It was already very late when Yang Fan left. It was almost ten kilometers from Dahongmen to his home. It was not a short journey.
He hurriedly arrived at Yongding Gate. Yang Fan saw tens of thousands of people gathered here, all with bright torches, waiting for food to be distributed.
Looking at the queue, they were all gray-haired veterans. All the soldiers under the age of fifty were sent to Nanyuan by Li Banghua. The remaining old men were veterans who had no money to give gifts and could not retire.
Yang Fan sighed, these veterans were also very pitiful. Many of them stayed in the Beijing camp all their lives and only had enough to eat. Sometimes they didn't have enough pay, and they couldn't save much money.
Many people fail to marry wives and live like this all their lives. Even after they retire, their later life is still very worrying.
Because food was still being distributed here, the city gate was not closed. Yang Fan and his soldiers rode into the city smoothly.
In this capital, Uncle Dingyuan still has a very good reputation. Xinghe Supermarket, which he opened in partnership with the royal family, has been selling food at low prices and has never had a price increase since its opening.
These soldiers are also human beings, so they naturally know what is good and what is bad.
Now, cornmeal has become the only food that the lower class people in the capital can afford. In such a disaster year, the whole family can still have a good life, so we can't help but be grateful to Uncle Dingyuan.
Looking at Yang Fan and the guards riding past on their majestic horses, the eyes of the officers and soldiers were full of respect.
Because of the opening of Xinghe Supermarket in the capital, prices are 10% or 20% lower than in any other prefecture and county. Moreover, cheap food can be purchased in a rationed supply, which has led to an increase in household registration in the capital.
Now I want to apply for a household registration in Beijing, but I have to ask someone to help me get through the connections, and it will cost a lot of money.
Because these officers and soldiers had registered residence in Gyeonggi Province, they found that it was suddenly easier to find a wife in this year of disaster.
In the past, these Qiu Baye were the objects of contempt for everyone.
A few days ago, Xinghe Supermarket began to allow officers and soldiers with military status in Beijing to apply for food vouchers. Many veterans in their forties and fifties began to have matchmakers come to their homes to introduce widows with children.
These women didn't want betrothal gifts, they just wanted to have enough to eat and raise their children. This made these veterans extremely happy.
The main reason is that Yang Fan wants to draw away 10,000 elites from the Beijing camp this time and go into battle. Therefore, Yang Fan also has to consider the life of his family. Only when they have no worries can they dare to fight desperately on the battlefield.
Previously, Jingying had no relationship with Yang Fan. Giving them citizen treatment would not only be unprofitable, but would also be suspected of bribing military morale. They would be easily impeached by the imperial censor.
Therefore, it is better for Yang Fan to do more than to do less. Officials and military personnel are not allowed to apply for food books.
After entering Yongding Gate, the Qianmen Street in Nancheng is very desolate on both sides. To the east is the wall of the Temple of Heaven, and to the west is the wall of the Xiannong Altar. These buildings are 240 to 50 years old, mottled and peeling, and look very dilapidated.
Grass grew on the wall, and Yang Fan even saw a tree growing out of the wall. There were garbage dumps under the wall, and the ditch outside the wall was green and black, exuding a stench.
I don’t know what the officials of Shuntian Prefecture are busy with all day long, so the city management is so poor.
In this era, the large area near the south wall of Nancheng was a wasteland with no one living there.
The South City is a rectangle in shape, wider than the North City. There is a city gate on the east and west sides. On the west side is Guangning Gate (today's Guang'an Gate) and on the east side is Guangqu Gate. There is an east-west gate between the two gates.
The main road is today's Liangguang Road.
There are basically not many people living on the south side of this road. Except for the two major buildings, the Temple of Heaven and the Xiannong Altar in the middle, it is all wasteland. The north side is a dense residential area.
It was Yang Fan's relocation of Huangcheng North Street and the construction of many six-story residential buildings in Zuo'anmen that made this place popular.
Along the way, the dusk was heavy and the air was filled with the smell of vegetation. It felt like walking in the wilderness.
