Before Yang Fan arrived at the Drunken Immortal Restaurant, he imagined that it would be a luxurious restaurant that wasn't inferior to the Golden Hairpin Drunken Restaurant. Only when he arrived did he realize that this restaurant was a mid-range restaurant run by a Luoyang local.
The restaurant was split into two floors. The first floor was for individual customers. From their attire, many of them were Luoyang citizens with ordinary family backgrounds. From this, he could determine that the food and drinks here weren't too expensive.
The restaurant was already quite old. Amidst the smoke and fire, it gave off a vicissitudes of life. However, this vicissitudes wasn't desolate, but warm. It was like approaching a small village in your hometown and seeing an old man with a wrinkled face walk over. He looked cordial.
When Yang Fan walked into the restaurant, the first thing he smelled was a rich meaty aroma. It was hard to tell what kind of meaty aroma it was. It seemed to be mutton, dog, and chicken. It was a mixture of flavors that he couldn't tell clearly.
Yang Fan arrived very early.
In terms of status, identity, and age, the gap between them was huge. If they didn't want to befriend you, and you flattered them and tried your best to curry favor with them, it was because you lacked integrity. However, if they thought highly of you and were willing to befriend you, you should show them the respect they deserved.
If you were to put on airs at this time, purposely delaying your arrival to raise your own status, or to show how much integrity you have, then you are just being impetuous and don't know how to respect yourself. Therefore, Yang Fan arrived rather early. He originally thought that he was the first one to arrive, but when he was led to a private room on the second floor by Dr. Wine, he saw that someone had arrived before him.
There were quite a number of people who had arrived before him. Chu Kuangge, Wang Tongjiao, Wei Yong, Li Dayin, Lu Yan, and Gao Chu were all there. As the host, Husello was naturally there as well. They were sitting there chatting and laughing loudly. When they saw Yang Fan arrive, they immediately stood up and warmly welcomed him.
Chu Kuangge and Yang Fan hadn't seen each other for some time. The moment they saw him, they were overjoyed. They came up to him and gave him a bear hug. Following that, Wei Yong, Li Dayin, and Gao Chu came up to him as well. They held his arm, chatted, and greeted him.
Husello smiled and said, "We were just talking about you when you arrived. Come on, sit down and have a cup of cheese to moisten your throat. Haha, we were just talking about your superb skills. What a pity! I'm about to leave Luoyang soon. Otherwise, I really want to pick a few people and form two evenly matched teams. Let's have a good fight! "
Wang Tongjiao laughed and said, "Why does General feel regretful? Next year in the Shangyuan, General will come to Luojing again. It won't be too late for us to compete again. At that time, we will fight side by side against the Tubo Empire! He couldn't ask Princess Taiping to take action again, could he? Hey! You're so shameful that you can kill us strong men! "
"What are they talking about? Why is it so lively?"
With this voice, Qiu Shenji appeared.
Upon hearing the voice, everyone looked towards the door and saw Xue Na, Li Zhan, Ye Huli and Di Guangyuan accompanying the Great General of the Jin Wu Guards, Qiu Shenji, walking in.
Qiu Shenji walked into the room and slowly examined the furnishings in the room with narrowed eyes. With a face full of nostalgia, he said, "I remember back when Emperor Taizong was promoting the Bow Striking Competition, the first Bow Striking Competition of the Shangyuan was held. At that time, I was in the prime of my life. From then on, the Imperial Army's Bow Striking Competition would be held here as usual. After so many years, I am already old, but this restaurant has not changed at all. "
Everyone went forward to greet him. Husello said, "Great General Qiu is not old at all. On the field two days ago, General was still as spirited as ever, leaving us juniors in the dust!"
When Yang Fan saw Qiu Shenji appear, a strange feeling welled up in his heart. This was not the first time he had come into contact with this person. The two of them should have been fighting to the death the moment they met, but the reality was that, besides the first brief confrontation, the two of them had always been drinking at the same table or fighting side by side. Such enemies were truly rare.
Seeing that everyone had come forward to greet him, Yang Fan quickly composed himself and went forward to greet him, "Greetings, Great General!"
Qiu Shenji laughed and said, "Are you used to working in the palace?"
Yang Fan hurriedly replied, "I am indebted to Great General's concern. I am still used to everything."
Qiu Shenji said, "Mm! There are many rules in the palace. You have just entered the Imperial Army, so there are many rules that you are not very familiar with before being transferred to lead the army. You must be even more cautious in everything you do. But seeing how quick-witted you are, as long as you are careful, there will be no problems. "
Yang Fan respectfully said, "This one will remember Great General's teachings."
Huselo smiled and said, "Great General Qiu, please take a seat. Today's drinking should be enjoyed to the fullest. As for official business, I hope that Great General Qiu can discuss it with Brother Yang later. Please do not take up our time together."
Everyone chatted and laughed as they sat down. Husello and Qiu Shenji were both Great Generals. One was the Great General of the Right Guard, and the other was the Great General of the Left Guard. However, Qiu Shenji was older, so he was pushed to the seat of honor.
