Who knows what they will encounter when they leave this city tomorrow?
"Finally, I don't have to ride in a carriage anymore." Qin Susu followed Qiu Yan down from the carriage.
The bumpy ride made her legs and buttocks ache.
For someone like her, still recovering from illness, a day's journey was truly exhausting.
Qiu Yan was the first to enter the inn.
The waiter came up to us with a smile and said, "Gentlemen, please come in."
Their inn hasn't had any guests for a long time; the manager has already been fired by the owner.
If he can't make money, he won't be able to continue working as a waiter.
Seeing the four people, he was secretly delighted, finally, he could make a quick buck.
He asked:
"Four distinguished guests, would you like to have a meal or stay the night?"
Qiu Yan replied simply:
"Checking in at a hotel."
The waiter then said, "Our guest rooms start at one tael of silver, and superior rooms are two taels of silver per day. How many people are in your party? What price range are you looking for? How many rooms do you need?"
Starting price: one or two? Qiu Yan was slightly taken aback: "Two rooms, standard rooms."
In these extraordinary times, they have to cut costs and make do, squeezing out what they can.
Qin Susu nodded hurriedly. Now, she and Qiu Yan eat and sleep together every day, which has become a habit.
Ling Qi and Ling Ba had no objections; they could manage in the wilderness.
The waiter's smile froze for a moment. These four people looked extraordinary, and he had assumed they would ask for four superior rooms.
He wondered, could these four people be two couples?
"Alright, please follow me upstairs, gentlemen."
Led by the waiter, Qiu Yan and her three companions went up to the second floor and then selected two ordinary rooms.
Then, the waiter took out the menu and introduced the first dish.
"Our shop's specialty is hand-pulled mutton, which is nutritious and incredibly delicious. One bite and the aroma of the broth fills the air. A serving costs only twenty-five taels of silver. Would you like a serving, gentlemen?"
Qiu Yan took a close look at the menu; the exorbitant prices left her speechless.
She calculated that the cheapest way to feed the four people would be twenty taels of silver.
Suddenly, she missed the chef at Xingyuelou.
Finally, she focused her attention on the last dish: noodles.
A bowl of plain noodles costs fifteen coins, which is three coins more expensive than in the previous town.
Fifteen coins could buy five bowls of plain noodles in Baiyang.
Qin Susu swallowed hard. "This hand-pulled mutton sounds delicious."
The waiter nodded, squinting and smiling:
"The chef at this small shop is incredibly skilled; to be honest, you won't find another place like it in the whole city."
She pursed her red lips, gazing intently at the menu, unable to look away for a long time.
"Roasted pheasant, spiced pigeon, eight-treasure wild duck... sesame rolls, jujube paste cake, red bean porridge, yam soup..." She wanted to try them all.
"Young lady, you have excellent taste. These are all our shop's signature dishes." The waiter smiled flatteringly and noted them down one by one.
Qiu Yan's lips twitched slightly. Qin Susu, don't you know our own limitations?
Ling Qi's gaze fell on Qiu Yan, and he muttered softly, "Even if I sold you, it probably wouldn't be enough to live on."
Ling Ba listened silently as Qin Susu vented her anger, waiting to see how she would handle the situation.
"Miss, is there anything else? Would you like the hand-pulled mutton?" the waiter asked.
"Uh...it's too expensive." Qin Susu coughed awkwardly, forgetting that they needed to save money right now.
The waiter noticed their predicament and calculated the price: "The total is... one hundred and fifty-two taels of silver... Miss, it's our shop's rule to settle the bill first, then eat."
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