Chapter 48: Aluminum box lunch served with the traditional Northern Three Fresh Vegetables. ...
Just as Guizhier expected.
The Grand Canal Transport Commissioner barely lasted a few rounds before revealing everything.
It turns out that the middleman is a person who mediates between buyers and sellers. He is familiar with the market conditions and knows the value of the goods. After the deal is done, he will take a commission according to the rules.
In this way, all three parties can make money.
But Chu Huai’s Su Ji Dental Clinic is different.
They have the support of the government, and the pawnshop owner's brother-in-law is the warehouse manager, responsible for managing local warehousing affairs.
To put it bluntly, it is collusion between officials and businessmen.
"We're hoarding goods. First, we want to earn more warehouse rent." The canal transport envoy raised two fingers mysteriously. "Second, I heard this batch of spring tea is of excellent quality."
He is calm and composed, and knows the unspoken rules of officialdom very well.
The first spring tea was used as gifts to high officials, and it was both precious and tasteful.
Once the results of the Spring Examination are posted, the annual performance evaluation of local officials will come to an end.
If we don’t send it now, when will we?
He, the warehouse envoy, wants to use seasonal tea to repay favors, and I, the grain transport envoy, also want to use top-quality stones to increase the price by one liter.
That's how officialdom is.
If you don't run or give gifts, you will stay where you are. If you run and give gifts, you will be promoted and reused.
"It seems that there are formal constraints from all sides. It will be impossible for those merchants to get the goods back as soon as possible?" Xie Yuan immediately understood the situation.
The gray-haired old man nodded slightly in agreement.
Seeing this, Xie Yuan was a little embarrassed for a moment.
The merchants and the brokers, now at loggerheads, were furious. They found the guild hall from the ship gangs and decided to join forces for a fight.
It seems that this matter is difficult to resolve peacefully.
"Ahem, speaking of tribute, Young Master Xie doesn't know anything about it." The canal transport envoy cleared his throat and glanced at Xie Yuan's face.
"Nanlin is rich in shad. It's a 200-kilometer journey from the lake to the palace banquet, and it must be delivered the same day."
He lowered his head and stroked his chest, looking heartbroken.
The transporters lit lanterns and rode at full speed, and were not allowed to stop for meals.
It's too late, you'll lose your head.
"This is called a waste of time and money." The canal transport envoy's face was full of vicissitudes and worries.
Hearing the music, one can understand the elegant meaning.
"Yes." Xie Yuan nodded.
"The rare stones presented by Your Excellency are a gift of nature and beauty, and will enhance the beauty of the imperial gardens." He changed the subject, "They are certainly different from those who flatter their superiors and seek to gain advantage."
"That's right!" The canal transport envoy finally felt relieved after making sure that Xie Yuan would not ruin his plans.
He ignored the doctor's instructions and picked up the teacup and took a big sip.
When the tea enters the stomach, the sweet and refreshing aroma makes people forget all worries, as if they will get promoted tomorrow.
"Good tea!" the old man praised happily.
After seeing off the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, Xie Yuan felt mentally exhausted.
He gently rubbed his temples with his hands, and his ink-like hair fell down, adding a bit of laziness.
"Sir, have you had dinner yet?" Guizhier knocked on the door and asked softly.
Xie Yuan looked in the direction of the voice and saw Gui Zhier standing gracefully in a simple silk dress. Her bright eyes were filled with concern.
What's even more strange is that she has a rectangular box in her hand.
The box is a light silver-gray color, with relatively rounded corners and a few shallow scratches on the surface.
Simple and concise, without excessive decoration.
"What is this?" Xie Yuan couldn't remember for a moment whether Gui Zhier brought anything upstairs.
"Boxed lunch." Guizhi'er's cheeks flushed, adding a touch of playfulness. "Just heat it up on the stove or in the oven and you're ready to eat."
The first step to trick Young Master Xie is to tempt him with delicious food.
The flames from the burning sticks licked the bottom of the aluminum lunch box.
"Sizzle, sizzle." The heat is transferred, and you can almost hear the sound of the food gradually waking up.
Open the lid!
The first thing that catches your eye is the hand-torn tea-smoked chicken placed in the center.
This dish is smoked with jasmine tea, sugar, rice and other ingredients, and the chicken is golden in color. Xie Yuan's nose twitched as he smelled the rich aroma of tea.
Hunger took over, and he couldn't help but pick up a piece with his chopsticks.
"This meat is tender and juicy, with a long aftertaste..." Xie Yuan opened his eyes wide.
The fragrance of jasmine lingered on the tip of his tongue, elegant and mellow, sliding down his throat into his stomach. He didn't know how to describe it for a moment and hurried to taste the rest of the dishes.
The rice is soft and glutinous, neither sticky nor hard.
The dish is served with the traditional northern dish of three fresh vegetables. Take a bite and you will find the eggplant is tasty, the potato is soft and the green pepper is crisp, which is a perfect match.
Xie Yuan didn't bother to comment.
His eating movements were smooth and fluid, without any delay.
At first glance at the aluminum lunch box, he felt it was rough and simple, but he couldn't bear to refuse Gui Zhier's kindness.
I never expected that the taste would be so amazing.
The last bite is the refreshing and delicious Longjing shrimp.
Cooking fresh shrimps with Longjing tea makes the shrimps translucent and the fragrance of Longjing tea permeates them, like a breeze.
When Gui Zhier saw the shining eyes of Young Master Xie, she could not hide her joy and knew that she was 50% sure about this matter.
"Ask me quickly, ask how these dishes are made and what ingredients are used..." Guizhier felt confident of winning.
The corners of her mouth turned up, forming a confident smile.
If the first spring tea cannot be sold, she can buy it in bulk.
"Girl." Xie Yuan's eyes were deep and fiery, with burning warmth.
When a beautiful woman stares at someone with full concentration, everything around her pales in comparison.
The flowers on his hair trembled slightly like the wings of a butterfly, and his every frown and smile became more and more charming.
"How is this lunch box made?" Xie Yuan asked.
"Young Master must have tasted it. The tea-smoked chicken and Longjing shrimp are..." Gui Zhi'er stopped talking mid-sentence. "What? A lunch box!"
She opened her red lips slightly, but no words came out, her face full of astonishment.
For the first time, someone, after tasting her cooking, actually asked about the tableware.
It's simply buying the box and returning the pearl!
Guizhi'er was quite unwilling, and her heart was full of doubts.
"The color is grayish white, but it doesn't look like silver. The polishing is so thin, which shows the exquisite craftsmanship." Xie Yuan observed carefully.
Oops!
Guizhier almost slapped her thigh.
She actually forgot that aluminum is a luxury in a space with underdeveloped productivity.
Its properties are extremely active and difficult to extract and stabilize. Therefore, although it is found in large quantities in nature, it was not mass-produced until the advent of electrolytic aluminum technology.
Guizhier rubbed her hands and avoided looking at others, showing that she felt guilty.
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