As youtiao (Chinese fried dough sticks), salted egg yolk zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), tofu pudding, and spicy-sour noodles were unloaded from boats and lined up on the shore, the people of Chu State gathered there like hungry baby birds waiting to be fed.
The previously rowdy Chu people on the shore had somehow managed to bring tables and chairs from somewhere, arranging them of their own accord.
Many tea shops and cooks from Chu State had arrived as well!
They weren't there for anything else but to prepare hot dishes!
"This batch of tofu pudding has cooled down a bit... Quick, heat it up!"
"I'm thirsty. Has the milk tea arrived yet? Give me a bowl of tea, please..."
"We're running out of tables and chairs. Where can we get more?"
"Are there none left in the temple? Damn it, I remember there's a private school nearby that has some!"
The Chu people organized themselves spontaneously, as if they too were hosting their own elegant gathering, full of life and color.
Many educated individuals who could do arithmetic even stepped forward, voluntarily taking on the role of accountants, responsible for collecting money and distributing food uniformly.
[Tsk tsk, when there's food involved, our initiative is truly unparalleled~]
Xiao Chuchu observed with amusement.
[If you didn't know better, you'd think Chu State was hosting their own elegant gathering.]
[How amusing.]
Xiao Yunzhou also wore a smile, recognizing this as what his fairy daughter called the influence of a great nation.
Look at how Jing Country was influencing Chu State!
In the future, as long as Jing Country continued to prosper, it would influence neighboring countries in various aspects!
Xiao Yunzhou felt that although the road ahead was long, there was a clear goal in sight.
He truly didn't want to meet the tragic end his fairy daughter had foreseen, where he would only live for three years.
He wanted to see the day when Jing Country became the most powerful nation!
Xiao Yunzhou took a deep breath and spoke to the prefect waiting for orders beside him, "After this round of eating is done, bring out the board games."
"And the surgical suturing techniques."
"The silk reeling machines."
"Have people bring over whole pigs!"
"And the marketable hot pot base."
Sure enough, before he had finished giving instructions, the people on the Chu side of the river were already savoring the experience and developing new desires.
"Jing Country isn't hosting the elegant gathering anymore, what should we do? That pork belly was so delicious..."
"Hot pot, who would have thought it could be so fragrant?"
The next day, trading boats in the middle of the river were loaded with live piglets, ready for sale.
Pig farmers from around Xun City in Jing Country had all come, "Males and females, little piglets, just like the ones used for roast meat!"
"All sows selected according to regulations, piglets raised with careful prenatal and perinatal care!"
"Bred by boars tended to by Jing Country's former Prime Minister~"
The Chu people went from eating roast meat and skewers to buying Jing Country pigs!
Jing Country pigs just tasted better!
The Chu people's impression of Jing Country greatly improved, "Who said Jing Country was stupid? They're quite clever. These pigs really do have flavorful and rich meat!"
"The roast duck is excellent too. Do you have live meat ducks for sale? I'm about to host a birthday banquet for my grandmother!"
[Hmm, I knew it,] Xiao Chuchu felt gratified seeing this scene, [We're not just doing food service, we're also going to run the largest pig and meat duck farms with quality assurance!]
[If all countries buy from our Jing Country, how could we ever be short on silver?]
Listening to his daughter's inner thoughts, Xiao Yunzhou also felt a surge of excitement.
He was now experiencing the benefits of being a producer country!
This was the foreign trade his daughter's inner voice often spoke about!
The scene continued to unfold as wealthy merchants' board games were loaded onto boats and sold box by box to the Chu people.
By that afternoon, the top scholar Zheng Qiru and Minister of Works Liu Runnian had boarded the boats with new foot-powered silk reeling machines.
As they passed along the river, they explained and demonstrated the benefits of these new foot-powered silk reeling and weaving machines.
The women and textile merchants of Chu State stared wide-eyed, "How much are these for sale?"
This caught their attention even more than the fresh food, seeming quite important to them.
Meanwhile, on the shore, the Chu scholars were shocked to see Zheng Qiru, the new top scholar of Jing Country.
"His face is disfigured?"
"And he can still be admitted to Jing Country's Hanlin Academy as the top scholar?"
"He can even come to our Chu territory to showcase Jing Country's goods? Doesn't the Jing emperor find his ugly appearance embarrassing?"
The Chu scholars were all astonished. Among them were some with unremarkable appearances or even leg disabilities, whose gazes couldn't move away from the scar on Zheng Qiru's forehead.
Zheng Qiru, dressed in his top scholar's attire, looked at these shocked Chu scholars with determined eyes and spoke in a clear voice, "Our Jing Country's emperor uses talent regardless of appearance. As long as one can get things done, benefit the people, and has ability, even an ugly person like me is willing to be used by the emperor. Even women are willing to be employed!"
"!!!"
The Chu people on the opposite shore, still eating, had their mouths hanging open in surprise.
"Is it true?"
"Really?"
Those scholars with unremarkable appearances all had moisture in their eyes.
"The Jing emperor is really like this?"
Zheng Qiru nodded, "Jing Country opens its doors to all talented and virtuous individuals. We don't like war; we only wish for all people under heaven to prosper together!"
[Oh, that rhetoric has a bit of modern thinking~]
Even Xiao Chuchu admired Zheng Qiru.
Hearing his daughter's inner voice, Xiao Yunzhou cleared his throat lightly.
Before setting out, he had specially summoned Zheng Qiru to the palace for training!
[This time, Zheng Qiru is Jing Country's publicity ambassador for welcoming talent!] Xiao Chuchu chuckled.
Publicity ambassador?
Xiao Yunzhou nodded with satisfaction, thinking the name was good and fitting.
On the Chu side, indeed many scholars were moved by Zheng Qiru's appearance.
In the world, there were actually quite a few people with less handsome features, insufficient stature, or congenital or acquired leg injuries.
However, in the past, with these flaws, they could never be highly valued by the court.
But now...
Zheng Qiru was telling them, in front of them, that it was possible!
As long as they were willing to study and work hard!
Since Jing Country didn't like fighting and wouldn't go to war with Chu State, only wishing for all people to prosper, then—
"I... I have a sister who married into Jing Country, so I guess I'm half Jing..." Someone in the crowd suddenly called out.
In an instant, this shout was like a boiling stone thrown into the river, stirring up a thousand waves.
"Hey, my mother's sister's son's neighbor's husband went to Jing Country to do business, so I guess I'm... a little bit Jing too?"
"My name includes the character for 'Jing', to be honest..."
Some people joked, while others had a glimmer in their eyes, silently looking towards the Jing Country city across the river, with a hint of expectation!
[Holy crap, the system says we've collected two elite individuals!]
Xiao Chuchu's eyes widened.
Xiao Yunzhou couldn't help but hold his breath, looking towards the opposite shore, utterly amazed.
On the other side of the river, the Chu people were packed so tightly that individual faces could barely be distinguished.
But surprisingly, there were two elite individuals inside who, just moments ago, had been won over by Zheng Qiru's persuasive—ahem, impassioned—speech?
Xiao Yunzhou was overjoyed and pricked up his ears, only to hear Xiao Chuchu's voice next.
[Liu Han, Intelligence 95, possesses a photographic memory. However, because his mother was a renowned courtesan in Jing Country, he is viewed as the most lowly illegitimate child in the family. Born with a lame foot, he is unable to take the imperial examinations.]
[Cheng Xing, Intelligence 91... At the age of four, he was blinded in one eye by a bear attack, resulting in a fierce appearance. He is unable to take the imperial examinations.]
