"Take one of her personal belongings. With it, I can track her down and find out where she went. Then, by searching for her, I can find out where the chili peppers she has come from."
"Really? Haha, I'll get someone to do it right away."
*
"Please come in, young lady." At the door of Yingxian Tower, the receptionist made a "please" gesture to the master and servant who came in.
The master and servant were Cai Ling and her maid Chun'er.
Cai Ling had heard that Yingxianlou had recently introduced several new dishes, which had caused the business of her own restaurant to plummet. Today, when she had some free time, she decided to come and try them. Are those dishes really as delicious as the rumors said?
"Take me to the private room." Cai Ling glanced at the lobby and frowned in disgust. She didn't want to eat with these people.
The waiter said, "Miss, you came at an inopportune time. There are no vacant private rooms. How about I arrange a seat by the window for you?"
There are no private rooms left? Cai Ling's mood suddenly turned bad. Just as she was about to turn around and leave, an old man walked in.
The waiter immediately went to greet him, "Mr. Feng, you are finally here. Our boss has been waiting at the door for several times."
While leading Mr. Feng to the backyard.
Cai Ling: "Stop!"
"Didn't you just say there were no seats left? How come there's one right after he shows up? How dare you, a mere clerk, fool me?"
The waiter smiled apologetically: "Miss, how dare I fool you, Mr. Feng is——"
He was interrupted by Cai Ling before he could finish his words. "Don't tell me those useless things. Do you know who I am? I'm the county magistrate's daughter! Now you have to vacate this old man's position for me, otherwise, I will make Yingxianlou suffer the consequences!"
Feng Xian: "You want me to make room for you?"
Cai Ling glanced at him from head to toe. Seeing that he was wearing old, ordinary clothes and had nothing valuable on him, she concluded that he was not a person of high status. She immediately raised her chin and said, "That's right, old man, if you know what's good for you, please give up your seat."
Feng Xian smiled instead of getting angry, "Cai Kuo has taught his daughter well."
"How dare you! How dare you call my father by his first name?"
At this time, Ye Diao came out and just heard these words, "What are you still standing there for? Please ask her to leave and don't spoil the guests' appetite."
If he hadn't been concerned about the image of Yingxian Tower, he would have wanted to say "fork it out".
This Cai Ling, relying on her father being a county magistrate, doesn't know her place.
It's fine if he acts arrogantly in front of the common people, but now he dares to be so arrogant in Yingxian Tower? He is really stupid.
As if to confirm Ye Diao's thoughts, Cai Ling thought that the "ta" in his words referred to Feng Xian, and her expression became more and more arrogant. "Did you hear that? Old man, get out of here quickly, otherwise... What are you doing! You are so bold! Get out of here, don't touch me! Believe it or not, I will go back and ask my father to put you in jail-"
The two waiters seemed to have completely ignored her words and forcefully "asked" her to leave.
But Cai Ling was very angry.
But what’s even more frustrating is yet to come—
She saw Ye Diao actually bowed to the old man she looked down upon. "Mr. Feng, I'm so sorry for letting this blind man offend you. I will drink three cups of wine as punishment to apologize to you later."
Cai Ling: “???!!!”
What a blind thing! How dare Ye Diao say that to her!
She kicked the gatepost outside Yingxian Tower in anger, but the post was fine, and her foot was hurt instead.
She was getting more and more angry. "Damn it!"
Ye Diao fell half a step behind and led Feng Xian into Qingtong Courtyard.
In the southeast corner of the yard is a lush sycamore tree with an umbrella-like crown. It is cool and refreshing under the tree, and the name of the yard comes from this.
As soon as he stepped into the yard, Feng Xian smelled the tempting aroma of barbecue.
The fragrance was wafting out from the hall.
Behind a floor-to-ceiling screen with eight landscape paintings on the west side of the hall, Xue Huan was grilling meat in front of a barbecue grill. She had drawn a blueprint for the grill and taken it to a blacksmith shop to have the craftsmen quickly build it. The charcoal used for grilling was made from pine wood, which had a faint pine scent when burning.
On the grill, a palm-sized chicken fillet was sizzling, and she was slowly brushing sauce on it.
There is nothing special about the barbecue, but her exclusive ingredients are definitely not available in this era.
On the table next to her, there was a wide variety of ingredients, all of which had been processed. On the other side, there were more than 20 kinds of seasonings and dipping sauces.
After entering the room, Ye Diao invited Feng Xian to sit on the couch and step on the cushion.
The wooden couch was square, about the height of a palm, facing the window, with a low table on top and a cushion on each side.
The two of them sat facing north and south.
Feng Xian glanced at the empty table. "Didn't you say you'd treat me to a meal? Why don't you see a single dish?"
"Haha, Mr. Feng, wait a moment. Today I'm treating you to barbecue. The chef I specially invited is busy behind the screen. Let's have a bowl of sour plum soup to cool off, and then eat some fruit to whet our appetite."
Ye Diao took out a bottle of chilled sour plum soup and a fruit platter from the ice container not far behind him.
The Bingjian is equivalent to an ancient refrigerator, with ice cubes on the outer layer and food or drinks on the inner layer.
The sour plum soup was also made by Xue Huan. Ye Diao poured a bowl for Feng Xian and himself. "Mr. Feng, try this sour plum soup. It's different from other soups. It's extra sour and sweet, and refreshing to relieve the heat."
Xue Huan turned over the large chicken fillet on the grill and picked up a few slices of pork belly with alternating fat and lean meat.
The pork belly was sliced very thinly and soon turned golden brown and kept shrinking.
Outside, Feng Xian was drinking cool, sweet and sour plum soup and eating ice watermelon. In one word, it felt great.
Of course, he could enjoy these things at home. After all, sour plum soup and watermelon were not rare. It was just that the sour plum soup he drank today was more delicious than any time he had drunk it before.
The same goes for those fruits.
He didn't know if it was his illusion, but after eating these fruits, he felt his spirits lifted and his body lighter.
The older people get, the heavier their body and mind become, and they can never regain the lightness and vitality of their youth.
But at this moment, he felt the long-lost relaxation, as if running a few laps outside would not be a problem.
"Did the chef prepare these?"
"good."
Feng Xian looked behind the screen and only saw a hazy figure. He couldn't help but become curious about the chef.
Just as he couldn't help but reach out to grab the third piece of watermelon, Xue Huan called out from behind the screen, "The meat is ready."
Ye Diao immediately finished eating the piece of watermelon in his hand, ran behind the screen, saw a tray of barbecue on the table, took a deep sniff, and was about to say "Thank you for your hard work, little fairy", when he saw Xue Huan pick up a piece of pork belly, dip it in the dipping sauce, and then put the meat into his mouth.
"Mm, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, no wonder I baked it, it tastes great."
Seeing Ye Diao staring at him, he couldn't help but wonder: "Why are you still standing here? The meat and dipping sauce are already prepared for you, take them out quickly."
Ye Diao touched his nose and went out with the tray.
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