Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 384: The Guilty Peddler
When Zhang Shou, with the personal farewell of Shopkeeper Hua, left Hua's silk shop and got on his horse, he walked a short distance along Jile Street, where he had walked that day, when he heard Ah Liu's voice behind him: "Are you going to the cloth shop owned by the man from Songjiang?"
Zhang Shou looked back and saw that Peanut looked confused. He obviously didn't understand what Liu said. He thought for a moment and said with a smile, "I won't go... Peanut, this time you, the local tyrant, go and ask about the price. Ask how much cloth is shipped from Songjiang to his cloth shop every month, how much can be sold every month, and what the price is..."
Xiao Huasheng hurriedly tried to write down every question Zhang Shou asked. After he had memorized them one by one, he asked hesitantly, "But what if they refuse to tell me, or kick me out?"
This time, he didn't hear Zhang Shou speak, but heard Ah Liu laugh. Now, let alone saying that he was not stupid, even if he was stupid, he knew that he was probably wrong.
Zhang Shou laughed even more and said, "Look at the silk clothes you are wearing now. People will always give you some respect at first sight. Besides, just now Manager Hua made a scene by tying up a swindler and sending him to the county government office. I'm afraid there are many pairs of eyes watching him near his door. They must have seen him personally escort us out. Otherwise, I could have gone there instead of sending you."
"No, no, I'm happy to be sent!" Peanut quickly explained, and then added, "I was just worried that the cloth shop owner from Songjiang was snobbish and forgot that I'm different now! I'm running errands for you!"
As he spoke, he held his head high, shook the reins and rode towards the cloth shop. But before he had ridden his horse a few steps, he heard Ah Liu's faint voice behind him: "I said once is new, twice is familiar, right? Master, look, Xiao Huasheng can ride a horse. Which shop owner would treat a young man who looks clean and fresh, wearing a silk robe and riding a tall horse, with a clean appearance, with poor service?"
Peanut's body froze, and he almost lost his grip on the reins. Then he heard Zhang Shou's laughter: "You are gloating, aren't you? Peanut is smart, and riding a horse is something he is very good at. As for judging people by their clothes, it's inevitable for everyone in the world. You rarely talk so much, are you worried that he will be bullied?"
Hearing Ah Liu fall silent, realizing that he was actually concerned about him, Peanut felt an indescribable surge of energy and spirit, and suddenly felt refreshed. Thinking that he was riding a royal horse, he was even less afraid, and actually followed Ah Liu's instructions before, gently squeezing the horse's belly and speeding up.
Seeing him go to do things with great vigor, Zhang Shou couldn't help but smile. Seeing that Ah Liu really just stopped and watched, and didn't follow him, he deliberately asked: "Are you really relieved?"
Ah Liu hummed softly, and then said seriously: "If jade is not polished, it will not become a useful object."
Zhang Shou was almost choked by Ah Liu's cold joke, but then he heard Ah Liu's soft voice: "By the way, that day the young master deliberately spoke to Cao Wu from Shunhe Escort Agency. Did he want him to spread the news or not?"
Seeing that Xiao Huasheng had dismounted and entered the cloth shop beside the road, Zhang Shou did not answer, but turned his horse around and headed back to the county government office to see what happened to Bi Shiye, who was sent there by Manager Hua. He did not speak until he left Jile Street, which was busy during the day and all other places were open except for the brothels.
"In fact, it doesn't matter what he does. If he spreads rumors outside, then this person either likes to guess other people's intentions, or likes to make a small profit by taking advantage of a small opportunity, or is born with a big mouth. If he keeps his mouth shut, then at least it proves that he is stable and reliable. As for if he can do something while keeping his mouth shut, then it is worth looking at with new eyes."
Ah Liu did not ask Zhang Shou what he expected the other party to do. Anyway, as long as he confirmed that Cao Wu was harmless and not someone to be wary of, that was enough. In areas other than ensuring Zhang Shou's safety and comfort, he never liked to show his presence.
Sure enough, as he walked, he found that the task in his area of comfort had come. Because Zhang Shou suddenly asked: "The rice noodle chef you found that day, according to the county government's small kitchen, went back after making that meal. I almost forgot to ask you, where did he come from?"
Ah Liu's face, which was indifferent most of the time, suddenly showed a smile: "It's by the Cangzhou Canal Wharf. It is said that many merchants from the south like this... Do you want to go and have a look now?"
