacon in the Ming Dynasty. Before that, Sichuan and Shu regions made more bacon.

Qu Feiyan brought in another casserole. She looked at Ou Zanghua and said loudly, "Sir, let's eat first! The fried tofu and bacon I stewed today will definitely be delicious."

Ou Zanghua put down the sword manual somewhat helplessly. Originally, he had not thought of cooking for himself, but Qu Feiyan always felt that the cooking skills of the chefs on the ship were average, so he insisted on cooking for himself, which led to the creation of a special kitchen.

But then again, Qu Feiyan's cooking skills are indeed better than the chef's.
That's right. It's only limited in strength.

Qu Feiyan took out two porcelain bowls, added white rice to them, picked up a few pieces of fat and lean bacon from the casserole and placed them on the rice, then handed them to Ou Zanghua and put the chopsticks in his hand, focusing on the cultivation of a useless person.

After the meal, the girl swiftly took away his bowl and chopsticks, left a sentence: "Sir, you can take a nap or read a book, I'll go wash the dishes", and then went out.

Ou Zanghua thought about it and opened the window a little to let the river breeze blow in and dispel the remaining food smell in the room.

Then I continued to study the Seven-String Invisible Sword, recalling what Huang Zhonggong said, that the sound wave skill required a strong inner force to drive it, and I wondered if my full-level Hengshan Heart Technique would be enough.
The next stop was Zhenjiang Prefecture, where Ou Zanghua asked Xiang Danian to get off the boat and buy a guzheng. He believed that the guzheng had a mellow and beautiful tone, melodious and pleasant sound, and a loud volume.

Moreover, when used as a weapon to attack someone, the guzheng has a wider striking area.

What Xiang Danian bought was just an ordinary guzheng, which might seem careless to an aspiring musician.

But for Ou Zanghua, this is just a good opportunity for him to practice, and he won't feel bad if it breaks.

After tuning the instrument, Ou Zanghua took a deep breath. The moment his fingertips touched the strings, the melody flowed slowly, like a whisper across time and space.

His fingers danced deftly on the strings, and an inexplicable sadness and melancholy seemed to drift away with the music.

Xiang Danian stood aside holding a sword, looking at his senior brother who looked like a banished immortal, and couldn't help but say, "Senior brother is missing Junior Sister."

"How do you know?" Qu Feiyan asked subconsciously while sitting aside and listening to the melodious piano music.

"I knew it!"

Xiang Danian couldn't explain it, but he heard longing in the song. In this world, only a junior sister could make the senior brother miss her so much.

"Hmph, I'll ask you later!" Qu Feiyan snorted and continued listening to Ou Zanghua's performance.

At this time, Qu Yang came out, listened to the sound of the piano, couldn't help but sighed secretly, and then he was deeply impressed.

While he was still savoring the melody of "Bai Suzhen Under the Qingcheng Mountain", the young master played another song that was no less beautiful than the former.

Could it be that the inspiration of genius is really like the river, flowing endlessly?
When the piano music stopped, Ou Zanghua sighed. His martial arts talent was indeed mediocre. He practiced according to the sword manual, but there was no reaction at all.

It seems that I need to practice more if I want to get started!

After realizing this, Ou Zanghua couldn't help but look up at the sky, and said silently in his heart: Lao Liu, Xiao Cheng, when I will become the best in the world, it depends on you.
On the side, Xiang Danian poked Qu Feiyan and analyzed seriously: "Look, there is light in the corner of your eyes and your expression is melancholy. Isn't this a manifestation of missing you?" "I'll go ask!"

Qu Feiyan rushed out as she spoke, and after meeting Ou Zanghua's gaze, she became a little timid again, and asked in a roundabout way: "This song is really beautiful, is it a new composition by you, young master?"

Ou Zanghua smiled and said calmly: "It's just the wisdom of future generations."

"What's the name then?"

This question stumped Ou Zanghua. The title "Yearning Across Time and Space" was so easy to expose himself just by reading it out!
He thought for a moment and said, "It's called "Missing."

"Oh," Qu Feiyan responded, and Xiang Danian behind her smiled proudly, thinking that he really understood his senior brother better than Feiyan did.

That night, the sand ship stopped at the Yangzhou wharf. This time, Qu Yang was guarding the boat, while Xiang Danian and Ou Zanghua got off the boat to enjoy the beautiful night scenery of Yangzhou.

Influenced by the fireworks in Yangzhou in March, many people think that this city should be a place with rich cultural heritage.

However, the fact is somewhat unexpected. At least during the Ming and Qing dynasties, this place was not a cultural center.

In the early Ming Dynasty, there were only 18 households left in Yangzhou. Even with the addition of some refugees, there were only about 40 households.

Taking into account the need for city defense and the small amount of space required due to the small urban population, local officials in Yangzhou cut off the city wall along the canal and rebuilt the city for defense.

And because it is relatively isolated, the economy here is not well developed.

This situation continued until the Chenghua period. Because Emperor Chenghua and Emperor Hongzhi implemented a salt monopoly, Yangzhou attracted a large number of traveling salt merchants and became increasingly prosperous.

By the Zhengde period, Yangzhou had become famous for its prosperous commercial markets, salt trade, and beautiful women.

To be honest, our ancestors were very good at having fun.

The Four Wonders of the Ming Dynasty: The Skinny Horse of Yangzhou, the Wife of Datong, the Boatwoman of West Lake, and the Nun of Mount Tai

Zhang Dai, the greatest genius and writer of the late Ming Dynasty, once vividly described the process of merchants selecting skinny horses in his "Dreams of Taoan".

The process was even more rigorous and sophisticated than when consumers in later generations went to shopping malls to select goods, and the service was also provided at their doorstep.

Just like selling mobile phones, they are divided into high-end, mid-range and low-end products, and are distributed across the entire line, implementing precision marketing based on the needs of different consumer groups.

Later on, it had developed to the point where as soon as word got out that someone wanted to buy something, a matchmaker would immediately come knocking on the door and start selling you the product.

At this moment, Xiang Danian just glanced at the words on the sign a few more times, and the matchmaker grabbed him and started selling: "Hey, this young man is handsome and majestic, and he is destined to be with my girl!"

"I'm not, don't pull me!" Xiang Danian was shocked and quickly turned around to look for his senior brother.

The matchmaker grinned, not intending to let Xiang Danian off the hook: "Why not? Men should get married when they are old enough, and women should get married when they are old enough. There is no more correct truth in the world than this. Come on, come on, young master, don't be shy!"

"If you do this again, I will draw my sword!" Xiang Danian held the hilt of the sword with one hand. The matchmaker then let him go and smiled sadly: "Hey, sir, please go! My daughter has a miserable life. She can only waste her time in this place of prostitution. I don't know when she can escape from the sea of ​​suffering."

Xiang Danian was stunned for a moment, and thinking of the poor woman, he hesitated again.
(End of this chapter)