260
He didn't want to cry, but when he saw Xuan Yu and the others, Du Heng couldn't hold it back. His nose was sour, and when he threw himself into Xuan Yu's arms, he felt like he was dreaming.
Xuan Yu hugged Du Heng and said, "I'm sorry, I came late and made you feel wronged." Du Heng had been wronged in the past few days, and Xuan Yu was heartbroken. Now, he can finally stand by Du Heng again.
Jing Nan smiled and said, "Did you miss us? Hehe, are you crying?" Du Heng let go of Xuan Yu and gave Jing Nan a hug, "Nan Nan, are you feeling better?" Jing Nan hugged Du Heng tightly, "Strong enough to fight a bull."
Feng Gui took out a handkerchief and complained about Jing Nan: "You are so weak that you can only fight with cows. Come on, wipe it quickly." Du Heng embarrassedly touched Feng Gui's chest. He took the handkerchief and pressed the corner of his eyes: "Xixi, why are you here?"
Ding Lu muttered, "You two really know each other. I was wondering why the three of you all said you wanted to come to the dining hall at the same time."
Jing Nan took out a jade box from his sleeve and stuffed it into Ding Lu's sleeve: "Sorry to trouble you, Director Ding. The four of us were originally together. We were supposed to be disciples on a mission together, but the sect's requirements were too high and we had to settle for the next best thing. As long as we can be together, it doesn't matter what we do."
Ding Lu smiled and said, "Very good, very good. Then you guys can talk in detail. I still have to take other servants to other hills. The food Xiao Du cooked is so delicious..."
Du Heng wiped his red eyes and said, "Manager Ding, would you please stay for dinner?"
Ding Lu waved his hand: "No, no, I have something else to do." Just kidding, the rare spiritual plant in his sleeve must not be discovered by others. Before leaving, Ding Lu tried to sniff: "What delicious food is this? It smells so good."
If he didn't have the treasure hidden in his sleeve, he would definitely stay and eat something before leaving.
After Ding Lu left, only his own people were left in the dining hall. Jing Nan walked around the dining hall with his hands in his pockets: "The dining hall of Shenxu Palace is quite grand."
Feng Gui and Xiao Xiao stared at each other, and Xiao Xiao finally lost. He rolled his eyes in disgust and pushed the meatballs in the bowl to his uncle. Feng Gui was furious: "You treat me like this after not seeing me for a few days?!"
Xuan Yu followed Du Heng to the back kitchen: "Is there anything we need to do?" Then he sat on the small stool where Jiang Shangzhou had sat before and picked up the chicken head soaked in soy sauce and started to tear it swiftly. His movements were so skillful, as if the person sitting here just now was him.
Du Heng felt warm in his heart. Xuan Yu and the others were here, and his backbone was here too. He leaned against the stove and looked at Xuan Yu: "Why did you come here without any announcement? Didn't you say you were going to be disciples on a mission? Why are you all here to do chores?"
Xuan Yu said as he dealt with the problem, "After you left, Feng Gui and I tried to be mission disciples again. But it's not easy to be a mission disciple of the outer sect of Shenxu Palace. They have to go out on missions frequently. After discussing, we decided to do chores. Although it's embarrassing, as long as we can achieve our goals, we don't care so much. Besides, we're always worried about you being here."
Du Heng grinned, "I'm doing fine. The cultivators here are not picky eaters, they eat whatever I cook. I also planted vegetables in the backyard, and I said I'd buy a spirit gathering array this afternoon. Also, I've met a lot of people. Chef Zhu and Xiao Cai from the second dining hall are very nice to me. This morning I also met a demon cultivator, I heard he's a phoenix."
Du Heng kept talking, and in his description, Shenxu Palace became a unique good place in heaven and on earth. However, Xuan Yu, who had seen Du Heng's current situation, knew that he was only saying good things, so Xuan Yu did not point it out. He just smiled and looked at Du Heng: "Really? Then we should thank them later."
Du Heng smiled and said, "I have asked him to come for dinner tonight. Let's prepare something delicious in the cafeteria tonight, shall we? What do you want to eat? I will make it for you."
Feng Gui's voice floated over from outside the kitchen: "Spicy."
Du Heng: ...Feng Daxianer only pursues this.
