Chapter 107 Visit (900+ words added) I have Mrs. Ye's...
An elderly man with gray hair sat by a roadside stall, waiting to taste fried potatoes.
The female vendor, holding a wooden spatula, stood in front of a medium-sized iron pot, stirring the chunks of potatoes inside.
As she stir-fried, she deftly added houttuynia cordata and cilantro to the pan, along with scallions, ginger, garlic, chili powder, and various other seasonings…
When chili powder is added to the oil, it releases a pungent aroma.
A middle-aged man and two young men sitting opposite the old man couldn't help but cough.
"This taste... cough cough, is this the legendary chili pepper?"
The elderly man glanced at them with a disdainful look that seemed to say, "You really don't know how to appreciate things." Then he turned to the pot of fried potatoes, full of anticipation: stir-fried vegetables with chili peppers are delicious, spicy and sour shredded potatoes are delicious, but what will fried potatoes taste like?
“Teacher,” said Yi, a simply dressed, dark-skinned young man, looking thoughtfully at the iron pot, “the stall owner hasn’t added any firewood.”
"Hmm?" The elderly man and his two senior brothers turned to look at him.
The young man, B, came from the countryside and had worked the land and cooked before. He explained, "Since we sat down, the stall owner has already cooked two batches. This is the third batch, but she hasn't added any firewood!"
What was burning in the stove under her iron pot? Charcoal doesn't burn that long.
"They're honeycomb briquettes."
When the female stall owner's daughter brought over four bowls of fried potatoes, she answered the question. As she placed the fried potatoes in front of the customer, she readily replied, "They're from the Jinzhou honeycomb briquette factory. My mother got them at wholesale price because of the large demand."
"Honeycomb briquettes?" the young man asked immediately. "What are they? A type of charcoal?"
The young woman gestured for him to look at the basket next to the iron pot, where black honeycomb briquettes were piled up halfway up the basket. "That's it. It burns longer than charcoal, and many families around Jinzhou use it."
Seeing that they didn't even know what honeycomb briquettes were, the young woman casually asked, "Can you eat spicy food? Do you want some water? We provide free boiled water."
The young man, seeing the red chili peppers on the surface of the potato chunks, immediately said, "Please give us a pot of water."
"good."
The young man, B, sat down. "That honeycomb briquette was made in the shape of a honeycomb."
The elderly man, recalling the densely packed holes in a honeycomb, couldn't quite understand: "Does having holes make it burn longer than not having holes?" Wouldn't a piece of black coal with so many holes be smaller?
The disciples did not know the answer to this question either.
The young man said, "There are so many interesting things here in Jinzhou."
The young man remarked, "It's a pity it's not fully completed yet."
Most of the city is still under construction, especially the legendary Jinzhou Library, which has only just been laid down, much to their regret.
The elderly man picked up a potato, ate it, and squinted his eyes with delight. "Delicious! Chili and potatoes, definitely double the deliciousness!"
But his disciples clearly didn't think so. The middle-aged man took a bite of half a potato and hissed as he gasped for breath, "It's delicious, but it's way too spicy!"
The young man, A, covered his mouth with one hand and nodded in agreement.
A young woman came over carrying a kettle of water and placed the kettle and bamboo cups on the table. She smiled and said, "Next time you can tell the stall owner that you can't eat spicy food and ask him to put less in."
Young man B picked up the kettle, poured a cup for the teacher first, and then poured a cup for each of his two senior classmates.
The two senior brothers picked up their cups, tilted their heads back, and drank them down in one gulp.
The young man refilled their cups.
An elderly man asked a young woman, "Young lady, I've heard that in Jinzhou, women can also study and take exams?"
The young woman nodded. "Yes."
"and you……"
The girl was immediately filled with shame. "I didn't study well, so I didn't pass the exam."
To prevent outsiders from misunderstanding Jinzhou, she quickly added, "But with what I've learned, I got a job as an accountant at Zuixianlou!"
This surprised the four of them. A bookkeeper, huh? He must be quite capable.
As the young woman left, her departing figure exuded the pride of the people of Jinzhou.
The young man, A, said, "Junior Sister will probably really like it here."
The elderly man looked at him with a quiet gaze.
Young man B asked, "Where did my junior sister go today?"
The elderly man sighed, "She's going to visit her new friend."
She didn't want to go for walks with her elderly father, but she preferred to visit her new friend's house. But there was nothing she could do; her new friend had lots of books she wanted to read.
The elderly man ate another potato and said to his apprentices, "We'll visit Pei Wenzhao tonight."
The three apprentices were shocked.
Middle-aged man: "You're going to see Pei...Lord Pei?" Pei Wenzhao of the Legalist school? Are we that familiar with him?
The elderly man snorted and said, "I would like to see Ji Zhun, but that old man is currently in Yuanxi County, not in the prefecture city."
