Chapter 57 Spring Mountain Banquet: Past Wishes "Really, even the bowls and chopsticks..."
"Honestly, they even took the bowls and chopsticks..."
Yao Xu stood on the street corner for a long time until Sha Fulu came out and saw that there was no one at the stall. He also saw the stall owner standing alone on the street corner, seemingly lost in thought. He called out loudly, "Hey you! What are you looking at? There are people waiting to buy your wraps!"
Yao Xu snapped out of his daze, turned around, and said, "Alright! Coming right away!"
It was past midnight. Chunshanlou Restaurant closed.
Today, on the joyous occasion of the opening of Chunshanlou Restaurant, several new friends and two old friends whom we haven't seen in a long time have arrived. Yujia has prepared a grand banquet with ten tables at Chunshanlou Restaurant to entertain the new friends and reward the old staff.
Since the market opened in spring this year, all the dishes on this table are made from seasonal spring ingredients, some of which are novel ingredients brought back by caravans from outside.
Yang Song, the head chef of Chunshanlou Restaurant, spent a year researching and named this year's banquet "Twelve Flavors of Life".
From cold dishes, soups, delicacies from the mountains and seasonal vegetables to vegetarian dishes, river fish, main courses, and desserts, the standards are comparable to those of royalty.
Yang Song had previously heard that among the people traveling with Yan Chao, there was one who could cook. He really liked the rolled pancakes and starch sausage that this person brought. Today's feast was a good opportunity for him to taste them: "Come on, Young Master Jiang, try my old Yang's cooking and see how our Chunshanlou's dishes are?"
Yao Xu gave a thumbs up and exclaimed, "Chef Yang! This table of food looks and smells delicious! Compared to you, my little tricks are just showing off my skills."
Yang Song replied, “That’s not right. When it comes to good food, there’s no distinction between high and low. Whether it’s a sumptuous feast or a street snack, the most important thing is that it tastes good! I’m the first to approve of the two snacks you’re selling today.”
Yao Xu clasped his hands in a fist and said, "It's rare to find a true friend in life! Master Yang, no, Brother Yang! From now on, you're my brother!"
Upon hearing this, Feng Xi sneered and said, "Disrespectful to elders."
At this moment, someone at the next table said, "Manager Yu, when shall we begin the feast?" The others echoed, "Let's start the feast soon! So much good wine and food, I'm so hungry I'm drooling!"
Yu Jia said, “In previous years, you would always choose an auspicious time before the banquet. Why can’t you wait any longer before the auspicious time arrives? Besides, there is still a friend who has not arrived. By the time she arrives, the auspicious time will be almost here.”
No sooner had the words been spoken than a man arrived late, carrying two jars of wine.
"Sorry I'm late."
It was Mi Qing.
Everyone turned to look at Mi Qing. Yao Xu immediately stood up and exclaimed with delight, "Mi, Chang Qing, you're here!"
Mi Qing said, "I am truly sorry, everyone. It is a joyous occasion for the opening of Chunshanlou Restaurant, but I am late. I brought two jars of homemade fruit wine. I wonder if that is enough for a celebratory drink?"
Yu Jia said, "The auspicious time has arrived, and you've come at just the right time. You've brought us good fortune, so how could Chunshan Pavilion not welcome you? Please take a seat."
The others chimed in, "Guests are welcome, and it'll be more lively with more people!"
"We're really short of fruit wine this year, so the young lady's arrival is perfectly timed!"
As soon as Mi Qing sat down, Yu Jia announced the start of the banquet. Mi Qing immediately noticed the child sitting next to Yan Chao. He was thin but had a rosy complexion. His features weren't particularly handsome, but they weren't strange either. So Mi Qing asked, "Are you Xiao Shan?"
Upon hearing this, Xiaoshan raised her head and said with a smile, "Hello, sister, I am Xiaoshan."
Mi Qing said, "I've heard Tao Hua and the others mention you before. Seeing you today, Xiao Shan is indeed very cute."
Yan Chao hugged Xiao Shan and said with some pride, "Isn't our Xiao Shan adorable? He's getting better and better!"
Granny Chi said, "We must thank Miss Peach Blossom and Steward Yu, and especially Master Chunshan for taking us in and treating Xiaoshan. We will repay your kindness even if it means working like an ox or a horse!"
Yan Chao waved his hand and said, "That won't do. Even if you want to repay us, you don't have to be our slaves. Meeting is fate. I never take on things beyond my ability. We all agreed to bring you here. These days, you've helped Chef Yang with new dishes and helped the staff draw new patterns. That's enough."
Yu Jia looked at Yan Chao with a half-smile, stared for a while, then seemed to remember something, picked up her wine cup, and drank it all in one gulp.
Yan Chao glanced at Sha Fulu sitting at the next table and whispered, "Actually, there's no need to thank the host. After all, no one has actually seen us, and the host may not know everything we've done. But the host has a good reputation, so it's good for us to bring it up to impress people, isn't it?"
