"Ten dollars a pound, thank you for your patronage."
"Boss, please give me two pounds."
"okay."
In the east city of Xunyang City, in a corner of the vegetable market, a carriage parked next to the butcher's meat stall. Ye Weilai and Ban Xi stood pretty, each wearing a light black veil. After politely asking for the price, the two little heads came together and calculated.
Ye Weilai took out a small light green purse from her arms.
The groom Ali immediately jumped out of the carriage, stepped forward and reached out to pick up the two kilograms of hanging rope pork that the butcher had accurately cut.
"etc."
A man's voice came from inside the carriage.
Ye Weilai, Banxi and Ali immediately stopped and looked back.
The three of them discovered that Ouyang Rong, who had been distracted in the carriage since they left the house in the morning, had opened the curtain and cast his gaze.
"Didn't Dongshi pork cost eight yuan a pound before? It hasn't changed for more than half a year. Why did it increase by two yuan today?"
The butcher with a sinister face couldn't help but raise his head and take another look at this noble man with a face like a jade crown, who spoke slowly and calmly and had a very cultivated temperament.
"Sir, this is the listed price in the East Market today. Other meat stalls are at this price. Go and ask, you ladies. I'm not ripping off customers."
"I know, but why did the price of pork suddenly increase?" Ouyang Rong asked seriously.
The fat butcher and Ouyang Rong looked at each other with calm and deep eyes for a while.
He must be an honest person by nature. His dark face turned red, and he rubbed his hands and explained:
"I heard that the largest pig farm in Xunyang near Chengtian Temple in Xingzifang has closed down. It seems that the owner sold the farm.
"It seems to have been bought by a group of arrogant Yangzhou businessmen. I don't know what these rich people do to raise pigs... Now we all have to collect pigs from individual farmers outside the city, not to mention the additional losses.
, some villagers are still sitting on the floor raising prices and wondering whether they want to buy it or not. We can’t do anything about it... To be honest, sir, buy more pork. In this situation, it may rise again tomorrow. Recently, the prices of some commodities in the East Market,
I also don’t understand, one price per day..."
Seeing Ouyang Rong's silence, Ye Weilai asked in a low voice: "Tan Lang, do you want this meat..."
"It's okay, just pay. It's only two kilograms, which is enough to eat."
Ouyang Rong waved his hands absentmindedly.
The fat butcher on the side continued to complain.
Until he left, Ouyang Rong didn't remember what he said after that. Ouyang Rong lowered his head all the way, as if he was lost in some kind of thinking.
Ye Weilai, who came out to buy vegetables and meat for the house, was semi-savvy and very discerning and did not bother him or even whispered to the side.
Ali also drove the carriage steadily, slowly leaving Dongshi and returning to the Huaiye Lane mansion.
Today is a holiday and Ouyang Rong has a day off.
Early in the morning, he had nothing to do, so he accompanied Ye Weila and the others to the East Market to buy vegetables. He planned to take advantage of the holiday to cook some Dongpo pork for his relatives and friends to try, so he needed to buy pork.
More than half a decade has passed since Lin Cheng's showdown and Ouyang Rong and Xunyang Wang Lixian jointly delivered the memorial.
There is no reply from Luoyang yet, but according to the experience of sending back the imperial decrees in the past, it should be within the next two days.
During the intervening days, things were calm in the city, and at the same time, Lin Cheng was nowhere to be seen.
Now is the waiting period. What needs to be discussed has already been discussed. It is useless to talk more. Ouyang Rong has not been to Xunyang Prince's Mansion in the past two days. However, he heard from the junior sister who came to the Huaiye Lane residence for dinner,
Dalang seemed to have been beaten quite badly.
Well, his father, mother and sister were "mixed three times", and Ouyang Rong could only express his condolences.
"Tan Lang, it's rare for you to cook today, let's call Huan Huan over for dinner, and Liu Lang, call over too..."
Returning to the Huaiye Lane mansion, Zhen Shuyuan greeted him at the door with eager eyes. She immediately took Ouyang Rong's arm as he lowered his head and got out of the car. She smiled sweetly and made suggestions.
Ouyang Rong got off the carriage and was looking down and distracted.
Hearing this, he raised his head and glanced at Zhen Shuyuan.
"Auntie, the price of pork in Dongshi has gone up."
Ouyang Rong suddenly spoke, making Zhen Shuyuan stunned for a moment, and subconsciously said:
"Ah? It's increased... by how much..."
Ouyang Rong said seriously: "One pound has increased by two cents."
Zhen Shuyuan couldn't help laughing:
"Silly boy, if the price goes up, it's worth it. It's worth it if you can let Tan Lang cook. I and Huan Huan both like to eat. It's okay. It's worth it if the price rises twice as much."
Ouyang Rong was silent, shook his head for a while, rolled up his sleeves quietly, carried two kilograms of pork in his hand, and walked to the kitchen: "Let them come over for lunch. I have to go to Xingzifang in the afternoon, and I may not come back for dinner.
