Chapter 123 Why do you have a token?
Soft-shelled turtles have good meanings in the local area and are a good omen.
County Magistrate Song didn't quite believe this and planned to give the turtle to Governor Gu.
But Governor Gu refused, saying that he should not snatch the prize away from the younger generation.
In the afternoon, Governor Gu and County Magistrate Song packed up their fishing rods and returned to the city. After entering the city, they went their separate ways home.
Governor Gu and his entourage carried a basket of fish and happily returned to enjoy the fish feast.
County Magistrate Song and his servant carried the fish basket and walked towards the Black Mountain Restaurant in the county town.
The servant asked, "Sir, are we not going back?"
County Magistrate Song smiled and said, "The turtle cooked by my cook at home is not fresh enough. This turtle will be delicious only if we ask the chef from the Black Mountain Restaurant to cook it."
In addition to his pursuit of government affairs, County Magistrate Song also has some pursuit of food.
However, he was not looking for luxurious delicacies, he just wanted the chef to make simple dishes taste better.
After eating shepherd's purse dumplings in Liangmin Village two years ago, although he did not bring any wild vegetables from the mountains, he went to buy wild shepherd's purse after returning to the county and ate shepherd's purse soup for several days in a row.
The cooking skills of the Black Mountain Restaurant are the best in the county. County Magistrate Song plans to ask the restaurant's chef to cook the soft-shelled turtle, and then order a few side dishes and two taels of wine for himself, which will surely make him enjoy the meal.
Today, Governor Gu said that we should maintain a balance between relaxation and tension, so he should relax now.
The Black Mountain Restaurant in the county was much busier than the branch at the foot of Black Bandit Mountain. When County Magistrate Song arrived, there were no private rooms left.
"Sir Song! It feels like a long time since we last met. Your presence in our shop truly makes it shine!"
Old Xu, who was in the mood for acting, came up to me with a smile, but then his expression changed to a gloomy apology.
"It's a pity that the private rooms are full."
"How about I ask the kitchen to prepare the soft-shelled turtle and send it to your residence?"
County Magistrate Song didn't care much: "It's okay, just find a quiet place in the lobby."
"Okay, Sir Song, please come this way," Old Xu personally led the person to a corner of the lobby, "It's quiet here."
"Thank you."
After County Magistrate Song sat down, he ordered a few side dishes and some drinks.
After a while, he saw the shopkeeper, Old Xu, carrying a large screen over and using it to enclose his seat in the corner.
"I'll put this up for you, sir. Isn't it almost like a private room?"
"We at Black Mountain Restaurant will definitely serve our guests well."
"Look, how quiet it is..."
No matter how many times County Magistrate Song came, he would feel Old Xu's overwhelming enthusiasm.
Originally, he wanted to have a low-key meal, but when Old Xu walked to the corner carrying a large screen, he attracted a lot of people's attention.
It seemed like there was no meal in that corner, but something mysterious was going on.
County Magistrate Song: "...Sorry to bother Manager Xu."
Old Xu still felt it wasn't enough: "Master Song, I'll go get two more lamps and a vase, and I guarantee this will be..."
County Magistrate Song hurriedly stopped him and said, "No need! Please, Manager Xu, go to the kitchen and hurry up to serve the dishes."
Rejected, Old Xu walked away from behind the screen with a reflective look on his face.
He felt that he must not be hospitable enough, which made County Magistrate Song so restrained.
No, no, he has to be more proactive next time.
Village Chief Hao said that we must make guests feel at home!
Old Xu looked upstairs.
Well, Village Chief Hao and his family are sitting in the private room upstairs now.
Second floor, the No. 1 private room.
Hao Ren, Wu Yingniang, Su Zhizhi, Xue Che and Murong Di sat around the table eating.
Murong Di stayed in the mountains for a month and had not come down yet.
He mentioned that he wanted to go down the mountain to take a look.
Su Zhizhi also wanted to visit the county town and meet her former classmates and teachers.
Hao Ren and Wu Yingniang both kept the children's thoughts in mind.
They had dealt with the matters of Minghe, Mingshui and others two days ago. Now that they had some free time, they brought their three children down the mountain.
Just in case, they also asked Qiu Jinyu to help Murong Di change his appearance.
Murong Di told Hao Ren about County Magistrate Song.
Hao Ren felt it was time to bring County Magistrate Song into their camp:
"The assassins from a few days ago were sent by He Tingfang. Although they were targeting Heishan Bu and Heishan Mo by mistake, if things continue like this, He Tingfang will soon become suspicious. We need someone in the officialdom to cover for us."
Murong Di: "But I wonder if Song Ping still remembers the kindness the Pei family showed him back then."
Hao Ren: "Let's try to find out what he's saying."