Yu Jia rested her chin on her hand and chuckled, "She's right, but the entire Chunshan Pavilion is united, so we're basically doing free publicity for the Pavilion Master. The name of the Chunshan Pavilion Master is indeed renowned, and there have been quite a few imposters and guesses over the years. Even the famous Young Master Lian has been impersonated, but he denied it, otherwise Chunshan Pavilion wouldn't have been able to open a branch in the Ghost Realm." As she spoke, Yu Jia's gaze swept over Feng Xi, seemingly finding him suspicious, and she paused for a moment.
Yan Chao and the other two gave Feng Xi a meaningful look, but he nonchalantly picked up a piece of goji berry sprouts with his chopsticks, chewed it a few times, and nodded, saying, "This dish is not bad."
As the drinking reached its peak, everyone got up from the table, took their glasses, and toasted each other, creating a joyful and harmonious atmosphere.
Yang Song stumbled and grabbed Yao Xu, slurring, "Jiang, hiccup...brother, tell me! Do you like, hiccup, like Changqing girl?!"
Yao Xu glanced at Mi Qing, who was holding Xiao Shan in her arms and coaxing her to sleep, and chuckled foolishly, saying, "I want to marry her! I will marry her, I will definitely marry her... I will definitely marry her!"
Yang Song laughed heartily and said, "Hiccup, how about we hold the wedding banquet at Chunshan Tower on your wedding day?"
Yao Xu asked, "Is Chunshan Tower still allowing banquets?"
Yang Song said, "Of course! Most of the staff at Chunshanlou are homeless people, so Chunshanlou is their home. Every staff member's birthday and wedding are celebrated at Chunshanlou, with everyone celebrating together."
Yao Xu hiccuped, his eyes slightly glazed, and leaned his head on Yang Song's shoulder, saying, "It's so nice..."
"Yes, that's great."
Feng Xi, who was sitting to the side, suddenly spoke up. He lazily propped his forehead up with his hand, playing with the wine glass in his other hand, tapping the glass with his fingertips. He seemed drunk, yet not drunk, with a hint of envy and longing in his eyes.
Yan Chao waved his hand in front of him and said, "Are you drunk?"
Feng Xi tilted his head and stared intently at Yan Chao. After a long while, he smiled and said, "He's probably drunk."
"Chaochao, thank you."
"Huh? What are you thanking me for?"
"......all."
Yan Chao found Feng Xi's thanks somewhat inexplicable. Although she didn't know how Feng Xi had lived these past years, she knew it hadn't been easy. Perhaps the atmosphere was too pleasant, causing him to be moved by the scene. But Yan Chao also felt that there seemed to be something else involved, something related to her, though she had no way of knowing it at the moment.
Yan Chao patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Since you are so sincere, then I will accept it."
Yu Jia suddenly said, "Liu Taohua, come here for a moment."
Yan Chao turned and waved to Yu Jia, saying, "Coming right now!" Then he looked at Feng Xi and said, "Don't think too much. We should enjoy this rare opportunity to make the most of it. Didn't we agree to live life to the fullest? Let's put aside everything else for now and enjoy the present moment!"
Feng Xi laughed and said, "Alright. I will not let you down!"
Yan Chao followed Yu Jia to the backyard. Yu Jia poured Yan Chao a cup of tea and said, "Are these three your long-lost family members?"
Yan Chao took a sip of tea and said, "Yes! You didn't expect that, did you?"
Yu Jia said, "I really didn't expect that. But I called you here to ask you, is it the same as usual tomorrow?"
Yan Chao said, "Yes. I have to go home and have a meal with my father every day."
Yu Jia nodded and said, "Now that you're on the Heavenly Ranking, you'll inevitably have to travel frequently. How should your wages be calculated?"
Yan Chao picked up his teacup, touched Yu Jia's cup to it, and said, "Then of course, it's the same old rule."
Yu Jia chuckled helplessly and teased, "If you were like the others, you'd at least have a place on the rich list by now."
Yan Chao dared not casually assign himself a title, and said truthfully, "Compared to the staff of our Chunshanlou, I should be at the bottom, right?"
Yu Jia refilled their teacups, picked up her own, and said, "You're the most witty one at Chunshan Tower! As usual, this cup of tea is to celebrate your birthday."
With a crisp "clang," moonlight poured down, and Yan Chao said, "Excellent, excellent."
The following afternoon.
Yao Xu woke up groggily. He had drunk himself into oblivion the night before, and his head felt like it was being crushed by a stone, throbbing painfully. Looking around at his unfamiliar surroundings, he was a little disoriented and blurted out, "Where am I? Why am I here?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Jia pushed open the door and came in, handing him a bowl of hangover soup, saying, "Drink it."
Yao Xu obediently accepted it, gulped it down in two mouthfuls, and said, "Thank you! But who are you?"
Yu Jia gave him a strange look and said, "Hmm?"
With just one glance, Yu Jia said in a serious tone, "I am your creditor. You owe me one hundred million taels of gold. Pay me back now."
Yao Xu jumped out of bed in shock, exclaiming, "What?! How much did you say?!"
