The candlelight swayed gently, and the Milky Way in the sky was looming in the firelight. It's a nice day tonight. The half-moon hangs in the sky, half-hidden by the floating clouds.
The breeze is like a virgin's breath, refreshing and a little bit hot. The place where Wei Cheng sat was not far from the bonfire, which was considered an excellent location during the banquet. It can be seen that in the heart of Old Grandpa Xie, Wei Cheng's status was higher than that of Tao Qian.
In fact, this is a very normal thing. Wei Cheng and Tao Qian are both state pastors, and Wei Cheng is also the host of Hedong County, so he should sit on the throne.
But because tonight is the Xie family's home court, Old Madam Xie takes the main seat, while Wei Cheng and Tao Qian sit on the left and right. The ancients respected the left, so this arrangement is not offensive.
The farce just now was lightly revealed. In the eyes of old lady Xie and Tao Qian, it was just a playful act by the younger generation, and it was not enough to worry them.
The guests here took their seats one by one. As the host, the old lady Xie naturally wanted to say a few words of honor.
Wei Cheng sat cross-legged behind the low table in the front row, and his free and easy sitting posture attracted many people's attention. But he still went his own way and no one dared to say anything. This was the preferential treatment of the strong.
Picking up the wine glass, Wei Cheng turned his head to look at his fifth uncle Wei Yan, and asked curiously: "Why don't you see other children in the clan?" Wei Yan knelt down on the futon upright, heard Wei Cheng's voice, and whispered: "I didn't let them come. Compared with these trivial matters, Shuofang's affairs are more important. Mr. Tian will teach and preach in person tonight. It's not good for them to neglect." Wei Cheng smiled faintly. This is the good thing about Wei. If How could ordinary people miss tonight's hilarious banquet?
But Wei Yan just let Wei Jue and the others go to class. This was not only a sign of respect for Tian Feng, but also a sign of Wei Cheng's absolute execution of his plan.
"Very good. Let's go and listen when the banquet is over soon. I'm also very curious about Tian Yuanhao's plans for Shuofang. I wonder if they can surpass their previous plans?" Wei Cheng raised his glass and signaled to Wei Yan.
Wei Wei raised his glass and smiled, and they drank it together. This scene happened to be seen by Tao Qian across from him. No, to be precise, Tao Qian had been paying attention to Wei Cheng's every move.
At this time, seeing Wei Cheng and Wei Yan chatting happily and seeming to be planning something, he was worried and wanted to come over to have a chat. Unfortunately, old lady Xie didn't know if he was getting old, so he kept nagging.
"Dad, I have something to tell you." Tao Qian turned around and looked at his eldest son Tao Shang with a frown. He had not forgotten what happened just now. Although he was angry about his son's little clever move, he didn't really take it to heart. I just wonder if the pottery merchant has something that needs to be said at this time.
Tao Shang swallowed guiltily and whispered: "I, I gave those colorful shrimps given by the Japanese slaves to Xie's housekeeper, and I didn't tell him how to cook them."
"What?!" When Tao Qian heard this, he was startled at first, and then his face became angry. Perhaps his voice was too loud, which attracted the old lady Xie on the main seat and Wei Cheng across from him to look at him.
Old Master Xie frowned and said, "Gongzu (Tao Qian's nickname), what's disturbing you?" Tao Qian was stunned. He didn't know how to explain it for a moment. He looked at Tao Shang who lowered his head and didn't dare to speak. He wanted to take action. Tear this traitor to pieces.
He had also been young enough to understand why the potters did what they did. He simply wanted to show off his own power, so he used the colorful shrimp to overwhelm Xie's disciples first, and then took the opportunity to bring out the red coral donated by the small country of Yamatai, so that he could appear to be smarter than others... To put it bluntly, it’s just a slap in the face.
However, the pottery merchant didn't know that Wei Cheng would be there in person tonight. If Wei Cheng was allowed to eat the unprocessed colorful shrimps later, and Wei Cheng asked about it, wouldn't it be exposed?
At this moment, several maids, led by Butler Qi Bo, came up carrying new dishes.
When Qi Bo saw the middle-aged scribe behind the pottery merchant, he bowed his hand and said with a smile, "Thank you sir for sending such rare seafood." The middle-aged scribe glanced at the angry Tao Qian in embarrassment, and then looked at him aggrievedly. The pottery merchant who instructed him to deliver colorful shrimps could only stand up and return a salute to the butler Qi Bo, and took the big pot.
Because the number of lobsters is limited, naturally not every table has a portion, and the meals at this time are all eaten separately, that is, everyone eats his own thing, and there is no situation where several people sit around the same table in later generations.
