Chapter 34

Xin Shengyuan’s eyes stayed on Xu Yi. He was tired of being pulled by his classmates. He pulled back his sleeves and glared at them: "Why do you talk so much? You are annoying like a piece of rotten meat."

Classmate Not bad, I laughed, then pulled his sleeve and asked him to understand.

This person had just had a good chat with Xin Yao. Xin Yao is usually a troubled person, squeamish and arrogant. Others support him and talk to him. I have never seen anyone like him so much.

This person is definitely not ordinary.

Even if I look again and again, I still can't see this person on any occasion. It's really strange. "My dear Xinyao

, why are you still hiding it from us? Could it be that this person is your Xianghuo brother?" "Bah, bah, bah, you're a guy who can't say anything nice, don't talk nonsense!" It's not like he really doesn't understand anything, so he immediately retorted, "Well, you Tao Qinghao, you love to go to Yanyue Workshop That's all, you dare to use these words to arrange me, let's see if I dare to talk to your third brother!" Like the children of big families, some have tasted the first fruit in their teens, and some love to go to Yanyue Workshop to listen to male prostitutes sing! Those who play the piano like to apply rouge, gouache, and wear flowers on their hair. It is said that scholars are noble, but there are many who go there secretly. Several of Xin Shengyuan's classmates went there secretly, learned a few decent words, and used them to tease Xin Yao. "Oh, dear brother, please forgive me, I don't dare to say anything nonsense." The man named Tao Qinghao was startled and quickly begged for mercy, "I just thought about it because you didn't say anything. I really didn't mean to set you up. "Hmph! " Tao Qinghao is most afraid of his third brother, like a puppy meeting a big insect, he behaves well every time. "Xinyao, are you really angry? Don't be angry. I have a good thing for you. It is a nine-ring chain made of white jade that my third brother brought from Guangdong and Guangxi. It is very rare." Xin Shengyuan curled his lips in disgust: "What do I want from you?" Tao Qinghao's eyes lit up. Knowing that he had calmed down, he said, "I will take you to listen to music in the evening, and I will also bring you cakes." Xin Shengyuan waved his hand and said he would not go . . As soon as he finished speaking, he saw movement on Xu Yi's side, and someone exclaimed. Then he saw Xu Yi catching the fish, which was more than a foot long. It's a big fish! The classmates stopped pestering Xin Shengyuan and ran to the lake to take a closer look. "What a big fish. Why are you so powerful?" Tao Qinghao squeezed to Xu Yi's side and said coldly. Xu Yi turned his head and saw a strange young man. He nodded and said nothing. At this moment, the young boy of the Xin family who was watching from the side ran over with insight, took the fish in Xu Yi's hand, and asked: "Xu Xiaoguan, do you want to go back first?" Be smart. Xu Yi said: "Well, let's go back." There are many big fish in this green lake, and fishing them is really not a challenge. Tao Qinghao saw that he was about to leave, so he squeezed out and spoke to the side in a familiar voice: "Who are you Xinyao? Why did you go fishing by yourself? There are servants there, and the smell is really bad. By the way, what's your name and how do you know Xin Yao?" "May I ask, sir?" Xu Yi stopped and looked at him sideways. Tao Qinghao waved his sleeves and said, "I am a classmate of Xinyao. My surname is Tao and my last name is Qinghao. I haven't taken my last name yet. The largest restaurant in Yanting County is owned by my family." When Xu Yi heard this, he smiled and said, "I'm Xu Yi. A wandering doctor." The smile on Tao Qinghao's face gradually disappeared: "..." "Xu Yi, what are you doing there with him? What do you have to talk to him about?" Xin Shengyuan trotted over and stared at him warily. Tao Qinghao glanced at him, fearing that he would talk nonsense in front of Xu Yi. He was still not sure whether Xu Yi wanted to be friends with him. If it was because of a classmate's damn words, wouldn't it be a sad loss of a good friend. "He's not a good person. He loves to play and listen to music. He doesn't do anything serious all day long. Xu Yi, you can't be nice to him." Xin Shengyuan said to Xu Yi. Tao Qinghao: "...!!!" No, everyone is a dandy, why are you different? Xu Yi glanced across the faces of the two people and saw the problem, but he couldn't figure out what it was, so he nodded. The incense on this man named Tao Qinghao was too heavy. He didn't like the smell, so he could stay away. Tao Qinghao didn't know that he was disliked by Xu Yi, so he tried to argue with Xin Shengyuan, but he soon discovered that Xin Shengyuan had abandoned his classmates and went to play with this wandering doctor named Xu Yi. ... On the other side, Xin Shengyuan explained to Xu Yi a little unreasonably: "He doesn't have a few nice words to say. I don't want you to talk to him." Xu Yi smiled and said it was okay, and did not say anything about it. Not much emotion. In his opinion, both Xin Shengyuan and Tao Qinghao were about the same age as his former cousins, and he treated them as children. "Where are we going?" Xu Yi asked. Xin Shengyuan said: "Go and wait in the guest seat. Chef Lu has set up a private seat. Let's hurry up and sit in the front. We can watch Chef Lu order tea for us." The guest seat he was talking about was located in Cuihu Pavilion. The largest yard next to it. As soon as you enter, the winding verandah is decorated with flowers of various colors and light curtains. Many maids dressed in the same color come and lead the guests into the pavilion. The Sifang Pavilion is a spacious space with two rows of coffee tables and futons. Xu Yi and Xin Shengyuan were arranged to sit in the fourth position. There were two empty rows in front of them, but no one asked why they didn't go there. Thinking there was something special about it, Xu Yi watched silently and saw the maid serving them bringing exquisite snacks, both salty and sweet, all tempting to look at. Xu Yi touched a piece and took it in his hand to eat. Xin Shengyuan next to him looked around and seemed to see something. He tugged at Xu Yi excitedly and said, "Look, Chef Lu is here!" Xu Yi said: "... " He picked up half of the snack that accidentally fell on the ground, raised his eyelids and looked in the direction Xin Shengyuan pointed.

