From Wage Slave to Tycoon

The long Qinhuai still flows today, but the Six Dynasties’ splendor is a dream, long gone.

"I didn’t expect the Qinhuai River to be this crowded during the day."

They say the Qinhuai River is most vibrant at night, with dazzling lights lining the banks and enchanting songs and dances drifting from the painted pleasure boats. But when Su Chen arrived, he discovered that the river had its own unique charm during the day.

Both banks of the river were lined with classic white-walled, green-tiled buildings and various historical structures, evoking the feeling of a Jiangnan water town. Many tourists were taking pictures with their phones.

"Wende Bridge?"

Su Chen stood before a stone stele, reading the historical introduction to the bridge.

"Young man, if you’re interested in this Wende Bridge, this old timer can fill you in." A robust, elderly voice sounded by Su Chen’s ear.

Turning his head, he saw an old man with slightly graying hair looking at him with a smile.

Su Chen was taken aback for a moment. He had only been looking out of curiosity and didn’t expect such an interesting encounter. With nothing better to do, how could he refuse this freely offered lesson?

He smiled, clasped his hands in a traditional gesture, and said to the old man, "Then I’ll have to trouble you."

Seeing Su Chen’s humble and eager attitude, the old man’s smile widened.

"Ahem." The old man took a sip of water to clear his throat before beginning his lesson. "The name Wende Bridge comes from the Confucian ideal of ’literary and moral excellence first under heaven,’ symbolizing the importance of culture and morality!"

"Every year, at the stroke of midnight on the fifteenth day of the eleventh lunar month, when the bright moon hangs high in the sky, a miraculous sight appears at Wende Bridge. The moon’s reflection is split in two by the bridge, creating a unique spectacle that draws countless tourists."

"Legend has it... that this is where the great poet Li Bai got drunk and tried to scoop the moon from the water."

A flicker of doubt crossed Su Chen’s eyes when he heard this. Li Bai was from the Tang Dynasty, but this Wende Bridge was built during the Ming Dynasty. ’How could the two be connected?’

He felt the urge to point out the inconsistency, but seeing the enthusiastic old man, Su Chen held his tongue. ’Maybe there’s some detail I don’t know about.’

He put on an expression of sudden understanding and nodded.

The old man beamed with satisfaction at Su Chen’s reaction, but Chen Fei, standing to the side, was completely baffled. ’It’s just a bridge...’

’So what if it has some history? That’s not so strange.’ But seeing Su Chen and the old man so captivated, he didn’t dare ask questions or voice his confusion, even though his mind was full of it.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Wende Bridge is a vital link connecting the north and south banks of the Qinhuai River. To the left are the Confucian Temple and the Jiangnan Examination Hall, where scholars used to study."

"To the right, it’s all taverns and brothels, where the famous Eight Beauties of Qinhuai gathered. There’s an old saying describing the two sides of Wende Bridge: ’A gentleman does not cross the bridge; one who crosses is no gentleman.’"

Hearing the old man’s explanation, a thought popped into Su Chen’s head. The Qinhuai River was a place where countless poets and scholars had lingered, reluctant to leave. But according to the old man’s words, didn’t that mean none of those men of letters were gentlemen?

Unable to contain his curiosity, Su Chen voiced his question.

Upon hearing this, the old man got a look on his face that said, ’I knew you’d ask that.’ He glanced at a painted boat that was just passing under the bridge and said, "What’s so strange about that? They could just take a boat across!"

With a smug look on his face, the old man turned and walked toward the north bank.

Su Chen stood there dumbfounded for a long moment before it finally clicked. "The ancients were really something else," he muttered. "To think they came up with a loophole like that."

A scholar crossing the bridge to the brothels on the north bank of the Qinhuai could be called ungentlemanly. But if one took a boat and didn’t cross the bridge at all, what did that have to do with being a gentleman or not?

"Sir, it’s just an old bridge, isn’t it? There must be hundreds, if not thousands, like it. What’s there to know? You and that old man seemed to be getting along really well," Chen Fei said, sidling up to Su Chen, his voice full of confusion.

"We’re out here to have fun, right? When you run into something interesting, you should listen. What’s the point of just looking at buildings and performances? You have to understand the culture and history behind them."

"That old gentleman just now acted as a great tour guide, explaining the history and culture of this bridge to us. Now, when you’re bragging to Xiao Peng and the others later, at least you’ll have something to talk about."

"What if they ask you where you went with me, and all you can say is ’Tianjin, Jinling,’ without knowing anything else? Wouldn’t they just laugh at you for being a country boy who can’t appreciate the finer things?"

Chen Fei smacked his lips but didn’t know what to say. After all, he had never really traveled before.

"It’s getting late. Let’s find a place to eat," Su Chen said, checking the time. It was already almost one in the afternoon.

When they first arrived at the Fuzimiao (Confucian Temple) area by the Qinhuai River, they had bought some snacks to try. They didn’t realize it until they bought them, but it was clear they were being treated like total suckers.

Everyone knows snacks in tourist areas are expensive, but the prices around Fuzimiao were truly outrageous. The first thing they bought was grilled squid, a "blossom" sausage, and stinky tofu. One portion of each for both of them cost a total of 118 yuan.

The squid was the rehydrated kind, and maybe it was just their bad luck, but it had a distinct chemical taste. The so-called large meat sausage was no different from a cheap starch sausage. Only the stinky tofu was barely acceptable.

They later bought a couple of other snacks that looked decent, but the result was more of the same, and they were completely put off.