Chapter 9: Not Disdaining Hard Work in Search of Beauty

  It was already past 5 pm when we returned to the city of Luanzhou from Zhangze Reservoir. The schedule was very tight, and when the car arrived at the entrance of the Kayla Hotel, representatives from the Municipal Bureau of Culture, the Municipal Museum, and the Municipal Education Bureau were already waiting there. They chatted and laughed as they welcomed Vice Mayor and Mr. Zuo's family into the hotel's small conference hall.

  As usual, we chatted and laughed together, sat down to eat and drink, and basically that was the end of today. However, there was a slight unexpected event - when going upstairs, Zuoxiang felt unwell and pushed away the official banquet invitation, returning to the room accompanied by his daughter.

  What's wrong? I felt that the enthusiasm in the library district was still quite high, but how did it become uncomfortable as soon as we got back? After seeing off Left and his daughter, Deputy Mayor Li was a bit puzzled. He exchanged pleasantries with some people from various units, and when he went downstairs, he quietly pulled aside Director Xu of the Propaganda Department and asked in a low voice: "Director Xu, hasn't Old Zuo been in the south for too long? Has he gotten used to the local water and soil or is his body uncomfortable?"

  "No, everyone saw it today, climbing the mountain is more agile than young people." Director Xu was surprised and pondered the meaning of the leader's words. Looking at the leader's frowning face, he suddenly thought of it and said uncertainly: "Is it that you are not very satisfied with our hospitality?"

  It's hard to say, Deputy Mayor Li is also from the office, and he is also good at guessing other people's thoughts. For those who are in high positions or have a lot of money, their temperaments cannot be measured by ordinary standards. The two men exchanged glances, understanding each other's intentions. If someone was unhappy because of some small detail, it's likely that they wouldn't be so willing to take out their wallets afterwards.

  "This is no small matter, Deputy Mayor Li bid farewell to the crowd and left only Minister Xu behind. He pulled him to a corner of the hall where guests were waiting and asked seriously: 'Think carefully, what have we done wrong?'"

  "This...” Minister Xu stroked his chin, trying to recall that the Li family had been thoroughly prepared for, with a full turnout of city leaders at the airport to welcome them, and even traffic police escorting them. The municipal government had also organized a special reception team just to make sure this father-daughter pair was well taken care of. They had been here for three days, visiting two scenic spots, and today's itinerary had even been changed temporarily so they could visit their old home. As for food and accommodation, apart from the hotel service, two secretaries from the municipal party committee office had also been assigned to them. It was really hard to find anything amiss.

  Can't find it, Vice Mayor Li was unhappy and emphasized in a heavy tone: "Absolutely cannot be careless, Left Lao Da's daughter Zuo Xiurong invested in aluminum zinc chemical industry is our city's eleventh five-year plan key project, the mayor and municipal party secretary repeatedly stressed that investors should be treated as family members, information is productivity in the past, now hospitality is also included in the scope of productivity, let alone really discussing the construction project of the Folk Culture Museum, your propaganda department is also indispensable."

  Blah blah blah a big pile, and then it escalated to a political level. Minister Xu's face turned green, he choked for half a moment, and said uncertainly: "If you say the accommodation is not good enough, this is already the highest-end area in our city... I think Old Left is quite easy-going, not a very picky person... unless it's that the food doesn't agree with his stomach?"

  "Are you certain?" Deputy Mayor Li grasped at a straw, asking urgently.

  Minister Xu didn't dare to say for sure, and vaguely said: "I can't say it clearly either. If I have to say the level, this is also one of the highest levels in our city. The abalone chef from Kayla Rui has won awards at the provincial cooking competition, and the leaders of the ministry have praised him... but... I'm not very clear about it either."

  "Like this, Minister Xu, you've had a hard journey, be sure to figure out Old Lao's thoughts, there are still several days left, we'll work together to find the right solution, don't let anything go wrong, that would be troublesome. I'll report today's schedule to Mayor Qin later, you just stay here and it's best if you can join us for dinner, have a good chat with Old Lao and his family, if there's any situation, notify me immediately." Deputy Mayor Li thought of a compromise and nodded in agreement.

  Minister Xu's smile on his face twitched, and it is said that leaders have a mouth, subordinates run their legs off. It seems that he himself has to be a full-time servant. However, the bigger the official, the more they dare not speak out. Vice Mayor Li walked away quickly, and Minister Xu had a stomachache that was hard to digest. Outsiders think that the propaganda department is all about smiling and talking, eating and drinking, but only those who have experienced it know the bitterness. For example, this reception task, on one hand is the leader, on the other hand is the big shot, and in the middle is the person who has to entertain them. If they do a good job, the leader will have achievements, if they don't do well, they will become the mouse in the windbox, suffering from both sides.

