Chapter 27 The Salt Shop Owner
"These three dishes, one soup, and rice cost one hundred and twenty coins."
After the waiter finished speaking, Gu Xiyue thought about it and felt that the price was a little expensive, but within an acceptable range.
But if you add salt, this table of food becomes ridiculously expensive.
"When we eat at your restaurant on weekdays, we're never charged separately for salt. Logically, if the food you serve doesn't have salt, we don't have to pay for it. If there's no salt in the dish, can it still be called a dish?"
The waiter felt embarrassed by the question, but he still said, "There's nothing we can do about it. Even if Madam Gu eats elsewhere, salt will still be charged separately. Please understand. After all, it's not easy to buy salt these days."
Gu Xiyue smiled and said, "In that case, we don't need the salt. We can just eat it plain. It's fine."
The waiter looked at Gu Xiyue and the other two strangely, with an embarrassed look on his face. He greeted them twice and left. On the way out, he glanced at Gu Xiyue several times, wondering if she would go back on her word.
Seeing that no one called him in again, he closed the door reluctantly.
As soon as they left, Wei Lin went to guard the door. Meixiang immediately took out the bag from the cupboard and sprinkled a little salt on each dish. Gu Xiyue stirred it slowly.
Meixiang put the bundle into the cabinet, turned around and found Wei Lin leaning against the door listening to the sounds outside.
After a while, Wei Lin came back and sat down, his face understanding as he said, "No wonder the waiter looked unhappy when he left. I just heard him telling another waiter that today's commission was gone again. He also said that this was the first time he had seen anyone eat without salt."
Gu Xiyue laughed. She had never thought that one day she would eat rice without salt and still be charged as usual.
The food with salt tasted pretty good. The three of them didn't waste any food and ate it all up. When the waiter came up to collect the plates, his eyes widened.
After dinner, Wei Lin took the sea salt with him and went out with Gu Xiyue and Meixiang.
The purpose of their trip this time was to find a market for the sea salt. This thing could not be lost, so except for sleeping time, Wei Lin would carry it with him wherever he went.
The three of them went all the way to the salt shop. Although the people they met along the way were much better off than the people in Jingquan Village, they all had tired expressions on their faces. Most of the topics they talked about revolved around wheat and salt. It seemed that not only the people in Jingquan Village were not well fed, but the people in Xifeng Town were not much better off.
There are very few shops on the street, occasionally a blacksmith shop, a clothing store, or other shops that provide daily necessities. Most of the houses on the street are empty, and the scene is desolate.
After crossing three streets, I saw many people queuing from afar.
As expected, there is a salt shop there.
Gu Xiyue walked forward. The woman at the end of the line saw that another person was lining up, so she hurried to follow the person in front of her, fearing that someone would cut in front of her.
Gu Xiyue silently followed in line, paying close attention to the conversation between the people in front.
"If I don't buy a pound of salt today, the price will probably go up again tomorrow."
"Yes, yesterday it was one liang per catty, but today it's one liang and five qian. So tomorrow it's going to be two liang per catty!"
"Alas! I finally saved a tael of silver in a year, but I can't even afford a pound of salt!"
"Yes, last year the harvest was good, and my husband would go out to do carpentry work in his free time, so we could still have some money left over at the end of the year. But this year, half of the wheat has rotted in the fields."
"Oh! I don't know if it will be our turn today. I lined up here yesterday, but when I got to the front, there was no one left."
"I heard they only sell 100 kilograms of salt a day, and there are so many people lined up ahead of us. I wonder if there will be any left by the time it's our turn."
"They were just like us, with several people pooling together to buy a pound of salt and sharing it."
“…”
After listening for a while, Gu Xiyue finally understood. This salt shop only sold 100 kilograms of salt every day. The price basically increased once a day, by 5 cents each time, and by one or two taels every two days. Most of the people who bought salt came from several people who bought a kilogram of salt together and then divided it up.
Just as I was thinking about it, I heard shouting and fighting coming from the alley next to me, and a woman's shrill voice came out.
"You bastard, we agreed to split it equally among the five of us. Do you think you're splitting it equally? You took half of it, and we're only getting this little bit. We all paid for it, you bastard! I'm going to strangle you to death!"
