The scene of the Hairpin Flower Banquet was somewhat retro, a bit like the banquets hosted by ministers and generals for their diners during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Several rows of short tables were placed in the open space in the middle, about two hundred in total, each of which could seat one person. There were prepared delicacies and fruit plates on the tables, and then there would be servants coming and going in a stream, adding dishes and taking plates from each table.
In fact, most people don’t care about what to eat. The main purpose of eating at the Hairpin Flower Banquet is the honor. Of course, Zhu Ping’an is an exception.
There are a large number of new students and the space in the Imperial Examination Hall is limited. Not everyone can get a seat at the rows of small tables in the open space in the middle. There are several long tables in more remote areas where people can sit. More than ten people can sit at one table, but the seats are not as good as the ones in the middle.
After all, this was just a welcome banquet for the new students. If it was a high-level banquet like the Lu Ming Banquet (a banquet held for the new successful candidates after the provincial examination) or the Qiong Lin Banquet (a banquet held for the new successful candidates after the palace examination), such poor arrangements would definitely not have occurred.
The rows of desks in the middle are the best location. On the one hand, they are closer to important figures such as the educational officials, and on the other hand, the individual desks also give people a sense of something unusual.
Zhu Ping'an was also quite interested in the individual tables in the venue. It was so convenient to eat at his own table, and he didn't have to worry about being forced to drink by people at the same table.
Who sits at the single table in the middle and who sits at the long table in the corner, there is no fixed rule, it all depends on your performance. Moreover, seeing everyone's eagerness to try, they all seem to be interested in the rows of tables in the venue, and they all take a few quick steps to occupy one of them. The scene is gentle but intense.
Although Zhu Ping'an stood at the front in the queue, when he went to occupy the individual tables in the venue, there were only a few left.
Zhu Pingan stood in front of one of the tables. Just as he was about to sit down, he heard a "pop" sound, and a folding fan drew a parabola and gently fell on the table in front of Zhu Pingan from behind.
Damn, you dare to grab a seat in this way in this occasion.
Zhu Pingan turned around and saw a new student who was unfamiliar but had a dandy temperament. He was looking at him with a smile, quite complacent, as if he had concluded that he would only return home in defeat in this situation. Yes, in such an occasion, if he didn't want to attract the attention of the officials such as the school inspector, he could only swallow his anger and give up this table.
The behavior of the dandy student only attracted the attention of a few people around him. Among the hundreds of people, this little movement was far from enough to attract the attention of the academic officer in the front.
It was not just a coincidence or something, but among the people sitting nearby, there happened to be Guo Ziyu and Liu Qian who I met yesterday when filling out the confession. At this moment, they were also watching this scene with interest. I wanted to see how Zhu Pingan would react. If I gave way, it would seem a bit incompetent, as all the cases were gone, so I could only move to the long table in the corner; if I didn't give way, it would seem petty, causing disputes, and might also attract the attention of the education officials and others, leaving a bad impression. It was an interesting dilemma.
Zhu Pingan looked at the folding fan on the table in front of him and curled his lips slightly. He ignored the folding fan and sat down, then handed the folding fan on the table to the dandy scholar with a silly smile on his face.
"My dear, your fan fell off."
Zhu Ping'an's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but loud enough for those nearby who were watching the joke to hear clearly.
My friend, your fan fell off.
This sentence easily reversed the situation. In the end, the man just glared at Zhu Pingan. He took the folding fan and went to the long tables in the corner to find a seat in front of everyone.
Mencius said: A man must humiliate himself before others humiliate him. If you were to discuss this with me in a good-natured way, I might have given it to you. Why use this method? You asked for this. Zhu Pingan ignored the man's gaze, sat calmly in front of the table, took a piece of fruit and put it in his mouth. It was sweet and juicy, and tasted great.
As everyone took their seats one after another, the flower-hairpin banquet began.
While Zhu Ping'an was enjoying the delicious food at the Hairpin Banquet, Li Shu, the eldest daughter of the Li family in Shanghe Village, was also enjoying the food.
The location was Miss Li's boudoir. The young girl Li Shu was sitting lazily at the table, holding a scroll with "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" written on the title page in one hand. She was reading while enjoying the service of the maid Baozi beside her. Occasionally, she opened her cherry mouth to enjoy the delicious food brought by the maid.
At this time, Li Shu was wearing a light pink dress that was long and trailed on the ground. Her slender waist was bound by a cloud belt, which made her look even thinner. In her hair was a seven-treasure coral hairpin. The pearls on her little finger were as bright as snow, twinkling in her hair, making her face look like a lotus. Her big eyes were as black as ink, and they were shining as she looked at the book in her hand. It seemed that nothing could attract her attention at this time.
"Miss, Miss, how can you still watch? There's music and dance in Xiahe Village early in the morning. People say that bad boy got first place in the exam again." The maid pouted and while dressing the girl attentively, she did not forget to gossip.
"Oh." Li Shu's eyes never left the book.
"Miss, that bad guy has passed the college entrance examination and got first place. He was even selected as a student on government stipend." The maidservant pouted.
"He's just a poor scholar. What's the point of him being worth having you keep talking about him in my ear all day? Only those peasants in Xiahe Village regard him as a treasure..." The young girl Li Shu pursed her lips, her voice full of disdain.
"But he is only thirteen. Thirteen means he is a scholar, and the best at that. People say there have never been many like him in our Ming Dynasty." The chubby maid puffed out her lips and retorted boldly.
"No matter how hard he tries, he's still a toad, a greedy toad at that..." The young girl Li Shu was as disdainful as ever, as if Zhu Ping'an was equal to a toad in her eyes.
"What if he passes the imperial examination and becomes the top scorer?" The maid glanced at her young lady and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
"There's no such thing as a chance of that happening. A toad is not a carp. Even if it crosses the Dragon Gate, it is still a toad." The young girl Li Shu was extremely disdainful.
At this time, another maid came in carrying a plate of food.
The maid picked up the new dish with chopsticks and put it into her young lady's mouth.
Li Shu pursed her cherry lips as usual, then suddenly her face darkened. She waved to the little maid who had just entered the room and asked expressionlessly, "Who did it?"
"Yes, I did it." The little maid answered timidly.
Snap
There was a delicate jade handprint on the little maid's face.
"You are such a waste! I made you learn from the chef that Daddy hired at a high price for two months, and you only made this to fool me!"
Li Shu rubbed her slightly painful hand and sneered at the little maid kneeling at her feet.
"I want to see if cooking is really that difficult..." the girl Li Shu said as she stood up and walked out with anger on her pretty face.
"Miss, how can you go into the kitchen? The master will beat me to death if he finds out." Baozi's maid heard that her mistress wanted her to learn, and she thought of the master's love for her mistress, so she was frightened and her face turned pale. She hurriedly chased after him, shouting. (To be continued)
ps: I was socializing with my leader tonight and came back a little late. Please forgive me.