She's shameless.
Zhao Changheng was not embarrassed.
It's a miracle that I, the Emperor, would dine at your restaurant; it's a blessing from your ancestors.
He Youyou waved to the waiter without changing her expression and said, "Bring another pot of Shaoxing wine, hurry up."
Seeing that she had no intention of ordering more dishes, the waiter reluctantly went to place the order with the kitchen.
After the waiter left, He Youyou glanced around the street.
That one glance revealed a new continent.
"Hey, Ali, look! There's a tofu pudding vendor on the street!" He Youyou pointed out the window.
Ahri glanced in the direction she was pointing.
"Does Mother want to eat?"
"I want to eat it, I want to eat it."
Ah Li smiled and said, "Alright, Mother, please sit for a moment. I'll go down and buy it."
Then he asked Zhao Changheng and Zhao Wenyi, "Would Uncle Huang and the young master like to eat?"
Zhao Changheng smiled slightly: "Have a bowl."
Zhao Wenyi: Me too.
Ah Li agreed and went downstairs.
After about half an incense stick's time, Ah Li returned carrying a tray.
Four bowls of fragrant tofu pudding were placed on the tray.
Ali first served two bowls to Zhao Changheng and his son, then served one bowl to He Youyou, and finally took her own bowl.
But they didn't start eating right away.
First, I respectfully introduced the origin of this tofu pudding to everyone.
"Uncle Huang, Mother, the owner of this tofu pudding stall is from Jeju Island. The local tofu pudding is smooth, white, and tender, with a slightly stronger seasoning. In addition to the common condiments, they also add a special chive blossom sauce."
He Youyou scooped up a spoonful and tasted it: "It also has sesame oil, not bad, not bad."
“Yes.” Ali then said to He Youyou, “Mother, the stall owner said that there are five tofu pudding stalls in these streets nearby, all run by people from Jeju. Soybeans are abundant in the area, and every family knows how to make tofu.”
He Youyou stopped eating with her spoon.
Why are there so many Jeju people around here?
Ahri had anticipated that she would ask such a question.
She smiled slightly and said, "When I learned of this, I was also very puzzled. Our Da Gan has always been very strict in managing household registration, especially for farmers. Unless there are special circumstances, the local authorities strictly restrict their families from migrating to prevent them from using this as an excuse to evade land taxes and poll taxes. Large-scale migration is even more difficult."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Changheng couldn't help but glance at him again.
This young boy, at such a young age, has such a meticulous mind; it is truly remarkable.
"Could it be because of the disaster that they became refugees?" He Youyou guessed.
“Mother guessed correctly. The stall owner came to the capital from Jeju this summer. He said that Jeju was flooded and the land yielded no harvest. He had no money to pay taxes to the government, so he had to sell the land to someone else and flee to the capital with his whole family to do some small business to make a living.”
"Oh, Ah Li, what do you think?" He Youyou looked at Ah Li's expression and sensed that he had something else to say.
Ah Li pondered for a moment and said, “Mother, I have read the ‘Geography of Da Gan’. In Jeju, although there is a Ji River, there is no fertile land on both sides of the river due to the terrain. Several years ago, the government allocated funds to build water conservancy projects in Jeju and dug canals to bring the Ji River into the farmland, which enabled irrigation with the Ji River. There are ways to cut off the canals where they connect to the Ji River, so it is impossible for the farmland to be easily flooded.”
He Youyou put down her spoon: "Could it be... that there was a torrential downpour this summer?"
Ali shook his head: "I just asked the stall owner, and he said there haven't been any heavy rains this summer. The amount of rainfall this year is about the same as in previous years, or even a little less."
That's strange.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Changheng's expression faltered slightly: "This summer, I did hear that Jizhou reported a disaster, and the capital's defense office also reported that Jizhou refugees had come to the capital to make a living. However, the imperial court has already issued an edict granting Jizhou a one-year tax exemption. How could anyone be forced to sell their land because of taxes?"
He Youyou smiled slightly.
"It seems there's something fishy going on here."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
