County Magistrate Cheng took the lead and led the way. At the same time, he gave Deputy County Magistrate Zhang Mingsheng a look. Zhang Mingsheng and Weiwei nodded to show that they understood. They followed behind the group and found Song Jinggong.
"Young Master Song, is there any change?" Zhang Mingsheng was not in a hurry. He felt that since Song Jinggong had arranged the place, it meant that he was prepared. He pulled Song Jinggong behind him and asked softly.
"Yes. This time, no matter what, we have to keep them here. When the time comes, they will leave," Song Jinggong said softly.
"But how do we do that? I think that Chen Yong did not come with good intentions."
"It's simple. You just have to do this …" Song Jinggong told them all the methods that Zhang Xiaobao had taught him. He was also impressed. His young master was really amazing.
Zhang Mingsheng did not have much contact with Song Jinggong. Occasionally, he heard that there was a master guiding Song Jinggong. Since Song Jinggong was here today, Zhang Mingsheng felt that he must have something to do with that master. He listened carefully and wanted to know what that master had come up with.
The more Zhang Mingsheng listened, the more surprised he became. In the end, he opened his mouth and did not even care about the cold wind pouring into his stomach. When he finished listening, Song Jinggong hurriedly took two steps forward. Only then did Zhang Mingsheng react. He thought to himself, 'It is indeed extraordinary. No wonder the county magistrate said that he would protect the manor's recipe no matter what. It turns out that he was not afraid that the recipe would be leaked, but was afraid that the master would be angry.'
Thinking of this, he looked with pity at Chen Yong, who was still walking in front of him and chatting cheerfully with the county magistrate. He shook his head and followed them. He wanted to find an opportunity to tell the county magistrate about this matter. After all, this involved some of the county magistrate's circumstances. For example, the county magistrate had to be prepared for some of these things.
The group of people did not take a carriage. They just walked slowly. It was as if they were competing for patience and determination. It was also as if they were using this time to think about their future.
When the crowd arrived at the entrance of Thousand Tinge Town's Water Tavern, 50,000 firecrackers were set off. Chen Yong and the others who did not know what was going on were so scared that they did not even dare to take a step forward.
Even after the firecrackers were set off, everyone's ears were still ringing.
"County Magistrate Cheng, what is this? Why is there such a big commotion? Could it be that someone wants to harm Auspicious Sign? " Chen Yong shouted at County Magistrate Cheng with all his might. In fact, he was asking if anyone would harm him.
"Don't worry, Sir. These are called firecrackers. They were made by a businessman for festive occasions. They can also be used to guard houses, just like the firecrackers that were set off on the 30th," County Magistrate Cheng explained tactfully.
The people led by Chen Yong immediately understood. It turned out that this thing had so many benefits. Before Chen Yong could open his mouth, a person beside him interrupted and asked:
"County Magistrate Cheng, could it be that firecrackers are only found in your county? I have never heard of them anywhere else. They are indeed extraordinary. Just the sound alone is much louder than that of firecrackers."
"That's right. This item is only available in this county. If you want to take some back, this official will prepare for it." County Magistrate Cheng knew that the other side did not care if the news of the firecrackers spread. They were still counting on this to make money. The more people who knew about it, the better. However, he still did not say who it was. He only said that it was a businessman. He was afraid that these people would want to see it.
After hearing what he said, Chen Yong and the others were also tempted. They were not doing it for festive occasions, but for other purposes. Chen Yong also spoke.
"County Magistrate Cheng, how much are these things worth? If they are too expensive, we can't accept them. It's a waste of money and manpower. "
"Don't worry, Sir. These firecrackers are cheap. The one we heard just now was 50,000 sounds. This county has prepared 200,000 sounds this year. We will set them off today. The 15th of this year will be a full moon. At that time, I hope all of you can enjoy the lanterns and enjoy with the people."
County Magistrate Cheng replied. He still did not say how much the firecrackers were. He did not know how much the Zhangjia Zhuangzi wanted to sell them. He was afraid that if he set the price, they would not be able to sell them at a high price.
Chen Yong and the others did not ask anymore. If the county magistrate said that it was cheap, then it was cheap. If it was expensive, then it would be cheap. However, these people had set a high price for the firecrackers in their hearts. They thought that the 50,000 sounds they had just burned would cost at least a few taels of silver.
Under the invitation of the restaurant owner, they went up to the third floor. The tea was served first. Without them saying anything, the restaurant started to serve the dishes. First, eight cold plates were served. The wine could be drunk once it was warm. Among them, there was a dish of cucumber mixed with shredded mushrooms. The main reason was that the restaurant could not find the golden mushroom.
While they were eating, the hot dishes were served one by one. There were three dishes of cucumber alone. They were stir-fried dried bamboo shoots with cucumber, fried river snails with cucumber, fried egg with cucumber, and cucumber soup with cucumber.
