Jiang Yanyi put a piece of chicken in the okra bowl, cleared his throat and said, "I kicked you accidentally when I raised my foot."
Okra then continued eating with doubt.
Yang Xiu said uncomfortably, "The old scholar's family was poor. When his mother was dying, she said she wanted to eat some fish. But the old scholar went to Beijing to take the imperial examination, and he borrowed money from relatives and neighbors for the travel expenses. After failing the exam, he returned home in disgrace and owed a large sum of money. The old scholar had no money to buy fish for his mother. When he was telling a story at Lai Fu Restaurant, a guest in a private room happened to order a dish of fish. When the guest paid the bill, the dish of fish was only touched by two chopsticks. The old scholar secretly hid the fish and prepared to take it back to his mother."
"Who would have thought that a waiter in the restaurant saw this, and he reported it to the restaurant manager, saying that the scholar was dishonest and secretly hid the fish ordered by the customer. The restaurant manager checked and indeed found the fish that was hidden by the old scholar, which had only been touched by two chopsticks. He thought that the old scholar had eaten it secretly, so he immediately reported it to the restaurant owner. The restaurant owner asked the scholar to pack up and get out. The scholar explained, but no one believed him. He and the dish of fish were thrown into the street by the restaurant's thugs, and his reputation was ruined."
"Later, the old scholar shamelessly said all kinds of nice things and finally bought a fish on credit from the fishmonger. When he took it home to cook for his old mother, his mother heard the rumor that he stole the fish from the restaurant and finally refused to eat the fish. She died with her mouth open. Later, the matter became a big deal. The official who ordered the fish in the private room that day spoke up for the old scholar, saying that he didn't finish the fish, but the rumor had become a huge wave, and this voice was soon drowned out. Everyone still firmly believes that the old scholar was greedy and stole the fish from the restaurant."
It is said that life is full of different things. Jiang Yanyi never thought that when people said that the old scholar had dirty hands and feet, there were so many injustices behind it. She couldn't help but sigh: "Someday, you two can go with me to meet the old scholar."
She has decided to invite the old scholar to come and sit in the hall. This old scholar used to sit in the hall of Laifu Restaurant, so his storytelling skills must be very solid. And since he has such a feud with Laifu Restaurant, Jiang Yanyi is not worried that he will be poached by Laifu Restaurant in the future.
After making the delicious food, Jiang Yanyi naturally did not forget to bring a portion for Feng Shuo.
An unexpected surprise was that after she fed the cat food for several days in a row, the female cat was finally less wary of Jiang Yanyi. Although she still didn't dare to touch it, when she went to put food in the cat's mouth now, the female cat would lie in the cat's nest and would almost never run away when she heard any noise.
Several kittens opened their eyes, huddled under their mother cat and meowed, each one more obedient than the other. I don't know if it was Jiang Yanyi's illusion, but they seemed to be a little bigger than when they were born, and their fur was thicker.
When she entered the house, she said to Feng Shuo with a happy face, "I think this litter of cats can all be raised."
Feng Shuo was wearing a black and gold brocade robe today. Half of his long hair was tied up with a golden crown, and the other half was scattered behind him, making him look elegant and refined.
"This litter of cats is so noisy, meowing all day long." There was obvious disdain in his tone, but there was no sign of annoyance on his face.
Jiang Yanyi said quickly: "Just bear with it for a few more days. When the kittens are bigger and stronger, I will move them all to my yard."
Now the female cats are not as wary of her as before. Jiang Yanyi feels that after some time, she will definitely be able to take the cats away together.
Feng Shuo propped up his head and looked at Jiang Yanyi: "What have you been busy with recently?"
In the past, she was busy with store business and couldn't come here often. These days, her foot injury has healed and the store is not open, so she comes here even less often than before.
Jiang Yanyi brought the covered dry pot to the table like a treasure and said with a smile, "Busy making delicious food."
Even though the pot is covered with a lid, the spicy aroma coming from the pot is still very tempting.
She took out the small stove she had brought with her and said, "Put the silver charcoal in here, and you can cook it."
Feng Shuo automatically understood Jiang Yanyi's words as "busy making delicious food for him", and the corners of his lips slightly raised, his mood instantly improved a few degrees, but he said: "Where did you learn these weird cooking methods?"
Jiang Yanyi's heart tightened. This was the first time someone asked her this question. She laughed dryly and said perfunctorily, "I just figured it out myself."
Afraid that Feng Shuo would ask more questions, she urged, "Open the lid and try it."
Feng Shuo said, "I haven't taken the medicinal bath this morning. I'll come out to eat after I finish the bath."
