Li Bochen followed Meng Peiyong into the courtyard. As soon as he stepped through the door, he smelled the fragrance. Looking again, I saw a fire pond set up in the yard, and charcoal was burning in the pond. There was a strange pot placed on the fire. It was thin and wide, like an overturned straw hat.
He entered the Meng family's yard for the first time, and now he found that it was not an ordinary shape. And like a third-entry courtyard, the hanging flower door was demolished, leaving a large space in front of it empty. Although there are no pavilions, waterside pavilions or the like, there are some strange rocks, flowers and trees. The fire pit is located under two wintersweet trees in the east of the yard. The trees have bloomed but have faded. Now they have green leaves, which is quite interesting.
There are two small tables and two low stools placed next to the fire pit. There are some bowls, chopsticks and food on the table. Madam Meng and a girl were busy by the pond. When she heard the door open, Madam Meng said: "Hurry up, hurry up, everything is ready - can't you just ask Brother Li to take you to see it tomorrow?"
He then turned to the girl with a firepocket and said, "Go and see if they are still asleep. You don't need to be busy here."
The girl responded, put down her work and walked to the backyard. Only then did Lady Meng see Li Boxen next to Meng Peiyong. She was stunned for a moment and said: "Oh, really, I just told you that you are here - Junhou, why Come to my house for a visit when you have time? Just in time, have you eaten?"
Li Bochen actually ate at Changzhai. But after smelling the fragrance, he smiled and said, "Not yet."
Lady Meng said: "That's good, sir, come and taste it together."
At this time, the two of them walked to the fire pit. Li Bochen took a closer look at the pot - it was a large stone pot with a pot of clear soup, some vegetables, mushrooms, and tofu boiled in his stomach. The edge is about a palm wide, it's oiled, and it's making a sizzling sound.
There were some sliced meats on the table next to them. Looking at the alternating fat and thin pieces of meat, it was hard to tell what kind of meat they were. He was stunned, thinking that he heard a few days ago that all the food in the village had been confiscated by Zhu Hou's people, but his family could still eat meat.
Thinking of this, Mrs. Meng set up another low stool and said, "Junhou, thanks to you, every family in the village has to celebrate the festival today."
Li Boxen said: "Ah?"
Madam Meng said: "Huh? Don't you know? Later, the Sui man said that he wanted to move the array to the north, so some people ran to the original place to take a look, and saw a pile of wild animals piled there. Everyone guessed that Last night, the people in the mountains were frightened and ran over and were killed by the people from Xuantu City. It's a good time, it's like celebrating a festival. I spent the entire afternoon carrying them home, and my family also shared a bit."
Wild animals? Ah, it must be those monsters.
He didn't look carefully last night, but now that Meng Meng said this, he thought it was the original form of the little demons after they died - but he didn't know if there were any big demons.
At this time, Meng Peiyong asked Li Bochen to sit down, and also sat down opposite him, frowning and said: "How can you eat these, Junhou? I feel guilty thinking about it... What a wild thing, Junhou, how can I hear people say that?" , these are monsters, last night——"
Lady Meng said: "Bah, don't turn off your appetite. Why can't you eat it? You are not a human being. Have you forgotten that you said that when you were fleeing more than ten years ago, you snatched beans from the army and ate them?"
Meng Pei never spoke. Li Bochen put the helmet aside, picked up the fire clip, pinched a piece of meat, and said, "Let me take a look."
He put the meat into the fire under the pot and burned it for a while. The meat turned brown and gave off a burnt aroma. After waiting for a while, the meat became mushy and looked no different from ordinary livestock meat. He took out the meat, tore off a little bit, put it in his mouth to taste, and said with a smile, "It's okay, you can eat it."
He put down the fire clip again and said to Meng Peiyong: "Don't worry, Mr. Meng, this is indeed the meat of a monster, but once the spiritual power is dispersed after death, it should be no different from ordinary livestock. Speaking of which, this meat is more tonic - I I tried the meat of monster beasts in Beiyuan, but that meat is really inedible."
Meng Peiyong was stunned: "Demon meat?"
Li Boxen nodded and said: "Actually, those monsters have the word "beast" in their names, but they are much smarter than ordinary livestock. When high-level monsters give orders, they also know how to advance and retreat and cooperate with each other, and they feel like humans. When there is no command , which is a bit silly.”
"When I first joined the army, the veterans said that you couldn't eat monster meat, but they didn't say why. Once, it took more than a dozen of us recruits to kill a lone one. After eating dry food for several days, there was no oil or water in our stomachs. I just thought, why don’t I give it a try.”