I saw a lady wearing a gauze halter top, a narrow-sleeved short coat embroidered with pear-colored flowers, and a sky-colored bib tied around her waist. She wears a woman's hairdress, with plum blossoms, silver hairpins and pearl flowers in her hair. She looks like she is in her early twenties, with bright colors and a pair of almond-shaped eyes.

As soon as Chef Lu entered the scene, various rustling sounds could be heard around her. The officials and gentlemen sitting around the coffee table all looked sideways, with many secretive eyes.

Come to think of it, there are many people who come to have tea and fish, and there are also many people who come to see people.

This Chef Lu must have some skills, but soon, I heard a commotion.

It turned out that there were also female guests sitting on the opposite side of the wall, all here to enjoy Chef Lu's tea and cooking skills.

Xin Shengyuan said: "Chef Lu is a great chef from Bianjing. She used to work as an errand in the palace. Now she works alone. Many people want to invite her to join the palace, but she is unwilling.

She doesn't open a restaurant either. She is in the east of the city . I rented a two-story house in the street and kept more than ten or twenty maids. They were all orphans bought from the locals. They would often put up a sign and ask the high bidder to hire her to work in the house as a decent job.

If you have eaten that banquet, you will definitely remember it." Xin

Shengyuan rambled and told Xu Yi all the news he had learned.

When Xu Yi heard that she had bought many orphan girls to raise in the house, he couldn't help but look at Chef Lu more.

"How do you know so much?" Xu Yi asked casually.

Xin Shengyuan's face turned slightly red: "I, I just wanted to taste the fish she cooked, so I asked the boy to ask a few more questions."

"Oh." Xu Yi smiled.

The tea party has begun.

Xu Yi returned his attention to Chef Lu.

Ordering tea is undoubtedly a feast for the eyes. Dressed in a light gauze skirt, Chef Lu is like a dancing butterfly. Every dance and every glance is graceful and graceful, growing lotuses at every step.

After she finished her demonstration, the female servants standing on both sides came forward and handed out the tea one by one.

Xu Yi got a bowl of tea with orchids painted on it, with a layer of tea foam hanging on it. The color of the tea soup inside could be seen from between the orchid leaves.

Smell the fragrance and charm, drink it and taste slightly thick, with a bitter tea taste, and then taste a little sweet.

"Good tea!"

Someone sighed, and this sound attracted the approval of others.

Immediately, some scholars stood up and recited a poem with great enthusiasm. Everyone clapped their hands and applauded, so happy.

Xu Yi's sense of presence was very low. He drank the bowl of tea with slightly lowered eyes and added two more snacks.

Xin Shengyuan on the side also wanted to write a poem, but racked his brains and couldn't think of anything, so he had to give up.

He looked at Xu Yi and asked him how the tea was.

"Not bad." Xu Yi nodded, "The dim sum is delicious."

Xinshengyuan: "The dim sum is also made by Chef Lu!"

Xu Yi's eyes lit up: "After the tea party, can you take the dim sum away?"

Xinsheng Yuan Yuan: "..."

*

It was almost time for lunch, and Chef Lu finally announced who had caught the biggest fish. It weighed five kilograms and eight taels, and it was a big fish.

But it has nothing to do with Xu Yi or Xin Shengyuan.

