Chapter 20
It must be said that this town is different from the mountain village.
When it comes to mealtime, the streets are full of food stalls. Although the food is simple and monotonous, it is large in quantity and affordable. There is a stall every three or five steps, which is very convenient.
Some who couldn't afford the stall fees would carry a shoulder pole and a backpack, and would occasionally say something. The food they sold was all common farm food, and a vegetarian bun could be bought for two cents.
Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning were not picky, so since there was something so cheap and filling, it would be the best.
The two of them finally bought two pancakes and four vegetarian buns. When paying, Jiang Wanning couldn't help but look at Lu Shang's wallet.
Originally...she could have eight cents.
Lu Shang pretended not to see her eyes, but he laughed secretly several times. He waited until the food was bought before he called Jiang Wanning over again.
He patted the purse at his waist, and the broken silver and copper coins inside jingled against each other. Jiang Wanning stared at him with envy almost overflowing in her eyes.
"Do you want it?"
Jiang Wanning said subconsciously: "I want to!"
"Then you didn't want it when I gave it to you just now." Lu Shang smiled and wanted to give her a lecture, but when he saw the little face that turned from red to white in an instant, he suddenly couldn't bring himself to blame her.
Jiang Wanning was a little apprehensive: "I didn't..."
"Okay, it's okay." Lu Shang comforted him and reached into his purse again. He lowered his head and searched for a long time before finally finding a small piece of clean silver. There was no oil stain on it, and it reflected a bright light in the sunlight.
He didn't wait for Jiang Wanning to refuse and stuffed it into her hand: "This is clean now, right?"
Jiang Wanning didn't expect that he could see through her hesitation at a glance, and under such circumstances, her inappropriate love of cleanliness was really ridiculous.
At this moment, she couldn't tell whether she was more frightened or more ashamed.
However, before her mind could wander, the familiar big hand fell on her shoulder again. When she raised her head, she looked into Lu Shang's eyes that were full of tolerance.
Lu Shang said, "When we make money in the future, we'll be able to give you more. This is all we have now. Please bear with me, Aning."
Jiang Wanning was somewhat stunned. She clenched the small change in her hand, feeling it was uncomfortable. "I won't buy anything, so I won't be able to spend the money. My husband, please take it back..."
"If you don't buy it this time, buy it next time. If you don't buy it next time, just save it. It's the pocket money I gave you, so keep it."
After saying that, Lu Shang lowered his head and sorted out his wallet. After all, it was the only money the two of them had, so he was extra careful.
Jiang Wanning pursed her lips and did not refuse again.
Jiang Wanning thought that since they didn't have much money, they would be happy if they could find a place to eat noodle soup at noon. However, after Lu Shang bought some sesame seed buns, he went straight to ask passersby, "Excuse me, where is Guanhe Tower?"
Afterwards, as Jiang Wanning stared in amazement all the way, the two of them walked into the most magnificent and splendid building in Tangzhen Commercial City.
Guanhe Tower has three floors, and only the first floor has a hall, which is used to receive last-minute customers. The remaining two floors are either reserved in advance or reserved for familiar customers.
The waiter at the door did not turn them away just because they were dressed simply. Instead, he welcomed them in warmly and found them a small table by the window.
"What would you two like to eat? The shop's sign has been cancelled for some reason, and the owner has ordered that all distinguished guests dining in today will receive a complimentary bottle of plum wine. Besides the plum wine, what else would you like to order?"
"Waiter, do you have any recommendations? My wife and I are eating alone, so we don't need too much."
The waiter recommended swiftly, "If it's just the two of you, I suggest ordering two dishes and a soup. We have the new White Jade Hibiscus Soup, which many ladies love!"
Lu Shang asked again: "Is there a menu?"
"Menu?" The waiter was stunned. "What do you mean?"
Lu Shang didn't know how to explain it, and seeing that the waiters in the store were all empty-handed, he had to change the subject and say, "Nothing, please prepare a dish and a soup for us."
"I want the cheapest one in the store, as long as it fills me up."
Even though Lu Shang said this, the waiter didn't show any disdain: "Okay! Then I'll give you one serving of scrambled eggs with garlic sprouts and one serving of sweet bean soup, totaling 180 coins, and a free serving of plum wine!"
Lu Shang nodded slightly: "Yes."
After the waiter went to the kitchen to serve the dishes, one dish and one soup were quickly served.
After seeing the sesame seed buns that Lu Shang and his friends brought with them, the waiter enthusiastically offered to help heat them up. After they were heated up and served, the plum wine was also delivered.
"Enjoy yourselves, eat and drink well. Feel free to call me if you need anything!"
Regardless of the quality of the dishes in the restaurant, Lu Shang was full of praise for the service attitude alone.
With no outsiders disturbing her anymore, Jiang Wanning finally dared to voice her doubts. Looking at the plain porridge and dishes on the table, she felt a rare pang of heartache.
She clutched the plain bag and said in a weak voice, "Why did my husband think of coming here? This place... I see the prices are not cheap. Isn't it a bit too luxurious?"
In the past, Jiang Wanning would never have dared to say anything about Lu Shang's decision. Perhaps Lu Shang's good temper in recent days gave her courage, and sometimes she dared to speak up.
But this time, Lu Shang raised his index finger: "Shh——"
He gestured to the side with his eyes, and Jiang Wanning looked over there in confusion. Although she still didn't understand, seeing Lu Shang's serious look, she didn't ask any further.
Soon, Jiang Wanning understood Lu Shang's intention.
The more crowded a place is, the more information circulates, and restaurants are the best places to do business. This has always been the case since ancient times.
As for the contempt and disdain he might receive during the process, Lu Shang didn't care as long as his goal could be achieved. The number of disdain he had received in the early years alone was too numerous to count.
There were people on three sides of them. The people dining at the surrounding tables did not look like wealthy people, but judging by their attire, most of them were traveling merchants.
Sure enough, Lu Shang heard it with his sharp ears——
"Yellow pear wood is popular in northern China this year. I found a few good hills in the south where I could buy it in bulk and resell it..."
"If you don't mind the long lead time, I think going out to sea is the most profitable. The merchant ships will be back by next spring. I heard from my relatives in Beijing that—"
Their voices were neither too loud nor too low, and they didn't reveal too much, but even this small hint was enough to inspire Lu Shang.
Jiang Wanning suddenly understood. While listening, she served sweet bean soup to the two of them.
Just as the two were listening attentively, they saw a dispute at the door of the restaurant.
At the same time, a middle-aged man in a brocade robe hurried downstairs. As he walked quickly towards the door, he whispered to the servant beside him, "Didn't I tell you I don't want his ducks? If they come, just send them away. Why are you making a fuss at the door?"
The servant apologized repeatedly: "I'm sorry, boss. We tried to stop them, but they refused to leave. I think a customer was frightened, so I had to ask you to come down and deal with it."
Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning looked towards the door together, only to find that there was not only a person blocking the door, but also a group of white ducks flapping their wings.
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