"Delicious, really delicious. Come, Xiao Bao, help me tear this piece of meat open. You take that side."
The beef stewed with radishes was cooked. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan used a bowl to eat. Pomegranate had found the kind of meat without tendons, and the pieces were relatively small. Even so, it was strenuous for the two of them to eat. They had to use their hands to tear the meat into small pieces and slowly chew them.
Wang Juan found a piece that was relatively large. It was not easy for her to use her small hands, so she called Zhang Xiaobao. Zhang Xiaobao used both his hands, and so did Wang Juan. Only then did they manage to tear the meat open.
"The meat is obviously not completely rotten, but they actually said it was ready to eat. Why didn't they think about the two of us?" Zhang Xiaobao dipped the half piece of meat into the spicy sauce, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed vigorously as he complained.
"People eat meat like this. Why are you biting it when it is already rotten? I don't want to eat meat. It is too strenuous. Drink some soup and eat some radishes." Wang Juan swallowed the meat with difficulty and decided to change her taste.
Pomegranate was not willing to eat with so many people at once, so she only served the two little ancestors at the side. When she heard Wang Juan's words, she went to the pot and scooped some radishes and soup. She sprinkled some chopped coriander on top. It tasted good to drink a mouthful of the soup.
When a child in the village saw that the two most precious people in Zhuangzi only ate radishes and did not eat meat, he was immediately moved. He said to his parents beside him,
"Dad, Mom, the little master only ate radishes and left the meat for us. The little dog of Ge Zhuang definitely did not believe what I said, but it is true."
His parents were also moved, but it was not because of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan drinking soup and eating carrots. They also knew that such a big child would not be able to eat beef at all.
What moved them was that the young master and young lady didn't act high and mighty, but ate with them. It was cold outside, and this meal was specially prepared for them. For them to be able to do this at such a young age, it could only mean one thing, and that was that the masters of the main family usually told the children this.
With such a master, what was there for him to be dissatisfied with? The two of them had rushed back from outside. When they arrived, Ge Zhuang's people had also encountered them and asked them about it. When they said that the owner of the house was treating them to beef, the look in Ge Zhuang's eyes could never be forgotten.
"Xiao Bao, look at how happy the villagers are eating. In the future, it would be great if I could often bring the villagers to eat a meal. Unfortunately, there was too little beef. This time, we were fined 12 taels of silver. Why didn't these officials think of us? "
Wang Juan drank a few mouthfuls of soup and ate too much. She sat there to rest for a while and complained to Zhang Xiaobao.
Zhang Xiaobao originally wanted to say, "Indeed, there are no good people in the officials, and it's the same in every dynasty."
When the words came to his mouth, he changed his mind. He didn't want Wang Juan to think about the past. Everyone was happy, so there was no need to evoke memories. He could only say,
"After all, cattle are precious. They are used to farm, which shows that they value agriculture. In fact, horses are also good, but they are used to equip troops and pull carriages. I don't know if there are curved plows now. I will ask later. If there are, then forget it. If there aren't, we can make it ourselves. I remember that there are a few beef bones in the pot.
Let's eat them. "" I don't want to eat them. Let's give that to the children. There are still a lot of them at home. Why should we snatch their things? Do you know how to breed cattle? It's the kind that can keep every child, and can even have one child every year. "
When Wang Juan heard that to eat bone marrow, her eyes lit up and dimmed. She wanted to do animal husbandry.
Zhang Xiaobao scooped up a piece of butter floating on top of the soup and put it in front of Wang Juan's mouth. "No, I didn't learn it at that time. There was a person in prison who was an expert in this field, a real expert. He wrote a paper that was stolen by someone. He wanted to prove that he wrote it, but the other party was powerful and locked him up.
At that time, he saw that I was eager to learn and really wanted to teach me. Unfortunately, I didn't have any intention to learn at that time. I just listened to him talk about agriculture and animal husbandry. He talked about the curved plows a lot, so I remembered it. He always praised this kind of plows.
I remember that at that time, I was learning things from a burglar next to me. I learned how to pick locks from that person. Not only do you know the principle, you also need to train your ears and feel. Later on, I carried some iron wires of different thicknesses and magnets of different sizes. "
"Magnets? What's the use of magnets? It doesn't seem to be necessary to pick a safe, right? " Wang Juan was gradually attracted by Zhang Xiaobao's words. As someone who specialized in catching burglars, she was interested in this field.
"What safe? It's a door lock. Some door locks need magnets. The key itself is magnetic. Some magnets attract, and some separate. The magnets I carry not only have to be of different sizes, but also have to have both magnets. It's a technical job. I feel that if I can give a degree, it'll be a master's degree, and the one who teaches me will definitely be a doctor. "
Zhang Xiaobao poured away the cold soup and let Pomegranate continue to scoop it. He said to Wang Juan as if he was telling a joke.
"So you know the principle of unlocking? Can you make locks? "Wang Juan asked curiously.
"Of course, if you want to pick locks, you have to know how."
"Then you can sell locks." Wang Juan suggested.
"If I don't do it, how can I do it without a spring? Hurry up and eat, then go back to sleep. "Zhang Xiaobao directly refused.