Feng Gui appeared with a big rat in his hand. The rat was half as long as Feng Gui's arm. Its tail was shorter than that of an ordinary rat, and its body was fatter. Feng Gui held its hind legs, and it tried to stand up and bite Feng Gui, but it was too fat to bend down and could only make a futile and miserable squeaking sound.
Feng Gui calmly showed the mouse to Du Heng: "Ciba was chasing it outside, so I caught it. This is a spiritual mouse that feeds on grass seeds and spiritual plants. It tastes pretty good. There used to be this kind of mouse in the village, but Nan Nan and I ate it all. I didn't expect that Shenxu Palace still has this. Let's eat it tonight, okay?"
Du Heng was shocked. Wasn't this the big rat that Ciba had been catching? Ciba and his friends had caught a lot of rats. When they were short of meat, Xiaoxiao also supported him in eating rat meat, but he felt disgusted and buried all the rats deep inside.
So this is really edible?! Du Heng felt like a knife was cutting his heart. How many delicious foods had he missed?
Jing Nan also came over. He looked down and saw Xuan Yu processing the stems of the Chinese water chestnut. He picked up a processed Chinese water chestnut stem and looked at it: "Hmm? Chinese water chestnut?"
As expected of Nan Nan, she could tell at a glance that this was a water chestnut stem! The processed water chestnut stem looked similar to lotus stems, and he thought Jing Nan would not be able to tell the difference.
Jing Nan could tell what Du Heng was thinking at a glance. He laughed and said, "Am I so stupid in your mind? Hahaha~"
Feng Gui opened the pot of braised chicken and said, "The food in this pot is cooked." Du Heng didn't try to stop her, Feng Gui took a bowl and put the chicken in the pot without hesitation.
Du Heng covered his face and said, "Xixi, we are all servants now. Do you know what a servant is? It means serving others. How come you took action before the monks?"
Feng Gui ate a large piece of meat. He chewed the chicken with satisfaction and handed the bowl to Jing Nan: "Old Nan, try this chicken, it's pretty good."
Jing Nan took the bowl and chopsticks and ate the chicken: "There is no reason for a cook to starve himself, right? What's wrong with being a handyman? Handymen are also people. If they are not full and have no energy, how can they serve the masters? Don't you think so, Xiaoyu?"
Xuan Yu said to Du Heng slowly, "Feng Gui and Jing Nan haven't eaten for the past few days. Let them eat something." Du Heng got anxious when he heard it, "Didn't I leave any food for you?"
Jing Nan was chewing on a chicken leg while feeding Xiao Xiao: "I left it, but since you're not here, nothing tastes good."
Unable to complain any more, Du Heng thought for a moment and said, "Eat. We cooked a lot of dishes today. But you have to be careful next time. We have to separate our food from the guests'. We can't just eat the food directly from the bowl like before."
Feng Gui glanced at Du Heng and said, "Oh." Jing Nan complained, "You are such a heartless person. We have lost our appetite for food and drink because of you, and you are going to restrict us from eating in the future!"
Du Heng quickly explained: "It's not that we are restricting everyone from eating, but that we eat separately. Xixi, think about it, how would you feel if the dish you wanted to eat was licked by Xiao Wonton in advance?"
Feng Gui was choked up: "I want to beat this dog to death." Du Heng smiled and said: "That's it."
Xuan Yu looked at Feng Gui and said, "Why don't you give it a try?"
Listening to everyone talking nonsense, Du Heng kept smiling. He began to understand the mood of Du's father and mother when they cooked every day. As long as the family is together and happy, it is better than anything else.
When Jiang Shangzhou came back, he found that there were three more servants in the dining hall who were even more powerful than him. The steady man behind the serving table looked reliable and would never upset the spoon when serving food.
The man who was tidying up the tables and chairs had a friendly face. He looked like a doctor in the clinic with a refined temperament. After tidying up two tables, he sat down and said, "Xixi, come and clean the tables."
The man named Xixi was even more amazing. Jiang Shangzhou had never seen anyone more beautiful than him. Even Tai Shuhong from Shenzao Peak was not as beautiful as Xixi, but this Xixi was too strong. He wiped the table with the rag a few times before the table collapsed under the weight.
Du Heng had a headache: "Ahhh, you two, stop making trouble! Go back to sleep!"
Jiang Shangzhou held the bowl of meatballs in his hand and asked, "What is going on?"