Wei Cheng had an extraordinary status, so naturally he was assigned a lobster alone. It looked like it was the Splendid Lobster from the Japan Strait. The one in front of him would be worth thirty to fifty thousand in future generations. Not to mention its size, it was still wild.
Across the way, Tao Qian also shared a big lobster, but when he saw the lid was lifted, the look of helplessness on Tao Qian's face was gradually replaced by surprise and joy... The potter was also stunned for a moment, frowned and said: "Shrimp" The meat doesn't have any fishy smell?" Tao Qian nodded imperceptibly, and replied in a deep voice: "Not only is there no fishy smell, but this kind of cooking method is also unprecedented. It seems that your little cleverness is used in the wrong target, Mr. Xie There are many well-informed people." The pottery merchant was glad that he had not made a mistake, but he was also a little disappointed. He thought he could give his peers in Hedong a showdown, but he didn't expect that the clown was me. They had already eaten colorful shrimps. Otherwise, you won’t know how to handle the ingredients.
At this time, the butler Qi Bo said loudly: "Originally, this lobster should be steamed better, but..."
"Lobster?" Halfway through Qi Bo's words, the pottery merchant suddenly exhaled. Uncle Qi nodded and said, "Yes, I wonder what Mr. Tao has to teach you?" Mr. Tao looked at the surprised and suspicious looks from around him and shook his head shyly.
In fact, he didn't know the name of this lobster, so he chose the name Colorful Shrimp based on its appearance. Unexpectedly, he didn't call it Colorful Shrimp at all, but called it Lobster. It was just two words, which was better than what he had chosen. The name is concise, clear and sounds much better.
When Uncle Qi saw him whirring, he didn't say anything on the surface, but he was actually very happy in his heart.
"Master, you two envoys, the meat of this lobster is sweet and tender, and if it is simply steamed, it would be too wasteful. Therefore, I asked the cook to steam half of the lobster and half to fry. After frying, the number of lobsters increased. The crispy texture..." When the butler Qi Bo introduced the dishes, Wei Cheng had already picked up the chopsticks and started using them.
Just kidding, this is the first time in my life that I have eaten such a big Splendid lobster. I just said it cost tens of thousands because I have no experience. Such a big lobster should be put on auction in the future.
Picking up a piece of lobster meat that was bigger than his own fist, Wei Cheng swallowed hard and bit into it like an apple. His mouth was filled with garlic-flavored lobster meat, and he felt a strong sense of satisfaction beyond words. to describe.
Not only Wei Cheng, but also Tao Qian and his party opposite were also conquered by the delicious taste of lobster. Under the service of the maid, a lobster was divided into several portions, and the potter was also given a large piece of meat with a shell. It's not like he had never eaten lobster before, otherwise he wouldn't know that he had to urinate before killing the lobster. It's just such a unique cooking method. This was the first time he had seen it today.
The crisp shell has a faint milky aroma. If you look carefully, you can taste the aroma of chicken, and there is also a spicy taste. It should be specially put in when the lobster meat is marinated in advance to enhance the flavor.
After Tao Shang took a breath, his whole expression froze, and he couldn't help but praise: "There is such a delicious food in this world!" Several people behind him, Zang Ba, Chen Deng, Cao Bao, and Zhang Kai, also secretly gasped, After eating such delicious food, I'm afraid the days ahead will be sad.
People have seven emotions and six desires, and the desire for mouth and tongue is among them. Some people are greedy for beauty, some are chasing power, and some regard wealth as life. However, there is no shortage of one kind of people in this world, and that is people who eat well, and can be called gourmets.
The great writer Su Dongpo once said in "Ode to the Old Taoist": "I gather the beauty of things in my youth to nourish my old glutton."
As everyone knows, Mr. Su is also a gourmet, and many delicacies in later generations are closely related to him. The pursuit of delicious food, no matter what era or time and space, will always be an irreplaceable desire.
Back to business. After taking a bite of lobster meat, no matter who it is, if they eat boiled beef and mutton, they will immediately feel that it is not delicious.
But the lobsters are limited after all. Just when a few people are still not satisfied, butler Qi Bo appears again. Tao Qian and his party behaved languidly, seemingly indifferent to the newly delivered delicacies, and kept sucking on the lobster shells.
"Sir, this is the seafood specially sent by Mr. Wei. I dared the cook to make all the fish meat, which can highlight the delicious taste."
"Oh, the seafood sent by Zhongdao?" On the main seat, old lady Xie enjoyed a lobster to himself. While talking, there was a lobster tentacle stuffed in his mouth and he was chewing on it.
Butler Qi Bo first bowed gratefully to Wei Cheng, and then said: "Yes, when Wei Shijun learned that Tao Shijun had sent lobsters, he sent some other types of seafood to join in the fun." Tao on the opposite side Qian and others were startled and looked curiously at the trays in the maids' hands.