Wang Juan was just casually asking. Seeing that it was impossible, she didn't say much. She finished the soup and radish and patted her stomach. She was full.
After the two of them left, the people here ate faster. Just now, they were all controlling themselves. After the meal, the remaining bones were brought back to the families of the children who were breastfeeding. They could cook the bones twice when they went back. The bone marrow inside could be directly fed to the children or the mother.
*****
In Zhuangzi, County Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang was also eating. There were a total of six dishes, one soup, four meat dishes, and two vegetarian dishes. One of the vegetarian dishes was cold shredded cucumber with mashed garlic. The other dish was scrambled cucumber with eggs, which had a pleasant fragrance. The soup was cucumber and garlic sprout soup, which was salty and mild.
Song Jinggong chatted with the County Magistrate while drinking wine. The dishes he ate were basically the four meat dishes. He basically didn't touch the cucumber. He could eat whatever he wanted when he went back and wouldn't fight with the County Magistrate. One and a half cucumber was cold shredded cucumber, one was scrambled eggs, and the other half was boiled in soup.
Seeing that the County Magistrate was so calculating, how could he dare to eat?
County Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang didn't think too much about it. With a smile on his face, he said some words about knowledge and made a poem that he thought was quite good on the spot. After receiving Song Jinggong's flattery, he picked up two cucumbers and put them in his mouth to taste carefully. Finally, he got to the point.
"Zijin, your Zhuangzi isn't far from here, right?"
"Yes, Sir is right. It's not far. I can go back and forth in a day." Song Jinggong toasted and replied.
"It's good that it's not far. Since it's not far, ask the expert on your Zhuangzi to come here. I want to meet this person." County Magistrate Cheng actually wanted to get an advisor. If he could really recruit that person to his side, he wouldn't have to worry about anything.
Song Jinggong was so scared that he trembled. Bringing the young master and young lady here on such a cold day, what if they caught a cold? Moreover, they were so young. If he really pushed them out, wouldn't that be harming others? No matter what, he couldn't agree to this.
"Sir, this won't do. That person has a weird temper. It's only because that Zhuangzi saved his life that he went there. I haven't seen him before. Every time we talk, there's a screen between us. How about this, if you have any instructions, I'll help you pass them on."
Song Jinggong, of course, knew what the County Magistrate wanted to do. The meaning of his words was also clear. If you, the County Magistrate, need help with something, I'll help you ask. When the other party comes up with an idea, I'll come back and tell you.
There was a trace of regret on County Magistrate Cheng's face. He nodded and scooped some soup into his bowl. After drinking it in one gulp, he said, "Alright, then I'll have to trouble Zijin. Is Zhou Xihu still doing well?"
"Young master Zhou is a good person. It's just that there's a shortage of brown sugar in the surrounding areas recently. Sir, why don't you persuade him? It's not easy to sell too much white sugar. After all, the price is high.
Oh, I just thought of something. That person said that during the New Year, you can bring some grain and oil to the poor people in the county to take a look. After all, you love the people like your own children. You should let the people under your rule feel the favor of the imperial court. Zhuangzi can take out a thousand dan of grain and a hundred dan of oil for you. "
Song Jinggong followed up with another matter. This was also something that had been instructed beforehand.
County Magistrate Cheng's eyes lit up. Of course, he understood the meaning of these words. This was to give him political achievements. If he really did this and sent the cucumbers over, his evaluation this year would definitely be excellent. That expert was really reasonable. It was a pity that he couldn't come over to help.
He immediately said, "Alright, I understand. The people don't have it easy, especially those who have illnesses in their families. I will remember what your Zhuangzi did. I believe that the people will also be very grateful. Come, Zijin, eat."
After waiting until they were almost done eating, Song Jinggong said goodbye. He promised that after two days, a large amount of cucumbers would be sent over, so that County Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang could rest assured.
*****
The sky gradually darkened. Every household began to prepare for dinner.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were busy again. They stood in the kitchen and gave instructions. Tonight's staple food had to be prepared according to their wishes.
The noodles were rolled into thin slices and then cut into strips to make noodles. There was already something here, so the beef was also cut into slices. The chili sauce and eggs were fried together, and then the beef slices were put into the beef bone soup. A layer of shredded cucumber and coriander was placed on top of the beef fried noodles. A bowl of beef fried noodles was ready.
This time, the beef was not so hard. The two of them could eat some of it. Before it was served, they sprinkled sesame oil on it. They could eat comfortably without the need for vegetables.
Wang Juan was eating with Zhang Xiaobao's family. She ate a mouthful of noodles and asked with her lips, "Xiao Bao, do we need to prepare anything for the Lunar New Year?"
"Make some firecrackers. Make something simple. Make it with a ratio of one niter, two sulfur, and three charcoal. Just listen to the sound. Don't make those 75%, 10%, or 15% firecrackers." Zhang Xiaobao hesitated before saying this idea.
Today, he was delayed by some matters and only had two chapters left. He would make up for it tomorrow. For every chapter he made up, he would punish himself with one chapter. He would update three chapters normally and five chapters tomorrow.
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