Chapter 118 Mountain Lord
Chapter 118 Mountain Lord
It's been quite a while since I've been able to properly buy groceries; now that the store is open for business.
In Meizi Town, the wheelbarrow, which had been gathering dust in the corner of the carriage for a long time, has finally reappeared.
this--
This was the first time Jiang Yutang and Grandpa Weng had met.
I've been a customer of Bazhenlou for so long, and I've never seen them use this item for purchasing.
Since the two of them came to Bazhenlou, first with the matter of Lao Liu and the Jin lineage, and then with the matter of Mihun Town, they have indeed never officially opened for business.
Over time, people subconsciously began to believe that the opening of Bazhenlou was just a formality.
But once this wheelbarrow thing came out, things suddenly became more formal, like a restaurant that should be set up on a horse-drawn carriage.
It must be said that both Grandpa Weng and Jiang Yutang were immediately impressed.
Bai Cen had pushed Wang Sumo to buy groceries in a wheelbarrow before, and he even knocked Zhao Tong down then. Although Zhao Tong looked like he wanted to eat someone alive, he still gritted his teeth and returned the majestic and stable cart to Wang Sumo…
So when they saw the wheelbarrow again today, Zhao Tong and Bai Cen couldn't help but laugh.
That's quite a long history.
Jiang Yutang stepped forward and carefully examined the wheelbarrow, then calmly asked, "Did you buy so many vegetables before?"
In Jiang Yutang's memory, it was Old Master Weng who suggested setting up a few more tables; before, Bazhenlou always set up three tables per meal.
"Yutang, would you like to take a wheelbarrow to go shopping?" Bai Cen invited.
Jiang Yutang looked stunned. Go shopping? Sit here?
Bai Cen nodded: "Yes."
Jiang Yutang thought for a moment, then politely shook her head: "No, thank you..."
She didn't want to sit with a bunch of dishes, and maybe even meat.
Zhao Tong and Bai Cen couldn't help but smile.
Perhaps only Wang Sumo possesses such enthusiasm...
Just then, Grandpa Weng also showed great interest in the wheelbarrow, and Bai Cen asked, "Uncle Weng, would you like to try riding in a wheelbarrow to go shopping?"
Grandpa Weng could tell at a glance that Bai Cen was experienced: "Alright!"
"Let's give it a try," said Grandpa Weng, who did not refuse.
Interesting~
Bai Cen exclaimed happily, "Then I'll push Uncle Weng!"
Anyway, I've already pushed my employer before, and even bumped into Brother Zhao, so my skills are much better now.
Wang Sumo had just stepped out of the carriage and made a simple shopping list. He was about to hand it to Bai Cen when he saw that Bai Cen had already tricked Old Master Weng into sitting on the wheelbarrow.
Wang Sumo couldn't help but laugh: "Grandpa, be careful, you might run into a big devil."
Grandpa Weng: "..."
Zhao Tong clenched his fist and smiled.
"Yutang, shall we go?" Wang Sumo invited.
Jiang Yutang nodded. She just didn't want to ride the wheelbarrow, but she still had to go shopping.
She also happened to have some things she needed to buy.
"Is the old man going?" Wang Sumo asked.
The old man shook his head: "I'm not going."
The old man disliked shopping the most; he preferred fishing.
The Eight Treasures Pavilion is still here. We've just found a larger inn, and figuring out how to get the Eight Treasures Pavilion into the courtyard is the old man's biggest concern right now.
"I'll stay and keep the old man company." Zhao Tong saw that the purchasing team was already quite large, and the old man needed help, so Zhao Tong had a good eye.
"Okay." After Wang Sumo finished speaking, she mouthed to him, "Don't let the old man get too tired."
Zhao Tong understood.
*
Although Meizi Town is large, there aren't that many inns.
After all, they would be spending the night in town, and their group alone would need to occupy several rooms. So, the carriage went straight to the inn, paid the money, and reserved the rooms before they came out to shop.