Jiang Yanyi nodded: "Then go quickly."
Bathing on a full stomach is not good for your health.
As soon as Jiang Yanyi finished speaking, he found that Feng Shuo looked at him with a hesitant look, and then went to the back room without saying a word.
Jiang Yanyi was afraid that the dry pot would get cold, so he went out and asked the servant to get some red-hot silver charcoal and put it in the small stove. He covered the two iron plates at the mouth of the stove, leaving only a small opening to let the temperature of the silver charcoal inside come out and warm the pot.
After doing all this, she went to Feng Shuo's bookcase to find a book to read as usual. The servant had not yet left the room and accidentally saw this scene. His expression was very surprised, even horrified.
All the servants serving in Feng Shuo's courtyard knew that the bookcase in his room could not be touched. Even on normal days, the cleaning was done by Guard Xing.
He was just about to remind Jiang Yanyi not to touch those books when he heard Jiang Yanyi turn to the back room and ask, "Why can't I find the travelogue I read last time?"
Feng Shuo's cold and low voice soon came from the back room: "Third row of the bookshelf, sixth book from the left."
The servant looked as if he had seen a ghost and walked out of the room with unsteady steps, his heart was filled with turmoil. It seemed that the prince really had special feelings for this Miss Jiang. From then on, he became even more respectful to Jiang Yanyi.
Jiang Yanyi naturally didn't know all this. She followed Feng Shuo's instructions and really found the book she hadn't finished reading last time. She also discovered some other travel notes. The pages were very new, very different from the other books that were frequently flipped through. It was obvious that they were newly bought.
Jiang Yanyi's heart suddenly beat wildly twice. Could it be that Feng Shuo found these books for him
"Have you found it?" Feng Shuo's voice came from the back room.
Jiang Yanyi nodded, and then realized that Feng Shuo couldn't see him. His face was slightly hot, and he replied, "Found it."
She looked at a new book on the bookshelf, Zhiqu Yetan, and asked Feng Shuo, "What is the second book from the left on the third row of your bookshelf?"
"The Record of Huyang Monasteries was written by Shen Xuanzhi, a former Guanglu official, when he resigned from his post and traveled to various ancient temples. Although it was written to mourn the fall of the previous dynasty, the rumors and customs about the ancient temples in it are still worth reading."
Jiang Yanyi had always known that Feng Shuo had a nice voice, but never had it been so nice.
Is it true that a man of culture is naturally elegant
And he remembered the location of all the books on his entire bookshelf
Jiang Yanyi didn't believe it, so he asked several more books and found that Feng Shuo could answer them all accurately.
She didn't give up, and looked up at the books on the top row of the bookshelf that were obviously not often flipped through and asked him, "What's the eleventh book from the right on the top?"
"'One Hundred Chapters of Military Strategy.'" When he said this, Feng Shuo had already come out from the back room. He had changed into a silk double-nest cloud goose robe. The ends of his hair were damp with moisture, and a few strands were draped over his shoulders, forming an extreme contrast with the cloud goose robe that he wore meticulously. Coupled with his cold face, there was an inexplicable sense of restraint.
Seeing Jiang Yanyi still standing in front of the bookshelf, he said, "Military books are boring, I'm afraid you don't like reading them."
Jiang Yanyi turned around and was immediately amazed. She walked over with the travel notes in her hand and said, "Well, I'm just curious."
She sat cross-legged on the futon where she often read: "You have read all the books on the bookshelf."
Feng Shuo glanced at him and said, "You put the books in the bookcase and don't read them, but just keep them for display?"
Jiang Yanyi has added a filter of erudition to him, so even though his tone of voice at the moment sounds annoying, he doesn't sound that annoying anymore.
She held her chin with both hands and asked, "Did you read those new travel stories?"
Feng Shuo said: "I flipped through it briefly and thought it was worth reading, so I kept it."
Although someone likes to talk tough, Jiang Yanyi still feels sweet in his heart.
She quickly asked Feng Shuo to sit down: "Try the hot pot I made."
Feng Shuo sat down opposite her. He usually only ate until he was 50% full for breakfast, but this morning he ate a full meal with some white rice from the pot.
Jiang Yanyi looked at him expectantly: "How does it taste?"
Feng Shuo has not tried all the delicacies from land and sea since he regained his sense of taste. He has no memory of having eaten such a pot, but he is not sure whether he has tasted dishes with similar flavors when he lost his sense of taste.
He hesitated for a moment and said, "Not bad."
