Walking the Path of a Workaholic in Cliché Novels (QT) Chapter 95

“Brother! Why did you give away our horse breeding business?”

As soon as An Yinong left, Shen He couldn’t help but express the doubts in his heart: “I… I see that the official didn’t blame us, why did you cut off one of your arms?”

Chen Shan poured himself a cup of tea: “Horses are like ironware and not traded as commodities. These horses are of no use in our hands. It is better to sell them.”

He drank warm tea and said: “Zhizhou is different from other officials. If it were him, I would willingly give away the business.”

Chen Shan recalled An Yinong’s previous performance, and he finally had to admit that in terms of overall outlook and measure, he was not as good as this young governor. He completely abandoned his personal preferences and treated the people under his rule with the most impartial attitude.

“A Bodhisattva has a heart and a thunderous method.” The corners of Chen Shan’s mouth raised slightly, “If we have him, we will definitely be able to succeed in the mutual trade fair.”

While people in Xizhou were concerned about the trade fair, people in other places were paying attention to the new written novel “The Legend of the Desert Heroes: Xiaoyao Pavilion”. Because it was the first book he wrote after being promoted to the prefect, and it was said to be based on true stories, it attracted great attention.

Moreover, this script was very special. In addition to twenty pages of exquisite illustrations drawn by the prefect himself, it also included songs such as “Homesickness” and “Dreams of the Western Regions”. The former was quite Zen, and the latter was a fusion of exotic rhythms. Ordinary people didn’t understand it, but they thought it sounded interesting, so many musicians learned these songs.

“After all, he is a prefect who passed the imperial examination. Even if he writes a storybook, it is different from others.” Today’s scholars also admire him very much, and even write poems and essays about him, praising him for his talent and beauty. A person who can read, catch thieves, govern, paint, write poetry, and play music, and is said to have an outstanding appearance, is it too much to admire him?

“Is there really such a magical casino in the world? It is hidden under an oasis, and guests need to hide in a stone coffin and then be pushed into a specific quicksand pit and carried by the sand?”

The ignorant people in the Central Plains were easily fooled by their prefect. They marveled at the mysterious Xiaoyao Pavilion and the Western nobles of different styles who lavishly spent money there. All kinds of unimaginable ways of playing appeared in the books, and the gameplay was all about difficulty and elegance. The “tough guys” from all over the country simply regarded the governor of Xizhou as a confidant.

Although the mysterious Xiaoyao Pavilion was finally found and set on fire by the protagonists, this did not dampen the enthusiasm of determined people. They even wanted to go to the northwest to see the ruins of the legendary Xiaoyao Pavilion and the legendary Huaben County Magistrate. The people in the Central Plains were curious about the governor of Xizhou and wanted to meet him. The people in the Western Regions were equally curious and also wanted to meet him.

On a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, the weather was fine, and the day came for the meeting between the governor of Xizhou and the leaders of a dozen nearby tribes. They agreed to meet at a small oasis outside the city. There was no one here on weekdays, only businessmen passing by would stop here.

An Yinong, who was wearing his official uniform and only covered with a cloak, rode a snow-white camel and set off with the golden eagle. Behind him was a group of garrison soldiers, and Shen Shan who came with him. In their team, there was also a cart dedicated to storing tents and food.

An Yinong said they would stay for three days before going back, but they didn’t bring many things. When they arrived at the oasis, it was already evening, and five or six large “yurts” had already been set up on the oasis. When An Yinong and his party arrived, someone came to greet them.

“Is this the magistrate from the Qi Dynasty?” the other party asked in half-baked Mandarin.

This man’s appearance was that of a typical Westerner, with big eyes, a tall nose, and a beautiful, carefully groomed beard. There were heavy gems hanging on his ears, neck, and wrists, and the patterns on his clothes were also very fancy and complicated.

“This is the prince of the Golden Eagle Kingdom.” Shen Shan introduced in a low voice behind him.

An Yinong immediately remembered the information of several major figures in this meeting. He walked forward with a smile on his face and greeted him in the Golden Eagle language he had just learned: “I am very happy to meet you, the hero in the blue sky, brother Eagle.”

The prince was surprised: “Do you know the language of our country?”

An Yinong shook his head: “Now I only know a little bit. In the future, if we cooperate more and interact more, we will definitely learn it.”

This attitude made the prince of the Golden Eagle Kingdom very comfortable. Many scholars in Qi Kingdom looked down upon the countries in the Western Regions. People in the Western Regions felt this arrogance and were naturally unhappy. However, this young official in front of him was different.

Although he couldn’t speak much, he looked directly at others with a gentle expression when he spoke. When listening to others speaking, he also listened very carefully and occasionally nodded in agreement. The prince of the Golden Eagle Kingdom felt that he was respected.

Hearing that the magistrate of Qi State was coming and people from other tribes also came out, he went over to greet the owners of other yurts one by one, using seven or eight Western languages, although he only knew one or two sentences. Shen Shan has been following him, watching him chatting with others, keeping a gentle smile on his face.

An Yinong also brought gifts from Xizhou to these tribes. In addition to traditional salt and tea, there were also rubber shoes, rubber gloves, exquisite jewelry, sorghum wine, sugar from the Central Plains, beautiful silk, and so on. In return, these tribes also sent them dried beef and mutton, thick furs, rough ethnic jewelry, kumis and so on.

Over the next two days, people from other tribes came over one after another, and An Yinong would go over to greet them and exchange gifts. He could get along with everyone, and with his cinnabar-colored official uniform and fair and fresh face, he could blend into the group of grassland peoples in a wonderful way.

