Biyu approved the few urgent documents from his boss, and it was time for dinner. The kitchen gives each person a certain routine according to the standard set by Shu Yan the day before yesterday. For Biyu, due to the high official rank, the standards are also correspondingly different, and two dishes were specially added. Who knew that Biyu only glanced at it, frowned and said, "What, give me this?" ”

Just like when he entertained Shu Yan for the first time the day before yesterday, Du Jian was confused again, is this because the standard is too high or because the food is not good? He is a wealthy family and eats delicious food every day, and it is likely that he does not look down on such food; However, there are also a few people who are too close to the people and feel that they should be treated equally with their subordinates and not open another small stove, which is not impossible. He thought about it, couldn't guess what Biyu meant, and knew that Shu Yan and Biyu were old acquaintances, so he threw it to Shu Yan and said, "The subordinates are doing it according to Shu Juncheng's wishes." ”

Of course, Shu Yan knows what Biyu means, he can't even eat the best ingredients without the hands of a good chef, let alone these ordinary meals?

"In the local county office, you can't compare with the Luoyang government office, that's the level. Shi Taishou is used to eating delicacies from the mountains and seas, so he might as well change his taste. If you really can't eat it, please follow the example of He Situ and his son. ”

Biyu was a little late, looked at the food again, seemed to accept Shu Yan's suggestion, picked up a piece of stewed mutton, put it in his mouth, chewed it twice, and spit on the ground. Then he ordered the servants to deliver food from the palace.

Everyone has eaten without oil in the past two days, and when they saw Biyu's attitude, they all complained, disgusted that the food was not good, and wanted to take the opportunity to ask for higher food standards.

Faced with the dissatisfaction of his superiors and the complaints of his subordinates, Shu Yan said unhurriedly: "We are dressed in official uniforms, although our status is higher than that of ordinary people, but we must not be arrogant. What kind of food are you eating in your bowl, and you have to think about what ordinary people eat in their rice bowls, as long as it reaches the level of a middle people's house, how can it be too high? If we want to eat and dress exquisitely, we should first make the people rich, and then we can enjoy them with peace of mind. ”

The thief Cao Shi Wu Qian said: "Shu Cheng has been away from his hometown for many years, and the people of Ruyin today are no longer the poor they were back then. ”

"Oh?" Shu Yan smiled lightly and said, "If it is really as you said, it is really my greatest pleasure." I'm afraid it's not like that! ”

Biyu suddenly became interested: "I'm also curious about what ordinary people eat, why don't we just send a few people on the street and ask?" ”

"That's fine, but the common people have always been afraid of the official office, and if they send messengers to the streets, the people don't know why, and they are frightened first. It's better to use odd jobs as an excuse to promise a meal, and they are willing to come. ”

The two messengers received the order and went out of the office, and in less than two moments, they really brought a few people. They didn't know who was who, and when they saw so many officials there, they were all terrified. Fortunately, the person in the lead had some courage, and Chong Biyu, Shu Yan and the others clasped their fists in a circle, and then asked, "You officials don't know what you want me to do?" As long as there is good food to eat, I am willing to serve for half a day and do not need to be paid. ”

Shu Yan said with a smile: "Don't panic, I invite you to come this time, just to ask you what you do for a career and what you eat on weekdays." You don't have to do any work at all, and you don't have any other intentions. ”

"Didn't the officials let the villains do the work? Just ask what kind of meals do we eat on weekdays? ”

"Yes. You are not allowed to work, but only to be asked to answer the questions. ”

"If we don't have to do the work, the matter of feeding us is to fool us?"

"No, I'm just asking questions today, I don't have to do anything for you, I'll still give you food."

Yes? Is there such a good thing in the yamen? A few people muttered in their hearts. The man in the lead was the first to reply: "The villain is a pottery maker, and there are five people in the family, father, mother, wife, and two sons. Eat two meals a day, each meal must be corn or corn porridge, plus a little pickled pickles. A meal before lunch, occasionally boiled soybeans are eaten. My family felt sorry for me and would make me a little extra white rice every three to five days. ”

"Do you have fresh food to eat?" Shu Yan asked.

"If you can't eat enough, how can you have the money to buy fresh vegetables to eat!"

"Is white rice just for one person?"

"Hey! How can I eat it? The man sighed and said, "My wife and children don't care about it, but how can I enjoy this food alone in front of my parents?" Every time, he always gave white rice to his parents, but the second elder was worried about his grandson and gave it to his two children. Let it come and go, it's just two bowls in total. ”

This man was tall and slender, covered in mud and dust, and his slightly dark face did not know if it was due to natural skin color or long-term pottery burning. Biyu looked at him and asked strangely, "At your age, the children must have already reached adulthood, why do you still take care of the children so much?" ”

The kiln burner said strangely: "Why did the official say this? The villain is only thirty years old, and the two sons are only the chief horns, so how can they talk about adulthood? ”

"What? Are you just the age of your establishment? Biyu was surprised.

"What do the officials think?"

"I thought you were at least forty-five! It turned out to be about my age. ”

The kiln burner also looked at Biyu and said: "The official is smeared with oil and powder every day, and the villain is smeared with mud and charcoal every day, can it be the same?" ”

When Shu Yan heard this, he couldn't help but sigh to himself: These two men of the same age have a huge difference in appearance, which is simply beyond the scope of the species.

