The streets were lined with shops and bustling with pedestrians. Vendors carrying two loads on their shoulders moved among them, their shouts rising and falling.
Shen Yuan was overwhelmed by the sights along the way.
Jinling City truly lives up to its reputation as the most prosperous city in the south of the Great Yan Kingdom; its market area alone is more than twice the size of Jian'an City.
Shen Yuan wandered around the city and found an inn. She got off the carriage and asked Xiao Huzi to hand the horse over to the innkeeper for safekeeping.
After a quick wash at the inn, Shen Yuan took Xiao Huzi for a stroll in the city.
The last time Xiao Ling and I came to Jinling City was to buy medicinal herbs needed to treat the epidemic. They came and went in a hurry and did not have time to explore Jinling City.
Shen Yuan's purpose this time was to find branch locations for the affordable pharmacy and the Flower Pavilion Restaurant, so she wandered around the city for three whole days, exploring the entire city of Jinling, not even missing a nook or cranny.
"Sister Yuanyuan, how come everyone in Jinling City is so rich? Were they born this rich?"
On the third day of their outing, Xiao Huzi finally couldn't help but ask Shen Yuan a soul-searching question.
Shen Yuan chuckled to herself. After wandering around the city for a few days, she also discovered that the consumption level of the people of Jinling was far higher than that of the people of Jian'an City.
In Jian'an City, the most expensive restaurant is Tianxianglou, where even the most expensive dishes cost no more than a hundred taels of silver.
Only wealthy merchants like Master Wang or sons of officials could afford to spend over a hundred taels of silver on a single meal.
But in Jinling City, a meal at any restaurant would cost a hundred or so taels of silver.
Spending over a hundred taels of silver on a meal was not unusual for the people of Nanjing.
So after wandering around Jinling City for three days, Shen Yuan suddenly felt a little uneasy. Her Huajian Restaurant and Pingjia Pharmacy focused on affordability and low prices, which were important to the people of Jian'an City, but probably not so attractive to the people of Jinling City.
Shen Yuan patted the back of Xiao Huzi's head. "Jinling City was once the capital of three dynasties, so the people here are richer than in other places."
"But not everyone is born rich."
"Silver is a fluid commodity. For a country, wealth is constant; it doesn't increase, but it can be transferred."
"Maybe one day this wealth will be transferred to us!"
"Really?" Little Tiger's dark eyes darted around, then he put his hands together and bowed towards the due north.
"Worship the God of Wealth! Welcome good fortune! May money quickly flow into my hands!"
After saying that, Xiao Huzi chuckled and said, "You don't need to transfer too much to me, just enough for my mother to buy a house in town!"
"I'll transfer the rest to my sister Yuanyuan, hoping she'll have a life of great wealth and happiness, with endless blessings and money to spend!"
Shen Yuan flicked Xiao Hu Zi's head and said with a smile, "Then I'll take your good wishes!"
When it was lunchtime, Shen Yuan took Xiao Huzi to a restaurant with a moderate number of customers.
The two sat down, and the waiter warmly greeted them, "Are you two out of town? Have you tried our Nanjing roast duck during your trip to Nanjing?"
Shen Yuan had heard about Nanjing roast duck back in Jian'an City. People said that the duck skin melted in your mouth when dipped in white sugar, and it was especially delicious.
But she had never eaten it.
Because for the past few days, she and Xiaohuzi have been eating all three meals at noodle shops and steamed bun shops.
She only went into the restaurant because she was thinking that she was leaving soon and wanted to have a good meal with Xiaohuzi in the city.
When the waiter asked her this, Shen Yuan answered truthfully, "I haven't eaten there yet."
Waiter: "Would you like half a duck? We're having a promotion right now, half a roast duck is only six taels of silver."
"What? Six taels of silver?" Little Tiger jumped up from the stool in a flash.
Seeing Shen Yuan looking at him, Xiao Huzi leaned close to Shen Yuan's ear and whispered, "Our family's ducks only sell for two or three hundred coins each, but they charge six taels of silver for half a duck! Six taels of silver! What's the difference between that and robbery?"
"Sister Yuanyuan, shall we leave? This is too expensive!"
Although Xiao Huzi's voice was very low, the waiter still heard it. He smiled warmly and said, "Esteemed guests, you may not know this, but this duck is indeed different from ordinary ducks!"
"First of all, let's talk about the selection of ingredients. The ducks we use are native Nanjing ducks! These ducks are free-range in ponds and only eat fresh fish and shrimp. They grow slower than ordinary ducks and take six months to reach market weight. Their meat is more tender than that of ordinary ducks!"
"Next, let's talk about how the duck is prepared. The ducks in our restaurant are all marinated with a secret sauce, which was even made by a royal chef! The sauce also contains a lot of precious spices and seasonings!"
"The ducks must be marinated before they can be roasted in the oven. The wood used for roasting these ducks is also very particular; only fruitwood, such as pear or jujube wood, can be used. This type of wood produces no smoke when burned and emits a faint fruity aroma. The roasted ducks are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and they are incredibly fragrant!"
"Does it smell really good?" Little Tiger swallowed.
Shen Yuan's craving was also awakened, and she said, "Give me half to try."
The waiter hurriedly replied, "Alright, sir!"
Shen Yuan ordered two more vegetarian dishes, making a total of three dishes, and paid ten taels of silver.
When it came time to pay, Xiao Huzi looked pained, which made Shen Yuan both laugh and cry. She looked up and pinched Xiao Huzi's cheek: "The purpose of making money is to spend it, and spending money is to enjoy life! So this money was well spent!"
Little Tiger listened and nodded thoughtfully.
After ordering, Shen Yuan and Xiao Huzi sat at the table waiting for the waiter to bring the food. During this time, Shen Yuan's eyes were fixed on an empty shop across from the restaurant.
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