Seo Hyun is living a good life recently.

The articles he wrote under the pseudonym Xu Maocai attracted the attention of newspapers. Basically every two or three issues, you can see his articles on the front page, becoming the core reading of the current newspaper.

The author Xu Maocai has become a moderate celebrity in Anding County.

Correspondingly, his manuscript fees have also increased, and coupled with the salary earned from working as a part-time editor on weekends, it is enough for him and Li Congjia to live a decent life in the county.

Even eating at Taihe House three or four days a week is more than enough.

Xu Xuan paid off the arrears of the room fee within a month, and invited the waiter and several master chefs in the kitchen to have a meal together in Taihe Building, and also gave each of the helpers in the back kitchen a meal.

Fifty cents red envelope to thank them for taking care of Li Congjia recently.

Xu Maocai and his nephew Li Jia suddenly became the most popular people from the old people in the house.

Originally, we planned to entertain the manager of Dishe alone, but Hu Guangyue, the head waiter, said that the manager was too busy and had no time to attend.

Anyway, Xu Xuan has never seen the shopkeeper since he moved into the residence. He only knows that he is an extremely busy and carefree person.

Everyone in the mansion knows that there is such a person as the shopkeeper, but the only people who have really seen him are Hu Guangyue and a few other waiters, as well as several master chefs in the back kitchen.

Xu Xuan guessed that the shopkeeper might also be a member of the government, and running the residence was just a side job, and his real career should be in the government.

In Anding County, the scale of Shenghe's residence is not small, and I have never heard of any disputes with others, and no one has made trouble.

To do this, the shopkeeper must be a person with considerable energy.

Xu Xuan secretly thought that if he could get to know the shopkeeper, he could firstly ask him about the whereabouts of Mr. Siyou, and secondly, he could find a way to see if it was possible to rescue Xu Biao and others from trouble.

There was another thing that confused Xu Xuan. Everyone in the residence seemed not very interested in going to Taihe Building for dinner.

It was the first time for even Xu Xuan and Li Congjia to see many of the new dishes at Taihe House. But when they had dinner last time, Hu Guangyue could tell the names of the dishes just by looking at them. It didn't look like it was his first time eating them.

Xu Xuan had never been a waiter, so he didn't know how much money he could earn per month as a waiter. Judging from the business situation of Shenghe Residence, Hu Guangyue should be able to earn a lot, but he would not be so luxurious as to go to Taihe Building for dinner.

There is also the head chef in the back kitchen who often shows a disdainful attitude towards Taihelou’s dishes.

Originally, Xu Xuan thought that the old chef was because of his enemies in the same industry, or because he was envious of the high salary of the Taihelou cook.

Later, the old master got interested one day and made a crystal elbow. Li Congjia secretly brought some to him to try. The taste was exactly the same as that of Taihelou, as if it was taught by a master.

Crystal elbow is also a famous dish of Taihe Restaurant, which is very popular among Li Congjia.

Xu Xuan and Li Congjia were shocked that a cook from Dishe's kitchen could make Taihelou's famous dishes.

No wonder the old master spoke so loudly about Taihe Tower.

What Xu Xuan and Li Congjia didn't know was that this old chef and the chef from Taihe House really came from the same school.

They were all trained by Zhu Xiu personally and underwent strict assessment before they were able to become apprentices.

The old chef originally worked as a chef in Taihe Building, but later he was transferred because his temper became a bit bad and he often had quarrels with guests.

Just when Shenghe Dishe opened, there was a shortage of kitchen chef, so he was asked to take up the post.

Dishe Zaofang does not have high requirements for the dishes, and there are few customers who find fault. The master chef does his job in a relaxed and happy manner.

In the entire mansion, the only people who really knew Zhu Xiu's identity were the old master and Hu Guangyue.

Therefore, strictly speaking, there is no essential difference between Xu Xuan and Li Congjia eating in the Dishe dining hall and eating in Taihe Building.

Today, Xu Xuan received another generous royalties and went to Guanghe Store to buy some candies and snacks. He left some with Li Congjia and took the rest to Hu Guangyue.

Hu Guangyue is convening a meeting with several clerks in the lobby on the first floor to summarize the information collected from business travelers from various places in the past half month, and prepare to report it after sorting it out.

These guys, like Hu Guangyue, are all intelligence personnel for the development of the Zangfeng Battalion. They are considered core members of Dishe. They are all nominally in the Zhangyi Army and can be regarded as established waiters.

"Brother Hu!" Xu Xuan shouted enthusiastically, carrying the gift box and entering the lobby.

Hu Guangyue did not expect that Xu Xuan would come to him at this time, so he hurriedly winked and asked his men to collect all the documents and materials.

"What are you..." Xu Xuan was a little confused when he saw a few guys leaving quickly holding a pile of book pages.

Hu Guangyue laughed dryly and said: "You have nothing to do, brothers, have some fun, look at the picture album or something..."

Hu Guangyue winked and smiled very obscenely.

"...Oh...Oh!" Xu Xuan was stunned for a moment before realizing what Hu Guangyue meant by the picture album.

Xu Xuan blushed in embarrassment and stood there at a loss.

It's really vulgar to watch erotic pictures together in broad daylight...

Hu Guangyue's expression remained as usual. He asked Xu Xuan to sit down and poured him tea: "Why didn't Mr. Xu go to the newspaper office today?"

Xu Xuan put down the gift box and said calmly: "I've been there. I just came back. I received my royalties and bought some cakes on the way. This box is specially given to Brother Hu. Please accept it!"

"Mr. Xu has another masterpiece that is going to be on the front page! Congratulations!"

