In Gefeng City, not only were the houses in Qingqiu Mountain and the barracks fitted with glass windows, but even the inns, clinics, grocery stores, and any property owned by Jiang Jin were now equipped with them.
As the glass workshop workers became more skilled and their numbers grew, production output steadily increased.
It was now enough not only to meet Jiang Jin's own construction needs but also to be sold to the city's residents.
Sheng He turned his gaze to the completely transparent glass on the window, his expression growing serious.
He had noticed many unusual things in Gefeng, such as the object he was currently sitting on, which had a backrest and was reportedly called a "chair," as well as the tall tables.
The strangest thing was that there were no beds in the rooms, only things called "kang." He wondered what their purpose was and why they were built like that.
Furthermore, the houses he had seen on his way here, apart from the county office, were mostly built of brick.
He knew that firing bricks was no easy task, and the cost was quite high.
Was Gefeng really this wealthy?
"This is just too convenient! With this thing, it blocks the wind, rain, and cold, yet lets the light in!" Sheng Shang was still marveling.
Sheng He remained silent; the changes in Gefeng made him feel a trace of unease.
At this moment, he felt that even if Gefeng were willing to send troops to support Ze'a Commandery, the price they would have to pay might be quite high.
Sheng Shang was still caught up in the shock the glass had given him. "Gefeng is just a small border town. How do they have this technology? It looks a bit like colored glaze, but not quite."
"How exactly is this made? So large, so smooth—it's truly the work of the gods, absolutely divine!"
Having not heard Sheng He's response for a while, Sheng Shang finally realized belatedly that it was inappropriate to say these things at this time.
He chuckled awkwardly and pulled his hand back. "I was just thinking, if only we could get this good stuff for our family head to use. Using it here seems like a bit of a waste."
Remembering something, he couldn't help but ask, "Have you been to Gefeng before? I was here a few years ago. Back then, Gefeng was still a city of our Han people, filled with low, adobe houses."
"The Jinyang Army has occupied Gefeng for less than a year, and they've completely transformed it. Why does it feel so unreal to me? Could there be some reason we don't know about?"
Sheng He replied, "...That's enough."
To be honest, he also found it unreal.
After a moment of thought, he suggested, "Why don't we go for a walk on the streets and take a look?"
He wanted to see what else was different about Gefeng. Perhaps they could even gather some information from the commoners they met.
Sheng Shang thought of this as well and nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'm actually really curious about what other unusual things Gefeng has."
However, just as the two of them walked to the courtyard gate, they were stopped by Yun Ce. "Do you two need anything? I can have a servant attend to it for you."
Sheng He looked Yun Ce up and down. He hadn't paid much attention before, but looking closely now, for some reason, the young man looked increasingly familiar. "You are?"
"Gasp, are you Old General Yun's grandson?" Sheng Shang exclaimed.
He hadn't met Yun Ce, but he knew Yun Ci had a grandson and also knew Yun Ce's father—it was just a pity about such a fierce general.
Looking carefully now, the young man before him bore a fifty percent resemblance to his father.
Being recognized, Yun Ce didn't mind. "Indeed, I am."
Sheng Shang cupped his hands in a salute. "Please forgive my poor eyesight for not recognizing you earlier."
Yun Ce returned the salute. "No harm done. Where are you heading?"
Sheng He looked outside. "We'd like to go out for a walk. Is that inconvenient?"
Yun Ce really wanted to say that when you're in someone else's territory, you should just stay put and not run around.
Of course, he couldn't say it like that. He smiled and said, "We're building houses in the city, and the dust is everywhere. It would really dirty your eyes."
"Why not just rest well in the courtyard? We can have another table of food prepared for you. The cooks at our Gefeng Inn make excellent meals."
As if afraid they would misunderstand and think it was on him—he was completely broke—he hurriedly added, "The meals aren't expensive either, and we even have a menu. Would you two like to take a look?"
A soldier behind him was already prepared and handed over a "menu."
Sheng Shang instinctively took it and couldn't help but read it. "Wait, this is too expensive, isn't it? What is this 'Rolling in Wealth'? It costs 100 copper coins!"
100 copper coins was equivalent to half a month's wages for an ordinary worker.
Yun Ce's mouth twitched slightly. He seriously suspected that the lord had just made up these dish names to sell them at a high price.
He coughed twice and introduced it solemnly, "This is made from our improved napa cabbage. It tastes very good."
To be honest, he felt a bit guilty. Because this napa cabbage was extremely high-yielding, you could buy three catties for a single copper coin at the grocery store.
Sheng Shang said, "...Wait, just napa cabbage? For 100 copper coins?"
Yun Ce replied, "Well, this is our improved napa cabbage. It's different from ordinary napa cabbage."
Sheng Shang retorted, "No matter how much it's improved, isn't it still napa cabbage? How much of a difference can there be? Besides, it's just a napa cabbage, why call it 'Rolling in Wealth'?"
Yun Ce explained, "Cabbage sounds like wealth, so it has a good meaning."
Sheng Shang was speechless.
Yun Ce felt a bit awkward. "Then why don't you look at the others?"
He was young and thin-skinned. If it were Dong Si, he could definitely hype up "Rolling in Wealth" to a whole new level.
Sheng Shang cooperatively continued reading, only to find that this "Rolling in Wealth" was actually the cheapest dish.
He pointed to another dish and asked, "What is this 'Whispers'? It costs 500 copper coins? 500 copper coins could buy a whole stone of grain."
Yun Ce took a look. "Oh, this is a meat dish. It's pig tongue and pig ears. Since they are so close to each other, isn't it like they're whispering?"
Sheng Shang was speechless again.
Wait, the pig is dead, its tongue is sliced into shreds, how can it still talk? And how can its ears still listen?
He realized that whoever came up with these dish names was an absolute genius. He lowered his head and continued reading the menu.
Then he noticed another detail. "Wait, why is your paper so thick and white?"
Yun Ce was silent.
Sheng He was also silent.
He took the menu from Sheng Shang and looked down at it. This paper was indeed different from what they usually used.
However, there were more important things to do at the moment. He handed the menu back to Yun Ce and repeated his request, "We'd like to go out for a walk. Is that possible?"
He cast a subtle glance at the few soldiers guarding the door, secretly wondering if Gefeng had some secret they didn't want them to discover.
Yun Ce sighed. "You may."
He turned and gestured to Luo Aman not far away. He hadn't wanted to use this tactic, as it was truly hard to explain.
Luo Aman was also sighing. She realized the lord had a misunderstanding about her.
She clearly had good combat skills and could earn military merit, yet the lord had started using her for the strangest things.
Seeing Yun Ce agree, Sheng He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he had overthought things.
He naturally noticed Luo Aman as well. He was actually quite puzzled as to why Gefeng had female soldiers.
But considering that the Lord of Gefeng was a woman, having female soldiers wasn't that surprising.
He didn't dwell on it and lifted his foot, ready to head out.
Luo Aman stepped forward, preparing to make a gesture of invitation while trying to lightly touch Sheng He's body.
Just as she reached out her hand, halfway through the motion, she suddenly froze.