They didn't understand what kind of seafood Wei Cheng, an envoy living in the inland, could get. They had to know that in order to transport those seafood, they went through many twists and turns on the road. In the end, only the lobsters survived tenaciously. .
Here, the maid respectfully presented the tray. There was a large dish placed on it, and the shape was unparalleledly exquisite. The phoenix bird carved from unknown fruits was lifelike, and under the wings, the fresh fish and shellfish exuded a lustful luster.
The maid bowed with her hands folded, then picked up the wine bottle on the table and poured it into the gap under the dishes. Just when everyone was confused, they saw billowing white mist suddenly spraying out from under the dish. For a moment, the phoenix bird with spread wings was as magnificent as soaring in the sky.
"Ah!" While everyone was stunned, bursts of exclamations suddenly came from the female guest area next door. Of course it's not an accident. Listening to the voice coming from over there, you must have been surprised by the magical cloud and smoke.
The corner of Wei Cheng's mouth raised slightly, it was just a piece of sashimi. You can order a set meal like this at Diezi's Japanese restaurant, but he didn't expect that when he got it here, he surprised everyone.
Picking up a piece of abalone meat, Wei Cheng dipped it in a little mustard and sweet soy sauce and slowly put it into his mouth.
"It's okay, it's quite fresh." Wei Cheng's voice was loud, but Tao Qian and others sitting opposite were already sitting on the wax.
Not to mention the surprises brought by the dry ice and carrot phoenix, they basically knew all the seafood in the plate, and they brought a lot with them this time. However, they were all dead on the road and could not be brought to Hedong smoothly.
Tao Qian looked sideways at his eldest son, Tao Shang. The father and son looked at each other, speechless for a moment. Fortunately, the potter's cleverness did not succeed, otherwise he would have been embarrassed tonight.
Thinking about it, I couldn't help but feel extremely lucky. If the pottery merchant really succeeded tonight, their faces would be so painful now.
Obviously, the housekeeper had colluded with Wei Cheng a long time ago. If he hadn't said anything, how would Wei Cheng know that the pottery merchant sent lobsters to Mr. Xie?
Who among ordinary people would inform guests of the ingredients in advance? When I thought about this, it was quite refreshing to hear Wei Cheng say it again!
Tao Qian and others were speechless. Even the food in front of them seemed to have lost its taste. They laughed awkwardly throughout the whole process.
Chen Deng and Zang Ba, who were sitting in the back, saw this scene and shook their heads almost at the same time. The two of them couldn't help but feel a little dissatisfied with Tao Qian's reaction.
Although it was a playful move by the eldest son, the potter, the plan was discovered before it was implemented, and he was even 'taught' a lesson in return. In any case, as a father, Tao Qian should stand up and say something. What, even if he admits his mistake for his son, it would be great.
But Tao Qian pretended not to know anything, and didn't even mention a word about the potter's behavior. This not only made people look down on him, but might also make Xie feel resentful.
Zang Ba glanced sideways at Chen Deng, who seemed to be feeling something, and Chen Deng just turned back to look at him.
Zang Ba's sword eyebrows frowned slightly, and the corners of his mouth moved, as if he said something, but also as if he didn't say anything at all.
Chen Deng frowned, and suddenly remembered the question Zang Ba asked him before.
"One is the setting sun and the other is the rising sun. If there was a choice, no matter who it was, they would choose the rising sun." Chen Deng muttered unconsciously in his heart.
Looking up at Feng Qingyun Dan across the way, Wei Cheng seemed to have no sense of involvement in the whole process and was only focused on eating and drinking.
Looking at this talented man who was the same age as himself but already dominated the field, Chen Deng felt an indescribable feeling of admiration in his heart.
So what if there are options? Chen Deng was really shaken at this moment. Although tonight's farce is just a small episode, the old saying goes: See the subtleties to tell the truth.
It means that you can predict the direction of development of things by seeing the smallest signs, see the essence through small phenomena, and deduce conclusions or results... This is almost an instinct that a counselor should be born with.
Chen Deng and Zang Ba witnessed Wei Cheng and Tao Qian's two different ways of handling the same matter. Even though the pottery merchant sending shrimps was just a very small matter, the way the two handled the problem was beyond words. There is a difference between cloud and mud, but it is also a judgment call.
Sometimes, people really can't get them together for comparison. As the saying goes, people will die when compared with others, and goods will be thrown away when comparing goods. Now let alone Zang Ba, who has had second thoughts, even Chen Deng wants to abandon Tao Qian and bring his family to join Wei Cheng.
