Xuzhou has rich hydrology and is located in the middle of the canal. Even if there are no tribute ships, there is no shortage of ordinary merchant ships. Moreover, Xuzhou has a shipyard that can build large flat-bottomed ships worth several thousand stones.
Even though the Tiger Character Banner occupied many northern provinces such as Shandong, Xuzhou's prosperity was not greatly affected.
Hong Chengchou was walking in Xuzhou City, appreciating the bustling streets, listening to the shouts of vendors, and looking at the goods sold at the stalls on both sides of the street.
Since becoming an official, he has devoted himself entirely to officialdom and has rarely had the opportunity to be as leisurely and comfortable as he is now.
"are you hungry?"
Hong Chengchou, who was walking on the road, turned to ask the entourage who was following him.
He is said to be a follower, but he is actually someone sent by the magistrate of Xuzhou. He is a follower on the surface, but he also has some sense of surveillance in secret.
"If Futai is hungry, why don't we go back to the post house first, and let the people in the post house prepare a table of food and wine." The attendant said with a respectful look.
Hearing this, Hong Chengchou waved his hand and said with a smile: "It's too troublesome to prepare before going back. I'm treating you to a treat. There's a steamed bun seller in front of you. Let's eat there. Let's go!"
With that said, he took the lead and walked towards the steamed bun stall in front.
Seeing this, the entourage had no choice but to follow.
Several guards followed.
The guards were brought over from Shandong by Hong Chengchou.
This trip to Nanjing was from an enemy country. Even if officials from the Ming Dynasty did not do anything on the surface, who could guarantee that they would not do something unflattering secretly?
Hong Chengchou himself was a high-ranking official, and he knew very well the virtues of his colleagues. On the surface, he was upright and upright, but secretly he was constantly plotting.
He didn't dare to walk on the street alone without a few guards around him.
"Are you guys eating steamed buns?"
When the stall owner selling steamed buns saw Hong Chengchou and his entourage stopping in front of his stall, he hurriedly stepped forward to greet them.
"Yes, eat steamed buns." Hong Chengchou replied with a smile.
The stall owner selling steamed buns was stunned for a moment. He just asked casually. These people looked like they were not ordinary people. He didn't expect to actually eat steamed buns.
Especially the leader, he looks like a noble person at first sight.
After reacting, the stall owner hurriedly wiped his sleeves on the bench beside him and greeted warmly: "Sit down quickly, the steamed buns will be ready soon."
His stall usually receives ordinary people, and noble people always go to restaurants to eat delicious food. This is the first time to entertain noble people.
A nobleman came to his stall to eat steamed buns. While he felt proud, he also decided to use his best skills to let the nobleman taste the steamed buns he made.
The stall owner turned around and prepared to make steamed buns.
Hong Chengchou greeted his followers and said, "I remember the last time I ate steamed buns was on my way to Beijing to take the exam. Looking back now, the taste is quite nostalgic."
"If Futai likes to eat steamed buns, you can go back to the post house. There are also cooks in the post house who can make steamed buns. The place is dirty and not as clean as the steamed buns made in the post house." The entourage looked at the dirty buns with disgust. Beautiful desktop.
There was an endless stream of people coming and going on the street, not only pedestrians but also livestock, trampling the dust all over the street.
Some people will also pour dirty water directly onto the street outside their door. Over time, some strange smell will inevitably appear.
Respectable people are not willing to eat from roadside stalls on the street, thinking that eating in such a place is unseemly.
Who is Hong Chengchou? As soon as the attendant opened his mouth, he knew that he disliked eating in such a place.
"Eating steamed buns tastes best only in a place like this." He explained with a smile.
In the past, he might not have eaten at street stalls like this. As he has been working in Tiger Flag for a long time, he no longer attaches so much importance to some things.
As far as he knew, even Liu Heng, the leader of the Tiger Flag, would sometimes eat at roadside stalls. Since then, he has eaten street snacks on the streets of Jinan Prefecture every now and then.
There may have been some discomfort at first, but it stopped over time. After all, when he was a child, his family did not come from a wealthy family. At that time, he could not eat street snacks regularly.
"The old man is right. The most comfortable way to eat steamed buns is to sit on the street. Especially when the steamed buns are rolled with meat and smeared with garlic paste, the taste is delicious." The stall owner held some steamed buns in his hand. come over.
Hong Chengchou looked at the steamed buns brought over by the stall owner and asked, "I'm so greedy when you say that. Do you have any cooked pork? I'll roll some in the steamed buns too."
"This is a small business, and the people who come here to eat steamed buns are all ordinary people. They don't want to spend money on pork, but I have some garlic paste." The stall owner rubbed his rough hands with an embarrassed look.
Finally, a noble man came to eat his own steamed buns, but he was not served well, which made him a little embarrassed.
Hong Chengchou said with a smile: "It doesn't matter, I'll ask someone to get some pork, and then I'll bother to use some of the garlic paste you have here."
"That's no problem, you can use garlic pulp as you like." The awkward look on the stall owner's face suddenly disappeared, and he took the jar containing garlic pulp from the stall.
Hong Chengchou stretched out his hand to open the lid of the jar, and a spicy smell entered his nostrils with his breath. Just smelling the smell made his appetite whet his appetite.
"Go buy some cooked meat and come back." Hong Chengchou ordered one of the guards.
At this time, the stall owner said: "There is a cooked meat stall not far ahead. Just go there and buy it. The taste is no worse than those big restaurants."
"Listen to the stall owner and go to the front and have a look." Hong Chengchou said to the guard.
The guard nodded and turned around and left the steamed bun stall.
Hong Chengchou reached out and tore off a piece of steamed bun, took it into his mouth and chewed it in small bites.
After being an official for so many years, he naturally cannot be like the coolies on the street, swallowing food without any image. There are many things that are particular about officialdom, and there are also a set of rules for eating.
Even when eating alone, he will maintain this appearance.
The stall owner enthusiastically brought a bowl of soup to Hong Chengchou with a few vegetable leaves floating on it.
Hong Chengchou took a sip of the soup in the bowl. Except for the salty taste, there was no other taste.
"Sir, you are here."
The attendant accompanying Hong Chengchou suddenly spoke and bowed to a middle-aged man who came over.
Hong Chengchou naturally noticed it, but he didn't move. He just said hello: "Yan Zhizhou came just in time. I asked for some steamed buns. You can eat some together."
He pushed the plate with the steamed buns to the side of Yan Zhizhou, who had just arrived.
Yan Zhizhou glanced at the steamed buns, his face darkened, and he said to the attendant: "What's the matter with you? I didn't ask you to accompany Hong Futai, so why did you bring Hong Futai to a place like this to eat these?" thing!"
