Daily life of slaying demons in the government

Chapter 356: Peaceful? Not peaceful?

As soon as he arrived yesterday, Yang Qian was busy cleaning the government office and the residence, and then he made a new magic circle defense and warning. He didn't have a moment's rest.

Zheng Yue's matter had once again made Yang Qian's mind a little confused. Although he was still prepared to use this missing case as a breakthrough, there were too many mysteries to see clearly at the moment.

Fortunately, he had chosen to kill his way through Shuangqing Prefecture before, and had a clear understanding of the various forces in Shuangqing Prefecture in advance. He also set himself up with a stick. Otherwise, if he had rushed into the prefecture at that time, he would have been played around by Xiao Cangyu.

After coming out of the police station, Yang Qian wandered aimlessly along the street.

When he was in Sandao City and Jizhou Prefecture City, Yang Qian liked to find food at the food stalls or small restaurants near the police station, and he could always find delicious and unique food.

When you get to Shuangqing Prefecture, you can see these snack shops or stalls in Taocheng, Pingcheng, and Linshuicheng. But it's not the case in the prefecture.

There isn't a single street stall.

It must not be allowed.

Even Yang Qian could guess the reason. It was nothing more than that the stalls occupied the road, making it inconvenient for horses to run in the city. This was understandable for a city that was being built in all aspects as a military city and a fortress.

After walking down a street, Yang Qian only found a small restaurant. There were few customers inside. All of them were runners wearing scholar or military robes. There was also a palace attendant inside.

When they saw Yang Qian come in, everyone in the restaurant choked up in unison, lowered their heads and hurriedly ate.

No one dared to take a second look.

Black background with red patterns, gold-stamped cuffs and collar, and a belt inlaid with jade. There was only one person in the city who wore this outfit. Everyone present had heard of the new chief constable's prestige outside.

The thousands of dead souls in Baiguling and the Thirty-three Caves were there, and everyone knew that this person had a strong cultivation base and cruel and brutal methods. A small character like me would probably be killed by a sneeze?

Eat quickly, and leave as soon as you are done. I always feel prickly when I am with this person.

"Sir, what would you like to eat?" The waiter was a man who could read people's expressions. When he saw the guests who were chatting suddenly became silent, he immediately realized that the new gentleman was not ordinary. He became even more nervous after seeing his robes.

"What's delicious? It's your first time here, tell me about it."

"Sir, the best things to buy in our shop are the braised pork noodles and the roasted yellow sparrow. You can try them."

"Okay, give me one portion each, and a jug of your best wine."

"Yes, sir. Please wait a moment. I will serve you the wine right away."

They talked like this for a short while. The servants in the small restaurant got up and left one after another, putting silver on the table. When they passed by Yang Qian, they would bow politely, not daring to look up, and quickly leave.

This scene made the waiter and the shopkeeper even more nervous. After all, this was the capital city, and the officials there were not in a good mood. If they were not careful, they would not be able to open the store. If they were unlucky, they would lose their lives on the spot.

Soon a large bowl of steaming hot noodles was served. There was a lot of braised meat, and it smelled of a unique aroma. After taking a bite, it was a bit salty, but Yang Qian could still accept it.

Then came a dish of roasted yellow sparrow. The “sparrow” was actually not the same thing as the bird Yang Qian thought it was, but more like a kind of chicken that roamed the mountains unique to the area.

After taking a bite, Yang Qian found it soft, glutinous and fragrant. He nodded repeatedly as he ate it.

"Come here." He waved to the waiter next to him, and then waited for him to come to the table and slapped a piece of silver on the table.

"I'll ask you a question. If you answer it well, I'll give you this silver as a reward."

"Sir, I dare not take the silver. Just ask whatever you want, I will tell you everything I know!" Yang Qian did not take back the silver. He took a few mouthfuls of noodles and then continued, "Is the city peaceful at night?"

"Peace, peace."

"Taiping?" Yang Qian nodded without commenting, and then asked: "How many people are there in your family? How long have you lived here?"

This seemingly simple question made the waiter, who had always had a reserved smile on his face, freeze up, and a hint of sadness appeared in his eyes.

Yang Qian did not urge him. After he ate a few more pieces of roasted sparrow, the waiter replied with a wry smile, "Sir, I have been in the city for three years. My family members are buried in Hengcheng, and now I am the only one left who is still living."

"I rarely see children and old people in the city. What's going on?" Yang Qian finished his last mouthful of noodles and seemed to remember that he didn't seem to have seen any elderly people or children since he came to the city.

"Sir, this is a military city, it's very dangerous. The old people and children will be sent to other cities. Then they will be exchanged for some laborers. I was the one who was exchanged from Hengcheng."

"The laborers who were exchanged? Why are they in this restaurant? Shouldn't they be serving as auxiliary soldiers in the army?" Although Yang Qian had just arrived, he was still unfamiliar with many situations here. But laborers were either used to repair people's livelihood, such as canals and canals, or they were used as auxiliary soldiers in the army.

Even if Shuangqing Prefecture is a little special, it is unlikely that someone would come to a small restaurant to work as a waiter.

"Hey, it was just luck. There was an insect plague in the city and many people died. The store was short of staff, so the shopkeeper asked me to come over from the city gate."

"Cough, cough, cough!"

The shopkeeper's face turned pale. Can this matter be brought up for discussion? He was so anxious that he probably wanted to shut the waiter up.

Yang Qian couldn't help laughing. But he wasn't laughing about how the owner of this small restaurant went to the army to ask for help to work in his shop. He was laughing at the waiter's slip of the tongue, mentioning "insect plague" and "many people died."

"Didn't you just say that everything was peaceful here? How come someone died again?"

"This"

The shopkeeper was afraid that Yang Qian would investigate his activities in the army, so he came over and slapped the waiter on the back of his head. Then he yelled at him to answer quickly.

The waiter then said, "Sir, it's really safe at night. There's not even a thief here. But it's too close to the bamboo forest, and some poisonous insects come out from time to time.

If you are unlucky, an insect plague will occur. It is not uncommon for dozens or even hundreds of people to die. This happens once or twice every year."

"Every year?"

The waiter nodded and said, "Yes, I have had it every year since I came here."

The shopkeeper nearby flattered him, "It doesn't happen every year. It didn't happen before. I heard that it was caused by some changes in the bamboo sea."

There wasn't any before, but there is now? Yang Qian curiously asked the shopkeeper when exactly the insect plague began to appear.

The shopkeeper thought about it and said uncertainly that it seemed to have started about fifteen or sixteen years ago.

"Do you know the relatives of those who died in the plague?"

The shopkeeper immediately gave Yang Qian the address of his former waiter, saying that the waiter had a sister who still lived there. She made a living by spinning yarn at home and mending clothes for others.

(End of this chapter)