Registrar Zhan was furious. When he asked just now, he said that he didn't have it. Now he actually gave it away. Did he think that he and the deputy magistrate were not here?
Deputy Magistrate Xiao pointed at the tofu mixed with shallots on the table and said, "Why is this tofu a little sour? There are also bamboo shoots. It's hard to bite them. "
"Registrar Zhan, you are talking about the lamb's face. You really didn't have it just now. Later on, someone sent it over. If you want to eat it, I'll get it for you. Deputy Magistrate Xiao, it's not the tofu, it's the soy sauce. You will get used to it after eating it. The bamboo shoots are grown old, not me."
The shopkeeper said calmly. In fact, he did it on purpose. His family had only paid taxes for two years. For example, the tax for setting up a stall was collected daily. For a small shop like this, it was collected monthly. He was afraid that he would not be able to pay the taxes. Last year, the yamen collected two years' worth of taxes in one go. He even had to borrow money to pay the taxes.
In the past, he didn't dare to treat the Registrar and deputy magistrate like this. But now, he dared. There was a new county magistrate. Everything was different.
Deputy Magistrate Xiao and Registrar Zhan also knew what the shopkeeper was thinking. The news was spread this morning. If it was a new county magistrate, the people might not dare to treat them like this. But Zhang Zhong was different. Needless to say, he was the top scorer. He was also the head of Zhangjia Zhuangzi in Sanshui County and had 20 imperial guards following him.
Comparing the two of them, they were naturally much worse. Of course, the people were not afraid. How could the Registrar and deputy magistrate, who had no foundation, want to fight with the master of Zhangjia Zhuangzi?
The two of them also couldn't explain this to the people. It didn't mean that you were powerful just because you had a foundation. Sometimes, even a small official could pull down a big official. The people didn't understand this. They only looked at their power and status.
"Forget it. Let's change to another restaurant." Registrar Zhan stood up gloomily. He threw down his chopsticks and wanted to leave.
"Registrar Zhan, you haven't paid for the meal." The shopkeeper couldn't stand it anymore and shouted at the other side. Everyone who wanted to eat all thought of these two officials.
Deputy Magistrate Xiao was more stable. He took out his money and counted 15 copper coins according to the price of the dishes. He put it on the table and didn't say anything. When he passed by Registrar Zhan, he pulled Registrar Zhan..
Seeing the two of them leave, the shopkeeper cleaned up the table with a smile and muttered, "You collected my taxes for two years, and now the weather has changed."
"Brother Buyong, are we going to let that shopkeeper go just like that? He's clearly doing this on purpose. Is he bullying the two of us? "Registrar Zhan complained as he sat in the car.
"What else do you want? Bring the lawsuit to Zhang Zhong? Or should the bailiffs come and arrest him? The first one was a self-inflicted humiliation, but do you think any bailiffs will listen to us for the second one? If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have treated them so well back then. Now, all of them are like humans. They have done a lot of bad things in the past. "
Deputy County Magistrate Xiao also felt aggrieved. If Zhang Zhong did not rely on his reputation in Sanshui County, how could he make the people in Huayuan County become like this in just a few days?
As for those bailiffs, they were all shameless. All he did was give some things and take care of a meal. How could they be bought over? If he had known earlier, he would not have kept those bailiffs. He would have kept those bailiffs who were capable and honest. He did not believe that Zhang Zhong could buy them over with those things.
Registrar Zhan also thought so. He took a few deep breaths and then felt better. He said, "Just bear with it for a while. It will be easy when we get the money. Haven't you sent the ginseng to those people yet?"
"It's not that easy to find. Do you think you can get hundred-year-old ginseng just because you want to? You may not be able to get it from the palace. Let's go home and eat. It seems that we can't eat good food outside. We collected too little tax in the past. They still don't know how to be afraid. "
Deputy County Magistrate Xiao was still hungry. He only ate two mouthfuls just now and still felt uncomfortable. He decided to go home and eat.
The two people's cars turned towards their own homes. All the people who saw their cars would mutter and spit at them. Who asked them to not be the county magistrate? With the support of the new county magistrate, the people also became bolder.
The bailiffs in the yamen naturally did not have to go home to eat. They did not have money in their accounts, but Zhang Zhong had money. At noon, he did not take them to Jinlai Restaurant for lunch. There were too many people there and they could not squeeze in. The rooms that were left were not suitable for the bailiffs to eat together.
Among the servants who followed them, there was also a cook. Lunch was prepared by the cook with a few assistants. The cook used a big pot to cook nine dishes. There were three meat dishes and six vegetable dishes. There was also a bowl of egg drop soup. The staple food was steamed buns and rice. Every person in the yamen could choose one meat dish and two vegetable dishes. There was no limit to the amount of rice.
These were the lunchboxes that Zhang Xiaobao sold. The only difference was that there were more types of lunchboxes and fewer types here. Even so, no one in the yamen said that they were not willing to eat. If they did not eat in the yamen, what could they eat at home?
