sbdcsierra Chapter 1635: You can’t even eat this at a state banquet!
Chapter 1635: You can’t even eat this at a state banquet!
Chapter 1635: You can’t even eat this at a state banquet!
Hearing that another dish was coming up, Old Lady Chu hurriedly looked in the direction of the sound, and saw a small pot and a large bowl on the table. Old Lady Chu stretched her neck to take a look, but she saw that it contained pig-killing dishes and beef stewed with radish.
Seeing that it was not the Earth Three Immortals that she had been thinking about for several days, Old Lady Chu could not help but feel a little disappointed. But at this time, she heard the old lady say to her: "Don't you like to eat the pig-killing dishes? This is the pig that was killed yesterday."
"Really?" Mrs. Chu subconsciously asked, "Why is there no mashed garlic?"
"Yes!" As soon as Mrs. Chu finished speaking, someone took over. Ding Qingbin, a kitchen helper in the cafeteria, placed a small bowl of mashed garlic next to the pig-killing dish.
Ding Qingbin put down the small bowl and couldn't help but secretly glance at Li Tongyun. At this time, Li Tongyun suddenly raised his head and glared at Ding Qingbin fiercely. Ding Qingbin ran away with the tray without saying a word.
"Sister Xiaoyun." Chu Xiaoxue leaned close to Li Tongyun's ear and whispered, "Why does that person always look at you?"
After saying this, Chu Xiaoxue added: "Youngest brother is so shameless."
The words rhymed quite well, and Li Tongyun smiled faintly, indicating that it was no big deal.
As the two stews were served, there were fourteen dishes on each table, and it seemed that the tables were no longer able to accommodate them.
Those who came to the banquet had a great time.
There is no need to talk about the beef stewed with radish. Cows and horses are very valuable in the forest area in old years. Only cows and horses with injured legs that are unable to work or those accidentally shot by hunters will be slaughtered for meat.
Beef and horse meat are also expensive and are considered high-end ingredients in forest areas. It is really good for these forest rangers to eat beef twice a year.
The dish of beef stewed with radish on the Zhao family’s banquet today is not big in portion, but there is a lot of meat in it.
The same is true for the pig-killing dishes served in small bowls and pots, with only a thin layer of sauerkraut at the bottom, and blood sausage, pork belly slices, and boneless meat on top.
While putting the blood sausage into her mouth, Old Mrs. Chu was thinking in her mind that there should be more vegetables, so she should save some space for the Three Immortals.
Just then, the main course came.
The Ma family used white rice for their banquets, so the Zhao family would not be any worse. White rice and steamed buns were served in separate bowls. Old Mrs. Chu immediately put her previous thoughts behind her and directly served a bowl of rice.
There is no way, there are many dishes on the table that go well with rice. The more delicious the dishes are, the more I want rice and steamed buns.
Just when Old Mrs. Chu's bowl of rice was almost finished, the helpers and kitchen assistants brought in more dishes.
It was still not the Three Earth Immortals that Old Lady Chu had been dreaming of, but it did not disappoint her.
The pot-fried pork and the braised pork slices were served on separate plates. After the main course was served, there was no more room on the table, so the plates were placed on the edge of the bowl in the middle of the three large bowls.
"This dish is so delicious!" Old Mrs. Chu has a special liking for sweet and sour pork. She didn't find it greasy at all. She ate three pieces in a row and then exclaimed in praise.
The old lady smiled faintly. She was used to it. Every time a dish was served, this old lady in the city would say this.
At the table next to them, Ma Ling's uncle Wang Zhongjie said to Ma Dafu, "How many dishes does he have? Didn't he say twelve at the beginning?"
There are already sixteen dishes, but since Zhao Jun and Ma Ling did not show up to toast, it means there are more dishes.
"I don't know!" Ma Dafu was also a little confused. At this time, Ma Ling's third uncle Sun Changdong said to Ma Dafu: "What do you think, second brother-in-law? Fortunately, you listened to me. On the day of our family's banquet, if we had added those few dishes, wouldn't people have no choice but to compete?"
Hearing what Sun Changdong said, Ma Dafu nodded and said, "Yeah, it's not that great."
Ma Dafu thought so, while Ma Ling's uncle Liu Jinbao and Wang Jiezhong looked at each other and thought: How many dishes do you have at home? Even if there are two more dishes, you can't beat them!
