Chapter 381 Longevity Banquet
The soup is sour with a hint of sweet. A spoonful of it has a slightly sticky texture. It is the essence that is boiled down after the fish scales have melted away.
The fish is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a golden and crispy skin and a fresh and chewy inside, imbued with the unique aroma of black plums.
In Zhenwei Pavilion, three distinguished guests sat around a table, enjoying the delicious black plum and golden fish soup.
September stood at the door, waiting for the three to finish.
After a while, the three distinguished guests came out of Zhenwei Pavilion one after another.
The leader was an old man in tattered clothes, holding a banner in his hand, and looked like a fortune teller.
Behind the old man was a noble lady in gorgeous clothes, with a veil covering her face. She had never taken it down even when she was enjoying the fish soup just now.
The last one walking was the woman. She walked very carefully and had a small bag in her hand.
The three of them walked to the counter on the first floor, and Chang Li extended his hand to them with a smile.
The fortune teller picked his teeth and dropped two copper coins into his palm.
"Huh... This Shanhai Tower really lives up to its reputation. After drinking a bowl of fish soup, I feel refreshed and full of energy! Let's go!"
After saying this, he picked up the banner and left.
Yun Ran sat in a bamboo chair by the window in her room, looking down at the old man as he left.
Under the scorching sun, the old man's body did not produce any white smoke, but wisps of black air came out and disappeared in an instant.
In the wilderness of the north there is a stone lake, a thousand miles square, with banks more than fifty feet deep. It is always frozen, and only melts for fifty to sixty days around the summer solstice.
There is a horizontal fish in the lake, which is seven or eight feet long and looks like a carp but red. It lives in the water during the day and turns into a human at night. It cannot be stabbed or killed by a spear, but it will die if boiled with two black plums. Eating it can cure evil diseases.
Fortune-telling Taoist priests are easily contaminated by evil spirits, and sure enough, this thing is very effective.
Yun Ran held up her rosy cheeks and smiled gently.
In front of the counter on the first floor, the noble lady in gorgeous dress and light veil covering her face made a move and gave a gold ingot.
Chang Li was a little apprehensive: "Madam is generous."
The noble lady was unconcerned: "Your master's cooking is excellent, and I enjoyed the meal. By the way, the Emperor's Birthday Festival is in three days. I'd like to invite your master to the palace to show off his cooking skills."
After she finished speaking, she waved her hand, and the little maid waiting in the corner hurried over and supported her.
"They say your master is not very old. If there is a chance, I would like to meet him. Xinglu, let's go."
Among the distinguished guests, there were many prominent figures in the capital, so Yun Ran showed up once or twice at first, but later on, to avoid trouble, he asked Uncle Chang and the ten maids to come out for the socializing.
As a result, over the past few years, the identity of the young master of Shanhai Tower has become more and more mysterious.
The noble lady walked away with her dress swaying, leaving behind a woman wearing old clothes full of patches.
Perhaps she didn't know how much silver to pay, so she rummaged through her tattered pocket for a long time and took out two copper coins.
With trembling hands, he placed it in Chang Li's palm.
Chang Li kept smiling as he only kept one copper coin and returned the other to the woman.
The woman's eyes widened: "I... ate, ate a bowl of soup..."
"That's enough." Chang Li said.
The woman looked down and saw the handkerchief she was holding in her hand, wrapped up in a ball. She murmured, "Can...can I take it back and give it to...to my son to taste?"
Chang Li nodded: "As you wish."
"Thank... Thank you! Thank you!"
The woman suddenly became excited, her hand holding the handkerchief trembling violently: "They... They say that as long as we are guests of Shanhai Tower, everyone is equal, regardless of status... So, it turns out to be true!"
"Xiaobao is blessed now! Woo woo woo..."
She cried with shaking shoulders.
Chang Li handed the square handkerchief over, but the woman didn't take it. She covered her face with her hands and ran away crying.
She had fled to Kuizhou after her family had suffered a disaster, leaving only her and her five-year-old son.
After arriving in Kuizhou, she made a living by doing needlework for others every day, and the mother and son barely got by.
But later Xiaobao fell ill. She spent a lot of money to see a doctor, but Xiaobao still didn't get better. He was crazy and talking nonsense all day long.
Xiaobao's condition is worse today. He has been in a coma. They haven't eaten anything for two days.
She only had two copper coins left on her. She wanted to buy a steamed bun, but things were too expensive in Kuizhou; a steamed bun cost three copper coins.
When she was at her wit's end, she came to the door of Shanhai Tower, gritted her teeth, and went in to try her luck.
…
In Yun Ran's room on the third floor, a beautiful middle-aged woman was sitting upright.
Her hair is covered with golden hairpins and flowers, her arms are wrapped with gold in a brocade dress, her eyes are like autumn water, and her lips are like red.
It was Yun Ran's mother Yin Qianlan (He Chunxiu).
Yin Qianlan and Yun Sanlang's breakfast shop is now thriving, with many branches in Kuizhou and the capital, and naturally they have made a lot of money.
After the family of four got together, they bought a three-courtyard house in Kuizhou. When Yin Qiu found out about it, he was happy and relieved. He rushed over and selected some reliable maids and servants to serve them.
Now, Yin Qianlan and Yun Sanlang just need to go to the shop every day and check the accounts.
Yun Chengxi is now seven years old and is studying at Kuizhou Academy. Yin Qianlan has much more free time, so she comes to Yun Ran from time to time.
"In a few days it will be the Emperor's birthday. The Emperor will host a banquet for all the ministers. Your grandfather said he wants to take our family of four with him."
Yun Ran held his chin with one hand and tugged at the hem of his clothes with the other, his face looking gloomy.
"Mom, I won't go."
"Why?" Yin Qianlan feigned anger. "The mighty general has returned in triumph, and your second brother is coming back too. Your eldest brother always says he misses you, but he's usually busy. Now that you finally have the chance, why don't you go see him?"
"You go with my grandpa and the others," Yun Ran pouted, "There are so many people in the palace, I feel dizzy just looking at them."
"Besides, there's no rush to see my elder and second brothers. They'll definitely come over to my place for a meal anyway."
"You," Yin Qianlan said helplessly. Her smart eyes moved, as if she had thought of something, and she smiled and said, "I heard that Prince Jing'an is also coming back for the Wanshou Festival."
"What does that have to do with me?" Yun Ran turned her head away, a slight blush appearing on her tender little face.
It was already dark outside, and red lanterns were hung in every household and shop on the street.
"You really aren't going? Anyway, I've brought your message." Yin Qianlan smiled lightly, "Then you can take a rest. I'm leaving."
"Well, mother, take care. Let Uncle Chang take you there!"
The door creaked shut, and the little girl reached out, grabbed the embroidered pillow on the bedside table, and held it in her arms.
Little Prince Jing'an is coming back.
How long has it been since they last saw each other?
It’s been seven years.
Yun Ran sniffed and thought that Brother Xiaojing might have forgotten about her.
In the first one or two years, they occasionally exchanged letters, but later, that stopped.
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