2333 Inn

"Let's go, the inn is just ahead! Although the variety of dishes is not many, the portion is sufficient! Brothers, please be understanding! When we have the chance to go to Chang'an, we will have a good meal there!"
"Hahaha, my brother, you're too kind! We all know that this place has suffered from natural disasters and human calamities! If we can have a warm meal, we won't ask for anything else! When we return to Chang'an, it will be on me! We may not be able to afford the East Market, but going to the lamb restaurant in the West Market is no problem! I know an old man in a narrow alley there who makes the most amazing lamb soup! I guarantee that once you taste it, you won't utter a word of complaint!"
Ah, pfft... Xiaodong, don't listen to him! That old man is evil! He mixes sheep urine in the sheep soup! And he adds muddy water to the wine! It's a drink that will make you speechless. He curses everyone in his heart! Those old hooligans go there not for the taste of the sheep soup, but solely to pursue someone's daughter!
"Hello, hello, hello! Mr. Sun! Let me warn you again, my name is Liu Mang, not Old Hooligan. If you continue to babble nonsense, I will rip your mouth apart!"
Apparently, regardless of the era, whenever the boss is not around, the people underneath always manage to foster conflict in the shortest possible time!
For example, even though there are many people who are meeting Xiao Dong for the first time, they still call him brother Xiao Dong as if they have known him for years, showing no sign of unfamiliarity.
A group of people arrived at the inn, talking and laughing.
The innkeeper had already received instructions and had cleared out the inn early in preparation to welcome the Marquis and his friends who had come from afar.
However, as Xiao Dong mentioned earlier, this inn is indeed not very big. The lobby only has about eight or nine tables and it's already full.
Seeing this, the innkeeper immediately ran out to borrow tables, chairs, and stools from the neighbors in the street, so that the two hundred personal guards could be properly arranged.
When everyone had taken their seats, at this moment, Little Dong, who had been busy rushing around, suddenly noticed that there were about thirty ragged men standing at the door, resembling beggars.
"Huh? Brother Dong? Who are these people?" Xiao Dong looked at these individuals with confusion, assessing them up and down. He instinctively turned to ask the person next to him, Cheng Dong.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Dong responded in irritation, "Them? They are the bandits we captured this time."
"Are these people bandits?" The shopkeeper just walked over with tea, and when he heard this, he was startled and almost spilled the tea he was holding!
However, compared to the shocked shopkeeper, Xiao Dong showed no fear on his face. On the contrary, he was curious about these raggedy, pale-faced bandits and couldn't help but ask again, "Are these the prisoners you captured? Why aren't they tied up? Aren't you afraid they will escape?"
"Tied up? Can't drive them away even if we try! Still tying them up?"
Next to them, a soldier who was drinking tea couldn't help but put down his cup and interrupted, sarcastically saying, "Brother, you don't know! These people have the audacity to occupy the previously-held Wagan Mountain by our General! Do you think our General can tolerate that after hearing this news?"
"What? These people dare to occupy Mount Wagang?" Upon hearing this, Xiaodong's gaze towards those lackeys finally changed. It became a mix of sympathy and admiration!
They truly have no fear as newcomers! Is Mount Wagang a place that can be easily occupied?
Don't talk about the past, that place was once known as the number one Anti-Sui stronghold! Even if this place had the feng shui to produce several dukes, it wouldn't be tolerable for ordinary people to stay here.
！
With so many mountains in the world, why do these people have to occupy this place? Even if they randomly dig two shovels and build a mountain on their own, it would be better than joining in this commotion and becoming a conspicuous target, right?
"Yeah, who wouldn't say so!" The soldier nodded in agreement with deep feeling, and continued, "So, upon hearing this news, the General immediately led us to Mount Vagang, sneaking up the mountain under cover of darkness, and directly captured all those fools!
Originally, we intended to take care of these people in one fell swoop, which would be a clean and neat solution! But unexpectedly, after some interrogation, the General discovered that these people were quite honest. They would rather go hungry than do anything wrong. So, he ordered me to release them and only captured their boss..." Translate: "Originally, we intended to take care of these people in one fell swoop, which would be a clean and neat solution! But unexpectedly, after some interrogation, the General discovered that these people were quite honest. They would rather go hungry than do anything wrong. So, he ordered me to release them and only captured their boss..."
Xiao Dong, who was immersed in the story, couldn't help but ask again, "Their leader? Who is it?"
"It's him!" The soldier's face turned dark as he pointed at the sausage-mouth man among his tablemates and said, "This guy is their leader! Those people followed him all the way from Wagang Mountain just to save him. They're like flies, impossible to drive away!"