  While thinking, based on years of experience dealing with superiors, entertaining is nothing more than eating and drinking, to put it nicely, it's food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. Clothing doesn't matter, housing isn't picky, and travel expenses are all reimbursed... If you say what's good or bad, it all comes down to the food, right, the food!

  As soon as he thought of this, Minister Xu recalled the first day when he accompanied Kai Rui Yue Hotel for dinner. The hotel had brought out twenty dishes, either seasonal vegetables or fresh seafood, and the hotel did not slack off, using all its skills. However, Lao Zuo only tasted a little and seemed dissatisfied. In connection with what was seen in the warehouse area today, Minister Xu suddenly realized something and looked around for his entourage. Fortunately, there was still Xiao Chenlin from the office, who came over at a beckon and pointed: "Xiao Chen, go and call Manager Feng, I'll wait for him in the kitchen."

  His subordinates left immediately, and he went to the general platform to check the phone. After a while, he met Manager Feng in the elevator, and the two entered the kitchen together. What made Manager Feng speechless was that Director Xu was standing at the vegetable preparation table, looking around. Manager Feng didn't even have time for a greeting before Director Xu explained his intention: there's a problem with your food here.

  So certain, it scared Manager Feng, who originally had a somewhat pale complexion, to the point of being colorless, shaking his head like a drumstick, and vehemently denying: "Impossible, absolutely impossible, Director Xu, you can't ruin our reputation, isn't that right? The government's reception tasks have been entrusted to us for many years, and we've never had any problems. Just our three chef teams alone, covering eight major cuisines of Guangdong, Sichuan, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, and Anhui... You can't find a more authentic one than us in Luozhou. We even borrowed all the chefs from Extreme Flavor Seafood House for this reception arranged by the municipal government... As a connoisseur of food, you tell me, within the boundaries of Luoyang, is there anyone better than us?"

  Manager Feng is the kind of person who has both business acumen and the ability to curry favor. After many years of dealing with officials, he has developed a silver tongue that can turn a dead horse into a live donkey. He was just getting to the good part when Minister Xu suddenly interrupted him, looking displeased, and corrected him: "Manager Feng, you didn't understand what I meant. I'm not saying your food is bad, the problem lies in it not being to my taste."

  "What you say suits my appetite, I'll just follow suit." Manager Feng heard that there was room for maneuvering, and this put his mind at ease.

  "I think so," Minister Xu said, grasping the fleeting insight and pulling Manager Feng to the door. He whispered, "Lao Zuo has a very strong local concept. Think about it again, what is his identity? Those live seafood and eight treasures that you mentioned are not rare for someone of his status, right?"

  "Yes, that makes sense. Old Zuo isn't in Fujian, is he? If we want seafood, there are better places to go." Manager Feng understood.

  "That's right, that's what I mean. Since you've come to Luoyang, you should give him some of our local specialties from Luoyang, shouldn't you? We have plenty of famous dishes in Luoyang, don't we? There's the belly lung soup, which is well-known; and the Huanguan mutton soup, with its historical anecdotes about Cao Cao; and then there's the Shangdang donkey meat, which is even more legendary - 'dragon meat in heaven, donkey meat on earth'; and also the Empress Dowager's thirteen-flower whatever-it-is, something that can be linked to Cixi... Anyway, just those dishes with a story behind them, cultural people like this kind of flavor..."

  "Stop, stop..." Manager Feng's pale face with obvious kidney deficiency turned more and more bitter as he listened, interrupting the conversation: "Minister Xu, this is no better than smashing our signboard! Our five-star hotel really making three to five yuan worth of belly-warming soup, and eight yuan per serving of stir-fried pancake? That would be a joke if it got out! Besides, dog meat doesn't go on the plate, and sewer water doesn't go on the table, there's no such thing at this grand banquet!"

  This is true, expensive doesn't necessarily mean good food, and good food doesn't have to be expensive. The dishes Minister Xu mentioned are all familiar snacks in Luoyang, but this kind of cheap stuff definitely can't enter a five-star hotel. Upon hearing this, Minister Xu seemed a bit unreasonable, clapping his hands and saying: "What's wrong with that? I, the Minister of Propaganda, have been sent to be a servant, what's wrong with asking you to cook some dishes? You were just talking about the eight great culinary traditions, weren't you?"

  "But this doesn't belong to one of the eight major cuisines, does it?" Manager Feng said with a bitter face.

