Chapter 15 - Chapter 15. Invitation from Master Zhu's Secretary

 "The gifts are ready. We can go to Master Zhu's secretary's house." "Master Shen, I will lead the way for you." Officer Qian didn't dare to sit for long. After drinking the tea, he hurriedly got up and led the way for Shen Hao. This time, going to someone else's house as a guest, Shen Hao was not convenient to take female relatives with him. So he let Xiao Rou stay at home and sort out the goods to be sold today first. Leaving the mansion and walking on the street of Zhengyang County, Shen Hao found that there were more and more disaster victims. There were even more than he had seen a few days ago. Even some officers were cleaning up the bodies of those who starved to death. It seemed that the famine was getting more and more serious. The officer leading the way said, "Master Shen, Zhengyang County is not peaceful recently. You should hire a few guards to watch your mansion. A few days ago, several disaster victims wanted to enter your mansion but were driven away by our brothers." Hearing this, Shen Hao was shocked. Fortunately, he had given gifts to Captain Wang before. Otherwise, when he came back, his home might have been occupied by disaster victims. Shen Hao took out a small bag of rice from the jade pendant under the cover of his sleeve and handed it to the officer. "Thank you, Officer Qian, for taking care of me. Please accept this small token of my gratitude." Officer Qian looked at the rice handed by Shen Hao and his eyes widened! This should be the white jade rice worth five taels of silver per catty! Good stuff that only upper-class people can afford! "Master Shen, this is not acceptable. This white jade rice is too precious. How can a rough person like me deserve to eat it?" Officer Qian wasing verbally, but his body was very honest and he took the rice. Shen Hao saw through but didn't say anything. He smiled and said, "It's just a small gift. I hope Officer Qian will accept it. In case of any trouble in the future, you can also be more accommodating." "Sure. Sure." Officer Qian was smiling so widely that his mouth couldn't close. This small bag of rice was a full catty. If he didn't eat it and sold it for money, it would be worth five taels of silver, enough for his family to live well for several days. Officer Qian put the rice into his bosom and carefully protected it. "How long does Master Shen plan to stay in Zhengyang County? If you plan to stay for a long time, this is a good place for gathering inspiration and going on outings." Officer Qian wished that Shen Hao, this God of Wealth, would stay in Zhengyang County permanently. But he also knew that there was currently a famine. Maybe Shen Hao would leave if he was unhappy. Shen Hao thought for a while and said, "The scenery in Zhengyang County is very beautiful. I also intend to stay here for a longer period." "Haha, that's good. It's our blessing that Master Shen can stay in Zhengyang County." As Officer Qian was speaking, he brought Shen Hao to a mansion. This mansion was not bad. It had a bit of the style of a courtyard house, but it was a notch lower than Shen Hao's mansion. Officer Qian hurriedly knocked on the door. "Master Zhu's secretary, open the door quickly. Master Shen is here!" "Coming! Coming!" A steady male voice sounded. After a moment, a middle-aged man with a cloth hat, a goatee, and a somewhat thin figure opened the door. This middle-aged man was Master Zhu's secretary, also the second in command of Zhengyang County. As soon as Master Zhu's secretary saw Shen Hao, he looked him up and down. "What a handsome and noble young master." Master Zhu's secretary was just about to say that judging by your build, you must be from the capital. The whole person was sleek and shiny. Unlike them, who were all malnourished. "Master Zhu's secretary, you are overpraising me." Shen Hao smiled and nodded. Master Zhu's secretary quickly cupped his hands and made a bow. "Please come in quickly." A few days ago, Master Zhu's secretary heard Captain Wang say that a distinguished guest had arrived in Zhengyang County. Originally, he didn't believe it. But seeing it today, this was indeed a distinguished guest. Dressed brightly, with bright eyes and a sturdy figure, at first glance, he was used to living a luxurious life. The temperament couldn't deceive people. The saying that wealth and nobility nourish idlers was most suitable for Shen Hao. "Master Shen, please come in quickly!" Master Zhu's secretary didn't dare to neglect. While inviting Shen Hao into the house, he asked the maid to pour tea. As the second in command of Zhengyang County, he couldn't lose courtesy in front of the distinguished guest. The two entered the house, and Officer Qian quickly followed. In no time, they came to the front hall. The hot tea was already prepared. As soon as Shen Hao sat down, a maid came to pour tea. "Master Shen, may I ask where are you from?" Master Zhu's secretary lifted the tea cup and blew on it, then began to inquire. Shen Hao also knew that he couldn't avoid this question this time. When those small people asked him before, he could still not answer. But this time, it was the second in command of the government who asked him. He couldn't hide it anymore. "Master Zhu's secretary, I am from Shangjing. I came to Zhengyang County originally to enjoy the mountains and waters." Shen Hao picked up the tea cup and blew on it again and said, "In fact, I sneaked out. If my elders at home knew, they would send a large group of servants to follow me. Only a few trusted people at home know that I ran away." After saying this, Master Zhu's secretary nodded repeatedly. As he had guessed, this Master Shen was clearly from Shangjing. Probably got tired of staying in Shangjing and ran out to enjoy the mountains and waters. However, such sneaking out was too unsafe. He wasn't afraid of encountering bad people on the road. "Master Shen, it's not good for you to run out like this. Your elders will worry about you. Otherwise, shall I ask Captain Wang to send you back to Shangjing?" "No. No. No. I finally managed to run out. Moreover, my family should already know that I am in Zhengyang County. The white jade rice sent last time was prepared by the housekeeper at home." After Shen Hao finished speaking, Master Zhu's secretary was relieved. Since the family already knew, he didn't need to worry anymore. Otherwise, if a young master from Shangjing had an accident in Zhengyang County, the entire yamen would be responsible. "Master Shen, how long do you plan to stay in Zhengyang County?" "The scenery here is very beautiful. I plan to stay for a while longer." "Hehe, that's right. The scenery around Zhengyang County is very beautiful. It is just suitable for gathering inspiration and going on outings." Master Zhu's secretary stroked his beard. After asking so many questions, he had more or less figured out Shen Hao's background. This was a young master from Shangjing. When he got tired of playing, he would naturally be picked up by his family. And what he had to do was to make friends with this young master as much as possible. Maybe sometime, he would need to ask for help from others. This kind of connection was from Shangjing and was hard to come by. In no time, Master Zhu's secretary asked the maid to bring a plate of pastries for Shen Hao to eat. In a famine year, only families of officials could afford to eat pastries. Shen Hao looked at the pastries on the table. This was a plate of steamed rice cakes, pastries that poor people couldn't even dream of. But in Shen Hao's eyes, this kind of pastry couldn't be compared with those on Earth. Master Zhu's secretary also noticed that Shen Hao didn't touch the pastries. "Master Shen, is the rice cake not to your taste?" "No." Shen Hao picked up a rice cake and put it in his mouth and chewed. He only felt that it was extremely. Probably the raw materials for making the rice cake were not good. The rice cake had a faint bitter taste. No extra sugar was added. It seemed that sugar was also a rare thing in the Great Qian Kingdom. Moreover, the rice varieties in the Great Qian Kingdom were very poor. The better rice was supplied to the powerful and noble in the capital. Ordinary local officials could only eat a little rice from wild rice varieties. This kind of rice had a terrible taste and too low sugar content. It was even inferior to the aged rice on Earth. Shen Hao frowned and finished eating a rice cake. Master Zhu's secretary put down the tea cup and didn't know what to say. He had already taken out the best pastries at home to entertain him. But even so, he couldn't please Shen Hao from Shangjing.