Rebirth: Phoenix Riding the Ninth Heaven

Upon hearing this, the lawyer did not dare to be negligent and hurriedly bowed and said, "Don't worry, sir. I understand the interests involved and will go and handle it right away!" Before he finished speaking, he turned around and left in a hurry. In the blink of an eye, he walked out of the room and walked quickly towards the outside of the yard.

The lawyer hurried off to rent a yard. With his departure, the once bustling hall fell silent. The county magistrate, Qi Jianlin, and Niu Dabao sat there in silence, none of them speaking, as if time had stood still. Each was lost in their own thoughts, pondering the details of the case or mulling over how to respond to various situations.

The three of them sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, afraid to disturb this rare tranquility. Time slipped by, and before they knew it, more than a cup of tea had passed. Just then, footsteps were heard outside the door, and then the lawyer led the village chief into the hall.

Upon entering the hall, seeing the unusually quiet people inside, the lawyer hurried forward, bowed respectfully to the master, and said, "Sir, I have brought the village chief to you." Hearing this, the county master, who had been bowing his head in thought, slowly raised his head, his eyes fell on the village chief, and a kind smile appeared on his face. He said gently, "The village chief is here! Quick, bring a stool for the village chief to sit down."

However, upon hearing the county magistrate's words, the village chief seemed somewhat uneasy. He quickly waved his head and replied with deep trepidation, "Sir, absolutely not! I'll just stand here. It's a great honor to be able to serve you." Seeing the village chief's refusal, the county magistrate nodded, expressing his understanding of the village chief's concerns. Then, the county magistrate addressed the village chief directly, "Village chief, these gentlemen have come all the way from the capital. Please arrange for them to have a spacious, unoccupied room. Make sure it's clean and tidy!"

Upon hearing this, the village chief frowned slightly and fell into deep thought. He tried hard to recall the situation of each household in the village. Time passed, and finally, as if remembering something important, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he said with a bow, "There is indeed such a family. It is the Wang Laowu family who lives in the county town. Although most of their family lives in the county town, their ancestral home has been renovated! Now, only two elderly people live in it."

The village chief paused, then added, "Although there are only two elderly people living in the village, their family is considered a wealthy family in our village! This house is so magnificent, it is one of the best in the whole village."

At this moment, someone standing nearby, hearing this, showed an anxious look on their face and hurriedly asked, "How big is their yard? Can we accommodate all of us?" The village chief nodded without hesitation and quickly replied, "Yes, absolutely! Their main house alone has five rooms, and there are two side rooms on each side. They are all large tiled houses built with blue bricks. Not only are they spacious and bright, but they are also very solid and sturdy. From a distance, they are really magnificent and beautiful!"

After the village chief finished speaking, the county magistrate, who had been standing nearby without saying a word, subconsciously touched his not-too-long beard on his chin, thought for a moment, and nodded, indicating that he was quite satisfied with this place.

Upon seeing him, he quickly turned around and asked Qi Jianlin with a broad smile, "What do you think of this, sir? You see, the conditions in this rural area are naturally not as good as those in the capital. I hope you will be more tolerant and make do with it."

Upon hearing this, Qi Jianlin nodded slightly, expressing his understanding. He then said slowly, "That's fine. No need to be so polite. However..." He then turned to the county magistrate and continued, "If it's feasible, I'd like to rent this place for a month. As for the rent, I think these twenty taels of silver should be enough, right?"

Upon hearing this, the county magistrate quickly waved his hands and shook his head, saying repeatedly, "Oh no! No, no! How dare I trouble you all with your expense? This is such a small matter, I will definitely handle it for you smoothly and will not burden you with any worries!"

Qi Jianlin listened to the county magistrate's earnest words, pondered them briefly, and then gave up his insistence, nodding gently in agreement. After all, back in the capital, there were countless people trying to curry favor with them, so trivial matters like this could be left to the lower ranks. Thinking of this, Qi Jianlin nodded again, indicating that it was okay.

The county magistrate on the side got a definite answer and immediately smiled happily. He hurriedly ordered the legal advisor and the village chief beside him to handle the matter properly.

