Seeing that the time was almost up, Lou Jing ordered the dishes to be served. Xu Jiang said goodbye to the others and came to Madam Lou's side. Madam Lou stood up and personally ushered her to the table.
Perhaps to make things more lively, the women didn't have separate tables for the feast; instead, everyone ate together. Xu Jiang sat next to Madam Lou, and she took her seat with confidence, greeting the other ladies.
"I heard you talking about lotus root starch from afar. It sounds really tempting. If you can get some, don't forget to send some for us too."
"That's right. If we had known you were going to do these things, we should have followed you. It's tiring to just wander around the garden."
Xu Jiang smiled and said, "It just happened to happen that I got this kind of entertainment."
Mrs. Lou was happy to see her smiling calmly, "Next time something like this happens, I'll send someone to call you."
"good."
As they were talking, the maids came with the dishes.
Defangzhai's reputation in food is equivalent to Jisheng Bookstore's reputation in the field of tombs and classics; both are top-notch in the capital.
Xu Jiang loves food and knows a lot about food, so it's inevitable that she is curious.
The first dish served was roasted lamb, a common dish in the capital, indispensable for banquets of all sizes. It was the middle of winter, so it was quite appropriate.
Next came the chicken and duck, steamed and boiled. The steamed chicken was cooked with perfect timing, appearing fresh and tender. The duck broth was clear, without a speck of oil, and was filled with boiled mushrooms and dried bamboo shoots, a flavor that was instantly recognizable, seemingly light but rich.
There is also fish sashimi, which is different from the thin slices last time. It is cut into thin strips and mixed with chopped green onions. This way of eating can remove the bones and avoid the fishy smell.
There were also crabs. I guess I got to know them from the last time I had them in the bookstore, so this time they also had crabs in sauce. Looking at the bright yellow and translucent color of the crab roe and crab paste, I knew they had been marinated for at least two days.
Xu Jiang couldn't help swallowing and continued reading.
After the meat, it’s seasonal vegetables. There aren’t many seasonal vegetables in winter, mostly sunflowers, radishes, cabbages, etc., but they can all be cooked delicately and look good.
Finally, a variety of cakes and fruits were served, including longevity peaches, plum blossom cakes, jujube cakes, etc., all piled high. There were also various preserved fruits, dried goods, and snacks, which filled the table to the brim and were dazzling to look at.
Xu Jiang had been busy with the maids and servants for most of the day and was already hungry. When she saw this table full of delicacies, she felt even more hungry.
When all the dishes were finally served, Mrs. Lou called for the meal to begin, and then she took the first chopstick and put it into Xu Jiang's bowl.
Xu Jiang was stunned for a moment, smiled at her, and ate the food she picked up.
It was roasted lamb, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with no strong smell of mutton. It was quite good, though not as good as the lamb roasted by Ilaer. Then came the chicken and duck soups, both of which she tried, and were as delicious as expected.
The crab in sauce is also good, tasty, salty and sweet.
The only thing wrong with the fish sashimi is that it tasted fishy no matter how I ate it.
After eating together, her internal organs finally settled down. The ladies at the table all stared at her, and seeing how relished she was eating, they couldn't help but take a few more bites themselves.
After the feast, everyone except Xu Jiang realized they were overfed. Xu Jiang ate until she was only eight-tenths full, partly because she was worried that too much meat would be difficult to digest, and partly because she didn't want to scare others, so she held back.
The ladies were so full that they went to the plum grove to digest their food. Only Madam Lou and Xu Jiang were left at the table.
Mrs. Lou poured her another bowl of duck soup and said, "Have another bowl."
Xu Jiang stared at the bowl of duck soup for a long time, and finally couldn't help but drink it.
It was getting dark, and after spending the whole day at the Lou residence, it was time to return to the brothel. The men's banquet had not yet left, and Xu Jiang didn't want to disturb them, so she said goodbye to Madam Lou and left the garden with Liu Mei seeing her off.
She was waiting at the door for the servant to bring the donkey over when she suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw it was Lou Yunchun. Seeing him coming, Liu Mei made an excuse to go check on the donkey and headed back to the alley.
"Why are you out? Isn't the party over yet?"
"Come out to see you off."
Xu Jiang's eyes curved, "It's good that Miss Liumei can see me off. Go back quickly. The guests are still here, and it's not right for the host to leave without permission."
Lou Yunchun said, "I'll go back when I see you've left."
What a fool.
Xu Jiang had no choice but to leave first. She stepped out of the gate, smiled and waved at him, "I'm leaving now, go back."
Lou Yunchun looked at her deeply and then turned back.
Xu Jiang walked towards the back alley. After a few steps, she saw the servant and Liu Mei leading the donkey towards her.
Seeing her donkey's bulging belly, drooping eyelids, and a face full of laziness, she knew it had enjoyed itself greatly. When the donkey saw Xu Jiang coming, it knew it was time to go back, and immediately lay down on the ground, looking shameless.
Liu Mei and the servant both burst out laughing.
"Hey." Xu Jiang raised his eyebrows.
It seems that the donkey meat fire has been put on the agenda.
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