Du Heng introduced, "These are my family members. They knew I was doing odd jobs here and were worried about them, so they came along. Yuxuan is the one serving the food, and Nanjing and Xifeng are the ones cleaning the table. Please give them your guidance in the future."
Jiang Shangzhou's summons were effective, and sword cultivators came to eat one after another. These usually arrogant sword cultivators lowered their aura before entering the dining hall, but to be honest, no matter how arrogant you are, who can resist the aroma of food in the dining hall?
Today's dishes are so rich that everyone can choose two meat dishes, one vegetable dish and a soup. You should know that the people who came to eat two days ago only had two vegetable dishes and a soup, and those with short legs couldn't even get any.
Du Heng and his team made a lot of wooden bowls, each containing a delicious dish. Looking closely, some bowls contained two round meatballs covered in sauce, some contained half a bowl of fragrant chicken nuggets, and some bowls contained a thick layer of tough and chewy white-cut beef.
The monks were holding wooden plates in their hands. When they walked around the serving table, several wooden bowls were placed on the plates. Each person had three identical bowls on their plates: one bowl of distinct spiritual rice, one bowl of stir-fried chicken head and soaked stalks cut into green and red strips, and one bowl of soup with pork ribs and radish.
Du Heng borrowed the meal collection system from his university cafeteria, and he thought it was pretty good. The dishes in the small bowls were sufficient and looked good. They were prepared in advance, and everyone just had to pick up the food after eating, which saved him and Xuan Yu the trouble of rushing to get the food.
Du Heng was guarding the bowl of spiritual rice and said to everyone with a smile: "If the soup and rice are not enough, you can come and get more."
A monk joked, "Can we have more meat?
"Du Heng smiled and said, "Then you have to bribe the chefs who serve the dishes!"
The cafeteria was bustling with activity, as many monks who had been in seclusion for a long time came out to join in the fun.
Du Heng could hear conversations like this everywhere: "Hey? Master Qing Xiao, haven't we seen each other for hundreds of years?"
"Hmm?! Isn't this Xiaoyao Jianzun? Long time no see? Let's sit together?"
"Okay, I'll take the beef and chicken then."
"I'll take the meatballs and the beef."
The monks were all smart people, and they discovered the benefits and advantages of the separate dining system at the speed of light. If the canteen provides more dishes in the future, a monk with good popularity might be able to taste all the food by himself.
261
The plate in front of Jiang Shangzhou contained a set meal of beef meatballs. He had coveted this plump meatball for a long time. He poked a meatball on the tip of the chopsticks with his chopsticks, and after taking a bite, a curved tooth mark appeared on the meatball.
The outer layer of the meatballs has been fried, and the red outer layer is covered with a layer of thick soup, while the meat inside is slightly lighter in color. Chewing it, the meat is firm and full of meaty aroma, and the fresh and fragrant meat fills the mouth.
The Shenxu Palace's main dining hall often makes meatballs. The meatballs there are round, but the taste is far worse than Du Heng's. The meatballs in the main dining hall are particularly tender. That tenderness is not the tenderness of the meat, but the tenderness of the other ingredients. Jiang Shangzhou couldn't tell what the ingredients were. He only knew that he didn't like meatballs before.
If Du Heng hadn't given him some fried meatballs for Xiaoxiao today, he wouldn't have known that meatballs could taste so good.
However, the taste of the braised meatballs was different from the fried meatballs he had eaten before. The meatballs he had eaten before were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, while the meatballs he ate now were fresh, fragrant and chewy. No matter which kind of meatballs, they were great!
Jiang Shangzhou ate the first meatball in big mouthfuls, and then he picked up the second meatball and put it on the spiritual rice. He opened the meatball, and the red soup immediately stained the snow-white rice. He picked up a piece of rice with chopsticks, and the red meatball was like a flower blooming on the snow-white rice.
Put the meatballs and rice into your mouth and chew them. The aroma of rice and meat is perfectly balanced with the soup. It is so fragrant that Jiang Shangzhou can't stop eating it.
After eating two meatballs, the glutton in my stomach was completely aroused, but most of the rice had been eaten.
Jiang Shangzhou put the remaining rice into the bowl containing the meatballs, stirred it, and then scooped the delicious meat soup and rice into his mouth.
