pertwk Chapter 2502 Strange City Rules
Chapter 2502 Strange City Rules
Chapter 2502 Strange City Rules
A familiar face nearby asked, "Oh dear, Mrs. Gu, your face..."
"I've got another 'peach blossom mark' (a slang term for a pregnancy condition). This 'wind ball' (a slang term for a pregnancy flare-up) has just started, and I'm going to be uncomfortable for several days." Madam Gu sighed. "I'll get the medicine tomorrow morning."
"Yes, yes, taking the medicine will help you recover faster. Then you need to stay home and avoid going out in the wind these next few days."
"If I don't come out, who will watch over this Su family cloth shop?" Madam Gu snorted, pointing across the street. "Rely on my good-for-nothing husband?"
The Su family's cloth shop is just across the street.
Everything seemed normal. The three even felt that the city was full of vitality, with a vigor rarely seen elsewhere.
The convoy reached the west side of the city and unloaded the goods at the designated warehouse.
Now that He Lingchuan and his two companions were impersonating the cart drivers, they had to get to work.
They glanced at the supplies on the vehicle; they were indeed mainly oil and metal, along with syrups and medicines produced in Camel City, such as mosquito repellent and tranquilizers. The tranquilizers, in particular, were something Dong Rui had smelled on the way, having poked a small hole in the packaging with a silver needle. He found them extremely potent; even he, a master of smelling all medicines, felt a little dizzy. They didn't seem like something meant for livestock or ordinary people.
That concentration would have to be diluted several hundred times before it could be used by ordinary organisms.
On this trip, the caravan will also transport some supplies back, including herbs, ores, leather, and a large quantity of textiles and lanterns. The three had heard that there were more than a dozen embroidery workshops in Baisong City, whose exquisite embroidery was famous for miles around, as well as many workshops that made lanterns and other ingenious crafts.
Overall, the expenses exceeded income, just as Dong Rui had discovered: the return convoy of forty trucks was only 20% full.
The team leader was also a bit listless because there were even fewer goods to be transported back this time. He heard that Baisongcheng had recently received a huge order to make wine jars, and it was an urgent order with high wages. The craftsmen and embroiderers had temporarily switched to making clay, and they were said to be busy every day. They had no time to go back to their original profession.
So the three of them only worked for a little over an hour before they had some free time to wander around. The convoy would set off the next morning.
Ling Jinbao clicked his tongue in admiration: "This city is really quite clean."
The main street was spotless, but when the three of them turned into the alley, there was hardly any trash or debris on the ground, which was quite rare.
The three entered a noodle shop and ordered several bowls of egg drop soup noodles. Seeing the customers at the next table eating noisily, Dong Rui said to the waiter:
"What is he eating? Give me some too."
The young man was only eleven or twelve years old, short in stature, with a clever look in his eyes. After Dong Rui ordered, he quickly brought over two plates: one with a large fried dough stick, about half an arm's length long, and the other with steamed yellow peas.
It's easy to eat; just stuff the beans into the fried dough stick and enjoy!
The freshly fried dough sticks were crispy and slightly sweet; while the beans were soft and glutinous, much like red bean paste, and were savory. The combination of the two created a wonderful taste, and Dong Rui couldn't stop eating them once he started.
"So simple, so delicious?"
The waiter had been observing the group, and took the opportunity to ask, "Are you staying at the Tongfu Inn across the street?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
"There are only a few guesthouses for foreign businessmen, and they come and go from one place to another." The young waiter then asked, "When are you going back?"
"Tomorrow." Dong Rui narrowed his eyes. "Why are you asking so many details, kid?"
The young waiter smiled and said, "Bai Song City has delicious food and fun activities. You can stay for a few more days if you have time."
Dong Rui ate incoherently: "How do you know we're outsiders? We don't look like locals."
"No. You look a bit old."
"Old? That's called weathering the storms, that's called experience!" Dong Rui glared angrily, and even the fried dough stick in his mouth lost its flavor.
The shopkeeper came out just in time to hear this and quickly came over to smooth things over: "What does that little brat know!"
After saying that, he slapped the waiter on the back of the head: "You offend the customer the moment you open your mouth, don't you want to work here anymore? Apologize right now!"
The young man could only scratch his forehead and apologize to the group.
The shopkeeper smiled apologetically and said, "Consider this a gift for the guest; it's free."
"How could I possibly accept this?" Dong Rui said, but his hands betrayed him, as he immediately grabbed the fried dough sticks that the shopkeeper had just brought over.
"The shopkeeper is so young, where is he from?"
The shopkeeper looked to be only about thirty years old, and the waiters were even younger, one only seventeen or eighteen, and the other was this little brat who was eleven or twelve.
After being told to leave, the young waiter didn't go far. He stayed behind the stairs, watching the street scene and occasionally glancing at He Lingchuan's table.
When Dong Rui casually asked this question, He Lingchuan's heart skipped a beat, and he also turned to look at the street.
There was a considerable flow of people on the street; in just a few glances, more than ten people had come and gone.
The noodle shop owner replied, "I'm from Wanxi. Have you heard of this place?"
The three of them shook their heads honestly.
"It's a small town under Antao County." The shopkeeper handed over a plate of beans. "We don't have much of a livelihood here. Monsters always come to the fields and ruin the crops, and people don't dare to go near them. We heard that a new city was going to be built here, so we came here. Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye! Ah, time really flies."
Baisong City was established less than ten years ago?
It's interesting that a city can grow to have hundreds of thousands of people in less than ten years.
Dong Rui chuckled, "Your cooking skills and broth are really good. Is it a family recipe?"
"Yes, my grandfather ran a noodle shop, and the business has been passed down to me."
He Lingchuan interrupted, "You brought your parents, wife, and children with you?"
He was asking a question he already knew the answer to. The shopkeeper was only in his early thirties; if his parents were still alive, they would most likely help out at the noodle shop. In small businesses, which one doesn't have the whole family involved? It's economical, labor-intensive, and reassuring. Besides, their skills are family traditions.
But the three waiters here are all very young.
"No, not at all. I only brought my wife and children with me. My parents can't come because Bai Songcheng won't allow it, so they're still in their hometown."
"Bai Song City won't allow it?" Ling Jinbao asked curiously, "Why?"
"The officials said that the new city construction only accepts young laborers; anyone over thirty-four will not be accepted." The shopkeeper shook his head. "The elderly have no identity in the city; they are unregistered residents. If they are caught by the police, they will be sent out. Families that harbor or take in them will be severely punished. Some people want to bring their parents over, but most will be stopped at the city gate. One family helped the old man sneak in, but they were discovered, and the whole family was dragged to the street corner, severely beaten with dozens of lashes as a warning, and then swept out of Baisong City."
He Lingchuan suddenly realized.
No wonder they felt the city was full of vitality when they walked the streets earlier; now that they think about it, all they saw were young faces!
Middle-aged men are rarely seen, let alone the elderly.
There wasn't a single one.
"They say the work in the new city is demanding, and only young people have the energy."
(End of this chapter)