Chapter 2732: The Willing One Takes the Bait
The chef's eyes lit up, and he was surprised for a moment, then hesitated and said hesitantly, "Are you going to sign a contract with me?"
"Of course you have to sign a contract. You can sign a living contract. If you don't want to work in my house, I have a restaurant and a tavern at home. You can go in and try it. I think your white-skinned pastry is delicious."
The chef became nervous, wanting to go but also afraid.
As for Chang'an, it is said that the place is full of gold and pearls. The adults there all wear silk and satin and eat white rice and white flour. Just looking at the demeanor of this nobleman, one can tell that he is extraordinary.
If I could follow him...
The chef asked cautiously, "But my little family..."
Bai Shan smiled slightly and said, "I'm not a bad person, so I won't separate you. You can bring your family with you."
He pointed at Daji and said, "If you're interested or have any questions, you can talk to Daji. I think you have good skills, and it would be a waste of your talent to stay here. If you go to Chang'an, you might be able to display your strengths and achieve something."
Chang'an, the capital of the Jin Dynasty, is a place that many people yearn for. Even though the chef is far away in Goguryeo, he also yearns for it.
But leaving his hometown and familiar places still made him a little nervous, mainly because he didn't quite understand what kind of treatment he would receive as a servant to this noble man.
Then he knelt down, kowtowed, and said, "I want to think about it."
Bai Shan nodded, "Okay, think about it slowly."
After the chef left, he went to Daji to inquire about the matter. He asked Daji curiously, "Sir, are you a servant of a noble family?"
Being a servant is actually considered an honor among servants, as they can take advantage of the power of their master.
Daji said, "I used to be, but now I am a good citizen. I just still serve as a personal attendant to the young master."
The chef's eyes lit up when he heard this. "Then it must be because you are so capable and have done great service to the master family that you have achieved this, right?"
Daji just smiled and didn't want to say much, but after thinking about it, he said, "It's okay. It's just that my two sons are promising, and one is about to study for the imperial examination, so the old lady graciously released my books."
The chef was so happy that he was able to study and take the imperial examination. This was a big deal that could change his family's status.
The chef lowered his voice and asked, "Is your family prosperous?"
"Our young master is from the Longzhou Bai family."
The chef didn't understand, but it sounded very impressive.
He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "I wonder how the servants' wages are calculated?"
This was all well known to Daji. The treatment in the kitchen had always been better. The cook received the same salary as the head maid, one hundred yuan a month, and was provided with clothes for all four seasons. He did not have to worry about food and accommodation, and received occasional tips, which was not bad at all.
The chef then asked quietly, "I wonder how much rice one hundred yuan can buy in Chang'an?"
"This year, one hundred yuan is about eighty dou."
The chef asked with trembling lips, "White, white rice?"
Daji nodded: "White rice."
The chef became more and more excited.
Daji continued, "There are restaurants, hotels, and teahouses at home. If you don't want to stay in the mansion, you can also work as a chef in these places."
Daji paused and said, "Their wages are not low either."
Daji was an honest man and couldn't say anything particularly nice, but the chef had asked other guards and soldiers about Chang'an and heard that Anshi City was just like a small town on the edge of the capital, and the county town there was extremely prosperous and full of tourists.
Buildings are generally no taller than three stories, the roads are wide, people from all nationalities can be found here, and pearls and gems are everywhere on the streets...
Xue Gui walked past them with an expressionless face. He didn't quite understand what Bai Shan meant. What was the point of going through so much trouble to subdue a cook?
It can't be that he really made some white-skinned pastry just to bring the person back to the capital, right?
Then when the chef brought his family to express his loyalty and expressed his willingness to follow Bai Shan back to Chang'an, Bai Shan smiled slightly and immediately signed a ten-year living contract with them.
He said, "Ten years later, if you still want to stay in my house, then you can continue to stay. If not, I can help you settle down in Chang'an and become a good citizen."
The chef was deeply moved and kowtowed repeatedly.
Bai Shan then handed him a bag of golden beans and said with a smile, "Let's keep this matter under wraps for now. Our two countries are at war now, so it's best to keep it between you and me. Take these golden beans, and go buy some good food tomorrow. I'm going to treat General Yuan Yi and the others to a meal."
"Yes." The chef bowed and took it.
Bai Shan paused and then smiled, "It would be a shame to treat the generals to a meal without wine, and it wouldn't be good to have bad wine either. I wonder which house in this city has a good collection of wine?"
The chef thought for a moment and said, "Some wealthy businessmen and wealthy families have a collection of fine wines, but they're hard to come by. It's a pity that all the restaurants are closed now."
"I know good wine is hard to come by, but this is my first time hosting a banquet, so I want to make it perfect," Bai Shan said with a smile. "In my opinion, although good wine is hard to come by, as long as the chips are high enough, there will always be someone who will give it to me. Come on—"
Then soldiers and guards came up carrying several pieces of cloth.
These were all the good stuff they looted when they captured Liaodong City, Baiyan City and other cities. Bai Shan brought them here specially.
He said to the chef, whose eyes widened, "This is the silk I brought from Chang'an. Perhaps someone would like it. Try exchanging it. It would be great if you could get two or three jars of good wine."
The chef nodded repeatedly and went out with the things in his arms, distracted.
He wouldn't dare to take such a good thing for granted.
So in less than two hours, half of the wealthy families and businessmen in Anshi City knew that the envoys from the Jin State who came from the opposite side were not only generous and lived a luxurious life, demanding fresh vegetables and good meat for every meal, but now they also wanted to drink good wine.
Just because he wanted to entertain General Yuan Yi and his men, he was willing to exchange four pieces of top-quality silk for fine wine. What a waste of resources.
This was the discussion among those who were relatively well-informed. The vast majority of ordinary people had no idea who Bai Shan was, nor did they know that an envoy had arrived from the other side. They were just worried that this war would end when they didn't know.
But some people think a lot. They have access to the highest secrets and can know what some people are thinking.
In a large house in the south of the city, a young man walked quickly into the house, followed by a servant holding a piece of cloth. He told his father the news he had just received, "My son took the initiative to exchange it for a jar of wine."
The middle-aged man stood up to look at the silk, touched it and said, "It is indeed the finest silk."
"I heard it was brought from the capital."
The middle-aged man sneered and said, "He's here to fight, not to do business. Why would he bring such fine silk? I guess it's spoils of war seized from other cities."
"My son feels guilty."
The middle-aged man said nonchalantly, "What's there to be ashamed of? The things are not fake. But this envoy is indeed quite clever and arrogant."
From the first day Bai Shan came here, many people have been watching him and the Council. They also want to know whether they can negotiate or... surrender.
So they all knew Bai Shan’s unique recipes in the past few days. No matter whether he was a spoiled child from a wealthy family or not, he was very arrogant anyway.
It is very intriguing that the second prince actually tolerated his arrogance.
The middle-aged man said, "Go get another jar of good wine, and we'll go out for a walk tomorrow."
"yes."
See you at 9pm
(End of this chapter)
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