An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

"How many tables do you want to book? We'll have to hurry if we're eating tonight. It takes a lot of time to cut and wash the vegetables. We only have three cooks, and the small private rooms are all full tonight."

As the proprietress spoke, she led them to the row of houses at the innermost part of the yard.

Her voice was hurried, clearly worried about not being able to prepare in time and delaying the guests' meal. As she walked, she gestured with her hands, as if to emphasize the urgency of time.

Inside, there was another row of wooden houses, six in all. They were relatively new and built a bit higher. Even the roofs seemed to be made of wood, giving them a particularly sturdy appearance. The doors and windows of this row of houses were lightly coated with tung oil, giving off a faint woody fragrance.

Seeing that the young lady didn't reply, Chuntao replied, "It depends on what kind of table you have! How many people can sit at one table!" If it was still a square table like those outside, I'm afraid we'd need six tables, six people per table to have more space, otherwise we'd still be squeezed together. She imagined everyone eating together, and she couldn't help but feel a little irritated.

The door to the large private room opened, and I was surprised to find it was quite large, except for the fact that there were two large supporting pillars in the middle of the room. Hanging from the pillars were a few strings of red peppers and corn, adding a touch of rustic flavor.

Next to the entrance is a multi-layer cabinet for storing dishes and chopsticks. The cabinet is polished to a smooth and shiny finish, and is carved with some simple patterns.

There was nothing in the private room except four large round tables and stools.

It was clean and tidy, and looked pretty good. Chuntao glanced at the young lady with joy, and the others' eyes met, and they all thought to themselves: That's great.

Chun Tao smiled and said to the proprietress, "Let's book this place for four tables. We'll have the game delivered from the shop outside. You guys can prepare the rest of the hot pot base, side dishes, leafy vegetables, etc. I don't know how to calculate the price."

The proprietress couldn't help but glance up at Chuntao with admiration. She nodded slightly and said, "The large private room will cost an additional two taels of silver. You can see the prices are clearly marked on our sign. We won't cheat you. If you only make two or three dishes with the game you bought from outside, we won't charge extra."

But if it's too much, I'll have to charge at least three or two hundred coins, after all, firewood, oil, and salt all have to be charged."

The proprietress, perhaps worried that they might find it too expensive, pointed to a wooden sign on the sideboard. The sign was made of wood, with clear and neat handwriting.

The top line of words reads: One tael for a small private room, two taels for a large private room.

Next came today's menu. Below it were five or six menu items, likely the restaurant's specialties—home-cooked dishes like chicken, bacon, mushrooms, and wild vegetables, ranging in price from ten to a hundred wen. Jing Chunxi felt a surge of joy.

She had thought she would have to spend a lot of money this time, hundreds of taels, but she hadn't expected the dishes in the mountain city to be so cheap, practically dirt cheap. She couldn't help but sigh in her heart that the prices in this mountain city were really affordable.

But Jing Chunxi's mood soured when he saw the last line. A basin of white rice that could hold about ten bowls was priced at three hundred coins.

At most, only two or three kilograms of rice can be cooked, and it costs thirty cents per kilogram. The proprietress has to make three times the profit. This price is too outrageous.

Jing Chunxi had completely forgotten that she had eaten a plate of four small pieces of sugar cake that cost one ounce of silver. She frowned, feeling somewhat unhappy.

Jing Chunxi asked the proprietress: "Hasn't the price of food dropped? Why is this meal still so expensive?" There was a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice and confusion in her eyes.

The proprietress's voice dropped helplessly. "Miss, you don't know, if the price of grain doesn't drop, how can we dare to cook and sell it? We can only sell sugar-coated rice cakes."

She looked at Jing Chunxi and the others with doubtful expressions, knowing they didn't understand what was going on, so she added, "It's sugar-coated cakes made from sweet potatoes and cassava."

Then he explained: "We don't have the good fortune of the people living in Xunyang City. Unlike them, we can easily buy cheap food when we go out.

We also took people to Xunyang City a few days ago. Not only was the journey long, but it was also very tiring, but we only bought back two or three hundred kilograms of food.

Although there is no purchase limit for grain shops, it is still okay if you buy a hundred or so kilograms, but they will refuse to buy if you ask for four or five hundred kilograms.

Later, five or six people rested in Xunyang City for two days, spent money to stay in a hotel, and queued several times before they bought another 100 or 200 kilograms of food.

"You said it takes so long to go back and forth, doesn't it cost money? How can I sell it cheaply?" The proprietress said, her eyes revealing helplessness and sadness.

Now everyone understood the boss lady's difficulties, and it was even more clear that most people in Jianning County couldn't afford to eat rice. Jing Chunxi also felt a little guilty, thinking that his previous questioning was a bit excessive.

She sighed and said, "So that's how it is. Thank you for your hard work."

The proprietress kindly said to them, "But then again, if you eat too much oil, you'll have less rice. I suggest you don't order so much rice. Instead, try our sugar-coated rice cakes. They're drizzled with sugar and are delicious. A large plate is only thirty cents, and many customers can't get enough and take some home."

There was a hint of expectation in her eyes, as if she hoped they would accept this suggestion.

Jing Chunxi smiled and said, "We also have a long journey to go. If the sugar-coated rice cakes are as delicious as you say, you must prepare more for us. However, they must be delivered to the dock early tomorrow morning."

As soon as she finished speaking, the proprietress showed an embarrassment on her face and said, "If you don't order in advance, I won't be able to make it. How about this, I'll have the maid bring a plate over now. You can try it first. If you like it, place your order immediately and we'll make it for you overnight."