"
"Why are you going to Xingzifang? It's hard for you to take a holiday. Why don't you take a rest at home?" Zhen Shuyuan looked curious.
"Going for a walk is also a good way to rest," he said.
Zhen Shuyuan sighed, thought of something, and asked: "Then do you want to call me Yuan Huaimin, this old boy?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "No, I'll bring some over in the afternoon."
"Tan Lang, how troublesome this is. You have to deliver it in person. It's really an advantage for him..." But before Zhen Shuyuan could ask any more questions, Ouyang Rong had already buried himself in the kitchen cooking.
Zhen Shuyuan and Ye Weilai looked at each other, Banxi and others. Ye Weilai shook his head slightly, saying that he didn't seem to encounter anything important when he went out this morning.
Seeing this, Zhen Shuyuan sighed helplessly. These days, Tan Lang always looked absent-minded at home, but he responded to their requests, did not mind nagging, and was very family-oriented... The girls were sometimes embarrassed to interrupt him.
In a state of deep contemplation, I felt very distressed.
"It's strange, isn't it just a two-dollar increase? It's still the lowest quality pork. Why is Tanlang so nervous? He's even more nervous than he was when the Di Gong Gate in Longcheng was about to collapse..."
The noble lady in the skirt looked at the back of her beloved nephew, muttering in a low voice, looking a little confused.
…
"Brother Lianghan is still loyal enough!"
In the evening, in a guest house at Chengtian Temple in Xingzifang, Yuan Huaimin opened the lid of the food box in front of him. When he smelled the fragrant smell of chopped green onion and meat, his eyes flashed with golden light.
When Ouyang Rong heard this, he looked away from the noise in the temple outside the courtyard gate. He glanced at Yuan Huaimin and remained silent.
Yuan Huaimin clasped his hands together, rubbed two chopsticks together, then moved them, picked up a piece of fat and hard cooked meat, and threw it into his mouth.
A voracious meal.
"Okay, okay, it's still warm. Brother Lianghan is really my best friend." His words were unclear, but he was full of praise.
"Has Lin Cheng come to see you recently?"
Ouyang Rong asked seriously.
"That Xia Guan Lingtai Lang from the capital?" Yuan Huaimin shook his head: "No, he has not been seen since that time when he asked for a pair of calligraphy treasures. Hey, why haven't he and Hu Zhongshi returned to the capital to resume their duties?
Woolen cloth?"
Ouyang Rong didn't explain. He spread out his hands and motioned for him to continue eating. "I'm full. You can eat. You don't need to keep anything."
It seems that Yuan Huaimin really didn't care about Xunyang officialdom.
After Yuan Huaimin showed off his mouth for a few words, he glanced at Ouyang Rong's expression across from him, and saw that he was holding a bowl and bending over, holding chopsticks in his hands while cooking, and asked in a muttered voice: "Brother Lianghan, what's on your mind today? Why do you have time to cook?"
, and also brought me food.”
Ouyang Rong shook his head.
"I have to find something to do. I invited Junior Sister and the others to dinner today at noon. If I don't have anything to do this afternoon, I'll come over and take a look."
Yuan Huaimin nodded thoughtfully, coughed again and asked:
"Why didn't you call me for lunch?"
Ouyang Rong said without raising his eyes:
"Auntie only asks you to come once every three days. If you come today, you won't be able to come tomorrow. I will bring Dongpo Pork here so that you can have one more good meal."
Yuan Huaimin was stunned for a moment, and soon, tears welled up in his eyes:
"Brother Lianghan, you are really..."
Ouyang Rong didn't pay attention to this. He suddenly stretched out his hand to the door and asked seriously:
"What's the noise going on in the temple? It just doesn't stop."
After hearing this, Yuan Huaimin, who was happily cooking, immediately became dejected, and the Dongpo pork in his mouth seemed to no longer taste good:
"The abbot of the temple said that all the guesthouses in the temple will not be renewed after this lease period. We tenants are asked to find a new place as soon as possible, pack up and leave. This has caused a lot of trouble in the temple.
Some of the brothers who also rented a courtyard to study were very unhappy. They all went to the abbot of the temple to argue. They had been arguing for two days..."
"Why isn't this temple rented? It's not... not a good location." Ouyang Rong asked calmly.
"It's not that I don't want to rent, but the host said that it's not impossible to continue renting, but the rent price must be increased. After asking, it almost doubled. I don't know where these bald donkeys have the confidence. In other words, it's hard to say
Can gold be dug out of a ground that is no longer a guest house?
"However, today I heard from the abbot of the temple that these guest houses are actually going to be sold to a large chamber of commerce in the city. They seem to be collecting the houses at a high price. The temple is very excited about this windfall and is convening the monks to discuss it. Anyway, even if it is not sold now
, the rent will have to be doubled in the end. These bald donkeys are still complaining, saying that there is no surplus food in the temple. Let us scholars understand..."