Amidst the screams, someone howled, "Pay up! The four of you put in less than 700 coins combined, and I alone put in over 800 coins. I paid most of the money, so giving you half is already very good. If you dare to pinch me, I'll bite your hand off."
The sharp sounds became sharper, and the howling voices became louder. When the five people were fighting, no one in the queue went over to separate them, for fear that their seats would be taken by others as soon as they walked over.
Most people were just watching the joke, wanting to see who would win in the end.
In the end, the salt in the hands of the screaming man was snatched away by the other four people, leaving her with only a handful of salt, and most of the other salt was snatched away and divided by the other four people.
Among the crowd of onlookers, there were many who bought salt together to share. Some were afraid that they would also be robbed, so they asked those who bought salt with them for verbal guarantees.
The scene was noisy. Wei Lin clenched his fists and almost went over to help break up the fight, but was held down by Gu Xiyue.
Gu Xiyue took them directly to the entrance of the salt shop. When the people who were queuing in front to buy salt saw the three of them standing at the door, they all looked alert, glared at them coldly, and asked them to go away.
The two men selling salt had unfriendly faces, and there were three big men standing next to them with fierce looks on their faces.
Gu Xiyue understood at a glance that the salt shop owner was not here. She turned sideways and asked Wei Lin, "Is there no way to find out where the salt shop owner is?"
Wei Lin nodded and said, "Miss and Meixiang, please wait over there. I'll be right back."
After saying that, he turned and walked into the alley next to him. Gu Xiyue and Meixiang retreated to the other side of the alley to wait for him.
After about an incense stick of time, Wei Lin appeared at the entrance of the alley. When he came up, he said with a smile, "Okay, we found his residence. I'll take you there now."
The salt shop owner lived in the alley behind. Gu Xiyue followed Wei Lin through two alleys and finally stopped in front of a tall courtyard. On the door plaque were two large gold-plated characters: "Sun's House".
This house is obviously the residence of a rich person.
There were two guards with swords guarding the door. When they saw the three of them coming, the guards stood in front of the door with a vigilant look on their faces.
"What can I do for you three? My master is not at home. Please come back another day if you need anything."
"Really?" Wei Lin stepped forward. "I just saw your master entertaining guests in the front hall. How could he not be home?"
The two guards looked at each other.
Just now?
They didn't see this man coming in or out just now, so how could they see their master receiving guests in the front hall!
Gu Xiyue stepped forward and said with a bow, "We are not here to cause trouble. We really have something important to discuss with your master. Please inform him!"
The guards saw that Gu Xiyue really didn't want to cause trouble, and she was followed by guards and maids, so she must be a person of status.
The two men couldn't help but hesitate for a moment. Just as they were about to ask, the door opened from the inside, and they saw a middle-aged man with a round face and a big belly bowing to a tall man.
"Then I won't see you off. Take care, Brother Zhou!"
The tall man responded politely, and the moment he turned around, Gu Xiyue and Meixiang looked at each other with confusion in their eyes.
This tall man looks very familiar, and is not unlike the owner of Tongfu Inn, except that he looks younger and has bigger eyes than Owner Zhou.
If things go as expected, this tall man must be a brother of Shopkeeper Zhou. The big-bellied man just now called him Brother Zhou.
When the tall man came out, his eyes slowly swept over Gu Xiyue and the others, and finally stayed on her for a long time before leaving.
Gu Xiyue felt uncomfortable when he looked at her. She always felt that there was something wrong with this person, but she couldn't tell what was wrong specifically.
The big-bellied man was the salt shop owner, Sun. Seeing three people standing at the door, he frowned and was about to close the door when two guards hurried over and whispered something in his ear.
After listening to this, Boss Sun glanced at Gu Xiyue, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Please ask that lady to come in. The others, please wait outside."
Wei Lin and Mei Xiang became anxious after hearing this, and they took a step forward and followed Gu Xiyue closely.
"Miss, no!"
Gu Xiyue turned to look at the two of them, stopped them with his eyes, and then saluted Boss Sun with a smile, "My last name is Gu, then I won't be polite and bother Boss Sun."
As he spoke, he walked forward with a steady gait and graceful manners, without a trace of timidity on his face.
After Gu Xiyue went in, the guard closed the door behind her.
Boss Sun looked her up and down, his gaze finally lingering on her face with regret, and even his tone was filled with regret, "If Madam Gu were a little more beautiful, she could be called a stunning beauty!"