At this moment, the helpers and kitchen assistants served the dishes again.
When the steamed yellow croaker and braised prawns were served, the group of mountain people were stunned.
Many people were afraid to eat the shrimp, so they tried the fish and found that the fish was really good.
"You have to peel the skin!" The old lady couldn't help but stop her when she saw Mrs. Chu pick up the prawn and bite it directly.
“No need.” Mrs. Chu bit the prawn and said vaguely, “The skin can be eaten, too.”
After saying that, Old Mrs. Chu chewed the whole prawn with a few crunches.
The shrimps are fried before stewing. The shrimp skin is slightly crispy, but there are also hard bones. The old lady can't chew it anyway.
Looking at Mrs. Chu who finished chewing the prawns and then reached out for the yellow croaker with her chopsticks, the old lady couldn't help but think of Mrs. Sun.
Although there were many dishes on the table, the old lady was tired of many of them. She had also eaten braised prawns and yellow croaker yesterday. Especially the prawns, Zhao Hong peeled the skin for her. Thinking that she would have to peel the skin herself, the old lady was even less interested. She turned her head to look at the table across from her mother's family and saw Jie Sun working hard.
Xie Sun's appetite was still as good as ever. Xie Zhong and Liu Lanying beside her kept picking up food for her, and she kept eating.
Those sitting at the same table with Xie Sun were all family members, mainly the four children Zhao Hong, Zhao Na, Wang Tian and Wang Xue, so it was no problem for Xie Sun to eat as much as she wanted.
"More dishes are served. Are there more dishes?" At this time, a voice came from the table near the door.
Sure enough, the helpers and kitchen assistants continued to serve dishes with plates. The plates were still piled on top of the bowls, and the dishes on the plates looked like chicken stewed with mushrooms.
Seeing that the bird was thinner than the local chicken, Old Mrs. Chu knew that this was the Flying Dragon Stewed Mushroom that Zhao Weipeng mentioned.
Although this is not the Three Immortals on Earth, Old Lady Chu knows that there will definitely be food later.
Because there are now 19 dishes, and only dishes at funerals have odd numbers. The Zhao family is holding a wedding, so there must be one more dish.
Without asking, Old Mrs. Chu knew that the finale dish must be the Three Immortals.
In fact, Mrs. Chu has never lacked game to eat over the years, after all, Chu Anmin's status is there. If he wants to eat something, there will be 800 people to find it for him. Even if Chu Anmin doesn't say it, someone will send it to him during festivals.
Therefore, except for tigers, leopards, giant lynxes, and golden eagles, all other wild animals in the mountains of Northeast China have been eaten by Old Lady Chu. If she has not eaten those five, it is either illegal or she has heard that they are not delicious.
Old Mrs. Chu absentmindedly reached for her chopsticks, picked up a piece of flying dragon meat, put it into her mouth and chewed it, and her eyes lit up instantly.
Northeastern dishes are flavorful, and they are either dried or thickened. Stews, except soups, generally need to be dried, and the drier the better.
This is the case with the Feilong and Shaban chicken stewed with mushrooms. There is only a little soup left at the bottom of the plate, otherwise it would be impossible to serve it on the plate.
Old Mrs. Chu felt that the meat was tender, salty and delicious. She put the remaining flying dragon meat in a bowl, then took the bowl and took a mouthful of rice.
"This dish is very well cooked!" Old Mrs. Chu praised again, then finished the flying dragon meat in the bowl, and then picked up two slices of hazel mushrooms.
The stewed hazel mushrooms are more delicious than the flying dragon meat, and they are definitely good with rice. After finishing the rice in the bowl, Mrs. Chu gently nudged Liu Hongmei with her elbow and whispered, "Give Mom a steamed bun."
After eating the steamed buns, Old Lady Chu ate two pieces of Shaban Chicken meat. Old Lady Chu was a foodie and could accurately taste the difference between Shaban Chicken and Feilong Meat.
"This meat is not as fresh as that meat." Just as Mrs. Chu finished her words, she saw a man carrying a plate walk in behind her.
This person is not a helper or a kitchen assistant, but today's chef Han Dachun.
