The flower hall in Mr. Ma's house was also built very elegantly. There was a bamboo forest on the side. When the breeze blew, the bamboo made a rustling sound, which made people feel relaxed.
It was obvious that a lot of thought had gone into the dishes on the table. All eight dishes were extremely delicate, with a great mix of meat, vegetables, salty and sweet dishes.
Mr. and Mrs. Ma accompanied them, while Lu Ming and Ashikaga Erika sat at the north side of the round table.
Mr. Ma’s wife, Cai Xiangqin, is also the principal of the town’s primary school. She has a gentle and virtuous temperament.
But like Mr. Ma, there was a hint of worry in her eyes.
Every time there is a change of regime, the groups most affected are people like Mr. and Mrs. Ma. Now that the Black Mountain Army has arrived, no one knows what will happen in the end.
Especially, the division of land? It was unprecedented and even more confusing.
This kind of unknown is more frightening than robbing someone directly, because in the case of robbing someone directly, at least you know the other party's intentions and you can gain some benefits through cooperation.
"Mrs. Zhang, come and try this. It's the only bamboo shoot we have locally. It's very tender and crispy."
The table was divided into separate dishes, and Cai Xiangqin helped Ashikaga Erika to select mostly vegetarian dishes.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "It's okay. She's still growing. She needs some more meat. She likes to eat meat."
Ah? Cai Xiangqin was stunned.
“I, I…” Ashikaga Erika’s face immediately turned red, making her look even more charming and beautiful, but she couldn’t object since her husband said so, and she felt very embarrassed.
Lu Ming couldn't help but smile: "It's a combination of meat and vegetables. Try both. I think the meat and vegetables are not greasy at all."
Cai Xiangqin hurriedly picked up the silver spoon and put some meat dishes on Ashikaga Erika's small plate.
"Thank you, sister..." Ashikaga Erika secretly glanced at Lu Ming and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "Thank you, Master."
Cai Xiangqin knew that the Japanese also addressed their husbands as "masters". She smiled and said, "You are still young, and you are still so polite to each other. It's great to be young!"
Watching the young couple's joking behavior, Cai forgot for a moment that this young man was the biggest spy chief in Nanping, a terrifying devil in the legend. He confiscated the property of his predecessor and killed many people. He also massacred his predecessor's loyal subordinates and seemed to have set up a 10,000-man post.
At this moment, he is more like a newlywed, energetic young man who enjoys teasing his young wife.
Mr. Ma also smiled and said, "This is the first time for our family to have separate meals. I heard that the Commissioner and General Lu both have separate meals, so I said I would give it a try. If there is anything wrong, please feel free to enlighten me, Mr. Commissioner!"
Lu Ming smiled: "Very good."
In fact, in this world, it is not uncommon for China to have separate dining traditions. After all, separate dining was the norm in the early dynasties of China.
However, at social events, such as gatherings in luxurious restaurants serving Central Asian cuisine, it is rare to eat separately.
His behavior is quite unique. Of course, it has also inspired some officials in Montenegro to learn General Lu's unique habit of serving meals separately during banquets, which is clean and hygienic and allows them to eat more of their favorite dishes.
Therefore, Commissioner Zhang was just one of the officials who flattered General Lu, and he was not the only one.
In addition, since he and General Lu often appeared in different regions at the same time, he did not have to worry about anyone suspecting that he and General Lu were the same person.
"Mr. Commissioner, come, let me toast you!" Mr. Ma raised his glass.
The three-cent wine cup contains grain wine. In the northern region, grain wine is more popular than brandy made from grapes or other fruits in the south.
This is in line with Lu Ming's taste in his previous life. Although he didn't drink much in his previous life, before coming to this world, he drank grain wine until he was drunk, and then came to this world inexplicably.
Holding the wine cup, Lu Ming was a little stunned for a moment, and then he looked at the extremely beautiful Ashikaga Erika beside him. It was like a dream. How could he have imagined such a beauty in his previous life? But in this world, someone took the initiative to offer her to him, and she was his concubine who let him order her around.