Yu Jia continued, "But because you really can't repay the debt, your brother and your sweetheart have already sold you to us. In this life, the next life, and the life after that, you'll have to work for us here to pay off your debt."
Yao Xu suddenly stretched out a hand and said, "I remember! I remember everything!!!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Jia turned and left, saying as she went, "Since you've remembered, hurry up and leave. The three of them are all gone. Now that you're awake, go wherever you need to go. In short, don't linger here."
Yao Xu, his face contorted with grief and pain, cried out, "You are all so heartless!!!"
As soon as Yan Chao returned to Xingfeng Xiaozhu, she saw that Ming Qi had already prepared longevity noodles and a table of her favorite dishes for her. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she couldn't help but stand at the door for a while longer.
Mingqi arranged the dishes and noodles on the table one by one. When she turned her head, she saw Yan Chao standing at the door, waving at her and saying, "Silly child, why don't you come in now that you're home? Come on, everything is ready for you!"
Yan Chao walked to the table, where there were four dishes, a soup, and noodles—it was the same familiar dish, the same familiar taste: "Aren't you afraid I won't come back?"
Ming Qi paused as he was about to sit down, then sat down again, glanced at her, and said, "You dare?"
"This has been a family tradition for many years. If you really don't come back, I'll..."
Yan Chao said, "What will you do?"
Ming Qi slammed his hand on the table, turned his head to the side, and said, "I'll eat all of this! I won't leave you a single bit!"
Yan Chao laughed loudly and said, "How old are you? Still spouting this nonsense?"
Ming Qi snorted and said, "Let me tell you, after today you won't be able to eat it even if you want to!"
Yan Chao paused for a moment, then said, "You're going out again?"
Mingqi placed a piece of pork rib into her bowl and said, "Yes, so you can do whatever you need to do tomorrow, you don't need to stay home." After saying that, Mingqi raised his wine glass and said, "Chaochao, happy birthday. Father hopes you will be safe and sound."
Yan Chao said, "Thank you, Father. I hope you will also be safe and sound."
Yan Chao slept soundly through the night. When she woke up, Ming Qi had already left, but there was still some food left for her on the table. Since she had nothing else to do, Yan Chao wasn't in a hurry and ate slowly, but some people couldn't wait any longer.
Bangling suddenly appeared and said, "Haha, long time no see! Did you miss me?"
Yan Chao rolled his eyes at him and said with a forced smile, "Of course I miss you. If you miss me, you should pay me back some money right away."
Bangling flew behind her, turning left and right, and said, "Talking about money hurts feelings! But since we're so familiar with each other, I'll introduce you to a place where countless treasures are hidden!"
Yan Chao said, "Stop beating around the bush, tell me, which place is it this time?"
Bangling chuckled and said, "South China Sea."
Five days later. South China Sea. Shanfei Beach.
The sun was setting, and a gentle sea breeze was blowing. The usually bustling beach was deserted, and not a single fishing boat could be seen on the sea. Only a few lonely rocks were left to be pounded by the waves.
When Yan Chao arrived, he thought he had come to the wrong place and subconsciously said to Mo Mo, "Mo Mo, did we get tricked by that guy? There's not a soul in sight!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Chao received no response from Mo Mo. Only then did he realize that Mo Mo was afraid of water, and he hadn't brought it with him on this trip.
Yan Chao idly played in the sand on the beach, muttering to himself, "Why haven't Feng Xi and the others arrived yet?"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Feng Xi's voice came from above: "Is Chaochao looking for me?"
Yan Chao was delighted. When he looked up, he saw a necklace with a black jade-like bead on it, clear and pure, gleaming with golden light in the setting sun.
Feng Xi said, "A belated gift. Happy birthday, Chaochao."
Yan Chao asked in surprise, "How did you know?"
Feng Xi said mysteriously, "I guessed."
Yan Chao took the necklace, examined it carefully for a while, and said, "This bead must be priceless, right?"
Feng Xi laughed and said, "It's nothing valuable, just a little trinket. Wear it if you like, and throw it away if you don't."
Yan Chao carefully tucked it into his inner pocket, saying, "It would be such a waste to lose it!"
"By the way, why are you alone? Where are Yaoxu and the others?"
Feng Xi waved his hand, and a wooden boat appeared on the sea. The boat was small, only able to accommodate two people: "They left from another place. Boats can't travel here, only small boats, and each boat can only carry two people."
Something strange has been happening in the South China Sea lately.
This time of year is usually the best time to go out to sea, but for some reason, fishing boats, passenger ships, and official vessels are all unable to set sail. All the boats seem to be obstructed by some kind of resistance; no matter how hard people try, they cannot get them off the shore. Some people, refusing to believe in such superstitions, tried some unknown method to sail out to sea, only to disappear without a trace. Later, people discovered that boats could indeed sail, but they couldn't withstand the large waves, which easily capsized them, ultimately forcing them to return empty-handed.
Even more strangely, after eating the fish they had caught earlier, the fishermen developed skin ulcers, behaved strangely, and jumped into the sea one after another in the middle of the night. Within three days, all the villagers near Shanfei Beach had died.
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