Chapter 10: The Great Tang Edition of the Fruitful Carriage

  He Lan Min gently knocked on He Lan Min Yue's head, deliberately turning her face and saying: "You're just a young girl yourself, what do you know about being emotional or not? From so far away, can you see clearly? Be careful not to talk nonsense and ruin someone's reputation..."

  He Lan Minyue lowered her head, stuck out her tongue and made a cute face. "Brother, this girl is quite good-looking, I'm even a bit jealous! Hehe, brother, why didn't you ask her name or where she lives? Next time we can invite her to go out and play together! This girl must be from an official family, looking so good, matching well with you, brother. Don't you want to get to know her?"

  "Minyue, don't mention this again. If Mother finds out, we'll definitely be scolded again. We came out to have fun and almost got into a conflict with others. If Mother knows about it, none of us will have the chance to come out and play in the future! When we get back, don't mention it to anyone, and also tell the followers to keep their mouths shut, do you understand?" He Lan Minzhi said this with a serious tone.

  He Lan Minyue also put away her mischievous expression and replied seriously, "Yes! Brother, Minyue will go back and guarantee that nothing will be said, and also let Chan'er and Ying'er not utter a single word to anyone!"

  "That's more like it! Ah, what a pity that the good tea I just brewed has gone to waste. In a moment, brother will brew some fresh for you!" Several maids in the carriage had already cleaned up, and the teacups that had been knocked to the ground had been replaced, but the spilled tea needed to be re-brewed. He Lan Minzhi also took the kettle from beside him, poured water into it, and put it on the small stove to boil again.

  He Lan Minyue leaned against the car and watched He Lan Minzhe do these things, couldn't help but blurt out another sentence, "Brother, that girl is really not bad..."

  "I've told you not to mention this again, or brother will get angry..."

  "Brother, don't be annoyed... Minyue won't say anything more..."

  He Lan Minyue didn't mention the woman they had just met again, but instead picked up other topics of conversation. As they spoke, she would occasionally lift the curtain to look outside and exclaim loudly whenever she saw something interesting. He Lan Minyue smiled as he watched his little sister's lively nature shine through, explaining things he knew about but she hadn't seen before, such as the crops planted in the fields.

  He Lan Min Zhi recognized these crops, which made He Lan Min Yue very surprised, but she didn't ask and listened carefully to He Lan Min Zhi's explanation.

  The carriage soon arrived at the banks of the Ba River, stopping in a less crowded area near a teahouse. He Lan Minzhi helped He Lan Minyue down from the carriage and gave some brief instructions to the people around her before heading towards the lively area. Several maids also got off the carriage and followed behind them, with He Lan Anhong leading several guards in front of He Lan Minzhi, while others followed behind.

  After walking for a while, He Lan Minzhi felt that having such a large group of people walking together was very unnatural and attention-grabbing. She immediately ordered He Lan Anhong, who was walking in front, to move to the back and have his men keep a distance from her and He Lan Minyue. The maids were also told not to get too close. He Lan Anhong initially disagreed, but after He Lan Minzhi said it twice, he had no choice but to agree.

  The people around them were far away, and only the two siblings walked together, feeling much more comfortable. He Lan Minzhi held He Lan Minyue's hand, and they quickly walked from the tea house by the bus stop to the bustling riverbank.

  At this time, the scenery by the Wei River is very beautiful, so beautiful that it surprises He Lan to some extent: there are willows planted on both banks of the Wei River, stretching far away like a green corridor. It's rare to see such a pure and transparent sky in later generations, making people feel as if they're surrounded by greenery swaying in the wind, with a hint of the feeling of looking at willows by West Lake in spring. The river is filled with clear and transparent green water, almost visible to the bottom. On the riverbank, there are already tender green grasses growing, and the river water is also clear and green, with continuous stretches of greenery entering one's line of sight.

  The colorful flowers blooming among the greenery are a beautiful embellishment, as if people are strolling in a painting. What surprised He Lan even more was the willow catkins floating in the air, covering the sky and sun, giving off a "willow snow" feeling, which seemed to be one of the famous scenic views of the ancient times. However, although the scenery of the flying catkins is beautiful and majestic, it's not very comfortable for people. There are always catkins that accidentally get sucked into the nose, making it itch and feel extremely uncomfortable, making one want to sneeze uncontrollably.

  He Lan Minyue was already prepared, taking out a veil to cover her mouth and nose. He Lan Muzi also took out a handkerchief to cover his mouth and nose.

  This is good, the veil covering their mouths and noses obscured most of their faces, and they couldn't even see their true appearance at a glance.

  There were not many people where they had just passed, but after walking for a while, the number of people they met increased, and by the time they reached Ba Bridge, the crowd was already like a sea of people.

  Standing on a slightly higher hillside, the Ba Bridge and both ends of the riverbank are all crowded with people, bustling like a market, mostly young men and women, but more women, most of whom are dressed up and made up, and many people holding flowers in their hands, playing and chasing each other, picking willows and playing with water, laughing and having fun, the two sides of the Ba River and the Ba Bridge have become a natural playground.

