Chapter 569 – The Wayward Feng Zhen (2)
“Lord, I find this a bit strange…”
Jiang Pengji smiled and picked up a pair of chopsticks, asking him, “What seems strange?”
She and Zhang Ping had inspected all the drainage points in Xiangyang County, found that the pipes were functioning normally, and now that the sun was high and their stomachs were empty, they settled down at a restaurant to order a few dishes for their meal.
By chance, this restaurant was an official establishment, named—Zhi Ke Zhai.
She looked around; the restaurant had a simple yet elegant decor, and the environment was serene—it was indeed a nice place to eat.
Hmm, Wei Ci did well managing this place.
Before long, the door curtain of their private room was lifted, and a waiter with a dismembered hand entered.
He looked at Jiang Pengji and Zhang Ping in surprise, froze for a moment, and then knelt heavily.
“I’ve met the Lord!”
The restaurant was officially run, and its employees were either injured retired soldiers or families of soldiers who had died in battle. This particular waiter was a retired soldier who had lost a hand; he found a job here as a waiter.
Though he was just a waiter, he had been on the battlefield, and he could still moonlight as a bouncer, earning enough to support a family of three with his monthly salary.
Even now, the veteran insisted on a daily training routine; despite his disability, his spirit was quite good.
Jiang Pengji said, “Get up. I’m just here to eat with Xi Heng, no need for such formalities.”
The waiter obediently stood up, still somewhat awkward.
Jiang Pengji took a rolled bamboo slip, which was the menu of the restaurant.
The ideas provided by the audience, each slip had the name of a dish written on it, categorized quite innovatively.
After glancing through the dish names, Jiang Pengji ordered a couple of vegetable dishes and two meat dishes, then handed the menu to Zhang Ping, using the time to ask some questions—mainly about how the veteran was doing after retiring due to his disability. The veteran gradually relaxed, growing less tense.
For every question she asked, the veteran answered honestly.
“Reporting to the Lord, I’m doing okay. A few months ago, the Ice Person matched me with a wife; she’s three months pregnant now. The work here isn’t too demanding, I come in at the rooster hour to sweep and prepare the shop, and we close at the pig hour. I earn two salaries each month, enough for my family’s food and basic needs, and we manage to save quite a bit. My wife is also diligent, knitting sweaters at home…”
Jiang Pengji asked detailed questions, and the veteran had plenty to share, his face showing signs of excitement, devoid of any gloom.
Zhang Ping silently flipped through the menu over and over, “delaying” for his lord.
【Trying to Keep Up】: Work starts at the rooster hour and ends at the pig hour… So that’s five in the morning to nine at night? Isn’t that too tiring? Given that he’s missing a left hand, is life not very inconvenient? If this were modern times, he’d probably be able to reattach it… but in ancient times… sigh, a lifetime of disability.
【Striving for an Explosion Next Month】: Listening carefully to their conversation, this veteran can receive disability benefits for three years; that’s quite a lot adding up. Acting as both a waiter and a bouncer, he’s effectively getting two salaries… life must not be too bad?
Having watched the live stream for a while, the audience had a rough idea of Jiang Pengji’s situation; the veteran’s current life wasn’t bad.
【Cultivating Late at Night】: By the way, why is the disability compensation given in installments over three years? Can’t it be one-time?
【I Wish to Become an Immortal】: According to my analysis, there are probably two reasons. One-time payment would be a huge burden for the broadcaster, especially since it’s not just one soldier who’s injured. Secondly, what if they blow through it all? What then? I think this three-year subsidy is meant to give the veteran some breathing room; within three years, with a bit of patience, he could learn a skill to provide for himself when the subsidy runs out.
While the live stream audience didn’t get everything right, their understanding was generally close to Jiang Pengji’s intent.
The veteran was hardworking, and his wife was capable; there was hope for their family’s future.
Jiang Pengji nodded, and Zhang Ping perceptively handed the menu back to the veteran.
After the veteran left, Zhang Ping remarked, “Zhi Ke Zhai’s business is doing well.”
The restaurant’s dishes were excellent, always crowded during mealtimes, and even though the prices here were four or five times higher than usual, common people still came to support it. Of course, they couldn’t afford to eat here all the time, but an occasional visit was within reach.
Jiang Pengji replied, “Once the restaurant’s business stabilizes, I plan to have the cooks teach the regular menu to other restaurants in the county.”
Zhang Ping was taken aback for a moment; he didn’t immediately understand the sudden change in topic.
Why is the Lord mentioning this all of a sudden?
Jiang Pengji said, “Officials shouldn’t compete with the people for profit, and the people can’t afford to compete either. Zhi Ke Zhai is doing well enough. If it continues to expand, it’ll definitely crowd out other eateries, which goes against my original intention. By making the regular menu public, the common people will also have access to affordable and delicious food, while Zhi Ke Zhai continues on its higher price route—they won’t interfere with each other.”
She had pondered for a long time before naming the restaurant, finally adopting the audience’s suggestion to call it “Zhi Ke Zhai.”
In simple terms, it was a matter of customer demographics; eateries for commoners served the ordinary populace with meals that didn’t cost much. Zhi Ke Zhai, on the other hand, catered to customers with more economic capability, aligning with a mid-range to high-end business model, ensuring separation of the two customer bases.
Jiang Pengji wasn’t short on funds; she could support the subsidies for disabled soldiers and didn’t need to crazily grab business from the common people.
Zhang Ping came to understand and couldn’t help but feel deeply moved.
When it comes to being unreliable, his lord was truly lacking, but when she was reliable, she was nothing less than a wise ruler.
So many in power greedily gather the common people’s wealth, yet only the lord sees it clearly and executes without a hitch.
While the two were conversing, a series of alarming coughs echoed from the next private room.
Zhang Ping suddenly remembered something and said, “Lord, I’ve realized that something seems off.”
“Coughing has been heard all along the way!”
He recalled that for some time now, he had heard coughing; previously, he wondered who was so sick that they were out wandering. Now… his expression turned serious as he drew his dagger from his waist and glared dangerously in the direction of the coughs.
They had been followed all the way!
Jiang Pengji chuckled and waved him off, “Put that away; it’s just a meal.”
Zhang Ping was a homebody scholar with mediocre skills; Jiang Pengji, however, had known all along that someone was tailing them.
Zhang Ping stared in surprise as he sheathed the dagger before the waiter brought the dishes.
“Lord, did you know about this all along?” Zhang Ping asked.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Jiang Pengji laughed, shifting slightly to make way for the waiter to set the table, “With this face in Xiangyang County, who wouldn’t recognize me? I’m not exactly a piece of cake; what if someone doesn’t like me and decides to harm me when I’m alone? If your lord doesn’t even have this level of vigilance, how could I dare run around with a bumbling mess like you? Let’s eat first; once we’re full, we can take care of that fellow next door.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the coughing intensified, sounding even more desperate.
Zhang Ping: “…”
