Traveling through ancient times: daily life on the run

The private rooms of Fuyun Restaurant are more than ten square meters in size (about fifty square meters in modern times). The interior is luxuriously decorated, with soft sheep wool carpets on the floor and all rosewood furniture. It does not look like the style of a small county town.

Magistrate Qi was in his early thirties, sporting a mustache and a dreamy gaze. He exuded youthful vigor and ambition. Beside him were not legal advisors or yamen runners, but several local businessmen.

It really is a dish served to people.

When County Magistrate Qi saw Luo Yu and his gang, his eyes flashed.

Who would have thought that they were some energetic young men?

Madam Bai, the leader, had the air of a lady from a prominent family. The scarred figure next to her, a man or a woman, had beautiful features, yet a sinister aura. The frail-looking woman, though charming and charming, must be Miss Bai. Was the young man with the unfriendly look behind her Master Bai?

Who among these people is acquainted with His Royal Highness Prince Ning?

When did the Bai family get in touch with Prince Ning?

No one spoke, and Mrs. Bai led everyone to pay their respects to County Magistrate Qi first.

"I, Fang, greet Magistrate Qi. These two are my son and daughter. Mr. Qin next to us is a close friend who traveled with us."

Luo Yu and Bai Lingyi each bowed: "Junior greets County Magistrate Qi."

"You're welcome, Madam Bai, please take a seat."

After looking at Qin Bingrui, who had no rules at all, County Magistrate Qi immediately realized that this man was the protagonist.

"Mr. Qin, please take a seat!"

"No, no, I'll just sit next to Miss Bai."

County Magistrate Qi looked at Miss Luo Yi suspiciously. So that was the case. Then this Miss Bai was the main person who needed to be flattered.

Just as he was about to say please take a seat, Luo Yu gently took Bai Lingyi's arm and said caringly, "Brother, please sit wherever you want."

County Magistrate Qi: “…”

The other two businessmen bowed one by one and introduced themselves. It turned out that one was Wang Qian, the manager of Fuyun Hotel, and the other was Dong Taiping, the largest grain merchant in the area.

It seems that those who can curry favor with the county magistrate are not good people. From ancient times to the present, collusion between officials and businessmen will never lead to anything good.

Luo Yu only wanted to eat. The dishes here looked very good. The plate of Dongpo pork was fat but not greasy and melted in her mouth. She was too thin now and needed to gain some fat.

Sweet and sour carp is the favorite of the rich. Sugar is relatively precious in this dynasty, and only rich people can afford dishes with a lot of sugar. Luo Yu can't stand the sweet taste.

It’s a pity that there is no dish called chopped pepper fish head, what a pity.

After a series of implicit opening remarks by Magistrate Qi and Madam Bai, they wanted to find some topics to chat with Master Qin, but unexpectedly, this man and Miss Bai were busy eating, while the other frowned at the dishes.

Wang, the shopkeeper of Fuyun Restaurant, finally lost his patience and said calmly, "Miss Bai must have tasted all kinds of delicious food. If our Fuyun Restaurant has not treated you well in any way, we hope you will forgive us!"

Luo Yu twitched her lips. She was just sick of the sweetness.

Qin Bingrui was a down-to-earth man. He wiped his mouth and criticized each dish directly: "This sweet and sour carp is too sweet and greasy. Although there is a light egg custard on the side to relieve the greasiness, I really can't eat a second bite.

Moreover, carp has too many bones, so you should change to a fish with fewer bones. Sea bass is a good choice.

Since we already have Dongpo pork, there is no need to serve pork with preserved vegetables. It has too much fatty meat and is too greasy.

How about stir-frying the pork with ginger and garlic? The ginger and garlic add spicy flavor, which can not only balance the greasy taste of the pork belly, but also relieve the sweetness of other dishes.

As for this steamed chicken, it would be even better if it were roasted or grilled. It would be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and taste quite good. If that's not possible, cut it up, coat it with flour and egg, and deep-fry it. It would be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and easy to eat."

He finished speaking in one breath. If he continued, he would probably talk about his favorite combination of barbecue and beer.

Shopkeeper Wang's eyes lit up. This Young Master Qin from the capital city was indeed a connoisseur of food. Looking at his luxurious brocade clothes, he must be a wealthy and powerful man.

