Chapter 21: Good reunion and good separation (Part 2)
Under the command of a pretty palace maid, baskets of the latest seafood caught by the islanders were carried to Wang Qiu by the servants.
The first is a large pile of Mediterranean spiny crabs, also known as thornback crabs, an edible spider crab, which the Italians call tellmekis, which means "thorny bread." ——Although the appearance of the spiny crab is very hideous and ugly, the meat is very delicious and is said to be very nutritious. It is a high-end dish in modern Western food and sells for quite a lot of money.
Next came the large baskets of oysters and scallops. These days, the Mediterranean coast is sparsely populated and fishery resources have not yet been over-exploited. All kinds of edible seashells are everywhere and are not worth much at all. In addition, there are many common sardines, cod and bonito in the Mediterranean. These three kinds of fish taste good, but unfortunately their value in modern times is not very high, probably because they are too abundant and too common.
Then there are a few small Mediterranean sharks. Because sharks are cartilaginous fish, their meat is relatively rough and contains a lot of urea, so it smells like urine. Therefore, Cretans who lack sophisticated cooking skills generally regard it as junk food and are unwilling to eat it unless they have to. However, in the modern world, not only can shark meat be cooked deliciously using various methods, but shark fins are also sold at sky-high prices by Cantonese people.
Finally, there is a famous "bluefin tuna" in the modern gourmet world. This thing is a high-end aquatic product in both the East and the West, and the price can reach thousands or even thousands of yuan per pound. At the Tsukiji Fishery Market in Tokyo, Japan, a 342-kilogram bluefin tuna was once sold for a high price of 32.49 million yen (approximately RMB 2.62 million) - although this kind of market is not common, only those who Only rare large tuna can be sold for such an outrageous price, but it also illustrates how expensive bluefin tuna is. Even an ordinary bluefin tuna weighing 200 to 300 kilograms can often be sold for tens of thousands of dollars. price.
Unfortunately, the Cretans in the fourteenth century BC only had simple wooden boats tied with ropes, fishing nets made by hand from natural plant fibers, and even very few metal harpoons (iron had not yet been introduced, and bronze The price is too expensive (poor fishermen generally cannot afford it), and they can only fish with stone tools and bone tools. Therefore, the fishing technology is far inferior to that of later generations. There is no way to get those big fish, so they can only get a small tuna of less than 200 kilograms. Make up the numbers.
In short, for the Cretans who call the sea their home, these seafood, if not everywhere, are at least cheap and can be eaten by the poorest people. It's just that everyone's seafood consumption is limited, salt and spices are very precious these days, and ordinary people lack the means to preserve seafood for a long time, so they don't catch it on a large scale. So the royal family gave an order, and countless seafood was immediately delivered in an endless stream.
Wang Qiu just received a large batch of goods half an hour ago, and now new seafood has arrived.
"...Well, the total is 11.32 million yen...it doesn't seem to be as much as I thought!"
Watching the servants taking turns stuffing seafood into the [automatic pawn machine] and counting the stacks of banknotes that were spit out one after another, Wang Qiu smacked his lips with dissatisfaction - of course, with the fish caught by the Cretans Compared with these all-natural, pollution-free and pure seafood, travelers like Wang Qiu and others have paid It was just some cheaper sugar, refined salt, stainless steel knives and chemical fiber cloth, and the islanders thought they had gotten a big deal... Just when Wang Qiu was thinking wildly, he discovered that this batch of seafood had been pawned, and the leading palace maid But he seemed to be still eagerly looking forward to something.
"...Oh, it's really hard work. This beautiful girl, take this."
After being stunned for a moment, Wang Qiu smiled knowingly, took out a few small boxes of cooling oil, and threw them to the palace maid as a reward - although such cheap labor protection supplies would never be given away in the modern world. But according to the "social experience of the wild world" boasted by a relative who went to Africa in the 1990s, women who live in wild environments are often attracted by gadgets that have a pungent fragrance and can repel mosquitoes. Like it very much. Moreover, ointments mixed with spices like this are usually relatively luxurious items in any ancient civilization...
However, the palace maid obviously had other ideas. She stuffed the cooling oil into the small bag on her waist while looking at Wang Qiu pitifully, "... that... noble lord, this The same thing happened to me again two days ago. The bleeding down there was very severe. Sometimes it even flowed all the way to the instep. It was really unbearable... So please be kind and give me something that can make people feel comfortable. Is the gadget good? ”
So, facing this bold and unrestrained woman, Wang Qiu nodded clearly, and then took out two packs of tampons from her handbag...
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——When a modern woman travels to ancient times, what are the first things that make her feel most inconvenienced?
Well, if I were to list them all, I’m afraid it would be endless. But there is one thing that is absolutely essential - no sanitary napkins!
In ancient times, women's common countermeasures to solve menstrual problems turned out to be plant ash! It was not until much later that cotton menstrual belts were available. Not to mention those stuffings such as animal skins and leaves from ancient times, even the menstrual belts that were washed again and again during the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China were still hygienic and prone to gynecological diseases that are difficult to treat, and were often sidelined. It leaks, and the absorbency is not good. If the amount is large, you may need to change several strips a day.
Therefore, the female school nurse Marikawa Shizuka launched a new product called tampons at the market. She first found a female slave to demonstrate in public, and then distributed several free trial products, which immediately became very popular among women on the island. , and demand exceeded supply for a while. So much so that the maids in court all begged to come to Wang Qiu's side - after such troubles over and over again, Wang Qiu had no choice but to develop the habit of carrying tampons with him.
Well? Why is it a tampon that needs to be inserted deeply into the body, instead of a relatively more disciplined sanitary napkin?
Because in this miserable world, the great invention of "underwear" has not yet been born, where should your sanitary napkin be placed?