Jiang Yanyi didn't feel disappointed with his reply. After all, he was a prince and had eaten all kinds of delicious food. He was praised as "not bad". He would surely be very popular among other dignitaries. She smiled so hard that her teeth were showing.
Feng Shuo was dazzled by her smile, his eyes deepened, and he turned to look out the window.
In order to allow light and air to enter the room, the servants installed a layer of wind-blocking gauze at the windows. Now even if the windows are opened in the room, the cold wind cannot blow in, but the scenery outside can be seen from inside.
"In a few days, it will snow in Xizhou City," he said.
Jiang Yanyi followed him and turned to look out the window. The asparagus fern in front of the window was warmed by the floor heating and did not show any signs of decay. It was still lush in the severe winter. Above the asparagus fern was a grayish-white bleak sky.
At this time, Jiang Yanyi still didn't know what Feng Shuo meant by that words, and just thought that he was expressing his feelings about the season. A few days later, when Jiang Yanyi, Yang Xiu and Bing Shao went to the south of the city to find the old scholar, they found that many soldiers were distributing quilts and rice at the street corners. Only then did they realize that Feng Shuo was worried that if it snowed, countless people would freeze to death or starve to death in Xizhou city.
**
Two days later.
In the south of the city, people who were going to get quilts and rice were lining up in the street.
When Jiang Yanyi passed by and took a look, she felt that every face was gray. She could not remember or tell who was who, but every pair of eyes was burning with light in the dead grayness, like sparks bursting out in the darkness, small but burning the night sky with holes.
All he heard were voices like "The King of Liaonan is kind", "The King of Liaonan has a compassionate heart", "The King of Liaonan is virtuous". They were praising Feng Shuo, but Jiang Yanyi was also very happy in his heart.
Yang Xiu and Bing Shao had already explored the route before, and they found the old scholar's residence without much effort.
The house is dilapidated and drafty on all sides.
There was a shed in the yard, under which was a simple fire pit. A ragged old man was using a charcoal stick to gesture on the ground, teaching a few children who were sitting around the fire to read.
Jiang Yanyi knocked on the rusty door knocker, and the old man turned around and looked at the door with empty eyes: "I wonder which distinguished guest is visiting my humble home?"
His hair and beard were gray, and he looked a little old and shabby, but he was in good spirits.
Jiang Yanyi asked Bing Shao to bring over a pot of wine and a roast chicken that he had bought on the road, and said with a smile: "I am not a distinguished guest. I have bothered you today because I want to invite you to come out and tell stories."
When the word "storytelling" was mentioned, a trace of disappointment flashed across the old man's eyes, and he waved his hands repeatedly: "I haven't done this job for many years, and my tongue is not smooth anymore. You should find someone else."
He pointed at the wine and roast chicken and said, "Take these things back as well. I won't accept gifts without merit."
Jiang Yanyi said: "Old sir, don't be modest. When you told stories, every time the whole room applauded..."
"It's all the past, no need to mention it anymore, let's go back!"
The old man seemed unwilling to talk more about storytelling. He stood up with a stern face and wanted to chase them away personally.
Yang Xiu and Bing Shao were afraid that he would do something bad to Jiang Yanyi, so they hurried to protect Jiang Yanyi.
Jiang Yanyi was afraid that the two would not be too careful, so he hurriedly said, "Don't hurt the old man."
Several people were kicked out of the door. Lao Xiu returned all the wine and meat to Bing Shao, and closed the dilapidated courtyard door with a "bang".
Jiang Yanyi didn't expect to be rejected like this, and he felt mixed emotions for a moment.
Yang Xiu looked at her and said, "Boss, what should we do now?"
Jiang Yanyi shouted through the door: "Old sir, I am the owner of Jiang's Gudongtang, and I sincerely want to invite you to come out and tell stories. If you change your mind, you can come to Jiang's Gudongtang to find me anytime."
Only the old scholar said, "You can go now."
Jiang Yanyi sighed, today's mission was considered to be fruitless. She left the wine and roast chicken at the gate of the courtyard and left with Yang Xiu and Bing Shao.
On the way, Yang Xiu couldn't help but complain to the old scholar, "This old antique doesn't know how to respect you."
Jiang Yanyi said, "Forget it, let's just let fate take its course. He suffered such a huge setback as a storyteller, and his mother died with hatred in her heart. It's understandable that he doesn't want to tell stories anymore."
According to the date, the furnaces she made could be picked up today. On her way back, Jiang Yanyi stopped by the blacksmith shop to pick up the furnaces, but ran into an old acquaintance.
He is Chef Yao, the head chef of Lai Fu Restaurant.
