When all the officials heard Zhang Zhong's words, they all understood. The new provincial governor should also know that the customs here were different and wanted to buy people's hearts. Some officials were happy, some had ugly expressions, and some were indifferent.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan used their Thousand Mile Eyes to record the expressions of every official, especially those who had ugly expressions. These kinds of people were usually villains. They were a little corrupt, a little bribed, and used their power to harm the interests of the common people to enrich themselves, etc.
They were afraid of a person who was in charge and was even their superior. The people they were most unwilling to see were high-ranking officials from rich families. It was not easy to bribe them.
The common people who were working still did not know that the new high-ranking official had asked people to cook for them. Some of them were already preparing to go home and cook for their families.
At this moment, the 56 people in the water received the signal. At the same time, they stepped on the water and shouted to the common people on the shore, "Folks, don't go. Lord Zhang has already ordered people to prepare lunch. It will be eaten in a while."
After shouting a few times to ensure that the common people could hear them clearly, the 56 people stopped. They were exhausted from shouting a few times just now. They were still stepping on the water. It was all thanks to their usual weight training in the water. Also, this was seawater, so the buoyancy was strong.
The common people had never encountered such a situation. Even if they worked 20 days a year, they still had to bring their own food. They all looked in disbelief at Zhang Zhong, who was surrounded by officials, and then looked at the people cooking on the shore. They really did have some hope in their hearts.
The common people were not looking forward to a meal. No matter how good the food was, they could endure and not eat it. They were looking forward to this matter happening. This meant that the new high-ranking official was at least a good official for now. Then, their days in the future might be better.
"Listen to me, listen to me, wait, just wait. Let's see if they will really cook for us." An old man who was being supported by someone shouted to the crowd. He coughed twice after shouting twice.
When everyone heard the old man's words, they really did not move. They all waited there. The people who were working could not be so serious. From time to time, they would stop and look at the place where the people were cooking on the shore.
"Lord Zhang really loves the common people like his own children. He actually brought so many ingredients when he came over from the other side. I wonder how the food there tastes? I must try it later. "An official who had been expressionless earlier praised.
After Zhang Zhong's praise, a trace of worry appeared on the faces of those who were previously happy. The corners of the lips of those who were previously unsightly curled up. They seemed to have not carefully listened to what Zhang Zhong had said just now. They thought that the things that Zhang Zhong had brought were from the capital, and that it was the doing of that side.
The people in the north liked to eat mutton, which had a strong fishy smell. As a result, the local people would not be used to eating mutton, and they would think that the new official was deliberately harming them.
When Zhang Zhong heard the man's words, he carefully sized him up, smiled, and didn't say anything else.
Zhang Xiaobao stared at that person on the boat. "Remember this person and investigate him later. Using such petty tricks in front of me, I'll let him know what a big trick is."
The old man who had spoken just now shouted again, "Everyone, listen to me. The lord came from the capital, so the chef might also be from there. The taste of the food he made might not be used to it. Everyone, listen to me. As long as it's made by the lord, no matter how bad it is, you have to eat it."
When the commoners heard this, they all nodded. They also knew that the food from the other side was different from here. As long as it was cooked, they didn't care if they were used to it or not. They weren't used to it, but the lord wasn't used to it either.
Zhang Zhong also heard the old man's words, and this time, he became serious. The old man seemed to be not simple, he could even think of such a thing.
Zhang Zhong was not worried that the food he made would not be used to the people here. He had long been used to the dishes of various places. His family had found chefs from all over the capital and spent a large amount of money to buy ingredients from all over the place. At first, he really couldn't bear it.
But when he saw that his son and daughter-in-law could talk about the advantages and disadvantages no matter what kind of food they ate, and they ate so happily, he got used to it after trying it.
The chefs on the boat all knew how to cook all kinds of dishes. Not to say that they were good at cooking, but at least they could grasp the flavors of various places. The ingredients were also prepared long ago. His son calculated that there was no dock here, and deliberately arranged for him to lead a group of officials here to talk, saying that he wanted to see which official was trustworthy.
It was reasonable to say that it was the most convenient to make stew at this time, but stew was usually a northern dish. The chefs would rather be tired and use a big pot to cook a single dish. There were four dishes, but there was no soup. The main dish was rice noodles.
According to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's experience, they felt that the people here should be similar. The chefs who came from here to the capital were particular about sour, spicy, and fragrant. Especially chicken, it was an indispensable dish, and there was also bamboo shoots. The other two dishes were traditional dishes, braised pork and steamed prawns.
