Chapter 32: Twelve Dishes for a Birthday Banquet
Shen Hanxing, still holding the tea in her hand, turned to look at him and said, "Can't you write it yourself?"
Cheng Lesheng flicked the folding fan in his hand and said, "My handwriting is not as beautiful as yours."
"I knew you called me here for no good reason."
Wen Zhenyi saw that the brush, ink, paper and inkstone had been delivered: "Can we start?"
Shen Hanxing nodded: “Go ahead.”
"Coral Melon Rolls, Fresh Pepper Snail Slices, Duck Rolls with Wine and Egg Yolk, Thousand Layer Vegetarian Clothes, Cabbage in Clear Water, Four Joys Lucky Bag, Golden Monkey Presenting Peaches, Longevity and Success, Longevity Noodles, White Peaches, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Osmanthus Stewed Bones. Twelve dishes in total."
Cheng Lesheng was originally waving a folding fan in his hand, with a smile on his face, but his expression was a little stiff. Just hearing the names of these twelve dishes, he already wondered what the hell he had been eating in the past few years.
Wen Zhenyi took a sip of tea and said, "These are the twelve dishes made based on the available ingredients. Of course, if you can buy game or something, the menu can be adjusted."
Cheng Lesheng swallowed his saliva in a very unpromising manner: "Can it be adjusted?"
Wen Zhen nodded: "It's just that the uncertainty of wild game is too high, I don't recommend you to change it."
Shen Hanxing looked at the menu above: "These dishes are already very good, and the names are meaningful."
Cheng Lesheng pointed at the dishes on it and asked, "What are these made of?"
“Seafood makes up the bulk of it.”
Cheng Lesheng frowned: "Seafood always smells fishy, how can it be delicious?"
"We are at the beach and can eat the freshest ingredients. It would be a shame to waste them."
Cheng Lesheng couldn't make up his mind and turned to look at Shen Hanxing. You know, although they live by the sea, the things in the sea have a fishy smell and not many people like to eat them.
This banquet invited many prominent people, and if something goes wrong, people would laugh at you.
Shen Hanxing naturally knew his concerns: “Sister Wen, can you change some of them? Master Cheng is afraid that the guests will not like them.”
Wen Zhen nodded: "Okay, but pork is not allowed recently. Are lamb, beef and chicken okay?"
Cheng Lesheng nodded quickly: "Okay, okay. But why can't we eat pork recently?"
"Many people in the county are suffering from vomiting and diarrhea after eating pork. To be safe, I suggest you avoid eating pork for the time being."
"Is there such a thing?"
Shen Hanxing nodded: “I also heard grandpa talk about this today.”
Wen Zhenyi considered the menu and said, "I suggest you keep one Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and one Golden Monkey Offering Peaches. I'll replace the conch slices and melon rolls from the previous dish."
"Okay, what do you want to change it to?"
"Boiled beef and jubilation."
"OK."
Wen Zhenyi originally wanted to buy the ingredients herself, but then she thought it would be better to let the people from Cheng’s house buy some vegetables, and she would just buy the main ingredients later.
"Master Cheng, we need you to buy some ingredients in advance. I will go buy some special ingredients myself. You can just send someone to follow me."
"Okay, these are small things."
"Also, some of the ingredients in your food warehouse need to be processed in advance, and I will come over to handle them personally when the time comes."
Cheng Lesheng nodded: "Okay, I will talk to the doorman of the mansion."
Wen Zhenyi looked at Shen Hanxing: "Brother Shen, I would like to trouble you to write some more ingredients for me."
Shen Hanxing nodded gently: “You say.”
“Celery, fresh chili peppers, dried chili peppers, lettuce…”
Shen Hanxing put down the brush: “Is that all?”
"Could you please read it to me? I'll see if I've missed anything."
Chen Hanxing's gentle and pleasant voice came out from his thin lips, and every word was pronounced clearly, making people feel like they were bathed in spring breeze.
When Wen Zhenyi listened to him reciting, he felt that it was a kind of enjoyment, the kind that could make his ears pregnant.
After Shen Hanxing finished reading the last word, he turned to look at her: "Is there anything missing?"
"No, that's all for now. I'll buy the rest myself."
Cheng Lesheng looked at Shen Hanxing: "You will come to my father's birthday!"
Shen Hanxing nodded: "Of course I will come to my uncle's birthday."
"That's better. If I hadn't come, my dad would have been nagging me for a long time."
Wen Zhenyi thought about it and made sure nothing was left out, so he stood up and prepared to say goodbye: "Mom, let's go back."
Ma Yinghe drank her tea silently the whole time. When she heard Wen Zhenyi calling her, she put down her teacup and said, "Are you ready?"
Wen Zhenyi smiled and nodded: "Okay."
Shen Hanxing also stood up and prepared to leave: “It’s nothing for me, so I’m leaving too.”
"Don't you want to stay and play for a while?" Cheng Lesheng looked at him.
"I'm not you. I still have a lot of homework to finish."
Cheng Lesheng propped up his chin with one hand: "If you weren't in such poor health, you would have been a scholar long ago."
Chen Hanxing just smiled faintly: "I don't necessarily need to take the imperial examination to study in a private school, it's also good this way."
"With all your excuses, since you want to leave, please help me send Madam Wen and Miss Wen out."
"You're really not polite at all."
"We grew up together, so why should I be so polite to you?" He yawned and said, "I'm going to go back to sleep and then go play polo with them."
Shen Hanxing looked at him helplessly and shook her head, then turned to look at Ma Yinghe: “Aunt Wen, let me take you out.”
Wen Zhenyi turned to look at him, his eyes full of curiosity.
Shen Hanxing felt her gaze and tilted his head slightly to look at her: "What's wrong?"
"Brother Shen didn't take the imperial examination because of poor health?"
Chen Hanxing nodded: "I guess so. I eat very little and my health is not very good. It will take more than an hour to get out of the examination room. I will have to stay in there for several days and nights. My body can't bear it, and I don't want Grandpa to worry."
"If you are in good health, will you take the exam?"
Chen Hanxing was slightly stunned, then showed a warm smile: "Yes, I have been reading for so long, I also want to give it a try."
Wen Zhenyi put her hands behind her back, tilted her body slightly, looked at him and blinked mischievously: "Maybe there will be a chance."
Shen Hanxing looked into her clear eyes, which were full of seriousness: "Okay."
Ma Yinghe patted his shoulder and said, "You are still young now. If you take some more time to grow up, you will definitely have a chance."
Shen Hanxing smiled and nodded: “Thank you, Aunt Wen.”
"Han Xing, are you going back to the private school?"
"I'm going to the bookstore to find some books. I won't be back until later."
Ma Yinghe and the others also walked to the outside of the gate: "Then you should go back early, and we will go back to the village first."
"Okay, Aunt Wen, goodbye, Sister Wen."
Wen Zhenyi looked at his thin back and asked: "Mom, where are Brother Shen's parents?"
"Gone a long time ago."
"Are you sick?"
Ma Yinghe shook her head: "Speaking of which, his parents and your father are about the same age as us, and I get along very well with her mother."
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