Apart from cucumber, there were also quite a lot of carrots. There were a total of four dishes, two of which were meat and two of which were vegetables. The rest of the dishes were made with dried vegetables. There was not a single meat dish on the table. This was what Zhang Xiaobao had instructed before Song Jinggong came. After the New Year, everyone was only eating meat. No one wanted to continue eating. Only light dishes were delicious.
In fact, this was also the case. Everyone sat at a few tables. Before the hot dishes were served, the first thing they ate was the cucumber. After a mouthful of cucumber and shredded mushrooms, the cucumber was smooth and refreshing. There was a delicate fragrance in the mouth. It was better than the cucumber they ate. This was freshly picked cucumber.
When the hot dishes and carrots were served, everyone was stunned. None of them dared to eat. What was this?
County Magistrate Cheng had no choice but to introduce them. "My lords, this is called carrots. It is the food of the Fan Gang. It tastes good and is good for the body. I still have some left. My lords can take some back to taste."
After that, County Magistrate Cheng ate a piece of carrot first to prove that there was nothing wrong with it.
With him taking the lead, the others were naturally relieved. One by one, they began to eat freely. Seeing that they were about to be unable to eat anymore, another waiter removed the other dishes and replaced them with some dried fruits. Most importantly, there was also a large plate of sliced cucumber strips. In front of everyone was a plate with something that smelled fresh on it.
County Magistrate Cheng had never seen this thing before. He glanced at the waiter. This waiter was also smart. He whispered in County Magistrate Cheng's ear, "This was brought by Childe Song just now. It is called shrimp sauce. My lords, dip it into the cucumber and eat it. In a while, the chili sauce will be served. There are two kinds of sauces and two flavors."
"Okay." County Magistrate Cheng nodded. He was satisfied with the waiter's cleverness. When the waiter left, he picked up a cucumber and dipped it into the plate in front of him. When he raised it to his mouth, he said,
"My lords, this is shrimp sauce. It is specially dipped into auspicious cucumber. It is fresh and delicious. Why don't you try it?"
After someone demonstrated, the others followed suit. It was not that they were afraid of being poisoned, but they were afraid that they did not know how to eat it and would be seen as a joke. When they ate it one by one, they found that it was indeed different. The taste was good. Those who were originally full had an appetite again.
They sipped the wine and ate at the same time, saying something that would not cause any conflict between them.
This was also arranged by Zhang Xiaobao. In order to stall them, Zhang Xiaobao had taken all the details into consideration. The alcohol content of the wine here was not high, but it took up a lot of space. After drinking it, their stomachs were full. In fact, they were not full at all. In this case, they had to give them time to digest and expel the water.
"Good, this auspicious shrimp sauce is delicious. It doesn't smell fishy just by smelling it. But after dipping it into the auspicious sauce, a salty and fishy smell will come out as soon as it enters the mouth. This feeling will disappear in a flash, and then it will be refreshing and delicious. It is better than just smelling the shrimp sauce. What do you think?"
After one person finished eating the cucumber with shrimp sauce, he praised it. The others only thought that it was delicious, but after hearing what he said, they all agreed.
Then the chili sauce was served. This chili sauce was also brought by Song Jinggong. It was specially made and was more spicy. Once it was spicy, it felt good. A large plate of cucumber was served, but it still did not last long and was eaten up.
They also drank a lot of wine. The water could be expelled. Usually, if there was nothing wrong with a person's body, the wine would not be expelled. Instead, it would enter the blood and slowly accumulate. At that time, there would not be many people who could still think about doing things.
This meal was deliberately chatting for four hours. They could not do anything else. They just wanted to sober up a little and see how San Shui County's New Year's Eve would be.
*****
While County Magistrate Cheng and the people who came down were eating, Zhangjia Zhuangzi's side was also eating. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's bodies could no longer rely on breast milk. The two of them took the initiative to stop breastfeeding. They ate the main meal together. The most they ate was chicken cakes and some cooked meat porridge.
Everyone in the courtyard knew that the two little ancestors had a big appetite and were often hungry. There were people in the kitchen 24 hours a day.
Before lunch, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan each ate three lambs made with eggs. They walked outside for half an hour and then came back to eat lunch. The thick rice porridge, the chopped pork knuckles, and some cucumber and garlic sauce were the two people's lunch.
This time, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan ate slowly, especially the meat. They had to chew more. If they were just growing up, they would not eat so much. The protein content was too high. But the two of them were calculating all day. Not to mention learning, they also had to manage their own money. Their brain power was very high.
"Xiao Bao, everything is ready. When it's Youshi, should we send the things personally or ask someone to do it?"
Wang Juan drank the entire bowl of porridge in front of her. She was a little full, so she leaned against the table and asked.
"Let my mother do it. It's not suitable for us to do it. I don't know how County Magistrate Cheng is doing. It's the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. It's so tiring." Zhang Xiaobao was also full and complained.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, some children felt that time was passing too slowly. Some felt that it was too fast. Seeing that it was Youshi, Zhang Wong Clan personally led a group of people outside. These people all had a lot of things in their hands.
Recommend a book: Wang Daozhi's Model Hegemony. A very good book. Don't give it to him. Give it to me.
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