Chapter 2999: Rhetoric
In the end, Bai Jilang still couldn't finish both bowls of noodles. It was really... too disgusting.
But this store's business is surprisingly booming, with many people lining up to buy.
Bai Shan and his friends chose to eat at his restaurant because they saw many people sitting on stools and standing in line.
After they reluctantly finished their lunch, they looked at the stall and the customers together.
Could it be that there is a difference between their understanding of food and that of Laizhou people, which leads to such misunderstanding?
But can people's tongues really vary so much?
As he watched, Bai Shan finally realized something was wrong, so he waved to the stall owner and said, "Check out."
The stall owner responded happily, but did not move. He continued kneading the dough and asked his son to go over and collect the money.
Bai Shan asked, "How much is it in total?"
The young man counted for a long time and said, "Fifty-six coins in total."
Zhou Man said without hesitation: "You calculated wrongly, didn't you?"
Bai Shan asked, "How much is a bowl of noodles?"
Because they were eating noodles, the young man really thought he had miscalculated. His heart was in turmoil, and he said uncertainly, "It should be correct. Four cents a bowl, you ate fourteen bowls in total."
The palace maids following Mingda didn't understand why Lord Bai had to personally inquire about such a small matter as paying the bill, but when they saw that the princess and the prince consort didn't say anything, they just sat there quietly.
Bai Shan gestured for Daji to pay and said with a smile, "I calculated correctly, it's exactly fifty-six wen. This noodle is cheaper than any other place we've eaten. Why are you selling it so cheaply?"
The young man smiled innocently and said, "It's because my noodles are cheap and big that so many people buy them."
He took the money from Daji and counted it. After confirming that it was enough, he stuffed it into his pocket and asked, "Have you all finished your meal?"
Bai Shan nodded, "I'm done eating."
The young man quickly cleared the dishes and chopsticks. Seeing so many people still waiting for seats, Bai Shan and the others felt it was inappropriate to sit any more, so they stood up and made room for the guests.
The group stood by the roadside, and Bai Erlang said with a sigh, "No wonder it tastes so bad. A bowl is the size of four coins."
Mingda didn't have much of an idea about money, especially small amounts, so he asked, "Is it really cheap?"
Zhou Man sighed and said, "When we were little, we went to Luojiang County to eat noodles. The cheapest vegetarian noodles, with just some chopped green onions, cost six coins. The ones with meat cost between seven and ten coins."
Mingda: "Their noodles don't have chopped green onions."
"Forget chopped green onions, there's not even any oil. His dough is just average," Bai Erlang said. "It's just a little better than ours."
Bai Shan said, "They're not eating noodles, but flour to fill their stomachs. Haven't you noticed? Those who come to eat noodles seem to be coolies working on the docks. For them, being able to eat such a big bowl of noodles is great, so naturally they don't care about the taste."
Bai Erlang muttered, "Even if it's cheap, it could be made a little more delicious..."
"Alright, stop worrying about this bowl of noodles. We're here to see the Laizhou dock, so hurry up," Bai Shan urged them. "It would be bad if the Laizhou governor and the Ye County magistrate knew we'd come over to see the ferry without telling them."
The two of them immediately shut up, stopped worrying about the noodles at the noodle stall, and went to the pier together.
Laizhou Wharf is located under the provincial capital of Ye County, outside the city, but not far from the city. It has a prosperous business, with not only restaurants, hotels, and inns, but also the entertainment industry. It looks like a small county town.
But it is just a town under the jurisdiction of Ye County, outside the county city. It is very prosperous because there is a ferry here.
Anyway, Baishan looks no worse than his Beihai County.
The group pretended to be merchants heading for the dock. A sharp-eyed merchant manager and helper spotted them and immediately approached them, enthusiastically asking, "Ladies and gentlemen, are you looking for a boat?"
Bai Shan glanced at them and decisively gave up the idleness. He responded to the store manager and asked with a smile, "Do you have a boat?"
"Yes, I wonder where you want to go?"
He quietly looked at Zhou Man and Mingda and felt that both of them had good temperaments and were well dressed. When they went out, they were accompanied by three maids, and one of them could be seen at a glance to be a Hu people. Their status must be high. So he smiled and said, "I wonder if you want to take a passenger or transport goods?"
Bai Shan asked, "I want to go to the Jiangnan area. How do I bring people and goods with me?"
None of them lowered their voices when they spoke, and many people nearby heard it. They looked at each other secretly and then became restless.
When the merchant heard this, he immediately leaned over and said, "It's hard to explain it in just a few words. The docks are dirty and messy. Why don't we go to the restaurant to talk?"
The manager of the business wanted to take Bai Shan and the others to a nice restaurant farther away to discuss the matter, but Bai Shan pointed to a restaurant on the shore and said with a smile, "Then let's go in and talk."
Bai Erlang also looked up at the restaurant and muttered, "I should have walked for another quarter of an hour."
There is a restaurant here.
Bai Shan glanced at him and walked into the restaurant first.
Seeing that there were so many of them, the waiter immediately came forward to greet them. Bai Shan then said, "Find us a private room on the second floor with a good view, facing the Laizhou Wharf."
The clerk glanced at the store manager standing nearby, immediately agreed, and stepped aside to invite them upstairs.
After sitting down in the private room, Bai Shan felt hungry. Although he had just eaten a bowl of noodles, it was really tasteless. So he asked the waiter to bring some of their restaurant's signature dishes. After ordering a few seasonal dishes, he let him go. "I don't know what to call you, brother."
The store manager immediately said, "I dare not. My name is Yu Ji, a small manager of the Yu Family Store. May I know your name, sir?"
Although they tried their best to dress like traveling merchants, wearing only fine cotton and no silk or brocade, they still did not look like merchants.
Bai Shan smiled and said, "My surname is Bai, and I am the eldest child in my family. This is my wife, and this is Bai Erlang."
The manager of the company looked back and forth at Bai Shan and Bai Erlang, unable to discern the age difference. He could only smile and say, "The eldest and second young masters are very close in age. No wonder they have such a good relationship."
Bai Erlang glared, thinking that Bai Shan was taking advantage of him. Just as he was about to speak, Zhou Man, who was sitting next to him, stepped on his foot. Mingda also raised his hand, picked up the teapot and poured him a cup of tea.
Shirojiro:......
Bai Shan asked about their family's boat, "What kind of boat is yours, and what kind of cargo can it carry?"
Hearing this, it was clear that there was no room for negotiation. Manager Yu became more cautious and said with a smile, "We have several ships that can transport all kinds of goods. But I don't know what goods you gentlemen want to transport and where they are going."
Salt, like grain and cloth, is similar in that it is susceptible to moisture, so after a moment's thought he said, "I want to take some grain and cloth."
Manager Yu: "...Going to Jiangnan?"
"yes."
Steward Yu smiled slightly and asked, "I wonder what kind of cloth you want to transport, sir?"
As for food, they could ship it to Jiangnan. There hadn't been any major natural disasters there recently, so was there any need for them to ship food all the way there? He still believed it was possible to ship it north.
See you at 10pm
(End of this chapter)
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