Last time they held a banquet together at Han's Mansion, Jiang Yanyi had a good impression of him. But now because of the incident with the owner of Lai Fu Restaurant, he didn't know what Chef Yao's position was in the restaurant, and he was not as comfortable as before when greeting people.
However, Chef Yao was quite dissatisfied and said, "Boss Jiang, the owner of Lai Fu Restaurant is not kind, but it is me, Old Yao, who is not kind. Please don't bear a grudge against me too!"
Although there was no awareness of copyright in ancient times, Lai Fu Antique Soup Shop copied everything from her store, so other people were neither blind nor stupid.
Jiang Yanyi said, "That's not the case. Master Yao, what do you want to do here?"
When talking about this, Chef Yao was filled with rage, and cursed at his parents several times, "The new chef in the antique soup shop is a piece of shit. This kitchen knife of mine is a food knife passed down from my ancestors, but he used it to chop bones, you son of a bitch, and look at what he has done to my knife!"
Lai Fu Antique Soup Shop is next to Lai Fu Restaurant, so they are one company and the kitchens are the same.
The kitchen knife in Chef Yao's hand had a big cut on it and was bent in several places.
As a fellow cook, Jiang Yanyi could naturally tell that this was a kitchen knife that was extremely exquisite in workmanship and shape. If she were to use such a knife to chop a large bone, she would be heartbroken.
Jiang Yanyi sighed and said, "What a pity to waste such a good knife."
Chef Yao's heart was bleeding. He said angrily, "That bastard touched my ancestral knife, and I was so angry that I beat him up. But the boss scolded me in front of everyone in the restaurant!"
"I worked so hard at Lai Fu Restaurant for more than ten years, but the boss only paid me 1,500 coins a month. When I wanted to buy shares and get dividends, the boss didn't let me buy any. Now, the new chef has a royal chef in his ancestry, right? The boss not only gave him dividends, but also paid him 2,000 coins a month!"
Jiang Yanyi said, "It is indeed the owner of Lai Fu Restaurant who is wrong. Even if he doesn't know that this knife cannot be used to cut large bones, Master Yao, you have made great contributions over the years, and he shouldn't let you down like this."
Chef Yao has worked at Lai Fu Restaurant for so many years, so he must have some feelings for the restaurant. When Jiang Yanyi, an outsider, said this, Chef Yao felt even more sad. He shook his head and couldn't help but his eyes reddened: "People's hearts are all about money. When the boss first opened the restaurant, it was difficult everywhere. There was a time when he couldn't even pay the workers for half a year. Most of the people in the restaurant left. Other places offered me a high price to work, but I didn't leave. Now that Lai Fu Restaurant is prosperous, the boss must have forgotten the little bit of affection we had back then."
He sighed and said, "Manager Jiang, please open your antique soup shop soon and beat that bastard. I can't stand him being superior to others in every way! What's wrong with his ancestors being imperial chefs? He is not an imperial chef!"
Jiang Yanyi's eyes moved slightly, and he said tentatively: "Master Yao, I really feel sorry for you. You and my master are both people who value friendship and loyalty. You have supported Fu Restaurant for so many years, and now you still have to endure this! If you are willing, why not come to work in my store, I will pay you double the salary."
As soon as she opened her business, she had to launch dry pot. Dry pot is more troublesome than soup pot, and a cook is needed to be in the back kitchen to manage the stove. Aunt Guo is a chef, she is good at cutting vegetables, but she lacks some skills in cooking.
If she trapped herself to death in the stove, no one would be watching over the outside tent.
Chef Yao is good at cooking, and she had seen his skills before when he hosted a banquet at the Han Mansion.
If Chef Yao was willing to come out of Lai Fu Restaurant and work with her, she could let Chef Yao cook the dry pot in the future, and she would save a lot of worry.
The author has something to say: Jiang Yanyi: If you dare to plagiarize me, I will poach your talents! Humph!
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2020-11-28 02:58:27~2020-11-29 11:04:16~
Thanks to the little angel who threw the grenade: min 2;
Thanks to the little angels who cast mines: Haier 1;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Brahma Yier 100 bottles; 46071191, Cat Girl 30 bottles; Jiejie, I Started to Eat, Lemon Passion Fruit, Haier 20 bottles; Lv Bai 15 bottles; Auditory System, It's the Stars, Decadent Tom Brother, 31140590, 2948116, Cute Xuanxuan, Persian Cat Doudou 10 bottles; Naziki 8 bottles; Meow 5 bottles; Fengchui Manbu, Wuqin 3 bottles; ee does not eat fish, Pumpkin 2 bottles; hean, Qiqi Menghui, A Little Flower 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!