Tianjin, starting with unorthodox methods to achieve immortality

After the fat man finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room became even more tense.

The man in the silk robes frowned, closed his book, and stared at Li Jinrong: "What did you say?"

Li Jinrong, unfazed by his gaze, chuckled twice and said, "I'm telling you, even if you pay for your own martial arts training, won't you end up working as a beast of burden in the Zhenyi Division?"

"What? Do wild cattle and horses think they're superior?"

The man in the silk robes changed his expression and was about to speak.

Seeing the situation turning sour, He Songling quickly tried to smooth things over with a smile: "Hey, brothers, calm down. We've only just met, and we'll be living under the same roof for a month from now on. It's not worth getting worked up over something like this."

He stood up and walked between the two men, cupping his hands in greeting to the man in the silk robe: "Brother Li is a straightforward man, he speaks without thinking, please don't take it to heart."

He then winked at Li Jinrong, saying, "Brother Li, you should say less. He wasn't targeting anyone; he was just saying it offhand."

Li Jinrong snorted, took out his folding fan and waved it twice, then said nothing more.

Qian Mantang gave him a cold look, leaned back against the headboard, opened the book, but didn't turn the page for a long time.

Zhou Fengchun didn't say a word from beginning to end. He just finished chewing the dry food in his hand, patted the crumbs off his hands, lay down, and faced the wall.

The room was quiet for a few moments, except for the sound of the burly, dark-skinned man snoring.

Chen Mo leaned against the headboard, watching this scene without saying a word.

It's just that the fat guy talks a lot; if it were him, he wouldn't bother with him.

Only in times of peace and prosperity can one be qualified to be a beast of burden.

In this world, even if you join the Zhenyi Division, you might not even be able to work as a beast of burden...

After sitting for a while, he took out his pocket watch from his pocket; it was almost midnight.

"Would you like to go eat?"

Shen Bao leaned down from the top bunk: "Yes, yes, let's eat, we're starving."

Fang Cheng opened his eyes and got out of bed without saying a word.

"Brother Chen, where's the canteen? Let's go together."

He Songling smiled and replied, "I already asked around. It's just east of the playground. Let's go together and get familiar with the way."

He looked at the others in the room: "Want to come along?"

The burly, dark-skinned man was sleeping.

Zhou Fengchun and the bookworm lay still, saying, "Not hungry."

The man in the silk satin didn't move, his eyes fixed on the book, as if he hadn't heard anything.

He Songling didn't press the matter, and waved to Chen Mo and the others, "Then let's go first."

The five people went out one after another.

The sun was blazing in the courtyard, and another person was squatting by the well, washing clothes. He was a stranger, probably from another room.

Li Jinrong walked last, glancing back at the house. "That guy, what's his background? He has such a terrible temper."

"I don't know, but I guess he's like you, a young master from a wealthy family."

Chen Mo casually replied, and the group walked through the courtyard and headed east.

Students passed by in twos and threes from time to time, some carrying lunchboxes, some empty-handed, all heading in the same direction.

Shen Bao suddenly said, "I've heard of that person."

"Hmm?" Li Jinrong perked up his ears.

"He runs a money exchange in our county. Half of the shops in Qing County borrow money from him," Shen Bao said. "He's their only son, I think his name is Qian Mantang. He hired several masters to teach him martial arts from a young age, and he always had the best food and supplies."

Li Jinrong scoffed, "So what? Does that mean your martial arts skills are better than Zhou Fengchun's?"

Shen Bao shook his head: "I don't know, but judging from his posture, he probably hasn't suffered much hardship."

"Whether one is willing to endure hardship or not is a matter of personal choice. Zhou Fengchun's path was arduous, but the skills he developed were truly genuine."

He Songling chimed in, "Qian Mantang's approach is comfortable, but who knows if it'll be effective in real trouble?"

Chen Mo remained silent, simply listening.

As they talked, they reached the edge of the playground.

The playground was large and covered with fine sand. The sun was blazing at the moment, and there weren't many people on the playground except for a few people in black uniforms gesturing something in the distance.

To the east, there was a row of gray brick houses, with smoke billowing from their chimneys, and the aroma of food wafted over.

"That's it."

The canteen was a large open space with two long tables at the entrance, and several cooks in white aprons standing behind them, holding spoons in their hands.

There was a piece of paper pasted on the wall with two lines of text written on it.

"Receive your meal by showing the wooden tag; one meat dish and one vegetable dish are free."

"A separate order window is available; prices are calculated separately."

Chen Mo and his group were at the end of the line.

A dozen or so people were already lined up ahead of them, all dressed in shorts and talking noisily.

Li Jinrong peeked ahead, sniffed, and frowned: "What's that smell...?"

Shen Bao also smelled it—the bland aroma of boiled vegetables mixed with the coarse smell of brown rice wafting in from the window.

"What kind of food can you expect from a cafeteria?" Shen Bao said. "It's good enough if there's anything to eat."

The line moved forward slowly.

When it was Chen Mo's turn, he handed over the wooden plaque, and the cook made a mark on a notebook and handed him a rough porcelain bowl.

The bowl contained brown rice, topped with a spoonful of stewed cabbage, and a few thin, translucent slices of fatty meat floated in the broth.

Chen Mo moved aside, holding his bowl.

Shen Bao and the others received their meals one after another, and they all had the same food.

Finally, it was Li Jinrong's turn.

The cook took the wooden sign from him, made a mark as usual, and handed him a bowl of the same food.

Li Jinrong looked down at the few pieces of fatty meat in the bowl, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.

"This..." He opened his mouth, "This is edible?"

The cook glanced at him, then pointed his spoon into the pot: "Dislike it? There's a takeout window over there. They have steamed buns, braised pork, even iron-backed pork and giant bream. Just pay up."

Li Jinrong's eyes lit up, and he walked to the order window: "Iron-backed pork? Treasure fish? You even have those?"

The chubby cook shook his ladle: "That's right, it was just delivered this morning."

"Iron-spine pigs range from fifty to one hundred and fifty silver dollars depending on the cut, while treasure fish are fifty silver dollars each. They are all good stuff and are very beneficial to those who cultivate qi and blood martial arts."

Li Jinrong turned around and waved to Chen Mo and the others: "Come on, let's have some fun today."

"Let's start with a serving of pork tenderloin, a whole fish, and then a few main dishes: braised pork belly, stewed chicken..."

When he was about to order more, he was stopped by the surprised group, who said, "That's enough, that's enough. We won't be able to finish it if we order any more."

The fat cook's eyes lit up. He quickly gathered the silver notes handed to him by the fat man into a drawer and shouted to the kitchen, "One serving of pork tenderloin—one giant fish—one bowl of braised pork—stewed chicken pieces..."

The group, carrying white porcelain plates, found an empty table and sat down.

Soon, the dishes were served one after another.

The braised pork belly was glistening with oil, and the scrambled eggs were golden yellow, piled high on a plate.

The last dishes served were exotic beast meat and treasure fish.

The beast meat was served in a black earthenware bowl, sliced ​​thinly, glossy and dark red with subtle red veins, quite different from ordinary meat.

The rising steam carried a strong aroma that filled the nostrils and invigorated the senses.

The fish, about a foot long, was served separately on a long white porcelain plate. Its body was slightly bluish and it was drizzled with a layer of amber-colored broth.

The aroma was different from that of the exotic beast meat; it was lighter, yet fresher, like something just pulled from the water.

Shen Bao sniffed: "This smell...it smells so good."