Seeing that it was almost noon, Wang Xiaolie called Gao Ying and asked him to book a banquet at Wuwen Xidong to welcome Ma Kuan.
In his previous life, Wang Xiaolie heard a song called "Wu Wen Xi Dong". I don’t know why, but I was moved by the song and have always remembered it. Just because of this song, when I paid attention to the movie of the same name, I only read the introduction and lost interest.
When the country is in crisis, some of those high-ranking people care about national affairs, and some sacrifice for the country. Their deeds should be remembered. But at that time, the real protagonists were obviously not them, but the people wearing patchwork clothes in the ravine who led people to fight against the enemy. If they were the protagonists, there would be no new China and it would be impossible for the Chinese people to stand up.
After thinking about it for a long time, Wang Xiaolie couldn't figure out why he liked that song. Perhaps, it is the sentence "Outside the world, in time, no matter what the west or the east. Just strive to be a hero."
Don’t ask about the West or the East. When people learn knowledge, they should not ask whether it is west or east. It’s just that the knowledge learned must be correct, must be useful, and must correspond to reality. Rather than when others wear suits, you also wear suits; when others wear hats, you also wear hats; when others eat Western food, you also eat Western food; when others write their first name in the front and their last name in the back, you also write your first name in front and the last name too. later. If you study in this way, what can you learn?
"Wuwen Xidong" is a top restaurant, where the government entertains guests. The minimum standard for eating inside is five guan per person, and the same is true for government banquets. Of course, the restaurant itself belongs to the Xuanfu Division, but it is left to the right. But for the officials below, their funds are certain, and it doesn't mean that they are left to the right. They really need to spend money. They don't go there to entertain guests of considerable distinction.
There is an official discount, starting from five guans per person. If there is no private discount, it will cost ten guan per person. However, most of the guests of "Wuwen Xidong" are wealthy businessmen and foreigners. There is no other reason than going there to have status and face. Businessmen sometimes care about face.
Half an hour after Gao Ying left, Wang Xiaolie said to Ma Kuan: "The defense came from afar. It was a hard journey along the way. Let's go to the banquet and catch the wind for you."
Seeing that Ma Kuo was a little stunned, Wang Xiaolie said: "My place is different from other places. The banquet is not held in the government office, but in the restaurant outside. I govern dozens of states and counties, and the best restaurant is 'Wuwen' West and East are only in the three cities of Xiangyang, Dengzhou and Luoyang. If I am not an important person, I will not go there."
Ma Kuo nodded, without asking any questions, and left the government office with Wang Xiaolie.
Next to Huitong Bridge, a new three-story restaurant was built, which was magnificent. There is a colorful building in front, and several female prostitutes are sitting below, playing various musical instruments. Occasionally, singers would come and sing a few songs as they pleased. The front is always full of people, watching.
When they arrived outside the restaurant, Wang Xiaolie said to Ma Kuang: "Defense is here."
Ma Kuo looked up at the restaurant and then at the colorful building outside. He said: "The restaurants under Xuanfu's rule never had colorful buildings, and there were no female prostitutes to attract customers. Why is it different here? Is it because this place is expensive, so they have these things?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "That's not the case. But there are always people telling me that there must be a colorful building outside the restaurant, and there must be female prostitutes to attract customers. Some people say it during the day, and some people say it at night. It makes me so noisy. If I get bored, I will try to build a restaurant as they say."
Ma Kuo smiled and said, "What's the result?"
Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "It is true that business is better, but what can I do? They can only leave it to them. It's just that the female prostitutes here are neither official prostitutes nor camp prostitutes. They have their own business and choose They are responsible for daily chores. The government only collects taxes and supervises its guilds, and no one is allowed to hold power. It is the so-called private government governor. Many of us here act like this, but it is different from other places."
Most of the industries and commerce in the Song Dynasty were engaged in business, such as general business, handicraft industry, and group. Without joining the guild, it will be difficult to do business. Wang Xiaolie set rules for these tour groups, and even limited the number of people in big cities. The government will have special officials to manage the tours here, called private officials. Generally speaking, the government will limit the power of top executives to prevent them from becoming bigger.
After entering the colorful building, I walked dozens of steps before arriving at the door of the restaurant. Gao Ying had been waiting here and led everyone from the corridor next to the hall to the backyard.
There is a place in the backyard surrounded by bamboos, called "Green Shadow Spring", taken from Li He's poem. It is very large, with a pool in the middle and a pavilion built next to the pool. A dining table was set up some distance away from the pavilion.
Wang Xiaolie said to Ma Kuang: "The others haven't come yet, let's go to the pavilion to talk."
When I entered the pavilion, I saw that the lotus flowers in the pond were past their flowering stage and their stamens were beginning to wither. Under the lotus, several red fish swim around. There is a pomegranate plant next to it, close to the pavilion, which is already full of fruits.
Ma Kuo said: "I didn't expect that there would be such a quiet place in this restaurant."
Wang Xiaolie said: "The prices here are incredibly high. Is the money wasted?"
While the two were talking, the boy served tea.
Wang Xiaolie said: "This is Xinyang Army's loose tea this year. It has a sweet aftertaste and is the best. Try it for defense."
Ma Kuo drank the tea and said, "Although it is loose tea, it tastes really good. Doesn't Xuanfu make group tea?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "Tuancha is too troublesome and cumbersome to drink, so it was gradually banned."
Ma Kuang said: "Compared with others, Xuanfu's daily use is quite simple. But it is the simplicity of your use that can truly enrich the country and strengthen the army."
Wang Xiaolie said with a smile: "Everyone has their own temperament, there is not much to pay attention to."
Ma Kuo shook his head: "You can't say that. If Xuanfu loves wine, food, and beautiful singers, the people below will naturally imitate him, and they can't be simple even if they want to. Xuanfu doesn't like it, whether it's hypocrisy or love. If you pretend, the people below won’t like it.”
Wang Xiaolie thought for a while and said: "This may be the truth. However, I really don't think about it that much. I just follow my own mind."
While they were talking, Wang Ruohai and Li Yanxian arrived and saluted Ma Kuo.
Ma Kuo returned the gift and asked Wang Ruohai and Li Yanxian to take a seat.
Wang Ruohai looked around and said: "I rarely come here, and I didn't know there was such a place in the courtyard. It is indeed much better to entertain guests here than other places. By the way, do you like listening to music?" ? There are few people who can sing here."
Ma Kuo shook his head: "As a martial artist, I don't like those things. We are just chatting here, and there is no need to find more idlers."