Han Dachun and his team arrived at five in the morning and have been busy ever since. They prepared twenty dishes according to Wang Meilan's request.
As the last dish came out of the pot, they had to hurry up and sit down to eat.
Han Dachun served the dishes himself for a reason. He walked to Chu Anmin's table first, put down a plate in his hand, and whispered a few words in Zhou Chunming's ear.
"Director Chu, try this dish." After Han Dachun left, Zhou Chunming hurriedly called Chu Anmin and said, "This is the Three Earthly Immortals. It used to be eaten by the emperor."
"Really?" Chu Anmin picked up some food with his chopsticks and said, "Then I have to try it."
As he spoke, Chu Anmin picked up a piece of meat. Because it was covered with soup, Chu Anmin couldn't see it clearly and thought it was a bear paw at first.
But after taking a bite, Chu Anmin was slightly startled and looked down carefully. If the sauce on the surface of this ingredient was removed, the meat should be transparent, similar to jelly.
It is neither lean nor fatty, just like the belly of a fish. Because it is fried, the surface has a slightly burnt aroma and a hard crust. The inside is fine, smooth, soft, tender, and full of flavor.
"What is this?" Chu Anmin looked at Zhou Chunming in surprise and asked, "Old Zhou, isn't this a bear paw?"
Zhou Chunming gently pressed Chu Anmin's wrist and whispered in his ear, "Director Chu, stop making a fuss. This is deer lip. We only have it at the tables in front of us."
"Ouch!" Chu Anmin was stunned when he heard this, and lowered his head to eat the remaining deer lips in the bowl into his mouth.
"You haven't eaten it before?" Zhao Weipeng looked at Chu Anmin and said with a smile, "Bear paws are available at state banquets, but not always. Deer lips and elk noses, you can't eat them even at a state banquet."
People at their table were still chatting, but at other tables the only sound was chewing.
At the west end of the Zhao family’s shed is a wooden door, and on the other side of the wooden door is Li Baoyu’s shed.
At this time, there were two tables in the Li family's shed. At the table near the door, Zhao Jun, Ma Ling, Zhao Youcai, Wang Meilan, Zhao Chun, Zhou Jianjun, and Wang Qiang were having dinner.
At another table were the five members of the Li family, Zhao Ling, Zhang Yuanmin, and Jie Chen.
It was Ma Ling's first time eating with her in-laws, and she couldn't relax at all. Fortunately, Zhao Jun, Wang Meilan, and Zhao Chun kept picking food for her, and Zhao Youcai and Wang Qiang also kept urging her to eat more.
Ma Ling really ate a lot. She had her own bowl, and next to her there was another bowl that everyone used to serve her food. Since she sat at the table, the food in her bowl had never been less.
Seeing that everyone had almost finished eating, Zhao Jun and Zhao Youcai wiped their mouths, and both father and son stood up.
Zhao Jun took Ma Ling, Zhao Youcai took Wang Qiang, Zhou Jianjun, and Wang Meilan also went out to toast.
After passing the wooden door, Zhao Jun pulled Ma Ling and went straight to Chu Anmin's table with a glass of wine.
Zhao Jun had a smile on his face. Holding his wine diluted with 90% boiled water, he thanked Chu Anmin for taking the time out of his busy schedule to officiate at his wedding.
Chu Anmin drank the wine in his glass, and then said to Zhao Jun: "You are married, and everyone is happy for you. In the future, work hard, continue to study, and continue to make progress."
Every time Chu Anmin spoke to Zhao Jun like this, a trace of guilt would flash through Zhao Jun's heart. He could feel that Chu Anmin thought highly of him, but he really couldn't do what Chu Anmin asked of him.
Zhao Jun drank the wine in the glass, feeling guilty towards Chu Anmin, and thought about getting more game for Director Chu and taking some handsome photos of him in the future.
As the bride and groom, Zhao Jun and Ma Ling only needed to toast each table with one glass. When they came to the tables of guests from her mother's family, Wang Cuihua stood up and introduced Zhao Jun to her mother's relatives, Ma Ling's cousins and their families.
Then, it was the group of people from the village who followed Zhao Jun to pick up the bride. When Zhao Jun came over, he found that Wang Changhai and Wang Yanshuang were actually here.
Zhao Jun quickly turned around and called Wang Meilan who was chatting with sisters Wang Cuihua and Wang Cuilan.
