Yang Dong frowned unconsciously, but Magistrate Chen on the side walked to a prescription table as if nothing had happened.
Soon, the old woman in charge of cooking served a table of dishes. Although it was not very exquisite, it was already much better than the food of these children.
"You two, please come quickly and take your seats quickly. I have prepared some simple meals, so please don't take it personally."
Yang Dong and Shu Shuxiao looked at each other and then sat down one after another.
Liu Sanniang stayed beside them, filling their glasses with wine.
When Yang Dong saw this, he couldn't help but said:
"Miss Liu, why don't you sit down together?"
As soon as these words came out, the entire dining hall fell silent instantly.
Magistrate Chen, who was sitting on the main seat, changed his expression slightly. But he hid it very well, and the change in his expression was fleeting, and he soon returned to a smile on his face.
On the other side, the smile on Liu Sanniang's face also froze. She looked at Yang Dong again, but there was a hint of coldness in her eyes.
At this moment, Magistrate Chen's calm voice with a hint of majesty sounded again.
"Xiao Liu, since the distinguished guest has already spoken, please sit down together. Sit next to the distinguished guest and serve the distinguished guest well, do you understand?"
When Liu Sanniang heard this, she bit her red lips lightly, but she still had to squeeze out a smile, nodded slightly and said:
"If that's the case, then I'll have a few drinks with you!"
As she said this, she stood up and took a lot of steps, walked to Yang Dong and sat down next to her.
Upon seeing this, County Magistrate Chen once again had a smile on his face.
He raised his glass and said loudly:
"Welcome you two distinguished guests from the capital to visit a small place like our Xiong County."
"You two distinguished guests don't know that although our Xiong County is remote, it is a good place rich in products!"
"There are all kinds of fresh fruits from the mountains, especially walnuts. I wonder if you two are here, what do you think?"
As soon as these words came out, Yang Dong was shocked again.
As the saying goes, even if you have never eaten pork, you have also seen pigs running away. Although Yang Dong had not experienced it personally, he also knew that most of the discussions during official interactions in the Zhou Dynasty were metaphysical things.
It can be said that what is said at the wine table basically has no practical meaning.
But there are very few people like County Magistrate Chen who are straight to the point.
However, Yang Dong likes this way of talking very much. It is not only efficient, but also worry-free.
I saw Yang Dong cupping his hands towards County Magistrate Chen and saying with a serious face:
"To be honest, our visit to Xiong County this time is not for traditional business."
As soon as these words came out, a hint of surprise appeared on County Magistrate Chen's cheeks.
"Is it possible... what does this distinguished guest have to say? You might as well tell me."
"I can't speak highly of it, but I do have some personal opinions."
Speaking of this, a sad look suddenly appeared on Yang Dong's cheek.
He sighed softly, seemingly hesitating to speak, and the expression on his face was a little awkward.
…
At the same time, on the other side of the dining hall,
The children gathered around, sipping the vegetable soup from the bowl, while staring in the direction of Yang Dong and the others, and started discussing in a hurry.
"You think the old man, the county magistrate, is trying to trick people again this time? Our Xiong County is so poor that there are no specialties anywhere!"
"Who says otherwise? Old things are bad. My father has said before that no one who is a county magistrate is good!"
"I think that brother from the capital is very good-looking, and he is the type that Sanniang likes!"
"Go, go, little girl, what do you know about movies! I like Sanniang. When I grow up, I want to marry Sanniang as my wife! My mother has said that when looking for a wife, you have to find someone with a big butt."
"You can brag! When you grow up, Sanniang will already be old, and she is not much younger than your mother!"
"My mother said that I will grow up quickly and will be able to marry my mother-in-law after I turn 12. When the time comes, let my mother propose marriage to Sanniang!"
…
"Your distinguished guest has something to hide, why don't you tell me?"
County Magistrate Chen picked up the tea cup and took a sip, but the expression on his face did not change at all.
Liu Sanniang sat next to Yang Dong, with a pair of autumn eyes also filled with curiosity.
After Yang Dong pondered for a moment, he slowly said:
"Actually... it's not really a wise idea. It's just that Xiong County has an excellent geographical location. It happens to be the only way to pass through Youzhou and Pingzhou."
"It's a pity that on weekdays, most of the merchants who come and go do not stop in Xiong County. Instead, they would rather walk a night road to a nearby village. Does the county magistrate know why?"
Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Chen's old face blushed in an extremely rare way.
He squeezed the teacup awkwardly, then sighed and slowly said:
"Sigh... I do blame this officer for this! Bandits often appear near Xiong County. I personally led the officers and soldiers to suppress the bandits, but with little success."
"The merchants who came and went were afraid of being robbed by bandits, so they hurried away at dawn. Over time, no one cared about Xiong County."
While Yang Dong listened to Magistrate Chen's explanation, he quietly looked at the magistrate.
At this moment, he even had some doubts as to whether the county magistrate was working with the bandits!
After all, compared to the children around him who looked malnourished at first glance, County Magistrate Chen looked pretty strong even though he was not fat.
"In that case, why don't you, the magistrate, think of ways to change the status quo?"
Yang Dong asked again, but what he got was a helpless smile.
"Your distinguished guest doesn't know something. These bandits... can't move!"
Magistrate Chen said and sighed again.
"Sigh...the background of these bandits is not something that our small Xiong County can afford to offend."
At this point, he changed the topic and said:
"If your distinguished guests want to do warehousing business, I'm afraid they will be disappointed. With these bandits around, it is impossible for the merchants to stay in Xiong County."
Hearing this, Yang Dong's eyes flashed with curiosity.
What is the origin of some bandits?
He glanced at Shu Museuzhi beside him, and Shu Museuse's heart skipped a beat.
Fortunately, he was quite concerned about the affairs of the West Factory. After pondering for a moment, he said:
"Sir, the banditry in Xiong County has been going on for hundreds of years! The main reason is deserters."
Magistrate Chen's eyebrows twitched slightly when he heard the word deserter.
He did not expect that the distinguished guests from the capital would even know the inside story of the bandits.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look at Yang Dong twice.
Yang Dong frowned slightly and looked deeply at Magistrate Chen.
At this moment, he was 70% sure that there must be some kind of connection between County Magistrate Chen and those bandits.
Next...it depends on how the county magistrate speaks.
After County Magistrate Chen pondered for a while, he spoke again:
"The distinguished guest has been prepared for a long time, but it makes me look embarrassed."
