On the banks of the Panlong River and at the intersection of Zhuji Street in Kunming's old city, there stands a traditional building that resembles an ancient arrow tower.
Above the door, the plaque with the words "Yingjiang Tower" written in gold on a black background is particularly eye-catching against the backdrop of the flying eaves and brackets.
Lin Sanqi and Shen Guoming, led by local bigwigs Commander Cao and Director Zhao, walked into this time-honored restaurant chatting and laughing.
Although Fu Hongliang is a subordinate, he is a family member, so naturally he stays with him.
Director Zhao said with a smile:
"Old Shen, Xiao Lin, this Yingjianglou is incredible. Don't be fooled by its small size, just two floors, but their cold-water beef is a specialty in Kunming.
Yingjianglou's cold beef slices are famous for their soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Dipping them in sesame paste is incredibly delicious, making them irresistible and worth eating.
Commander Cao added:
"Their clear beef soup is delicious, with a rich but not greasy texture. Furthermore, their specialty cold chicken is tender and juicy. The roast duck, with its crispy skin and tender meat, is also a favorite among KM residents. It will definitely satisfy you two."
Lin Sanqi looked around and asked, "Is this the Hui Muslim Restaurant?"
Shen Guoming also became interested with his hands behind his back:
"Normally, there are more halal restaurants in Beijing, like the famous Donglaishun. But I've heard that beef and mutton in the north are completely different from those in the south, so I'm going to indulge in a feast today."
Yingjianglou is now a state-owned restaurant, and even if it is a time-honored brand, it has to follow the rules.
You order at the counter first, then pick up your food at another counter. The waiter won't bring it to you. This is the same rule across the country. What kind of class is this? You still need to be waited on?
Zhao Youxia and Cao Zhiyang began to rush to order food, which means paying the bill.
Lin Sanqi looked at the price list above and said to Shen Guoming next to him:
"Godfather, look, this mutton is 80 cents a pound, and beef is 86 cents a pound. This is much cheaper than in Beijing."
The price of raw beef in Beijing is 70 cents per pound, and the price of raw mutton is 76 cents per pound.
(Is beef or mutton more expensive? The data varies. Can you come to a conclusion?)
After hearing this, Fu Hongliang smiled and explained:
"We in Yunnan can't compare to Beijing. You've seen the conditions here. We're poor, so prices are relatively cheap. Look at this restaurant. There aren't many people eating at noon."
Lin Sanqi nodded:
"Yes, last time I went on a business trip to Xining, beef and mutton were cheaper there, so I ordered 2 yuan worth of meat, and ended up eating it until I was leaning against the wall. It seems that a pound of mutton would be enough if it only cost 50 cents."
Shen Guoming added:
"It's not about the money, we also need meat coupons. They're really precious. Look how distressed Old Zhao was when he paid for the meat coupons. I guess we'll have eaten up the whole family's ration this month."
"Oh, I really didn't notice."
Lin Sanqi quickly squeezed forward and took out a handful of tickets from his backpack:
"Lao Zhao, come here, I have a meat ticket, use mine, use mine."
Lin Sanqi bought a lot of old grain coupons, meat coupons and the like from an antique market in another time and space, and the country gave him a lot of extra coupons to take care of him.
Zhao Youxia was delighted, but his face fell when he got the meat ticket:
"Hey, Xiaolin, your meat ticket is from Beijing, and this one is from Fushan. It's not our Kunming meat ticket. It's useless. This thing is not circulated nationwide."
Lin Sanqi shrugged. "Oh, I thought it was a national meat ticket. Well, there's nothing I can do about it. So, give me a few more pounds of beef. I like it, hehe."
Zhao Youxia gritted his teeth and laughed:
"Okay, today we will definitely serve you well, the God of Wealth, haha. Lao Cao, hurry up and take out all your meat tickets, I think I don't have enough for one person."
Cao Zhiyang felt a little sorry for his hostage, but he also knew that he couldn't catch Lin Sanqi without sacrificing his child, so he gritted his teeth and took out all the tickets in his trouser pocket.
There are five grown men here today, and all of them are veterans (Director Zhao is also a retired soldier), so naturally they have big appetites.
There is a table full of meat and vegetables. More than ten kilograms of meat coupons have been used today, so this is already enough meat for my mouth.
Even though both of them were high-ranking officials, the monthly meat ration for each person was only 2 jin. If it was a small cadre like Fu Hongliang, it was only 8 jin per month.
Of course, if we talk about ordinary people specifically, each person is allowed two taels of meat per month, and the key is that you can't buy it.
