After coming down from the mountain, Xu Fenglei's pace slowed down and he returned to Chang'an City for a walk.
This city seems to be getting more and more prosperous. The streets are crowded with people and the noise is so loud that you can't even see the side.
Any stall is extremely popular, with diners coming and going, mouths full of food.
The fragrant aroma hit his nostrils, making Xu Fenglei a little greedy.
Snap!
He casually walked into an open-air stall, looked around, and couldn't help but smile:
"I can be considered the one who started this food trend in Datang, right?"
I still remember that when he first arrived in Chang'an, everyone from the emperor's nobles to the common people ate naan cakes and the like. Eating was purely to fill their stomachs.
And now.
There are a wide variety of dishes, and the street is filled with the aroma of rapeseed oil and the sound of cooking.
There are so many dishes that he has never seen before! But looking at the table
What does this mean?
It shows that the wisdom of working people is infinite!
Plant a seed for them and it will grow into a towering tree without much intervention!
Based on this, Xu Fenglei suddenly felt a little more enlightened.
History is created by the broad masses of the people, not by one or two rulers.
When you focus on the rulers, you will find that no matter how hard you try to change, history will always return to its original trajectory, as if you have done everything, but the final result has not changed.
This is undoubtedly frustrating.
But when you suddenly change your perspective and look at the common people, everything becomes different!
own arrival.
It saved the people of Tang Dynasty from the locust plague and developed a booming catering industry!
own arrival.
It has improved the model of studying and becoming an official, so that children of ordinary people can also study and have the opportunity to stand out!
There are also engineering, agriculture, medicine...
The development of these disciplines will undoubtedly benefit the general public! Let the lives of the people of Tang Dynasty change with each passing day!
And these changes are real and will definitely develop upwards and will not be brought back to their original shape!
At this moment, Xu Fenglei suddenly felt like an electric current surged through his brain, and his whole body was numb.
It turns out that he didn't understand the phrase 'history is created by the common people'.
And now, he kind of understands!
Starting with the people and focusing on the masses is the real way to break the situation!
"Sir, how can you show off on this hot day?"
The waiter came up to greet him and said with concern,
"Would you like a bottle of chilled grape wine? It will relieve the heat."
Xu Fenglei: "..."
"Does your little shop also have grape wine?"
He said in surprise,
"Really or not? Don't fool me with sugar water, I am also a person who has seen the world!"
Chilled grape wine.
Ten years ago, I am afraid only people of his class could enjoy it!
Now, are they all 'flying into ordinary people's homes'? Are there any such roadside stalls?
"Of course it's true. If I sell you a fake one, won't you overturn this table?"
The waiter said with a smile,
"It's true, but not much! I got it from the merchants in the Western Regions."
"The little one sees that you are a distinguished guest, so that's why he greets you. Ordinary people, the little one doesn't want to peddle.",
Xu Fenglei nodded slightly, maybe because he was wearing high-end silk.
Compared with the gloomy look yesterday and the glamorous look today, there is definitely a huge difference.
I was afraid that the waiter in the shop wouldn't even greet you warmly due to the sloppy look yesterday...
"Then have a bottle!"
He glanced twice, frowned and said,
"But there's no place for you to sit here!"
At this glance, everyone around was full, many of them were wearing long clothes, and they didn't mind the heat.
"Oh... I'm sorry for the guests."
The waiter had an idea. He smiled at the guests at the table in front of him and said,
"Can you guys squeeze in a little and move to a new position?"
"This is also an honored guest, so I don't dare to neglect him."
Several guests who looked like scribes raised their eyes, saw Xu Fenglei's appearance, and took a look at his clothes. They didn't say anything more and squeezed out a seat.
"Thank you, thank you very much."
Xu Fenglei sat down with a smile and said,
"It's lively when there are many people. I just like the fireworks in this world."
"Hey, go ahead and talk about yourselves."
With that said, he greeted the waiter again:
"Boy! Bring all your signature dishes. Don't be afraid that I won't be able to finish them. I'll invite these brothers to join us!"
"A few more bottles of grape wine! Don't be stingy! Let the barbarians next door see it and think we Tang people can't afford it. One bottle per person!"
