Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 464: Snowy Weather, Some Are Happy While Others Are Sad

Everyone cheered and said, "Thank you, sir," then picked up their chopsticks and started eating.

There are many people, and the way they eat is different.

The yamen runners and servants were all strong and healthy men, although they did not dare to speak loudly because the adults were around.

But he ate voraciously, gobbling up every little bit, and from time to time he couldn't help whispering, "This dish is delicious, you guys should try it." He ate with great vigor.

The two adults and the two legal advisors are already middle-aged and are both scholars.

They tasted each dish leisurely, chatting from time to time, eating slowly and with excellent table manners.

Only Shen Yu's family was having the most lively meal.

The ladies were a little reserved at first, but they had met the adults before.

At this time, everyone had their own table and did not sit together.

Their table was the farthest from the adults' table, and they gradually relaxed.

Everyone was commenting quietly while eating, and from time to time they had to pick up food for the children, or remind them that the soup was too hot, to be careful when eating, and not to drip oil on their new clothes, etc. It felt like they were at home.

Shen Yu carefully looked at the expressions of people at each table.

Although their expressions were different, everyone was eating with gusto and seemed very satisfied with the dishes. So they calmed down and began to concentrate on tasting the dishes on the table.

The steamed fish is lifelike, with bean paste and candied dates stuffed in the fish belly. Each person is given a small piece, which is soft and sweet, and means surplus every year.

The chicken soup is stewed with wild mushrooms. The soup is delicious and the meat is tender. After drinking a small bowl of chicken soup, your whole body will feel warm and comfortable.

After the tightly wrapped lotus leaf is opened, the duck meat becomes tender and smooth, and tastes extremely refreshing and tender, with a light lotus leaf fragrance, fat but not greasy.

This year's Taiping eggs are made from pickled salted duck eggs. They are not big in size, but after being cooked and cut, the yolk is oily and crunchy and is extremely delicious.

The braised pork knuckle was stewed until it was cooked through. After opening the lid of the pot, I used a little force from the bamboo chopsticks to split the pork knuckle in half, and the big bone was easily picked out.

Each person is given a piece, picked up with bamboo chopsticks, and dipped in the prepared garlic and vinegar. It melts in the mouth, is soft, glutinous, smooth and extremely delicious.

The several home-cooked dishes were all unique, and with a few dumplings with thin skin and large fillings, Shen Yu was extremely satisfied with the New Year's Eve dinner.

When she finished eating, she realized belatedly that she had accidentally eaten too much.

Because the adults at the table were chatting while eating and eating slowly.

When Shen Yu's family had almost finished eating, and the yamen runners and servants had also eaten and drunk their fill, they saw that the adults had not yet finished eating, so they had no choice but to sit there and wait.

After he had even drunk one more bowl of the dumpling soup and seeing that the adults had no intention of finishing their meal, Shen Yu finally mustered up the courage to walk over to the adults' table.

She bowed and said to the adults, "My Lords, we have all finished eating at these tables. Can we please leave first and let you eat slowly here?"

Lu Zheng was talking to Yang Chi about how more people were buying pork these days than before, and they were talking very proudly.

When Shen Yu came over, I realized that the other three tables had already finished eating and were sitting there waiting bored.

He smiled and nodded, "Oh, we got carried away in our conversation. Now that we've finished eating, you can go about your business. We're not in a hurry here."

Yang Chi was listening very seriously, but when he saw Shen Yu coming over and saying that everyone had finished eating, he realized that this meal had taken quite a while.

He seemed to remember something, stood up, walked to the door of the big kitchen, lifted the cotton curtain and looked outside.

He looked at the snow falling heavier outside, a trace of worry flashed across his face. After thinking for a while, he whispered a few words to the two masters.

In fact, Master Qian and Master Liu had finished their meal long ago, but the master and Lord Yang were in the middle of a lively conversation, so they could only occasionally pick up a piece of food with their chopsticks to keep the conversation company.

After hearing what Yang Chi said, the two of them hurriedly stood up and bowed in response, saying "yes".

Lu Zheng was completely confused. He saw Master Qian waving to several yamen runners and servants, and leading a group of people away.

Shen Yu and Li looked at each other, not knowing what had happened.

In the blink of an eye, only Shen Yu's family and the two adults were left in the kitchen.

Yang Chi then turned around and said to Shen Yu as if nothing had happened: "Don't be afraid, it's nothing."

"It's because the snow is getting heavier and heavier. I'm worried that the snow will be too heavy and will collapse the houses of the people, so I asked Master Qian and his men to go out and inspect it."

How could Lu Zheng, a young man from a wealthy family, think of this? He couldn't help but ask, "How could this be..."

Before she finished speaking, she was interrupted by Yang Chi, who said with a smile, "Miss Shen, please go and clean up the kitchen."

"After Lord Lu and I finish eating, you can come over and clean up."

"The food is delicious, especially the braised pork knuckle, which melts in your mouth, soft, glutinous and smooth."

"Who wouldn't like to eat pork made with this flavor? I believe that with the influence of your restaurant, people will gradually like to eat dishes made with pork."

"Miss Shen is thoughtful. Thank you for your hard work today."

As soon as Shen Yu heard this, he knew that the two adults wanted to talk to each other privately, so he quickly replied "yes" and asked the whole family to leave the dining room and go to the kitchen next door.

Arriving at the kitchen next door, Li said anxiously, "What happened? Everything was fine just now, but when Lord Yang went to the door to take a look, everyone was gone."

"The two adults lost their joyful expressions. Aren't all the houses in the county town made of bricks and tiles? They look very solid. How could they collapse?"

Jiang seemed to have experienced this before, so she sighed and said, "On snowy days, rich people gather around the stove to cook wine and feast while appreciating the snow."

"But those who live in old houses that have been in disrepair for a long time will be worried."

"If the snow falls too heavily, it will collapse the houses."

"Not only thatched houses will collapse, but also brick and tile houses. If they are lived in for a long time and are not well maintained, they will also collapse."

"Not only will we have nowhere to stay, but if it happens at night, people may even die."

Li was reminded and thought: "Yes, yes, yes, how could I forget about not repairing it."

"I remember one year when there was heavy snow in the twelfth lunar month, two brick and tile houses collapsed in our village."

"Those two places are old houses, more than 20 years old. The owner used them as wing rooms for storing sundries and never repaired them. When there was a heavy snow, they collapsed."

"Luckily it was just a room for storing sundries, so no one was hurt."

"Is the snow going to be so heavy today? It doesn't look that heavy to me."

Jiang shook her head and said, "I don't know either. But it has been raining since early morning. It doesn't look heavy, but there is not a single breeze."

"This snow is going to fall soon."