After the people in the yamen finished choosing, the rest were sent to the people who were working. If it was not enough, they would cook some more. Zhangjia Zhuangzi now had a lot of pork in storage. They had frozen it and asked someone to send a cart of it. It could last for a few days.
Zhang Zhong also ate with the people in the yamen. As long as he was not working, he looked kind. When he was working, he would do what he should do. The only difference was that the dishes he ate were better than others. There were two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes. There would also be some mushrooms or wood ears in a bowl of soup.
The menu was not set by him. He had no choice. His son and daughter-in-law specially set the menu according to the season. They said that it was something about nutrition. He did not understand what it meant. Anyway, he could not refuse the dishes that his son and daughter-in-law asked to eat. Moreover, they had to eat the same dish for ten days. After the meal, they had to eat a specially prepared fruit plate.
"Everyone, come and try this. The food is sent here from Jinlai Restaurant. I have no choice. I am not allowed to eat other people's food. The food I eat every day was set on the first day."
Zhang Zhong said to the people in the yamen. There were not only some officials, but also yamen runners and handymen. Everyone was either squatting or sitting in the yard to eat. Zhang Zhong looked at the food that others were eating and then looked at his own. He felt a little embarrassed to eat. It was okay to eat alone. If they ate together, others would be watching.
The people in the yamen did not have the same thoughts as Zhang Zhong. Since when could the county magistrate eat with them? They could eat together and eat other people's food. No matter what, they could not be picky.
He Cangji was also here. The meat dish he ordered was chicken stir-fried with bamboo shoots. The two vegetarian dishes were roasted radish strips and stir-fried dried vegetables. At this time, there were no fresh vegetables. There were leeks, but he did not order them today. It was his first time eating like this, so he was a little confused.
When he heard the county magistrate's explanation, he said, "Sir, you can't eat like us. What does your family do? There are restaurants one after another. If you eat like us, won't it weaken your family's reputation? What's more, sir, there are not many dishes. There are only four dishes. They are also rice, although the rice is a little different.
Sir, you can eat at ease. Don't worry about us. One meat dish and two vegetarian dishes. Look, there is also a shrimp and cucumber slices over there. Can cucumber be considered a vegetarian dish now? That shrimp is also meat. Sir, you don't have to give us face. We are satisfied. "
While speaking, He Cangji pointed at a person who was in charge of cleaning. That person's vegetarian dish was shrimp and cucumber slices.
At this time, that person also raised his head and said, "Sir, if you let me eat with you, I will feel good even if I eat chaff, let alone such good food. I will remember this meal for a lifetime. Hehe, when I go back, I will tell the child that the county magistrate treated me to a meal today."
Zhang Zhong felt that this person was already taking care of him by cleaning in the yamen. He did not know how to speak at all. If other county magistrates heard this, they would immediately fire him. However, he felt comfortable when he heard this. A person who did not know how to speak was telling the truth. Some villagers in Zhuangzi were like this.
Seeing that everyone was eating happily, Zhang Zhong also ate two mouthfuls of rice. "In the future, this rule will be set. Not only lunch, but also dinner. If you want to stay for dinner, you can tell in advance. The cook will prepare it. In the morning, you can eat at Jinlai Restaurant. Those who are still waiting at midnight will also have a simple meal. It can be fried rice or wonton. You can choose whatever you want."
"Sir, there is still dinner at midnight? That's too troublesome. "Cao Daobi said in surprise.
"It's not troublesome. In the future, there will be people who will be on night duty. You can eat like this, but it will be more troublesome for my two children. It has always been like this in Sanshui County. There are snacks in the inner courtyard of Zhuangzi. You can forget about eating them."
Zhang Zhong now treated the people in the yamen as people in Zhuangzi.
When everyone heard about snacks, they laughed. He was already an adult. Why would he eat snacks?
Zhang Zhong said a few words and did not say anything else. He lowered his head and ate. The fragrance of the food floated in the courtyard. When everyone was eating, they felt that this was the best meal they had eaten in their lives.
"I, I have a question. Who, who is in charge of the recruitment of yamen runners?" Everyone was eating and there was no one guarding outside. In the end, a seventeen or eighteen-year-old man came in. He stood there for a while and waited. Finally, he could not help but ask.
The people in the yamen turned their heads to look. Zhang Zhong put down his chopsticks and asked, "You are from Huayuan County? What did you do before? "
That person was obviously a little afraid. After entering the yamen, he looked around and finally stopped his gaze on Zhang Zhong. The look in his eyes immediately changed. He said, "Sir, I am here to be a yamen runner. I am from Huayuan County. I used to do this."
As he spoke, his hand moved. No one knew how he did it, but there was a thin small blade in his hand.
Everyone understood. He was a thief. Judging from his hand movements, he was quite skilled. The yamen runners did not recognize him, which meant that he had never been caught before.
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