Hu Guangyue glanced at the gift box, "It's from Guanghe Store? The price is not cheap! It's too expensive. I don't dare to take it. Please take it back, Mr. Xu!"

"Brother Hu, please don't refuse!" Xu Xuan thrust the gift box into his hand.

"Xu lives with his nephew in his residence. He has always been taken care of by Brother Hu. A little thought is nothing, so just treat it as thanks to Brother Hu for taking care of him in the past two months."

Hu Guangyue said with a smile: "Mr. Xu is too polite, so I would rather obey your orders and accept it."

When Xu Xuan saw Hu Guangyue accepting the gift, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and his smile became more cordial.

"Brother Hu, have you been working in Dishe for a long time?" Xu Xuan said.

Hu Guangyue nodded: "I have been here since the establishment of Dishe."

Xu Xuan smiled and said: "The shopkeeper has not seen anyone for a long time and has always left the residence to Brother Hu. I think the shopkeeper must have great trust in Brother Hu."

Hu Guangyue said: "The shopkeeper has a big business and doesn't come here often. He saw that I was quite serious and meticulous in my work, so he felt free to leave it to me."

Xu Xuan asked: "May I ask, does the shopkeeper have an official position?"

Hu Guangyue looked at him and smiled, "Mr. Xu came to me today to find out the details of the shopkeeper, right?"

Xu Xuan smiled sheepishly, cupped his hands and said, "Brother Hu, please forgive me, Xu Xuan did not mean any offense."

"It's okay, Mr. Xu, if you have something to say, just tell him."

Xu Xuan looked outside the lobby and whispered: "Brother Hu knows that we are coming from the south. When we first entered the country, there were several tribesmen who violated the rules of the Changyi Army because they were ignorant and are now being detained in the rehabilitation center.

I would like to ask the shopkeeper for help, and I would like to find a way through my connections to see if I can help the clan members out of trouble."

"That's it." Hu Guangyue nodded, frowned and said nothing.

"To be honest, Mr. Xu, although my shopkeeper is not a member of the public, he is well connected in the county government and even the Jiedu Mansion. However, the shopkeeper is a low-key person and rarely appears in public. It is really difficult to find him to do things~"

Xu Xuan was a little disappointed and said hurriedly: "Can I ask Brother Hu to introduce me to you? Xu asked him personally?"

Hu Guangyue smiled bitterly and said: "I'm really sorry. The shopkeeper doesn't like to be disturbed by others. Although I know where he lives, I don't dare to visit him rashly. I can only wait for him to come to the residence when he is free and convey Mr. Xu's message.

mean."

Xu Xuan sighed, "That's alright, I'll bother Brother Hu."

Seeing Xu Xuan's frown, Hu Guangyue couldn't help but remind him: "Mr. Xu, the reconstruction site is under the direct jurisdiction of Jiedu government. Even the county government has no right to intervene. It is very difficult to rescue people from inside.

Mr. Xu and his nephew finally got out of trouble, but it is better not to take risks easily. If they are regarded as spies from the Southern Kingdom, their lives may be in danger~"

Xu Xuan smiled bitterly: "Thank you for the warning, brother Hu. It's just that my tribe followed me north. Now that we are out of trouble, they are trapped in a cage. How can I feel at ease?"

Hu Guangyue opened his mouth to say something, but if he continued speaking, it involved confidentiality regulations and he did not dare to say more.

Xu Xuan suddenly thought of someone and asked hurriedly: "Chu Xun and Mr. Chu have not been seen for nearly a month. I don't know where he went. The shopkeeper is his second uncle. Can I ask Mr. Chu to intercede on my behalf and let me see the shopkeeper?"

Hu Guangyue looked at him strangely, hesitated for a while, and then said: "Master Chu entered Jingzhou Academy. He thought he was busy with his studies and had no time to go out... I will inform Mr. Xu in advance when Master Chu comes next time."

"Thank you!" Xu Xuan bowed gratefully.

After chatting for a few more words, Xu Xuan said goodbye and went upstairs. Hu Guangyue watched him leave, walked quickly to the backyard, called for a waiter, and whispered a few words in his ear.

~~~

A few days later, Chu Xun did not come, let alone the mysterious shopkeeper. Xu Xuan waited for another news.

During the weekend, Xu Hyun went to the newspaper office to help proofread the publication as usual, and came back with a recruitment notice.

For agricultural reclamation areas more than forty miles away from the county seat, a town mayor must be publicly selected.

Xu Xuan had never heard of the post of town mayor. After reading the notice introduction carefully, I realized that he was an official between the county government and the village.

Agricultural reclamation areas must establish town offices, a first-level administrative office between the county government and the township, to oversee the countryside.

The town mayor selected by the county government and the local elected elders jointly govern the local area.

The main administrative power belongs to the town mayor, and the elders and village sages only have the right to consult, and they can directly bypass the town mayor to report to the county government.

This kind of administrative division made Xu Xuan feel fresh and new. He returned to his room and couldn't wait to study it carefully.

Since ancient times, imperial power has not been extended to counties, but only to clans, and clans are autonomous. Autonomy relies on ethics, and ethics relies on squires.

Since the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the township system has combined local patriarchal society and government administration to a limited extent, effectively strengthening grassroots administrative management.

However, the patriarchal system still has huge power in local areas, and sometimes even threatens county-level officials.

Especially in prefectures and counties where aristocratic families are located, the imperial power is not as effective as the words of aristocratic families.

In the chaotic times of the late Tang Dynasty, the world was full of wars and wars, which not only crushed the two hundred years of glory of the Li and Tang dynasties, but also the aristocratic families that had continued since the Wei and Jin Dynasties.
To be continued...