Chapter 154: Jingniang’s Restaurant

Zhang Huan and Pei Mingyuan rode slowly on Zhuque Street. More than a dozen guards followed behind from afar, watching the surrounding situation vigilantly. It was lunch time, and the streets were crowded and very lively. Only two hours had passed before entering the city, and the sunlight was still shining gently on his body and in front of him. However, Zhang Huan felt as if after a few days, everything had become unreal.

When he first arrived in Chang'an, he had a lot of things to do. He wanted to meet Li Mi and the others, he wanted to visit his mother, and he had to find a way to meet Cui Ning, but after too much, he lost his mind. Pei Mingyuan didn't care about so much and took him to drink without saying a word. Zhang Huan thought that he had nothing to do, so he agreed.

The two walked along Zhuque Street. Seeing that the Zhuque Gate in front was visible from afar, there were tall walls on both sides, so where was there a restaurant? After walking for a quarter of an hour, Pei Mingyuan kept saying that he was just here and there! But judging from his posture, the road was still endless. I am afraid that when he really got to the place, he should have supper.

Sure enough, the two of them had been to Danfeng Gate of Daming Palace for another quarter of an hour. The restaurant he was going to was gone was gone. Zhang Huan couldn't bear it and smiled and suggested, "Mingyuan, why don't we go to Dongshi! There are many restaurants there, and there is a lot of room for choice. After drinking, I can also go to Yongjiafang."

Pei Mingyuan smiled bitterly and said, "Actually, I don't want to go there either. I have to travel through most of Chang'an to have lunch every day, but I can't feel at ease if I don't go. I let the servants take care of me, and there is no fun. Alas! It's all my fault that Chu Wei took me there a month ago and killed me!"

Zhang Huan was even more confused, "Can you explain it clearly and feel assured of anything? Why did you kill you again?"

"You will know when you go." Pei Mingyuan smiled mysteriously, "It is the most famous restaurant in Chang'an, especially in the officialdom. Even Cui Xiangguo has to go there for lunch every day."

When the two entered Guangzhaifang, Zhang Huan suddenly had a strong premonition. Pei Mingyuan said that it would not be Jingniang's restaurant! But the more he thought so, the answer seemed to be closer. Sure enough, the two entered Guangzhaifang for about a mile. Pei Mingyuan pointed to Jingniang's restaurant and said, "It's there when it's here!"

It is the fourth day of the first lunar month, and all the officials are still on vacation. Most of the restaurants doing business in Guangzhaifang that do the official business are neglected in front of the door. Occasionally, some people living in the shop brought relatives from other places to Beijing to show off in a restaurant.

Only Jingniang Restaurant has the best business. From a distance, he heard noisy laughter from the restaurant. When he walked closer, he saw a three-meter-high flagpole carrying a huge flag with four big words "Work and Farm the People" written on it. It seemed to be Cui Yuan's handwriting. More than a dozen carriages were parked next to the gate, and two of them had nearly a hundred guards standing with their hands on their hands, and no one was allowed to approach the carriage.

On the other side of the gate were seven or eight beautiful lascivies, but their dress was very strange, wearing bamboo hats, straw raincoats, and holding a long embroidered hoe in their hands, just like an old farmer who returned from farming.

Before Zhang Huan asked Pei Mingyuan, one of the petite Hu Ji smiled and greeted her. She held Pei Mingyuan's arm affectionately and said in a sweet voice: "Young Master Pei doesn't come again, I'm going to water you."

"How are they? Did the snow last night crush them? I was worried all night."

Pei Mingyuan asked hurriedly, walking quickly to the restaurant while asking, and walked faster and faster. Finally, he jogged and left Hu Ji far behind. Hu Ji couldn't keep up. She turned her eyes and glanced at Zhang Huan. Seeing that although he was wearing an ordinary robe, he was in a good manner. There were more than a dozen soldiers behind him. He was probably also a potential guest. He smiled and walked up to Zhang Huan and whispered: "I still have a good piece of land in my hand, right next to Mr. Jiang from the Ministry of Rites. If you want, I will sell it to you at a cheap price. The original price is 1,000 guan. I only have 850 guan. I guarantee that you can say a few words to Mr. Jiang every noon. It's a rare opportunity!"

"Let me see it before talking!" Zhang Huan smiled.

Hu Ji led him to a flower garden and came to the back of the store. Zhang Huan still remembered that there were more than ten acres of wasteland behind. He bought it together when he bought the restaurant. It was close to a small river, bare and without any vitality, but the scene in front of him completely changed. He saw a huge water truck built by the river. There were more than one hundred exquisite small buckets next to the water truck. More than a dozen acres of wasteland were already crisscrossed with fields, and more than two hundred wheat fields of average size were surrounded by wooden fences. Each wheat field was about half the size of a land, and was covered with green winter wheat. More than twenty people were working in the wheat fields.

"Hey! After a month, the leaves have turned yellow." A man stood up from the wheat field next to Zhang Huan. He held a hoe in one hand and a leaf in the other, and frowned and murmured to himself.

When Zhang Huan saw that he was wearing a straw hat and a straw raincoat, he looked like an old farmer, but when he saw his face, he was stunned. Isn’t this the Minister of Rites Jiang Huan, who just broke up in Longyou not long ago?

