Ouchi Taming the Cat, starting with the Ten Tiger Forms!

Chapter 372 West Market Gossip
After the three little ones met their grandfather and grandson, they started shopping in the West Market for food.

Xiaocui and her grandfather wanted to express their gratitude to Princess Ankang, so they paid for the treats along the way.

Princess Ankang was a little embarrassed at first. After all, Xiaocui and her grandfather worked hard to make money, and she didn't want them to spend money.

However, the attitude of the grandfather and grandson was so resolute that Princess Ankang could not say anything more.

Although the grandfather and grandson are not rich, they can still treat Princess Ankang to some roadside snacks from the Western Market.

It is also important to accept the other person's gratitude appropriately.

Otherwise, giving alms in a condescending manner will distort the relationship.

There are many strange and weird foods sold in the West Market.

Some are the characteristics of various places in Daxing. After being introduced to the capital, some improvements were made appropriately to make them more in line with local tastes.

In addition, there are some exotic foods that insist on their own characteristics, but because they are too special, people who like them like them very much, while people who dislike them can't even smell them.

"You're actually willing to come to my place to eat noodles."

Although Li Xuan didn't know how Manager Shang did it, he understood what he meant.

This noodle stall is not big, but its business is very good, and many people are even standing eating noodles.

She only needs to know that Princess Ankang is Miss Li who saved her and her grandfather.

And Xiaocui knew the true identity of Princess Ankang even more. The last time Princess Ankang took her to the county government to report a crime, although Xiaocui stood behind, she heard some fragments of words, which was enough to guess Princess Ankang's identity.

Xiaocui's grandfather's face suddenly turned red and he immediately urged:
"Stop talking nonsense, we each have a bowl, hurry up!"

"Okay, okay, you pay and you are the boss!" Abu nodded repeatedly, quickly setting up another table behind his stall, and then came back to cook noodles.

But Xiaocui didn't know exactly which royal princess Princess Ankang was.

The busy Hu boss looked up when he heard the voice, a big smile suddenly appeared on his face, and asked curiously:

"Abu, set up another table!"

"Old Liu Tou, are you celebrating your birthday today?"

It seemed that this was the first time someone wanted to treat him to marran candy, and he was still a little girl.

Speaking of which, this is also a very novel experience for Mr. Shang.

And this old housekeeper named Shang moved her heart even more.

Xiaocui was inviting the three little ones to taste the maren candy from the Western Regions. Seeing that the old housekeeper who was following the three little ones remained silent and followed them with a smile, she couldn't help but ask.

At this time, Xiaocui’s grandfather shouted to the stall owner:

"Steward Shang, don't you have a taste?"

Xiaocui and her grandfather naturally had no doubts.

Princess Ankang sniffed her nose and asked curiously.

"Miss Li, let's go in and sit down."

Manager Shang was telling them that there was nothing wrong with the food and they could eat it with confidence.

After all, the last time Princess Ankang came to West Market, she brought many powerful young guards with her.

Manager Shang just glanced at the maren candy in the three little hands, and then nodded slightly to them.

"It looks like ordinary noodles. What does this taste like?"

Li Xuan also smelled it twice, and indeed smelled a very fragrant smell of bacon.

Ping An Commercial Bank is truly the number one commercial bank in the capital, and its strength is at the level of a hegemon.

Regarding Xiao Cui's idea of ​​treating her to some Maren candy, Manager Shang just declined with a smile.

The Hu boss, named Abu, spoke in Daxing Mandarin with a weird accent, and his tone was full of ridicule. He seemed to have a good relationship with Xiaocui's grandfather.

After all, this is also the responsibility of Manager Shang, and the three little ones will naturally not make it difficult for him.

Li Xuan couldn't help but raise his neck to look at the bowls of those eating noodles. At a glance, he didn't see anything special.

It's just that the actual person in charge of Ping An Trading Company has always kept a low profile, and few people even know his last name.

But now Xiaocui had a vague guess, but she could only continue to pretend not to know.

Previously, when Princess Ankang introduced Manager Shang, she said that he was a deeply trusted old butler in the family.

Grandpa Xiaocui knew that Princess Ankang was born into a wealthy family, so it was only natural that she would be followed by an old housekeeper with such a temperament.

"Hey, what kind of food is this?"

As soon as they arrived near the stall, they all smelled an extremely fragrant smell.

After Xiaocui and her grandfather treated the three little ones to several snacks, they came to a noodle stall owned by a foreigner.

Princess Ankang asked Xiaocui to always call her Miss Li, which naturally makes sense.

Along the way, Manager Shang was doing this kind of thing, checking every piece of food.

"Wow, what does this smell like?"

Previously, when Princess Ankang asked Xiaocui to have something happen, she went to Ping'an Trading Company to find a manager Shang to deliver the news. I'm afraid it was this person.

