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For better flavor, the meat and large intestine were not braised at night, but instead early the next morning. Because there was agarwood in the water barrel, Chen Feng was afraid the meat would absorb the fragrance, so she specifically set aside another bucket of water.
Early in the morning, she braised the meat and large intestine and ate some for breakfast, leaving some for Chen Ming to have at noon, and taking the rest with her.
Chen Ming had also gotten up early and was concerned, wanting to accompany Chen Feng. However, she didn’t want to tire him out. Although he was feeling better, he still couldn’t overexert himself. She suggested taking Golden Treasure with them, which put his mind at ease. He also advised Chen Feng to go to the Xile Restaurant. Although it was the second largest restaurant in Sanqing County, the prices were fair, and they didn’t take advantage of ordinary people.
Qiqi and Gray insisted on going when they saw Golden Treasure was going. Chen Feng had to let them stay in the basket and instructed them not to fly around or make any noise to avoid drawing attention.
After putting them in the basket and covering them with a cloth, Chen Feng, wearing a bamboo hat, carried the basket of braised meat, while Dabao carried the basket containing the little birds, and they went to the village entrance to take Gao the cart driver’s donkey cart.
It was market day, and many people were carrying things to sell in the county town.
The braised meat smelled very good, and people on the cart didn’t ask Chen Feng. They asked Dabao, “What’s in your baskets that smells so good?”
Dabao replied, “It’s my mother’s braised meat. We’re taking it to the county town to sell.”
Gao the cart driver laughed and said, “With such a good smell, you’ll surely get a good price.”
Dabao smiled and said, “Thank you, Grandpa Gao. I think so too.”
Upon arriving in Sanqing County, Gao the cart driver said the donkey cart would wait at the city gate until noon and would leave if they were late.
Once in the county town, Chen Feng lowered her bamboo hat and kept her head down. Nobody could see her face clearly. The original owner was bullied to death here, so she didn’t dare to be careless.
The golden swallow, knowing it wasn’t particularly attractive, flew out and clung to Chen Feng’s clothes, watching the scenery. The other two little ones poked their heads out of the basket, looking around at the world’s hustle and bustle.
After asking for directions to the Xile Restaurant, they headed in that direction. On the way, they saw a dry goods store, and Chen Feng inquired about braising ingredients. The shopkeeper pointed to the same few items, which gave her some confidence.
Unexpectedly, they also saw the Jinyun Embroidery Shop, and Chen Feng led Dabao inside. The Jinyun Embroidery Shop was very large, with three floors filled with a variety of items. There were embroidered screens, embroidered fans, hair accessories, pendants, and even cloth and clothing. Upon hearing that they didn’t sell embroidery and seeing that they didn’t look like they could afford anything there, the shop assistant didn’t bother them but also didn’t ask them to leave.
Chen Feng noticed that all the clothes had button knots and abacus knots. She thought that if the shop owner managed the business well, she could make a lot of money. Even though ancient people were smart and had created plum and lotus button knots based on the chrysanthemum button knot, they certainly wouldn’t have come up with double-layer button knots and “ji” character knots in a short period of time, which Chen Feng knew.
But she didn’t dare to sell these button knot designs to the shop owner and challenge her. The golden swallow said that those people were from the governor’s family and weren’t people she, a commoner, could afford to offend. She would revisit the idea in a year.
After visiting these two places, it was almost noon, and they hurried to the Xile Restaurant.
On the way, Chen Feng bought a piece of jujube cake for Dabao. As a result, Qiqi and Gray also clamored for some, and Dabao had to take a bite and then feed them.
Suddenly, a few men stopped them, and one of them pointed to the basket in Dabao’s hand and said, “This bird looks really handsome. I want it.”
The man who spoke looked like a wealthy young master, about twenty years old, dressed in brocade, and holding a large fan. The other two were his servants.
As soon as the man spoke, one of his servants took out a tael of silver.
It turned out that Qiqi had poked its head out of the basket, enjoying itself. Its beautiful feathers were particularly dazzling in the sunlight. Seeing this, Dabao took a step back and said, “Gentlemen, we’re not selling this bird.”
“Hey, little rascal, the fact that I want to buy this bird is showing you respect. Today, whether you sell it or not, it will be sold,” the man said arrogantly.
Was this a forced sale? No, it should be called a robbery. A tael of silver was only enough to buy a single feather of Qiqi.
Chen Feng didn’t say anything. She was afraid of drawing the attention of those men. With Golden Treasure around, she wasn’t worried about Qiqi being bullied.
The golden swallow suddenly flew up and circled above Chen Feng, chirping. It was as if it was saying, “Mommy, let Dabao sell them. These people are despicable. They want to force a sale? Let’s stand them up and leave them empty-handed.” It then called out to Qiqi a few times.
Chen Feng was startled. It was surprising that the golden swallow knew about standing someone up. It was truly a knowledgeable bird.
She knew she couldn’t afford to provoke these men. Since the golden swallow had come up with this good idea, she had no choice but to follow through. She said to Dabao, “Son, if these gentlemen like it, then sell it to them.”
The men laughed and said, “That’s more like it.” They then threw the tael of silver into Dabao’s basket, making Gray squawk, and then snatched Qiqi and walked away, saying, “Come, I’ll take you home to live a life of luxury.”
Qiqi probably understood Golden Treasure’s words and didn’t resist, allowing itself to be taken away by those men. The golden swallow also flew up and circled in the sky.
Once the men had left, Dabao burst into tears, “Qiqi, my Qiqi, don’t go…”
Chen Feng crouched down to wipe Dabao’s tears, whispering softly in his ear, “Dabao, don’t cry. With Golden Treasure here, Qiqi will come back.”
Upon hearing this, Dabao stopped crying. With tears in his eyes, he asked Chen Feng, “Will Qiqi really come back?”
Chen Feng nodded and said, “Golden Treasure is very capable. It will definitely bring Qiqi back.”
Putting the small silver ingot into her pocket, she felt indignant. She hadn’t expected someone to come and offer money like this.
The Xile Restaurant also had three floors, with carved red gates and windows, and it was very grand. The business inside was also very good. The waiter didn’t look down on them because of their shabby clothes, instead, he warmly invited them to a small table.
Chen Feng first looked at the menu, which included several dozen dishes such as marinated pork elbows, roast goose, honey-glazed shrimp, steamed fish, roasted chicken, braised pork, and more. She ordered a braised pork dish, a relatively inexpensive diced pork dish, a vegetarian soup, and two bowls of rice, for a total of one hundred and twenty wen.
The waiter didn’t leave but stood politely to the side. Chen Feng realized that they were being judged by their shabby attire and that the waiter was afraid they might not be able to pay for their meal. She hurriedly took out some money from her bag, adding twenty wen to it.