The group had been busy all morning and hadn't had lunch yet. They were exhausted and hadn't eaten anything except for the small amount of breakfast they had in the morning.
Already starving, Pei Yao suggested that they go get something to eat first.
Everyone immediately agreed to the suggestion, after all, food is essential for life, and you'll get hungry if you skip a meal.
Nobody wants to walk the streets on an empty stomach.
Niu Qingshan temporarily left the oxcart at the home of his friend Niu Dazhuang in town.
Niu Qingshan's friend also came from Liangshui Village, and he also had the surname Niu. They were from the same clan as Niu Qingshan.
The villages here are small, and basically everyone in a village is related to someone in some way.
According to Niu Qingshan, Niu Dazhuang's family was not well-off a few years ago, just like Niu Qingshan's. They lived hand to mouth in the countryside. However, later, their family found a large, stranded whale on the beach.
They sold the whale meat, which was plentiful, and earned a considerable amount of money. They then used the money to rent a small shop in town and started a small business. Later, they even settled down in town.
The men put the oxcart in his yard, which he was happy to do and did not find offensive.
Niu Qingshan was quite familiar with the town. After letting the cattle graze, he led Pei Yao and the others to the nearest wonton shop.
Before we even got close to the stools at the wonton shop, the owner greeted us warmly: "What would you like to eat, sirs?"
Niu Qingshan asked everyone what they wanted to eat.
Everyone was tired and hungry, and all they wanted to eat were some light wontons.
Upon hearing this, Niu Qingshan immediately called out to the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, four bowls of wontons."
"Alright, you guys sit down first, the wontons will be served in a bit."
It wasn't mealtime, so there weren't many people at the wonton stall; they were the only table there.
This suited Pei Yao's taste perfectly; it brought her peace and quiet.
The wontons arrived quickly, topped with wild scallions and dried shrimp, emitting a fragrant aroma.
Although the wontons are all very small, with more wrappers than filling, it doesn't affect their taste.
Everyone quickly finished eating, and when Chen Fang got up to go and pay, she discovered that Niu Qingshan had already paid.
Chen Fang felt a little embarrassed and asked the shopkeeper how much a bowl of wontons cost.
Shopkeeper: "Five coins a bowl."
Chen Fang walked back and counted out fifteen coins from her purse to give to Niu Qingshan.
"Qingshan, why did you secretly pay the bill? There are so many people in our family, how can we let you pay this bill? Please accept this."
After Chen Fang finished speaking, she placed the fifteen copper coins she had just counted on Niu Qingshan's plate.
Niu Qingshan quickly refused, scratching his head sheepishly and saying, "Auntie, you've paid me so much today, more than many restaurants in town pay. I don't have anything to repay you with, so let me treat you to this meal."
Chen Fang felt that this was inappropriate. The wages they gave Qingshan were earned through his own labor, not charity from them.
Pei Yao also felt that Niu Qingshan was too polite and honest. If someone was even slightly nice to him, he would immediately repay them.
But it was precisely because of Niu Qingshan's character that Pei Yao felt he was trustworthy.
She dislikes people who are cunning and deceitful, because she herself is capable of such behavior. She wants to find honest and upright people who may have a little cleverness, but also kind hearts.
Pei Yao still likes Niu Qingshan's honest and down-to-earth nature for the time being.
Seeing that he and Chen Fang were still arguing over the fifteen coins and the two sides were deadlocked, Pei Yao had no choice but to speak up to break the deadlock.
"Auntie, please accept this. It's just a small token of Brother Qingshan's appreciation. We'll be working together for a long time to come, so there's no need to haggle over such a small amount of money."
After listening to Pei Yao, Niu Qingshan pushed the copper coin back into Chen Fang's hand: "Auntie, just accept it."
Seeing this, Chen Fang didn't know what to say and could only put the copper coins back into her purse.
“Okay, then I’ll treat you next time,” Chen Fang said happily.
Niu Qingshan then happily responded, his voice rising a octave: "Yes."
Seeing that the two of them had finally figured things out, Pei Yao turned to Niu Qingshan and asked, "Brother Qingshan, I want to ask you a question."
Niu Qingshan put down his bowl, finished the last sip of soup, and said honestly, "Ask away, I'll tell you anything I know."
Pei Yao thought for a moment and asked, "Are there any restaurants in this town? You mean places that specialize in eating?"
Without hesitation, Niu Qingshan replied, "Yes, Meilin Town is a big town, and there are three restaurants in the town: Heji Restaurant, Qianlixiang Restaurant, and Deyun Restaurant."
The largest restaurant with the highest customer traffic is Qianlixiang Restaurant, followed by Heji Restaurant and Deyun Restaurant. However, Heji Restaurant actually serves the best and most exquisite food. Deyun Restaurant's food is relatively average, and its business has been sluggish in the past two years. According to their manager, they are on the verge of going out of business...
Pei Yao was shocked after hearing this: "Brother Qingshan, how do you know so much, and in such detail?"
They know so much that they even know which restaurant has the best food. This is not something an ordinary country person should know, as ordinary people can't afford to eat at fancy restaurants.
Niu Qingshan didn't understand the meaning behind Pei Yao's words and thought she was praising him for being knowledgeable.
He scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly and explained, "No, no, I just used to work as a helper at a restaurant in town when I wasn't busy, so I know a little about it."
However, I only heard these things from other diners; I don't know for sure whether they're good or not.
That's the truth; Niu Qingshan couldn't afford the food there.
but......
Niu Qingshan was puzzled. Pei Yao asked him why he was asking these questions.
"Yao-mei, why are you asking this? The dishes in those restaurants are very expensive; ordinary people like us can't afford them."
He thought to himself that Yao Mei used to be from a wealthy family in the capital, and probably used to eating delicacies. She probably made some money these past few days and wanted to go to a restaurant.
He knew that the food in the big restaurants in that town was like a money-devouring beast that could eat silver; the little money Pei Yao earned was nothing there.
Ordering just a few dishes would cost at least one or two taels of silver.
They can make a lot of money from just one trip to their store, even though some very ordinary vegetables are available.
He said he didn't understand.
In particular, that dish of stir-fried cabbage hearts with lard, which nobody would buy for a penny in the countryside, was given a name like "Golden Jade Emerald" and then sold for thirty coins a plate at Qianlixiang Restaurant.
Niu Qingshan genuinely felt that spending thirty coins on a plate of stir-fried cabbage with lard was not worth it.
Although it's someone else's money, it's their freedom to spend it however they want, and I, as an outsider, shouldn't interfere.
But now he already considers Pei Yao as his sister in his heart, and he still thinks it's better for her.
After all, it wasn't easy for Pei Yao to earn a little money by working from dawn till dusk.
Even Chen Fang was somewhat puzzled and felt a little scared. Perhaps Yao'er had been eating too blandly at home lately and was craving something better.
It's not that it's impossible. After all, the money was earned by the little girl herself. If the child really wants to eat it, she won't stop her.
She just didn't know if the few hundred coins she had were enough, since in the past, a casual meal at a restaurant would cost at least ten taels of silver.
"Yao girl, do you want to eat something delicious?" Chen Fang asked, looking at her.
The girl hadn't been eating well since her exile, and she was extremely thin. Even though the food had been better recently and she had gained some weight, she was still quite thin.
Pei Yichen, on the other hand, was quite excited. As a child, he didn't have many thoughts; he was simply happy that he could eat delicious food.
If he were to go to a restaurant, he would definitely order braised pork. He used to think that braised pork was too sweet and greasy to eat, but now he really misses it, that soft and oily meat.
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