Riding the wind of rebirth

Mai Xiaomiao pointed to a wooden sign in the middle of the bed and asked, "Why is there another wooden sign hanging there?"

A sandalwood plaque, carved in the shape of an ancient knife coin, was hung in the middle of the bed, with some congratulatory messages written on it.

Zhou Zhi laughed and said, "This is mainly for warding off evil spirits. Every night before going to bed, the sign is hung up. If the master takes the sign down and puts it next to him after getting up in the morning, it means 'calling in,' indicating that the maid sleeping in the second courtyard can lift the curtain and serve him."

"If not, then the master will have to wait a little longer..."

"Did people in ancient times also stay in bed longer?" Ye Xin asked curiously.

"Uh... I guess so." Zhou Zhi thought for a moment, but still didn't explain in detail, since he was already considered to be staying in bed late.

"So hotels later adopted this trick, which is equivalent to putting up a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door," Mai Xiaomiao said.

Zhou Zhi laughed uncontrollably: "Probably..."

In addition to these two exhibition halls, there are several other rooms, including side rooms, a study, a music room, and an art studio.

Side rooms are arranged as side rooms of the main hall. The main hall of a wealthy family is generally not opened to the public casually. After the master gets up, he drinks tea and rests. Family members greet the master or chat briefly here. Very familiar guests or less important guests are usually received in the side rooms. Everyone enjoys tea and chats together in a harmonious atmosphere.

The main hall is only used for formal receptions of important figures.

The study was arranged like that of a wealthy man from Jiangnan. He usually read books and practiced calligraphy in the study, and he also often sorted out accounts here. For example, the account books hanging in this room indicate that the owner was not just a scholar, but also had business dealings.

The music room and painting studio were set up separately, not as places for the owner to play, but as places for specially invited guests to educate their children. The children of the Shen family learned to play the zither and paint in these rooms. As upper-class cultured people, these were essential skills for the children of wealthy families.

The funniest thing is that there is also a tobacco room, which is a place for merchants to rest. During the transactions with the Shen family, the merchants can feel the host's warm hospitality everywhere. They can smoke, drink tea, chat, play chess and take a break here.

At least that's what the sign above the room says, but Zhou Zhi sneered inwardly. During the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, there was no tobacco. And when tobacco became available, well, another kind of tobacco came in. What kind of tobacco was smoked in this smoking room? The answer actually leans more towards the latter.

Overall, the furniture in these showrooms is more exquisite, but it lacks rarity and is far less valuable than the furniture Zhou Zhi obtained from Old Master Wang, and even less valuable than the furniture in Xinbaozhai that he received from Lu Lirong.

On the contrary, some of the embroidered items that complement the furniture decorations are quite impressive, showcasing the profound cultural heritage of silk weaving and embroidery in the Jiangnan water towns.

However, he could only roughly identify the subject matter and techniques of the embroidery; as for the specific era, that was beyond his knowledge.

The house was built approximately three hundred years ago, but the traces left within it have remained unchanged for all three centuries, with more and more evidence appearing closer to modern times. For Zhouzhi, it's like a history book with layers upon layers of detail—it's incredibly fascinating.

However, the three girls were basically just watching the excitement. When Zhou Zhi told them the story, they found it interesting. Even without his explanation, the three girls were incredibly excited to find places to take pictures.

The only regret is that Shen Hall has just undergone restoration and renovation. I don't know if it's because the consultant hired lacked cultural literacy, or because the original owner was a businessman, but in Zhou Zhi's opinion, many things are "missing something".

For example, the couplets are not well-made, and some of their content and artistic conception do not match the environment. In fact, some things have been made to look like superfluous additions, and it would be better if they were not there at all.

"That's because you're too professional. We think it looks great." Zhang Xinyi leaned closer to look at herself in the viewfinder of Zhou Zhi's camera, quite satisfied. "We all think it looks great, right, Xiao Miao?"

"Okay!" Mai Xiaomiao nodded, "Come on, let's take a group photo together!" After leaving Shen Hall, Zhou Zhi continued searching for interesting sights. He hadn't walked far when he spotted a building and exclaimed in surprise, "Wait a minute, isn't this building more valuable than Shen Hall?"

"What's wrong?" Mai Xiaomiao looked at the still dilapidated entrance hall. "What happened to this house?"

“This building is two hundred years older than Shen Hall.” Zhou Zhi looked at the building and took a picture with his camera. “That’s all.”

"Two hundred years before the mid-Qianlong period?" Zhang Xinyi asked. "Doesn't that mean the Ming Dynasty?"

"Yes, that's why I think this courtyard is more valuable than Shen Hall."

"Let's go in and take a look."

There was also an introduction in front of the courtyard gate. Ye Xin went over to take a look and exclaimed, "Wow, this is amazing! It's really a Ming Dynasty building!"

According to the introduction, this place is called Zhang Hall, originally named Yishun Hall. It is said to have been built during the Zhengtong era of the Ming Dynasty by descendants of Xu Kui, the younger brother of Xu Da, the Prince of Zhongshan. In the early Qing Dynasty, it was transferred to the Zhang family and renamed Yuyan Hall, but locals usually call it Zhang Hall.

The description also states that Zhang Hall has seven courtyards, more than seventy rooms, and covers an area of ​​over 1,800 square meters. It was once magnificent with carved beams and painted rafters. The most unique feature is that the Ruojing River flows through the courtyard, which is to say, "sedans enter through the front gate, and boats pass through the house."

As the group stepped into the residence, Zhang Hall, a mansion of a wealthy family, had witnessed more than 500 years of vicissitudes. The brick-carved gate tower had been damaged and eroded over the long years, but the solid stone pillars and exquisite carvings still revealed the former splendor and grandeur of Zhang Hall.

After passing through the entrance hall along the street, you will see a courtyard. Unlike the newly restored Shen Hall, this courtyard has not undergone major repairs. The surrounding stones are covered with moss, and green grass grows from the cracks in the stones in the middle of the courtyard, making the courtyard lush and green.

The courtyard was flanked by low-rise side rooms, but the carved windows caught Zhou Zhi's attention. He asked Mai Xiaomiao for a tissue, poured mineral water on it, and wiped the dust off the bed, revealing the material underneath.

"What is this? It's shiny and quite pretty. Is it plastic? It looks a bit like the material of a guitar pick," Ye Xin asked.

"It's definitely not," Zhang Xinyi said. "Could it be a vowel sound?"

“Neither.” Zhou Zhi whistled softly, then straightened up and looked around the yard. “Why is no one managing this place? This is outrageous.”

"What is this?" Mai Xiaomiao asked.

“This is a seashell. Xin Xin said it’s shiny, but that’s actually the luster of the pearl layer. Look at these concentric circles, those are actually the growth lines of the shell.”

"This was polished from seashells? This entire window is made of them?"

“I’m afraid it’s more than that.” Zhou Zhi pointed to the side rooms on both sides of the courtyard: “All of these windows should be like that.”

"They're all... made from polished freshwater clams?"

“You can’t polish a river mussel shell this smooth.” Zhou Zhi shook his head: “I suspect that the cultural relics protection department mistakenly identified it as being polished from a common river mussel in Jiangnan, which is why they didn’t give it enough attention.”

"It's made from a seashell called a moon shell." (End of Chapter)