By this point, it was already getting late. Niu Dabao, thinking he couldn't neglect his distinguished guests, quickly got up and headed out, calling out to his wife, "Old lady, hurry up and prepare some decent farm-style dishes to entertain these adults!" Upon hearing the call, his wife quickly responded, "Okay, boss, I'll take care of it right away!"

At that moment, Qi Jianlin and the county magistrate, sitting inside, saw Niu Dabao so enthusiastically rushing out to arrange the dinner. They exchanged a smile, saying nothing more than quietly watching him depart. Qi Jianlin turned to his men and said, "You guys, take advantage of this moment to go up the mountain and hunt some game to add a few more delicious dishes to our table." As soon as he finished speaking, the attendant named Wang Ming immediately led his companions out of the room and hurried toward the mountain.

The county magistrate and Qi Jianlin, who remained in the central hall, began to chat casually. Most of the time, Qi Jianlin explained the local customs and people, as well as the livelihood, production, and food security. The county magistrate listened with a broad smile, occasionally chiming in with praise, such as praising the local people's simple and honest customs, even to the point of leaving their doors open at night. In short, each person spoke pleasantly, speaking of pleasantries. Thus, they chatted patiently while waiting for dinner to be served.

Just as the two men were stuck in an awkward conversation, racking their brains for new topics, a tantalizing aroma suddenly wafted in. It was time for dinner! Niu Dabao hurried in, his sturdy figure seemingly wrapped in the rich aroma of food, a unique flavor that instantly tantalized everyone present.

Come to think of it, after all the hasty journey and sleeping outdoors, none of us had a chance to eat properly, so we rushed to Niu Dabao's house without stopping. At this moment, smelling the familiar yet unfamiliar aroma of food, how could one not salivate?

As soon as Niu Dabao walked into the house, he saw the county magistrate and Qi Jianlin sitting there. He immediately put on a flattering smile on his face, bent his back almost parallel to the ground, and spoke in an extremely humble tone: "Sir, the food is ready. Would you like to move to my yard to eat? My yard is quite spacious and there is no problem putting up a few tables. It can accommodate all of us." After saying that, he did not forget to signal to the county magistrate with his eyes.

Upon hearing this, the County Magistrate and Qi Jianlin exchanged a glance, nodded in understanding, and then stood up simultaneously. They extended their hands in a gesture of invitation, saying politely, "Please come in, sir!" "Please come in, sir!" Just like that, the group walked out of the main hall, chatting and laughing, and headed towards the courtyard.

Bu To Go enthusiastically led Qi Jianlin and Grandpa Xian through the bustling crowd to the largest table in the restaurant. He smiled and invited them to take a seat, deliberately reserving the main seat for them while he stood respectfully to the side. At this moment, Niu Dabao also hurried over and sat down next to Qi Jianlin, acting as his companion.

As soon as Qi Jianlin sat down, his eyes were attracted by the delicious dishes on the table. Especially one of the dishes was filled with tempting greasy meat, which instantly whetted his appetite and his stomach couldn't help but rumble. Seeing this, Niu Dabao smiled and introduced: "Brother, you are in for a treat! This dish is our restaurant's signature dish - stewed chicken nuggets! These chickens are not ordinary domestic broilers, but authentic pheasants that the two brothers have worked hard to hunt from the mountains! In order to ensure the delicious taste, we also added some freshly picked mushrooms and tender bamboo shoots during the stew, and sprinkled a little pepper to enhance the flavor. The chicken nuggets stewed in this way are not only firm and fragrant, but also have a rich and mellow soup. It is definitely a delicious and nutritious dish!"

Niu Dabao licked his lips with satisfaction, then pointed to the other two dishes beside him and continued to introduce them in a torrent of words, "And these two, they are also made by those two big brothers! This one is a fragrant stewed rabbit meat. The method is similar to the stewed chicken nuggets, but with a little more peppercorns, star anise, and a hint of chili to enhance the flavor. As for the other one, it's pure clear stewed rabbit meat. There are no side dishes in it except rabbit meat. It's a big bowl full of real meat. I guarantee you will enjoy it!"

"This is our carefully homemade bacon! Look, this plate of bacon slices stir-fried with green onions has an enticing color and a fragrant aroma. Everyone, come and try it!" Qi Jianlin enthusiastically pointed to the plate of long, gray-brown cylindrical food on the table and introduced it to everyone with anticipation.