I didn't intend to become a fairy

Chapter 558 Merchant and the Western Regions

After breakfast, the businessman surnamed Xie invited Song You to go out for a stroll, along with several other businessmen.

This is their destination.

The businessman surnamed Xie comes here once a year. Starting from his grandfather, he has been walking on this Silk Road and the golden business road.

Starting from Changjing to get here, it is a journey of nine thousand miles without stopping. Even with their foot strength, they would have to walk for three or four months, and a round trip would take seven or eight months.

Avoiding the coldest and hottest periods of the year, you can go back and forth just once a year.

The businessman surnamed Xie has been gone for half his life.

The walk was the most difficult the year before last. Last year, a dripping spring appeared in the desert out of thin air, so the walk was slightly better than the year before. This year, the drought eased slightly, so the walk was easier again.

It was they who supported the prosperity of this Silk Road, and it was they who built the bridge between Eastern and Western civilizations. Not to mention anything else, the watermelon they ate during the Song Dynasty was also brought by them from very far away places in order to bring water. Come and chew it.Perhaps in this era, they were just a very inconspicuous businessman, but in the history books, they were destined to be just a grain of sand in a splendid galaxy.

At the same time, they also know Tamaki very well.

"Since Mr. Xie has traveled all over the world, when he comes to Jade City, he must go to the east city gate. It is the largest gate of Jade City and is very elegant." The businessman surnamed Xie said to him, "Every time the imperial envoys or generals from the military town come to Jade City , the King of Yucheng was welcomed here. Every morning it was very lively, selling everything. After half an afternoon, there were hundreds of people singing and dancing here. Dancing is the favorite thing of Yucheng people. With so many people together, it’s amazing. It also has a different flavor.”

"Write it down."

At dusk, in the earth-yellow Western Region City, music floated in the air, and hundreds of people danced together. Song You seemed to have imagined that scene.

"If Taoists are interested, you can dance together. They are very enthusiastic."

"I'm not good at this."

"Hahaha……"

The businessman surnamed Xie smiled, and then said: "If we want to say what's good about Yucheng, we can't tell you. It's not as prosperous as Changjing, and it doesn't have as many things to do in Changjing. When we get here, we have to do what we have to do. After a few days of eating, resting, and having fun, I went back. But strangely enough, when I got here, I missed home and Changjing, but when I left here, I felt inexplicably Missing this place."

Another businessman next to him said with a smile: "Maybe we are born to run on this road!"

All the merchants suddenly laughed.

There was also a strange open-mindedness and boldness for a moment.

Thousands of miles away, in a foreign land, with mountains and rivers, countless crises, and loneliness and boredom. Walking on this road requires great courage.

From ancient times to the present, people living on this land have shown great courage many times, but among these moments that show the ultimate courage of mankind, there must be a fragment that belongs to the man who set foot in the Western Region alone and walked A pathfinder for thousands of miles.

Subsequently, countless business travelers became his followers.

These merchants all have the surname Xie. They are close neighbors, relatives or fellow villagers. This kind of relationship is very common among the caravans on this road.

When someone grabs huge wealth on this road, they will naturally attract the people closest to them. When they need help, on this long and dangerous road, their first consideration will naturally be their relatives or relatives. Being from the same hometown, this natural social bond will naturally bring them together, and over time, a fixed caravan will be formed.

I just don’t know if the new dynasty after Dayan can still incorporate the Western Regions into its territory.

"If you, sir, want to ask what scenery there is outside of Jade City, we don't know. Except for the way we came, we have never been to other places in Jade City in these years. But if you, sir, ask what good things are there in Jade City, We do know some good places to eat, drink and have fun." The businessman surnamed Xie said and looked at the girl next to Song You, "It's just that some places may not be convenient for you, sir."

"let it go."

"Then Mr. Xie missed it." The businessman surnamed Xie couldn't help laughing. "The beauty of the dancing girls from the Western Regions is completely different from that of the women from the Central Plains."

"..."

Song You smiled without saying a word.

On the other hand, the girl next to me looked confused and couldn't help but ask: "What's so beautiful? Empress Sanhua, let's go see it too!"

"Ha ha……"

The businessman couldn't help but laugh, but didn't say much, but continued to take them to wander around Jade City.

Someone took him along and explained to him what it was and why it was so. Taking him into the local customs and customs was undoubtedly a completely different experience from walking or watching alone.

The sun gradually rose.

