If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

"Of course, this is much more precious than sea fish."

"really?"

During the past few days at sea, almost every day they had seafood they had never eaten before, which Zhou Wu transformed into delicious dishes. So this time, everyone had no doubts and was even looking forward to eating them.

"I'll do it right now."

Zhou Wu casually filled a basin with the shrimp and went into the kitchen. There wasn't much to choose from; they were all wild black tiger shrimp, each about the size of a palm.

At lunchtime, everyone ate heartily, their mouths greasy with delicious food. Compared to other seafood, shrimp was prepared in the most ways: braised shrimp in oil, boiled shrimp, garlic-flavored shrimp, and so on...

"Sir, were these shrimp really just boiled in water?"

"correct."

For boiled shrimp, simply cooking them in water is fine.

"These sea worms, no, these sea shrimp, are incredibly sweet and delicious, it's unbelievable."

Zhou Wu was surprised that among all the shrimp dishes on the table, the simplest boiled shrimp was the most popular. Indeed, the most precious ingredients often require the simplest cooking methods.

No matter when, going to sea is hard work, but after Zhou Wu arrived, everyone found that they had actually gained a few pounds in just a few days, which was really strange.

After the shrimp were caught, there were still some gaps in the fish hold, but he believed that he could fill it up by casting a few nets on the way back. So after finishing the shrimp, Zhou Wu decided to return to port.

All ten fishing boats returned fully loaded, and the dock was filled with family members. Although they had only been separated for a few days, the ocean was still a synonym for danger in this era.

"My lord~~"

Zhou Wu was surprised to find that Li Baiwei was also waiting for him at the dock, and she rushed towards him as soon as he got off the boat.

"Miss me?"

"Um,"

Zhou Wu was just joking, but Li Baiwei no longer held back this time and nodded slightly in response in Zhou Wu's arms.

"Next time, don't just run off without saying goodbye."

"Yes, yes, it was my fault this time. Please forgive me, my wife."

--------

“Niu Er has been out suppressing bandits for some time now. Yesterday, he sent someone to deliver a message saying that there are only a few bandit groups left before the matter is settled.”

Zhou Wu has been back for several days, but he still hasn't seen Niu Er.

"Yes, many bandits have already fled to the neighboring county town after hearing that the Qingyang Army is going to wipe out all the bandits in Qingyang County."

Niu Ye also heard some rumors from other sources, but they were all positive.

As the two were chatting, they suddenly heard the sound of gongs and drums at the village entrance. It was the return of Niu Er's Qingyang Army, who were being warmly welcomed by the villagers. In the past, when people left the village, they had to travel in groups and take the main road, for fear of encountering bandits. Now, however, there were no bandits left in the entire Qingyang County.

"Didn't Niu Er say it would take another two days?"

"Hey, Brother Wu, don't even mention it. There were only a few nests left, but they all ran away, not a single one is left."

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter, indicating that the reputation of the Qingyang Army had already spread.

"Come on, our brothers of the Qingyang Army have worked hard these past few days to suppress bandits. Let's have a feast."

At Zhou Wu's command, Niu Ye quickly called on the village women to help. Indeed, at this time, for the soldiers of the Qingyang Army, being able to eat a hot meal was the best thing ever.

With many people and plenty of food stored in the warehouse, the feast was quickly prepared. Just as Zhou Wu was about to say a few words and begin the meal, Magistrate Chen arrived.

"I've met the magistrate."

"Hey, I've come at just the right time."

Magistrate Chen looked at the open space filled with banquet dishes and, unusually, even cracked a joke.

"You go first."

Zhou Wu could tell that Magistrate Chen's visit this time was probably not for anything important.

"Eat and drink well, everyone."

Most of the soldiers were rough men, so Zhou Wu didn't need to appeal to their emotions or reason with them. Even without saying anything, they all understood who was good to them.

"Does Lord Chen have some good news to share?"

Zhou Wu toasted Magistrate Chen with a cup of wine and said casually in a low voice.

"I may be leaving Qingyang County soon."

"You got promoted?"

"This is all thanks to you. Your contributions in disaster relief and bandit suppression, plus some maneuvering by your family, will likely get you a position in Jinshan Prefecture."

"Oh, that's wonderful news!"

Only now did Zhou Wu understand just how powerful the background of this Magistrate Chen was. It would be impossible for a seventh-rank magistrate of Qingyang County to be promoted directly to a fifth-rank prefect under normal circumstances. However, during his tenure as magistrate of Qingyang County, Chen had not accomplished any extraordinary feats. The only explanation was that he had connections at higher levels.

"His position is Prefect, but his rank is at most sixth grade."

An seemed to see what Zhou Wu was thinking and quickly explained. Zhou Wu suddenly understood. This explanation made a little more sense; otherwise, it would have been too obvious.

"If you leave, who will come to Qingyang County?"

“You were originally the best choice, but now that you are clearly a military officer, it’s impossible for the higher-ups to let you take this position. I don’t know who it is right now, but don’t worry, Qingyang County is under the jurisdiction of Jinshan Prefecture.”

An's words reassured Zhou Wu. To be honest, Zhou Wu wasn't afraid of the new magistrate if they didn't get along. But being in someone else's territory and having someone constantly opposing you was always a headache, wasn't it?

An seemed genuinely happy, having drunk several cups. If Zhou Wu hadn't been supporting him, he probably wouldn't have been able to get into the carriage. Although Zhou Wu wanted him to stay until tomorrow, An insisted on returning. Zhou Wu was a little worried about the freezing weather, so he sent a team of soldiers to escort him.

. . . . .

Since he had nothing else to do in the winter, Zhou Wu decided to start making baijiu (Chinese liquor). He knew he didn't have the time to start from scratch, so he decided to buy ready-made liquor and process it himself.

"The wine for the master has been bought."

Yesterday, Zhou Wu sent someone to the county town in a horse-drawn carriage to buy wine. Because Zhou Wu needed a large quantity, the trip was delayed until today. Several carriages were used.

"Thank you for your hard work. Just take the wine to the cellar in the backyard."

Zhou Wu gave each of them a string of cash as a reward for their hard work. The villagers were very grateful and took their leave. Now that it was winter, all the village-run enterprises had stopped operating, so everyone had no income. Although they had enough to eat and wear, they were very happy to earn a string of cash just by making a trip.

After all the wine was stored away, Zhou Wu went to find the blacksmith, Old Jiang, to retrieve the items he had asked to be made a few days earlier.

"Old Jiang, is everything ready?"

"Sir, it's alright, it's been alright for a long time, but I've been a blacksmith all my life, what exactly is this thing you make?"

"Haha, it's a secret."

Zhou Wu asked Lao Jiang to build a simple distiller. Lao Jiang arranged for his apprentice to deliver the items back to Zhou Wu's residence, and Zhou Wu then set about working on it alone in an empty room in the backyard.

"This seems to be connected here? Hmm, it should be, this is from there."

To be honest, Zhou Wu had only seen it once when he visited a wine museum. He then drew up the blueprints and had Lao Jiang make it, but it took Zhou Wu quite a while to assemble it.