As soon as these words came out, several scribes present turned their heads.
"Thank you my dear."
"Thank you, brother."
Several people bowed their hands towards Xu Fenglei, their expressions were a little kinder, and by the way, they gave him a little more space.
"You're welcome, I'm a good friend."
Xu Fenglei showed his big white teeth and grinned.
"Okay! Look! Come right away!"
The waiter's eyes shone, knowing that he was meeting a big customer this time, and his tone became more enthusiastic.
"You guys keep talking about yourselves."
Xu Fenglei raised his hand and said,
"Don't mind me, I like being the listener."
Having not been in Chang'an for a long time, he also wanted to hear what the people of Chang'an were concerned about in their current lives.
Wu Yatou's information is very rich, but it does not include these small things in the market, but often this kind of market chat can reflect the state of a city or even a country.
Several scribes nodded, but they didn't care that there was another person beside them. They were still chatting enthusiastically about the court:
"What did you say just now? Fourth child, are you and that girl consummated?"
"Ouch! What a fart! You blew it! Their family asked me to have a house in Chang'an. Who the hell can do that?"
"Ah, no way... you are also an official of the imperial court after all! You can't afford a house in Chang'an?"
"Ha! Official of the imperial court? What kind of official is a seventh-rank official of my special mother? Just walk on the street and hit someone, maybe that person is a fifth-rank official! Besides, even if he is a fifth-rank official, there are many They can’t even afford a house in Chang’an, so they all rent a house!”
The green-shirted scribe took action, obviously full of resentment.
Xu Fenglei listened and touched his nose.
What grade are you from?
If the prince and grand master were not fucked by Li Er, he should be from the first rank, right?
"Is it true? Even a fifth-grade official can't afford a house in Chang'an?"
The white-robed scribe said in astonishment,
"How expensive is this now!"
The green-shirted scribe sneered and said:
"I've already inquired about the houses around Dongxiang City and the palace. The prices are sky-high!"
"Some expensive ones cost tens of thousands of taels of silver for a room! Note, it's just one room! If you want a big house with three entrances and three exits, don't even think about it if you don't have tens of thousands of taels of silver!"
"The cheapest one is in the south of the city. Ten years ago, a house in the south of the city only cost a few dozen taels of silver per room, and no one wanted it. But now... it has doubled more than ten times!"
"Who can afford this girl? Even if I sell it, I can't afford it!"
When several scribes heard this, they all looked sad.
"It costs thousands of taels in the south of the city..."
"Hey, there's a Tang Academy there. Many wealthy businessmen and nobles have purchased properties there, thinking that being closer would give their children a better chance of enrolling in school."
"What a dog! House prices in Chang'an have been jacked up by merchants from out of town! It's getting more outrageous every year. If this continues, what will we do..."
"Hey, isn't it possible to get a mortgage? Fenglei Bank has a mortgage business, but the requirements are very high. You must have a stable source of income. It is only open to officials for the time being. Brother Liu, you are a seventh-grade official after all, why not give it a try?"
This question made the scholar surnamed Liu grit his teeth even more.
He said unhappily:
"Try it! I don't want to sell my body! My salary is not much, and my family's expenses are barely enough. If you repay the mortgage every month, it won't crush me, right?"
"Besides, I've read the contract. The mortgage is for at least 20 years. 20 years! What if I get sick or die in an accident? If I don't pay the money, the house will belong to the bank!"
"I'd rather die than do this! I'd rather find an opportunity to be released. Chang'an is not a place for children from poor families like us. It's really hard to be a capital official..."
All the scribes at the table fell silent.
The atmosphere is somewhat depressing.
After hard work, he even became an official.
But in the end, there was not even a place to stand in the huge city of Chang'an.
It's really ironic.
"Sir, your wine."
Da da.
Several bottles of grape wine with white mist were brought up, and Xu Fenglei generously distributed them to everyone.
"Thank you."
The scholar surnamed Liu was not polite either. He was feeling depressed at the moment and wanted to drink to drown his sorrows.
The others also pulled out the corks and put the cold grape wine into their mouths.
When the wine entered the throat, the sweet and refreshing feeling made everyone praise it.
“It tastes great! It’s truly a top-notch grape wine!”
