Crossing the Unknown Country

This time they were familiar with the road, saving some time. When they arrived at Fengyu City, they paid to enter the city and found a better inn. They asked the price of the best inn, but they couldn't afford it. It was too expensive. It cost several taels of silver per night, and the best rooms even cost a hundred taels of silver. This inn was not far from these inns. Several inns of different sizes were scattered together, which was very convenient if they wanted to meet those foreign merchants.

The family moved into the inn and asked for a slightly larger room, so that Su He's mother and two children could sleep on the bed, and Su He's father could sleep directly on the couch. Anyway, it was just one night, so they could make do with it. This time, they asked the waiter to bring water, washed up, tidied their clothes and makeup, and then walked out of the room. They sat directly at the table in the lobby of the inn, asked for a pot of tea, sat down to drink tea and listened to the people around them chatting.

During the day, the guests who stayed in the hotel would sit here and drink tea and chat when they had nothing to do, and leave when they had something to do. The Su He family of four sat around a table, listening to the guests around them talking about the rare things in Ansheng Country and their business secrets.

A businessman with a square face and polite speech sat with several people he knew. He said that he came here because he heard that the war had stopped, and he hurried to buy goods, otherwise his customers would be waiting anxiously. The deal was already made this morning, and they would load the goods and set off tomorrow. They would have to travel on the road for five or six days to go back. They were from Yueyang City in the south. Speaking of the hardships on the road, they felt that it was really hard on the road, and they earned their money through hard work.

Su He whispered to his father and asked him to go up and talk to him to see if he could sell his noodles. Seeing that this person looked easy to deal with, he could give it a try.

Su He's father stood up, holding a cup of water with a smile on his face and said, "Brother, I am from Baima Town in Fengyu County. My surname is Su. I heard you said that the journey was hard. There is a kind of food here that is very convenient. Do you think it can be used?"

The businessman looked Su He's father up and down. Although he was dressed in ordinary clothes, he was clean and tidy. He looked upright and was not a bad person. He knew that he was from the table next to him. He had his wife and children with him, so he didn't look like a liar.

The man smiled and said, "There are still some foods like this. Bring them here for me to see. If they are really good, it's okay to buy some."

Su He's father went straight back to his table, took the noodles that Su He had brought back from his room, and walked back. He called his son to bring a bowl and a plate, and asked for a pot of hot water. He put the fried noodles in the bowl, took out a handful of dried chopped vegetables and a little salt from a small bag, poured hot water into the bowl, and took the plate to cover it.

Then let them look at other kinds of noodles, several of them looked at several kinds of noodles, various shapes and thicknesses. Su He asked his brother to bring a chair to their father, sat down and introduced to them how to eat these noodles at home. They looked at these noodles and thought they were very convenient. They were warmer than eating with bread and steamed buns. These noodles only needed to be boiled in hot water, especially the thin noodles, which were easier to cook. In winter, everyone has a small stove in the carriage, burning charcoal to keep warm, so it is still very convenient to cook noodles.

After a while, Su He's father felt that the time was right, so he opened the plate and a fragrant aroma came to his face. The noodles were ready. Su He's father took the chopsticks Su He handed over and handed them to the people present. They each couldn't wait to pick up a few and taste them. The noodles were very exquisite, because they were fried in oil, they were much more fragrant than ordinary noodles. Su He knew that instant noodles were the most attractive. There are so many delicacies now, and people can't resist its temptation, not to mention the ancient times when food was monotonous and scarce. Several people said it was delicious, and soon they shared a bowl of noodles.

Several people said it was delicious, and asked Su He's father about the price, which was something they cared about as businessmen. Su He's father said, "This instant noodle is more expensive, 180 wen per jin, and the other noodles are cheaper, 120 wen per jin, and they are packed in bundles of one jin."