Following Ji Yuan's laughing back, Hu Li suddenly felt that the distance between him and Mr. Ji had shortened a lot, just like his footsteps at this moment. Before, he felt more in awe, but now the sense of intimacy was also increasing.
Moreover, Hu Li felt that even this big man with such a strange name as Jinjia seemed to have changes in his perception of him. Although it was not visible from the outside, it was a subtle feeling of a millimeter.
The market in Luping City has become bustling with peddlers everywhere, and naturally there are also some restaurants and shops open. Lu's shop is one of the time-honored delicatessen shops.
The counter in front of this shop is part of the outer wall. When the shop is open during the day, the movable wooden boards on top are removed to form a large counter facing the street.
There were several large pots in the shop, where some meat was being stewed and marinated. The rising steam mixed with the aroma of the stew drifted across the street, making passers-by salivate.
There was a large grill on one side, with red-hot charcoal and several chickens on it. The fat reflected the smoothness of the charcoal fire. A man, who was wearing very thin clothes in this not-so-warm season, kept turning the roast chicken with a wooden pole with an iron hook.
In front of the stall, a man who looked very similar to the man working inside and was about the same age was shouting loudly.
"Come, come, fresh braised meat. If you're passing by, buy some. It's being cooked and will be ready soon. We also have roast chicken. We use the sauce and marinade from our Lu family's old recipe. It's guaranteed to be tasty!"
"Store owner, give me a roast chicken. I'll come back to get it. Remember to wrap it up." "Okay!"
"Shopkeeper, cut half a pound of braised mutton, cut it thinner."
"No problem, no problem, I can cut it any size!"
The two brothers in the shop are very busy. Sometimes they even exchange work positions. There are many people patronizing the shop, and they can sell some things from time to time.
When Ji Yuan and Hu Li turned into this street, the latter was already pointing at the delicatessen in the distance and said to Ji Yuan.
"Mr. Ji, that's the one. Because it's the best, we come here more often. In the past few months, we've eaten more than ten kilograms of mutton from them, and our favorite roast chicken, we've eaten at least twenty or so..."
Ji Yuan looked at Hu Li and asked.
"You guys have been stealing so many times, so how can it be okay for the store to keep losing things?"
"Oh, that's right. Later, a big black dog was tied up next to the shop. It was really fierce. Because of this, a child who went to steal roast chicken was almost bitten to death by the old black dog. His neck was torn open. If the big black dog hadn't been tied with a chain, the child would never have come back."
When Hu Li said this, his voice was obviously lowered and he looked like he was still frightened. It was obvious that the tragic condition of the fox at that time must have left a deep impression on the group of foxes.
Ji Yuan grinned when he heard this. He had never heard Hu Li and the others talk about this. No wonder their reactions to the dog barking were even more extreme than Hu Yun's. It turned out that they had learned a painful lesson.
Although their steps were similar to those of ordinary people, they had already approached the outside of Lu's shop in a few words. At this moment, the last customer in front of them was leaving with the packaged braised meat, and there was no one in front of the shop.
Seeing a chubby man and a scholar-like person walking towards the shop, a man who was attending to business at the time naturally greeted them.
"Hey, you two, but we need to buy some cooked food before we start cooking. Buy some and try it? I guarantee it tastes good!"
At this time, a big black dog tied to the side of the shop had stood up, looking at Hu Li with a grin.
"Woo...Woo...Woo...Woof..."
"Ouch...Mr. Ji..."
This dog was even bigger than the biggest yellow dog Ji Yuan had ever seen, and its hair was longer than that of ordinary dogs. Hu Li was frightened by the dog and subconsciously hid behind Ji Yuan, which made Ji Yuan laugh and cry.
"What are you afraid of? The dog is still on a chain."
"Oh, yes, yes, yes, sir, don't be afraid, this big black one is very docile, very docile!"
“Woof woof woof… Woof woof woof…”
The big black dog standing by didn't give its owner any face at all, and barked at Hu Li madly. An iron chain had been stretched straight, and it pulled the chain and tried to pounce on Hu Li. The latter had an ugly look on his face, and although he was no longer out of control like before, he obviously didn't dare to come out from behind Ji Yuan.
"Uh, the dog is on a chain. It's on a chain. Dahei, stop barking. Stop barking. Dahei, be obedient!"
“Woo… Woo…”
The big black dog's roaring gradually subsided because of its owner's words, but it still bared its teeth and emitted threatening growls from its throat. Anyone who understands knows that a dog in this state is actually more dangerous than when it is roaring.
It only took a short moment from the shop owner greeting the customers to the dog barking threateningly. At this time, Ji Yuan took a step forward and looked at the old black dog. He didn't say anything, but just smiled and nodded at the big dog.
It's strange to say, the big black dog seemed to have just noticed Ji Yuan's existence. After seeing Ji Yuan's actions, the big black dog's grinning state suddenly improved a lot. After staring at Ji Yuan for a while, it actually sat down aside and there was no sound at all.
