"Of course, there is a slight advantage to being at the front of the line, which is that you can eat sooner."
Gongbu Qiuye asked curiously, "Really, not a single person will be missing?"
"Yes, not a single person will be short! If anyone is short, the official distributing the food will be punished!"
The old man smiled and said, "Eight days ago, a newly appointed official in charge of distributing food may have been negligent and gave food to one person less than usual. When Director Luo Lin found out, she called her guards and had the official whipped ten times in front of many people!"
"And after punishing that official, Director Rowling gave that unfortunate fellow a second meal, and even double the amount!"
"From that day on, no one doubted it anymore. Everyone knew they wouldn't be shortchanged, and if they were, they'd get even more. So what was there to be afraid of?"
Gongbu Qiuye thought for a moment and then said, "I've also heard that some people can eat meat?"
"Yes, those are all the good performers, but an old man like me definitely can't do it. If you want to eat meat, you have to do more work than others. I'm so old, I can't work as hard as those young people!" the old man said with a chuckle.
"Don't you feel jealous?" Gongbu Qiuye asked again.
"What are you saying? People deserve to eat meat. They work hard, so of course they should eat well. If people who work hard eat the same as those who work hard, who would want to work harder?" The old man finished speaking and turned away, ignoring Gongbu Qiuye.
Just then, the uniformed official distributing food held up a piece of paper and loudly announced: "Chen Lei, Wang Gang, Li Qiang, Li Dashuan, He Ergou... the above five hundred people, come and eat meat! Everyone else, one bowl of grain soup and one bowl of vegetable soup, and steamed buns are limited! You are only allowed to eat here, and you are not allowed to take them away!"
The number of people eating meat has increased to five hundred.
At first, only the first hundred people could eat meat, but later that changed, and the number of people who could eat meat became more and more numerous.
This means that the total population of Silla City has increased.
As the population increases, the number of people who can afford to eat meat naturally increases as well.
The old man who had been chatting with Gongbu Qiuye finally received his food, and then sat down on the ground and ate heartily.
Moreover, this old man, who looked thin and small, actually had a big appetite; he took four steamed buns in total!
"Aren't you going to eat?" the old man asked.
“I’m not one of the people who work here, I can’t eat it,” Gombu Qiuye said, shaking his head.
The old man nodded and remained silent.
But Gongbu Qiuye asked again, "I just heard that official say that we are only allowed to eat here and not take anything away. Why is that?"
"Is that even a question? If we could take it with us, everyone would. But the problem is, who knows if we eat it or throw it away? At least here, everyone can see and supervise each other. Anyone who wastes food will be whipped immediately," the old man explained.
Gongbu Qiuye responded with an "oh".
Suddenly, Gongbu Qiuye's expression changed, and his eyes widened in surprise.
Because he saw a girl running towards him from a distance.
That's Luo Qing!
Luo Qing was covered in dust and dirt, looking as if she had rolled around in mud.
She ran straight to the food counter, ladled herself a bowl of vegetable soup, and took a few steamed buns.
Luo Qing actually came here to eat?
She's the head of the Construction Department of Silla City!
Wait a minute, the Director of the Construction Department seems to be in charge of construction, and this construction site happens to be within Luo Qing's management scope.
Suddenly, things made sense!
Wait, this still doesn't make sense! No matter what, Luo Qing is a descendant of the King of Nanling, a descendant of a Saint Realm expert. How could she lower herself to come here and dine with these commoners and serfs?
It wasn't just Gongbu Qiuye who was frightened; the official distributing the food was also startled.
"Director Luo, how can you eat here? You can't eat this..." the young official said anxiously.
"Why can't I eat it?" Luo Qing retorted.
"Is that even a question? The food here is for commoners and serfs. You are of noble birth, how can you eat this stuff?" the official said cautiously.
"I don't mind, why are you saying so much?"
After saying that, Luo Qing picked up a bowl of vegetable soup and a few steamed buns and ran off into the distance.
Gongbu Qiuye finally came to his senses. He hesitated for a moment, then with a thought, he vanished from the spot.
When she reappeared, Gongbu Qiuye was already standing in front of Luo Qing.
Luo Qing was startled and almost dropped the steamed bun in her hand.
"You scared me to death, Mr. Qiuye!" Luo Qing said with displeasure.
"Is this the food that the commoners and serfs here eat?" Gongbu Qiuye asked knowingly.
“Yes.” Luo Qing nodded.
"I never expected you would be willing to eat this kind of stuff," Gongbu Qiuye said with a sigh.
Luo Qing immediately said, "There's nothing wrong with that. Look how fresh this soup is! The vegetables in it were all picked today from the nearby farmland, and so are these steamed buns..."
"Alright, alright, no need to explain to me. I'm just curious why you don't go back and dine with your ancestors," Gongbu Qiuye said.
"I don't want to go back. If my aunt sees me like this, she'll definitely scold me again... I'm busy now, I'll go first."
After Luo Qing finished speaking, she ran forward again.
Watching Luo Qing's departing figure, Gongbu Qiuye's expression was quite complicated.
Gombo Qiuye returned to her tent.
Inside the tent, the dining table was already laden with food. Upon closer inspection, Gongbu Qiuye discovered that the ingredients used in the food were not significantly different from those eaten by the commoners and serfs.
The same kind of meat, the same kind of vegetables, and the steamed buns are exactly the same.
However, the person who prepared this meal, the maid, was clearly more skilled, so the food on the table looked more exquisite. In reality, it was not much different from what the commoners and serfs ate, or rather, there was no essential difference, because they were all made from the same ingredients.
Then Gongbu Qiuye suddenly realized why Luo Qing hadn't come back for dinner.
Because they were basically the same to begin with.
It was at this moment that Gongbu Qiuye suddenly realized that his old friend was eating the same food as the commoners and serfs in the territory!
This is something a city lord should never do!
"Mr. Akiba, have you seen my niece?" Rowling suddenly asked.
Instead of answering, Gongbu Qiuye asked, "What do you want with her?"
Rowling frowned and said, "I've barely seen her these past two days. I have no idea what that brat is up to. I have a feeling she's doing something bad behind my back."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