  The scene by the river is still surprising, as if half of Chang'an City has come out, with red and green clothes everywhere, women in bright colors and men in various robes, like a natural blind date party.

  He Lan Minzhi was amazed at how lively the ancient March 3rd was, and judging from the situation, the number of handsome men and beautiful women by the riverbank must be astonishing. He also wanted to take a closer look at how men and women interacted on this specific holiday in this era, how open the social atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty was, and what level of beauty the beauties of this era had reached.

  Just as He Lan Mingzhe was about to walk onto the bridge with He Lan Minyue, a young woman with a red face quickly ran up to him and thrust a bouquet of flowers into his hands. He Lan Mingzhe naturally lowered the hand that had been covering his nose and accepted the enthusiastic girl's gift, even flashing her a natural smile. He thought to himself, girls in this era are really passionate, they'll even give flowers to unfamiliar men, and not just any flowers, but peonies and paeonias, it seems like there's something else mixed in with the bouquet too.

  He Lan Minzhi let go of the hand covering his mouth and nose to accept the flowers from the girl, revealing his true face. His handsome appearance caused a commotion among the young women around him, and the woman who had just given him the flowers was stunned, unable to react as she hadn't expected the man to be so handsome. Before she could regain her composure, she was pushed aside by others, and more people crowded around He Lan Minzhi and his sister, shoving flowers and other decorative items into their hands.

  It was a scene that would only appear when a popular star met with enthusiastic fans, which made He Lan Min Zhi take a big surprise, and he hurriedly stretched out his hand to block it, protecting He Lan Min Yue who had retreated backwards with a shocked face. The flowers in her hands were also knocked away by someone, trampled into a mess, and even more girls rushed towards them, the two of them were in danger of being surrounded.

  Fortunately, at this time, He Lan An Hong, who had been following behind and paying attention to them, quickly ran over with his men, forcibly inserting himself between He Lan Min's brother and sister, separating the "frenzied" young girls from them, and pushing them away. Some people shouted loudly while waving their unsheathed knives, causing chaos on the scene. He Lan Min took advantage of the young girls' panic to grab He Lan Min Yue and quickly run backwards, hiding in a place under the cover of several others.

  The two siblings stood still, looking at each other's disheveled appearance, with some strange objects like flower petals stuck to their clothes. They couldn't help but burst out laughing! Although they had felt scared just a moment before, thinking about it now made them feel quite thrilled and amused. It was rare for them to go out and have fun together, and they hadn't expected to be so popular! Who doesn't like being chased after? The siblings were no exception, except that today they hadn't been mentally prepared at all, and in the end, they ended up fleeing in disarray.

  "Brother, no wonder mother doesn't let us go out and play. You're too handsome, mother is afraid you'll be snatched away by some girl's family!"

  He Lan Min playfully knocked on He Lan Miao's little head, "Little girl talks nonsense, how can a big man like brother be taken away by a girl? Mother is afraid that you will encounter someone with bad intentions and get into an accident, so she doesn't let us go out to have fun... But today's situation is unexpected, March 3rd! Hehe! Such a situation won't happen on other days!"

  He Lan Minzhi had already figured it out, and was certain that these girls were so infatuated because they saw him and his sister, who was dressed in men's clothing, looking handsome and elegant together. On a specific day, under specific circumstances, they staged a scene that made people laugh and feel embarrassed at the same time.

  These Tang Dynasty women are really bold and daring, even more passionate and open-minded than what's written in history books. Under the bright sunlight, they dare to openly show their love, it's so interesting! Who says ancient women were reserved?

  He Lan Min couldn't help but think of a legendary story he had once heard - "Fruit Fills the Car". It was said that in ancient China, there lived a handsome man named Pan Yue, also known as the legendary "Pan An" for his stunning looks. Whenever he went out for a stroll, groups of girls would follow him, hoping to catch his eye, even elderly women were not immune to his charm. Some young maidens who couldn't get close to him would throw flowers or fruits at him, hoping to attract Pan's attention! If Pan An took a ride in his carriage, it would be filled with flowers and fruits upon his return, hence the legend of "Fruit Fills the Car" originated from Pan An's extraordinary charm.

  It seems that the treatment he received today when going out is similar to the situation recorded in this allusion. If he didn't walk, but came by carriage, it's likely that the carriage would also be filled with a load of flowers or other tokens of affection and returned full!

  What a pity! If I had known earlier, I would have taken a horse-drawn carriage ride along the banks of the Ba River!

  He Lan Minzhi was also very curious, he really wanted to know what would happen if he accepted the girl's flower and responded to the invitation, going out to have fun together. Would there be any passionate or exciting things happening? That would be extremely thrilling!

  Thinking of this, He Lan's mind suddenly had a somewhat restless thought...