YM778.TV Chapter 198
Having not eaten anything the night before, I had somehow slept until dawn.
Upon waking, my stomach growled with hunger.
Inspector He pressed down on the mattress, only to discover that it was both soft and firm, quite ingeniously designed. Upon waking, he realized his back no longer ached, his shoulders felt lighter, and his entire body was comfortable. He suddenly felt that the weather was splendid.
At a thousand taels per night, it was like sleeping on gold.
He went to the washroom to freshen up. Watching the hot water flow steadily from the copper pipes as he opened the tap, he thought again that charging a thousand taels was indeed extravagant.
After washing up, he had his page boy pack up all the items they could take with them.
No shame in that.
After all, he had paid for it, and nobody\'s money grows on trees.
He wasn\'t even sure if this night\'s stay could be reimbursed.
By rights, it shouldn\'t be like this. How could the Jingzhou government be so insensitive? He had arrived and stayed for a night, having to pay for his own lodging, and no one had come to receive him?
"My lord, for breakfast, Steward Lin says they can send it to your room, or you can eat in their main hall. Would you like them to send it up, or would you prefer to go out to eat?" asked the page boy.
"We\'ll go out to eat, of course."
He had come here to experience the local customs and practices. (He wanted to see if there were any other poor fools like him.)
Ji Zi, the page boy, felt somewhat reluctant. In a room costing a thousand taels a night, every moment spent inside felt like making money, and every step outside felt like a loss.
With that much money, one could buy a whole courtyard house in a small town, yet here they were only staying until noon.
When they arrived at the breakfast area, Ji Zi was once again dazzled.
There was such an abundance of food.
Inspector He frowned slightly.
It was too wasteful.
How could one eat so much for breakfast?
The waiters, both male and female, allowed guests to either serve themselves or have the staff assist them.
Upon entering, a waiter would ask what tea you\'d like and serve you a cup first.
There was also their steward.
Steward Lin led them to their seats.
He served tea to Inspector He first.
"Master Su, what would you like? We can fetch it for you, or you can help yourself."
"A bowl of noodles, please. I\'d like something hot."
Steward Lin quickly brought the noodles.
The noodles had a fragrant aroma, and the soup was rich in flavor.
It was an ordinary bowl of noodles, but the soup had been seasoned with something that made it the most delicious taste he had ever experienced.
Meanwhile, Ji Zi, upon hearing that everything was free, took a lot of food.
He looked exactly like someone who had never seen the world.
However, every guest did the same, with those who didn\'t take much being the minority.
After finishing a bowl of noodles, he didn\'t feel full because the bowl was quite small. Instead, it had whetted his appetite.
Perhaps this was to encourage guests to try various dishes.
For Inspector He, as a lord, the feeling of serving himself was quite novel.
He noticed that all the guests here helped themselves, taking whatever caught their eye.
He decided not to stand on ceremony either.
He planned to get some fruit.
When he reached the fruit section, he found peaches and plums that were out of season, looking fresh and appetizing.
This seemed like a magical place.
Many things here defied reason.
Spending a thousand taels to broaden one\'s horizons didn\'t seem like such a bad deal after all.
In just a short while, many guests had arrived one after another.
Old Wu the Third hadn\'t been lying; this expensive inn was indeed attracting so many guests.
Although there were many people, everyone served themselves without causing chaos.
There were even couples dining together.
At the next table was a couple with a young girl.
Their appearances were quite striking.
Inspector He couldn\'t help but glance at them a few times.
Then he ordered another bowl of noodles. As he was adding vinegar, the young girl from the next table approached him:
"Grandpa, are you done with this vinegar bottle? May I use it?"
"I\'m finished, please go ahead."
Inspector He watched as the young girl confidently took the vinegar bottle to her table and poured some into her parents\' bowls.
Then he heard the little girl chattering away.
"You\'re so mean, sneaking out to have fun without me."
"I study so hard."
"Now, I\'m the only one in the family who has to go to school on time every day. How could you bear to do this!"
Hearing the little girl complain about her heavy workload, Inspector He couldn\'t help but chuckle.
He found it both amusing and heartening.
"If you don\'t work hard in your youth, you\'ll regret it when you\'re old. Young lady, having the opportunity to study is not easy to come by."
Inspector He couldn\'t resist interjecting.
Jiang Mianmian looked at the thin old man with a long beard and thinning hair, clearly a scholar, and nodded with tears in her eyes. You scholars know more, so whatever you say must be right.
She just never imagined that in ancient times, she would be able to go to school every day. The thought seemed a bit unreasonable.
Having joined the conversation, Inspector He began chatting with the young couple next to him.
"My name is Su Lin, and my family is in the cloth business. I heard that business is good in Jingzhou, so I came to take a look," Inspector He lied smoothly.
Jiang Changtian from the next table also quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "My name is Su Wen, and I\'m in the medicinal herbs business. I never expected that we would share the same surname. We must have been from the same family 500 years ago. It\'s a pleasure to meet you."
"This is my wife and youngest daughter. My daughter studies at Qiu Academy. We often come to Jingzhou for business. Jingzhou has good public security and a large population. We\'re actually considering moving our entire family here," Jiang Changtian spoke confidently.
Inspector He also seriously engaged in discussing business strategies.
The two men conversed back and forth, eventually sitting at the same table. They talked with great enthusiasm.
They even discussed the possibility of partnering in a business venture to produce scented fabric with medicinal properties.
Ji Zi, the page boy, was lost in his own thoughts, thinking that someone else was about to be fooled by his master.
Qin Luoxia smiled as she watched her husband chat with the stranger, a look of admiration on her face. Her husband seemed so knowledgeable about everything.
She also kept an eye on her daughter eating.
Her daughter was so young and thin, yet she was worried about gaining weight.
Qin Luoxia didn\'t know what was going on in little Mianmian\'s head. Being plump was considered attractive, after all. She felt that no matter how much she fed her daughter, she never seemed to gain weight. With all the delicious food she ate, it was a mystery where the meat was going.
She had no idea that one day she would discover that this little one actually wanted to lose weight.
If she weren\'t older now, Qin Luoxia would have given her a good spanking.
After a long breakfast.
Inspector He, in the cloth business, and Jiang Changtian, in the medicinal herbs business, felt like kindred spirits.
They agreed to chat again when the opportunity arose.
...
When it was time to report for duty at the government office.
Unexpectedly, the two met again.
The old Su who sold cloth was wearing the official robes adorned with peacocks.
The wealthy Su merchant who sold medicine was wearing the official robes adorned with cranes.
Inspector He, dressed in his official robes, looked at Jiang Changtian, also in official robes. The two men smiled at each other: "What a pleasure to meet again."
...