She is different from the empress in the history books

Chapter 20
Xu Shu couldn't help asking:

"Better than the food at home? So what do you eat at home?"

For a young lady like Xu Shu who came from a wealthy family but was not domineering, the laborer didn't mind chatting a little more:
"At this time, the grain seeds have just been planted, and the grain storage at home is almost empty. What else can I eat? The wild vegetables are mushy. The strong laborers eat two bowls, the women one bowl, and the children, divide half a bowl, and even a full bowl of water. I can’t even get along. My family has many brothers but little land, and it’s not enough to eat on the land alone, and I’ll starve to death if I don’t wait for the autumn harvest. If not, I’ll come to the city to work.”

Pei Peng felt a little heavy in her heart. As far as she knew, there had been no major disasters in Chengyang County in recent years, and the county magistrate was not particularly aggressive in looting, but the lives of ordinary people were still...

After tasting the cakes, Pei Peng continued to walk forward, and when he encountered food sellers, he would ask the price and occasionally buy them to taste.

Some taste better, with more refined ingredients, salt or sugar or sauce, but the price is indeed much higher than that of rye cakes, obviously bought by richer families.

The group of people walked and walked, and when they reached the largest restaurant in Chengyang County, they bumped into Zhou Keping who was rushing over.

Zhou Keping quickly saluted Pei Peng and was still panting while speaking:
"What a coincidence, the official has just finished his official duties, and my old mother, wife and children at home are all visiting. I am alone, and I am too lazy to let the kitchen open, so I want to come to the restaurant for a meal, and I bump into the princess."

Pei Peng made a temporary decision to go out, and Zhou Keping got the news a little later.

After washing up, he rode there on a donkey—he had no money to buy a horse, and he was slow in a sedan chair. He guessed that Pei Peng might go to this restaurant for dinner, so he came straight here.

As soon as Zhou Keping asked people to tie the donkey to the backyard, Pei Peng arrived. Although the encounter was intentional, it was really a coincidence to meet him at the door.

Pei Peng smiled, even though he knew it was an excuse, he followed his words and said:

"This is also a coincidence. Speaking of which, I haven't seen Mr. Zhou for a long time. It seems that you are very busy these days. Just in time, we want to go out for a walk today and try the local specialties. You will come too. I will let you People go back and get the good wine.”

This was what Zhou Keping had in mind. It was easier to ease conflicts by mentioning some things at a banquet. He weakly declined and said, "It is better to obey orders than to be respectful."

The shopkeeper of the restaurant is the next-door nephew of the old owner. Their owner is in charge of the restaurant in Shang'an City, so they are very well informed.

Before Pei Peng arrived in Chengyang County, the shopkeeper received the news, which roughly described the appearance of Pei Peng and his entourage.

There was also Zhou Keping beside him - the local county magistrate, how could he not be recognized by people doing business.

So he rushed up to meet him, his round body was very flexible, he was saluting and making bows, but he kept saying:

"Congratulations to Your Highness the Princess, Prince Consort, Your Highness the Princess, the County Magistrate, and all the distinguished guests. The small shop is full of splendor, please come here, please come here, there is a huge wing room here, which is reserved for the distinguished guests Yes, the scenery is also good. Our old club also kept some good wine in the backyard, it is said that it was purchased from the capital at a high price a few years ago,"

Pei Peng listened to his non-stop talking, but his round face was dripping with sweat, obviously very nervous.

She was really afraid that he wouldn't be able to catch his breath, so she quickly stopped him:
"Okay, okay, there's no need for this. Just find a skilled waiter to order us some signature dishes. There's no need to bring drinks, we'll prepare them ourselves."

"Okay, okay."

When the shopkeeper left, Pei Peng jokingly asked Zhou Keping:
"I don't know whether he is trembling in front of you, my parents, or in front of me."

"Princess, I'm joking. I've been to this restaurant a few times, but it's not enough for the shopkeeper to attach so much importance to it. Since you came, let alone the shopkeeper, everyone in the county is afraid of your phoenix appearance. "

"Master Zhou is the official of the parents. As a princess, why don't I treat the people of Chengyang County as my children. Rather than being in awe, I hope to be respected and loved by them."

The guy arrived soon.

Chengyang County is located in the north, and it is close to Hudi, so the food and beverages are also quite open.

Pei Peng didn't know much about this, so he simply asked Zhou Keping to watch and order.

Zhou Keping thought about it again and again, taking into account the eating habits in the capital area, he ordered some dishes, and specifically told the waiter to "put less salt" or "make the meat leaner" and so on.

He is quite a careful person.

Pei Peng thought to himself and couldn't help but look at Yang Luo.

He was telling the waiter to take the cutlery and rinse it with boiling water.

In fact, when he was in the capital, Pei Peng always brought his own utensils when he went to restaurants to eat.

But when he came to Chengyang County, doing so seemed too grand, so Pei Peng was not taken by anyone.

But with her habits, even if Yang Luo didn't let people wash the tableware, Pei Peng would make people do it after a while.

But he thought about it the first time.

Pei Peng thought to himself, this is also a careful person. It is rare for a husband of this age to be so considerate.

Observe and observe again, if he is indeed a good...

Pei Peng's mind flashed through several young ladies that she thought were good but who were not yet engaged, and she had a vague urge to play matchmaker.

Some are careful and some are not.

Xu Qing, Xu Zhao, and Xu Shu, they have such temperaments, they really come to eat when they come to eat, they don't worry about anything, they just wait for someone to serve them.

And Cheng Fei was even more strange, obviously not familiar with Zhou Keping, but insisted on going over to ask if his son followed him to the post and where he studied.

The question made Zhou Keping's face, which was not fair at all, even darker.

If it weren't for the fact that his two sons were still young, he really would have wondered if these two boys had gotten into debts outside.

Pei Peng was thoughtful.

The person Cheng Fei paid so much attention to last time was Yang Luo.

Facts have proved that although Yang Luo's family background is not obvious, he is indeed outstanding.

But Xu Zhao didn't get much attention from Cheng Fei.

However, although Cheng Fei always quarreled with Xu Zhao, it didn't seem like she had aversion to each other.

That shows that Xu Zhao didn't achieve much in Cheng Fei's "harbinger", but he didn't do too much disaster, maybe he disappeared from everyone.

And it was Zhou Keping's sons who Cheng Fei once again expressed concern for.

That is to say, these two children who are not yet ten years old also have great potential?
Pei Peng and Xu Shu were chatting about various things in Chengyang County, but their eyes were carefully observing Cheng Fei's expression, trying to deduce the Zhou family's position in "Omen".

In order to prevent the nobles from waiting anxiously, the manager of the restaurant urged the kitchen to prepare the dishes for this table first. Therefore, within a short time, several dishes were served.

Zhou Keping knew that Pei Peng and the others were in the capital, and they might have tasted all kinds of delicacies from the mountains and seas. Their restaurants in Chengyang County couldn't afford them, and even if they did, their cooking skills wouldn't be any better than those of Pei Peng's family cooks.

Therefore, most of what he orders are ingredients and methods with local characteristics.

For example, the wild vegetables just served are either cold or stir-fried, and some are made into soup.

Zhou Keping introduced them one by one, and asked Pei Peng to have a taste.

Pei Peng has eaten wild vegetables—since she came out of the palace to open the house, she has been walking with the Cheng family. The Cheng family is grateful for her help, but feels that there is nothing to repay. They will send freshly picked wild vegetables in spring .

However, there are still differences in the types of wild vegetables in different regions, at least the ones commonly eaten in Chengyang County, she has never eaten them.

Therefore, Pei Peng happily used his chopsticks.

(End of this chapter)