"It's almost noon. Today I'll be the host. Please try the mutton soup and roasted glutinous rice dumplings from Yucheng." The businessman surnamed Xie pointed to a shop in front of him and made a gesture of invitation, "The glutinous rice dumplings here are here." It’s different from Changjing’s glutinous rice dumplings, which are fried, but here they’re baked in the oven, giving it a unique flavor.”

"I just received some favors from you yesterday, and I haven't repaid them yet. Today, I received invitations from a few people to lead the way, and I was able to see the customs and customs of Jade City. How can I let you spend more money? It's our turn to invite some of you to dinner."

"How can anyone ask a Taoist to pay for a meal?"

Several people laughed and led Song You into the store.

It is still a stone building with a facade. There is a dirty cloth blanket on the ground, a straw futon is spread on it, there are many low tables and there are some people sitting inside.

The merchant surnamed Xie talked with the shopkeeper in local dialect. Song You only said, "My children will eat whatever I eat," and did not interrupt.

After a while, the food was served.

The mutton soup is cooked in a small pottery cup, like a tea cup. Each person has one cup, and it contains a large pile of mutton and shallot soup. There is nothing except salt and water, and there is oil in it. Hua’s mutton soup and the big chunks of mutton stewed until they were white, looked very appetizing.

As soon as it came up, the merchant asked him to start.

Song You cooled it off and took a sip first.

The meat quality of the mutton alone supports its delicious taste.

Grilled glutinous rice buns are very similar to grilled buns. They are square in shape and have a crispy outer shell. The mutton and shallots are inside. After being locked in and roasted, the soup is rich and the meat is rich in flavor.

Song You imitated their example, first carefully biting off a corner and eating the outer layer of skin. This layer of skin was also interesting. The outside was baked and crispy and hard, but the inside was in contact with the broth, but it was soft and had absorbed the oil and water. And the soup, the aroma of noodles mixed with the aroma of meat is intoxicating.

Empress Sanhua learned from Song You again.

There were constant voices coming from the side. The locals were talking in their own language. They looked very surprised. The stories seemed to be very interesting, which attracted many guests to listen attentively.

Even the businessmen sitting at the same table with Song You couldn't help but cast their eyes at them frequently. However, some were interested in listening, while others occasionally showed doubts. Song You guessed that even among them, not everyone knew the local dialect. The attainments are all very high.

"These people are talking about strange things on the mountains outside the city." The businessman surnamed Xie said to Song Yu, "I wonder if you, sir, have heard of the story about 100 troops frozen by monsters on the mountains outside the city more than [-] years ago. I don't know what happened two days ago. , some locals at the foot of the mountain noticed that a lot of water was flowing down the mountain. They went up the mountain to check during the day and found that the mountains were supposed to be full of frozen soldiers and horses. Now not only were the frozen soldiers and horses gone, but they were also covered with mud and rocks. Covered up, even the lake in the mountain is gone, I don’t know what happened.”

"I've heard of it."

Song You answered truthfully.

The girl sat next to him, holding the mutton in the pottery cup and gnawing on it, as if she didn't hear what they said. She also tore out a small strand of meat fiber, turned around and stretched out the shop, wanting to feed it to the swallows.

However, there were too many people in the store, and Yanzi didn't want to come.

"I heard that the army that went to Weilan State came back with countless gold, silver, pearls, jade, and rare treasures. I don't know if those treasures are still there. If we pick them up, we will make a fortune." A businessman pinched his hand. Baked glutinous rice cakes, I can’t help but think about it.

"How can such a good thing happen?" "Be careful of being eaten by monsters."

Song You just smiled and listened, sharing their relief.

"There have been more and more weird things happening in Jade City, especially in the past few years." The businessman surnamed Xie was chatting during the dinner, "The owner of this shop was still saying that they had dinner at home two days ago, and they had already prepared it. I was about to eat a roasted chicken, but as soon as it was brought to the table, the roasted chicken disappeared and there was not even a plate left. Do you think it’s strange?”

"!"

The little girl stopped chewing the meat, raised her head, and stared blankly at the businessman named Xie.

The businessman could tell that the Taoist priest and the girl were extraordinary, especially since he was telling strange things that would interest children, but the girl seemed not to hear him. He couldn't help but turn his eyes to her. He let it go a little longer, but at this moment he was a little confused by her sudden glance.

