They ran until it got dark, and only when the faint light of the fire at Suijin Pass appeared ahead did they stop.
Abu rode alone to knock on the door.
Qiao San was tied to the horse and bounced around all day, nearly fainting and dying several times. Only now did he wake up, muttering and groaning, "If I had known it would be this hard, I would have preferred to die on the grassland!"
He was not dead, of course. He stayed at Baolinju until dawn, and after receiving the travel permit issued by Mayor Zhang, he quietly left.
He didn't meet with the townspeople, afraid of being asked where the others were and how they had managed all these years.
Upon seeing that someone had returned alive from the Di tribe, and that her own son might still be alive, Yunniang fainted from crying but quickly rallied. She resolved to live a good life and save money to buy her son back.
Han Ming got Song Zhenping drunk. As long as he was alive, his guilt and pain disappeared.
Seeing Yunniang crying, Yuquan, who had never been to the Wu Dynasty before, also started to cry.
She had heard Granny Qi say that the Uda tribe used to be a lively community of several hundred people.
But in just a few days, the tribe was destroyed, and less than a hundred people were able to escape to Xiashi Pass with the lady.
Even now, every year when the first snow falls in winter, the women in the tribe sit together and sing and cry for several days.
Yunniang initially harbored resentment upon hearing that Yuquan was a Di girl.
It's clear that after she cried, and then heard that all the men in Yuquan's family had died in battle, she couldn't bring herself to hate them anymore.
Two women, sharing the same plight, embraced and wept bitterly.
The people of the Wu Dynasty and the Di people hated those ruthless, murderous thugs who sought wealth and committed murder the most.
The next day, Song Liyun, who had been on a six-day leave, left Yuquan at home and took only Zhao Tingduo to Qili County.
As soon as she entered Tianxiang Tower, she sensed something was wrong.
Even though it wasn't lunchtime yet, the restaurant was incredibly quiet!
Lin Tao frowned as he worked on the abacus, while Zhou Xiang and two guards sat at the table, chins propped up, lost in thought.
Wearing a red silk sash, Sun Wencheng absentmindedly wiped the dust off the counter with a handkerchief, his eyes gazing longingly outside.
When he saw Song Liyun, he immediately exclaimed, "Manager Song is cured!"
"Manager Song is here!"
"Manager Song is here!"
With a whoosh, not only the waiters in the lobby gathered around, but even Zhou Sizhu, Juan Niang, and several kitchen helpers came out.
After exchanging greetings with Zhao Tingduo, Zhou Xiang pushed Sun Wencheng and the others aside and yelled, "Get to work! Don't just stand around!"
Lin Tao also had a lot to say, so he asked Song Liyun to go upstairs to the private room to talk.
Looking at the empty lobby, Song Liyun also had something to say.
So Zhou Sizhu, Zhou Xiang, and Lin Tao followed them up to the second floor.
Before Song Liyun could speak, Zhou Xiang interjected, "Miss Song, is your method feasible? Several restaurants have already started selling barbecue skewers!"
Lin Tao said with a worried look, "Yesterday's turnover... was only thirteen taels! At today's rate, I'm afraid we won't even have five taels!"
Zhou Sizhu kept a straight face and didn't say a word. He had been launching new dishes for the past two days, and although the customers said they were good, they couldn't become an instant hit.
After they finished speaking, Song Liyun looked at everyone's gloomy and dejected expressions and said, "You were all fine before you left. What exactly happened? You should explain it clearly first!"
Although there were rumors in the city before she left, the business of Tianxianglou was not greatly affected, and its turnover did not drop from seventy or eighty taels of silver to ten taels.
When she mentioned this, Zhou Xiang and the others realized that Song Liyun had been gone for six days and knew nothing about what had happened in the city recently. So they quickly took turns telling her the whole story.
Originally, when the rumors first started that Tianxianglou's barbecue skills were derived from a master's apprenticeship, many people in Qili County did not believe it.
Anyone who has eaten roasted lamb chops and kebabs knows that kebabs have a richer flavor, with both spiciness and numbing sensation.
Starting three days ago, Jinxilou suddenly launched its own barbecue skewers, and even followed the example of Tianxianglou when it opened, placing the grill outside the shop for people to sample for free.
It's also spicy, but the numbing sensation is mixed with a bitter taste, which is usually undetectable to most people.
In addition to offering free grilled skewers outside, Jinxilou has come up with a ruthless trick: simply say "This is the authentic Gaochu grilled skewers" and you can enjoy half-price grilled lamb chops and other dishes and drinks inside the restaurant.
Jinxilou is one of the top restaurants in Qili County, with a great reputation. This price reduction attracted almost everyone to go there.
Regardless of whether it tastes good or not, the price is definitely tempting.
As a result, many families who had planned to host a banquet came to Jinxilou for a meal.
It's half price here, and you can get the same grilled skewers as "Tianxianglou" – a win-win situation.
"So, by offering a half-price deal at Jinxilou, all the customers at Tianxianglou have been drawn away?" Song Liyun tapped the table lightly with her index finger.
"No, it's not just Jinxilou, Zuichunlou, Heji Restaurant and several others started giving away kebabs and offering half-price dishes yesterday!" Lin Tao's eyebrows were almost knitted together.
"Oh! They've joined forces! Don't worry, our previous plans will proceed as scheduled."
Song Liyun comforted everyone.
Although Song Liyun had planned ahead, the participation of several families from Zuichunlou was somewhat unexpected, which made Zhou Xiang and his group lose their composure.
However, such half-price offers require real money to achieve, and no one can sustain that for more than a few days.
Before the apocalypse, various marketing tactics emerged one after another. As long as the price returned to normal, a few customers could still be retained, which still depended on the quality of the ingredients.
Now, let those few companies run rampant for a while longer.
After making arrangements, Sun Wencheng and his men ran to the shop entrance to hawk their wares and attract customers.
On Thursday, Zhou Zhu also went back to the kitchen to prepare dishes.
Seeing that the atmosphere at Tianxiang Tower was a bit oppressive, Song Liyun tried to make conversation by asking some questions that would cheer everyone up: "Brother Zhou, Brother Lin, I heard that your wives are on their way? Do you want to rest for a few days to prepare for your new home? Is there anything you need? I'll ask my brother to get it for you."
Now that the autumn harvest has ended in various places, family members who want to visit their relatives in the military camps have begun packing their bags.
Luo Baihu also leveled a large area of residential land and, with the same spirit he had shown last year when repairing the garrison, led several hundred people to build houses.
This year is different. The taxes from various prefectures in Yunzhou only need to be reported to the Ministry of Revenue first, and then transferred to the Zhenbei Army as military pay.
In addition, with the gradual receipt of previously owed provisions, Suijinwei is no longer in dire straits, and the project is progressing rapidly.
Zhou Xianglin and Tao smiled when they heard about An Jia.
Zhou Xiang said, "I'm not in a hurry. I'll wait a month before my family comes to visit."
A few days ago, Zhou Xiang received a letter from home saying that his whole family was coming.
The grain has been stored in the granary, but the livestock such as chickens, ducks, and pigs cannot be disposed of for the time being. The old mother wants to wait another month until the pigs are fattened up before slaughtering them, as the weather is cold and the meat will be stored away.
Lin Tao's family consists of only his wife and child, and they should arrive in three days.
Now the brothers from the garrison are helping to prepare the house. He only needs to wait for his wife to arrive and then buy some pots and pans. These things can be bought in Suijin Town, and it will be done in no time.
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