Originally, they wanted to make chestnut pancakes, but unfortunately, they couldn't get so many chestnuts. The food on the boat was enough for 10,000 people to eat a meal.
The smell of other dishes spread slowly, but below the steamed prawns was the soup. The faint and strong smell was blown around by the sea breeze. After the people around smelled it, they all sniffed and shouted.
After the old man who shouted just now smelled it, he turned his head and looked at Zhang Zhong with a look of appreciation.
Zhang Zhong also smelled it and said to the people around him, "This dish is steamed prawns, real prawns. The smallest one is three inches long. Try it later. If you want to eat it directly, eat it directly. I also brought a few kinds of dipping sauces."
"Lord, you are so well-prepared. Then we will have a good meal later." After a worried official smelled the smell, he breathed a sigh of relief and said flatteringly.
The expressions of the officials changed again. All the expressions of life were shown.
Except for the Red Braised Pork which took a long time and was only washed with water before it was taken down, there were still some procedures to be done. The other dishes, such as the chicken, had been prepared in advance and could be eaten as soon as it was taken out. The steamed prawns and bamboo shoots were made faster. When the cook felt that the Red Braised Pork was almost ready, he began to put in the rice noodles.
For the hot and sour soup, the rice noodles only needed to be put in and scooped up a few scoops. Although there was no chili here, and it was not clear if the local people could really taste it, the cooks here liked to make spicy things, such as scallions, ginger, garlic, and some slightly spicy things like chives and garlic sprouts.
As soon as the Red Braised Pork was ready, the rice noodles were also ready. Beside it, there were chopped green onions, coriander, sesame seeds, and shredded meat, as well as vinegar, sesame oil, and pepper oil. They could put whatever they wanted.
Plates, bowls, and chopsticks made of thin wood were piled up in the cooking area. As soon as the fire was put out, the cook knocked on the pot with a spoon.
"Take a break and eat. Remember not to eat too much, especially the children and the people who are working. Otherwise, if you are tired, I will have to treat your stomachs."
After repeating twice, the old man walked over first. Looking at the four dishes, he nodded and praised, "Good, you are so thoughtful. Give me a portion. How do I use this?"
The old man picked up a plate. There were a few compartments on the plate. He looked at them but did not understand.
The cook took the plate and put each of the four dishes in the compartments. He put the pickles in the small compartments and filled a big bowl of rice noodles. He handed over the chopsticks and said apologetically, "You can only find a place to eat. It is impossible to bring so many stools on the ship."
The bowl of rice noodles was placed in a round compartment in the middle of the plate. It was very convenient to carry. The old man did not care if there was a place to sit. He walked to the side with the plate and began to eat.
With someone taking the lead, the other people also lined up in a few lines and waited in front of the few cooks to eat. Once they started to eat, they could not hold back. They came over to get a portion after a meal. Everyone praised how delicious it was.
When the people were a little less, Zhang Zhong also came over with the officials. He also picked up a plate and got a portion. When he put in the rice noodles, he made it slightly spicy and put less vinegar.
His action was different in the eyes of the commoners. They did not expect such a high-ranking official to eat the same food as them. The food was indeed delicious. There were four dishes and one main dish. Usually, they would dream of eating it but would not dare to eat it like this. However, how could an official eat the same food as commoners like them?
Zhang Zhong did not care about that. He first picked up a piece of rice noodles and put it into his mouth. He licked his lips with his tongue and said to the other officials who were stunned, "Eat? Is it because the taste is not good? I think it's okay. It's just that the braised pork made in a big pot is not very tasty. The cooks did not dare to make it so sweet. "
Even the new provincial governor had eaten, who else dared to not eat? Even if they felt that it was degrading to eat with the people, they had to come over to line up and get a portion of the rice. After tasting the taste of the food, they did not care about their status and ate happily.
Everyone ate the other dishes sparingly. Basically, they had enough to eat. When it came to the rice noodles, they were not polite at all. The people on the ship sent some rice noodles. The cooks could not eat now, so they were busy putting it into the soup.
The meal did not take too long. It was less than half an hour, but the speed of eating was countless times faster than usual. Sure enough, there were some children who were greedy. When they ate, their stomachs were clearly full. Because they ate quickly, the signal of the nerve reflex had not been transmitted to the brain. When they felt it, they could not eat anymore.
The big ship immediately let down 20 doctors and two medical doctors. When they came here, they gave acupuncture and massage. Some of them were fine after vomiting a few mouthfuls. Some of them were not too serious and were given some Yamcha pills.
The local people were completely relieved this time. The official who came was a good official. The price of the four dishes was not low. He gave so many people to eat at once and also prepared so many doctors.
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