Chapter 54: Cream of mushroom soup is like fine mutton-fat jade, with steam rising from its core.

"Oh, this cripple hasn't given up yet." The hook-nosed man sneered.

He casually tossed the fish to the ground. Its tail lashed out, sending the few remaining drops of water splattering everywhere. Its mouth opened and closed, as if crying out for help.

After struggling a few times, it gradually became exhausted and became motionless.

"Remember the criteria I gave you. Students from aristocratic families are not allowed to be involved. Only those with no background and little fame are selected."

The hook-nosed man wiped his hands with a silk handkerchief and said with disgust, "The most important thing is to have real talent and knowledge."

"Yes." The servant bowed obediently and retreated.

The servants understood that when doing things for important people, they didn't need to ask too many questions and just had to do it meticulously as required.

The more you know, the faster you die.

This was the third time they had "selected" candidates on the eve of the Spring Examination.

None of those chosen by the adults made the list.

As the sun grows brighter, the newly-opened willow buds flicker green and yellow. A gentle breeze caresses my face, bringing a gentle warmth.

The elegant scholars who were standing under the trees and beside the winding streams gradually gathered at the main venue.

Get ready for a feast.

"Brother Tian, ​​please, let's have a few more drinks, and then go play pot-throwing and show our gentlemanly demeanor."

"You're too polite, Li Xuedi. I'm afraid I'm not as good as you in terms of archery skills."

The focus of a spring banquet has never been on food, but on toasting and talking about the past and present.

Take Yangan student Li Mi as an example. Before going out in the morning, he ate a piece of sesame cake in the inn.

After arriving at the venue, he was only concerned with making friends with classmates and forming small groups, and his stomach was already growling with hunger.

But you can't relax at this time.

During the meal, he wanted to drink and talk happily, first praising Brother Tian's poetry and painting, then praising Brother Sun's ability to play the piano and the zither, and finally showing off his own skills in throwing pots.

As for what to eat, it doesn’t matter.

"Is this year's banquet contracted by Ruyifang or Wangyunxuan?" These are the only restaurants around, and their signature dishes are well-known.

"Everyone, the news is delayed," a Lizhou scholar said with a smile, "Look, that's the head chef—Mr. Muxi. I heard he's also the supervisor of students from the northern border."

"What?" Everyone was stunned and looked up in unison.

I saw a man with rough features walking to the center of the stage with firm steps, and the hand holding the gong hammer moved slightly.

"Dang—" He struck a gong lazily, "The food and wine are ready. Let's feast!"

He seemed impatient to say a lot of opening remarks, so he was brief and to the point.

"That's it?" Li Mi rolled his eyes secretly. They didn't even greet the guests from all corners of the world. It was too casual.

"A gentleman should not enter the kitchen." A student sneered, "The teachers in the northern border are so idle, no wonder there are no names on the list."

As they were talking, the appetizers were already served.

Traditionally, cold dishes should be served first. However, considering the cold weather in early spring, Guizhier was creative and borrowed some exotic methods.

Take wheat flour and water and knead it. After the dough ferments, place it in a brick oven and bake it over charcoal fire until it is golden and crispy.

Then spread fresh chopped tomatoes, chopped tea leaves, etc. on the surface of the sliced ​​bread.

A mixture of sweet and sour with a refreshing fragrance, with a rich taste.

"Crunch." When you take a bite, the outer skin is crispy and chewy, while the inside is soft and slightly sweet.

The students looked at each other, ignoring the ridicule, and fixed their eyes on the milky soup behind the bread.

"Slurp." He swallowed it in one gulp, steaming hot.

The soup was the color of fine jade and was steaming hot. It was based on cream, but sugar was removed and replaced with diced mushrooms.

A rich fragrance fills the air.

Li Mi rubbed his hands. They had been exposed to the cold wind for a long time and were frozen stiff and red.

Now, after a few bites of bread and a bowl of cream of mushroom soup, I felt warm all over.

The student who had just sneered didn't say anything and just stuffed the food into his mouth.

With "tea" as the theme, tender and smooth tea-smoked chicken breast, cracked but not broken tea eggs, crispy tea-mixed lotus root slices, as well as Longjing shrimp and tea-flavored spareribs that Guizhier had made, were served on the table in various ways.

The students were dazzled by the choices.

Li Mi held the pearl milk tea in his hand. When he sucked the last tapioca starch bead, he regretted that he should not have eaten the sesame cake in the morning.

"Or I can have another bowl of rice." He burped.

Oops!

I was so busy eating that I forgot to take this opportunity to make friends.

Li Mi picked up his cup and was about to ask someone to toast him, but he saw Tian Xuexiong eating heartily, with a smear of sauce on the corner of his mouth, which was particularly abrupt.