The cavalrymen hung miniature carbide lamps under the bells on the horses' necks for illumination.
Carbide lamps can be made very small. Historically, bicycle lamps, early car lamps, carriage lamps, miners' helmet lamps, etc. were all micro-carbide lamps used.
This kind of lamp is very easy to use. It only needs a few carbide stones to provide lighting for more than two hours.
Although this road is paved with bluestones, the two hundred years of time have worn the bluestones into pits, and there are still many missing parts. There are deep ruts, and if you can’t see clearly, it’s easy to break the road in the dark.
Horse legs.
After passing the Temple of Heaven, the northern half of Qianmen Street finally became populated. Various trading stalls also appeared on both sides of the road. There were many traders with their tents here, still greeting customers.
Since the curfew was changed to midnight, the whole city seems to be full of life.
The weather has turned cold now, and the night wind is very cold. Yang Fan didn't wear much, so he felt a little chilly. Looking at the roadside stalls, he suddenly became interested and wanted to sit down and have a few drinks.
This kind of roadside stall is commonly known as dog food shed. It is a specialty of Nancheng, Beijing.
Several wooden pillars support the frame, which are covered with bamboo mats and straw to prevent rainwater leakage.
There are no walls and ventilation is available from all sides.
But the boss cooking and the guests drinking can be seen by passers-by on the road, which can easily arouse greedy people.
On this cold day, it would be really tempting to smell the fragrance, take a sip of wine and eat something hot.
Yang Fan stopped his horse, took ten soldiers with him, tied the horse, and entered a shed.
There is a fart curtain flag hanging on the shed of this family, with the words "Su Zao Meat" written on one side and the "big wine vat" written on the other.
Seeing some officials coming to the door, the boss quickly ran out to say hello. "Gentlemen, what can you order?"
Zhang Cheng quickly took out a snow-white towel, wiped the bench and table, and asked Yang Fan to sit down.
"What do you have here," Yang Fan asked.
He found that this small shop was quite unique. The three tile-roofed houses were all filled with regular tables, chairs and benches. A shed was set up in the open space in front of the tile-roofed house facing the street. There was also a building behind the tile-roofed house. It looked like it was
kitchen.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! There is no table under the shed. There are large tanks covered with flat wooden lids. They are all dark and shiny because of the years of use.
Some guests, a group of three or five, would sit around the wine vat to invite friends. Put some food on the vat cover, add a corner of white wine, and drink by yourself. It was very comfortable.
This type of roadside shop has a popular name called Big Wine Tank. It is as famous as small wine shops. Small wine shops are located in small alleys in the capital. They mainly sell wine and order Zuojiu cold dishes. Guests can also
Let the waiter go out and buy some cooked food for you.
Yang Fan has heard of these shops, but has never been there. This is his first time.
"To tell you what, the shop only has some simple snacks, rice wine, and white wine. Side dishes and snacks include Suzhou pork, sesame pancakes, fried liver, rotten intestines, apricot tea, etc. Noodles can also be made, but the toppings are only rotten meat.
One kind of noodles.”
Su Zao Meat is a famous food for the lower class people in the imperial capital. It was when Yang Fan saw this that he decided to get off his horse and have a drink.
The method of Su Zao Pork is to select pork ribs, add pig intestines, five internal organs, boil in a pot with white water, take it out when it is eight and brown it with sugar, then put it into the broth with the oil removed, add tangerine peel, licorice, and kofta.
Stew the kernels, cinnamon, sagebrush, soy sauce and salt together.
"Yandu Snacks Miscellaneous Song" records: "The people who make meat in Su use long strips of fat and stew it in the sauce to make it very delicious.
Eat it.”
Yang Fan estimated that this thing was the stewed and cooked dish of later generations.
When it is served, it looks almost the same. If you add garlic juice, chopped coriander, and chili oil, it will be that thing.
Yang Fan smelled it, and it was very fragrant. He turned over the large intestine with a tachymeter and found that it was clean and had no peculiar smell.
Yang Fan nodded with satisfaction.
"Boss, one bowl per person, what kind of wine do you have here?"
This chapter has been completed!