"?" Following the soldier's finger, Xiaodong saw a sausage-mouthed man with a pleasing expression, immediately feeling a bit confused in his mind.
Is this person the leader of the bandits? How come he looks just like the mama at the Yihong brothel? Also, how did he manage to eat at the same table as Cheng Dong and the others as a prisoner? Could it be that the policy of treating captives well has already been extended to Cheng Yaojin's army?
"Hey, brother, you're not an outsider either, so I'll tell you the truth!"
见小东双目失神，程东也猜到了他在想什么，只得无奈的一笑，低声在小东耳边解释道“我们国公，似乎对这小子有些青睐，所以…你懂的！”
"Huh? Can it be done like this?" Upon hearing Cheng Dong's whispered explanation, Xiao Dong finally snapped out of his daze.
Although he didn't know what extraordinary qualities this strange-looking guy possessed, just the fact that he had caught the attention of Cheng Yujin was enough to show that he had the kind of luck that many people could only dream of obtaining in their lifetime! Please let me know if you need any further assistance.
Indeed! This is truly incredible luck!
Luckily it's Cheng Yaojin who came this time, not the cunning and ruthless Li Ji!
If Li Ji were here, there is no doubt that the graves here would have been overgrown with grass by now! Translated:
"In that case, let's add a few more tables!"
Since Xiaodong knew that he was dealing with Cheng Yaojin's people, he didn't want to make things difficult for them. He turned around and instructed the timid shopkeeper to prepare more tables for them.
Seeing this, Cheng Dong reached out and stopped Xiao Dong, saying directly, "No need, just give them some leftovers. As long as they're not starving to death, it's fine!"
"Is that really okay?" Xiao Dong hesitated and wavered upon seeing this. Although these people were originally bandits, since they were noticed by Cheng Yaojin, they could also be considered half guests. It seemed inappropriate to let guests eat on the ground.
Cheng Dong seemed indifferent, grabbed the teacup, and took a big sip of tea. He said, "Ah! What's wrong with that! These people are so stubborn, thinking that the government is all bad. We must crush their morale! By the way, I heard that you guys here assign the captured prisoners to do work, right? Well, make sure to assign them to the most difficult and tiring tasks!"
"Huh?"
"Don't say anymore, it's settled! Let's hurry up and have a meal, the brothers are starving!" "Let's go, the inn is just ahead! Although the menu may not have a wide variety, but the food is sufficient! Brothers, please bear with it for now! We'll have a chance to go to Chang'an and enjoy a good meal there!"
"Hahaha, my brother, you're too kind! We all know that this place has suffered from natural disasters and human calamities! If we can have a warm meal, we won't ask for anything else! When we return to Chang'an, it will be on me! We may not be able to afford the East Market, but going to the lamb restaurant in the West Market is no problem! I know an old man in a narrow alley there who makes the most amazing lamb soup! I guarantee that once you taste it, you won't utter a word of complaint!"
Ah, pfft... Xiaodong, don't listen to him! That old man is evil! He mixes sheep urine in the sheep soup! And he adds muddy water to the wine! It's a drink that will make you speechless. He curses everyone in his heart! Those old hooligans go there not for the taste of the sheep soup, but solely to pursue someone's daughter!
"Hello, hello, hello! Mr. Sun! Let me warn you again, my name is Liu Mang, not Old Hooligan. If you continue to babble nonsense, I will rip your mouth apart!"
Apparently, regardless of the era, whenever the boss is not around, the people underneath always manage to foster conflict in the shortest possible time!
For example, even though there are many people who are meeting Xiao Dong for the first time, they still call him brother Xiao Dong as if they have known him for years, showing no sign of unfamiliarity.
A group of people arrived at the inn, talking and laughing.
The innkeeper had already received instructions and had cleared out the inn early in preparation to welcome the Marquis and his friends who had come from afar.
However, as Xiao Dong mentioned earlier, this inn is indeed not very big. The lobby only has about eight or nine tables and it's already full.
Seeing this, the innkeeper immediately ran out to borrow tables, chairs, and stools from the neighbors in the street, so that the two hundred personal guards could be properly arranged.
When everyone had taken their seats, at this moment, Little Dong, who had been busy rushing around, suddenly noticed that there were about thirty ragged men standing at the door, resembling beggars.
"Huh? Brother Dong? Who are these people?" Xiao Dong looked at these individuals with confusion, assessing them up and down. He instinctively turned to ask the person next to him, Cheng Dong.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Dong responded in irritation, "Them? They are the bandits we captured this time."
"Are these people bandits?" The shopkeeper just walked over with tea, and when he heard this, he was startled and almost spilled the tea he was holding!
