Qin San Niang was stunned for a moment, and only after being nudged by the village head did she react, "Da Wa's mother, it's all up to you! I'll have Jin Cai go and catch a chicken."
It was just a token gesture, but I never expected you to actually stay! Now that things have come to this, Aunt Qin can't possibly let you leave! Besides, didn't you say you wanted to pay for the meal?
"Uncle Village Head, please invite the gentlemen into the hall. I'll have my family serve them some tea."
"Oh, you've gone to all this trouble again!" Chen Sheng said awkwardly. He was originally the village head, so it was only right that he should take the adults to his house. But where would he get such good things? Besides, don't think he couldn't tell. Last time, that noble Minister of Agriculture probably just thought the food at Da Wa's house was delicious.
"Don't mention it, it's too much trouble. You're doing this for everyone, we know that! Besides, this tea was a gift from someone else, I don't know if it's good or not."
Although Qin San Niang said that, the tea she brought out was quite good. After all, he was the county magistrate, and he had seen all kinds of good things. There were also Qi Zhubu and the Sinong, who were probably all very wealthy.
So, the chubby girl nervously served them tea and then quickly left. Oh my god, that was terrifying!
"Auntie, why are all those officials so scary?" She didn't know where her mother and Aunt Hongying had gone, so she was conscripted by Aunt San Niang.
"Hey, you silly girl. Of course, that official has his own authority; otherwise, how could he adjudicate cases and seek justice for the wronged?"
Not to mention Fatty, even when she first met the magistrate, she felt that his official robes were particularly dignified. This was the kind of solemnity that comes with long service in officialdom. Although Magistrate Jia looked kind, he was definitely not someone who could be easily fooled.
Fatty thought about it and realized that made sense! If the official didn't have any authority and was just smiling like the eldest brother of the Cheng family next door, that wouldn't do!
Seeing that she had calmed down a bit, Qin San Niang asked her to bring a plate of fruit. The family was not short of fruit at all. They had all kinds of fruit, such as peaches, apricots, pears, and grapes. There was no other way, as these were all raw materials for the jam and dried fruit workshops, and they naturally had to buy them in large quantities.
The eldest child will leave some better food for his family to eat.
These fresh grapes are quite appetizing.
"Hmm, these grapes are good!" Qi Yuchen popped one into his mouth and asked the chubby girl, "Girl, is this tea from your family? I've never had it before."
Neither Magistrate Qi nor Magistrate Jia had ever tasted it before. They had assumed it was just some wild vegetable tea from the countryside, but to their surprise, the brewed tea was a bright, tender green, with a fragrant and rich flavor, and a lingering sweetness after each sip—qualities only found in top-quality tea. They knew, however, that the farmer probably wouldn't have access to such fine tribute tea, but the fact remained: their tea was indeed exceptionally delicious.
The chubby girl knew the answer and replied crisply, "Sir, this tea was picked by my third aunt from the mountains. She then roasted it, processed it, and did all the fixing and stuff. She even gave it a nice name, Biluochun."
"Biluochun?" Qi Zhubu muttered, then looked more closely. "The tea leaves are slender and curled into a spiral shape, with a delicate and lasting fragrance and a sweet aftertaste! A bowl of clear water, the tea leaves shaped like snails—what a good name! Did your aunt come up with this name?"
"Hey, this name wasn't chosen by my aunt, it was chosen by Master He," Fatty replied. She wasn't wrong; although it was intentionally suggested by Third Sister Qin, the name "Biluochun" did indeed come from Scholar He's mouth.
“Master He is our village’s private tutor, oh, he’s the teacher of that little kid from before, and also our village’s top scholar.” Village head Chen Sheng finally found a topic to talk about.
They recounted everything from how they came to Shiligou, how they settled down, to how they led everyone to a better life. They even mentioned how some of the children were kidnapped by bandits and how Gu Qingshan could fight wild boars one-on-one. Moreover, they described these events in a dramatic way. If it weren't for the wrong timing and location, Qi Yuchen would have applauded!
This guy is really talented. In his opinion, he's almost as good as the storyteller in the teahouse!
Magistrate Jia's eyes lit up when he heard this. He never expected that there would be such a wonderful person in this remote and impoverished place. This Lady Qin is truly extraordinary!
When the food was served, both Magistrate Jia and Clerk Qi were shocked.
What happened to the simple meals and the bittersweet memories? None of that happened! The two of them looked at Qi Yuchen at the same time, and now they understood why this guy wanted to stay here to eat and drink. It turned out he knew that the food here was not ordinary!
Once the county magistrate was seated at the table, the others no longer needed to join him, but the hostess, Qin San Niang, could still sit at the table.
He Yingyuan was also invited by the village head. Everyone was very curious about this top scholar, so naturally they didn't say anything against it.
I thought he was a bookworm, but it turns out he was completely different. He was elegant, witty, reasonable, and neither arrogant nor humble. This... has completely refreshed my worldview.
Because of the tight schedule and everyone's hunger, Qin San Niang really couldn't prepare anything too complicated, but she still had to make a proper presentation, focusing on a balanced diet with a mix of meat and vegetables.
I heated up a bowl of yesterday's braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens, and also had a plate of braised pig's head. I also killed the fat fish in the tank, sliced it, and made a "mouthwatering fish" dish. I couldn't waste the remaining fish bones and head, so I made a fish head with chopped chili peppers. I also made a big bowl of fish soup wontons with the fresh meat wontons I had made yesterday.
There was also the chicken from the village head's house, so I quickly made a poached chicken. Thinking that the adults were probably tired of eating meat every day, I also picked cucumbers and loofahs from the backyard and made a cucumber salad and a loofah and egg drop soup.
This was another meal Qi Yuchen hadn't eaten before. He felt the dishes from the previous meal were already excellent, and he wouldn't get tired of them even if he ate them again, especially the spicy blood curd dish—it was so addictive, he wanted to eat it again and again. He hadn't expected the menu to change this time, and he felt a little disappointed, but then he tasted the braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens.
Wow, what kind of divine way of eating is this? It's so delicious! The next second, the chopsticks started flying.
Seeing his appearance, Magistrate Qi felt the urge to teach him a lesson. He thought to himself, "You are a noble young master, so you should be more careful when you're out in public. Don't act like you haven't eaten in eight hundred years."
But when he turned his head, what did he see? Magistrate Jia's chopsticks were moving at a speed that was in no way inferior to Qi Yuchen's! Who was it that told him yesterday that he hadn't had a good appetite lately?
"Chief Clerk Qi, eat up! Aren't you hungry too?" Qi Yuchen picked up a piece of poached chicken, the kind that's covered in sauce, and gestured for him to eat quickly.
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