"sit down."
There was no one else in the main hall, Mo Xi spoke lightly.
Gu Mang was not polite, he pulled out another chair and sat down directly, then started to lift the lid of the bowl.
Eight dishes, namely sea cucumber grilled with scallions, fried yellow croaker with scallions, grilled deer steak with scallions, beef with scallions, tofu with shallots, egg soup with scallions, and pancakes with scallions—seems to be completely tied with scallions, the only one that doesn’t have this faint green color The dish is placed on the charcoal fire at the table, it is a roast goose.
After swiping the axe all day, Gu Mang was so hungry that his chest was pressing against his back. He ignored Mo Xi's reaction, sat down and started eating with his hands.
He ignored the jade plate on the table, first grabbed a yellow croaker and took a big bite, but after chewing it twice, he vomited the yellow croaker.
"It's unpalatable." Gu Mang said.
Mo Xi remained calm, folded his hands, and sat at the other end of the table looking at him elegantly: "Try another way."
Gu Mang changed it again, grabbed a piece of roasted venison with green onions and gnawed it in his mouth, then spit it out: "..."
"It's also unpalatable?"
"Um."
"Then change it."
Gu Mang was a little hesitant this time. He read the dishes on that table several times before reaching out and carefully pulling out a scallion pancake from the bamboo basket.
Instead of eating directly like the first two times, he sniffed the pancake in his hand, wrinkled his nose, and sniffed it reluctantly. Finally, he stretched out a bit of the tender tip of his tongue and licked it.
Mo Xi looked at the way his tongue was licking, and for some reason he thought of something, his brown pupils moved slightly, and a gloom filled his serious face, he turned his face to one side.
"I don't like this green one." After several attempts, Gu Mang said with a blue face, "I can't eat it."
It's so normal, Mo Xi thought, it's no wonder you like it.
There may be many people in this world who have invited the former Gu Shuai to dinner, but few people know Gu Shuai's taboos. Gu Mang has been subject to the strictest discipline from the Murong family since he was a child, and he is very kind by nature. He never smiled and thanked others for their kindness, and never pointed out which dishes at a feast he did not like.
He felt the urge to vomit when he tasted the onion and leek. Even Murong Lian, who had raised him for so long, didn't know about it, but Mo Xi knew it.
"What's this green vegetable called?"
Mo Xi said indifferently, "Onion."
Gu Mang pursed his mouth: "Then I don't like onions."
Mo Xi didn't answer, raised his fingertips, and used a little magic to make the fire in the charcoal basin more vigorous. The whole goose in the pot is filled with berries, strung with branches, and slowly roasted by the fire from the fruit wood. At this time, the roasted goose was golden and crispy, Mo Xi sprinkled some salt on it, then picked up a small knife, sliced a piece of leg meat from the roasted goose without hesitation, and handed it out.
"Try this."
Gu Mang took it. After experiencing the nightmare of "scallions", he seemed very cautious before he opened his mouth. He held the roasted goose leg back and forth for a long time, and saw that it was roasted oily and golden, and it was still steaming and fragrant. The smoky aroma of Wagyu wood makes the Adam's apple move up and down. But he still asked cautiously, "No onions?"
"No."
So I took a bite, and the golden meringue instantly made a "squeak" sound between the lips and teeth. The hot gravy and oil infiltrated the texture of the goose meat, and the moment it fell on the tip of the tongue, the cheeks were fragrant.
Gu Mang ate the goose legs in three or two bites, licked his fingers, and then stared at the roast goose in the fire pond with glowing eyes.
"More." Gu Mang demanded.
It was rare for Mo Xi today, and he didn't mind being called by someone like a cook. He even kindly pushed the roast goose dipping sauce made from green plums in front of him to Gu Mang's hand.
He gave Gu Mang a plate full of roast goose, watching Gu Mang eating happily, but he didn't move.
"Do you like this roast goose?"
Gu Mang bulged his cheeks and said vaguely, "I like it."
Mo Xi said lightly, "That's good. The cooks made all the other dishes on the table, but I made this one."