Yuan Huaimin sighed: "Well, I must have no money, and the other brothers seem to have no money either, but they are so angry that they all go to make trouble.
"It's a pity. This is already the cheapest and most affordable rental house in Xingzifang. I have to clean up in the past two days and think about where to live. I have to find a comfortable place to live again. It's a pity that I just got used to it. I still have to keep it in the east corner of the yard.
I have planted a small piece of vegetable land. I guess I can’t wait until spring to harvest the vegetables and drink with Brother Lianghan...
"Well, to be honest, if I was young and energetic, I would have protested, but now... let's just work on food... Forget it, let's not talk about these sad things, eating is important." Yuan Huaimin said with a calm expression.
Being content and always happy, the main thing is to live in the present.
Ouyang Rong listened without saying a word, silently looking at his friend who was drinking wine with Dongpo meat and immersed in eating... After the meal, the two chatted for a while, Ouyang Rong did not stay any longer, and left the yard with an empty food box.
.
He walked all the way in Chengtian Temple, passing by many guesthouses similar to Yuan Huaimin's residence. He saw many dejected scholars, who were packing their luggage in the courtyard as if resigned to their fate. Among them, there were many others.
A rather familiar bachelor from Jiangzhou Prefecture.
After all, studying nowadays is very expensive, but studying together is the only serious way out for poor families besides joining the army. Many scholars from poor families live in cheap temple guesthouses like Yuan Huaimin...
Of course, Yuan Huaimin was just lazy. He was late every day and wasted his time, so he was deducted almost zero salary from working in Jiangzhou Hall.
Seeing acquaintances, Ouyang Rong became more and more silent. He remembered that these scholars had followed Yue Ziang to protest and make trouble, but now they were worried about the rent. They were severely beaten by life and no longer paid back their previous efforts...
Ouyang Rong's pace became faster and faster.
He wore a felt hat when he went out this afternoon.
But at this moment, I was walking in a hurry, subconsciously choosing the shadows under the buildings at dusk to walk in places with few people.
Although no one saw him, Ouyang Rong always felt that millions of eyes were staring at him intently.
Just like when he was at the Temple of the Holy Master, Ouyang Rong faced the grief-stricken scholars in the audience and the people of Xunyang who looked trusting and expectant. When he made a promise with righteous words, thousands of pairs of eyes looked down at him.
.
He has nowhere to escape.
Originally, Ouyang Rong was planning to go to the low-rent housing area on the outskirts of the city to visit Huang Feihong, but at this moment he was completely out of mood... Half an hour later, he returned to the Huaiye Lane mansion with a distracted look, and saw the doorway from a distance.
Wandering and waiting, dressed in red.
"Elder brother, there is news from Luoyang. Uncle Li asks you to come over quickly."
Xie Lingjiang hurriedly stepped forward, his pretty face looking very serious.
"Let's go."
The two of them went out immediately.
Half an hour later, they came to a study in Xunyang Prince's Mansion again.
Everyone is there.
As soon as he sat down, Li Xian excitedly waved a stack of secret messages in his hand:
"Tan Lang, the messenger from Luoyang is still on the way and will probably arrive at Xunyang Ferry the morning after tomorrow...Prince Xiang, Changle and others sent people over in advance to inform this king so that we can prepare well."
"Uncle Li, what do you say there?" Xie Lingjiang asked.
"Master, Lord Shen and others argued with reason, and King Xiang, Changle and others helped. Finally, Wei and Lin Cheng were not allowed to succeed in their treacherous plan. At the imperial meeting, the final result of the discussion was that the Xunyang City side was basically unchanged.
, there is no official transfer, but His Majesty does not like the extension, so he plans to let the Xunyang Grottoes be put aside for the time being. He has appointed Lin Cheng as an adjutant and asked him to assist Tan Lang and prepare for the new statue of Xingzifang. It seems that His Majesty
I still have peace of mind about Tanlang, I think Tanlang can manage things well."
After a pause, Li Xian nodded with some relief:
"So Tan Lang, as well as me, the envoy of Jiangnan Road, are still in charge of the Xingzifang statue this time! The Wei family cannot interfere, so there is no need to worry, the situation in the city is still under our control."
As soon as these words came out, some people in the study let out a sigh of relief, while others frowned slightly.
"That's good, that's good, it's just a false alarm." Wei Mei patted her chest and said to calm the atmosphere.
Li Guo'er said nothing and immediately turned around to observe the expression of Ouyang Rong who was bowing his head to drink tea.
"Eldest brother?"
Xie Lingjiang was also paying attention to Ouyang Rong. Before Bao'er could speak, she called out with a worried look on her pretty face:
"Why don't you speak?"
"oh."
Ouyang Rong put down the teacup, stared at the steaming teacup in front of him, and asked:
"Is the news...accurate?"
Li Xian nodded vigorously and patted his chest to assure:
"Of course it is accurate. There is a letter from Mr.
Ouyang Rong took a deep breath, as if the sip of tea he had just swallowed was a bit hot to his stomach.