Spy Wars: I can get rewards by being a bully!

Chapter 1111 It's that time of year again when there's a shortage of food and resources.

After returning to Tianjin, Lin Ze rested for a few days.

Once home, he changed into cotton clothes and took sips from his small purple clay teapot from time to time, looking like a wealthy and leisurely man.

By the second day of the second lunar month, spring had officially arrived. The girls were clamoring to go out for a stroll, and Lin Ze, who was also feeling restless, called over Niu San'er and asked, "Are there any places nearby for a spring outing?"

Niu San'er thought for a moment, "Master, how about going to Shuixi Village? That place is public property of the Tianjin Chamber of Commerce. The scenery is excellent, the place is quiet, and it's easier to clear the area."

Lin Ze said, "Don't clear the area except for the dining area. Try to keep a low profile. There aren't many ordinary people who really know me."

That's the truth. Even though everyone calls him "Master Lin," "Upright Official Lin," and "Bodhisattva Lin" all the time, Lin Ze doesn't allow his photo to be published in the newspapers. In those days, there was no television, so very few people actually know what he looks like.

As soon as he gave the order, Niu San'er immediately led his servants to get busy, preparing all the food, drinks and supplies. Around nine o'clock in the morning, he took his family and set off on time.

First, take a bus to San Tiao Shi, then transfer to a "rowing boat," which is a small boat with two fixed paddles for sightseeing.

You can actually take a small steamboat, but since you're out having fun, rowing a boat yourself is also a lot of fun.

Lin Ze had a large rowboat prepared, and he personally rowed it from behind.

Now it was quite a lively scene, with girls wiping his sweat, feeding him water, and offering him fruit and snacks.

A fragrant breeze wafted over me, and I was enveloped in a gentle embrace.

Lin Ze had to call a halt. "I said, you all clamored to come out and have fun, so take a good look at the scenery instead of all crowding around me. Otherwise, at this rate, we won't get to our destination this afternoon."

Xi Yue smiled gently and said, "Sisters, it's not that we're just enjoying the scenery. Master, you hardly get a few days of rest at home all year round. You're always busy with work. We just want you to clear your head and have a good rest."

Mieko chuckled and said, "I know how to make Dog Xiujin relax. The sun is nice today, but it's still a bit chilly outside..."

The women, having seen and experienced things, quickly understood what Mieko meant. Their cheeks flushed red. Mieko was good in every way, except that sometimes she would say embarrassing things!

Ayaka Yamaguchi didn't blush. She also took the mature route, which naturally created a competitive relationship with Mieko. Following Mieko's words, she began to think about how to attract Master Lin's attention and interest in the wild!

Lin Ze was energetic and rowed quickly. In less than an hour, he reached the intersection of the Ziya River, the South Canal, and the North Canal. From there, he would disembark and arrive at Shuixi Village.

Shuixizhuang was originally the private garden of a high-ranking official. After the Qing Dynasty died, it was transformed into a park. Later, it was bought by the Tianjin Chamber of Commerce, which occasionally held some events. They did not prevent ordinary people from visiting. Over time, it became a lively place with painted boats, restaurants, teahouses, and food stalls.

However, in the past two years, ordinary people have had difficulty even getting food, so there are not many people who are interested in traveling. Therefore, Shuixi Village is relatively quiet.

Upon reaching the front entrance, one sees vendors selling fruit, fried dough twists, pastries, and candied hawthorns on both sides.

One of the candied fruit stalls had a bright yellow sign that read "Candied Fruit Zhang." A neatly dressed man stood next to him, with a stack of candied fruits stuck in it. The fruits were large, translucent, and looked quite appealing.

Lin Ze bought more than a dozen candies and distributed them to everyone. They ate the candies while laughing and chatting as they walked inside.

After passing through Qianzhuang, we arrived at Zhongzhuang, where we saw a huge lotus pond, said to have ten miles of lotus flowers. At this time, the lotus leaves had not yet emerged, let alone the lotus flowers. However, a painted boat had been prepared on the shore, newly decorated, which was quite beautiful.

Lin Ze led the girls onto the pleasure boat, and music immediately began to play behind the curtain, with strings and bamboo instruments playing in waves, which could be considered a refined version of a yacht DJ.

The painted boat started moving, with gauze curtains drawn on all sides and silver charcoal lit, making it quite warm inside.

Ruoxue sang two songs with the help of drums and music, which drew cheers. Lin Ze then put his arm around her slender waist and kissed her.

To be honest, Ruoxue is truly gifted. She was born with fair skin, and with the good food and drink she's had in the last two years, she's become even fairer and more beautiful, exuding youthful vivacity.

There's something to be gained from being voluptuous; the youthful energy it exudes has its own unique charm.

The painted boat sailed to Plum Blossom Ridge. From there, we disembarked and walked through a covered walkway that stretched for hundreds of meters. Right next to the walkway was the water, and surprisingly, there were quite a few koi carp in the pond. They were very friendly.

Someone prepared fish food, and the girl excitedly fed the fish, having a great time.

Once you reach the top of the ridge, you'll arrive at Houzhuang. The Tianjin Chamber of Commerce built a small building here called Banbishanfang.

Its nature is similar to that of a private club in later generations, where people drink tea, play chess, read books, and eat.

Niu San'er introduced, "Sir, this place is quite famous. I just heard them say that a few years ago, famous actresses like Ruan Lingyu came here to shoot pictorials. Six or seven years ago, that young marshal Zhang even brought Miss Zhao Si to book the entire Tingyuxuan here and listened to folk songs all afternoon."

Oh, Liu Zi has been here too!

Lin Ze didn't talk much about this person, but simply instructed, "Don't prepare too much meat and fish for lunch, just some seasonal vegetables."

When it was time to eat, apart from a fish and a pot of "divine duck," everything else was indeed seasonal side dishes.

Especially a dish of toon sprouts mixed with tofu. At this time, the toon sprouts are just sprouting, and the aroma is the most intense and pure. The yield is also low. It is said that one pound of toon sprouts can be exchanged for three pounds of meat. When the later batches of toon sprouts come out, they are not as delicious and the price is not as high.

The red stems and green leaves of the toon sprouts are chopped up, mixed with firm tofu, drizzled with sesame oil, and sprinkled with a little Sichuan peppercorn salt. Taking a bite is like eating all the flavors of spring.

Divine Duck is a common dish in the Lin family, where one can eat both the meat and drink the soup.

This duck is a genuine old duck with a rich and mellow flavor. If you get tired of drinking soup, you can eat some green vegetables to change the taste.

Lin Ze thoroughly enjoyed a table full of well-matched dishes accompanied by a pot of white wine.

After we'd had our fill of food and drink, we served spring pancakes.

The large, thin pancakes are rolled up with pork head meat, eggs, freshly cut chives, vermicelli, and braised pork hock. With one bite, the rich flavor of the braised meat, the fresh aroma of the chives, the tenderness of the eggs, and the chewy texture of the vermicelli all burst in your mouth. You'll feel satisfied and full.

They ate and played, staying at Shuixi Village for almost a whole day before heading home in the evening.

When they were almost home, Lin Ze instructed Niu San'er, "It's almost time for the lean season again, and the people are having a hard time. Not many refugees are coming north now. Use the remaining grain in the warehouse to help out as much as you can."

"Sir, how about we start a river construction project?"

“Okay, you go find Yoshimura Yuta and have the North China Transportation Company take the lead. In fact, have the Management Bureau and the port construction site send some people to organize and get the river work started.”