"I made a fire and cut the meat from the legs. The meat looked good, fresh and tender, so I roasted it on the fire. After roasting for a while, the meat blistered. Some people don't believe in evil. I told you to cook it again and eat it as if it was burnt. But after a while, the meat was burned into a pool of pus and foam, which exploded all of a sudden - the smell stayed with you for several days before it dissipated."
Meng Peiyong coughed and looked at the plates of meat on the table.
Li Boxen added: "Later I heard that it was because the flesh and blood of monsters contained too much spiritual power, so they would behave like that when exposed to fire. You can eat the raw ones, but you can only eat the internal organs. But the taste... ugh... …”
Meng Peiyong reached out and took out a wine glass from the table, poured a glass of wine for Li Bochen and handed it over, saying: "...junhou, drink some wine to warm yourself up first - you said you want to learn some knowledge, how can you do it?"
Li Bochen took the wine and took a sip. He saw Mrs. Meng also sitting down and slowly brushing oil on the edge of the stone pot with a small pig-bristle brush. Then he said: "I captured those two people, and they both As a soldier, he must be very unconvinced with me and have some complaints about me. I talked to them this morning and I think these two people are okay, but their bones are a bit tough - Mr. Meng, I think so, you go and talk to them first They used the same trick and said that they also like the art of mechanism. Listen to what the two of them have to say. If you feel that you can slowly relax, then I will work harder here. "
At this time, Mrs. Meng finished brushing the oil, picked up a few pieces of meat and placed them on the edge of the stone pot. The edge of the piece of meat curled up slightly when it touched the hot stone slab, and a puff of smoke rose up, making Li Boxen swallow his saliva with the fragrant aroma. After hearing what he said, Meng Peiyong was still holding the wine glass and thinking about it. Lady Meng said: "Junhou, do you want to stay with these two people?"
Li Boxen said: "They can stay if they want. If they don't want to stay, I promise to send them away in seven days. The commander is from Sui and will definitely leave. But the mechanic can't hear the accent, so it's hard to tell."
Mrs. Meng made another dish of sauce for him with garlic, chopped green onions and bean paste and put it on the table beside her. She said: "Otherwise, let's use a provocative method - we can let you go, but you have to deal with Da Lang." Let's compete and compete. If you can convince my elder brother, then let him go."
Meng Peiyong said: "Hey, how can I succeed?"
Lady Meng said: "Why not? I think it can. You may not know less than them."
Li Bochen smiled in his heart, thinking that he had heard Mrs. Meng say that Meng Peiyong only made gadgets, but now it seemed that she was actually very confident in her husband. Li Bochen felt that the things Meng Peiyong knew were difficult to compare with the mechanism skills in the armored car, but the main reason he came tonight was not for Meng Peiyong, but for Lady Meng, so he said: "That's fine, Mr. Meng, you can really give it a try. "
Meng Peiyong showed a bit of a smile on his face and said: "Where is it... But if you want to do it, Junhou, then I will give it a try."
At this time, Mrs. Meng turned the piece of meat over again. Li Bochen saw that the meat was golden and crispy on one side and sizzling, and he suddenly felt that he had not eaten enough tonight.
Lady Meng said: "Junhou, please try it."
Li Bochen picked up a piece, dipped it in the sauce and put it in his mouth. The taste of this meat is a bit strange, not fishy, just fragrant. Mixed with the flavors of garlic, onions, and sauce, I could only feel that there was a slight fragrance among the meat. It tasted both crispy and a little juicy. It was really delicious.
Lady Meng also gave Meng Peiyong a slice. He looked a little worried, but when he tasted it, he smiled happily. Mrs. Meng put in a few more pieces of meat, and the fat from the previous roast flowed into the boiling soup along the edge of the pot. She said: "The food in this pot will be delicious after a while - if you like to eat warm pot, you can also eat it in a rinse."
Li Boxen said: "This is the first time I've seen this way of eating."
Mrs. Meng smiled and said: "This is my family's way of eating. When the family was in good times, my mother-in-law came up with it for my father-in-law. Later it was spread to the palace, and the nobles also liked it very much. Now it is the way it used to be. ”
Li Boxen said: "Oh, Mr. Meng, I haven't met with Ling Ci yet."
Meng Peiyong was drinking, and Lady Meng said: "Don't worry, sir, my mother-in-law has already gone to bed. She still eats twice a day and goes to bed early. It is said that the ancients lived longer with two meals a day. We eat more now, and our stomachs are There are only a lot of poisons in it, so it’s not good for your health.”
Li Bochen smiled and said, "Come to think of it, I never asked, what did your ancestors do?"