Zhang Shou immediately laughed. Compared with delicious food, enemies are nothing! Moreover, it was probably only Mr. Huang who regarded him as an enemy unilaterally. He didn't regard the guy who was kicked off the mountain by Zhu Ying as an onion at all. As for the Bi Shiye that Xiaohuasheng had mentioned indignantly, he was actually not very interested.
So he nodded happily and said, "Of course I have to go and have a look. Speaking of which, I have already arrived in Cangzhou, but I haven't been to the canal wharf yet!"
Although he had previously lingered in Jile Street in Cangzhou City, which was known for its prosperity and wealth, Zhang Shou now followed Ah Liu out of the west gate of Cangzhou City and arrived at the canal dock outside the city. He saw tall masts and long oars, and large and small ships parked on both sides of the river. At first glance, he didn't know how many shops were squeezed into this area from the east bank to the west wall of the city. There were crowds of people, and he felt that this place was more prosperous than Jile Street.
"Locals call this Chengxiang Wharf. There are many merchants and restaurants here. You can find all kinds of snacks here." Ah Liu was always very patient in front of Zhang Shou. He pointed to the wine flag not far away and said, "The wine there is also very famous. I heard that it was recommended by my great grandfather himself."
Zhang Shou finally couldn't help but complain: "This was also pointed out by Grandpa Taizu, and that was also taught by Grandpa Taizu... If Grandpa Taizu knew about this in the afterlife, would he think that he was too busy?"
Having said that, he has always felt that the title "Grandpa Taizu" sounded very rustic... but in fact, this is how the emperor has always been addressed in the Daming Palace. In the early years, shouts of "Long Live Grandpa" could be heard everywhere, and among the people, most people called him "Grandpa Taizu", "Grandpa Yingzong", "Grandpa Ruizong", "The Current Long Live Grandpa" and so on.
As for the current emperor, who ascended the throne at a young age, it is said that he was unhappy being called old at such a young age, so he strictly prohibited the use of the word "grandfather". As a result, he became the only emperor in the history of the Ming Dynasty who was not called "grandfather".
At this time, Ah Liu didn't know that Zhang Shou was mumbling not only that his great grandfather was busy, but also the title of great grandfather. He shrugged innocently, and then said seriously: "In fact, the rice noodle chef I brought back to the county government also insisted that it was his great grandfather who taught his ancestors how to make it."
Zhang Shou was almost stunned when he heard this. However, what stunned him even more was Ah Liu's next sentence: "In short, if you want to attract business, you use the name of your great grandfather; if you want to show off your family background, you use the name of your great grandfather; if you want to make friends, you can also use the name of your great grandfather... Therefore, the great grandfather is the support of the people of the Ming Dynasty from their daily work to their business outside."
Very good...very powerful! To have reached the level of Taizu, even if there is no news after going out to sea, it is really worth it! Moreover, from the various information learned from Lao Xianyu, Taizu went out to sea not to conquer America, but to investigate and transplant the food crops and cash crops that are unique to America, otherwise there would not be so many names passed down. For this reason, this predecessor is worthy of admiration!
Since Zhang Shou was not interested in the so-called good wines, Ah Liu took him straight to the rice noodle stall. According to him, unlike the crowded shops between the west city wall and the canal, the rice noodle stall was a genuine small business, selling goods on a cart by the canal. As for the high-end chicken soup...haha, of course it didn't exist.
Merchants or boatmen traveling on the canal just want to eat the flavors of home. Who needs to be so particular? Boil water to make the soup base, then drain the rice noodles and put them in . The seasoning is based on bamboo shoots, black fungus and other side dishes and condiments. If the guests need, of course, you can also add minced meat and shredded meat for seasoning.
As for beef...even if there was no imperial ban, a small business would definitely not be able to afford it!
When Zhang Shou followed Ah Liu through the narrow but crowded streets, and finally arrived at the canal, he saw that apart from the boats that almost filled up half of the river, there were countless vendors selling candied dates, various fruits and snacks, and special thirst-quenching drinks. The hawking sounds were enough to deafen people's ears!
Fortunately, there was an old horse named Ah Liu who knew the way nearby. He followed the others and soon saw a man with a white turban pushing a cart and hawking in front of a canal boat. However, Ah Liu just called out, and the man looked back, and then he immediately ran away with his cart as if he had seen the god of plague.
