Sun Shangxiang's almond-shaped eyes widened, and her face showed displeasure.
"Don't talk nonsense! I never freeload!"
"Just get your food and then come with me to get the money."
Li Huan hurriedly asked, "Where do we get the money? At your home?"
Sun Shangxiang commanded, "Enough with the nonsense! Quickly serve the food!"
Li Huan worked quickly and filled ten boxed lunches.
"Miss Sun, would you like to take it to go, or eat it here?"
Sun Shangxiang turned her head and glanced at the dining table: "It's already full, why not set up a few more tables and chairs?"
Li Huan laughed and said, "There are just too many customers. Even if we set up more tables and chairs, it wouldn't be enough, so we might as well not set any up."
The customers at the table tactfully stood up and invited Sun Shangxiang to sit down.
Sun Shangxiang didn't stand on ceremony and sat down casually.
Li Huan placed ten boxed meals on the dining table and opened five bottles of beer.
Sun Shangxiang immediately grabbed her chopsticks, picked up the "braised pork trotter" and took a big bite.
Her eating manners were extremely unrestrained, showing none of the reserve or coyness of women in ancient times.
Wow! The pig's trotters smell amazing! The skin and meat are fatty but not greasy, and they're even a bit chewy!
Sun Shangxiang praised sincerely, then pointed to the beer.
"The vessel for this wine is quite like green jade."
A female guard picked up the wine bottle, looked at the paper cup in front of her, and hesitated.
Li Huan laughed and said, "What are you staring at? These are paper cups, specially for holding beer."
While gnawing on a braised pork trotter, Sun Shangxiang asked, "Can paper be used to make cups? Won't it tear when it gets wet with wine?"
Li Huan said, "My paper cups are ten times thicker than ordinary paper, waterproof, and won't get wet or tear."
Sun Shangxiang nodded: "Interesting, interesting."
The female guard began pouring the beer, startled by the rapidly expanding and overflowing beer foam from the paper cup.
Li Huan said, "Don't panic, this is just beer bubbles, drink it quickly."
The female guard picked up the cup and respectfully handed it to Sun Shangxiang.
"This wine is yellow in color, similar to yellow wine, but clearer."
After Sun Shangxiang finished speaking, she covered her face with her sleeve, raised her head, and took a big gulp.
Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly: "The wine tastes bitter and sour, not very pleasant..."
Li Huan laughed and said, "Don't savor it slowly. Just take a few big gulps and you'll like it."
Sun Shangxiang picked up a "braised lion's head" and bit off a third of it, exclaiming how delicious it was!
The three female guards were also completely at ease, eating with great enthusiasm.
Sun Shangxiang took a few more sips of beer and suddenly burped.
She quickly covered her mouth, looking slightly embarrassed.
Li Huan said, "After drinking beer, you'll burp. Doesn't that make your stomach feel more comfortable and your appetite better?"
Sun Shangxiang released her hand and smiled: "That's true."
She picked up a slice of "garlic cucumber," crunching it loudly, and asked, puzzled.
"This vegetable has a crisp texture and a green color, so why is it called cucumber instead of green melon?"
Li Huan explained, "When it's fresh, it's green, but it turns yellow when it matures."
Sun Shangxiang asked in surprise, "If it's not ripe, why pick it?"
Li Huan said, "Cucumbers are only delicious when they are fresh, tender, and green."
Sun Shangxiang hummed in agreement, then asked, "Where are cucumbers a specialty of?"
Li Huan explained, "Cucumbers originated in ancient India. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Zhang Qian brought cucumbers to the north when he was sent to the Western Regions. Currently, they are not grown in the Jiangnan area."
Sun Shangxiang laughed and said, "No wonder I've never seen this before."
Pointing to the "braised eggplant," Li Huan continued, "This delicious eggplant also comes from India."
Sun Shangxiang tasted the eggplant and praised it highly.
Suddenly, she asked, "Judging from your attire, could you perhaps be from India?"
Li Huan shook his head: "I am a genuine person from the Central Plains."
Sun Shangxiang said, "I don't believe it. Your hair is extremely short, your clothes are unique, and even your shoes are distinctive."
Li Huan said in a serious tone, "To be honest, I go to India three times a year to buy all kinds of precious ingredients. In order to facilitate business, I adapt to local customs and keep the foreign attire."
Sun Shangxiang believed it to be true.
Following that, Li Huan explained, "Green beans and bell peppers are specialties from South America, which is 20,000 miles away from the Central Plains."
Sun Shangxiang was shocked: "Twenty thousand miles! How did you manage to buy green beans and bell peppers?"
Li Huan lied, "I traveled on a giant merchant ship and arrived in South America in three months..."
“Three months!” Sun Shangxiang interrupted Li Huan. “It would take half a year to travel back and forth. Wouldn’t the green beans and peppers rot by then?”
Li Huan said, "I went to South America specifically to buy seeds of local specialties such as green beans and bell peppers, and brought them back to the Central Plains to plant."
"I see." Sun Shangxiang suddenly realized.
Li Huan said, "I'm new to Dongwu, and this is my first time selling boxed lunches at a stall, so the prices are discounted. Starting tomorrow, the prices will go up."
After finishing her beer, Sun Shangxiang said with a smile, "These specialties from overseas countries should be sold at a high price."
Li Huan deliberately said, "Luckily, Miss Sun arrived in time and bought ten boxed meals, which only cost one thousand coins!"
"After the price increase tomorrow, I'm afraid Miss Sun won't be able to afford to buy boxed lunches!"
Sun Shangxiang chuckled: "As long as it's worth the money, how could I not be willing to spend it? Tomorrow, you can continue to set up your stall here, and I'll come back to eat!"
Li Huan said, "Okay, it's a deal."
Sun Shangxiang said no more and buried herself in her work.
The more beer she drank, the more refreshing it felt. Before long, she had finished two bottles.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her eyes sparkled, making her even more beautiful and charming.
Gazing at Sun Shangxiang, Li Huan's heart stirred quietly...
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