Qiu Shenji, however, sat down on the seat of honor on the left. He said with a smile, "Sit, all of you sit. Don't push it around. I cannot sit in the seat of honor. Haha, Great General Luo, you cannot sit either. Because … there is still an important guest who has not arrived."
Everyone was startled. Even Husello, who was hosting the banquet today, was startled. He asked curiously, "Great General Qiu, the people I invited are all here. Who else is not here?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a slightly magnetic female voice sounded at the door. "Since today is a gathering of comrades from the military field, why did General Luo not invite me?"
Everyone turned to look at the door. They saw a person standing in front of the private room. She had just taken off the fur coat of the Black Fox and handed it to a strong woman who was as strong as a man. She turned around and looked at them with a smile.
This person wore a jade-colored turban on her head. She wore an asbestos embroidered robe with a leather belt around her waist. Her attire made her look like a handsome and elegant young man. However, her phoenix eyes and eyebrows, as well as a pair of slightly plump but sexy red lips, clearly indicated that she was a woman.
Everyone was shocked and stood up. Qiu Shenji said with a smile, "When I received General Luo's invitation, I thought of Your Highness. That day, we defeated Tufan and made our Tang dynasty proud. Your Highness has great merit. How can we not invite Your Highness to today's banquet? I made the decision without your permission. General Luo, please don't blame me."
Husello hurriedly said, "Not at all, not at all. It was my thoughtlessness. Please forgive me, Your Highness. Your Highness, please take a seat of honor!"
Everyone was like stars surrounding the moon. They invited Princess Taiping to take a seat of honor before they took their seats.
Husello sat on the right of Princess Taiping. He rubbed his hands and said, "The food and wine of this Drunken Immortal Restaurant are delicious. It's just that the dishes are not exquisite enough. I really didn't expect Your Highness to come today. So … if General Qiu doesn't want to keep us guessing, we should change to a more elegant restaurant. "
Princess Taiping smiled and said, "No problem. If we talk about food and wine, I'm tired of eating all kinds of delicacies. I heard that this restaurant specializes in 'Muyang Mo Hu'. It's famous far and wide. You Imperial Guards gather here every year, so the dishes here must have their own uniqueness. "
Qiu Shenji nodded and said, "The dishes here are indeed delicious. But there are many big eaters in my army. Only big fish and meat will suit their taste. I hope it will suit Your Highness's taste."
Princess Taiping glanced at Yang Fan and said sweetly, "Actually, I'm very happy to be able to see you heroes of the army. As for this' Muyang Mo Hu ', since even General Qiu can't stop praising it, I think the taste won't be bad. "
Qiu Shenji laughed and said, "Your Highness will know after you taste it!"
He clapped his hands three times and said loudly, "Professor Jiu, serve the dishes!"
The chefs had been informed by Hussero early in the morning and had already paid the money. Therefore, the 'Muyang Muhu' had already been prepared. With a single order, the piping hot delicacies were brought out.
The so-called 'Muyang Mo Hu' was mainly made of sheep and geese. A big fat goose was bought and slaughtered. It was then stuffed with glutinous rice mixed with five flavours. A fat sheep was slaughtered and the goose was placed in the sheep's stomach. The geese were prepared according to the number of people. As for the sheep, it depended on how many geese a sheep could fit. After that, the sheep's skin was sewn together and roasted.
If the restaurant didn't prepare, it couldn't provide the 'Muyang Mo Hu' required by 12 customers. After all, not everyone who came to the restaurant could afford to eat this signature dish. However, there was still time to prepare one or two additional customers. So the geese for the 13 people were served almost at the same time.
There was a big fat goose in front of each person, but there was no mutton. Although the dish used sheep and geese, only the goose was eaten. The delicious taste of the mutton had seeped into the goose. Sheep used for roasting was not eaten. So, this dish was the most expensive dish in this restaurant, which wasn't the most high-end.
In addition to the 'Muyang Mo Hu', there was another main dish. It was a catty of mutton. It was spread layer by layer in wheat flour. In the middle were peppers and fermented beans. Then, it was poured with butter and roasted in the fire. When it was roasted until it was half done, it would be served. The fragrance of wheat, mutton, butter, pepper, and fermented beans filled the air.
Apart from the meat dishes and the staple food, there were all kinds of light appetizers on each table. This kind of diet was indeed suitable for the burly men in the army. However, the entire upper class of the Tang Empire was in favor of eating meat. Therefore, the ladies would never think about dieting to lose weight. Princess Taiping sniffed the aroma of the roasted goose and smelled the fragrance of the scones. She couldn't help but feel hungry.
Yang Fan tasted the goose. It was really delicious. The fragrance of the goose permeated the fragrance of the mutton, neutralizing it into a more appetizing taste. The glutinous rice inside the goose was also fragrant and delicious. He immediately let go of his appetite and ate it. Unfortunately, he only ate two mouthfuls. Li Dayin raised his cup to urge him to drink, so he had to grab the cup.
While drinking, Yang Fan glanced at Princess Taiping. He was quite curious about how a princess would eat, especially such big fish and meat. Yang Fan was quite curious. But when he looked at her, Yang Fan couldn't help but laugh. This princess was really free and easy when eating. She was as forthright as a man. She didn't even know that the grease had stained the corners of her mouth.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