He also liked to compliment people, praising their strength and bravery, praising their horses for being fat and strong, praising their people for being warm and friendly, and praising their soldiers for being brave and good at fighting. It was as if these tribes had two good points in his eyes: this one was good, that one was good.

The people of the grassland had never experienced such warm and sincere praise from the people of the Central Plains, so the talks became very interesting that day. Although it was still an official meeting, the scene was extremely harmonious. These tribes even asked An Yinong which products of their tribe were more suitable to be sold here.

An Yinong will also help them analyze. For example, beef, mutton and fur could be exchanged for salt and tea. In addition, the shiny stones and wild herbs in the Gobi Desert where they lived could also be exchanged for more and better daily necessities.

“We can send teachers to teach the herders to grow grass and herbs, so that they don’t have to migrate twice a year. But growing grass is not an easy task.” An Yinong turned his head and listened to them carefully, and analyzed the pros and cons carefully.

Shen Shan originally thought that his language proficiency would come in handy during this meeting, or that his versatility would also come in handy, but in the end, he served as a follower from beginning to end. There was a special charm about this young scholar, not just his face, but the qualities that made people like him.

This design broke down language barriers and racial differences.

Although he was in a high position at his age, he was not arrogant at all. Instead, he was willing to listen to opinions and face up to and respect the differences of others.

Therefore, these tribal representatives who were very difficult to deal with before were all friendly and cordial in front of him. Although they did not speak the same language very well and had to use gestures in the middle of conversation, they still had a pleasant communication.

After the meeting, almost all the participating tribes signed contracts with Qi State and started to cooperate in trade. To celebrate the success of the meeting, everyone brought out delicacies and wines from their hometowns. An Yinong also brought delicacies from Xizhou, including the already famous Dingsha beef and wine, as well as Pingqiu’s flatbreads, Baisha’s grilled fish and other items.

“This is Zhanghua’s traditional delicacy. Knead the dough, sprinkle it with thick cheese, put marinated beef cubes and mushrooms, and other things, and then bake it. Let’s try it.”

An Yinong came up with a thick beef and cheese pie. The pizza was made with local spices and ingredients, and the food had a unique flavor. The melted cheese was stringy, and when you take a bite, the tender beef, fragrant mushrooms, mellow cheese and soft dough swirled in your mouth, merging into a gourmet storm that you can’t stop eating.

The guests grabbed the cut cheese pie and devoured it, and the high calories brought them a sense of happiness. Only Shen Shan, a native of Zhanghua County, was lost in thought: When did Zhanghua have such delicacies?

Visitors from the grassland were full of praise and expressed their desire to take this production method back. They had flour, cheese and beef and mutton, but this special spice could not be found for a while.

“Don’t worry, this spice is the recipe of the Shen family, the largest local spice family in Zhanghua. When the mutual market opens, there will be more such things.”

Shen Shan raised his head and looked at An Yinong who smiled kindly. An Yinong turned his head and nodded slightly to him. Although he didn’t say anything, Shen Shan knew that this was telling him that the recipe of this spice would become the Shen family’s recipe. But Shen Shan didn’t know whether this was part of the reward or the young official’s own behavior.

The banquet was held with joy and laughter. They not only exchanged delicious food, but also exchanged fine wine. Although the alcohol content was not high, An Yinong became drunk after drinking one cup after another. His fair face was dyed with a faint red color, and was rendered into the glow of the setting sun by the bonfire. .

During the banquet, the grassland people usually sang and danced, but this time they also burned a bonfire. Both young and middle-aged people ran to the bonfire and twisted their bodies. The women’s dance was soft and the men’s dance was strong. The combination was like mountains and flowing water, with a free and passionate boldness.

They also invited An Yinong to come. Unexpectedly, this young official came up wearing a vermilion official uniform. The firelight reflected his young and handsome face and his bright smile. Shen Shan, who was worried, kept looking at him beside the campfire.

An Yinong danced and sang with them. After they turned around twice, he had already imitated the song in the unfamiliar language to about 70%. His singing voice was clear and high, like an eagle soaring over the desert oasis.

An enthusiastic prairie lady was attracted to him and came over to dance with him, but he took a step back and retreated among the young men, tactfully rejecting such admiration. The young male dancers didn’t know what was going on, but they handed An Yinong a mask made of a beast skull. The mask had shiny silver tassels hanging from it, and there was a soft bell sound when it moved.

An Yinong knew what it was, a mask that represented his identity and a gesture of goodwill from his friends on the grassland. He put on the mask, revealing only his chin and lips, and a pair of eyes that were soft and gleaming from drunkenness.

He danced the same dance as them, but with more male strength and female softness, blending in with the crowd of dancers, looking both harmonious and unique.

Gu Zhengzhong kept looking at him from outside the crowd, and An Yinong in the crowd also looked back at him from time to time, his eyes hotter than the bonfire.

An Yinong, who didn’t understand the language, didn’t know what he was singing, but Gu Zhengzhong knew it was a love song about a man pursuing a woman:

“You are the bright moon on the grassland, falling on my heart…”

“You are the bright moon of the grassland…” Another voice whispered behind him. Gu Zhengzhong turned around and saw the patriarch of the Shen family. He felt unhappy as if his treasure had been spied on.

An Yinong, who was half drunk and half awake, stretched out his hands to clap, and circled with people wearing a bone mask. Suddenly, a faint and elegant fragrance from the Central Plains came from the wood incense of the bonfire. He turned around and saw a familiar smiling face.

The wind stopped, the fire died down, and the noise of the world faded away.

An Yinong gently took off the bone mask, and his eyes filled with joy already contained his whole world.