What Abu set out was a large round table, big enough for all of them.

At Princess Ankang's signal, Monk Yu'er and Chief Monk also sat down.

Otherwise, they would only make Xiaocui and her grandfather feel awkward if they stood aside.

After a while, Abu immediately served them noodles.

The fragrance that Princess Ankang and Li Xuan smelled before suddenly became much stronger.

The three little ones couldn't help but swallowed and spit.

If this noodle was served so quickly, Abu must have rushed it for them.

After all, there are many customers waiting to eat noodles at the noodle stall.

But even though Abu served them some noodles first, the others didn't say much.

Li Xuan thought about it, this extra table should be something special.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people standing there eating noodles now. He estimated that there should be additional service fees.

Otherwise, other guests will not acquiesce to their behavior.

"Ms. Li, this bowl of noodles is very popular in our West Market. Come and try it."

Xiaocui said, passing a pair of clean chopsticks to Princess Ankang.

Everyone on the table, including Li Xuan, had a big bowl placed in front of them.

In the bowl was a two-finger-wide belt of noodles, covered with bacon and onions, but no other condiments.

But to have such a strong fragrance, it can be seen that there are many other spices in it.

Seeing that everyone had got chopsticks, Princess Ankang picked up a piece of bacon and noodles and put them into her mouth under the expectant eyes of Xiaocui and her grandfather.

The next moment, Princess Ankang's eyes widened. After being stunned for a moment, she used chopsticks to put more noodles into her mouth.

"hiss--"

“It’s so fragrant and spicy!”

Princess Ankang hissed, obviously being severely burned.

Seeing that Princess Ankang liked the noodles, the grandfather and grandson who were treating her were relieved.

Originally, they were a little afraid that Princess Ankang would not be used to these foods, but looking at Princess Ankang's current reaction, she seemed to like it quite a lot.

Seeing Princess Ankang's reaction, Li Xuan couldn't wait to take a bite. As expected, it was fragrant, spicy, and rich in flavor.

And the bacon in the noodles is also very delicious, with thick muscle texture, and I don’t know what kind of meat it is.

Li Xuan took a closer look and found that the texture of the bacon was slightly green, and he immediately remembered the beef he had eaten at the Cross Slope Inn before.

"Hey, this must be the meat of a green cow too."

Li Xuan didn't pay attention before, but now he found that green beef seemed to be quite common on the dinner tables of ordinary people.

Although the three little ones usually eat royal meals, their index fingers were full of excitement when they suddenly encountered this exotic delicacy.

Li Xuan could tell that although the ingredients in this bowl of noodles looked ordinary, the main source of the spiciness lay in those invisible spices. Occasionally, you can see some powder in the bowl, which is obviously the essence of this bowl of noodles.

Others also moved their chopsticks, and even Manager Shang sat down and ate a bowl of noodles at Princess Ankang's request.

Manager Shang ate very quietly, unlike San Xiaozhi and Xiao Cui, who kept saying "shass".

Fortunately, before coming to eat noodles, Xiaocui brought them some iced yogurt.

Yogurt paired with ice cubes has a sweet and sour taste, which is just right for them to relieve the spiciness.

This is an indispensable birthday party set for Xiao Cui every year when she celebrates her birthday.

Ice yogurt paired with this bowl of bacon strip noodles, everyone at the table ate heartily.

Xiaocui and her grandfather were happy to see Princess Ankang and others eating so well.

While eating noodles, Xiaocui's grandfather got up and asked for some vinegar.

But Li Xuan had long noticed that Xiaocui's grandfather always put one hand in his arms when eating noodles, and then handed a handful of things to Abu when he was jealous.

Li Xuan saw a piece of broken silver and a handful of copper coins, which should be the face value of payment.

Seeing Xiaocui's grandfather come back pretending to be nothing, Li Xuan continued to eat noodles, pretending he didn't see this scene.

But he still started doing math problems uncontrollably in his mind.

"Is this meal worth thirty or fifty cents per person?"

"This is really not cheap."

Li Xuan knew that there should be a separate service fee for adding tables and extra seats for them.

But for the grandfather and grandson who only eat flatbread and steamed buns to satisfy their hunger when setting up a stall on weekdays, it is definitely a big expense.

Even if the knot-selling business of the grandfather and grandson is now good, treating Princess Ankang to dinner today will definitely be a big expense for them.

"He is a simple person who knows how to repay kindness."

This meal is indeed nothing to the three little ones today.

But for Xiaocui and her grandfather, it shows their sincerity.

"Maybe let them give it a try."

Li Xuan thought silently, then stretched out his tail and restlessly wrote on Princess Ankang's hand.

Princess Ankang continued to chat with her grandfather and grandson, chatting about home affairs, pretending not to notice Li Xuan's actions.