Junior Sun secretly hid the tea egg in his sleeve, feeling guilty.

Well, now I'll just show off my skills of leaping like a dragon and soaring like a falcon, and hitting the target with every shot in the pot, but I guess no one will watch.

"The finale - the first spring dish!"

It was still Guizhier who played Mr. Muxi on the stage and struck the gong lazily.

This dish is nothing short of magical.

She took out a small piece of dry ice from the space and placed it on a plate. The dry ice absorbed heat, and the surrounding air was cooled and liquefied into white mist.

The looming effect opened the eyes of everyone present.

When the fog clears, you can see that the "First Spring Colors" use the most seasonal fruits and vegetables and the freshest meat.

The chefs invited by Guizhier wrote letters each added some of their specialties, creating a splendid gathering that received applause from the whole room.

"A great victory in Zhenbei! Everyone, the news just came in from the post station, riding horses and whipping! A great victory in Zhenbei!"

Just at this moment, a communications officer, sweating profusely, rushed into the banquet.

"Well, it really is the first spring harvest!" The dignitaries sitting in the upper seats were proud of it and smiled from ear to ear.

The nomadic robbers from the Kuqiyanwushi tribe in the northern border have been around for a long time. I heard that they were repelled once before. This victory must be of great significance.

Guizhier was half surprised and half happy.

She still remembered the young man's spirited look when he had refused the unreasonable demands of the local gentry and used a wooden chopstick dipped in water to outline the topographic map of the Xuantian Ancient Road battle at a banquet.

He is indeed a young general.

"Who is the current general of the North?" a guest asked curiously. "I only remember that the title of General Manager is a figment of the imagination and has been vacant for a long time."

"You don't even know this." Someone who was well-informed pointed to the location where Young Master Xie was from a distance.

The latter was rolling up the sleeves of his stone-blue satin shirt and adjusting the strings of his zither, his expression focused and elegant.

"The current Major General of the Northern Territory is this man's successor, the future Prince Consort!"

"Clang clang." Xie Yuan strummed the strings with both strength and softness.

The general summoned his troops, and the horses and spears came galloping forward. The clear and powerful sound of the strings was like the sound of war drums and the clatter of horse hooves.

Going to the battlefield and killing the enemy, a song of the general's order is just right for the scene.

Seeing this, Yang'an student Li Mi swallowed the last bite of food and stood up in a hurry.

Good opportunity!

He rushed to the center of the banquet in two steps, with his back to the pot, and holding a feather arrow in his hand. He took a deep breath, and the feather arrow flew steadily towards the mouth of the pot with a shake of his wrist.

"Beautiful!" It hit the center of the pot, and everyone exclaimed in admiration.

Li Mi was secretly pleased. He suppressed the corners of his mouth that turned up, and said with a bow, "Excuse me, excuse me."

With this good news, this year's Spring Banquet was an exceptional success.

In the final step, when the masterpieces are displayed and the audience judges their quality, using spring tea as the voting point is even more ingenious.

The small and exquisite teapot is wrapped with curled tea leaves, with a light and elegant fragrance. Each person present can vote for three tickets.

"This tea bag might have touched the hands of the future number one scholar. I have to pay extra to buy it back and hang it in my son's study." The rich man joked.

"I would rather pay a few master chefs a large sum of money to come to my house and prepare a few banquets." Another person continued.

Chef Muxi said that his cooking skills were learned from Miss Gui from the North.

The master travels around the world and plans to open a shop in Hangzhou or Beijing in the future.

Everyone thought that Miss Gui might have become an old lady with white hair and a youthful face, so they didn't take it too seriously.

The final suspense is who will win the first place in the Spring Banquet.

"Brother Tian's poetry and painting are unparalleled, not to mention he took first place in the provincial exam. He will definitely win first place." Li Mi's face was filled with a sincere smile, "My vote is the icing on the cake."

After saying that, he placed the tea bag under the camellia painting.

Turning around, he accurately spotted another student he wanted to make friends with, and eagerly went to greet him.

"Brother Sun, you are a young talent. Your calligraphy is so powerful that it can be felt through the paper." Li Mi said attentively, "Brother Sun, I am ashamed of myself."

After saying that, he also put down the tea bag.

With only one vote left, he looked around furtively.

Seeing that no one paid attention, Li Mi straightened his clothes and pretended to be natural as he walked along the wall towards his works.

These people are blind to the value of gold and jade.

Instead of keeping the only tea bag left, you might as well vote for your own masterpiece.

"Huh?" Halfway through, his attention was attracted by another article.

The handwriting was more steady than that of Junior Sun. After carefully reading the content, every word was precious, and Li Mi's eyes gradually flashed with admiration.

"Is this signed... Linghe Wang Pu?"