After the monks reached the Golden Core Stage, their appetites were not too strong. Sometimes, when they were hungry, they would go to the main dining hall to eat half a bowl of rice, and then they would continue to practice in seclusion. Some monks with high cultivation had relied on spiritual energy for thousands of years to survive. Now it seemed that they just disliked the food in the main dining hall because it was not tasty.
If the food in the main dining hall tasted like this, which monk would dare to say that he could persist in fasting for thousands of years?
Jiang Shangzhou ate his rice quickly, he wanted to get another bowl of rice before everyone came to their senses. When he stood up, he picked up a few slices of boiled beef and put them into his mouth.
The beef was still warm, and Jiang Shangzhou watched Du Heng and Xiao Yu cut the tendon into evenly thick slices. Each slice of beef was half the size of a palm, with slightly transparent tendons mixed in with the gray-brown lean meat.
The beef was braised for an hour and was still quite chewy. Just eating it alone, the salty and fresh taste of beef spread in the mouth. The more you chew the meat, the more delicious it becomes. Many monks who were eating thought it would be great if they could have a few slices of beef to go with the wine.
Jiang Shangzhou took two steps at a time and walked to Du Heng: "Add some rice."
Du Heng took the wooden bowl with a smile. He put two spoonfuls of rice in the bowl, and the rice piled up into a cute round shape on the bowl. Du Heng then handed the bowl to Jiang Shangzhou. At the same time, he did not forget to ask, "Is it delicious?"
Jiang Shangzhou met Du Heng's expectant eyes. He smiled and gave a thumbs up: "It's delicious."
Du Heng's eyes suddenly turned into two slits with laughter: "If it tastes good, eat more. You're welcome."
Jiang Shangzhou naturally would not be polite to Du Heng. In fact, he wanted to eat a few more meatballs. However, when he looked at the bowl of meatballs, he was surprised to find that the bowl was empty, with only some soup left in it. The meatballs in the wooden bowl were also taken away.
Jiang Shangzhou returned to his seat with a large bowl of rice, still feeling terrified. Fortunately, he still had some rice. As long as he ate fast enough, he could get a third bowl of rice.
The meat Du Heng gave was quite enough, with three taels of beef in the bowl. Although boiled beef is more suitable for cold dishes with wine, it tastes good with rice. Jiang Shangzhou finished the beef in no time, and his eyes fell on the chicken head soaked stems.
The stalks of the chicken head that he peeled by hand have changed their appearance. The stalks are cut into thin strips and mixed with green and red pepper strips. After being stir-fried, the stalks are green and red, and the initial appearance of baring teeth and claws is completely gone. They lie quietly in the wooden bowl, bright in color and fresh in appearance.
Jiang Shangzhou is a carnivore. If he had seen such a dish of unknown origin before, he would not even touch his chopsticks. However, after eating in the dining hall these two days, he has come to know Du Heng's cooking skills. Du Heng is a person who can even cook vegetables well. This time, he still chooses to trust Du Heng.
Today's stalks are different from the sweet and sour ones of the previous two days. Today Du Heng has a refrigerator, so he made them sour and spicy. As soon as the stalks enter the mouth, the strong sour and spicy taste rushes straight to the top of the head. When the teeth bite down, the stalks break with a sound, crisp and tender!
Jiang Shangzhou's forehead was actually covered with tiny beads of sweat, and he couldn't help but take a mouthful of rice to neutralize the sour and spicy taste. His chopsticks seemed to be uncontrollably picking at the chicken head and soaking the stems, and even the green and red pepper shreds that were used for seasoning were thrown into his mouth and swallowed with the rice.
This dish is simply a great dish to go with rice. He ate half a bowl of rice in one breath, and only breathed a sigh of relief after the last bite of the chicken head soaked in stems entered his mouth. This is not just eating, this is a hearty practice!
After eating so much food, he picked up the soup. He pushed the radish and pork ribs aside with his chopsticks and drank a mouthful of the soup happily.
After taking a sip of the soup, his eyebrows relaxed. Delicious! Today's radish and pork ribs soup is even more delicious than the first day. Maybe it's because there is more meat in it? Or maybe the radish has changed its shape today?
Jiang Shangzhou picked up a piece of radish and looked at it. It was cut into irregular pieces, about the same size as the ribs. He took a bite of the radish and found that it was sweet! The spiciness of the radish disappeared, and the meat was fully soaked in.
