Located in Shandong Province, Dongchangfu is situated on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and is one of the important transport hubs of the Grand Canal. Outside the city, Dongchangfu is surrounded by a huge lake called Dongchang Lake, also known as Phoenix Lake and Rouge Lake, which is similar in size to the West Lake in Hangzhou, and is known as “West Lake in the south and Dongchang in the north”.
Dongchangfu is backed by the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and water transport is particularly developed, and the Grand Canal has brought prosperity to Dongchangfu for hundreds of years.
Dongchang lake there is a set of accommodation dinner in one of the restaurant, called the Phoenix building, the location is excellent, simple and elegant, honourable and luxurious.
“Hey, people all scolded Sui Yang Emperor, militaristic, people do not want to live, but we Dongchangfu people will not, we also want to thank Sui Yang Emperor, if not for the opening of the Grand Canal, we are still in the crop field to eat the soil, how can we have a good day today, look at the river, even in winter is the ship is also a steady stream of ships, transport ships, business shipsThe ships are all coming to Dongchangfu for a stopover. This stopover, not to stay and eat ah, not to replenish some daily life ah. Our Phoenix House is to take advantage of the light of Emperor Yang of Sui, rich ah, and then go to Emperor Yang of Sui to burn incense.”
Phoenix building boss while playing the abacus, accounting for the day’s income, while the beautiful command side of the mate.
“Okay, boss, this is going.”The little fellow Fu Gui answered and went to the back to give the statue of Emperor Yang incense to go.
“Boss, look at you happy, is not today and earn beauty.”After the little fellow Fugui came back, he asked with a smile.
The little fellow Fugui and the shopkeeper have relatives, usually also more close, not so constrained.
“Hehehe, it’s earned a bit, but it can’t be compared to the day before yesterday. The day before yesterday, the eunuch from the capital passed by our restaurant and stayed for a night, directly is a gold ingot of treasure, wrapped up the whole floor, dining time is also directly clear, that row is really unforgettable. You say, we ushered in, how many dignitaries in our Phoenix House lived ah, compared with others in the palace to the eunuchs, that are not on the stage ……”.
The shopkeeper thought of the previous day’s scene, still impressed, of course, the ingot of gold treasure is more impressive.
“It’s not, you say we this table and chairs every day wipe how clean ah, people still hate it, before dining also deliberately wipe again. And ah, the master chef in the back kitchen was also instructed several times by others, saying that the eunuch’s taste is light, and he must make Huaiyang cuisine ……”The little fellow Fu Gui was equally impressed, “That’s really noble through and through. Hey, hey, out also generous, also gave a silver beans bounty it.”
“It would be good if we had this kind of noble guest every day ……”The little fellow Fu Gui said with a hefty smile.
“Want to fart eat it, this kind of good thing once a year can touch once should burn incense to worship Buddha.”The shopkeeper glared at him, “Don’t be lazy, quickly go to help go, don’t rely on the fact that I am your cousin uncle to make special.”
“I am the one who works the most …….”The little chap Fu Gui said this with a great deal of confidence, and after saying this, he turned around and was about to go to work, but just as he turned around, he saw a line of people come outside the door, coming towards the restaurant, the row was even bigger than the day before.
“Boss, should I go burn incense again.”The little chap Fu Gui swallowed his saliva and said to the shopkeeper.
“It’s only just been burnt, what else to burn ……”The shopkeeper’s is on the account book it, heard the little fellow Fu Gui words, can’t help but open his mouth to dislike, dislike half of the abrupt end, he also saw a line of nobleman who is entering the door.
Outside the door of the lake, there is a luxurious double-decker boat is docked, peer five large boats in a protective shape slowly docked.
A large boat in advance had already docked, and the boat was in the process of disembarking people in an endless stream, and the people who came down in advance had already walked up to the entrance of the restaurant.
More than a dozen dressed in strong suit of big man, with belt knife, sheath decorated with brass tiger head decoration, sheath is very thick and very long, look at the appearance of knowing is the knife body heavy machete, heavier than the standard belt knife of the guards of dongchangfu much heavier than the strength of the bladder can be swung, but these big man is like nothing in general, walking between scattered and not chaotic, eyes look around, can be seen are well-trained, is not an idle family of the guards.The guards of the house are not just any guards of the house.
Looks, than the day before yesterday those eunuchs casual guards more swarthy, of course, the day before yesterday eunuchs only brought twenty guards live in the phoenix building, the rest of the guards are in a hundred and ten metres away from the inn to live, where the inn is cheaper quite a lot.
A dozen or so brawny men, clustered around a girl of about seventeen or eighteen, the girl was dressed in full regalia, draped in a fox fur cloak, exquisitely pretty and very capable, followed by ten or so old maids and little girls.
“Noble guest inside please, I have missed the welcome, I hope to forgive …… you.”Phoenix House early had two shop fellows to welcome forward to greet.
“The environment is not bad.”The fox fur cloaked girl came in and surveyed it for a couple of moments, nodding slightly.
“That’s true, our Phoenix House is one of the best in Dongchang Province.”The shop boy said proudly.
“Our young lady likes peace and quiet, today and tomorrow for two days, we’ve wrapped up this shop of yours.”The fox fur cloaked girl took out a gold ingot from her sleeve and threw it to the shop chap, then proceeded to command, “Please negotiate with the guests who have already stayed in the shop, their expenses will be counted as ours, and we’re willing to pay double compensation to ask them to change to another restaurant to stay.”
Ah?
Packing up an entire restaurant?
The eunuch from the day before yesterday had only wrapped down one floor, but today’s honourable guest actually wants to wrap up the entire restaurant for two days?
This gold ingot is so heavy, isn’t it? It’s much bigger than the one the eunuch gave the day before.
Wait!
Our lady?
Ah, such an honourable lord is just a maid?
For a while, the shopkeeper and the shopkeeper seemed to be struck by several thunderbolts in succession, shocked one after another.
Money can make the devil turn the wheels.
With gold to open the way, the shopkeeper completely satisfied the fox fur maiden’s request to pack and clear the field, with double compensation, the shop’s occupants didn’t have much of an opinion, anyway, next to there are still several restaurants to live in.
“Wang Xiao Er, you greet your people, stay ten or so on the ground floor secretly guarding is enough, here safe tight, others are arranged to the side of the restaurant to live it, Miss like quiet ……”
“Liu Ma, you bring people with hot water to wipe the tables and chairs a few times, cutlery with our own ……”
“Xiaohong, you go to the Tianzi’s room carefully cleaned a few times, bedding are replaced with our bedding, the lady is afraid of cold, you remember to heat the room, but also breathable, do not suffocate ……”
“Wang Ma, you go to take over the back kitchen, do some Miss like light and tasty dishes, and nourishing soup, this journey bumpy boat, Miss and harmful to the mouth, you do food can pay attention to point ……”
The fox fur cloak girl methodically commanded the accompanying guards, old mother and maid, arranged everything.
The shopkeeper and mate on the sidelines are dumbfounded.
This is to dislike us, bedding bedding for other people’s own, cutlery is the same, the kitchen has been taken over, even the restaurant’s cooks, apprentices and so on are not used, people have their own ……
This is how honourable master ah, compared with them, the day before yesterday, the eunuchs from the palace are dwarfed very much.
“Sister Qin’er, Miss is getting off the boat.”A little girl trotted over and said.
“Ah, you watch here, I’ll go pick up miss, miss is heavy, I don’t feel comfortable with others.”The fox fur maiden Qin’er picked up her skirt and ran outside.