After a while, the little girl returned to normal and continued to lower her head, holding the mutton and chewing it.

The businessman discovered that the girl ate meat without chewing it——

She only used her mouth to tear off a little bit of the meat, put it to her teeth and chewed it twice before swallowing it without any movement of grinding the food.

"Does the shopkeeper know what monster took away the roasted chicken?"

The Taoist's voice interrupted his guess.

The businessman quickly came to his senses: "How do you know this?"

"Is this the first time something like this has happened?"

"I heard that things disappeared inexplicably many times in Yucheng, and some even disappeared in front of people. But in the past, they were mostly rare treasures, and it was rare to lose a roasted chicken." The businessman surnamed Xie couldn't help but smile. He said to him, "But no matter how many times this kind of thing happens, it's impossible to know what kind of monster did it, otherwise it would have come to your door long ago."

"Wouldn't it be lost in vain?"

"What else can we do?" said the businessman surnamed Xie. "So many rare treasures in the city have been lost in vain, let alone a roast chicken."

"rational."

Song You nodded, and then forked the mutton in his pottery cup into Sanhua Empress's bowl.

"Second brother speaks Yucheng dialect very well." A younger businessman next to him joked.

"Sir, I don't know. The person in front of you married a dancer from Yucheng as a concubine a few years ago. I am afraid that I have to talk sweetly to her every day, you and me, so I can speak so smoothly."

"It's really enviable..."

There was a burst of hearty laughter during the dinner.

There were two or three roasted glutinous rice balls per person, plus a cup of mutton soup. It didn’t seem like much, but it was actually very solid. While chatting and joking, everyone took the last sip of the soup from the pottery cup and took advantage of this sip of soup. , and put the last bite of baked glutinous rice into his stomach.

"Sir, are you still used to eating?"

"Get used to eating, get used to eating."

"You just have to get used to it. When you eat here, most of the time it's either naan or meat. I'm afraid that my husband won't be used to it."

The businessman surnamed Xie said while taking out money.

"Please let us invite you."

Song You said immediately, with a sincere tone.

At the same time, the girl quickly took out the money.

After several refusals, Song You refused to give in.

The businessman named Xie had no choice but to give up and call the shopkeeper and act as an interpreter for him.

I don't know whether it's because the price of meat is cheap here, or because the purchasing power of Dayan Zhu's money is higher here, but for these people, the cost of a meal, which mainly depends on meat, is less than [-] yuan.

Song You took the money bag from Empress Sanhua and picked out a broken piece of silver, about four coins in size. After asking the merchant named Xie, he handed it to the shopkeeper.

"keep the change."

A businessman named Xie also translated this sentence.

The shopkeeper was respectful, but immediately felt a little more happy, and left with a smile on his face.

"Sir, you are too generous."

"It's just a connection with him."

"Oh? What's the fate?"

"It's hard to say."

"what……"

The businessman smiled and did not ask further questions.

After going out to the right, I came to another courtyard. It was still a courtyard with a strong Western style. There was no sign and no door. I didn't know what was going on inside, but several businessmen seemed to have been waiting for it for a long time.

"Sir, I will accompany you here. If you want to go back, sir, you only need to walk straight ahead. In less than a mile, you will find the carriage and horse shop where we will stay. Sir, he knows just by looking at the courtyard. The shop is on the same road, with large courtyards and backs to the river." The businessman surnamed Xie laughed loudly and said, "We won't go back tonight, lest we smell the aroma of barbecue again in the middle of the night and early in the morning, and not know that the meat is roasting mutton. It’s horse meat or human meat, but I don’t dare to go out to see it, it’s so scary.”

"Alright."

Song You also bowed his hands to them: "I would like to thank you all for inviting me, and I wish you all a good time."

"Hahaha……"

Several people immediately showed tacit understanding.

On the other hand, Empress Sanhua was very curious. She felt like a cat scratching her head. She stretched her neck and poked her head to look inside. However, due to the presence of her own Taoist priest, she did not rush in.

"Farewell."

"See you tomorrow."

Several people entered the courtyard.

The Taoist held the hand of Empress Sanhua who kept turning around and walked away.

"It's midsummer, when the melons are ripe. After all, just eating glutinous rice and mutton is a bit dry, and the taste of mutton is all in your mouth. Wouldn't it be nice if we buy a honeydew melon and sit down to eat it in the shade on the roadside?"

Song You tried to divert her attention.

(End of this chapter)