Su Zhizhi was listening to what was going on between the He and Song families while eating a bowl of white rice, but out of the corner of her eye she saw someone selling candy figures downstairs through the window.
Her eyes sparkled:
"There's a sugar man! And it's in the shape of a monkey."
Wu Yingniang was not accommodating: "You can buy it after you finish your meal."
Su Zhizhi looked at Hao Ren.
Hao Ren: "Don't look at me, your mother has the final say on this matter."
Su Zhizhi acted coquettishly: "Mom, after dinner, the candy seller will leave."
As a friendly force, Xue Che spoke up for Su Zhizhi: "Aunt Ying, Zhizhi has a good appetite, so eating candy won't interfere with her meals."
Murong Di stood up and smiled: "I'll go buy some candy for Zhizhi and Ache. I'll keep it and give it to them after they finish their meal."
Seeing Murong Di say this, Wu Yingniang decided not to spoil the children's fun and took out a few copper coins:
"Go ahead, buy three and one for yourself."
Su Zhizhi wanted to go with him: "I'm going with my brother. He has never bought anything before."
Wu Yingniang: "Go ahead, go ahead."
Murong Di and Su Zhizhi went downstairs together.
Xue Che lay by the window facing the street, watching to see if Su Zhizhi was cheating.
Su Zhizhi walked out of the restaurant and stood on tiptoe pointing at the sugar man stuck on the straw target:
"Boss, I want a monkey one, a rabbit one, and a pig one."
Then she said loudly and confidently: "My brother pays."
The vendor thought the little girl was amusing and teased her, saying, "Oh, your brother really loves you."
Murong Di smiled and poked the flower bud bun on Su Zhizhi's head with his finger, then paid the money to the vendor.
Murong Di took Su Zhizhi back to the restaurant with three sugar figures in his hands.
There were many people at the door, and Murong Di was bumped by someone next to him, and the sugar man in his hand almost fell.
The person next to him turned around and glanced at Murong Di.
Murong Di's hand holding the sugar man froze for a moment.
The people who came were none other than Eunuch Xiao and the palace maid Hu Xin!
This was the first time I had seen them since getting rid of them in the chaos a month ago.
Eunuch Xiao and Hu Xin did not recognize Murong Di in disguise, so they walked into the restaurant and found an empty seat to sit down.
Murong Di pursed his lips and handed the candy in his hand to Su Zhizhi:
"Zhizhi, take the candy and go upstairs first. I have something else to do."
He quickened his pace and hid behind the screen next to Eunuch Xiao's table.
"Brother, are we playing hide-and-seek?" A low child's voice sounded from behind.
Murong Di turned around and found that Su Zhizhi had also followed in, moving clumsily and with a mysterious look on her face.
Murong Di whispered, "We're not playing. Go back first."
Su Zhizhi didn't go out, and instead walked around Murong Di and said hello to County Magistrate Song who was eating in the back:
"Why is County Magistrate Song hiding here?"
County Magistrate Song, who was happily chewing on a turtle shell, said:
County Magistrate Song was having a good meal when he suddenly saw two figures coming in. He hadn't even asked what was going on.
"Yes, Zhizhi. I came to your restaurant to eat today. I'm not hiding here, I'm sitting here."
County Magistrate Song put down the turtle shell and wiped his mouth and hands with a handkerchief.
When Murong Di heard Su Zhizhi calling County Magistrate Song, he subconsciously looked back and called out:
"County Magistrate Song."
County Magistrate Song nodded in response.
Murong Di wanted to hear what Eunuch Xiao and Hu Xin were talking about, but after listening for a while, the two men just ate in silence without saying anything.
The only time they spoke was when they were ordering, and they asked the waiter:
"Have you ever seen a young man, about twelve or thirteen years old, with a Chang'an accent?"
The waiter said no, and the two stopped talking.
The other side.
Behind the screen.
County Magistrate Song looked at the young boy who was eavesdropping on the screen.
County Magistrate Song also heard the questions from the next table.
Twelve or thirteen years old, with a Chang'an accent, a young man.
All meet the requirements.
County Magistrate Song suspected that this was a child who had a quarrel with his family and ran away from home.
"Zhizhi, who is he?"
Su Zhizhi sat next to County Magistrate Song, holding a candy figure and saying, "He's my cousin."
County Magistrate Song was surprised: "Where did it come from?"
Su Zhizhi: "I picked it up at the foot of the mountain."
County Magistrate Song felt that he had made up his mind. He stood up and tried to persuade the young man:
"you--"
Murong Di turned around.
The words that were about to come to Magistrate Song's throat got stuck, and the ginger foam in his mouth choked him and made him cough several times.
“Cough cough cough… cough cough…”
He coughed so hard that his face and neck turned red, but he held Murong Di's hand tightly and asked in a hoarse voice:
"You...why do you have my Song family's keepsake?"
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