"Hey? Sir, you are really amazing, even more capable than my master!"
Ji Yuan looked at the man in the shop and smiled.
"Maybe this big black dog thinks Ji has a kind face. By the way, how much are these roast chicken and braised meat?"
Ji Yuan took a slight breath while speaking, and his index finger twitched as he sniffed the fragrance from the shop. There was no meat from the Lu family shop at the fox banquet that night, probably because there were more big black dogs. But just for the fragrance, he, Ji, had to try it.
"Oh, braised meat is divided into mutton and pork, and into lean meat, tenderloin and shank meat, as well as tails and offal, etc. We have everything that can be eaten from a sheep or a pig in our shop. Different parts have different prices. Generally speaking, pork is about 20 coins per catty, and mutton is about 30 coins per catty. As for roast chicken, it's 25 coins per piece. Well, if it's Dazhen Tongbao, then I'll only charge 20 coins."
The price is actually not cheap, but Ji Yuan has a very sensitive nose and can tell that the braised meat and roast chicken taste absolutely great just by smelling them.
"Okay, boss, please give me two braised pork front legs, including the hoof and shank, and ten pounds of braised lamb chops, um..."
Ji Yuan said as he glanced at the oven over there and continued.
"And there are ten roast chickens in the oven. Take them all. Calculate the total price."
There were two brothers in the Lu family shop. They were both stunned when they heard the words. The one who was preparing the roast chicken also turned around. The two looked at each other, and the one outside asked for confirmation.
"Sir, why are you buying so much?"
"Yes, I'm planning to hold a banquet, so buy more. Don't worry, the store owner won't shortchange you, and there will even be tips."
As Ji Yuan spoke, he looked at Hu Li, who understood what he meant and quickly took out his purse from his arms and took out the silver inside.
Now the two brothers in the shop were happy and nodded in response.
"Hey, okay, I'll take care of it for you two right away. I'll take care of it right away. There are a lot of things. Please wait a moment, second brother, be quick."
"Okay, ten roast chickens!"
This is a big deal. So many were sold before noon. Business is really booming today.
While the two men from the Lu family were busy, Hu Li was swallowing his saliva, while Ji Yuan approached the big black dog tied with an iron chain on the side with a smile. The latter sat there looking at Ji Yuan, sticking out his tongue and snorting, and wagging his tail.
This scene made the eldest brother of the Lu family, who happened to see it, marvel at it.
"Our Daheihe never wags his tail at strangers, but sometimes he gets really fierce when he's in a bad mood. Sir, you're really amazing!"
Ji Yuan nodded to the man and continued to focus his attention on the big black dog. Not only did he move closer, he also reached out to touch it. The big black dog lowered its head on its own initiative and allowed Ji Yuan to stroke its hair. A comfortable expression appeared on the dog's face.
This scene made Hu Li and the eldest brother of the Lu family secretly shocked.
Ji Yuan's pair of gray eyes were not actually a very sophisticated illusion, but just a blind spot. Even ordinary people, if they stared at his eyes carefully, could see that pair of special eyes after a moment. And in the eyes of the big black dog, Ji Yuan's pair of gray eyes were particularly conspicuous.
"What a good dog! What a good dog! He must be quite old now."
Ji Yuan was stroking the black dog. The head of the Lu family heard his words in the shop over there, and thought he was asking them, and answered with a smile.
"Sir, you're right. This Dahei was raised by my grandfather. When he passed away, he asked us to take good care of him. Now, we've had him for at least twenty years!"
"More than 20 years! This is not common in dogs!"
Ji Yuan turned his head and said something to the man from the Lu family, who smiled.
"That's right. Although Bugui Dahei is old, he is the king of dogs in our neighborhood and in these streets. Other dogs are no match for him in a fight. Hehe, he can choose any female dog for breeding!"
"Um?"
Ji Yuan turned to look at the big black dog, and the latter immediately let out a "Woo..."
Now even Hu Li cautiously approached to look at the black dog, but the latter did not react as excessively as before.
"Mr. Ji, this dog..."
"Very good, is your name Dahei?"
"Yes, Dahei!"
The eldest brother of the Lu family who worked in the shop over there quickly responded. He was paying attention to every move of this big customer and had to take good care of him. But Ji Yuan was not actually asking him, but kept looking at the big black dog with a smile.
"Woo woo..."
"You remind me of a silly cow..."
Looking at the big dog's slightly puzzled yet extremely human eyes, Ji Yuan glanced at Hu Li and smiled softly at the big dog again.
"You could have bitten that little fox to death before, right? Why did you let it go?"
"Woo..."
The big dog whined softly, and the eldest brother of the Lu family, who was always paying attention to Ji Yuan, asked again in a hoarse voice.
"Sir, what did you ask just now? I didn't hear clearly..."
Ji Yuan said without even turning his head.
"I didn't tell you."
"Oh... huh?"
The eldest son of the Lu family poked his head out and looked to one side in confusion. If not to him, then who to talk to? To the dog