Many people's faces still tend to be sallow, which is a sign of malnutrition.
But in this era, no one calls this malnutrition, because basically everyone is in this state.
If everyone is sick, then it is not called a disease, it is called a normal state.
Although their faces looked sick, everyone's eyes were bright, not as numb as before. Everyone was looking forward to the future.
They have a vibrant energy that is not obvious in children but is very obvious in adults and middle-aged and elderly people.
Having experienced hardships, they understand better how hard-won the peace and tranquility we have today are, and they will have better and more expectations for the future.
At the same time, Ruihai's distribution method also ensures that they will not be robbed in the next period of time, and they can live in peace for a long time. They look forward to a prosperous life in the future.
Only the elderly and adults who have experienced social setbacks can understand the difficulty involved and feel the happiness of the future.
As for the children, they didn't have time to think so much. At most, they could only feel that they could eat their fill normally and didn't have to go hungry as often as before.
Zhang Mingtu could feel from many people's faces, eyes and bodies that they were very satisfied with the current situation.
He felt strangely proud and a little ashamed at the same time.
In his opinion, the current living standard is still relatively low.
To say that it was cheap was an understatement. Most people in Ximen Market wore simple linen clothes that had been washed and changed so many times that they were starched and bleached, and many of them had patches on them.
Many people have pale faces and have not had a full meal for several days.
According to the standards of the previous life, such days can only be said to be struggling to make ends meet, and even poverty has not been truly escaped.
But in the eyes of people of that era, and in the eyes of people in the surrounding counties, this was already a very luxurious life and something to be yearned for.
“Ah, the times…”
Zhang Mingtu let out a long sigh, and his relaxed mood became even more heavy.
If judged by the standards of this world, the world he lived in in his previous life could be called a paradise on earth.
But in his previous life, his world still had many flaws and shortcomings.
"Got to do something, don't we?"
Zhang Mingtu let out a sigh. Ruihai didn't have a clear goal in mind about what kind of world he wanted to create.
Ruihai just tried his best to do everything well and be as fair and just as possible. When he came to Xingguo County, he brought fairness, fairness, and fairness. The same was true when he came to Jianyi.
What we seek in life is fairness.
"Yes, isn't fairness what I'm pursuing?"
Zhang Mingtu thought of Han Qiong's son who wanted to kill him for no reason and take his life, and thought of his family being destroyed because of a recipe.
These people never talked to him about fairness and justice.
Zhang Mingtu has always been moving forward courageously, and all he seeks is fairness.
Zhang Mingtu picked some fruits and vegetables from Ximen Market, but did not buy fish or meat.
It was already afternoon, and there was no fresh fish or meat left. Most of the fish were dead, and their eyes were a little white. The meat also didn't feel fresh.
Zhang Mingtu simply bought some mushrooms, turned around and went to the riverside, found a few fishermen who were rowing boats, and bought a few big fish.
There were quite a lot of things, so he called two Jinyiwei men to help and took them back to the county government office together.
Several Jinyiwei helped to clean up the fish, fruits and vegetables.
Zhang Mingtu only started to operate when night fell and it was almost time for dinner.
Zhang Mingtu is a good cook, and his mother Wang Yulan has never hidden it from him.
The operation was not smooth enough before, but now it has reached the fourth level of marrow cleansing and blood exchange. The control over qi, blood and physical body is very fine and precise, and the addition of various seasonings is also very accurate.
Several large stoves were lit at the same time without any panic. Everything was in an orderly manner and more than ten pots of food were served soon.
Fish head with chopped pepper, braised carp, grass carp stewed with tofu, red sour soup, braised wild boar meat, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, fried river shrimp, steamed mandarin fish, seven dishes and one soup.
The overall taste is not complicated, but it has good color, aroma and taste.
The fish head is taken from silver carp and bighead carp, marinated with ginger and green onion, and then simply fried in a pan until both sides are slightly yellow. Then take it out and put it on a plate, and evenly spread a layer of chopped pepper on it.
People in Jianyi like spicy food, so you can also take a handful of soaked wild peppercorns and steam them on top.
Carp has a fishy smell, so you need to remove the tendon from the carp in advance and fry it slowly in a pan with oil. To prevent the fish from sticking to the pan, sprinkle a small amount of salt around the pan before putting it in.
Fry until both sides are golden brown, then add water to cover the fish, and add soy sauce to adjust the color halfway.
Red mulberry soup is the simplest. Just boil fresh red mulberry leaves picked from the mountains in water for 20 minutes. The whole soup will turn red because of the red mulberry leaves. Just add a little salt to the soup before serving.
Zhang Mingtu made a large portion of each dish, which could be divided into three plates, enough to set up three tables, enough for everyone in the county government to celebrate.
The entire ingredient and related seasonings didn't cost even a tael of silver.
The purchasing power of silver is still quite outstanding in this era.
Of course, this was a banquet for Ruihai, so three taels of silver could not be spent, and there was even one tael left over.
If it were a normal county magistrate, the ingredients for preparing these banquets would definitely not be this simple.
Seafood from the coast, wild delicacies from all over the country, and even deer antlers and ginseng brought from the north are all used in daily cooking.
Then holding a banquet would be quite a luxury.
However, Zhang Mingtu also felt that it was too extravagant.
…
When Ruihai saw the table full of fish, meat, fruits and vegetables in the evening, he was shocked at first, but when he saw that they were all common ingredients in Jianyi, he felt relieved.
A group of people sat down early, waiting for Ruihai to speak.
After all, it is Ruihai’s promotion banquet, so the necessary scenes must be present. Although it is simple, the necessary procedures are indispensable.
Rui Hai picked up the wine glass and held it in front of him. After a moment's silence, he said, "I am honored that you all can come here today. The ingredients are quite simple, so please bear with me."
"I haven't been in Jianyi long, but I've traveled around the city and witnessed the lives of the people under my rule. What seems like simple food to us is actually quite luxurious for many common people."
Some people disagreed, while others looked thoughtful.
"I don't object to you enjoying life and living a luxurious life. I just hope that while you are enjoying life, you can also think about the people you rule."
"Every meal and vegetable we eat comes from the imperial court's salary and the support of the people under our rule. You who have come here are all outstanding people with outstanding literary talent and have extraordinary qualities. I have no objection to enjoying better than others.
"I only hope that, on top of enjoying life, the people under my rule can have their old age taken care of, their children educated, and no worries about food and clothing. This is what I hope for. Gentlemen, let's drink together!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
