Yunzhu naturally chose the tablet first. Just a short while ago, Yinok had shown them a demonstration—barely the time it takes to drink a cup of tea—and he was already hooked, wanting to know how the story would continue.
The characters on the screen looked so lifelike that he wondered if they were real people.
How could such a clever device record people's voices and even make drawings move?
Everyone still thought what they were seeing were just animated images.
When Yunzhu picked the tablet, he also chose a speaker and a thermal cup. The others watched with envy in their eyes.
Yunzhu smiled and thanked General Yves.
"Thank you for your generous gift, General!"
After that, others stepped forward one by one. There weren't enough tablets and speakers for everyone, but their curiosity had been sparked.
Once the gifts were distributed, it was almost time for lunch.
Yunzhu instructed his men to start serving the food.
Since they had invited guests, of course they couldn't let them leave hungry. No matter how difficult things were, proper hospitality had to be shown.
Dishes were served one after another.
It wasn't fancy food—no rare delicacies or luxury meats—but a big table full of staple dishes made with everyday grains and ingredients.
There were steamed buns, plain white rice, stir-fried greens, and even steamed sea fish, which was a rare treat.
All the officials, landowners, and wealthy folks looked at the spread and thought, "Well, the representatives from the court have to save face, after all."
When General Yves picked up his chopsticks, everyone else followed suit. They picked up steamed buns and scooped rice into their bowls—and to their surprise, the rice and buns tasted amazing.
Could it be that they were so used to fancy foods that they now found simple dishes delicious?
"How's the taste?" Yunzhu asked with a smile.
Wang Sanquan, sitting at the same table, nodded. "This rice is definitely different from what we usually eat. What's special about it, Lord Yunzhu?"
Looking closely, the rice grains were evenly shaped, not sticky, soft and chewy with a rich aroma. It was definitely not ordinary rice.
With the salty steamed fish and crispy greens, it was easy to eat two bowls.
Yunzhu smiled, "This is called Wuchang fragrant rice. You've heard about that new shop in town, right? They're trading old rice for fragrant rice. If you're interested, you can go exchange some there."
Since Yunzhu had pointed them to the source, nobody asked further.
But by the end of the meal, everyone was full of praise.
In the days that followed, more and more people began to visit the shop to trade in their rice.
For every five pounds of old rice, they could get one pound of high-quality rice. Once people tasted it, especially the wealthy families, they couldn't go back to regular rice.
The same was true for fine wheat flour.
At the same time, the shop's other items also drew their interest.
The electronic gadgets they took home—from tablets to even something as small as a thermal cup—were treasured.
When Yunzhu brought the tablet back home, the first time his family saw a video playing, they were terrified, thinking a demon or ghost had jumped into the device.
After he patiently explained, everyone in the house—from the seventy-year-old grandma to the three-year-old toddler—became obsessed.
When it was time for dinner, his three-year-old grandson threw a fit, still wanting to watch the tablet.
Yunzhu didn't tolerate that kind of behavior. He slammed his chopsticks down and scolded, "No talking while eating or sleeping! You little rascal—if you don't eat your food properly, you'll skip this meal! Do you know how many people out there can't even afford a meal?"
"Sanquan! What are you doing? Jia'er is still just a child. Why are you arguing with a little kid? Besides, that thing was something you brought home. Hurry up and give it back. If my precious grandbaby goes hungry, I won't let you off easily!"
Sanquan's grandmother spoke up. She was nearly seventy years old, considered quite elderly. Sanquan had no way to argue with her.
He had no choice but to tell the servants to bring out the tablet.
The old lady took the tablet and handed it to her little grandson, gently coaxing him, "Watch this nicely, then you have to eat your food, okay?"
The little one sat on a chair, swinging his legs, hugging a tablet bigger than his face, while a servant fed him from a bowl.
The tablet was playing Peppa Pig.
Since Sophia wasn't sure who exactly would be using the tablet on General Yves' side, she had downloaded a variety of shows—dramas for older folks, martial arts films for adults, and cartoons for kids.
The child watched the cartoon while eating.
Even though the adults were eating too, their ears were tuned into the tablet's speakers.
It was such a novelty that when the adults watched Peppa Pig together, they found the pig a bit odd, but still watched with great interest. To them, it was just like shadow puppet plays.
"Sanquan, why does this noodle soup taste so good today? Is this the new thin noodles from Hua's store in East City?"
Sanquan's mother was eating dumplings and asked with curiosity.
"I have to say, the noodles are really good today. Smooth and delicious. I thought the kitchen hired a new chef."
Sanquan chuckled, "You could taste the difference?"
"If you like it, I'll get some more tomorrow."
Earlier that day, when Sanquan left General Yves' mansion, he went straight to the location Yunzhu had mentioned.
The shop clerk there was quite firm. They only accepted old rice as payment—no silver allowed.
Sanquan had built the biggest family business in the entire Yan Yun district, so he was quick to sense the bigger picture. He immediately realized this was a government-led initiative.
So he sent someone back to fetch 500 jin of old rice and 500 jin of coarse noodles in exchange for 100 jin each of fine rice and noodles.
And the food they got in return really did taste better than what they usually ate. Since the officials clearly wanted to push this exchange, he decided to go along with it.
Everyone at dinner ate an extra half bowl. Afterward, the entire family stayed in the main hall instead of going to bed right away.
Luckily, the tablet's battery drained pretty fast. It had already been used for several hours in the afternoon. After watching for over an hour after dinner, the battery finally died and the tablet shut off.
Immediately, the family got upset.
"Is this device broken? Why doesn't it last longer?"
Sanquan had to calm down both the old and young ones. "We'll get it fixed tomorrow. Everyone go wash up and get to bed. It's getting late."
With much coaxing and a few fibs, he finally managed to send everyone off to their rooms.
Once everyone had gone, Sanquan and his wife went back to their room and plugged in the tablet to charge.
The two of them ended up staying up all night, watching videos on the tablet until dawn.
By the time they dozed off for a short nap early in the morning, their little grandson was already at the door knocking.
He'd been sent to bed the night before, but now he was back first thing in the morning, asking for the tablet.
Lady Wang nudged Sanquan. "My lord, please go check on him. I can't take it anymore. I need to sleep a bit more. Please go calm Jia'er down."
With no choice, Sanquan got out of bed and went to deal with his grandson.