He wrote to me boasting about how many books he had read in Jinzhou, trying to provoke me into coming and discussing philosophy with him. Now that I have arrived, he doesn't even host me in the city, forcing me to trouble Pei Wenzhao, whom I've never met before.
The disciples remained silent. They hadn't expected that Master Ji would become the Minister of Education in Yuanxi County. What was it about Jinzhou that attracted him so much? Was the complete "Wang Yangming Works" so captivating?
The young man, A, picked up a potato with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. "But you and Master Pei don't even know each other... Pfft!" He spat it out onto the ground, his face filled with horror: "Pfft pfft pfft, what is this that tastes so awful? It's so fishy!"
The middle-aged man was startled. "What's wrong? Are the potatoes bad?"
The young man took a sip of water to rinse his mouth. He thought for a moment, "No, it's not a potato, it's some kind of...grass root?"
Grassroots? Young man B looked at the bowl and his lips twitched. "Senior brother, you ate houttuynia cordata."
Houttuynia cordata? What's that? The middle-aged man picked up a piece of houttuynia cordata. "You can eat grass roots?"
The elderly man continued to look at his apprentices with a disdainful gaze that seemed to say, "You guys have no taste." He added, "Houttuynia cordata is a very delicious vegetable. It's delicious both cold and stir-fried!"
tasty……
"Yuan Yingchuan has come to Jinzhou?" Yu Yuan's eyes widened. "He doesn't even want to go to the capital, so why would he come to Jinzhou? What has attracted this old man?"
She was incredulous. "Are you sure you're not mistaken? Is it just someone who looks similar?"
The junior brother handed a string of candied hawthorns to Yu Yuan, his tone certain, "I wouldn't mistake him. Who else but Ying Yanmiao would have such a dark face!"
"Ying Yanmiao? Ying Yanzhou's younger brother?" Yu Yuan took a bite of a hawthorn. Wow, so sweet!
The junior brother said, "Yes, yes, it's Ying Yanzhou from the School of Diplomacy."
It's quite rare that two brothers, one a student of the School of Diplomacy and the other a student of Confucianism.
Yu Yuan swallowed the candied hawthorn, then raised her hand seriously to pat her junior brother's arm (not his shoulder), saying, "Don't worry, junior brother, your senior sister will definitely help you find a job! Although Yuan Yingchuan is a famous Confucian scholar, your senior sister has a personal recommendation letter from Madam Ye!"
The junior apprentice made a few perfunctory "uh-huh" sounds, then asked Yu Yuan, "Where do we go next?"
Yu Yuan shook the candied hawthorn in her hand. "Let's go to the former governor's mansion."
She raised an eyebrow smugly, "I have Mrs. Ye's letter!"
The junior brother sighed, "Senior sister, you've said it ten times today." And is using connections something to be proud of? Don't say it in the street.
Governor's Office.
The Goddess's Temporary Room.
"A handwritten letter from the wife of the Governor of Ningzhou?" Qiu Tang looked at the visitor in surprise and asked curiously, "Has it been verified as genuine?"
The visitor replied, "Old Cheng and the others have examined it, and it is indeed Ye Hui's handwriting."
Qiu Tang took the letter. "Okay, I'll take it in and give it to the goddess."
The visitor said, "Please."
What kind of person would Ye Hui recommend to the goddess in her letter? Such a big shot!
Qiu Tang knocked on the door and entered the house. He Qinglan was sitting on a soft beanbag chair reading a newspaper, her bare feet resting on the four-year-old white tiger cub.
She glanced at the lazy little white tiger lying there, thinking that the state administrative office planned to put a little white tiger sculpture in the middle of the courtyard at the entrance. They had specially found an artist to draw a picture based on the little white tiger for the sculptor to refer to. The artist drew the little white tiger as majestic and fierce.
Honey, you'll disappoint the people of Jinzhou who come to see the original statue in the future.
He Qinglan folded the newspaper and looked up at Qiu Tang.
Qiu Tang immediately delivered Ye Hui's handwritten letter and explained its origin.
He Qinglan opened the package, quickly read through it, and said to Qiu Tang, "Those two are disciples of the Mo family. Go and tell Cheng Hui to take them to the lumberyard."
Qiu Tang replied, "Yes."
He Qinglan put away the letter and continued reading the serialized novel in the newspaper.
Ji Chun-jun is really good at writing stories. Every time she finishes reading the latest update, she has to restrain herself from immediately predicting the next plot.
He Qinglan considered the possibility of bringing someone to write daily updates for a few seconds, but ultimately gave up: Ji Chunjun has a lot of work every day, what would happen to his work if he were brought to write daily updates?
Qiu Tang was ordered to go find Cheng Hui.
Cheng Hui was chatting with the two guests, "...We're going to hold a military parade and a party in Jinzhou. If it's convenient for you, why don't you stay in Jinzhou for the New Year and then go back?"
Yu Yuan's eyes lit up. "That must be so lively! I want to stay." For people like them, spending the New Year away from home is a common occurrence.