Gu Xiyue quickly said, "Boss Sun, you're too polite. Boss Sun has a full forehead and a wealthy figure. You can tell at a glance that he's a wealthy and powerful man!"
Boss Sun felt very comfortable with the compliment and couldn't help but laugh twice. He raised his hand and said, "Mrs. Gu, please take a seat."
After Gu Xiyue sat down as instructed, Boss Sun asked the servants to serve tea.
The maid quickly brought the tea. Gu Xiyue politely picked it up, swept the leaves on the water with the lid of the bowl, took a symbolic sip, and nodded. "Boss Sun really knows how to enjoy life. This pre-rain Longjing tea is hard to come by now. It's not easy for the rich or noble to even get their hands on it. But Boss Sun uses it to treat a guest like me. It's really flattering."
Boss Sun looked surprised, "I didn't expect Madam Gu to be someone who understands tea."
Gu Xiyue smiled amiably, "I only have a basic understanding."
Boss Sun straightened up slightly and got straight to the point, "My guard just said you had something important to discuss with me. May I ask what it is?"
Boss Sun looked at Gu Xiyue with great interest. Her facial features were too outstanding. The only flaw was that her skin was a little yellow and there were a few black moles on her face. However, the small piece of skin exposed on her neck was shiny white.
She's a woman, and judging by her figure, she's still a girl. I wonder how capable she is. How dare she talk to me about something? Could it be that she wants to...
Boss Sun's eyes turned obscene for a moment.
"I heard that the higher-ups stopped supplying salt because several surrounding areas didn't turn in their grain. Mr. Sun, if your store is sold out of salt, do you have other ways to get it?"
After saying this, Gu Xiyue stared at Boss Sun's face, observing his expression.
His expression suddenly changed, then returned to normal. He sat up straight as if to hide his feelings, and his face immediately turned into a sad and miserable look.
"Alas! Madam Gu, you don't know! There are less than 200 kilograms of salt left in my shop. It will be gone in the next two days. I feel so sorry for the people in Xifeng Town!"
Gu Xiyue knew that the conversation could not continue.
Boss Sun, seeing that she was a woman, didn't take it seriously at all and obviously lied. When he heard that she was asking about salt, his expression immediately changed, as if he was hiding something.
Somehow, Gu Xiyue suddenly thought of the tall man who had just left and the hundreds of bags of salt that Wei Lin found in the backyard of Tongfu Inn.
"In that case, I'll take my leave now. I apologize for disturbing you this time, Boss Sun!"
After Gu Xiyue finished speaking, he immediately stood up and bowed to Boss Sun.
Boss Sun was puzzled to see that she was about to leave, but since she refused to say anything else, he could only stand up and see her off.
At this moment, a young woman ran out from behind the screen. She had a melon-shaped face and looked charming. She was wearing a tube top dress, with a large area of her neck exposed, which was dazzlingly white.
She looked like she was dressed up carefully, with the hairpins on her bun swaying and shining.
"Brother, where is my brother Zhou? Didn't I ask him to wait for me for a while? Why did you let him go?"
Boss Sun had to put on a smile and said, "Hey, little sister, stop making trouble. He's busy now and will come pick you up when he's done."
"real!"
After Sun Xiaomei finished speaking, she turned to look at Gu Xiyue. At first, when she saw her from behind, she looked angry, but when she turned to look at her face, she covered her mouth and laughed.
"Brother, who is this? She looks like a beauty from the back, but scary from the front."
Boss Sun hurriedly urged her to go back and told her not to run around.
Sun Xiaomei went back happily. Before leaving, she looked at Gu Xiyue a few more times.
As soon as she left, Boss Sun hurriedly explained to Gu Xiyue, "Madam Gu, please don't mind. This is my little sister. She has been spoiled and outspoken since she was a child. Please don't take her words to heart."
"No problem!"
Gu Xiyue answered very straightforwardly.
When she reached the door, she thought for a moment, then stopped and turned around.
"By the way, Mr. Sun, are you going to raise the price of salt again tomorrow? You only have a little over 200 kilograms of salt left. Don't miss this chance to make a fortune. After the day after tomorrow, there will be no salt left!"
What he meant was that if the salt shop was still open after the day after tomorrow, he was lying.