"Mr. Jiang, is this your wheat field?" Zhang Huan asked in surprise.

Jiang Huan also saw him and couldn't help but smile: "So it's Governor Zhang, why have you returned to Chang'an?"

"I'm back to report my work."

Zhang Huan walked up and saw that the wheat fields in front of him were planted with wheat, and a thin layer of snow was covered with. He couldn't help but smile and said, "Mr. Jiang is so elegant!"

Jiang Huan waved his hand and said, "This is nothing. You can't go home every day at noon, so you come here to have a meal and play with it. It's so fun."

He pointed to an old farmer busying in the field not far away and smiled: "Did you see that? That is the Minister of Personnel, Yangcui. The heavy snow had overwhelmed his wheat seedlings a lot two days ago. I was feeling distressed!"

Only then did Zhang Huan understand Jingniang's business methods, and she couldn't help but secretly admire her. She let the important officials of the court come here to farm in their spare time. This not only won the reputation of being a farmer, but also found the interest in farming. It can be said that they kill two birds with one stone. In order to have the opportunity to get close to the important officials, those low-ranking officials will naturally come to the restaurant for lunch. The business will of course be prosperous, so they can only sell a thousand guan for half of the land.

At this time, Hu Ji next to her heard that Zhang Huan was a governor and was not an official in the capital, so she naturally didn't buy land. She suddenly became bored and turned around and was about to leave. However, Zhang Huan stopped her, "I'm here to drink. Take me to find a room first, and then let Mr. Pei come to find me later."

After saying that, he bowed to Jiang Huan, "Mr. I'm busy, I'll go first."

Jiang Huan smiled and nodded, bent down to work on his wheat fields again.

It was afternoon at this time. Most of the people in the restaurant had lunch and checked out, leaving many rooms empty, but the most luxurious elegant room on the third floor was closely guarded by soldiers and no one was allowed to go up.

"Who is on it?" Zhang Huan pointed to the guards and asked.

Hu Ji glanced at him and whispered in a low voice: "That's Choi Koo upstairs."

Zhang Huan nodded, turned around, and came to the other end of the second floor. Soon he found a elegant room by the window. After sitting down, he immediately took out a famous sting and handed it to Hu Ji, "Let the girl Jing come to see me!"

Seeing that he called his boss his name, Hu Ji didn't dare to neglect him, so she hurriedly walked away in panic with the famous thorn. Soon, the sound of rapid footsteps came from outside the door, and Jing Niang's white skin flashed on the pane. She pushed open the door and a gust of fragrant wind blew into her face.

Zhang Huan just stood up, and the excited girl Jing threw herself into his arms. After not seeing her for several months, her temperament became more noble, her skin became whiter and more delicate, and her whole body exuded a unique charm of a mature woman, bright and radiant. Zhang Huan felt her moving body and gently stroked her plump shoulders and smiled: "I didn't expect that in just two months, you will run the restaurant in a colorful way. You are truly a business genius."

A hint of redness flew across the face of Jing Niang. She left Zhang Huan's arms embarrassedly, gently tucked her somewhat messy clouds, and smiled: "I have to thank Li Fanyun, and it was her suggestion to the Queen Mother that Cui Prime Minister and several other important officials came to farm first and slowly attracted other officials. Otherwise, how could I have the ability to attract these ministers and ministers?"

"Although this is the case, you have a great idea." Zhang Huan sat down and asked, "What are the regular guests who come to your place to drink? I mean, the important officials with status in the court."

Jing Niang lowered her head and thought, "Like the Minister of Personnel, the Minister of Rites, Jiang Huan, the Minister of the Taifu Temple, Yang Yan, and some other Shaoqings, doctors, etc., and Cui Xiangguo and Wang Shangshu will come every few days."

Zhang Huan suddenly interrupted her, "Do they always come together?"

"Yes! They come together every time. They are now upstairs and never let outsiders in. Even their personal guards take the food in. Even I have never been in."

At this time, Zhang Huan gradually had a thought, if he could turn this restaurant into his own.

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, but he was not sure about the relationship between Jingniang and Cui Xiaofu, so he did not dare to speak up easily. This matter must be discussed for a long time.

He changed the subject and laughed, "What about you? Have you ever thought about getting married again?"

Jing Niang gave him a charming look, bit her lips gently and said, "I like someone, but he never takes me to heart, but just sympathizes with me. I have the intention to marry him, but I am afraid that he will not marry him."

Zhang Huan smiled, "If you get too close, you will be stabbed by wild flowers, but if you get too far, you can't see its lovely place. The distance is not far or near, but it is the most beautiful. Who said this? I forgot?"

Jing Niang trembled all over with a smile. She took a wine glass and put it on Zhang Huanman. Her plump body leaned against him, and her red little mouth blew in his ears, saying, "Jing Niang will never belong to anyone, but she likes you very much. If you want, you can pick this wild flower at any time."

Zhang Huan reached out to her shoulder, drank the wine, and smiled faintly, "But I, Zhang Huan, never pick a flower that does not belong to me!"

He poured himself another glass of wine, held it in his hand and walked towards the door. When he walked to the door, he turned around and smiled at the surprised girl, Jing Niang, and said, "When one day you belong to me, I will taste your flower well. Now I will go to pay tribute to Cui Xiangguo and talk to him about his daughter's marriage."
Chapter completed!