"Uh... well..." Chef Ding felt nervous, but replied with a naive smile on his face, "We have hired some workers, but I haven't been doing much business lately, so I haven't even started working."
"I just left a servant. I told him to look in front of me, but now I don't know where he has gone... This kid!"
"That's it..." Gu Xun smiled vaguely, glanced at the direction of the stairs with the corner of his eye, and then stood up.
He has no intention of continuing the conversation.
"After eating and drinking enough, we won't waste Chef Ding's time."
Seeing that Gu Xun was finally about to leave, Pao Dingle wanted to grin behind his ears, but he didn't dare to show it too much, and it was quite uncomfortable to hold it in.
"Sir, walk slowly, walk slowly!" While holding back his smile, Cook Ding nodded and bowed in a respectful gesture.
Seeing his appearance, Gu Xun couldn't help shaking his head and laughing, but he had no intention of continuing to scare him. He walked out and left another sentence before going out:
"I will be in Songhai during the next period of time. Master Chef Ding can open his business normally without causing any trouble... I think no one here will deny me face."
Cook Ding was stunned for a moment when he heard this. When he came back to his senses, all he could see were the two figures who had already ridden away.
Frowning and closing the shop door, Chef Ding began to ponder the question he had had for many years - did Gu Xun discover his secret identity?
But this time, the problem only bothered him for a moment - not that he had figured it out, but that he really didn't want to think about it.
As soon as he thought deeply about this issue, Cook Ding felt that his brain was congested, his whole body was cold, and he was shivering. It seemed that some kind of psychological shadow that affected his physiology had formed.
Cook Ding could only comfort himself silently in his heart, it should be fine.
What Gu Xun said before leaving was obviously to express his intention to protect Youjian Inn. He probably just fell in love with his craftsmanship and found no other problems... probably not.
After closing the door absentmindedly, Chef Ding was about to go back to clear the tables when he found that the waiter who had gone to nowhere suddenly appeared again and was already silently clearing the dishes.
"Shi Lan, where did you go just now?" Chef Ding didn't get angry because he couldn't find his waiter at the critical moment. He just asked casually in a formal way.
Shi Lan, the waiter who was clearing away the tables, heard the sound and temporarily stopped what he was doing and turned around to face the cook.
I saw that he was wearing a short coat of coarse cloth, with a small bun on his head. His long and thin bangs covered his right eye, and his left eye was also partially blocked by a few pieces of hair. His head was lowered, leaving most of his face
They are all hidden in the shadows, looking a little submissive.
Judging from his appearance, it is difficult for anyone to tell whether he is a boy or a girl at a glance, but given the clothes the waiter wears, people will generally assume he is a boy.
Facing the inquiry from her shopkeeper, Shi Lan replied in a dull tone, "I went out to buy something, and there were soldiers passing by on the road, so I was delayed."
For this not very clever explanation, Chef Ding readily accepted it without any intention of going into details. He waved his hand and said, "Well, then you can clear the table and rest. We won't open the door today."
The reason why Cook Ding is so unsettled is that his waiter often disappears, especially after the inn's business has been deliberately reduced by him recently.
Of course he was a little curious in his heart, but he had no intention of exploring.
There is an inn that is a secret stronghold of the Mohist family, but only Cook Ding in the inn is from the Mohist family. The rest of the handymen and helpers recruited have nothing to do with the Mohist family. They are just ordinary people - ordinary people in the eyes of Cook Ding.
This stronghold nominally functions as a contact point, but it is a type of stronghold with a very high level of confidentiality. There are very few people within the Mo family who are qualified to know about it.
Cook Ding is naturally unwilling to increase the number of Mohist members in the stronghold - a person with high status and strength cannot stay here for a long time, and ordinary disciples will only increase his risk of exposure.
However, for ordinary people, his identity is obviously a hidden secret. If it is not exposed, nothing will happen. If it is exposed, it will definitely affect them, especially now that the Mo family has been completely labeled as a traitor by the imperial court.
Out of this guilt, Chef Ding has always been lenient and kind to the waiters in the store. Because he has been a good old man in the eyes of his neighbors over the years, this kind of kindness is not out of the ordinary.
Shi Lan is a special one among the waiters, because he came in through the back door through connections and was entrusted by Cook Ding's friends.
Of course, this friend does not have any special background, he is just an old friend that Pao Ding has known for many years in Songhai City - he is still an ordinary person that Pao Ding considers.
Due to guilt and friendship, Chef Ding would not pry too much into Shi Lan's secrets. He only paid close attention to it for a while at the beginning.
After following him for a while and discovering that Shi Lan just liked shopping and particularly liked the streets near the sea and the port, Cook Ding stopped monitoring her continuously.
It is not an incomprehensible habit to like to hang out, especially since he is always taciturn and dull on weekdays, and does not like to communicate with others. Maybe he uses the bustling street scene to adjust his mood.
………………
Songhai City, General Mansion.
This mansion is the most luxurious building in Songhai City - except for the Little Saint's Villa.
Originally it was not called this name until Meng Tian arrived at Songhai with the Fuso Sacred Tree and took over this mansion as his residence, then changed the name.
Anyway, there is no problem with the title. Meng Tian is now a serious imperial general. Among the people in the army who have higher reputation and seniority than him, except for a few old guys who don’t know how many days they can live, only Wang Ben can compare with him.<
/p>
But Wang Ben... no, it should be said that the entire Wang family is trying its best to shrink and actively reduce its sense of existence. Only Wang Jian's direct grandson Wang Li is still jumping around.
Relying on the cover of the Wang family, even though Wang Li did not achieve any feats in destroying the country, he was still worthy of being named a general, but his achievements were not very convincing.
This guy has met Gu Xun a few times. He can't be said to be a loser. His ability to lead troops and fight is completely worthy of his status as a descendant of the Wang family. However, his brain is not bright enough and he can't understand what his grandfather and his father fought so hard to shrink their heads.
For what.
In short, too proud and too jumpy.
Let’s get back to the topic.
The General's Mansion is said to be the place where Meng Tian chooses to stay, but it is not only used for residence, but also a military base for Meng Tian's meetings, with a large number of soldiers patrolling and protecting it.
At the same time, this is also the common residence of the imperial ministers who rushed to Songhai for important matters such as the mirage and the Eastern Patrol.
The land of Qilu is not the hinterland of the empire. Even though the garrison in Songhai City has more than doubled and strict inspections are carried out every day, no one can tell how many rebels are hidden secretly.
Any important figure in the empire must pay extra attention to their safety when staying in Songhai, and the General's Mansion is the most heavily protected place in Songhai City at this time.
