Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo' Chapter 1446: Human Market Couple_2

“Is there an inn here?”

Tan Jinxiao shook his head and said: “No inn, but there’s a restaurant. Pay fifty cents more, and you can stay over.”

Liang Cai said: “Then let’s go check it out.”

Tan Jinxiao mocked: “Check what, have you all made money to dare to go to a restaurant?”

Xiao Yeci carefully observed Tan Jinxiao, thinking his words were logical, but the logic had a big flaw.

Li Banfeng said: “Made some money, you guide me, I’m quite satisfied, three bucks.”

“Just pointing the way pays three bucks?” Tan Jinxiao was thrilled, “Next time you have a gig like this, you must find me. I’ll drop everything else and just serve you!”

Liang Wu asked: “Does only he get to eat, and those of us who haven’t made money can’t eat?”

Tan Jinxiao nodded seriously: “That’s right, haven’t made money, you go hungry!”

Li Banfeng pulled out a wad of bills: “We’ve all made money. You guide me, Juanzi, Mengzi, and Xiao Shan are my bodyguards, Miss Xiao is my secretary, and the Liang Wucui sisters will…”

Still thinking of appropriate roles, Liang Cai voluntarily said: “The two of us will warm your bed.”

Tan Jinxiao rolled his eyes: “Just that? I can do it too! From now on, you don’t need to hire so many people, I’ll be your bodyguard. I’m telling you, with my cultivation level Above the Clouds, our Taoist Sect might not be fierce, but an average person can’t get near us!”

He realized he was a cultivator Above the Clouds, and it seemed like his memory had returned quite a bit.

Tan Jinxiao looked at Xiao Yeci, then said to Li Banfeng: “This young lady, I can’t replace her. I’m not very literate, so you still need her as your secretary.”

Liang Wu asked: “We sisters warming Seventh Master’s bed, you could replace that too?”

“Sure can!” Tan Jinxiao patted his chest, “I’m warm myself. Not just warm, even sticky. The bed I’ve warmed looks just fine!”

Liang Cai laughed: “We sisters have great skills. After warming the bed, we can do other things too!”

Tan Jinxiao’s head drooped down: “I can’t do other things. You know, people can’t be perfect!”

He led the group into a restaurant, and Li Banfeng said: “I see several restaurants along the roadside. Why this one in particular?”

Tan Jinxiao answered honestly: “This restaurant is delicious, and I know the shopkeeper. So many of us eating together, I should support an old friend’s business.”

The restaurant was fairly bustling.

Tan Jinxiao found a table to sit at and yelled: “Shopkeeper, what are you daydreaming about? Customers are here!”

The restaurant’s shopkeeper came over carrying a large wooden box on his back: “What would the gentlemen like to eat?”

Tan Jinxiao said: “Today we’re having something meaty, a bowl of pork belly rice for each!”

The shopkeeper took out paper and pen from the wooden box on his back, just about to write the order when Li Banfeng stopped him: “I don’t want pork belly.”

Tan Jinxiao was displeased: “Pork belly is delicious, trust me on this!”

Li Banfeng said: “Is there a menu? I want to order.”

Tan Jinxiao said: “This isn’t like outside, no table dishes here, just big bowl meals. You should listen to me, pork belly rice is the best value.”

The shopkeeper took out a menu from the wooden box on his back; Li Banfeng saw there really were no table dishes.

Even without table dishes, Li Banfeng didn’t want pork belly. He ordered a seafood rice for one dollar and twenty cents.

Tan Jinxiao stomped his foot: “Why order seafood rice? It’s just clam shells with rice, what’s tasty about that? Pork belly is far better, big slices of fat meat, fills you up and satisfies your craving, it’s so good!”

The clam shells referred to clams, and Li Banfeng just happened to love eating them.

Xiao Yeci looked at the menu: “Things aren’t expensive. Earlier you said you need to earn three bucks to eat meat. But I see here, a portion of meat rice is just a bit over one buck.”

Tan Jinxiao said: “Miss, you only eat one meal a day? After this meal, you’re not wanting anything else? Don’t you have to pace your life?”

Xiao Yeci ordered pork ribs rice, Liang Wucui ordered two portions of roasted duck rice, and Juanzi ordered three portions of pork belly rice.

The shopkeeper noted down the order and went to the back kitchen to busy himself.

Li Banfeng said: “This restaurant isn’t small, why haven’t I seen a single servant?”

Tan Jinxiao shook his head: “Who’s got the money to hire servants?”

Xiao Yeci said: “Business looks good, surely you can afford two or three servants?”

Tan Jinxiao gave a bitter smile: “You don’t work in this industry, you don’t know the difficulties. Xiao Songzi and I had a restaurant back in the day, it’s no easy task.”

Li Banfeng asked: “Who’s Xiao Songzi?”

“A friend, a very good friend for many years, but he left later on,” Tan Jinxiao didn’t elaborate on Xiao Songzi, pointing to the kitchen he said,

“This shopkeeper is Chen Yongnian, also an old friend of mine. He has a wife in the kitchen, skilled in frying, stir-frying, boiling, all without needing extra help.”

Soon, the shopkeeper served the dishes, not brought in on metal trays but taken out from the large wooden box on his back.

Li Banfeng looked at his seafood rice, a plate of clams, and a big bowl of white rice.

The clams were blanched, then mixed with soy sauce, aromatic and smooth, and Li Banfeng couldn’t stop eating.

The shopkeeper took out a jar of liquor from the large wooden box on his back and poured everyone a cup. Li Banfeng said: “How’s the liquor charge calculated?”

Tan Jinxiao waved it off: “What liquor charge? Order meat dishes, and liquor is free, that rule can’t change!”

The shopkeeper smiled: “Rest assured, rules can never change.”

The liquor was strong, with a rich flavor. Tan Jinxiao pointed at the cup and said: “I’m not bragging, this liquor is pure alcohol mixed, not a grain in it, really strong!”

Mengzi snatched Xiao Shan’s liquor away: “Children shouldn’t drink.”