From this, it can be seen that Commander Cao and Director Zhao, who hosted the private dinner, definitely suffered a huge loss. From another perspective, their ambitions were not small.
After leaving Yingjianglou Hotel, they headed towards the Military Academy next to Cuihu Park.
The Military Academy is closed to visitors today, and the entire attraction only welcomes him and Shen Guoming.
Sitting on the edge of the playground of the Military Academy, Lin Sanqi decided to play card games, as he didn't have much time to stay in Yunnan.
"Old Zhao, and Commander Cao, you two big leaders are accompanying us, which makes my godfather and I feel bad. And my brother-in-law is not working as a tour guide, which is a waste of time.
Now that there's no one around, tell me what you want. If I can do it, I'll do it. But before you ask, think about what supplies you can provide me.
Let me be clear, I'm not a god, I can't conjure up penicillin. This drug is as valuable as gold in China, and it's equally expensive abroad. There's no such thing as a free lunch, and you definitely can't get one for free.
Lin Sanqi must make three rules. He traveled through time to make money from traffic, not to be a saint.
Director Zhao saw that Lin Sanqi had already gotten to the point and said seriously:
"Xiao Lin, we're old friends. How about the ham and tea we provided from Yunnan last time?"
Lin Sanqi smiled bitterly and said:
"Come on, Lao Zhao, the ham tastes really good, but foreigners are not used to the ham we have in China. They have their own smoking methods, such as Spanish ham.
"If you let me eat it all by myself, how much can I eat? Besides, you two also fought in the war, so you should know how expensive a bottle of penicillin is, right?"
Shen Guoming added: "We secretly bought it from Shanghai. A bottle of penicillin costs four taels of silver."
"Godfather is right. Back then, a bottle of penicillin cost four dollars. It's not that expensive now, but it's still not cheap. Now, I'm the only one smuggling penicillin into the country..."
Originally, the largest source of penicillin in China was Hong Kong, but the price of smuggled in from there was also very high, with a bottle costing dozens of Hong Kong dollars.
"So everyone should understand my difficulties. Our Lin family cannot become a milk cow."
Director Zhao sighed after hearing this:
"Xiao Lin, how could we not know your difficulties? But we are also really in trouble. Look at what we have in Yunnan now?"
Lin Sanqi rolled his eyes and said with a smile:
"You have a lot of good things in Yunnan, such as Zhaotong Gastrodia elata, Wenshan Panax notoginseng, and Polygonatum odoratum. These are all precious Chinese medicinal materials. If you can find a way to get them, can't you exchange them for penicillin from me?
But let me be clear, I want the best herbs, pure wild ones. Ordinary ones are useless to me, and I can't exchange them for penicillin."
Director Zhao's eyes lit up when he heard this:
"Really? Can Chinese medicinal herbs be exchanged for penicillin? I thought you only wanted wild ginseng from Changbai Mountain."
If you want Chinese medicinal herbs, Yunnan has plenty of them. Due to its special geographical environment, a large number of wild medicinal herbs grow here, which can be collected in a short period of time.
Lin Sanqi gave another example:
"And then there's Pu'er tea. I'm quite interested in tea. But Pu'er tea has its origins, so I don't buy just any kind of tea."
Director Zhao asked anxiously:
"It's just tea, Xiaolin. If it's available in Yunnan, I'll definitely find a way to get it for you."
Lin Sanqi had traveled back to the modern era last night and copied some information about the origin of Pu'er tea from the Internet, so he quickly took it out:
“The place names in Yunnan are too difficult to remember, so I took notes here.
For example, there is a county called Menghai in Xishuangbanna. This county is great, this county is simply a treasure county. It is said that there are two mountains in this county, namely Laobanzhang and Nannuo Mountain. I want all the Pu'er tea produced by these two mountains.
In addition, there is a place called Bulangshan Township in this county, and I also bought all the Pu'er tea produced in the ancient village of Bulang.
For example, there is an autonomous county called SJLZZZZBLZDZ. Oh my god, this name is so hard to remember. There is a Bingdao Village in Mengku Town in this county.
Hey, there are several old tea trees in this village, and I want the Pu'er tea made from these old tea trees.
For example, the Pu'er tea produced on Jingmai Mountain, Mengla Tea Mountain, Kunlu Mountain, Yibang Tea Mountain, and Mahe Mountain is of great economic value. I can buy it at a high price, and I can also exchange it for enough penicillin for you. (End of this chapter)
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