Volume 10: Ru Meng Ling
The spring of the second year of Daxia arrived as expected.
On this bright and beautiful March day, Fu Xiaoguan left Guanyun City and went to Xiaye Port.
Today, the port of Shimono has been built, and Shimono City is just over ten miles away from Shimono Port. The residents here were mainly indigenous people in the past, but now there are also many Daxia people.
There are 100,000 soldiers from the Third Marine Army and 20,000 Marines to replenish the troops.
Shimotsuke Castle was built under the planning of Guanyun City. Its style is quite rough and has some shadows of Guanyun City.
There is a largest mansion in this city. It is not the official office of Shimotsuke Castle, but the emperor's palace.
Fu Xiaoguan took Liu Jin and Ning Siyan to walk in this new city. The commercial atmosphere in the city has gradually become stronger. Almost everything that can be bought in Guanyun City can be seen here, and almost everything that can be eaten in Guanyun City can also be found here.
The main source of income for the residents of this city is shipbuilding and dock handling. There are ten huge docks in Shimono Port, which accommodate nearly 100,000 shipbuilders.
A large part of the materials needed for these warships were shipped from Jiangcheng Port, and the dock handling also provided employment for tens of thousands of workers.
The original natives were gradually assimilated by the Daxia people. They abandoned their previous bone spears, put on clothes, picked up tools, lived in the houses facing the street, and became members of the Daxia.
Fu Xiaoguan was very satisfied with this.
Walking along the way, he came to a secluded street. He heard the sound of reading aloud. He walked over and took a look. It was a school set up by Daxia. He looked inside through the window and saw that it was full of about fifty children around ten years old.
It seems that Daxia's policies are being implemented quite well.
He listened quietly here for a while, then walked away and came to a busy street. He smelled a strong smell of hot pot - there was actually hot pot in this place?
Fu Xiaoguan looked up at the sky. It was almost the evening hour, and there was still an hour or so before dinner time.
He followed the aroma of the hot pot to the door of the store and saw a few words written on the lintel of the store: Shudi Old Hot Pot.
It was still early and there were no customers in the store. Only a few waiters were busy preparing ingredients.
He thought for a moment, then looked up and saw a teahouse called Chunyun across the street. He instructed Liu Jin, "Go to the Marine Corps camp and get He Sandao. Also... find Pizarro and get him here too."
"I obey your command!"
Liu Jin stopped a carriage and it sped away.
Fu Xiaoguan and Ning Siyan stepped into the Chunyun Teahouse. There were about ten tables in the teahouse's hall. The first six were full of people, but there was no noise - on a stage in the front of the hall, a middle-aged man in his forties was telling a story.
The middle-aged man, dressed in a scholar's robe, held a paper fan in his left hand and a gavel in his right. With a loud bang, he slammed the gavel. With a bang, he spoke with great excitement, "Ding'an Earl rushed a thousand miles to attack Qipan Pass. Hong Niangzi was cornered and died. Xue Dingshan fled to Jianmen, and General Fei's army surrounded the city. To learn how Ding'an Earl killed Hong Niangzi, how Peng Yuyan cleverly captured Qipan Pass, and how Ding'an Earl used a piece of Chu song to drive Xue Dingshan to desperate measures, ultimately leading to the annihilation of his entire army,
He rolled up his sleeves and bowed, "Ladies and gentlemen, those who have money can show their support, and those who don't can show their support. I am Zhou Hui, the storyteller. Now, I would like to invite you all to give me some money for tea."
A little girl, about ten years old, came out holding a plate. She walked to the front table and said in a playful manner, "I can tell from the looks of it that I'm a wealthy and powerful person. I wish you all the best. Please give me a few copper coins."
"No problem!"
A young man at the head of the table reached into a purse, pulled out a silver ingot weighing one ounce, and tossed it onto the plate. "This book is fascinating, it's a reward. I say, don't hide it! It's about the great achievements of our Majesty!"
As soon as he said this, everyone else took out their silver coins. Suddenly, the plate jingled with coins and copper coins. The income from this table alone exceeded the girl's expectations. She was immediately delighted and bowed to the tea guests at this table. "Lu'er, thank you for the reward!"
Fu Xiaoguan and Ning Siyan sat at a table by the wall. He looked at the little girl with a smile. The little girl was articulate and the tea drinkers were also very generous. The plate was soon filled with silver dimes and copper coins.
The little girl was filled with joy. She was about to go back to the table to collect the silver coins, but unexpectedly a voice from one of the tables rang out: "Wait!"
Lu'er thought the gentleman was going to give her a tip, so she walked over with a happy look on her face and stood beside the table. Before she could say anything, she saw the tea drinker put one foot on the stool, looked at the plate in her hand, and pointed: "Don't you know the rules?"
Lu'er was startled and asked weakly, "Master...what are the rules?"
The storyteller on the stage noticed something was amiss and hurried over. He heard the man say, "Xiaye is a small place, but a country has its own laws, and a small place has its own rules. You can tell stories here, but don't you know how to pay respects?"
"How dare you wander the world without knowing the rules? Aren't you afraid that you might get the money but not be able to spend it?!"
The man slammed his hand on the table, spat, and looked at the approaching storyteller. "I see you're a seasoned traveler. Leave this money for the plate. If you tell stories in the wild in the future, remember to give half of the money to Master Qi!"
The storyteller quickly bowed and asked, "Excuse me, who is the Seventh Master?"
The man slammed the table again and glared at the storyteller fiercely, "Seventh Master, you don't even know what's going on, and yet you dare come to Xiaye City to pick up silver?!"
When the other tea drinkers heard that it was Seventh Master's men who wanted to do something, they all looked at the storyteller and the little girl with great sympathy, put down their teacups and left the teahouse.
Fu Xiaoguan frowned. Ning Siyan looked at him and he shook his head. "Take another look."
"Sir, I'm new here and don't know who Master Qi is. Of this money... half is for Master Qi, and the remaining half is for your introduction. And since we've spent the whole afternoon together, please keep half for food and lodging, okay?"
Lu'er was unhappy when he heard this. This was something his father had earned with great difficulty, so how could he give it away so cheaply?
She protected the plate, stared at the man and said, "In broad daylight, Xiaye is also Daxia's territory, and it is also the land of the king. How dare you take it by force!"
The man burst into laughter. He stood up, still with one foot on the stool. "The Emperor is in Guanyun City. As for Xiaye, the Seventh Master has the final say!"
"Bring the plates here, or you won't be able to leave Shimotsuke Castle!"
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