Meng Peiyong put down his wine glass and sighed: "Oh, speaking of which, I am ashamed of my ancestors. Junhou, my great-grandfather was the Sikong of the previous dynasty, and my grandfather was also a servant-doctor. My father... I won't talk about it. But when you come to me, you really feel ashamed of your ancestors."
Li Bochen once knew that the character Meng in "Mengjiatun" was the character Meng in Meng Peiyong, and he knew that his family should have been officials in the past. But now I was shocked when I heard it. I didn’t expect it to be so big.
The three nobles and nine ministers below the king are the supreme people. Sikong and the other six ministers are collectively known as the nine ministers, and their status is very high. Even if they are servants, they are also responsible for the affairs of the palace. Judging from this, Meng Peiyong's great-grandfather and his grandfather, the young minister of Taichang Temple, had the same status. Even his grandfather should be able to talk to his grandfather.
He thought to himself, no wonder Mrs. Meng was able to enter my house two days ago instead of rushing to Changzhai to welcome her like those people. With such a family background, she naturally has the confidence. This is also a good thing for yourself.
He was surprised and said: "Is that so? I'm disrespectful. But Mr. Meng, you don't have to belittle yourself, it's just that you were born at the wrong time. But in this world, it is also the day when heroes emerge. Maybe in the future your achievements will be greater than yours." My grandfather and great-grandfather are both bigger."
Meng Peiyong's drinking capacity seemed not to be very good. He had drank two glasses now, and his face was already a little flushed under the firelight. After hearing these words, Li Bochen put his wine glass on the table and said, "Yes, Junhou, you are right! I will think about it tonight and help you ask those two people tomorrow!"
Mrs. Meng just looked at him and smiled, and then gave him some meat. Li Bochen himself ate two more slices before drinking a glass of wine and said, "Mr. Meng, Sister Meng, apart from the armored car matter, I actually have something else I want you to help me with tonight."
Meng Peiyong said: "Jun Hou, just say it!"
He was indeed a little drunk, and his words became arrogant. Li Boxen smiled at him and said, "That's right. I want to ask Mr. Meng if you can make some wood carvings - for example, carve a life-size armor out of wood. The specific shape can be based on what we wear now. Those armors.”
Meng Peiyong thought for a while and said: "I know how to do it. Hey, Junhou, isn't there a Zhou Pan here today? He should be better at doing this, so why don't you call him here too? I used to be familiar with him. "
Mrs. Meng didn't say anything, so Li Bochen shook his head, looked at her and said, "Don't want it for now. I don't trust this person very much. The fewer people who know about this, the better."
Meng Peiyong said: "Haha, he is actually a good person. Before -"
When he said this, Lady Meng said: "Dalang, just listen to the prince."
Meng Peiyong was stunned for a moment, thought about it again, and then said: "Oh, that's good."
Li Bochen swayed slightly again, took out a dried fish from behind, and said, "Sister Meng, I have to ask you for this matter - I said before that I would distribute some elixir tomorrow, and this is the elixir."
The two of them looked at the dried fish and were a little confused. Li Bochen smiled and said: "I got it by chance, and it is indeed a spiritual thing. But it doesn't look good even if it is cut into pieces. So I would like to ask my eldest sister to think of a way to wrap fish meal in something to make pills. Tomorrow It also looks good. There shouldn’t be too much in each pill, just a piece the size of a fingernail. If there is any leftover, it will be a thank you gift for you two."
Meng Peiyong said: "Oh, how can this happen?"
But Lady Meng reached out to take it and said: "There is nothing that can't be done with the king's wishes."
Li Bochen laughed happily and said: "I have something to do tomorrow. I will leave it to you to distribute the medicine. When the time comes, you go to Fang Cheng and ask him to take someone to stand aside. If you have any trouble, just discuss it with him."
Meng Peiyong finally heard something about it at this time. He was stunned for a while, stood up and poured a glass of wine for Li Boxen, then picked up his own wine glass and said: "Don't worry, Lord, we will do this with care."
Mrs. Meng also stretched out her hand to pour a glass of wine and said with a smile, "I'll take a glass with you, too."
Li Bochen said seriously: "Thanks to the two of you for taking care of me when I first came here, Li always remembered this. You two are both people I can trust, and there will be a lot of trouble in the future - I drank this first." .”
The three drank it all in one gulp and remained silent for a while. They only listened to the crackling of the fire in the pond and the sound of the meat on the pot sizzling. After waiting for a while, Li Bochen said again: "If I go out tomorrow and don't come back the day after tomorrow, please don't show up, Brother Meng - just say, eldest sister, that the two of us are discussing the confidential matter of the armored vehicle."
Lady Meng was stunned for a moment and said, "Are you going on a long trip?"
Li Bochen smiled: "We want to do something big."
