Because of his dusty clothes, the waiter looked down on him when he entered the restaurant. However, when the waiter saw Lin Rui's plump body, his attitude immediately changed and he approached him attentively.
"Sir, would you like to stop by or stay overnight?"
Lin Rui thought about how he would have nowhere to go for the next few days and how he would have to wander around here looking for a way back to Huangmo Pass, so he said, "Let's stay in a hotel!"
"Okay, I'll get you some hot water and clean up. Would you mind staying in Room A1?"
Lin Rui nodded: "Okay."
Now he urgently needed a private space of his own, so the waiter led him back to his room.
In this small inn, Lin Rui finally washed away all his fatigue. He leaned against the bathtub with a hot towel covering his face and fell asleep. It was not until the water had cooled down that he realized he had been soaking for a long time.
He immediately got up from the bathtub and changed into a set of clean clothes prepared by the waiter.
Although this town practices cannibalism, it still meets the material needs of life, such as firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea. As long as one has money, they can still be supplied normally.
After falling off the cliff, his mentality had been in a state of suspense. Now he could finally relax a little. After putting on his clothes, he lay down in the inn and slept for a long time.
As the sky gradually darkened in the meat market, more and more people appeared on the streets. Due to the bad habit of eating rice and meat, their eyesight deteriorated, their eyes became red, and they cried in pain when exposed to direct sunlight. Gradually, they developed a reversed lifestyle of staying up at night and sleeping during the day.
The inn is the most lively place, and many people come in to order a few dishes and drink some wine.
Lin Rui was awakened by the noisy sounds coming from downstairs of the inn. After catching up on such a long sleep, he felt less tired from the journey, but the pain in his body resurfaced, and he felt pain every time he moved.
At this moment, there was a knock on the door of the inn room: "Knock, knock, knock, guest, the chef of the inn prepared several meat dishes today. Do you need a bowl of it?"
Lin Rui paused for a moment, and when the waiter was about to ask again, he asked him back: "What kind of meat, pork, mutton, beef, or... rice meat?"
The waiter said, "We have both, but today the chef is cooking pork and rice meat. Pork is much more expensive, so most people who come into the store choose rice meat."
"Sir, how about serving you a plate of sweet and sour rice and pork?" The waiter asked Lin Rui about his taste.
No problem! Rice and meat are rice and meat. Can sweet and sour rice and meat cover up the fact that we cannibalize human flesh?
"No, I want pork, I must have pork!"
The waiter was a little embarrassed: "Sir, pork is very expensive in Yishuguan. It is only eaten by the rich and powerful. The few we have here are obtained by the shopkeeper through his connections. The price is very high. A bowl is only three or four yuan, but it costs two taels of silver..."
Lin Rui said with a chutzpah, "Money is not a problem. Bring me some pork. I don't want to end up like those red-eyed monsters out there."
The waiter was also a lowly person who could only eat rice and meat. When he heard Lin Rui say such rude words, he did not show any anger on his face. For him, today he had met a wealthy and powerful customer.
"Okay, okay, we're just customers. Pork is expensive, so we have to collect the full price of the meal first."
Lin Rui felt around his body and found he didn't have even a tael of silver. If he had known earlier, he should have prepared some gold and silver and put them in the mansion for emergencies. Now he had no choice but to rummage around the mansion to see if there was anything valuable.
"Waiter, come in!" Lin Rui opened the door for the waiter.
"Good guest."
Lin Rui deliberately asked, "Is there a pawnshop nearby?"
The waiter looked at him hesitantly: "Isn't the guest a local?"
Lin Rui nodded. "I was originally a merchant in Huangmo Pass. Because I killed someone there, I committed a crime. I had no choice but to pack up my valuables and bribe the brokers who traveled between Huangmo Pass and Yishu Pass. They helped me find an identity so that I could enter Yishu Pass smoothly."
Waiter: "Life in Huangmo Pass is much easier than in Yishu Pass!"
Lin Rui agreed with this. "Who said it wasn't true? You kill people here like they're killing chicks. You even give cannibalism a fancy name: eating rice meat. If it were us at Huangmo Pass, we'd have been slaughtered countless times already."
The waiter smiled awkwardly, "Yishu Pass doesn't have the wealth and support of Huangmo Pass. I heard the workshops and factories there are thriving, and the people can all live and work in peace and contentment."
"That's right. If I hadn't committed a crime that would have put me to death, I would never have come to your Yishu Pass." Lin Rui said as a matter of course.
The waiter asked tentatively, "What do you want to pawn?"
Lin Rui brought out a good thing from the inner room of the inn's bedroom. It was a small mirror that was given as a gift when he bought facial cleanser. Nowadays, mirrors are not uncommon. With the development of industry, mirrors can be made into various styles.
But it was different in ancient times. It was much clearer than a bronze mirror and could reflect every detail of a person.
He handed the mirror to the waiter and said, "Can you please let me stay in your inn for a while for such a rare item?"
The waiter took it with both hands and saw his own reflection in the mirror was extremely clear, and his eyes widened in surprise.
But he didn't dare to make the decision, but repeatedly took his leave, saying that he would ask his own shopkeeper to come and take a look.
Less than half a minute later, the shopkeeper, who was also bloated and had bloodshot eyes, hurried in and asked, "What's the good stuff?"
The waiter following behind looked at Lin Rui flatteringly: "Sir, please take out your magical mirror and let our shopkeeper take a look."
Lin Rui's face showed his worry: "How can I do that? This is my treasure. What if you steal it? I don't know anyone here!"
The fat innkeeper said, "Guests, rest assured. You might also want to ask about my reputation as Zhu Laosan in this area. I'm an absolutely fair trader and never cheat anyone. Otherwise, this inn wouldn't be so prosperous."
Lin Rui handed the small mirror over hesitantly and conflictedly: "Then take a look at it. Be careful to handle it with care. This is my family heirloom."
"Okay, okay!" The shopkeeper nodded as he took the palm-sized mirror in his hand and played with it. Seeing himself in the mirror, he was amazed and looked at Lin Rui eagerly: "Sir, you are new here and have no money for accommodation and food. Why don't you sell this mirror to me? From now on, your food, clothing, housing and transportation will be covered here for the next month!"
"This..." Lin Rui still hesitated.
The innkeeper raised the stakes again: "One and a half months! We'll cover your food, clothing, housing and transportation for a month and a half. How about that? Your little mirror may be exquisite, but it's a dead object that can't be eaten or drunk. Using it now to exchange for food and drink is the real meaning of its existence, isn't it?"
Lin Rui didn't forget to ask, "Does the meal include pork every day?"
The shopkeeper gritted his teeth and agreed: "Yes! According to today's food ration, I will prepare pork for you."
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