"This bottle costs at least ten taels of silver, right? It tastes really good. This is the first time I've had such a delicious wine."
"Xiaoer, how many bottles does this cost? I want to buy it back for my dad to try. He has never had any good wine in his life..."
The taste of grape wine immediately conquered several people present.
The scholar in white shirt became more filial and wanted to let his father have a taste.
"Ho ho... I'll tell you back to the guest officer, this iced grape wine costs eighty taels a bottle."
The waiter replied with a smile.
Scholars: "..."
For a moment, their expressions were stunned.
The next second, the expressions on everyone's faces became extremely exciting!
"Eighty taels? Why don't you go and grab it!"
"What kind of jade liquid is this? Even the fairy dew from the sky is not worth eighty taels!"
"Wait a minute... Five bottles on this table means four hundred taels?! Half a suite in the south of the city?!"
In an instant, all the scribes were already making a fuss!
There is no way not to make trouble!
This price is really outrageous!
"Don't get excited, objective people...This, this is definitely not a money grab. The best grape wine is at this price."
The waiter said with an aggrieved look,
"You have to think about the cost of transportation. This is transported thousands of miles from the Western Regions! To Chang'an, Hu merchants risk their lives to transport it, so they have to make money, right?"
"In the Western Regions, this grape wine may only cost a few taels of silver per bottle, but in Chang'an, it's the same price. Just ask, ours is pretty cheap!"
"If you go to any restaurant, you'll get hundreds of taels of wine!"
Scholars: "..."
This explanation also made them dumbfounded.
yes.
Where are the transportation costs? Hu Shang also took this risk because he was sure of huge profits.
"Eighty taels..."
"this……"
The scholar surnamed Liu looked at Xu Fenglei and said with a troubled face,
"Brother, this... we really don't know how precious this grape wine is. I come from the countryside, and I have never seen the prosperity of Chang'an, and I don't really understand..."
"I...I just took a sip from this bottle, why don't you take it back..."
He didn't dare to drink anymore.
Several others did not dare to drink.
This table is the semi-suite in the south of the city! Who has such a big heart?
We are all poor boys!
Xu Fenglei laughed.
"It doesn't matter, I'm treating you as a treat, it's just a small amount of money."
He said casually,
"Just eat and drink today and it will all be charged to my account."
As he spoke, he took out an ingot of gold from his arms and threw it on the table with a bang.
"Waiter, please serve the food quickly. I don't like to wait."
he said.
The waiter's eyes shone again.
He was indeed right!
Those who can take out gold are definitely not ordinary customers! The distinguished guest in front of me is very likely to be the top dignitary in Chang'an City!
"Yes Yes!"
"I'm going to urge you, please wait a moment!"
He quickly nodded and bowed, turned around and left.
After seeing Xu Fenglei's 'money-making ability', several scribes looked at him differently.
They threw away dozens of taels of gold without any expression on their faces, just like they were throwing away a few copper coins!
Moreover, he is still so young!
This person is definitely the second generation of the top dignitaries in Chang'an City! Those sons of rich businessmen and local tyrants definitely do not have such magnanimity and grace!
For a moment, all the scribes looked at me and I looked at you, and they were all a little hesitant to speak rashly.
Just now I could chat casually.
Now that there is such a big boss by their side, how can they ignore him?
"You guys keep talking! I heard it's very interesting."
Xu Fenglei said with a smile,
"Keep going, I love hearing it."
The scribe named Liu gave a wry smile.
"For you, it might just be fun, but for those of us here, it's real torture and depression..."
He sighed softly,
"You can eat half of a house in the south of the city in one meal, but because my family is poor, I can't afford a house in Chang'an. As a result, even the marriage we had agreed on fell through."
"well……"
"Perhaps it's because I haven't worked hard enough... But I think those fifth-grade officials who come from other places can't afford to buy a house either, so the whole family has to rent a house."
"Whether I can reach the fifth level in this life is still unknown."
Seriously, he has no energy.
Because the future is not one of hope, but one of confusion.
The confusion is... no matter how hard I try, I can't get a foothold in Chang'an with my little salary.
In fact, he is already one of the better ones among his peers.
(End of chapter)
