Chapter 727: Chapter 727: Crayfish
“Alright, when there’s some time later, I’ll look into these tires you’ve mentioned.” Tong Sanlang said as he wiped the tables and chairs with a cloth.
He and Qiao Xiaomai were both fond of cleanliness. Since they were planning to stay in this room for a couple of days, a good wipe-down was required.
“There’s just so much stuff to look into later.” Qiao Xiaomai stretched her arms and legs, adding a few jumps for good measure. Five days on a horse-drawn cart had been a real hardship.
“The day is still young, should we go house-hunting later?” she suggested.
It was just mid-afternoon and they still had a fair amount of daylight left.
“Okay.” Tong Sanlang agreed.
Plus, it was a good chance to take a stroll around.
He’d been to Prefecture City before so he could play guide for Qiao Xiaomai.
They tidied up the room quickly and soon enough, they were out the door.
The area around the Prefectural Government Office was full of shops, and behind these were the residences of ordinary folks. At this time, almost every household was renting out rooms.
They lucked out and found a suitable house rather quickly.
The owners of this particular house had erected a wall within their courtyard, effectively splitting the space in two. They had also installed a separate little doorway. This meant that the tenants got a private courtyard where they could live undisturbed.
Moreover, the property came with a well, a kitchen, and a bathroom. It was just the kind of place Qiao Xiaomai was hoping for.
She didn’t bother haggling over the price and paid the rent straight away. Twenty-five taels a month, which was quite reasonable.
Having received the keys, the two headed straight back to the inn to check out and move their luggage to their new home.
No sooner had their luggage been brought downstairs when hurried footsteps approached from behind. A frail scholar in his twenties suddenly rushed up, panting heavily. He squeezed past them to address the innkeeper, “Innkeeper! There’s a man in the room next to mine who keeps roaches! You need to throw him out!” ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveI(F)ire.net
At these words, the innkeeper’s countenance changed, “Keeping roaches?!”
Just then, the sound of footsteps was heard again, followed by a hearty male voice, “Brother, those aren’t roaches. They’re a specialty from my hometown, crawfish. I brought them specially!”
Qiao Xiaomai’s eyes lit up instantly at the mention of crawfish. She turned quickly to look at the newcomer.
He was a tall and brawny man, nearly 1.8 meters tall, just a bit shorter than Tong Sanlang. His skin was tanned, his features handsome, and he exuded an upright demeanor. He was now wearing an amused expression as he explained the situation to the frail scholar and the innkeeper.
“Those aren’t roaches. They don’t look anything like roaches. If you don’t believe me, I’ll cook a potful later and let everyone try them.”
“You’re the one who eats roaches!” Hearing this, the frail scholar grew even angrier and turned to the innkeeper, dead earnest, “Innkeeper, how can you let someone who keeps roaches stay here! You must drive him out today, or the other guests will be too afraid to stay!”
Hearing this, Qiao Xiaomai could bear it no more.
How on earth could anyone compare cute little crawfish to roaches? What kind of odd logic would conclude that they were similar?
[Crawfish were introduced to China by the Japanese troops during their invasion… so yeah, they wouldn’t be around during this period.]