After riding in the wheelbarrow for a while, Mr. Weng started to get carsick and had to get off.
At Wang Sumo's urging, Jiang Yutang also tried riding a unicycle. It has to be said that Jiang Yutang actually suited the unicycle quite well. With her hair tied in a high ponytail, her expression was somewhat aloof, and her gaze was haughty. Sitting in the unicycle, Jiang Yutang felt quite comfortable.
Opportunities to have this kind of experience are rare, and Jiang Yutang herself found it somewhat amusing.
Before today, she would never have believed that such a day would come.
The four-person purchasing team began their shopping spree for the day.
Wang Sumo had a list, and wherever they went, Jiang Yutang and Bai Cen would go up and buy the items, Wang Sumo would select them, and Grandpa Weng would pay for them.
With a whoosh, they threw it onto the wheelbarrow, which also had Jiang Yutang on it.
Wang Sumo had never felt that the procurement process at Bazhenlou was so grand and efficient.
She suddenly understood why Grandpa Weng said that with so many people helping out at Bazhenlou, they could set up a few more tables.
She suddenly gained confidence from this shopping trip.
When each person does a part of the work, working together suddenly becomes much faster and more enjoyable.
Whenever she couldn't decide, she would ask Jiang Yutang which one she wanted, and Jiang Yutang would carefully pick and choose one that she also thought was good.
If she had asked Bai Cen, Bai Cen would have said, "Only children make choices; adults want it all!"
At this point, Old Master Weng would jump out, put it on his wages, and demand the entire amount!
Wang Sumo really liked this atmosphere, which was both noisy and orderly.
"Grandpa, is there not enough rice?" Wang Sumo suddenly remembered: "The list only has the dishes I plan to make tomorrow. I haven't checked the rice container these past few days."
Bai Cen popped his head out: "We have to carry a bag of rice. I checked before we came out, and it's almost empty."
Jiang Yutang nodded: "I saw him looking at the rice jar."
Grandpa Weng remarked, "That's more like it!"
In the midst of his conversation, Wang Sumo had already told the rice shop assistant that he wanted thirty catties of rice.
There are many people at Bazhenlou Restaurant, and they plan to set up more tables starting tomorrow, so the amount of rice they use will definitely increase dramatically. I'll buy thirty catties first, since we won't be able to finish it all tomorrow. I'll replenish the supplies in Meizi Town before I leave.
Wang Sumo was pleasantly surprised to find that several shops next to the rice shop were actually butcher shops.
Many residents in the town are buying beef and mutton.
Beef and mutton are very expensive. Autumn is here, and it's time to "stick to autumn fat" and prepare for winter.
We rarely buy beef or mutton on ordinary days; we only splurge on it during the winter and Chinese New Year.
It's rare to find a place like this where you can buy all the beef and mutton at one place.
"We can serve some big dishes tomorrow!" Wang Sumo was delighted. There's nothing more exciting than a chef finding ingredients he likes. Wang Sumo thought all the meat was good, but he wasn't sure if he could finish it all.
“Winter is just around the corner, how about we stew a big pot of mutton soup?” Wang Sumo looked at Grandpa Weng.
Grandpa Weng had just warned me that we'd bought too much, but now, stroking his beard, he said, "We need to set up several tables tomorrow, so it's not much..."
He meant to say that this large pile wasn't much, but Wang Sumo said to the person opposite him, "Shopkeeper, I'll take all of these!"
The butcher shop was almost empty by this time of day, so when someone suddenly came in and bought everything, the shopkeeper was naturally delighted: "You want all of these, young lady?"
Just as Old Master Weng was about to offer a reminder, the shopkeeper exclaimed happily, "Then I'll give the young lady a discount!"
Grandpa Weng withdrew his claws.
He suddenly realized that this was Wang Sumo's happiest moment, and he shouldn't spoil the mood.