Boss Sun was stunned, his face suddenly turned pale, and then his expression turned cold, "These are my shop's affairs, and have nothing to do with Madam Gu."
"That's natural."
Gu Xiyue replied with a smile.
As soon as he went out, his face turned cold.
Meixiang saw the young lady coming out and hurried over to greet her. She looked her up and down and said in shock, "Young lady, you have been in there for a long time and have not come out. I am worried. If anything happens to you, I will not be able to live anymore."
"Look how worried you are! I'm fine!" Gu Xiyue smiled and comforted her. He looked around and asked in confusion, "Where's Wei Lin?"
Just as he finished speaking, a figure rushed to his side, which scared Gu Xiyue. When he looked closely, it was Wei Lin.
"Where have you been?"
Wei Lin smiled and pointed.
Gu Xiyue turned her head along his hand and saw the big tree on the left. The trunk was smooth and as thick as a bucket. The tree was about three or four stories tall, with lush branches and leaves.
She asked uncertainly, "Did you come down from the tree?"
Wei Lin nodded and said, "I have to protect the young lady, otherwise I won't be able to report back."
Gu Xiyue was speechless, nodded at him, and finally said cautiously: "Be careful next time."
Although he had kung fu skills, the tree was bare and not easy to climb, and it would be dangerous if he was discovered.
If she could have seen Wei Lin flying down directly from the treetop, she probably wouldn't have said that.
Meixiang saw it and wanted to tell the young lady, but when she saw the young lady instructing Wei Lin like this, she smiled and did not make any excuses.
Wei Lin scratched his head and agreed obediently.
"Let's go to the government office and take a look."
The three of them went directly to the county government office, but found that it was closed and there was not even a guard at the door. Wei Lin went up and knocked on the door. After a long time, the door opened a crack. A white-haired old man stuck his head out and looked at them a few times with sleepy eyes.
"Don't you know the county magistrate has been dismissed? Why are you still knocking on my door?"
"When did this happen?"
"He was just taken away the day before yesterday. Many people know about it."
"What about the others?"
Since the county magistrate is not here, there must be someone else in charge.
Wei Lin took the opportunity to take a look inside and found that the furnishings were in a mess, as if it had been robbed.
The old man sighed and waved him off. "Young man, if you have anything to do, please wait. We don't know when the new county magistrate will arrive. If there is no other way, go find Mr. Sun from the salt shop and ask him to take over as the temporary county magistrate."
After saying that, he closed the door from the inside.
Gu Xiyue heard everything he said. In this way, the entire Xifeng Town would be under the control of Boss Sun.
Considering the tall man who looked like Shopkeeper Zhou and how cordial he was with Boss Sun, I always felt that there was some sort of connection between them.
"Let's go back to the inn and talk."
Gu Xiyue knew that there was no hope if he continued searching, so he could only return to the inn.
It was already past 3 p.m. and almost time for dinner. When the three of them were returning, they passed by the salt shop and saw that it was closed, but there were still people queuing at the door. Gu Xiyue went up and asked one of the ladies.
The old lady said with a worried look on her face, "There's nothing I can do. If I don't wait here, I won't be able to buy salt tomorrow."
We're going to spend the night here.
"Girl, you can't wait here. Let your man come. You're so young, it's not safe to queue here. Unlike me, no one cares about you."
Gu Xiyue sighed and left.
The three of them were looking for a place to eat. They finally found a noodle stall, but the three tables were empty and no one was eating. When the three of them came, the stall owner said with embarrassment: "My three guests, we have no salt now, so we can only make rice noodles. Do you mind?"
"How much is a bowl of Jiangshui noodles?"
"Twenty cents." The noodle stall owner said hesitantly.
Normally, a bowl of noodles costs only seven or eight cents, but now it has been forced to rise to twenty cents.
"Then give me three bowls. We don't mind."
After Gu Xiyue finished speaking, she took the lead and sat down at a table against the wall.
This side is closer to the stove, so you can talk to the boss.
"Boss, I want to ask you something."
Gu Xiyue spoke in a gentle tone and looked around at the deserted shops.
"Sir, feel free to ask."
Steam rose from the pot, and the boss skillfully cut the noodles into strips and put them in.
"I see a lot of shops in West Wind Town are empty. Has it always been like this, or is it just recently?"