  "Should the host follow the guest's convenience or should the guest follow the host's convenience? Are you trying to be arrogant with me?" Minister Xu scolded.

  "Maybe... maybe I just want to do it, but can I really do it?" Manager Feng was in a dilemma.

  "Alright, Manager Feng, I won't say any more. If Old Lao is not satisfied later on and the project can't be negotiated, then you'll just have to wait for the bill." Minister Xu threatened, turning to leave with a flick of his sleeve.

  Manager Feng panicked all of a sudden, now the biggest "grandfather" is the official grandfather, just hang an official position and you can be your grandfather, let alone the hotel accommodation expenses have to go through the account, if someone takes the blame, you don't even know what's going on. This shock, hastily pulled the Minister Xu who was about to leave, suddenly became clever, quickly said: "Wait, Minister Xu, I'll think of a way for you."

  "Haha, I knew you'd have a way. Now, you said it's a specialty of Lanzhou, so go ahead and get it for me." Director Xu said with a smile.

  Horses fear riding, people fear crowding. With this crowding, Manager Feng suddenly had an idea and said straightforwardly: "Take them out to eat."

  "Take it out, where to?"

  "Xiang Ma Village."

  Nong jia le?

  "If he really wants to go, it means your method is working. If he doesn't want to go, we'll think of another way."

  "Will this... work at Xingma Village?"

  "No problem, not far from the scenic area, donkey meat is also authentic in that place, we are speaking quietly, I think Lao Zuo is also a lady with a delicate stomach, good food may not be suitable for her taste."

  Minister Xu walked away silently, without even saying goodbye. Manager Feng, who was behind him, suddenly had a strange idea and followed him, but as soon as Minister Xu left, he felt uneasy again, worrying that he might have led the man into trouble and would have to take responsibility for it himself. He paced back and forth anxiously in the hall, waiting for news.

  But unexpectedly, sometimes things just work out when they're done in a wrong way. Before long, the spring breeze-filled Director Xu and Zuo Nan's father and daughter emerged from the elevator together. As they walked through the lobby, they exchanged a few words. Director Xu secretly gave Manager Feng a thumbs up, and Manager Feng was delighted. He quickly arranged for the hotel's welcoming Mercedes to come over and hurriedly drove off with Zuo's father and daughter and Director Xu on board.

  Watching the car drive away, Manager Feng let out a long sigh and shook his head as he went back upstairs, muttering to himself.

  "Haha... didn't expect it, really a young lady's body, no one lacks that cheap bone."

  ………………

  ………………

  The mountain road has eighteen bends, one mountain after another. When we arrived at the suburban area and started climbing up the mountain, this feeling became very clear. The view was not broad, and all that could be seen were green pines and cypresses. The main attraction of Lao Ding Mountain Scenic Area in Luzhou is its ski resort in winter, but it's not the season yet, so it looks a bit deserted. Deputy Director Xu looked back at Left Zhi and his daughter, secretly congratulating himself on being one move ahead. He said that they should take a detour to try out the farmhouse food at Xiang Ma Village, and Old Left seemed even more eager than his daughter.

  "On the left, after turning over this mountain, we will arrive. The Rongma Stockade is not far from the scenic area, less than 10 kilometers away. This farmhouse music has been open for three or four years, and its taste is good. Less than 20 kilometers behind the Rongma Stockade is the Donkey Garden, which is almost the donkey meat base of the whole city, very famous." Director Xu introduced.

  "This, I'm more familiar with than you are, don't laugh at me, my grandfather's generation was a horse-drawn carriage driver, do you know the origin of the name 'Rangma Village'? " Zuo Nanxia asked with interest. This time, he stumped Director Xu, who shook his head and listened to Zuo Nanxia's enthusiastic explanation: "It's said that this place was where the heroes of the Sui and Tang dynasties, Single Xinyu and Single Zhongzhong, brothers, stationed their troops and raised horses. Not far from here is Erxianzhuang, which was their above-ground property, and this place belonged to their underground property. It's said that they killed officials, rebelled, and broke through the gates of Luzhou Prefecture in one night, starting from here... An ancient governor once said, 'Since ancient times, Shangdang has had many unruly people,' which originated from here. Throughout history, this place has been a battleground for military strategists, suffering from war disasters, and cultivating the local residents' fierce and courageous character. The local culture also reflects this 'chivalrous' spirit everywhere, such as when southerners listen to Shangdang's clapper opera, their first impression is, 'What's this? Chopping and killing... Hehe.'"

  Zuo Jieying and Minister Xu, including the driver, were all amused by the old man. Minister Xu was relieved at this moment. This old man's understanding of local culture wasn't superficial after all, and he had gained a few more points of closeness for no reason.

