After everything was tidied up, everyone went back to the inn lobby to have a meal and wash themselves hastily. It was almost four o'clock in the morning, so they all went back to their rooms to rest.
That night, Lin Jue had a dream, dreaming that he was surrounded by countless dry things. There were small yellow croakers with glaring eyes, small shrimps with shriveled bodies, sea cucumbers like caterpillars, and sea urchins like hedgehogs. There were also sea urchins that opened and closed.
Like a seashell that opened its mouth to speak. These things rushed towards me one after another, drowning me in them. As soon as I opened my mouth, they all got into my stomach.
Lin Jue was so frightened that he moved his hands and feet wildly. It wasn't until his hands grasped Bai Bing's soft breast meat in his arms that he calmed down as if he had grasped a life-saving straw. He buried his mouth and nose in Bai Bing's warm and soft breasts before continuing.
Go to sleep.
Early the next morning, a large number of people had already gathered at the door of the inn to wait. When Lin Jue got up, everyone had already started buying dry goods under the auspices of Gao Mu Qing Baibing. After washing up, Lin Jue sat in the lobby of the inn eating snacks and drinking tea, following
The little follower Asheng was talking and asked about some situations in Bohai County and whether the previous religious bandit rebellion affected these things. At this moment, shopkeeper Peng, who was helping to maintain order in the inn yard, walked away quickly
Come in.
"Official Fang, pack up quickly. The Lord of this county is here to see you. He's on the street at the entrance and will be here soon." Shopkeeper Peng said, cupping his hands.
Lin Jue swallowed the flour cake in his mouth and said with a smile: "Oh? The magistrate of this county wants to see me? Just come and come. What are you packing?"
Shopkeeper Peng pointed to the side dishes and noodles on the table and said, "This... Mr. Fang is eating, I'm afraid it's a bit rude."
Lin Jue smiled and said: "What are you afraid of? He wants to see me, but I don't want to see him? Is it rude? Why don't you go tell him, and if he minds, he will come in after I finish eating.
It’s just that if I don’t eat enough in the morning, I’ll be in a bad mood all day.”
Shopkeeper Peng rolled his eyes and thought to himself: You are quite impressive, but you want the county magistrate to wait for you to have dinner before coming back. Do you think you have a higher status than the county magistrate? No matter how rich you are, aren't you still a businessman? Why?
How dare you be so arrogant.
If Shopkeeper Peng knew that the merchant in front of him had once sat in the position of Prime Minister and was so red in front of the emperor, he would understand why he didn't care at all about the visit of a mere county magistrate.
"Come on, just pack it up and eat later." Lin Jue waved his hand.
Shopkeeper Peng breathed a sigh of relief, and hurriedly put away the dishes, noodles, and cakes himself. When he had just finished putting away the dishes, several government officials in soap clothes at the door of the inn had already entered the courtyard surrounded by an official in green official uniform.
Shopkeeper Peng said hurriedly: "He's here, hurry up and greet him."
Lin Jue didn't even crouch, didn't raise his eyelids, blew tea foam and drank tea, turning a deaf ear. Shopkeeper Peng had no choice but to quickly go out with his robe and greet him, with a smile on his face and said: "Oh, this
Isn't he the county magistrate? I'm going to pay tribute to the county magistrate."
The official was tall and thin, with a friendly face. He was about forty or so, and he had the temperament of a scholar. He smiled and said: "Shopkeeper Peng is polite, is that businessman from the south here?"
"Here you are, I'm waiting for the county magistrate in the lobby." Shopkeeper Peng said, thinking: You are rude, but I want to defend you.
The county magistrate nodded and said, "Then let's go in."
Shopkeeper Peng bowed to invite you and said loudly on purpose: "The county magistrate is here."
That meant to remind Lin Jue in the lobby not to be really rude.
However, when he entered the lobby, he saw Lin Jue sitting on a chair with his legs crossed, drinking tea, without even raising his head. Shopkeeper Peng couldn't help but look at the county magistrate, fearing that the county magistrate would be angry.
However, the county magistrate did not look angry at all. Instead, he quickly stepped forward and cupped his hands and said, "I'm afraid this person is our distinguished guest Fang Dongjia from Bohai County. You're polite."
Lin Jue saw that the county magistrate was humble and polite, but he could not lose his etiquette. He pretended to be surprised and stood up to return the courtesy and said: "Polite, polite, who is this sir?"
"I am the magistrate of Bohai County, Tian Guilin." The official said with a smile.
"Oh, it turns out that the Lord of this county is here. This is rude. Oh, Mr. Peng, you didn't even inform me in advance. It's true." Lin Jue said.
Shopkeeper Peng rolled his eyes and flew to the sky, thinking: "Why are southerners so good at pretending?" But he said: "It's my fault, it's my fault. It's because I forgot to inform the high officials."
Magistrate Tian smiled and said, "It's not Shopkeeper Peng's fault. It's my rash visit that disturbed Fang Dong's family."
Lin Jue chuckled and said: "It's easy to say, it's a great honor for me to condescend to come here, Lord County Lord. Sit down, please take a seat. Shopkeeper Peng, please serve some good tea."
Shopkeeper Peng said angrily: "I want you to tell me."
The tea was put on the table and the two of them sat down. Lin Jue cupped his hands and said with a smile: "Your Excellency, the county magistrate is here, and I don't know what advice I have. I'm going down to Guibao to do business, and I didn't go to the county government for a visit. Please forgive me."