When Wang Meilan came over and took a look, her face was instantly filled with surprise.
"Sixth Uncle! Sixth Aunt!" Wang Meilan was even more delighted when she saw the little old lady beside Wang Changhai. She asked directly, "Why did you come here? Why didn't you say anything?"
"My father won't let me. He said he'll wait until you're done with your work." Wang Yanshuang responded with a smile, then pointed at the woman next to him and said to Wang Meilan, "This is your fourth sister-in-law."
Wang Meilan hurriedly greeted them, and at this time, Wang Cuihua and her sister also came over. They were all Wang's family, and although they lived far away, they were still very close.
But at the moment, Wang Changhai had no time to deal with the sisters. Instead, he looked at Ma Ling beside Zhao Jun and asked Wang Meilan, "Is this Xiaojun's wife?"
"Yeah." Wang Meilan smiled, then greeted Ma Ling and said, "Ling'er, this is your sixth grandfather."
"Sixth Grandpa." Ma Ling called Wang Changhai, and Wang Changhai's eyebrows jumped with joy. His wife beside him held Ma Ling's hand and looked at her carefully and said, "This girl is so pretty!"
Ma Ling smiled shyly, and then someone beside her interrupted, "It's up to me."
The smile on Ma Ling's face froze, but the others laughed out loud because it was Ma Dafu who interrupted.
Wang Cuihua and the Ma family stayed behind to greet Wang Changhai, while Zhao Jun continued to toast with Ma Ling.
This banquet was mainly to entertain the forest rangers under Zhao Jun. Although Zhao Jun could not remember many of these people's names, it did not hinder their respect for Zhao Jun.
When Zhao Jun came over to toast, the mountain men stammered and praised Zhao Jun in every way they could think of. Some of their words were totally irrelevant, which made Li Baoyu and Li Ruhai, who were following Zhao Jun, laugh secretly.
By the time Zhao Jun had toasted the last table, the banquet was almost over and the forest rangers stood up one after another.
Seeing this, Zhao Jun hurried over and asked, "Are you leaving now? Sit for a while."
"Team Leader Zhao." At this time, Song Fuan from the forest protection team took out a red paper account book from his pocket. The account book was rolled up, and there was a thick stack of money.
"This is the gift account written to you by the 192 members of our forest protection team." Song Fuan handed over the account book and said to Zhao Jun with a smile, "It's a token of our appreciation."
At this point, Song Fuan glanced at Ma Ling before continuing, "I wish you happiness and a baby soon."
"Thank you, thank you!" Zhao Jun took the gift money and the gift account, clasped his fists and expressed his gratitude to the forest rangers who stood up.
The forest rangers were about to leave, and Zhao Jun, Ma Ling, Wang Meilan and Zhao Youcai accompanied them out the gate.
The departure of these forest rangers marked the end of the first feast of the Zhao family. But the battle continued, and the helpers and kitchen assistants cleaned up the mess.
It is now 9:10. In another 20 minutes, all the people from Yong'antun should be coming up.
"Dad, Mom." Zhao Jun called Zhao Youcai and Wang Meilan and said, "Let's go upstairs. There are guests inside."
Zhao Youcai and Wang Meilan were about to walk into the courtyard when they heard Ma Ling say, "Xiaohong, what are you doing there?"
Zhao Jun, Zhao Youcai and Wang Meilan all turned around and saw Zhao Hong, Li Xiaoqiao and Xiao Lingdang peeking out from behind the big willow tree near the door.
"What are you doing, second daughter?" Zhao Youcai asked hurriedly when he saw Zhao Hong leaning on a stick in her hand.
"I'm looking at our balloons!" Zhao Hong raised her hand and pointed at the balloons hanging on the wall and trees with her elm stick, saying, "Sun Ruihai and his friends are always thinking about our balloons."
"Oh my!" Zhao Jun heard this and said hurriedly, "If they want to take it, then take it. We still have that thing at home."
"No..." Zhao Hong refused, but was pulled over by Wang Meilan. At this time, Wang Meilan stared at Zhao Hong with a smile on her face but cold eyes.
Two seconds later, Zhao Hong, who had dropped the stick, obediently followed Wang Meilan into the house.
(End of this chapter)