The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

Chapter 18 Arriving in Beihai County, Checking into an Inn and Having Breakfast

The next morning, Luo Yifei and his group lined up early to enter Beihai County.

This place, called Beihai County, is not a large city, only slightly larger than Shixi Town. However, the coastal port occupies the entire city, and upon entering the city, one can see rows of ships of various sizes docked at the port, which is quite a sight.

Shortly after the carriage entered the city, it drove into the backyard of an inn. Qi Yuan sold the carriage and then asked the innkeeper where he wanted to rent a boat. The innkeeper readily agreed that he could rent a boat there and asked where he wanted to go.

"Getting to Ang Island from here is indeed difficult. Even with a nautical compass, it requires experienced seamen and captains to reach it safely. We don't have any boats going to Ang Island. To be honest, it might be more convenient for you to take a boat from Harbour City to Ang Island."

“Going to Harbour City and then to On Island is certainly convenient, but it takes a long time to get to Harbour City from here, whether by carriage or sea. I wonder if you have any boats available for rent? We could charter one to go there.”

"That fee is not low."

Qi Yuan haggled with the innkeeper for a while longer and finally agreed to depart the next morning. The innkeeper then gathered an experienced captain and two sailors to go with him.

Luo Yifei followed Qi Yuan into the room. The accommodations were the same as before: men in one room and women in another. Now, however, there were only three men left, so Luo Yifei no longer had to squeeze onto the floor with them.

This time they were staying in the kind of large dormitory provided for sailors, which could sleep up to ten people. Now there were only three of them, so it was quite spacious.

It was still early, and the plan was to set off tomorrow. After checking into their accommodation, the group discussed exploring Beihai County.

"Let's go, there's a pretty good grilled fish restaurant in Beihai County. I'll take you there to try it." Qi Yuan led Luo Yifei and the others to Beihai County's famous food street.

"Grilled fish for breakfast? The journey has been tough lately. Now that we finally have the chance, we shouldn't skip a decent breakfast." Luo Yifei followed Qi Yuan's footsteps, responding to Qi Yuan's suggestion from behind.

"I don't really distinguish between breakfast and lunch. What do you think, should we go to a breakfast shop or have grilled fish?" Qi Yuan asked the group.

"Let's have breakfast first. We can have the grilled fish for lunch or dinner. We're not leaving until tomorrow, so there's no rush," Hua Xi replied.

"I've been eating flatbread for the past few days and I'm almost losing my sense of taste. If I hadn't had a meal at a villager's house along the way, I would have almost forgotten what food tastes like." Qingwei rarely shared her opinion when talking about food.

Luo Yifei thought to himself, "This is what life should be like." Although the Floating Life Continent was already in chaos, thankfully they hadn't reached the Southern Han Dynasty yet. Even though this group was on the run, constantly complaining about the state of the world and human suffering wouldn't help. It was better to live each day to the fullest and strive towards their goals.

“Let’s have breakfast first, but there are many options. I’m not interested in fish buns. Plain noodles, rice noodles, vermicelli, soy milk and fried dough sticks, or roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) are all good. Beihai County really doesn’t lack food. In my younger days, I traveled with my father to various countries on the Floating Continent, and the food in Beihai County was among the best.” Bili also joined the discussion.

"I heard you say before that there are branches in various countries? Does that mean there is a branch in Beihai County, the capital of the Southern Han Kingdom?" Luo Yifei's curiosity was piqued again.

“It existed in the early years. But there was a period of chaos about ten years ago. For some reason, Beihai County was also affected, and the losses increased year by year. They closed their shops four years ago,” Bi Li answered Luo Yifei’s question.

The group chatted as they walked and soon arrived at the food street.

“My family’s rice shop used to be not far from here, and the Qingwei family, also known as the Ji family’s, spice shop was also in this area. After the Liang Kingdom destroyed the nominally ruling Yan Kingdom ten years ago, we rice and salt merchants who were originally licensed by the Yan Kingdom gradually faced many more restrictions. Now, rice and salt merchants are basically local merchants from various countries.” Bi Li continued to talk to Luo Yifei about the topic they had just discussed.

Luo Yifei attempted to explain this as a global phenomenon using a modern model of commodity trade, but he couldn't quite make sense of it.

Would the nascent capitalism have developed so rapidly without the devastation of the Western Industrial Revolution? There was also no emphasis on agriculture and suppression of commerce at that time, which was quite different from the situation on Earth.

However, agriculture remains fundamental, and the family handicrafts here are also considered part of agriculture.

"Don't just stand there, what do you want to eat? Steamed buns and fried dough sticks? Soy milk, one cup each." Luo Yifei was still thinking when Qi Yuan's question interrupted his thoughts.

"Sure, I'll have the soy milk. And what kind of pancake is that? Can I have one?" Luo Yifei replied.

"Didn't you get enough pancakes on the way here? Still eating pancakes?" Bili joked.

"Hey, this is different. Our dry rations don't have any filling; they're just for keeping you full. This ration doesn't look like it has much filling, and you guys even have vegetables. Look how much the table next door is enjoying their food." Luo Yifei answered Bili's question seriously. He was no longer constantly on guard, thinking that he needed to make friends in this world, and that he had to be sincere in return for genuine friendship.