"You usually feed on this, how long do you move the meat?"

"Except for the New Year's sacrifice, I don't know the taste of meat all year round."

When the officials heard this, they were silent. Shu Yan motioned for the kiln burner to come to the kitchen to receive the meal.

An old man next to him saw that he could give food by saying a few words so easily, and hurriedly said, "Let the old man speak first." I'm a long way away, and I'm going to hurry home. The villain is a farmer outside the city, because he has a few fresh vegetables at home, and he came to the city today to sell a few dollars to supplement the family. ”

He said that he was an old farmer, but in fact he was only about fifty years old. Biyu looked at the old farmer and said, "What do you farmers eat on weekdays?" ”

"We are farmers' homes, guarding the land, and what we eat on weekdays depends on what grows in the soil. Plant millet and eat millet, plant beans and eat beans. Not necessarily. ”

"In your case, what did you eat yesterday?"

"The villain eats the same as the potter just now, just corn. But there is no white rice, and the only advantage is that there are scattered vacant plots in front of and behind the house, and there is no shortage of fresh vegetables to eat. ”

"Since you are a farmer and own land, why don't you have white rice to eat?"

"The villain just said, we grow what we eat. There is no rice growing at home, so there is no white rice to eat. ”

"Whole grains, since you have land, why don't you grow some of every kind of grain?" Biyu asked strangely.

Grow some of each grain? The old farmer thought the question was funny: "What did the official say?" The planting soil and water conservancy conditions required for each type of grain are different, and those suitable for growing millet are not necessarily suitable for growing rice, and those suitable for planting rice are not necessarily suitable for growing wheat. Moreover, each crop has a different way of managing it, and even if there is land suitable for growing various crops, the villain's energy is limited and he can't take care of it. ”

Biyu remembered that there were thousands of hectares of fertile land in his home, and there were plots suitable for planting any crops, so he said: "On both sides of the Ru River, the fertile fields are scattered and high, and there are all kinds of crops. Your family has grown millet and beans, and his family has grown rice and wheat, and you can exchange your millet and beans for his rice and wheat, and you will not have millet and beans and rice and wheat for each other? ”

"How's that going to work? A liter of wheat requires me to replace it with a liter and a half of millet, and I can't bear to be old. ”

Biyu doesn't understand the old farmer, since he wants to eat rice and wheat, what does it matter if he exchanges one and a half liters for one liter, what is there to be reluctant to change? After pondering for a while, he tried to ask, "So—is there any wine and meat to eat?" ”

"Meat and wine? How can there be money to buy! Farmers basically have a few free-range chickens, but they are reluctant to eat the eggs, and they have to save money to exchange them. ”

Biyu listened, waved his hand, and asked him to go to the kitchen to receive the meal.

The third speaker was more decently dressed than the first two. Shu Yan saw that Biyu seemed to be tired of it, so he asked himself: "Look at your dress, it doesn't look like you're working as a farmer, right?" ”

"The official knows that the villain is a cloth merchant."

"Oh, since you're a cloth merchant, you shouldn't have to worry about eating and drinking, right?"

"Huiguanren, in comparison, the villain's business is bigger than the others, and the food is indeed better than those two."

When everyone heard it, they all came to the spirit. Because according to the food standards of potters and farmers, the food of the county office is not expected to be improved, but I didn't expect that there seemed to be a turning point when I heard the words of this third person, so without waiting for Shu Yan to speak, they all asked: "Then what do you eat on weekdays?" Say it! ”

"Rice, flour, beans, and millet are all eaten often. Fruits and vegetables are also daily. ”

"And what about the meat and wine?"

"The villain has a small business, and occasionally drinks a little wine, and the egg tofu is good. As for the fish, how dare you ask for it? Traders are not as secure as they are in the field of work, and the interest rate is good and bad, and of course in good times they can have a luxury of fish and meat. Roughly once a month. ”

"According to you, the food is reasonable, why did you come here with you for a meal?"

"Hey, don't mention it." The cloth merchant sighed and said, "The market is not good now. A foot of cloth has not been sold today, and seeing that this day has passed in vain, and I have not made any money, I can have a full meal here, of course, I can't miss it. It's also a balancing balance. ”

Shu Yan smiled after hearing this: "The businessman is really shrewd, and he can't miss anything cheap." Then go down and get your meal. ”

Next were two children, one thirteen or fourteen years old, and the other younger. Shu Yan saw that they were a little timid, so he asked gently, "These two little brothers, why did you come here too?" Do you understand the conversation I had with those people? ”

The two children glanced at each other, and the older one said, "I understand." The two of us were playing in the street, and we heard the errand officer say that he had come here to work for the county office to eat, so we ran along. ”

"Since you know that our food is not for nothing, why don't you go home and eat it, and prefer to come here to work?"

"I can't eat enough at home, that's why I came here." The two children argued.

"What do you eat on weekdays?"

"Each person has a bowl of yellow rice, just pickled pickles, and then a second bowl is not available. Our mother was not as good as us, she never ate dry rice, and only ate porridge every day. ”

Shu Yan sighed secretly, and then instructed the cook: "Lead the two children and give them as much food as you want." ”

The two children went away rejoicing.