Sure enough, Wang Sumo was so happy that he bought not only a lot of mutton but also a huge amount of beef, but he said, "This time Brother Zhao can cut the meat slowly!"
Grandpa Weng is funny.
Finally, they bought three chickens and two ducks from an old man by the roadside. The old man sold all his goods for the day, and they had a good haul.
Perhaps out of gratitude, the old man looked at them and then added, "You look unfamiliar; have you been here the last couple of days?"
Bazhenlou has traveled all over the country for so long, and it's rare for them to encounter people in towns chatting like this.
If you encounter this, it's because there's something extra you need to remind them of.
Wang Sumo, holding a chicken in his arms, nodded gently: "Yes, old man, we just arrived in Meizi Town today and will head east tomorrow."
Hearing that they were heading east, the old man nodded and said, "It's good that they're heading east, but for now, don't go north!"
Wang Sumo and the others exchanged bewildered glances. Bai Cen asked, "Old man, why do you say we shouldn't head north for now? Is there some superstition about the north?"
Grandpa Weng and Jiang Yutang also looked over at Grandpa Weng.
Having just experienced the incident in the Bewitching Town, the group had all abandoned their superstitious beliefs about ghosts and monsters.
Maybe he's just some kind of charlatan...
When Bai Cen asked, the old man didn't seem embarrassed, which meant it wasn't a secret.
The old man said earnestly, “You gentlemen may not know, but my home is in a village north of Meizi Town called Meishan Village. The mountain north of Meishan Village was attacked by a tiger. Many people used to go up the mountain to cut firewood and gather herbs, but now that the tiger has attacked, they have all been eaten. People here dare not go there anymore, but many outsiders don’t know this and still pass through there. How could they possibly come back alive? That’s why I asked you just now if you were heading north. Going east is fine.”
It was getting late, and the old man had to go home. He had sold everything and was grateful, so he talked to them a few more times.
Grandpa Weng sighed, "There's a 'mountain tiger' roaming the mountains, but the government hasn't sent anyone over?"
The old man shook his head, his words carrying a heavy weight: "They sent people, but those who went were all eaten. It was terrifying."
This time, Wang Sumo and the others frowned.
Seeing their interest, the old man decided to say a few more words: "You gentlemen don't know, but there used to be tigers on the mountain north of our village. But the tigers didn't usually attack people. I just don't know why, but suddenly the tigers in these mountains have gone mad and started attacking people everywhere."
"The villagers were terrified and came to Meizi Town to report to the authorities. The officials went, but they never returned. Some people said there was an evil spirit, so they sent a Taoist priest, but he also never returned. There are no troops stationed near Meizi Town. I heard that the authorities have reported to higher levels and asked the troops to come and help, but it will take time! But there are still many people who don't know this and won't listen to advice. They insist on going, and we can't stop them."
The old man sighed, "Later, the villagers discussed that since the garrison was nowhere in sight, they asked nearby martial arts sects for help. In the past few days, people have been coming to the village one after another, and many houses in the village are already full. If more people come, they may have to stay in Meizi Town."
The old man then talked about how people in the village were in a state of panic, but life had to go on, so he quickly sold all the chickens and ducks and hurried back home.
Bai Cen crossed his arms and sighed softly, "The village is completely full. How many martial arts figures did they invite?"
Jiang Yutang frowned: "What kind of tiger is so powerful? Why would it alarm so many people?"
Weng He stroked his beard and said meaningfully, "Having nothing better to do..."
Only Wang Sumo was very happy: "After buying so much beef, mutton, chicken, duck and fish, tomorrow we will take Bazhenlou to outside Meishan Village."
Bai Cen, Jiang Yutang, and Old Master Weng all looked at her in surprise—that's why you can tell who the owner of Bazhenlou is at a glance!
While everyone else was focused on the tigers, she was focused on tomorrow's beef and mutton, and that all the chicken, duck, and fish would sell out!
[Author's Note]
See you tomorrow [shy]
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