What Jiang Shangzhou didn't know was that today he had plenty of time, so the radish was stewed in the pot for a long time, and the flavor was fully absorbed. This was a genuine radish and pork ribs soup, not just for the taste like the previous two days.
Jiang Shangzhou ate the radish carefully, then put the ribs in the bowl into his mouth and chewed them clean.
He poured the radish soup into the remaining bowl of rice. When the soup was not enough, he turned his attention to the soup with the chicken head and stalks. The last half bowl of rice had the taste of radish soup and hot and sour chicken head and stalk soup. Jiang Yizhou had never tried this mixed taste before.
After he took a bite, he was addicted. The taste was not bad. After eating it, his stomach felt very comfortable and his whole body felt warm. This feeling was like the spiritual energy running through his body for three cycles.
Satisfied! So satisfied!
When Jiang Shangzhou put down his bowl and chopsticks, he realized that the plate in front of him was empty, not even the soup was left. He touched his belly and felt that he was still not satisfied. Should he go get another meal and ask Du Heng to give him some more carrot soup?
Just as Jiang Shangzhou was about to do this, he heard Du Heng's apologetic voice: "I'm sorry, fellow Taoists in the back, the rice and dishes are gone."
Gone?! Jiang Shangzhou looked at the serving table in surprise, only to see that the large basins on the serving table were all empty. Some cunning monks actually used rice to pour over the meat and vegetable soup. It seems that Jiang Shangzhou is not the only smart person.
Jiang Shangzhou regretted it! He shouldn't have helped Du Heng with his publicity. But when he saw Du Heng's face, the corners of his lips couldn't help but rise. This feeling was wonderful. He felt like he had discovered a treasure, and he wanted the whole world to know about his existence. However, when everyone discovered his dazzling brilliance, he couldn't help but feel bitter.
Du Heng expected that more than 60 monks would come to eat at noon today, so he prepared about 70 sets of dishes. Each set of dishes included two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, a bowl of soup, and two bowls of rice. One bowl of rice weighed five taels, and he could not finish a bowl by himself! He prepared the dishes according to this standard. According to his experience, as long as the monks of Shenxu Palace were not all big eaters, they should be full after eating such a meal.
Just as he expected, the monks of Shenxu Palace were not picky eaters at all. Whether it was meatballs or braised chicken nuggets, they ate them all.
Du Heng originally thought that the remaining food could be saved for him and Xiaoyu as lunch, but something went wrong as he was playing. The meat and vegetable bowls were the first to go empty, followed by the vegetable bowls, and finally the soup and rice bowls.
At this time, there were guests with swords entering the dining hall!
Du Heng was confused. How many monks were there in the training ground? How many meals did he have to prepare?
The monks who came in late complained: "What's wrong with the dining hall? They said there was nothing yesterday, and there is still nothing today?"
Feng Gui smiled at this time: "My fellow Taoists, starting from today, the First Dining Hall will limit the number of lunches and dinners to 20 each per day, first come first served. Lunch starts at the beginning of noon, and dinner starts at the beginning of evening. No one will be served after the time is up."
Du Heng looked at Feng Gui in surprise. He was just a servant. Would his behavior make the people in the sect have a problem with him?
Jing Nan bowed his hands and said, "Don't be upset, everyone. The steward of Shenxu Palace only allows our chefs to prepare side dishes for 20 people every day. The steward said that only the core disciples of the inner sect below the foundation-building stage are eligible to eat. However, our chef Du couldn't bear to spoil everyone's fun, so he has gone out to find ingredients to cook for everyone. Please don't make things difficult for Du Heng for his sincerity."
Xuan Yu said seriously, "We welcome fellow Taoists who want to dine in the dining hall, but we need everyone to provide their identity seals so that Du Heng can ask the steward for food."
The author has something to say: Xiaoyu: Du Heng was bullied in Shenxu Palace!
Jing Nan: There’s no reason for him to suffer after putting in so much effort. Let’s go!
Feng Gui: I don't even want to bully him, but someone dares to bully him?!
Three demons: Let’s go! Let’s find a place to fight.
Lao Mao: I really like the scene where Du Heng and the other five are arguing and laughing together. Even when they are quarreling, it feels warm.
Xiaoxiao: I don’t like it, my uncle always scolds me!
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