The mountains are rolling and the trees are towering, the white frost is more beautiful than snow and the pines are beautiful.
Zhu Ping'an led a group of fifty people including Liu Dadao. Each man rode two horses and rode non-stop all the way, sleeping in the open air and changing horses every half a day to maintain the horsepower. It took them two days and one night to finally reach Yiwu.
As soon as he entered Yiwu, Zhu Ping'an felt the actual situation of Yiwu, which is full of mountains and little farmland. It is a typical hilly county with barren land and poor people.
"Oh..."
After crossing a mountain and getting on the official road, there were more and more villages. Seeing a tea stand in front of him, Zhu Ping'an pulled the reins lightly, slowly stopped the horse in front of the tea stand, and said to the soldiers behind him, "It's cold and freezing. Brothers, you have worked hard all the way. Get off the horse and have a cup of hot tea to fill your stomach. Then we can continue on our way."
"Thank you for your consideration." All the soldiers dismounted and thanked Zhu Ping'an with a smile.
The tea stall is run by a couple in their forties with their two teenage sons.
"Greetings, Master."
When the tea stall couple saw Zhu Ping'an in official uniform and the fifty riders behind him were all wearing complete sets of light armor, they could not help but step forward with their two sons to greet Zhu Ping'an in fear.
"Boss, boss lady and two young brothers, please stand up quickly. No need to be polite. We are passing through your place and would like to eat something and rest our legs in your store. What food and drinks do you have?" Zhu Ping'an stepped forward and helped them up without waiting for them to kneel down, and spoke to them gently.
Seeing that Zhu Ping'an was so easy to talk to, the tea stall couple breathed a sigh of relief. The tea stall owner replied, "My Lord, in addition to the special big pot of tea, this tea stall also has food such as fried cakes, side dishes, and a pot of mutton soup."
"The mutton soup is delicious. It's freezing cold, and drinking a bowl of mutton soup is a real treat." Zhu Ping'an couldn't help but smile, and then asked, "There are many of us in our group. Are the mutton soup and fried cakes in your restaurant enough for us?"
"Don't worry, sir. There's a big pot of mutton soup. I can't say if there's more. A big bowl is more than enough for everyone. As for the fried cakes, there's still a basket of fried cakes. You and the other officers can eat them first. We'll make them in a hurry."
The tea stall owner pointed at the stove and said.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, boss." Zhu Ping'an nodded with satisfaction and asked Liu Dadao to ask the soldiers to sit down.
Although there are not many tables and chairs, it’s not a big deal. It’s warmer if you sit close together.
"Dadao, let's take the big pot of soup and the big basin of side dishes, three fried cakes per person, and a pot of tea for each table. Just ask the boss how much it costs. Life is not easy these days, so there's no need to give a discount. Just pay the boss the original price in advance." Zhu Ping'an called Liu Dadao, took off the purse from his waist, handed it to Liu Dadao, and asked him to go to the boss to settle the bill first to reassure the boss and his family.
With the Japanese pirates in those days, the common people had a hard time. Moreover, the quality of some government troops was very poor, and when they disturbed the people they were even more ferocious than the Japanese pirates. The saying "bandits pass by like a comb, and soldiers pass by like a rake" was no joke.
This can be seen from the fact that the boss's family was frightened when they first saw their group.
So Zhu Ping'an asked Liu Dadao to pay the bill in advance instead of after the meal, just for the sake of Boss An's family.
After Liu Dadao went over and explained his purpose, the boss and his family kept trying to refuse. Later, after Liu Dadao insisted and some arguing, the boss and his family finally accepted the money with happy faces and many thanks, and they started to make the pancakes happily.
"Sir, the total is eight cents of silver. The boss wanted to give a discount of one cent of silver. I listened to you and did not let him get away with it. I insisted on giving him eight cents of silver." After Liu Dadao came back, he returned the purse to Zhu Pingan and reported.
"Very good, sit down quickly and drink the mutton soup while it's hot." Zhu Ping'an nodded and asked Liu Dadao to sit down.
Eight cents of silver, about 16 wen per person, for a bowl of mutton soup, three fried cakes, some side dishes and tea, it was a very affordable price.
Perhaps because of the cold weather and the heavy travel, the mutton soup at the tea stall was unusually delicious.
Snoring...
Zhu Ping'an and his party enjoyed the delicious food and drinks.
"Kill him! Kill him for brewing this!"
"Today I must teach the people of Yongkang how to be human beings!"
"Don't be a coward, rush up and fight them!"
... ...
Just when Zhu Ping'an and his party were about to finish eating and drinking, they heard faint shouting and killing sounds coming from afar.
"What's going on?! Where are the shouts and screams coming from?! Are the Japanese pirates coming?!" Liu Dadao and others were startled and reflexively jumped up with their weapons in hand, becoming cautious and alert, wondering if the Japanese pirates were coming to kill them.
Zhu Ping'an did the same. He held the long sword at his waist, stood up and looked in the direction of the shouting and killing sounds in the distance.
About twenty meters along the official road is a steep slope, and the shouting and screaming came from the bottom of the steep slope.
"Let's go and see what's going on." Zhu Ping'an held the long sword at his waist and took the lead to walk towards the steep slope.
Liu Dadao hurriedly caught up and protected Zhu Ping'an, and the other soldiers also chased after him with their weapons drawn.
"Are the Japanese pirates coming?"
"From the sound of shouting and killing, it sounds like a large battle. If they are Japanese pirates, the number of them is estimated to be at least a thousand."
"Sir, let's get out of the way."
The soldiers listened to the shouting and screaming coming from afar, estimated the number of enemies and our own side, and their faces turned pale.
"My lord, all the officers, don't worry, there are no Japanese pirates down there. My lord, all the officers, just eat your meal in peace, I promise nothing will happen."
When Zhu Ping'an and others stood up and were about to walk out of the tea stall, the tea stall owner trotted over to them and said with certainty.
"It's not the Japanese pirates? Then why is there such a big fuss about fighting and killing? And boss, you didn't even go to see it, how do you know it's not the Japanese pirates? Could it be that you have clairvoyance and super hearing?"
"I'm still eating peacefully. There's such a big battle going on down there. If the Japanese pirates are really here to kill us, we won't be able to escape."
A group of soldiers questioned.
Zhu Pingan stopped in his tracks after hearing his boss's firm words. He turned around and asked his boss humbly, "Boss, you said there weren't pirates down there, so what's with the shouting and killing? Boss, your family is so calm, but the shouting and killing down there hasn't been one or two days. Are you used to it?"
The boss was so calm and composed that it was obvious that he was used to it. Otherwise, anyone who suddenly heard such a loud cry of fighting and killing would be panicked.
Looking at the boss's wife and two half-grown children, they were all as calm and composed as the boss. The boss's wife was still making pancakes, and the two half-grown children, one was kneading the dough and the other was stoking the pot, and they didn't stop either.
"Your Excellency is wise. The shouting and killing down there has been going on for a long time. It has happened every now and then in the past two months. We are no longer surprised and have become accustomed to it." The boss replied with admiration. This young master really has a keen eye and can tell at a glance that we are accustomed to it. (To be continued)