"Officials cannot drink, gamble, or…"

Zhou Fuan's words were interrupted by Chu Mingyang.

"You are such a stubborn person. Zhaoyu and the Imperial Guards have all been driven away by me. Who here dares to interfere in our affairs?"

Chu Mingyang rolled his eyes at Zhou Fuan and said, "I won't drink the wine, just play a few rounds with me before you leave."

"I can't. How about, Steward Chu, let Xiaoya Zhang accompany you?"

Zhou Fuan looked at Chu Mingyang's unhappy expression.

"Otherwise, I'll go find some officers who know how to have fun and have some fun with you, Steward Chu. I have to go see the prisoners, and I'm on duty tonight. Steward Chu, have fun."

"Okay. Zhou Fuan, you have to learn how to play in the future. Tell me, you are a grown man, but you don't even know the card points. Isn't it a waste of your life?"

Well, I am a grown man, but if I can't play cards, my life is meaningless. Zhou Fuan complained in his heart. According to Chu Mingyang's definition of life, how many men in the Great Qi Dynasty have lived in vain.

"I'll go to the kitchen and cook for the young master."

Little Zhang Ya opened the cloth covering a wicker basket, took out the ingredients, and walked out.

"I want two pots, one for steaming and one for frying."

As soon as he entered the small kitchen, Xiao Zhangya spoke to Qian Xiaosheng.

Qian Xiaosheng looked at Nanny Su and Hua Shan who were cooking on the other stove with some embarrassment.

The post station only had two kitchens, one large and one small. The large kitchen cooked for the prisoners, several large pots of vegetable soup and several large pots of black steamed buns. Granny Qian and several female prisoners cooked.

It was easy to cook for the prisoners. Granny Qian and a few other female prisoners cooked for the officials first. The officials didn't have good food either, mainly northern stewed vegetables and white steamed buns. Thirty or forty officials had one pot of stewed vegetables and one pot of white steamed buns. It was ready in a short while, and then they didn't even need to clean the pot, they just cooked the prisoners' soup, so that the prisoners' soup could have a little more oil and water.

There are two iron pots, one large and one small, in the small kitchen of the Qian family. Here are all the ingredients and oil, salt, sauce and vinegar that ordinary people need for daily life. In addition to using them for their own family, the Qian family also rents them from wealthy prisoners.

In the Su family, very few people can actually cook. Except for Nanny Su who came from the countryside and could cook some farmhouse meals, and Hua Shan who could stir-fry a few common side dishes. The rest of the people were either masters or men, who didn't even know how to boil water in a pot, let alone cook.

"Sir, I'll let them go now."

Qian Xiaosheng was embarrassed for only a moment, and immediately asked Su Ma and Hua Shan to leave first. It was not important for him to make a few bucks, but it was important not to offend the official, especially this personal official who followed Chu Siwu.

He was a seventh-rank official in the prime minister's office. He came from the Right Prime Minister's Mansion. Even the county magistrate under him had to give him some face, let alone a low-level postman.

"Sir, I will help you light the fire and cut the vegetables. We just cooked some rice porridge in the pot and put a few unleavened cakes on it. It will be cooked in a while. If you take it out now, it will be half-cooked. Sir, look at that——"

Huashan hesitated for a moment, then immediately walked forward and smiled at Xiaoya.

Although the young ladies can conjure up many delicious foods, they are prisoners after all, and are being stared at by countless eyes at this moment, so they cannot attract too much attention.

Considering the gifts from Prince Yan and the Song family, it would be suspicious if I didn't use them to cook something.

Song Jinhe asked Su Ma to light the fire, draw a fan and make some white flour cakes, and then cook a bowl of white rice porridge. Then add some pickles. There are many patients, children and elderly people at home, and they can warm their stomachs.

Who knew that when the food was only half done, Xiao Ya Zhang wanted to use the pot.

This put Huashan and Nanny Su in a difficult position.

"Don't make me say it a second time, it's over."

"Scoop it out and quickly empty the pot for Master Zhang. Hurry up, both of you, and wash the pot a few more times."

When Qian Xiaosheng saw this situation, he quickly shouted at the two men, "They are just two prisoners, but they dared to bargain with the police. They are really asking for trouble."

Of course, Qian Xiaosheng also knew how pitiful these prisoners were. They had just left the capital, and the prisoners from good families still had some money in their hands. As they went further, all their money and belongings would be extorted by the officials. By then, they would not even be able to eat a few mouthfuls of white flour or drink a few mouthfuls of rice soup. That would be a luxury. It would be a blessing for their ancestors to survive and reach the place of exile without starving to death.

Therefore, Qian Xiaosheng never killed all the prisoners who stayed at the inn. In his opinion, for many prisoners, this might be the last hot and full meal they would have in the rest of their lives.

Why should a living person fight for a bite of food with a dying person? Alas, this Chu Siwu is really from a wealthy family and does not know the sufferings of the world.

"Okay, let's wash the pot now."

Madam Su and Hua Shan exchanged glances, immediately turned off the fire, took out the half-cooked cakes, and quickly scooped the rice soup into a ceramic jar.

Nanny Su suggested going, and Huashan hurried to wash the pot. She was afraid that Xiaoya Zhang would despise Nanny Su for being an old lady who couldn't wash the pot clean. She would find a job later.

Hua Shan brushed the pot several times until it was shiny, then he washed his hands and left.

When leaving the small kitchen, Huashan turned her head and saw Qian Xiaosheng sitting in front of the pot and lighting the fire.

In the warm firelight, standing in front of the chopping board, bending over to cut vegetables, Xiao Ya Zhang's face was pale and warm, and his movements of cutting vegetables were as orderly as a beautiful woman showing off her flowers. The whole person exuded a kind of warmth and the air of fireworks.

He doesn't look like the person who was as cold as an ice needle just now at all.

Hua Shan was stunned for a moment, with an indescribable feeling in his heart.

She felt like she had seen this feeling somewhere before, but for a moment, she couldn't remember where.

Huashan returned to her room to eat. Except for the steward Su who was watching the donkey cart, everyone else was in the room. As soon as Huashan entered the room, she closed the door tightly.

"The pancake was half-cooked, the rice soup was boiled, but the rice flowers were not open, and it was a bit hard. Fortunately, it was still hot soup."

Nanny Su opened the earthen jar and grumbled in dissatisfaction.

"You two did the right thing. You must always remember our current identities. We are prisoners. Don't conflict with anyone."

Old Madam Su affirmed that what the two had just done was correct.

“But if someone wants to bully us, we are not afraid of them.”

Sitting on the bed, Ye Ranqing's face was no longer so pale. Since she had to lie down to protect the fetus, Madam Su arranged for her to sleep on the side of the big bed closest to the north wall, so that no one could touch her.

Six single beds were put together to form two large beds, two beds were put together to form one, and they were placed against the south wall. Su Zhen slept on the north side, while Su Chengyi and Su San slept on the outside. The remaining five beds were put together, and all the women and children slept together. It became a large bunk bed.

"If I wasn't worried about causing trouble for the masters, I would want to wait a while. After the official is done, I will go to the small kitchen and do it again."

Nanny Su felt a little resentful.

【let me.】

Su Mibao remembered in her heart that Xiao Ya Zhang, the personal servant of Chu Mingyang, would teach him a lesson if she had the chance.