However, compared to the shocked shopkeeper, Xiao Dong showed no fear on his face. On the contrary, he was curious about these raggedy, pale-faced bandits and couldn't help but ask again, "Are these the prisoners you captured? Why aren't they tied up? Aren't you afraid they will escape?"
"Tied up? Can't drive them away even if we try! Still tying them up?"
Next to them, a soldier who was drinking tea couldn't help but put down his cup and interrupted, sarcastically saying, "Brother, you don't know! These people have the audacity to occupy the previously-held Wagan Mountain by our General! Do you think our General can tolerate that after hearing this news?"
"What? These people dare to occupy Mount Wagang?" Upon hearing this, Xiaodong's gaze towards those lackeys finally changed. It became a mix of sympathy and admiration!
They truly have no fear as newcomers! Is Mount Wagang a place that can be easily occupied?
Don't talk about the past, that place was once known as the number one Anti-Sui stronghold! Even if this place had the feng shui to produce several dukes, it wouldn't be tolerable for ordinary people to stay here.
！
With so many mountains in the world, why do these people have to occupy this place? Even if they randomly dig two shovels and build a mountain on their own, it would be better than joining in this commotion and becoming a conspicuous target, right?
"Yeah, who wouldn't say so!" The soldier nodded in agreement with deep feeling, and continued, "So, upon hearing this news, the General immediately led us to Mount Vagang, sneaking up the mountain under cover of darkness, and directly captured all those fools!
Originally, we intended to take care of these people in one fell swoop, which would be a clean and neat solution! But unexpectedly, after some interrogation, the General discovered that these people were quite honest. They would rather go hungry than do anything wrong. So, he ordered me to release them and only captured their boss..." Translate: "Originally, we intended to take care of these people in one fell swoop, which would be a clean and neat solution! But unexpectedly, after some interrogation, the General discovered that these people were quite honest. They would rather go hungry than do anything wrong. So, he ordered me to release them and only captured their boss..."
Xiao Dong, who was immersed in the story, couldn't help but ask again, "Their leader? Who is it?"
"It's him!" The soldier's face turned dark as he pointed at the sausage-mouth man among his tablemates and said, "This guy is their leader! Those people followed him all the way from Wagang Mountain just to save him. They're like flies, impossible to drive away!"
"?" Following the soldier's finger, Xiaodong saw a sausage-mouthed man with a pleasing expression, immediately feeling a bit confused in his mind.
Is this person the leader of the bandits? How come he looks just like the mama at the Yihong brothel? Also, how did he manage to eat at the same table as Cheng Dong and the others as a prisoner? Could it be that the policy of treating captives well has already been extended to Cheng Yaojin's army?
"Hey, brother, you're not an outsider either, so I'll tell you the truth!"
见小东双目失神，程东也猜到了他在想什么，只得无奈的一笑，低声在小东耳边解释道“我们国公，似乎对这小子有些青睐，所以…你懂的！”
"Huh? Can it be done like this?" Upon hearing Cheng Dong's whispered explanation, Xiao Dong finally snapped out of his daze.
Although he didn't know what extraordinary qualities this strange-looking guy possessed, just the fact that he had caught the attention of Cheng Yujin was enough to show that he had the kind of luck that many people could only dream of obtaining in their lifetime! Please let me know if you need any further assistance.
Indeed! This is truly incredible luck!
Luckily it's Cheng Yaojin who came this time, not the cunning and ruthless Li Ji!
If Li Ji were here, there is no doubt that the graves here would have been overgrown with grass by now! Translated:
"In that case, let's add a few more tables!"
Since Xiaodong knew that he was dealing with Cheng Yaojin's people, he didn't want to make things difficult for them. He turned around and instructed the timid shopkeeper to prepare more tables for them.
Seeing this, Cheng Dong reached out and stopped Xiao Dong, saying directly, "No need, just give them some leftovers. As long as they're not starving to death, it's fine!"
"Is that really okay?" Xiao Dong hesitated and wavered upon seeing this. Although these people were originally bandits, since they were noticed by Cheng Yaojin, they could also be considered half guests. It seemed inappropriate to let guests eat on the ground.
Cheng Dong seemed indifferent, grabbed the teacup, and took a big sip of tea. He said, "Ah! What's wrong with that! These people are so stubborn, thinking that the government is all bad. We must crush their morale! By the way, I heard that you guys here assign the captured prisoners to do work, right? Well, make sure to assign them to the most difficult and tiring tasks!"
"Huh?"
"Don't argue anymore, it's settled! Let's have a meal quickly, brothers are starving to death!" Note: The '