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

The "Tian" room at Yuxianlou, the finest restaurant in Minqing County, is a suite. Upon entering, you'll find a large hall with a screen in the middle, with the left side for entertaining guests and the right for dining. Further in, there's a larger main room, a smaller guest room, and a separate bathroom for bathing and washing.

The entire suite is elegantly and grandly decorated, with furniture made of exquisite mahogany, and unknown paintings and calligraphy hanging in the flower hall.

The building they lived in was the main building of "Yuxian Building". There were three other two-story buildings surrounding it in the middle, but they did not block the view in front of the third floor where they lived.

By opening the large window, you can enjoy a small part of the scenery of the small town, and even see the Minjiang River not far away.

Chuntao was careful and prudent, so she was naturally arranged to live with Jing Chunxi. The three "ground" rooms on the left and right were also taken up by them, and lived in them respectively, including July, September, Xiaoman, Tangshuang, Chengrui, and Chengzhi.

"Miss, I'm afraid that Minqing County is not peaceful. Take this whistle. It's better to hang it around your neck. If anything happens, just blow it and we will arrive." It was a small bamboo whistle, only as long as one of Jing Chunxi's fingers, tied with an inconspicuous brown rope. It was different from the ones used by grandpa and Xiaobei's grandfather.

It is better to take precautions before they happen, this is what Jing Chunxi likes.

Seeing the young lady put it on and put it into her collar, Ah Qi said, "If the young lady has anything to tell Ah Qi, you can also ask Xiao Man to go find it." Ah Qi did not tell Jing Chunxi where the others were staying. It was agreed at the time that they would go their separate ways after getting off the boat.

Chuntao and Tangshuang put everything in order. Seeing that it was getting dark, Chuntao asked, "Miss, do we want the restaurant to deliver the food, or do we want to eat out?"

"Let's go, call them over, and go out to see the night view of Minqing County and eat some Jian'an specialties."

Sugar Frost went out excitedly, and came back a moment later with an unhappy expression, complaining, "Those two Tao brothers are really weird. They told Xiao Man not to worry about them and then left on their own. They didn't even tell the young lady. How rude."

Jing Chunxi didn't care at all. Maybe they weren't used to it either. She smiled and said, "Okay, we're uncomfortable with them. One table of food is just right for the six of us. We'll have to add another table for two more grown men."

Chun Tao also jingled her purse: "That's right, who cares about them? If they don't go, we can save money."

Yuxian Tower is built right on the main street in the city. After asking the waiter, I was told that it is in the middle of the street, not far from the county government office on one side, but near the dock of Minqing County on the other side.

After walking out of the gate, they chose to walk towards the pier, thinking that it would definitely be more lively here and it would be convenient to enjoy the river view after dinner.

But they were disappointed.

There were many large shops on both sides of the street. After walking a few dozen feet, I saw several restaurants and bars with nice exterior decorations. However, many of the shops were closed or were in the process of packing up to close.

A waiter who was closing the shop saw someone coming and became panicked and frightened, and was in a hurry to close the door.

The doors of restaurants and diners were open, but of the six, eight, or even twelve doors, only two were open. There were tall and burly waiters guarding the door with sticks, and they didn't look like they were welcoming any guests. Even they didn't dare to go in.

It was dinner time, and there were few carriages parked in front of restaurants. There were only two carriages parked in front of a restaurant, and a big word "Ya" was written on the carriage shed, which was obviously used by the government office.

It's just really strange, just like what I've seen when passing by docks in several counties, there are rarely any pedestrians on the streets.

After walking a few dozen yards, we finally saw a few ladies and masters who were also dressed in fancy clothes, and they were accompanied by a little boy. Following them were not maids or old women, but yamen runners holding sticks. They must be the families of local officials.

At both ends of the main street, yamen runners patrolled, wielding ordinary wooden clubs instead of dazzling swords. Their facial expressions and demeanor gave one a glimpse of a tense atmosphere.

Seeing the four of them coming from afar, the yamen runners knocked the wooden sticks in their hands on the ground and straightened their bodies to show their majesty.

Only when they got closer and saw that they were all well-dressed, the young girl looked glamorous and wealthy, and they were all young did they relax a little, their bodies less tense, and their expressions relaxed a bit. But both of them stared behind them, not seeing any followers holding knives or clubs, and their expressions were a little suspicious.

The four of them ignored them and walked past them with a swagger.

"Miss, the atmosphere in the city is not right. You'd better find a place to sit down early, eat as soon as possible, and go back to rest." July's voice floated past Jing Chunxi's ears, and her words were very serious and rigorous.

Jing Chunxi agreed with her suggestion. A county town is so small, and many people have been sent out to gather information, so she may not need to do it herself.

Jing Chunxi ordered: "Everyone, pay attention and see if there is anything to eat nearby!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Man pointed to an alley about 25 feet ahead, where a man was walking out. "There should be something to eat there," she said, her eyes lighting up, her tone tinged with anticipation and certainty.

The man who just walked out of the alley was holding a food box in his hand. There was still steam coming out of the box, which was obviously freshly bought.

Jing Chunxi also took a closer look, nodded slightly, and strode forward, saying, "Let's go there."

So what if it's a small alley? Even if they can't enjoy a fancy meal, it's nice to get a taste of local flavor. Big restaurants offer exquisite food, but the flavors are all the same, lacking any unique flavor. Perhaps there's a hidden food stall in the alley where they can try something unexpected.

By this time, it was already very dark. A few people turned into the alley and could see the scene inside at a glance.

They originally thought that there would be many food stalls waiting for them and it would be very lively, but who knew that the entire alley was empty, without a single stall.

Most of the houses on both sides of the alley had their doors and windows closed. Occasionally, a faint light could be seen coming through a window, but there was no sound of people.

None of the alley's residents were chatting at the doorsteps, let alone children playing. Could it be that everyone had already retreated into their houses, unwilling to go out? They were all puzzled.

Occasionally, you would see one or two pedestrians in a hurry, with their heads down and quick steps, as if they were in a hurry.

Finally, I saw another old woman coming out, still carrying a food box. There was a faint fragrance coming from the food box, which made people swallow their saliva. They were really hungry.

Xiao Man added, "The food should be in the nearby restaurants." He carefully observed the surroundings, sniffed again, and spoke with a hint of certainty in his tone.

After saying that, she took a few quick steps forward, followed closely by Jing Chunxi, Tang Shuang, and Chun Tao. Xiao Man whispered as they walked, "Looking at the layout of this alley, there should be a few small shops selling everything. Maybe it's hidden in there."

"Miss, there is a light here and the door is ajar." Xiaoman reminded softly. The alley was so quiet that when Xiaoman passed the message to the back, she didn't dare to speak loudly for fear of disturbing the residents next door.

Walking towards the shop Xiao Man pointed out, I saw a man hurriedly walking towards me. He was carrying a lunch box and reached the door of the shop. He disappeared in a flash. The man's movements were very skillful, and it was obvious that he came here often.

Xiaoman got closer and found that the man slipped in sideways. After entering, he immediately turned around and closed the door of the shop again, but the door was not closed completely. There was still a gap, and light came through.

When a starving person sees the lights in the dim alley, he feels particularly warm.

Xiao Man approached the door and peeked inside through the crack. She saw a few small tables and a few figures. The same aroma she had smelled earlier wafted out from the crack again, making her mouth water.