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"No wonder Fang Ke had the audacity to bring them straight to our doorstep."
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Yang Ge thought to himself with a smile, and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, "Guests are always welcome, no matter how important or unimportant. This meal is on me. If it’s not enough, feel free to order more meat. I’ve seasoned this mutton broth myself and cut the meat too, guaranteeing you’ll be craving a second helping after the first."
The man who responded hurriedly said, "We dare not trouble you with our expenses, Second Master. Before we left, our young fort master made us promise not to cause you any inconvenience."
Yang Ge shook his head indifferently, "No trouble at all. When you’re in his territory, you follow his rules, but here, you listen to me. Just enjoy your meal, and when you return, be sure to tell your young fort master about my cooking, maybe it’ll whet his appetite!"
The two men chuckled heartily upon hearing this.
Yang Ge patted their shoulders, "You guys, take a seat. I’ll go check on things downstairs, and once I’m done with this rush, I’ll come back up."
The duo tried to get up, but Yang Ge pressed them back down, leaving them no choice but to bow and say, "Second Master, please tend to your business without worrying about us."
Yang Ge nodded and went downstairs.
Watching him leave, the two men then heaved a sigh of relief.
"Second Master doesn’t seem as fierce as the rumors suggest.
"Yeah, who would have imagined that a capable man like Second Master would be content to work as an innkeeper at an obscure little guesthouse?"
"That must be the peculiar hobby of a significant figure..."
"We must keep our lips sealed about everything here. Apart from the young fort master, we can’t tell anyone."
"Do you think I’m brainless? To talk? That would mean losing my head!"
"I’m just worried you might slip up when you’ve had a drink."
"You’ve reminded me. From today onwards, I’m quitting drinking!"
The two men conversed in low, murmuring tones.
Before long, after the evening rush had subsided, Yang Ge came up carrying the copper pot and the mutton.
Seeing this, the two men quickly stood up and went forward with both hands to receive it.
Yang Ge let them take the tray from his hands and asked softly with a smile, "How’s the old fort master doing? Still in good health?"
"Thanks to your blessings, Second Master, our old fort master is in robust health. Before we left, he expressly instructed us to invite you to spend some time at our Lianhuan Fort."
Yang Ge nodded, "I will visit...
While summoning them to sit down, he started to mix the dipping sauce for them, "Actually, I have a favor to ask of you two, so first let me get your input."
The two men didn’t hesitate to pound their chests and guarantee their help.
Yang Ge shook his head, "Don’t be in a hurry yet, let me finish... I’m thinking of transporting some grain beyond the border and would like to use your fort’s boats for the journey to reduce the loss along the way. Would there be any inconvenience in that?"
After listening, both men hesitated for a couple of seconds.
One of them answered, "Second Master, the court is very strict about grain being transported north. If it’s a small amount, it’s not an issue, but if it’s too much... it might not get through."
Yang Ge inquired, "Would ten thousand silver worth of grain be considered a large or small amount?"
The man replied, "An amount over one thousand silver is considered large."
Yang Ge: "Then what if I divide the ten thousand silver worth of grain into ten shipments, to be sent over the course of three to five months, would that be feasible?"
Without hesitation, the man agreed, "That’s doable. Although there are still some details to iron out, our Lianhuan Fort has enough clout to get it done."
Yang Ge nodded, "That’s settled then. It’s not urgent anyway."
As he finished speaking, the other man bowed and said, "There’s another critical point I need to inform you, Second Master. Our fort’s ships and crew can only reach Jizhou. Going any further would be crossing the border and could easily provoke an incident... This is not an excuse to decline; our fort isn’t afraid of trouble, but we wouldn’t want to disrupt your major plans."
Yang Ge pushed the two dipping bowls towards them with a smile, "No problem. I’ll notify them in advance to see if they can send someone to meet us. If that doesn’t work out, I’ll make the trip myself."
The two men were slightly relieved, "If Second Master is willing to take the lead, success is guaranteed!"
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After teaching them how to quickly cook the mutton slices, Yang Ge stopped eating and told Zhang Erniu downstairs to bring up two more pounds.
"Did you come here just to pay a New Year’s visit, or does Jin Cheng have other messages you wish to convey to me?"
With those words, the two men, who were eating until they perspired, suddenly put down their chopsticks.
"To reply to Second Master, there is indeed another matter... Recently, a large number of mercenaries from Dongying have been appearing in Jiangzhe. Fearing more trouble may follow, our young fort master asked us to inquire about your opinion, Second Master."