In fact, until the Middle Ages in Europe, Western women wore nothing underneath their skirts. The same is true for the court women of the Kingdom of Minos. Although they are not as obsessed with nudity as the ancient Egyptians who have lost all their moral integrity, they are also accustomed to using thin clothing with corsets and slits to highlight their physical charm, so that they can be naked anytime and anywhere. Bear the good fortune - In this era of high mortality, people generally believe that love between men and women is a blessing bestowed by the gods, and having many children is undoubtedly a symbol of good luck. The level of openness in "sexuality" is simply astonishing. People are speechless...
Therefore, after happily getting two packs of tampons, the palace maid immediately winked at Wang Qiu and then gave him a sweet kiss. At the same time, he pressed hard against Wang Qiu's body, rubbing the two soft balls on his body, and even put his hand between his legs, which made Wang Qiu couldn't help but the little earth beast's blood boiled... If not The time was unlucky and she was not feeling well. Otherwise, she would have rolled into Wang Qiu's arms immediately, played some "interesting games" with him in the flowers, and developed a passionate relationship that went beyond friendship!
Hey, girl, can you stop being so bold? Don't forget that your master is not far away!
While Wang Qiu squinted at King Minos in the pavilion not far away, he sent the over-enthusiastic palace maid away with a wry smile - no matter how lacking in moral integrity he was, he would not openly push down other people's maids in other people's homes. ...However, the fragrant and charming body fragrance in my arms just now, the fresh and tender flesh full of vitality, and the warm and smooth skin are really hard to put down.
Just as Wang Qiu was recalling the beauty's delicate body with a hint of melancholy, a crisp and clear voice with a hint of ridicule suddenly sounded in his ears.
"...Oh! Great Saint of Love! Did you kidnap the love of an ignorant girl again just now? How many love debts have you owed these days?"
"...How shameless! Miss Carol, I have always kept my duty in this palace, and so far I have not developed a relationship beyond friendship with any maid or lady!" Wang Qiu shrugged, She answered calmly, "...What's the matter? Princess Carol?"
The strange thing is that in the face of such an ordinary casual inquiry, Carol behaved extremely coyly, struggled for a long time with a red face, and then spoke loudly, "...Actually, it's not that important. It's just that. …Can you give me a few packages of the things you just gave to that woman?”
Wang Qiu was slightly startled when he heard this, and then looked at her with playful eyes, then nodded and said with a smile, "...Ah! It's understandable, it's understandable, Miss Carol, you have been in the modern world since you left the modern world. , it must be very uncomfortable to be forced to use rough papyrus and reeds in that position, especially after enjoying King Memphis's 'Full Digging'..."
Then, just before Princess Caroll, whose face turned as red as a cooked crab, could not help but beat him with her small fist in anger, Wang Qiu smiled and took out the remaining tampons. Throw it away.
Seeing this innocent blond girl hiding packs of tampons in her skirt like a squirrel hoarding food for the winter, Wang Qiu couldn't help but feel very funny: Hey, Miss Carol, I remember you. He must have been born during the Vietnam War era in the United States when hippie culture was fully popular and the hippie trend was very popular! How come your personality is so shy and conservative?
In short, although some self-proclaimed intellectual "anti-Marie Suvins" paint Carol Liddo, the little white virgin, as useless and a pig teammate who is just causing trouble. But according to Wang Qiu's actual experience, this "oldest Mary Sue in history" is still very easy to get along with when there is no conflict of interest. You just have to follow the following two principles - firstly, don't fall in love with her; secondly, don't do anything bloody and cruel in front of her, and especially don't drag her to the battlefield, otherwise it will be a complete waste of time. Looking for trouble for yourself...
Fortunately, Wang Qiu neither fell in love with this daughter of the Nile, nor did he intend to let her experience the cruelty of slave society firsthand. When Senior Sister Ma Tong purchased a large number of female slaves in the Crete slave market, she also did not hide it from Carol. Instead, she told her very straightforwardly that this was to prepare the female slaves to become wives for Japanese immigrants so that they could start families and reproduce. Descendants. Carol doesn't have any objection or disapproval of this - because in Carol's concept, this is basically equivalent to restoring the status of a female slave to a free person, which is definitely a good thing that should be strongly supported.
——Although she still nagged a lot of words, which probably meant that she must be gentler to these poor female slaves, etc...
After Carol had put away all the packages of tampons, Wang Qiu slowly mentioned another serious matter to her.
"...Miss Carol, there is an old saying in the East that 'there is no banquet that lasts forever'. It has been nearly a month since we left Egypt and came to Crete, and King Minos has almost recovered. , our trip is now complete, do you think it’s time to go back home? You and King Memphis have just been reunited, and after being separated for so long, he must have missed you very much in Egypt!"< br>
"...I also miss Memphis very much...But Minos has just gotten better now. I'm worried that if he leaves like this, he won't have a close friend with whom he can talk, and he will feel very depressed." "Yes." Carol bit her finger and hesitated.
"...This is not a problem, Princess Carol. Even if you return to Egypt, you can still chat with King Minos often! Well, as long as King Memphis is not jealous." Wang Qiu said confidently with a smile.
"...After returning to Egypt, can you still chat with Minos often?" Carol blinked, "...Is it an international call?"
"...Almost! But it needs to be more advanced!" Wang Qiu snapped his fingers and took out a gadget from his handbag. It looked a bit like a tablet computer with a bracket installed, but it had one more Detachable solar panel, "...this is the 22nd century visual communicator for camping, the maximum communication distance It is about two thousand kilometers away and can be charged by hand cranking and solar energy. In addition, it also supports remote game battle function... With it, you can sit comfortably in the luxurious palace of Thebes and enjoy it every day. The deep love of King Memphis, while playing happily with King Minos..."