However, the road ahead is difficult, and what needs to be accomplished is beyond imagination in the previous life.
I didn't know whether I was happy or sad for a moment.
Mr. Ma, on the other hand, had an extremely uneasy look on his face, and was worried. Did he do something to displease Commissioner Zhang
He looked at his wife and coughed.
Cai Xiangqin also immediately came to her senses from admiring the perfect match of this couple and recalling the warmth of her and her husband's youth. Thinking of the various horrible rumors about the husband of this couple, Cai Xiangqin shuddered and hurriedly smiled at Ashikaga Erika and said, "Mrs. Zhang, do you like this dish? Take a look at the Commissioner, is it not to your taste?"
Lu Ming came back to his senses, raised his wine cup and clinked it with Mr. Ma, and said with a smile: "It's good, I just remembered some past events."
At this time, there was a faint noise outside, which soon reached the courtyard in front of the flower hall. There were several men with bare chests and bellies, some strong and some skinny. They were all wearing cloth shirts and trousers with patches on them, and some were barefoot with mud on their feet.
Several cold-looking young men with crew cuts, peaked caps and black uniforms who were standing in front of the hall came forward immediately, pointed at them and ordered them to be quiet and squat!
These young men were obviously frightened. There was no need to ask what these people were doing. The aura made them dare not resist and they immediately squatted on the ground obediently.
Lu Ming finished the wine in his glass and nodded: "Not bad, this wine is quite interesting."
It goes without saying that the wine produced by Mr. Ma, a large landlord, is brewed from pure grains. Moreover, the craftsmanship is very good, and it is mellow and mellow, with a warm feeling after drinking it.
Mr. Ma sighed, "It's a pity that the jars of wine that had been stored in the family's wine cellar for decades were..." He suddenly realized that he had said the wrong thing and wanted to find another topic.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "Brother Ma, I see you are always uncomfortable talking to me." After thinking for a while, "Okay, I'll tell you the truth. It should be difficult for you to get your previous land back. After all, according to the land deed, it already belongs to Cheng Da Sui's scattered soldiers. Now it has been confiscated according to law. This dynasty keeps repeating the cases of the previous dynasty, especially the land. If you dig deep into the ownership, there will be many problems. For example, when your previous generation bought the land, did they take advantage of others? Therefore, our policy is to be rough and not detailed, and we will not give you more when we divide the land. This is also for your own good!"
Mr. Ma had a bitter look on his face and nodded slightly.
Lu Ming added: "But you are the founder of the cloth factory in this town and Longji Department Store in the county, and you run them very well. The county is going to return these confiscated factories and companies to their original owners. Private enterprises are more vibrant, so you just wait to receive them."
Mr. Ma was stunned. He never dreamed that there would be such a turn of events. This was ten times better than giving him a few dozen acres of land.
"Now, does the wine taste less bitter?" Lu Ming raised his glass and said with a smile, "Come on, cheers."
Mr. Ma hurriedly raised his glass with both hands, but did not dare to say thank you. This was not something that could be expressed by just saying thank you. He was so excited that he could not express it in words.
Until Commissioner Zhang brought his young wife to see the guest room courtyard prepared for him with great interest, Commissioner Zhang ignored the few young men squatting or kneeling in the courtyard.
The table was filled with laughter and conversation about all sorts of things, and Commissioner Zhang didn't even ask Mr. Ma what those young men did.
Mr. Ma could only sigh in his heart. Indeed, he didn't need to pay any attention to these guys who gave him headaches and frightened him.
I watched a few young men get up and slip away angrily after Commissioner Zhang left, each of them running faster than a rabbit.
Mr. Ma smiled bitterly and shook his head. He knew that these guys would be very respectful to him next time they saw him, and would not dare to force him to eat and drink or ask for a share of his property.