The shop owner glanced at Gu Xiyue and said self-deprecatingly, "Sir, you don't know that our Dayu Dynasty has been emphasizing culture and agriculture over commerce in recent years. Everyone says that doing business is a shameful path. Most people have gone back to farming and studying. Small noodle stalls like ours are looked down upon."
After saying that, he smiled and said, "To make a living, there is no other way. Otherwise, who would be willing to do this small business?"
Noodle stall owners in remote areas all say this, which shows how much business is despised in the capital.
Thinking of this, Gu Xiyue admired Xiao Heng for daring to propose the idea of giving equal importance to literature and commerce in front of all the civil and military officials.
The rice noodles were ready, and each person had a big bowl. Gu Xiyue took a bite and found it sour and salty, and quite refreshing.
She nodded to the noodle stall owner and said, "Jiangshui noodles are good. Business people provide convenience to everyone. It will definitely get better in the future."
"Besides, you make a living by your own cooking skills, without stealing or robbing, there's nothing shameful about it!"
The noodle stall owner chuckled after hearing this, as if it was the first time he heard someone praise him for making a living by his cooking skills, and he felt a little embarrassed.
After finishing the meal, Gu Xiyue took out the money and gave it to the boss. After the boss took it, he looked around and whispered, "You guests don't look like they are from Xifeng Town. I advise you three to stay indoors as it's getting late. Xifeng Town has been uneasy these days, so it's better to be careful."
“Thanks for the reminder, boss!”
After Gu Xiyue finished speaking, he took out another twenty coins and handed them over, "Be careful too!"
The noodle stall owner was a little surprised, but when he realized what was happening, he quickly pushed her hand away and said, "Thank you, sir. It's not easy for everyone. No need."
Seeing that he refused to accept the money, Gu Xiyue put it on the table next to her and turned away.
Seeing this, the noodle stall owner had no choice but to collect the money and warned them behind him: "Remember, sir, don't go out at night!"
Wei Lin bowed to him from behind and quickly caught up with Gu Xiyue.
After returning to the inn, the waiter came running over and asked, "Madam Gu, you're back! Dinner is ready. Do you want it sent upstairs?"
Gu Xiyue stopped and asked, "What's for dinner?"
"Jiangshui noodles."
"How much is a bowl? Is the salt extra?"
The waiter looked embarrassed and shook his head, saying, "No, no, there's salt in the rice noodle soup. This is the price for a bowl of noodles."
As he said this, he stretched out a palm.
Gu Xiyue took a look and asked with a smile, "Five cents?"
The waiter had a frustrated expression and said with a smile, "It's not five cents, it's fifty cents."
Gu Xiyue blinked and said with a smile: "No, you can keep it for yourselves, we are not hungry."
The waiter said disappointedly, "Madam Gu, you have to eat dinner. You will feel uncomfortable if you don't eat."
Gu Xiyue ignored him and went straight upstairs.
Meixiang glanced at the waiter from behind with a cold face, "A bowl of rice noodle soup costs fifty cents. We can't make ends meet!"
The waiter was stunned by the words and stood there, muttering to himself, "No salt for lunch, no dinner, why should I stay in a hotel when I'm so poor? I have money for a carriage but no money for food!"
After saying this, he turned around and saw a woman dressed like a maid coming in. She looked like a servant of a wealthy family, so he quickly went up to her and asked, "Sir, are you staying at the hotel or having a meal?"
The woman was in her forties and came in angrily, "I don't live in this hotel, and I don't eat there either. I'm looking for your boss, Mr. Zhou. Come out!"
Shopkeeper Zhou ran out from the back with a smile on his face and hurriedly greeted him, "Sir, is there any misunderstanding? I don't know you at all. Why do you seem to be here seeking revenge?"
The woman was visibly taken aback when she saw Shopkeeper Zhou. "Are you Shopkeeper Zhou Changming?"
Shopkeeper Zhou breathed a sigh of relief and waved his hand, saying, "No, no, Zhou Changming is my cousin. He's not here. What do you want from him?"
"Your cousin! Great! Let your brother come out! Your brother colluded with our concubine to get rid of our old lady, and now he's hiding like a coward..."
There was constant shouting and cursing downstairs. Gu Xiyue, who had just reached the second floor, paused and listened carefully to the conversation below.
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