Chen Kangbo's sudden question stunned Wang Qi for a moment.
"ah?"
Wang Qi, who was just about to eat meat, picked up a piece of pork and put it in his mouth. When he heard Chen Kangbo's question, he suddenly didn't understand and didn't bother to eat the meat.
He thought for a while, blinked, and asked again: "Ms. Chen, I don't quite understand, what do you mean?"
"What I mean is, Mr. Wang, is this kind of meat something that can be prepared on a construction site like this? Why do you need to prepare it specially for us? Can't we just eat the food on the construction site normally?"
Chen Kangbo determined that this mouthful of pork was definitely specially prepared for them.
This time it was Wang Qi's turn to be stunned.
"Why does Chen Xianggong think so? This is just ordinary pork. The people of Ming Dynasty like this kind of pork the most. The price is not expensive. It is clearly written on the menu at the construction site. Why do you need to prepare it specially?"
"Not expensive?"
Chen Kangbo shook his head: "Ordinary pork is indeed not expensive, or even cheap, but the expensive thing is not the pork itself, but the seasoning. To make the pork so fragrant, you need a lot of seasonings, spices, and even icing sugar.
We all know the price of spices and icing sugar. In order to make such cheap meat, we need to invest such a large amount of spices and icing sugar. How can it not be expensive? Mr. Wang, it’s just a meal, why is it so? "
When Chen Kangbo said this, Lu You and Yu Yunwen seemed to realize something. After taking a bite of pork, they looked strange.
tasty.
But it’s just because it’s delicious that it’s not normal. .
How could such delicious pork be fed to the farmers working on the construction site?
With so many spices and icing sugar added, and the amount of food for so many people, is the court worth dying?
Even if a well-known good person in the folk can hire people to do work and provide him with tons of food, it is enough to be praised. Anyone who wants to come to their house to work will be squeezed out. If they are given this kind of pork, every house will give it to them. Those who came to do the work were squeezed out.
After just thinking about it for a moment, Wang Qi understood what Chen Kangbo meant.
But this time, he couldn't explain Chen Kangbo with a smile.
He was a little angry.
"Mr. Chen, after the innovation of the pigs raised in the Ming Dynasty, they no longer have such a strong fishy smell, and they taste very fragrant. Soy sauce is also less expensive because of the cultivation of beans.
There was a state-owned soy sauce brewing factory in the Ming Dynasty, which brewed soy sauce on a large scale. It is not surprising that the people of the Ming Dynasty bought some pork and soy sauce at home every now and then to satisfy their cravings... I won’t mention all of this, but there is one thing that I find very strange, and I would like to ask Mr. Chen to explain it to me. . "
"What's the matter?"
Chen Kangbo put down his bowl and chopsticks.
He didn't believe what Wang Qi said at all. He just felt that he was trying to make a fool of himself. This kind of meat was not something that these mud-legged migrant workers were qualified to eat. If they could be given this kind of meat, it would really be heaven on earth. .
However, Wang Qi's question stunned him.
"Why do you think delicious meat cannot be eaten by farmers on the construction site? Can't they eat delicious meat? Is there any hard reason why they can't eat delicious meat?"
When Wang Qi asked this question, not to mention Chen Kangbo, Yu Yunwen and Lu You were also stunned one after another.
They didn't expect Wang Qi to ask this question, so they felt very surprised.
Can't they?
Can't we give them delicious meat?
Why?
Chen Kangbo didn't know how to answer this question, and Yu Yunwen didn't know how to answer either. Lu You stood aside, holding a bowl of fragrant meat, but didn't know how to eat it.
An awkward atmosphere filled the air around them, but Wang Qi did not feel embarrassed.
He knew very well why these people thought this way and why they had such doubts. He just reconfirmed the difference between himself and these people, and reconfirmed the difference between the Ming Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty.
I am so lucky to live in the Ming Dynasty, to join the Revival Society and become his followers, and to have a group of like-minded friends.
So he raised his hand and pointed at his eyes.
"They have two eyes just like us."
He pointed to his nose again.
"Have a nose."
He pointed to his ears again.
"Has two ears."