Seeing Ah Liu jump off the horse and run after him without hesitation, Zhang Shou couldn't help but feel full of doubts.
Could it be that he didn't pay the person who cooked for him the day before? No way, Ah Liu has never been a bully!
While he was thinking, Ah Liu had already moved quickly and grabbed the man with the white turban and came back. Seeing the man pushing the cart, looking dejected, and the other vendors just looking at him, no one came to help him, not even to ask, he asked: "Ah Liu, what did you do? Why do people run away when they see you?"
Ah Liu glanced at the man in the white turban nonchalantly, then let go of his hand and said in a deep voice: "If you want to run, try it."
Hearing the hidden meaning, the man in the white turban could only lower his head with a bitter face, but suddenly raised his head and glanced at Zhang Shou. Seeing that the young man was looking at him with a smile, he remembered the rumors that he was kind-hearted, so he mustered up the courage to say: "I was just confused before... I just stole the bottle of chili seasoning, really, I didn't take anything else!"
When Zhang Shou heard someone say that he was confused for a moment, he knew that this guy must have some leverage in Ah Liu's hands. When he heard that someone actually took away a bottle of chili peppers, he couldn't help but feel angry and amused. This guy had a good eye and knew that the bottle of chili peppers was a good thing!
He deliberately frowned and asked, "So you stole things from the county government without asking for permission. No wonder you ran away out of guilt... Let me ask you, could it be that Ah Liu invited you over before and didn't pay you?"
"Yes, he did!" the man in the white turban said dejectedly, "He only gave me 300 coins, but I wasted the whole afternoon and evening doing this business with him, and I didn't do any other business."
Zhang Shou didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He pointed at Ah Liu and said with a smile, "Ah Liu, you only paid 300 coins to invite someone here. Aren't you a little too stingy?"
Ah Liu glanced at the dirty fellow impatiently and said calmly, "Not only did I give him 300 coins, but the chicken soup was also ready-made in the county government kitchen. I also gave him 10 eggs and a bag of rice. He only sells 20 coins for a bowl of rice noodles at the dock, and he can't sell dozens of bowls in an afternoon and a night. What's more, he only makes one bowl, how much does it cost?"
Seeing that the man with the white turban had a very pitiful face, he glared at him fiercely and said, "Master, you have worked hard to earn your money! You stole something and you think you are right?"
The man in the white turban was frightened by Ah Liu's sharp eyes and was so silent that his knees weakened and he almost wanted to kneel down. But if he really did this in public, he would have no business in the future. So he had to abandon his cart that he depended on for survival and went to Zhang Shouma to beg: "Dr. Zhang, please be magnanimous and spare me, who is obsessed with evil..."
Before he could finish his words, Zhang Shou laughed and said, "It's not difficult to let you go. Just return the things you stole."
This was originally a simple request, but the man in the white turban not only did not feel relieved, but his head drooped even more. He muttered quietly: "I just thought that this seasoning has a unique taste, so I brought it back out of greed. I added some to the soup these two days, and the business was very good. All of it was used up. Just today, someone came to ask... I can't make it up!"
He had just finished his pitiful words when Ah Liu said quietly, "You should know the price of Southeast Asian spices like pepper."
When the man in the white turban mentioned Southeast Asian spices, his head dropped even lower. Although the maritime trade in this dynasty was prosperous, the prices of spices such as pepper and nutmeg were not high and well-off families could afford them, but they were definitely not something that a small business like his could afford.
It can be seen that he had never heard of that chili before, and it must have just been brought from overseas, and the price must be very high! For example, Sichuan pepper, which is mainly produced in Sichuan and only differs from chili by one word, is also very expensive. Although he prepared a little bit for some merchants with heavy tastes, it was only a little bit, and he had to pay for it!
He couldn't even stand up straight, and cried, "I was wrong. I'll do anything to make up for it. But my small business doesn't make a profit in a month, so I can't afford it."
Although Zhang Shou hated this kind of petty theft, he couldn't help but laugh when he saw Ah Liu trying to scare people. He glanced at the boy and saw that he looked calm. He thought that Ah Liu just wanted to teach him a lesson. But at this moment, he suddenly heard a commotion not far away, followed by an angry shout.
"The order of stopping and starting ships is determined by the Water Affairs Bureau. Why do you want to be first? You don't follow the rules? I will beat you to death!"