Magistrate Tian waved his hand and said with a smile: "Just kidding, there is no such rule. Yesterday, our county heard that a southern merchant who collects dried seafood came to the city. I wanted to come and visit, but when I thought about it, you just came to this county, so it is necessary
I wanted to rest first, so I didn’t dare to disturb you rashly. I even heard that you started buying seafood for us Bohai people last night and were busy until midnight. This county couldn’t sit still anymore. No, it’s so early in the morning.
So I came to bother you."
Lin Jue smiled and said: "It should, it should. I am a businessman, so naturally I have to do what we should do, not for anyone."
Magistrate Tian nodded and said: "This is true, but for this county, the arrival of Fang Dong's family is a big event. This county is here specifically to thank Fang Dong's family."
Lin Jue smiled and said: "Thank you? Where to start?"
Magistrate Tian sighed, looked at the scene of laughter and laughter in the yard, and said: "This county has not seen the people so happy for a long time. To be honest, this county is located in a remote corner of the country, and the fields are all saline-alkali land.
There is no farming. The people rely on the sea to feed their families and rely on some fish to feed their families. These days, everywhere is not in good condition, and there are few merchants coming. Since the beginning of winter this year, there are only a handful of them. The people have settled in villages.
None of the fish and dried goods can be sold, and this winter has been very difficult. The county is worried about this matter and is actively thinking of ways to do it. Unexpectedly, Fang Dong’s family will arrive now, and they will also purchase the remaining dried goods in large quantities. This is really a help in times of need.
, it has solved the urgent needs of the people of this county. As their parent official, how can we not come to pay homage and express our gratitude?"
Lin Jue laughed and said: "Magistrate Tian is serious. I am a businessman. I sell dry goods to make a profit. There is no need to thank me."
Magistrate Tian said: "That's what I say, but it has indeed solved a big problem. The Fang Dong family has done a great favor to the people of this county, and this county is naturally grateful. Fang Dong family, if you need any help during your stay in this county,
ground
No matter how much you ask, this county will give you full assistance. My only hope is that you can collect more goods. It is best to collect all our dry goods, even if the price is cheaper."
Lin Jue laughed and said: "The county magistrate is a real person. It turns out you want to empty my pocket, hahaha."
Magistrate Tian laughed sheepishly and said: "It's a joke, it's a joke. The main reason is...it's rare for big merchants to come. And the people in this county only rely on these to make a living. As the magistrate of this county, I am very anxious. According to this trend,
, there is a recession everywhere, and there may be more troubles in the future. But getting through one test is another test, isn't it?"
Lin Jue pointed his finger and praised: "Magistrate Tian is a good official. Nowadays, there are very few officials who consider the sufferings of the people. Because of your love for the people, this time I will collect all the dry goods from your Bohai County."
Let’s go and help the people of this county.”
"Thank you very much, Mr. Fang. Please accept my respect." Magistrate Tian was overjoyed and stood up to salute respectfully.
Lin Jue also hurriedly stood up and returned the courtesy. He had a good impression of Magistrate Tian in his heart. He was an official who worked hard. Judging from his humble and polite manner, he seemed to be a good official. There were many such people among officials from various places in the Zhou Dynasty.
It is precisely these people who care about the sufferings of the people that keep the great Zhou Dynasty from falling. The Great Zhou Dynasty is indeed decaying, but its roots are still there. This is where the hope lies.
The two sat down again, and the atmosphere was obviously much more harmonious. The content of the conversation was no longer limited to the matter at hand.
"I heard that the Fang Dong family comes from the south? But I don't know where the Fang Dong family's fairyland is? I have served as an official in the Jiangnan area for several years, and I know many of the merchants and wealthy people in the south of the Yangtze River. Look at the Fang Dong family's style of work. You belong to this group of people.
The demeanor of a person should be regarded as the home of an extraordinary merchant." There was a sense of exploration in Magistrate Tian's words.
Lin Jue became alert. Although he could act with a high profile in this remote and remote place, it did not mean that there would be no risk of his identity being exposed. Magistrate Tian should not be a confused person. His group of people suddenly came here.
Doubts will inevitably arise.
Lin Jue pondered. He originally wanted to mention a prefecture casually, such as saying that he was a merchant from Suzhou Prefecture or Huzhou Prefecture. But when he thought about it, the Tian County Magistrate said that he had been an official in Jiangnan, so he must have some knowledge of the scenery of Jiangnan.
Familiar. If he asked about the scenery of Suzhou or the mountains and rivers of Huzhou, he would be exposed if he couldn't answer. So Lin Jue decided not to risk lying.
"Oh, I'm from Hangzhou Prefecture. My family is not a wealthy family, it's just a small business. I did some rice and grain business in the early years, and now I do business all over the country, so I can make a profit." Lin Jue said with a smile.
"Hangzhou Prefecture? Oh, that's a big place. There are only a few million-dollar cities in our country, and Hangzhou Prefecture is among them. As expected, people from Dazhou Prefecture have a different demeanor and manner." Tian
The county magistrate praised.
Lin Jue waved his hand and said: "Where, where, I dare not take it, I dare not take it."
Magistrate Tian smacked his lips and suddenly frowned: "Hey, that's strange. Are you from Hangzhou Prefecture? There are a lot of dried seafood in the coastal areas of Hangzhou, but why do you travel thousands of miles to come to Bohai County to collect dry goods? Even if
The price is cheaper here, but it’s not worth the expense of freight and the difficulty of traveling such a long way.”
Lin Jue was startled, his heart beat a little faster, and he cursed himself for being stupid. He didn't realize such an obvious mistake. It was true that he would make mistakes if he said too much. He shouldn't have talked to him about these things, but should have tried to explain them away.
