When Fu Xiaoguan woke up from his meditation, it was already dusk.
When he opened his eyes, he saw thousands of lights in the distance - that was the county seat of Nanping County.
Nanping County got its name from this Nanping Plain.
Nanpingyuan is named after the ancient Nanping Temple located on this vast plain beside Qushui, a tributary of the Daling River.
With its thousand-year-old winding water and ancient temples, the thousand-year-old Nanping County is extremely rich in heritage in Wuyuan Prefecture.
This is indeed the case. Nanping County is home to many talented people!
This place is the birthplace of the Zhuo family, one of the seven great clans of the Wu Dynasty, which has existed for a thousand years. The roots of the current Zhongshu Ling Zhuo Yixing are in Nanping County.
Once upon a time, most of the farmland in Nanpingyuan belonged to the Zhuo family.
Even though the Zhuo family later moved to Wuyuan City, the old Zhuo family ancestral hall here has always been maintained.
Therefore, compared with the small landlords in Linjiang, the Zhuo family is the real big landlord. However, now, under the persuasion of a letter from Zhuo Yihang, the Zhuo family handed over 80% of the land they once owned.
These fields were redistributed to the farmers and became their private fields. With their careful care, the crops grew much better.
The evening breeze brought the fragrance of rice flowers. Fu Xiaoguan and his party crossed the Qushui Bridge and entered Nanping County.
Compared with Siyang County, it's like heaven and earth.
The day's summer heat was much reduced by the washing of the Qushui River, and people who had been stuck in the house all day seemed to become more active.
The streets were crowded with people, and carriages, horses, and sedan chairs could be seen everywhere.
The streets of Nanping County are extremely wide, with a row of two-story green-tiled buildings lined up straight on both sides of the street. The shops on the first floor sell all kinds of goods, and there are the shouts of shopkeepers and the hawking of porters and hawkers.
Fu Xiaoguan opened the car window and looked at the people coming in and out of the shops with a happy face. He looked at the joy on their faces, and then he felt his heart was filled with joy.
"I just like this kind of lively scene. I think it makes life real."
Dong Shulan giggled, "If you're not tired after taking a break, why don't we go out for a walk?"
"Okay! Look..." Fu Xiaoguan pointed, and Dong Shulan looked over. It was a shop with three storefronts. A string of red lanterns was hung on the flagpole at the door of the shop, and there were a few words on the lanterns - "The Second Best Pot in the World"!
"That's quite arrogant."
"Let's have dinner here later. Didn't Yun Xiyan say that delicious food isn't found in those luxurious restaurants, but in streets like this."
"good!"
Dong Shulan was very curious. If there was the second best pot in the world, then where was the best pot in the world?
The carriage moved slowly on the crowded street. Not long after, Ning Siyan returned to their carriage and took them through two streets and alleys to an inn that was secluded but elegant.
Fu Xiaoguan got off the carriage and stared at the door lintel of the inn for a moment - the evening bell! The name of this inn is the Evening Bell Inn, which has a literary feel. I guess it means that you can hear the evening bell of Nanping Temple from here.
Following Fu Xiaoguan's instructions, Ning Siyan did not book the inn. He asked for five upper rooms and went to the second floor in the backyard under the guidance of the proprietress.
This place is next to Qushui River. With the windows open, you can hear the gurgling sound of the river and the cool breeze. It's very nice.
After settling down simply, Fu Xiaoguan and Dong Shulan took a bath, changed into plain linen clothes, and went out with a group of people.
It was already dark, but there were more people on the street.
There were gorgeous young ladies, and there were also young men wearing white shirts and waving folding fans with a few servants.
The shops on both sides are full of goods, including gold shops, rouge and powder shops, silk shops, ready-made clothing shops, and so on.
The group looked around casually and unknowingly arrived at the Second Hot Pot in the World.
There are still many guests inside.
Ning Siyan walked in first and looked around cautiously, "Boss, please give us a private room."
The middle-aged shopkeeper said quickly, "Sir, this is unfortunate. There are no private rooms available at this time. How about... the six of you sit in the lobby or wait a while?"
Ning Siyan was about to speak when Fu Xiaoguan waved his hand and said in a friendly tone, "Then sit in the lobby."
"Okay, I'll arrange it right away."
Fu Xiaoguan and his party, led by a waiter, sat down by the window. The waiter took the rag from his shoulder, wiped the table, and asked with a smile, "What would you like to eat, gentlemen?"
"What's the second best thing in the world?"
"Are you from out of town, sir? You've come to the right place. Our soup, the second best in the world, is famous in Wuyuan Prefecture. It's made with Qushui fish head and Nanping duck, simmered over low heat for three full hours... Let me tell you, these Qushui fish and Nanping duck are both from Nanping's evening bells, and they're both incredibly spiritual and exquisite ingredients. Not even the emperor of Guanyun City can afford to eat them, except here!"
Fu Xiaoguan laughed, "What the emperor wants to eat is just a matter of imperial decree, right?"
"My lord, you might not know this, but this Qushui fish can't be transported to Guanyun City. If we use other fish, the taste will be different. Tell me, even the emperor can't eat it?"
"That makes sense. Let's try a pot of this stuff... By the way, one pot of this stuff won't fill you up, right?"
"Guests can order side dishes, such as Nanping duck blood, Nanping tofu, and Nanping fragrant pork."
It was no different from the soup pot in his previous life. Fu Xiaoguan quickly ordered the dishes, picked up the teacup and took a sip. Then he heard a diner who looked like a businessman next door saying excitedly:
"You bunch of frogs in the well, I admit that Nanping County is good, and I also admit that the current Siyang County cannot be compared with Nanping County, but...!"
The man raised his hand and said, "What you don't know is that within two years, Siyang County will be as prosperous as Nanping County!"
"Old Xu, what did you see when you went to Siyang County?"
The man called Lao Xu chuckled, "I saw our emperor!"
Fu Xiaoguan was startled, and then he saw Old Xu slyly saying, "It's no secret that the emperor went to Siyang County. When I first got the news, I was in Jinghua Prefecture importing silk. And then the Sima family's head shopkeeper went to Siyang County. I thought there must be a big business opportunity, so I followed him."
"In just one month, it's become impossible to find a room in an inn in Siyang County! You have no idea how many merchants have gone there!"
Someone asked in surprise, "Wait, wait, wait, you said you saw our emperor? What did he do in Siyang County?"
"How would I know? But the Emperor wrote two poems in Siyang County, and I'm afraid they will be passed on soon."
"By the way, our emperor is the best writer in the world. What kind of poetry did he write?"
The man called Old Xu cleared his throat twice and said, "Listen carefully..."
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