The rising clouds are like billowing smoke, and the heavy rain is like scattered silk.
Because of the continuous rain, there were few pedestrians on the main roads of the county town, and many shops on both sides of the street were closed. Even the shops that were open were deserted. With few pedestrians, business was naturally quiet, as if they had been forgotten. At this time, most people were staying at home with their wives and children.
Suddenly, a group of seven people appeared on the street, which excited the shop owners and clerks.
There had been no one on the street for most of the hour, and now seven people suddenly appeared. How could they not be excited
"Sir, sir, please come in."
The waiter, who had been doing nothing for half a day, excitedly stood at the door of the restaurant and shouted enthusiastically.
It doesn’t matter whether pedestrians come to the store or not. What’s important is that you don’t want to take the blame, so that the shopkeeper won’t put the blame for the bad business on you.
It has been raining for five days in a row. Everyone is staying at home. No one is going out. Naturally, the business in the store is not good. It is God's fault. What does it have to do with me? The shopkeeper wants to blame me. I just sat there for a while, but the shopkeeper rolled his eyes at me.
So, when the shop assistant saw pedestrians in the street from afar, a group of seven people at that, he hurried out to help.
What excited the shop assistant was that after he shouted, the seven pedestrians actually ran towards their shop.
"Sir, please come in. It's raining outside. Please come into the store to take shelter and have a rest." The shop assistant greeted excitedly.
After walking in, the shop assistant could see clearly that the leader was a young man wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat. He smiled and nodded at him, then shook off the rain water on the straw raincoat and bamboo hat at the door before entering the shop.
The young man walked into the shop, took off his bamboo hat, smiled slightly, and said to the waiter, "Brother, do you have pancakes in the shop? If you do, give us thirty of them and wrap them in waterproof oil paper. Oh, by the way, if you have pickled vegetable dumplings, give me half a pound of them, cut them into shreds, and wrap them in oil paper."
Daming's pancakes are rich in ingredients. Thirty pancakes are enough for seven people for two meals. Half a pound of pickled vegetable shreds is also enough to go with the pancakes.
"Yes, yes, yes. Please take a seat, sir. The pancakes and pickled vegetables will be served shortly." The shop assistant responded repeatedly.
When the shop assistant went to the kitchen to tell them to prepare pancakes and pickled vegetable shreds, he thought this group of customers was strange. They actually wanted thirty pancakes and pickled vegetable shreds, as if they were going on a long journey.
It's raining outside now, why do you want to go out?!
The shop assistant couldn't help but shook his head.
Because there was not much business in the restaurant, the kitchen was very fast in making pancakes. After the seven of us waited for a while, the pancakes and pickled vegetables were ready. According to the boy's instructions, they were wrapped in oil paper.
"A pancake is three cents, and half a pound of pickled vegetables is ten cents, making a hundred cents. Because you ordered a lot of pancakes, we will give you two extra oil cakes as a gift." The waiter handed the pancakes and pickled vegetables to the young man.
"Thank you." The young man smiled and bowed, then took out a penny of silver from his sleeve and handed it to the shop assistant.
"Thank you, sir. Come back after you have finished your meal."
After closing a deal, the shop assistant was all smiles. Now he doesn't have to worry about being looked down upon by the shopkeeper anymore.
Thinking like this, the shop assistant secretly glanced at the shopkeeper and was surprised to find that the shopkeeper was staring at him. His eyes were so excited that he looked like a person who had been hungry for three days and finally saw food. His eyeballs were almost bulging out.
It's just a penny, why are you so greedy for money? You greedy Zhou Paopi!
The shop assistant was instantly speechless to the shopkeeper.
The next second, he saw the shopkeeper, who had not moved for a long time, running out from the counter with a speed that was inconsistent with his fat body, and ran straight towards him with an excited look on his face.
No way?! Shopkeeper... ... Really, I can't be greedy for this little change?!
The shop assistant was even more speechless.
The next second, the shop assistant was surprised to find that the shopkeeper actually ran past him without even looking at him or the change in his hand, and stopped in front of the young customer at a trot.
"County Master, are you the County Master?" the shopkeeper asked excitedly. When the young man just walked in, he glanced at him and didn't pay much attention. When the shop assistant collected the money, he stared at him habitually to prevent the shop assistant from keeping it for himself. It didn't matter that he took a look, he was shocked to find that this young guest looked like the County Master. The more he looked, the more he looked like him.
He looked at the six people behind him and recognized one of them. Wasn't that the head of the police, Liu Dadao? He was immediately sure that the young man was the county magistrate. The county magistrate came to my shop to buy pancakes. How could the shopkeeper not be excited
What? The county lord?!
The shop assistant opened his mouth in surprise and turned to look at the young customer who had already walked to the door.
After being recognized, Zhu Ping'an did not deny it. He smiled slightly and bowed to the restaurant owner.
"You are such a greedy fool that you even accepted money from the county magistrate."
The shopkeeper turned around and scolded the clerk, snatched the change with one hand and wanted to return it to Zhu Ping'an.
The shopkeeper who was so greedy that he wanted to confiscate the rice grains carried by the passing ants, actually refused to accept the money? ! Is this still the same Zhou Paopi? !
The shop assistant opened his mouth in surprise, as if he didn't recognize the owner.
"Haha, boss, are you going to bribe me in public?" Zhu Ping'an refused and joked with a smile.
"County Master, you saved all the people of Jingnan from the Japanese pirates, and you also pleaded for us common people to reduce taxes. This is my small token of my appreciation."
The shopkeeper explained.
"I'm just doing my job." Zhu Ping'an shook his head and refused to accept it.
The shopkeeper tried several more times but failed in the end. He had no choice but to put the silver away.
"Your Excellency, it's still raining outside. Are you going on a long journey?" the shopkeeper asked curiously.
"It has been raining continuously these past few days, and the rainfall has been quite heavy. Our young master is worried about the risk of flooding, so he took us to the various towns and villages to investigate the rivers and reservoirs and check for hidden dangers." Liu Dadao replied on behalf of Zhu Ping'an.
When Zhu Ping'an and his party disappeared in the wind and rain, the shopkeeper stood at the door and sighed to the shop assistant, "See, this is our county magistrate. It's so good to let you come to the store, out of the wind and rain, but you are still dawdling. Look at our county magistrate, such a precious person, but he only brought pancakes and pickles and went out in the rain to survey rivers and reservoirs and check for hidden dangers. How hard it is for him."
The shop assistant had been scolded too many times by the shopkeeper. This was the first time he was scolded without any complaints.
Yes, it was raining heavily outside, and the county magistrate took some pancakes and pickles and braved the rain to go to the wilderness to investigate the water situation. What right did I have to complain