As for today's banquet meal, the main dish is naturally represented by fish, which is a fish soup with fresh bamboo shoots.

I don’t know what kind of skills this Chef Lu has, so well preserved the fresh bamboo shoots that are only available in spring, so that you can still eat the crisp and tender fresh bamboo shoots in summer.

The fish meat is tender and delicious, and the soup is as rich as white soup. It also contains mutton, bacon, river shrimp, tofu and other ingredients, giving you a variety of flavors and a rich texture.

In addition, there are eight dishes including four hot and four cold. The four hot are the four hard dishes on the table. There is a cold dish, a sweet soup, a fragrant drink, and a cold pill in the four cold dishes.

Xu Yi likes to eat cold pills the most. They are soft on the outside and crispy on the inside. You can’t tell what they are used for, but they are sweet and soothing, but the quantity is too small.

After eating, Xu Yi was a little grateful to Shen Shaodong's family for inviting him to Cuiyuan today, allowing him to see the luxury of the upper class in Yanting County.

...

When the banquet was over, Chef Lu was invited by a high-ranking family, and the others dispersed to play.

Xu Yi was pulled by Xin Shengyuan and said that he would take him to the lake.

"The most fun thing in Cuiyuan is rowing, and there are actors singing to accompany you. Xu Yi, have you ever played?" Xin Shengyuan asked him.

Xu Yi shook his head. Neither he nor the original body had had the opportunity to experience it before.

I was originally from a peasant family. During the years when I was studying in private school, I only had one or two close classmates, all of whom were also from peasant families. Other kids from rich families look down on him. Outstanding and talented people have their own circle of friends. He is like a marginalized figure, and few people think of him.

"Let's go." Xu Yi said calmly.

He also wanted to see what entertainment options people had nowadays.

Coming out of the yard next to Green Lake, the two met Tao Qinghao who was looking for them.

"Xinyao! Xinyao!"

Tao Qinghao waved and called, pulling the classmate next to him over quickly.

Helpless, Xu Yi and Xin Shengyuan could only stop.

"Where are you going? How about we go together?" Tao Qinghao asked Xin Shengyuan.

Xin Shengyuan looked at him and then at Xu Yi. He didn't want to leave Tao Qinghao behind, nor did he want to spoil Xu Yi's happiness.

Tao Qinghao saw something was wrong and said, "It's okay to let this Dr. Xu follow us."

Xu Yi nodded: "Okay."

The two became a group, and Xin Shengyuan asked the young man to go and ask questions first. Whether the boats on the lake were ready or not, they slowly enjoyed the surrounding scenery while chatting about how Xin Shengyuan met Xu Yi.

The identity of the two people was really different, which aroused Tao Qinghao's curiosity.

Xin Shengyuan didn't want to say that it would bring up Xing Wu and what Xu Yi said against him for Xing Wu.

Tao Qinghao went to ask Xu Yi.

Seeing that Xin Shengyuan didn't want to mention it, Xu Yi changed the topic and said, "He's back."

"Huh?" Tao Qinghao didn't react.

At this time, the young man who ran to check bowed and said: "Mr. Sir, the boats and boatmen are ready, just wait for us to pass by."

Because of this interruption, Tao Qinghao had no time to ask again, and the topic passed like this.

This lotus lake is full of red lotuses that are in full bloom. When Xu Yi and others came over, there were already several boats in the middle of the lake, and they could still hear the gentle music.

Several young boys couldn't wait. Fortunately, Xin Shengyuan was always the center among his playmates, and he was the first one to get on the boat. Tao Qinghao wanted to go up second, but Xin Shengyuan shouted and asked Xu Yi to go up.

Tao Qinghao gritted his teeth, feeling that in Xin Shengyuan's eyes, he might not be as good as Xu Yi!

So angry.

He was the third one to get on the boat with a sullen face and was unwilling to do so. He rubbed Xu Yi's shoulders angrily and sat down.

Xin Shengyuan didn't care whether he was angry or not, he was already telling Xu Yi about the fun of visiting the lake.

"Xu Yi, whatever music you want to listen to, Yue Xiaoniang can play any popular music," he said.

Yue Xiaoniang was sitting on the bow of the boat, holding a pipa and wearing a gauze scarf on her face, looking at her graceful figure.

Xu Yi asked her: "Can Huaiyin be Pingchu?"

Others in the boat: "..."

Then there was bursts of laughter, and the jokers were all those young classmates.

Xu Yi glanced over, and there seemed to be a murderous intent.

The laughter stopped suddenly, and Tao Qinghao said with a smile: "Who would like to come to the lake to listen to such music? Doctor Xu is so interesting."

