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

Chapter 1085 Lord Lin Investigates Local Conditions

Before we know it, the end of the year is approaching again.

The work of the Materials Special Committee is progressing smoothly.

The primary task of an official is to avoid being too busy.

Lin Ze assigned this task to Wang Zhulin, Zhou Xuejin, and others, with Yoshimura Yuta and Miyamoto providing some assistance.

Wang Zhulin is older and more experienced, while Zhou Xuejin is younger and more energetic, with more innovative methods and approaches. As for Yoshimura Yuta and Miyamoto, with Japanese people involved, many things will be easier to handle.

This gave Lin Ze some free time.

With the Lunar New Year just a few days away, Lin Ze changed into a long robe that morning, wearing a fur vest over it and sunglasses, dressing like a rich young master.

“Niu San’er, come on, let’s take a stroll on the street. Don’t call anyone, don’t worry about safety. There’s a police station every few hundred steps. The public security is very good now.”

Niu San'er hesitated for a moment, but still followed Lin Ze's instructions and did not call security. Niu San'er also knew that Master Lin wanted to "go on a private visit" again.

When a person reaches a certain position, what they hear and see may not be what they want to hear and see. If they want to hear and see the truth, they have to get out of that position.

The two strolled around after leaving the Lin mansion.

Because the year-end is approaching, the streets are very lively, crowded with people doing business, buying things, going to work, and just strolling around.

The rickshaw driver's business has been booming these past few days, and even his voice has gotten louder, shouting, "Excuse me! Excuse me!"

In Beijing, rickshaw drivers would call out "Excuse me, excuse me," while in Tianjin, they would call out "Excuse me, excuse me."

The roadside breakfast stalls have also been set up. The supply of goods in Tianjin, especially food, is relatively abundant, so these food stalls have not been greatly affected. I heard that grain and various non-staple foods in Beiping are becoming increasingly scarce. The Japanese have suffered repeated defeats, and the domestic economy is already at its last gasp. They have no other choice but to plunder. Now it is difficult to buy grain even on the black market, let alone non-staple foods. Many stalls have run out of raw materials and have to close down.

"Bao'er~!"

"Bao'er~!"

The steaming buns were filled with a wonderful aroma, and Lin Ze decided to eat there.

He called to the shop assistant, "Half a pound, and two bowls of tofu pudding on the side!"

The waiter chuckled, "Second Master, are you sure you can finish this?"

Niu San'er waved his hand, "Half a jin might not even be enough, hurry up and bring it on."

In Tianjin, the custom for eating steamed buns is to charge for the skin, not the filling. This means that the skin is sold to you, but the filling is given to you for free. Of course, this is not actually the case, as the cost of the filling is included in the price of the skin.

Half a jin of steamed buns doesn't mean the steamed buns weigh half a jin, but rather that you need half a jin of dough. In this case, half a jin is eight liang, which is enough to make eighteen steamed buns.

So some people go to old breakfast shops in the north, see the signs on the wall saying one liang, two liang, three liang, half a jin, and immediately order half a jin. But what comes out is a whole basket, and these aren't xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). Each one is bigger than a fist, and most people can't finish a whole basket.

Knowing that Lin Ze had a big appetite, Niu San'er went to the side and bought some fruit, fried dough twists, and sweet cakes and brought them over.

It is said that Tianjin had the highest obesity rate in the country in later generations, which must have been related to these high-calorie foods.

While eating, he observed the other diners.

There are many people dressed in work clothes. When they come in, they call out "the usual rules," and then the staff quickly serve them steamed buns, egg tea, or soy milk. It's amazing that the staff can remember so many "the usual rules."

These people ate very quickly, left their money behind, and left.

Niu San'er whispered, "Sir, Manager Zhou is right. Our workers are really rich now. Judging from this, they come here for breakfast every day. If they want to eat meat buns every day, the cost of picking them out is not small."

Just as the peak of foot traffic had passed, the owner of the steamed bun shop sat down on a small stool outside to rest.

Lin Ze asked, "Shopkeeper, we are businessmen from Beiping. How come your business is so good? In Beiping, many shops have closed down!"

The shopkeeper perked up immediately, "Second Master, you haven't been to Tianjin much these past two years, have you? Let me be bold and say this: Beiping used to be the capital, but now, compared to Tianjin, it's nothing! Not to mention, our black market is practically an open market. With Master Lin around, the Japanese don't dare to interfere at all, so we can still buy things. Have you seen these customers eating here? They're all wearing uniforms!"

"Are they all on duty?"

"What kind of work are these? They're all laborers, either at the docks or in various factories. You know, these workers used to have a tough life, barely scraping by with cornbread and salted vegetables for three meals a day. But now we have Boss Lin! If you work hard in the factory, you can easily earn three or five silver dollars a month. Those with wives and kids are better off, but if you're a bachelor, you can't just come here every day for meat buns. And my meat buns are made with beef from the Ma family..."

Once the shopkeeper started talking, he wouldn't stop.

Lin Ze gleaned two useful pieces of information from these words: First, the current wage level for workers is acceptable, enough to support a family without much trouble, and one person can live a carefree life.

Secondly, it seems there are quite a few workers of working age who are still unmarried!

"Niu San'er, make a note of this: Miyamoto owns quite a few yarn factories. Let him set up a few yarn factories or garment factories in Tianjin as well, and we'll recruit more female workers from the surrounding areas!"

After finishing their breakfast, the two strolled back into the city.

I found a teahouse; the storefront and decor looked nice, but once inside, it wasn't very crowded.

This puzzled Lin Ze. Just like in Beijing, teahouses in Tianjin were gathering places for ordinary people, bustling with noise all day long, especially in the morning when people were drinking tea, playing chess, or raising birds. It was incredibly lively.

"A pot of double-smoked jasmine tea, and four plates of fruit!"

Upon seeing the arrival of such a distinguished customer, the waiter quickly led the two to a private seat by the window. He took out a white handkerchief to dust the stools and wiped the table, then laid out a five-inch square tea towel. He then put his hand to his lips and said, "A pot of jasmine double-smoked tea, and four plates of fruit!"

Niu San'er asked, "Hey buddy, why is it so deserted here?"

The waiter chuckled, “Sir, if you had come at this time a couple of years ago, you wouldn’t have even gotten a seat. But these past two years, there’s been so much work in Tianjin. Everyone’s busy in the mornings, doing business and working. Before, it was quiet, so it was bustling in the mornings. Now, it’s bustling around noon. After finishing their morning work, they come here for a pot of tea, a sesame seed cake, and a bowl of noodles to rest before continuing their work in the afternoon. When they’re tired in the afternoon, three or five of them come here for tea and a rest before heading to the meat stall. Some of them even come here for a pot of tea to sober up after drinking too much at night!”