Just as Zhao Xian was having a good time teasing Xiao Hei, Li Guang and Zhao Xiaosheng returned.
"Brother Zhao, Sister Xiaoxiao said you'd be having lunch here. If I'd known you were coming, I would have cooked a few more dishes," Li Guang said.
"I'm not an outsider, there's no need to be so polite. I see there's plenty of food on the table, enough for four people."
The group chatted as they sat down and began to eat.
"Brother Zhao is coming over at noon, there must be something going on," Li Guang asked.
"There is indeed something to discuss. Last time, His Majesty bestowed many fine gifts upon us, including ten sets of the Four Treasures of the Study. Since they were gifts from His Majesty, they are considered extremely precious."
This morning I went to Master Lin and Mr. Fang's school and gave each of them a set of the Four Treasures of the Study. They both liked them very much. I also brought a set with me, which is for you.
You are very knowledgeable and your calligraphy is excellent. I still remember you writing the four characters "Patriotism and Serving the People" last time. You have a strong sense of patriotism. I hope you will continue to study hard and serve the country better in the future.
"Thank you, Brother Zhao. I know what to do now. The environment here at the farm is excellent. I can farm and learn at the same time. I won't let you down, Brother Zhao."
Li Guang stood up, took the writing implements from Zhao Xian, and his face was full of joy.
"In a few days, I'm going to Qing'an Prefecture, where a crab food festival will be held. You all need to be careful here at the farm. At night, only Da Niu will be with you. It feels like there are too few people. Should we arrange for a few guards to stay here tonight?"
“Brother Zhao, this is unnecessary. The two mountain bears come here every night. They are already familiar with my and Da Niu's scent. Adding other people would make them uneasy.”
As the old Taoist priest said before, the two mountain bears here are a great protector for me. They will only leave when Xiao Hei grows up. Just imagine, if there's a mountain bear in the farm, who would dare to come in?
Zhao Xian nodded. It seemed that the farm was safer than he had imagined. Moreover, with Chen Daniu there at night, he didn't have to worry at all.
Two days before the food festival, Zhao Xian had Zhao Cheng drive him to Qing'an Prefecture. Instead of going to the restaurant first, he went directly to the residence.
As soon as Zhao Xian entered the courtyard, a servant came to greet him.
"Master has arrived. Please come inside and rest."
Zhao Xian nodded and went inside.
Hearing the servant's voice, Yang Ruotong put down her work and walked towards Zhao Xian with a smile.
"My husband is here. It's been a long time."
"Ruotong, you've worked hard. Liu Xuan should be at the restaurant most of the time, and there are many things at home that you need to take care of."
"Liu Xuan has arranged things at home in an orderly manner. Currently, there are eight people producing kimchi and five people producing preserved eggs. Both productions have designated specific people in charge."
In addition, Liu Xuan arranged for two people to be in charge of sales and delivery. The preserved eggs and pickled vegetables were not only supplied to Qinghe Restaurant, but also to some other restaurants and inns.
With increasing demand, Liu Xuan plans to expand production. However, her original house is no longer sufficient, so she plans to rent a house nearby specifically for kimchi production, thus allowing for larger-scale operations.
"That's a great idea! It's very thoughtful. It seems Liu Xuan really has a knack for business," Zhao Xian said excitedly.
"Liu Xuan has hired another person to cook at home. She has been learning to cook at a restaurant for the past few days and has probably learned enough to be able to come back as a head chef."
Yang Ruotong's words made Zhao Xian look at Liu Xuan with new eyes. He realized that bringing Liu Xuan to Qing'an Prefecture was the right decision. She was indeed a genius in business and management.
Suddenly, Zhao Xian remembered something and asked:
Where is your brother Yang Hong now? Have you seen him?
Yang Ruotong shook her head and sighed, "More than ten days ago, he came to Qing'an Prefecture. I don't know how he found this place. I hate this brother to the core, so I didn't pay much attention to him."
Later, I heard from Xiaoshan that he wanted to manage the restaurant, which made me so angry that I had a fight with him and told him to go home immediately and not stay here. He left the next morning. I heard that he borrowed fifty taels of silver from Manager Lu when he left.
I know he wouldn't do anything good with so much money, but there's nothing I can do. More than ten days have passed, and I still don't know where he is. One thing is for sure: he definitely hasn't gone home.
Zhao Xian nodded and said, "You don't need to worry too much about this. Although Yang Hong is wicked, he's not stupid. Hopefully, he can change his ways someday."
Yang Ruotong sighed; it seemed this was the only way.
Two days later, the Crab Food Festival was held as scheduled. The event was held in a square next to the food street, where Qinghe Restaurant had already set up rows of temporary stalls.
Considering that this was the first food festival held in Qing'an Prefecture, the prefectural government attached great importance to it and arranged for some officials to maintain order at the scene.
At the entrance of the square, everyone can receive three meal tickets. People can use the tickets to enjoy food for free. One meal ticket can be used to sample one dish, and three meal tickets can be used to sample three different dishes for free at the food festival.
According to regulations, the free tasting is only available for half a day, and quantities are limited, so it's first come, first served.
Even before the food festival officially started, the entrance was already packed with people. With the sound of a gong, the first Qing'an Prefecture Crab Food Festival officially began.
Those who received the meal tickets rushed inside. Each stall had several large basins filled with brightly colored and fragrant crab delicacies.
Before being made into a delicacy, the crabs are quite frightening, but once cooked, they have a completely different flavor. Looking at their bright orange shells and the crab roe and paste peeking out from under the shells, along with that irresistible aroma, everyone's mouth waters.
There are more than 20 varieties of dishes made with crabs, with flavors including spicy, hot and spicy, braised, stewed, and marinated. Three meal tickets can only be used to taste three flavors of the dishes. If you want to try other flavors, you have to pay extra.
People were already eager to try it out, and since food was available at all the stalls, there was no need to queue.
To prepare this delicacy, the crabs are first cut in half, which helps them absorb the flavors better during cooking. Each serving of this free-to-try dish contains only two and a half crabs.
"Please don't push. Once you have your food, move to the side and don't bother others." The constables began to maintain order at the scene.
The organizers made simple trays out of lotus leaves and placed the free food samples on them. People who received the food quickly left and found a place to enjoy it.
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