After a day of shopping and eating in the West Market, the afternoon is almost over.

Princess Ankang proposed to send the grandfather and grandson back who closed the stall early, and they naturally had no objection to this.

Xiaocui and her grandfather followed Princess Ankang into this luxurious carriage, and were naturally amazed.

But as Princess Ankang chatted with them, the grandfather and grandson's attention was gradually diverted from the carriage.

Manager Shang dutifully drove the carriage towards Xiaocui's home.

Xiaocui and her grandfather lived in Baoningfang, which was a little far away from the West Market. There was still some time to reminisce about old times along the way.

"Xiao Cui, has anything interesting happened in the city recently?"

"I always stay at home and don't know much about what's going on in the outside world."

Princess Ankang asked naturally.

Xiaocui naturally became interested when she heard Princess Ankang ask these questions.

Xiaocui is only sixteen this year, and she sets up a stall selling knots in the West Market every day, so she has a lot of gossip in her belly.

On weekdays, when I talk to my grandpa, I always end up having nothing to talk to, and the conversation is a bit boring.

Men, especially older men, have an almost instinctive and subconscious reaction to useless words that go in one ear and out the other.

Xiaocui often shared interesting gossip news with her grandpa, and grandpa would always say yes, but in the end he didn't listen to a word of it.

After going back and forth, Xiaocui felt bored, but because she was the only person around her to talk to, she still insisted on chirping at her grandfather.

But over the years, Xiao Cui discovered that her grandfather's ears were getting harder and harder to use. She didn't know whether it was because he was really old or because he was deliberately ignoring Xiao Cui.

Now Princess Ankang takes the initiative to ask Xiaocui about gossip, and Xiaocui is naturally very happy.

"Miss, if we talk about the major events in the capital during this period, the most important thing is the matter of the female ghost and the two dandies seeking their lives."

"I heard that he was the son of two high-ranking officials. Because he killed a brothel girl, he was killed by a female ghost and burned to death."

"Recently, it is rumored that the female ghost has greatly increased her power after taking revenge. She specializes in picking up dandy young men who cause harm to others, and burns them to death silently."

"Because of this matter, many domineering young men don't dare to show up anymore these days."

This girl Xiaocui is quite capable of telling stories. She made a few words come alive and changed her tone and expression, which almost made the three little ones dumbfounded.

"Is this talking about Hou San and Zhao Si?"

Li Xuan was the first to react. Although there were some discrepancies in the details, this was generally the case.

However, rumors are spreading, and now there is a female ghost in the capital who specializes in looking after dandies.

Li Xuan estimated that the rumors contained many people's simple expectations.

"I didn't expect that this matter would be spread like this."

"It seems that the people don't care much about the government's conclusion."

In this matter, Sissi's uncle was pushed out as a scapegoat, and the government also closed the case.

But obviously, ordinary people have their own preferred version of the story.

Princess Ankang also glanced at Li Xuan and realized that what Xiaocui was talking about was what they knew.

"Is there such a thing?"

"But this can be regarded as evil being punished. God is wise."

Princess Ankang and Yu'er responded well, which made Xiaocui very happy.

Isn’t it just for gossiping to be shared so that someone can cheer it up and chat about it together?

Thinking of this, Xiaocui glanced at her grandfather with resentment, which made Grandpa Xiaocui look puzzled.

"I'm not that playboy, why are you staring at me?"

Grandpa Xiaocui looked innocent.

Xiaocui was too lazy to argue with her grandfather. It was rare for anyone to listen to her talk about these things. She seized the opportunity and continued:

"In addition to the female ghost seeking her life and the handsome young man, there are many other rumors."

"I stay in the West Market every day, and I can hear a lot of things just standing there."

Then Xiaocui recounted the latest rumors one by one, among which there was one thing that concerned Li Xuan.

"I heard that the Hu Yulou on Dongshi Flower Street is going to be auctioned these days."

"It seems that the original boss ran away because he owed money, and the creditors wanted to sell Hu Yulou to pay off the debt."

"This matter has been aroused in the West Market recently, and many well-known Hu businessmen seem to be gearing up."

"Miss, you may not know."

"It's not easy for Hu businessmen to buy some properties in the capital. I heard that the government has strict requirements."

"But it seems that this time Hu Yulou's debt auction is different, and the conditions for participation have been relaxed a lot."

"Anyway, those big businessmen in the West Market are bound to win."

Li Xuan couldn't help but be stunned when he heard the news.

He clearly remembered that Hu Yulou's courtesan Ayimu wanted to seize Hu Yulou's property.

Speaking of Hu Yulou's industry, Li Xuan thought of something again.

"Is there something inside the Emperor Hong Bone Ring? It seems to be related to Hu Yulou?"

Li Xuan frowned slightly, his brain starting to run out of energy.

(End of this chapter)