This was a curse.

Xu Yi said lightly: "In Tao Xiaoguan's opinion, what kind of music should I listen to?"

Xin Shengyuan, who was sitting next to him, was startled and felt a sense of familiarity.

Sure enough, he heard Tao Qinghao say: "Of course it's to listen to that Yingying ditty, Wan Wan's speech."

And Xu Yi said unhurriedly: "A beauty can buy platinum and a collar, but it can be three or four, and a scholar can put it in his heart." In the sleeves, the beauty shook hands and said, "It's vulgar." [Note 1] This is quite appropriate to give to Tao Xiaoguan."

Tao Qinghao was stunned, and then he understood the meaning of the words. He jumped up in anger: "You are scolding me!?"

Xu Yi remained calm: "No."

Xin Shengyuan and several others were also stunned.

Xin Shengyuan realized it first, fearing that Tao Qinghao would hit someone, so he immediately hugged him: "Sit down, sit down, how unbecoming is it to make noise on the boat."

"Are you talking about me too?" Tao Qinghao exhaled angrily and stared at Xinsheng in surprise. Yuan looked at it for a long time, "Who is he, worthy of you and me being angry here? Xinyao, last time you said that I was your best confidant."

Xin Shengyuan hesitated, feeling embarrassed in his ears He whispered, "I've been told that too."

"What? Can you tolerate this?" Tao Qinghao became even more unhappy.

Seeing this, Xin Shengyuan could only bite the bullet and continue to whisper: "He is Xing Wu's good friend. We didn't quarrel and didn't know each other last time. Just bear with it. He is very capable."

Tao Qinghao's breath stagnated, what? What kind of ability can allow Xinyao to calm down and make friends with the other party?

Xu Yi didn't look sideways. When he calmed down and sat back down with a puffed face, Xu Yi knew that Xin Shengyuan had coaxed him.

Xin Shengyuan sighed: "Stop saying a few words."

He knew that Xu Yi was a talker and knew many allusions, but he didn't know where the words he just said came from.

Others want to know too.

Xu Yi said: "I read it from a strange book, and it is quite interesting to use to amuse people."

Naturally, he would not say that this sentence comes from a passage in "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio: Yishui Scholars" written by Pu Songling in the Qing Dynasty. .

Use it to evaluate Tao Qinghao, who is vulgar and can't listen to noble music, and can only listen to popular music. Even if Tao Qinghao doesn't know the source, he can still understand the four words "vulgar and intolerable", but it will make him jump in anger.

However, Xu Yi is not the kind of person who likes to cause trouble.

For the next time, he listened intently to Yue Xiaoniang playing the pipa and singing the beautiful sound of flowers.

Tao Qinghao also changed his anger. While he was talking to Xin Shengyuan, he looked at Xu Yi out of the corner of his eye, wishing he could see some holes in him.

The boats floated leisurely on the lake, making people's bones numb and drowsy.

When the boat reached the middle of the lake, it was surrounded by lots of lotus leaves.

The boatman put the wood pulp aside and sat cross-legged on the edge of the bow.

The teenagers sitting in the boat couldn't restrain their boredom. They all got up and walked around the bow to admire the beautiful scenery around them.

Xu Yi also walked out. His eyes fell on the opposite shore of the lake. Before getting on the boat, he had not realized how big the lake was. Now that he was in the center, he realized that the lake was deeper and larger than he had imagined.

Suddenly, Xu Yi fixed his gaze on the distance and asked, "What's going on over there?"

"Where?" Xin Shengyuan looked and found that it was a bit far away.

"A boat has capsized!" The boatman had good eyesight and immediately saw the problem. He quickly shouted to the other side, "Hey! You can hear it!"

Xu Yi frowned and spoke very quickly: "We have to get there. "Quickly, give me the oar."

"Can the young man rock the boat?" the boatman wanted to ask.

Xu Yi had already passed him and picked up the oar lying aside. He had just looked all the way and knew how the boatman rocked the boat.

The boatman didn't waste any time, and immediately took the spare oar from the bottom of the boat, and the two of them rowed towards the accident boat.

Soon, they heard calls for help.

There were several people on the boat. When the boat tilted, two men standing on the edge fell into the lake.

There were no servants on the boat, only a boatman who knew how to swim. The boatman hurried down to rescue the man, but he could only hook the man nearby. When he rescued the man, the other young man was nowhere to be seen!

"Cough cough cough... cough cough cough... hurry up, there are... there are still people..." The drowning young man was soaked all over, covered his mouth and coughed violently, and shouted in a mute voice with a pale face.

Seeing this, Xu Yi jumped into the lake without saying a word.