"You're amazing." After he casually said something to Chef Mo, Gu Mang continued to devour the roast goose. Obviously, Mo Xi's voice was not as attractive as the roast goose's crispy skin.
"It's not great. I don't know anything about cooking. This roast goose was taught to me by one of my senior brothers a few years ago when we were marching on the frontier."
The snow outside the window rustled and floated on the window lattice, accumulating a layer of crystal.
In the room, Gu Mang buried his head to eat meat, Mo Xi's voice was rare and peaceful, like a beast trapped in the mud of memories, and could no longer be fierce.
"At that time, he and I were only low-level monks, taking care of each other in the ranks. ... It should be said that he took care of me more, he was three years older than me, he was older than me, and his spells were more exquisite than me. At that time, I felt that there was probably nothing in the world that he didn't know. From the mysterious and mysterious, down to a roast goose, he could speak the truth."
"It was also winter at that time. In a battle of fortifications, the enemy army rushed to the grain road, cut off our grain and grass, and the troops were short of food. They were distributed according to the rank of monks." Mo Xi looked at Gu Mang, his usual cold eyes were rarely a little dazed. "Neither he nor I have enough to eat," he said softly.
"One night, we were on duty together, patrolling both sides of the camp. And he didn't know how to do it. He hunted a fat goose on a snowy day. He could have eaten it alone, but he called me happily. You need to know that I was on my way out and had a much bigger appetite than him."
When Mo Xi said this, he suddenly saw Gu Mang on the opposite side, and raised his head.
"… What's wrong?"
Gu Mang licked his lips, and pulled the plate in front of him: "One more leg."
Mo Xi raised his eyebrows slightly, and cut off the remaining goose leg to him, then continued to tell his story regardless of whether the other party would listen or not.
"He picked some berries from the tree."
Gu Mang raised his head again, staring straight at him just like before.
Mo Xi pursed his lips: "No, a goose only has two legs, not to mention the one on your plate has not been eaten yet."
Gu Mang suddenly said without thinking, "The berries are delicious."
"..." Mo Xi looked at him thoughtfully for a while, then said, "You're right, berries are delicious. That person, he also likes to eat berries, and often spends a lot of time climbing up trees to pick them, but he wants to say There is a world of difference in the taste of what is struck by magic and what is picked by hand."
"He taught me how to make roast goose. The ingredients are very simple. Apart from goose, all you need is a little salt and a handful of fresh fruit."
Gu Mang asked, "Eat it with the fruit?"
"No, it's stuffed in the belly of the cleaned goose, the goose meat is strung with branches, and then smoked and roasted with pine and lychee wood." Mo Xi said, "We sat by the fire, and he added some branches from time to time, etc. The goose is roasted to a golden brown and sprinkled with salt. Remove the stuffed berries and eat the roast, and he told me at the time to be careful when eating this.”
"Be careful of what?"
"Waiting by the side for so long, smelling the fragrance for so long, and watching it gradually turn golden in color by the fire pond, dripping oil, will inevitably become very greedy and hungry. At this time, I can't wait to take a bite. Go down." Mo Xi said lightly, "It will inevitably burn your tongue."
"Then did you burn your tongue?"
"How could I." Mo Xi's eyes were a little blank, "It's you..."
Gu Mang nibbled at the goose's leg and licked his lips: "Look, I didn't get burned either."
"... That's not what I meant. Forget it, it's nothing, you think I didn't say it."
Gu Mang just kept on eating the meat. He ate half of a whole goose, then stared at the rest of the fire for a while, and stopped doing it.
Mo Xi asked, "Don't eat?"
Gu Mang nodded.
Mo Xi was vaguely surprised that this person's appetite could not be underestimated now, how could half a roast goose be enough to fill up tonight. But before he could think deeply, he heard Gu Mang ask, "Your senior brother, what's his name?"
A word pierced through the heart.
Mo Xi raised his head suddenly and met Gu Mang's eyes.
When Gu Mang asked these words, his eyes were clear and his expression was filled with undisguised curiosity. Under such gaze, Mo Xi gradually felt that his heart was suffocated and uncomfortable.
Gu Mang... Are you pretending
If you are pretending, how can you be calm like this...