  As they chatted, the car turned over the mountain pass, and they arrived at their destination. Through the car window, they saw a village built on the side of the mountain, with about twenty or thirty households. It looked like a large piece of land had been cut out of the mountainside, and if you added some wooden palisades, it would really look like a bandit's lair. However, at this moment, under the warm glow of the setting sun, the small two-story buildings with green tiles and red walls seemed to blend quietly into the lush green mountainside. As the car drew closer, they could occasionally hear the barking of dogs, and many households had already started cooking, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys, creating a vivid rural scene.

  Minister Xu secretly glanced at Zuo Nan, who was staring at the village with a dull gaze, and secretly rejoiced that this time, he might have been deceived.

  This place is crowded only on weekends, and today it's not very crowded. At the entrance of the village, there are three or five dark-colored cars parked, a Mercedes-Benz stopped, instantly overshadowing all the other cars. As soon as the car sound was heard, someone came out to invite customers.

  "Boss, come to our place and take a look. We have air conditioning, comfortable seating, 24-hour hot water, and accommodations at a discount. We guarantee you'll be satisfied." A young man shouted out quickly, while another plump old lady approached Director Xu and started pulling in customers directly: "Boss, come to our place and take a look. We have air conditioning, comfortable seating, and even a mahjong table. We guarantee you'll eat comfortably and have fun."

  As soon as they got off the car, several guests came. This made Director Xu embarrassed. There were twenty or thirty households, with more than half of them having a sign that read "Nongjiale". Just talking about it, he forgot to ask which one was better. He glanced around and quietly called the hotel to ask Manager Feng, but unexpectedly, Manager Feng's phone was evasive and unclear. It turned out that this guy had just come up with the idea on a whim and had never been there before. In an instant, Director Xu was furious, gritting his teeth and threatening over the phone: "I'll settle the score with you when I get back."

  The phone had just been hung up, but unexpectedly there was someone who made a decision, pointing to the third house on the left: "This one. Let's take a look."

  "Hey, familiar face! One glance and I know it's Old Single's family." The plump old ladies were a bit disappointed, but then one of them spoke up, and Director Xu was delighted to hear it. Smiling, he chimed in: "Big sister, judging from your accent, is Old Single's the best?"

  "It's the same, just a bit better to eat. Their family conditions are not as good as ours? Want to play mahjong at our house, they don't even have a mahjong table." The fat old ladies invited again without giving up, Director Xu responded casually, but was slightly surprised by Old Zuo's gaze, and not only him, but also Xiao Heiying was surprised, asking her father in a low voice: "Dad, how did you see that this family is good? I think it's just average, and not even as clean as those few families?"

  Yes, the two-story building with a rooftop balcony is not particularly eye-catching among these twenty or thirty farmhouses. Upon closer inspection, there's nothing out of the ordinary about it. However, Zuo Nanxia suddenly raised an eyebrow and said with a smile: "Hehe, you're looking at the environment, but I'm looking at the threshold."

  "Threshold?" Several people exclaimed, their eyes falling on the threshold at the same time. It was a bit old and dirty, but Zuo Xiying suddenly realized something, pointing and laughing: "Oh, the wear and tear on the threshold is severe, that means there are many guests coming?"

  "Yes, my daughter is smart, haha. This knowledge can't be learned from books. When you go to that city and want to find a place to eat, first don't listen to the reputation, often the places with a big name are actually hard to live up to, and many people follow the trend; second, don't look at the environment, the clean and tidy places are not good, if there are too many customers, it's impossible to keep it that clean." Zuo Nanxia explained with a smile. The few people following her compared and found that it was indeed reasonable. As they walked to the door of this house, there wasn't even anyone coming out to greet them, only a fat little boy squatting in the courtyard, holding a pipe and blowing fire, the smoke was coming from here. Hearing someone enter, he shouted: "Auntie, we have guests!"

  A few people stepped inside, and not far behind the door was a large pot with a wooden lid on it, cooking something. The young man tending to the pot was adding firewood, and when he saw this group of people, his eyes widened in surprise, and the firewood he was holding fell to the ground with a thud. He let out an "aiyo" and clutched at his foot, his eyes wide with fear, as if he had seen a ghost. This sudden cry made the young man blowing air into the fire turn around, his face covered in soot, looking equally frightened. He glared wildly, took a deep breath, but didn't realize that his mouth was still on the pipe, and ended up inhaling a mouthful of smoke. He fell to the ground with a thud, coughing and rubbing his face while yelling...

  "Egg brother, come and see, that beauty has delivered herself to our doorstep..."