"Master Qin, you just mentioned roasted chicken, grilled chicken, and fried chicken. How do you make them so they're crispy on the outside and tender on the inside?"

County Magistrate Qi was stunned. Is this the time to talk about this?

Mrs. Bai noticed that Magistrate Qi's expression changed slightly and immediately asked, "Zhizhao Qi came to see us today. I guess there must be something important?"

"Please forgive me, Madam Bai. I'm sorry for my poor hospitality today, which has upset Master Qin and Miss Bai..."

Qin Bingrui couldn't stand the pretentious tone of Qi County Magistrate. He raised his hand and said, "Qi County Magistrate, let's get straight to the point. What do you want to talk to us about?"

"No, no, I just want to get to know you all and make friends with you."

"Is that so? Well, as friends, we have to give and take. How about this: Magistrate Qi invited us to dinner today, so we must return the favor."

Qin Bingrui chuckled. He could immediately complete the task assigned to him by Sister Luo Yu.

After saying this, he asked the waiter to go downstairs to get the money that he had specially left on the counter when he came just now.

County Magistrate Qi was speechless for a moment. He just wanted to curry favor with Prince Ning, but why didn't they understand what he said?

Could it be that I was too tactful?

Luo Yu pretended to be confused and asked, "County Magistrate Qi, today is my first time visiting Yunpan County with my mother and brother. Yunpan County is prosperous and bustling, and the people seem to be living a good life. I believe this is all thanks to County Magistrate Qi."

"I dare not, I dare not. This county magistrate has only been in office for three years. Yunpan County is a large county, right next to the waterway leading to Liangzhou Prefecture, so water freight is well developed. Yunpan County is naturally not too poor."

Bai Lingyi met Sister Luo's gaze and immediately feigned innocence, saying, "But why do I see that the prices here are much higher than in Tianbao County, where we passed by? Sister, is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

Luo Yu hesitated and said, "It should be a good thing. Higher prices mean more tax revenue, which is definitely a good thing for the court. Moreover, faster currency circulation means faster economic development, which should also be a good thing for the people."

"But I feel that the things in the hands of ordinary people have become more expensive, and the merchants have made more money. No matter how much the currency circulates, it is not a good thing for ordinary people." Bai Lingyi expressed his true thoughts, and the two siblings sang in unison, which was very exciting.

"Well, if the economy develops and people's incomes increase, prices will naturally follow suit. This isn't a bad thing. Look at the capital and Muzhou City. Aren't they also experiencing economic development, so aren't prices high?"

Qin Bingrui held his chin with one hand and said lazily, "How can Yunpan County be compared with Muzhou City or the capital?"

Luo Yu smiled faintly: "Today, at the beginning of the afternoon, I went shopping with my brother and bought some pens, inkstones, and daily necessities. The prices are about the same as in Muzhou City!"

When Magistrate Qi heard the two siblings asking and answering each other, he thought it was just the children babbling casually. But when he heard the end, he was suddenly stunned.

Standing there in fear.

Every word Miss Bai said seemed careless, but every step was full of danger.

Qin Bingrui put down his hands, suddenly raised his head and looked directly at County Magistrate Qi.

"My Lord Magistrate, this is your third year in Yunpan County. Next year, you'll be moving to a new location, right? I bet you don't want to go to a remote, impoverished area, do you?"

"Mr. Qin, you misunderstood. No, I have no intention of taking advantage of you."

"It's alright, I'm just a minor official helping Prince Ning. There's no need for you to be so polite, sir."

It so happened that the waiter came into the room holding a bamboo swatter as tall as a man.

"Master Qin, this is what you want."

After saying that, he placed it in the center of the room.

Magistrate Qi and the two merchants all looked at the large object, confused.

Qin Bingrui pointed at the item and said to Magistrate Qi, "Actually, it's not impossible to help you. This thing was made by a folk expert that Prince Ning had consulted with. We recently went to Hefeng Village outside the city to test it. This reaper can indeed harvest five times faster than an ordinary sickle."

Although County Magistrate Qi colluded with the merchants to raise prices in the city step by step and take an extra 10% of the profits for himself, he was not a bad person and still wanted to create some performance.

So when he heard that the plunderer's function was so fast, his eyes suddenly lit up again and again.

He really did get close to someone else, and it was his own doing.