"That person." Mo Xi paused, "His name is..."
what is his name
It's just the last two words, but they stuck in his throat and couldn't come out anyway. Mo Xi was stuck by that name. He had said those two words so many times, but at this moment it was like a tender dream that had been torn apart many years ago, and his heart was full of blood.
He couldn't say Gu Mang's name, but because of his extreme forbearance, his eyes gradually turned red.
Mo Xi suddenly turned his face to one side, and his tone was suddenly fiercer than ever before.
"Ask what. What does it have to do with you?"
Gu Mang: "…"
After a meal, Mo Xi's eyes fell on the green plum dipping sauce on Gu Mang's elbow after Gu Mang left. He didn't explain the purpose to Gu Mang when he ate, so the dipping sauce remained untouched and was completely ignored.
Mo Xi closed his eyes, and a familiar voice seemed to come from his ear—
"Junior Brother, it's useless to eat roast goose. You can try this dipping sauce made from plums. It's sweet and sour, and it's served with crispy skin—wow." The voice smiled, "It's delicious. To the point where I want to swallow my tongue."
Even now, Mo Xi can still clearly recall some details of the time, including the white and boundless snow, the slightly raised firewood, and the sparkling and swaying fire.
There was also Gu Mang, who was sitting beside him at that time, laughing and fiddling with the pine branches.
Gu Mang turned his head, his brows and eyes were shrouded in the warm orange fire, his black eyes were so deep and bright.
"Come on, try my piece, this piece is wrapped in green plum sauce."
"How is it, is it delicious?"
"Hahaha, that is, when did Brother Gu Mang lie to you? In heaven and earth, I am the most sincere and never lie to others."
Mo Xi couldn't help clenching his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his flesh.
Just now, he deliberately sliced the roast goose very thinly and sliced a lot. He also deliberately talked to Gu Mang, because he knew that people always get distracted when they are doing two things in succession.
When Gu Mang used to eat this sliced roast goose, every piece had to be covered with this sweet and sour green plum sauce. If he accidentally forgot, even if he took a bite, he would have to put it back in the dipping cup and go back again. It's his ingrained habit.
Mo Xi thought before that, if Gu Mang was pretending, it would be difficult to listen to him while remaining vigilant and not revealing anything. Gu Mang would probably dip at least that much into the habit.
But no.
Gu Mang seemed to have no idea what it was for. The frozen plum jam was as good as when Mo Xi had just put it on the table, but Mo Xi had lost the hope he had when he put it on the table.
He was standing in the hall. Outside the window was a blizzard of snow, but inside the hall was a remnant seat that was colder than the wind and snow.
He didn't know why, and suddenly a bunch of strong resentment, itchy hatred, actually raised his hand and turned over the leftovers of the whole table! When Li Wei heard the sound and hurried over, he saw Mo Xi standing in front of the window wearily, with his face buried in his palms, his head lowered, as if his hope was gone, and he became angry.
"Lord..."
"go out."
"Lord, why do you do this? He can't remember the past, whether he pretended or not. In fact, the results are the same. Why do you need to—"
No, not the same.
The Gu Mang he wanted, the Gu Mang he hated, and the senior brother Gu he had admired should all be complete, able to compare with him, match or compete with each other.
Only in this way can he breathe a sigh of relief from the hatred of being betrayed, and can he run his way, have the comfort of revenge, and hope.
Rather than the dazed powerlessness of this punch into the cotton. Whether his hatred or his resentment, there is nowhere to really pour out.
"My lord, my lord!" At this moment, a young servant stepped in quickly from the outside, and Li Wei immediately turned his head to wink at him, and said with his mouth: "What are you shouting?" I didn't see that Xi Hejun was in a bad mood!
The little servant looked like he was not embarrassed by people inside and out. After hesitating for a moment, he still lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, the messenger of Your Majesty is here and is waiting outside."
Mo Xi slightly turned his face to the side, and frowned his sword eyebrows: "The messenger?"
"Yes." The little servant swallowed his saliva and said, "I'm in a hurry, I said that because of... that important matter, I have to see you right away!"