Then pointed to the mouth.
"And a mouth that can talk and eat."
He pointed his finger at the farmers who gathered in the distance to hold rice bowls and eat while standing, squatting or sitting.
"Is there any difference? Why can't they eat delicious meat? Why can I only give them delicious meat when you come here and show it to you? Look at their appearance, they don't seem to have any Have you ever tasted this kind of meat? Are they hungry?"
Chen Kangbo and others couldn't help but follow Wang Qi's direction and look at the farmers in the distance.
They held their bowls and ate in big mouthfuls, and they really felt hungry.
But looking at them talking and laughing, not fighting or grabbing, and looking at the orderly appearance of queuing up for meals, it doesn't look like they are in a state of suddenly seeing meat after being hungry for a long time.
They did not fight or grab, and they were able to line up to eat one by one without anyone threatening them with weapons. This proved that they were not panicking and were not worried about not having anything to fill their stomachs.
They trust this place, they don't feel uncomfortable on this construction site, and the atmosphere is good.
This sense of déjà vu cannot be faked or concealed from others.
Moreover, it was still quite hot in the north in late August, especially at noon. Although there was shade under the sheds, the farmers still took off their upper body clothes, and many of them were eating shirtless.
Their bodies are exposed, but they are not thin.
Wherever I looked, I saw no scrawny people. Their upper bodies were not very strong. I couldn’t see anyone with a big belly, but I couldn’t see anyone who was skinny due to hunger. They were all quite normal. Ordinary people.
Seeing such a scene, Lu You thought of some of the content described by Su Yonglin in "Hongwu Political Theory".
Seeing such a scene, Yu Yunwen remembered what he had eavesdropped on the conversation between Wang Qi and Lu You last night.
Seeing such a scene, Chen Kangbo suddenly felt an unreasonable anger in his heart - he couldn't tell whether it was shame or anger, or just anger from embarrassment.
He spoke.
"There is a system in the Zhou Dynasty. The emperor eats too much, and all three animals, cattle, sheep, and hogs are available. The princes eat cattle, the ministers eat sheep, the officials eat hogs, the scholars eat fish and roast them, and the common people eat vegetables. This is done layer by layer, in order, without any confusion. For those who offended, the Zhou rites were completed, the world was at peace, and the saint tried to restore the Zhou rites until his death!
Afterwards, the rituals collapsed and the world was in chaos. People all over the world now knew the importance of rules! But we know that without rules, we cannot form a circle. Without rules, there will be no generals and no country. There is no distinction between superiors and inferiors. Anyone can offend the superior. How can a dynasty still exist? How else to govern? Wouldn't it be endless war?
People who don't respect the rules don't even respect the emperor, how can they still care about you, a mere commoner? Instead of slaughtering a city today and slaughtering a city tomorrow, eating human flesh as food! Can common people live and work in peace and contentment? The reason why rules exist is to protect everyone from those who violate them! "
Chen Kangbo said angrily: "Since ancient times, down to the three dynasties, and down to the present day, all dynasties have been in good order, with clear distinction between superior and inferior. This has been the case in all dynasties! What's wrong with that?"
Chen Kangbo's words seemed to answer the question a bit, but Wang Qi understood it clearly.
Although what Chen Kangbo said seemed to make sense, Wang Qi was not affected at all by these words.
"It's always been like this, right?"
Chen Kangbo was stunned and didn't know how to answer this question.
Fortunately, Wang Qi didn't need his answer.
He had many questions, and he knew that Chen Kangbo couldn't answer them at all.
"In order to prevent people from being killed by the steel knives of the insurgent soldiers, can we just watch them starve to death, freeze to death, and be beaten and kicked to death?"
"Why can't they be fed? Why can't they eat meat? Why can't they eat delicious meat?"
"Are they born to eat only bran vegetables?"
Chen Kangbo was speechless. He searched his mind and went through all his profound knowledge. He didn't know how to answer this question.
He saw his subordinates looking at him, saw Yu Yunwen and Lu You looking at him, and saw the attendants at other tables looking at him.
He felt very humiliated, his face turned red and he was embarrassed.
Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration.