The junior brother hesitated for a moment, "But Senior Brother..."
Cheng Hui smiled kindly, "We will invite Governor Cao and Madam Ye to Jinzhou to watch the military parade. Madam Ye has already agreed."
Yu Yuan was overjoyed, "Then my senior brother will definitely come too!"
Qiu Tang: "..."
Military parade and evening party...
They're still selecting soldiers of similar height and build, still choosing civilians to participate in the parade, still preparing what programs to perform, and so on...
They had already sent invitations to Governor Cao and Lady Ye, and they had accepted!
She couldn't help but think to herself: Is it really necessary to be in such a hurry?
Qiu Tang conveyed the goddess's instructions to Cheng Hui.
Cheng Hui stood up and said to Yu Yuan and her fellow disciples, "Let's go, let's go to the lumber mill to see the mill master."
Yu Yuan stood up and said with a smile, "Thank you for your trouble, sir. I've been looking forward to the timber workshop in Jinzhou for a long time!"
Many of the tools they improved were also introduced to Ningzhou. Yu Yuan fell in love with them at first sight and especially wanted to come to Jinzhou to exchange ideas with the carpenters, but her senior brother stopped her.
Now that she has finally arrived in Jinzhou, He Qinglan has given her special permission to go to the lumber mill, and she is determined to learn the techniques here!
Timber workshops are categorized by their purpose into furniture factories, agricultural implement factories, toy factories, etc.
Cheng Hui took Yu Yuan and her junior brother to the woodworking shop and handed them over to the shop owner before leaving; he had a lot to do.
The shop owner greeted the two siblings warmly and called over several employees who were also disciples of the Mohist school to accompany them on their tour.
Yu Yuan remained in high spirits throughout. She attentively watched the carpenters at the furniture factory nailing together an eight-immortal table, discussed the principles of "waterwheel" and "high-speed waterwheel" with the carpenters at the farm implement factory, and personally carved a wooden puppy at the toy factory...
The junior apprentice remained humble, listening attentively to the conversation between his senior colleagues and the carpenters. He occasionally asked a few questions, which were patiently answered by the staff at the lumberyard.
Meanwhile, the employees were also very curious about the Mo family, so Yu Yuan and her junior brother showed off their respective designs.
A familiar employee teased a fellow employee, a disciple of the Mo family, saying, "Look at the drawing he made, and then look at yours."
The Mohist disciple feigned anger, saying, "I can understand the diagrams I drew, can't I?"
After the tour, they invited Yu Yuan and her junior brother to the lounge for tea.
“We classify office wood products and school wood products in the same furniture factory, but we could actually further classify them according to their purpose,” said employee A.
Employee B laughed and said, "It would be best to separate wooden tableware, wooden decorations, wooden fences, and wooden bridges into separate factories."
"So, wood carving, wood engraving, and woodblock printing should also be separated into their own categories," employee C lamented. "It's a pity that transportation is inconvenient, otherwise our woodworking shop would also cover a whole county, and then we could open factories for all kinds of products!"
Unfortunately, wooden products were both necessities and very heavy, so they had to be placed in various counties to meet people's production and living needs.
Employee Ding, carrying a ceramic jar, distributed yellow peaches to Yu Yuan and his junior apprentice, saying, "Try the canned yellow peaches from the cannery; they're sweet and crisp!"
She suggested with a smile, "Isn't the south side of the city going to be expanded? Tell our boss to go and play the victim with the goddess beforehand to get a piece of land for our lumber mill, and then we can move there."
Employee Wu understood what she meant and raised an eyebrow, "And while you're at it, take over a few of the neighboring villages?"
Employee Ding was both amused and exasperated. "What you're saying... makes it sound like we're bandits!" Although that's what I meant too.
Yu Yuan picked up a peach with a bamboo skewer from Employee C's portion, took a bite, and nodded approvingly. "Delicious! It's so great to be able to eat peaches this season!"
Employee A poured her a cup of green tea. "This is canned goods. It's not just yellow peaches, but also grapes, apples, hawthorns, oranges... I like canned grapes the most!"
Employee Ding leisurely took a sip of tea. "I like canned fish. Deputy Minister Song is truly remarkable. I am grateful."
"Yes, yes, it's amazing that they can make canned seafood so that we people in Jinzhou can eat seafood. Vice Minister Song is fantastic!" Employee Wu nodded repeatedly.
"Can meat be canned and preserved for a long time?" Yu Yuan asked.
Employee B said, "Yes, yes, it's great whether it's used as military rations or as a food reserve at home."
However, Jinzhou is protected by the goddess and has no shortage of food, so these canned goods are mainly sold to other states. Yu Yuan, who is in Ningzhou, has never seen these canned goods before, so it seems that Ningzhou is buying them as military rations.
-----------------------
Author's note: I don't eat houttuynia cordata or cilantro [crying emoji] [crying emoji] [crying emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
