Upon seeing Li Huan selling boxed lunches at a roadside stall, Zhuge Liang was overjoyed and quickly dismounted.
The onlookers made way for them.
Li Huan smiled and said, "Brother Liang, how have you been?"
Zhuge Liang grasped Li Huan's hand firmly and said sincerely, "It's been a long time! I've missed you dearly!"
Li Huan looked at Zhuge Liang's face: "Brother Liang looks quite haggard. He must have been working hard on the matter of 'allying with Sun Quan against Cao Cao'."
Zhuge Liang said, "Brother Huan, you are a man of brilliant strategy. I have come to Eastern Wu precisely to discuss the matter of resisting Cao Cao."
Li Huan ladled out a bowl of "tomato and egg drop soup" and handed it to Zhuge Liang.
"The weather is getting colder, Brother Liang, have a bowl of hot soup to warm yourself up."
Zhuge Liang looked grateful, held the soup bowl, and gulped down the "tomato and egg drop soup".
Zhou Yu and Lu Su, mounted on their horses, were extremely puzzled.
What was the relationship between Zhuge Liang and this strangely dressed vendor who called each other brothers?
Zhou Yu asked, "Master Kongming, who is this person?"
Zhuge Liang quickly introduced him: "His surname is Li, his given name is Huan, and he is my sworn brother!"
Zhou Yu and Lu Su were immediately alarmed.
Zhuge Liang put down the soup bowl and continued, "Brother Huan is no ordinary merchant. He is a master chef, proficient in divination, and skilled in esoteric arts."
After hearing this, Zhou Yu looked like he wanted to laugh but was trying hard to suppress it.
His expression clearly said: If Li Huan is proficient in divination and skilled in Qimen Dunjia, why would he be selling boxed lunches on the street?
Lu Su also looked unconvinced, thinking that Zhuge Liang was just being polite.
Zhou Yu said loudly, "Mr. Kongming, don't delay your brother's business. Come back to the mansion with me quickly, let's drink and talk and discuss military matters."
Taking the opportunity, Li Huan said, "The Grand Commander is preparing a banquet to entertain our distinguished guests. Why not buy some more boxed meals to take back to the mansion and enjoy?"
Zhou Yu was taken aback, not expecting Li Huan to take the initiative to promote his product.
Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "How can we let the Grand Commander spend money? Huan-di, prepare fifty boxed meals and give them to the Grand Commander."
When Li Huan left Xinye, he told Zhuge Liang that his purpose in coming to Eastern Wu was to steal Zhou Yu's gold.
At this moment, Zhuge Liang asked for a boxed lunch, and Li Huan knew he was playing along.
"No!" Li Huan shook his head vigorously. "How can you just give away boxed lunches? The Grand Commander isn't some commoner fleeing from war!"
Zhuge Liang feigned anger: "Brother Huan, stop talking nonsense! The Grand Commander holds an important position and a prominent status. How can he be compared to refugees?"
Li Huan raised his head and shouted, "As you all know, my boxed lunches are only given to refugees and the poor, never to high-ranking officials and dignitaries!"
Most of the diners at the scene had seen Li Huan generously give boxed meals and gold to the refugees.
Therefore, the diners were full of discussion and praised Li Huan.
Zhou Yu was a little confused and somewhat annoyed.
Just as I was about to enter my home, I could rest, have a meal, and meet my virtuous wife.
Unexpectedly, the vendor blocked the road.
Zhou Yu glanced at Zhuge Liang and impatiently ordered, "Someone! Buy fifty servings of food!"
The servants obeyed and walked toward the electric tricycle.
Li Huan hurriedly said, "Each boxed meal costs ten taels of gold!"
"What?" Zhou Yu was so shocked he almost fell off his horse.
Lu Su was also taken aback.
Li Huan said to Zhuge Liang, "Brother Liang, move aside, you're blocking my signboard."
Zhuge Liang quickly stepped aside, revealing the red sign hanging in front of the carriage.
Zhou Yu stared intently, his eyes blazing with fury!
Lu Su pointed at the signboard and angrily rebuked, "What kind of food is this? A single box costs ten taels of gold! Is it dragon meat from heaven?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone shouted, "Madam Zhou has arrived!"
Xiao Qiao and Sun Shangxiang hurried over.
"Li Huan!" Sun Shangxiang demanded angrily, "Where have you been these past few days? Why didn't you set up your lunchbox stall?"
Xiao Qiao bowed to Zhou Yu, her eyes filled with tenderness.
Li Huan said with a smile, "These past few days, I've been busy preparing ingredients so that I can sell boxed lunches to the Grand Commander when he returns to his residence."
Sun Shangxiang said, "You promised to cook 'Lotus Leaf Sticky Rice Chicken,' why did you break your promise?"
Li Huan patted the lid of the food bucket: "I kept my promise, today's meal includes lotus leaf sticky rice chicken!"
Then, Li Huan opened the food bucket and presented various dishes one by one.
Four meat dishes: spicy crayfish, spicy blood curd, lotus leaf sticky rice chicken, and braised pork trotters.
Four vegetarian dishes: hot and sour shredded potatoes, stir-fried lettuce with dried tofu, braised eggplant, and bean sprouts with vermicelli.
Main dishes: Cold turkey noodles, Yangzhou fried rice.
Fresh soup: Tomato and egg drop soup.
Sun Shangxiang and Xiao Qiao looked down at the various dishes, their eyes shining with craving.
Lu Su smelled the aroma of the food, and his stomach rumbled.
Zhou Yu's face was full of disdain: "Even the most exquisite delicacies wouldn't sell for ten taels of gold! If I were to buy fifty of your meals, spending a total of five hundred taels of gold, wouldn't I be incredibly foolish and ridiculed by everyone!"
Li Huan retorted, "Liu Bei bought ten of my boxed meals for 150 taels of gold, and Cao Cao bought thirty of my boxed meals for 300 taels of gold! Were they also incredibly foolish and ridiculed?"
Zhou Yu was startled and hurriedly asked Zhuge Liang, "Did Liu Bei really buy ten boxed meals?"
Zhuge Liang laughed and said, "Indeed! I also ate a portion back then."
Lu Su asked in surprise, "That's strange. Cao Cao is naturally suspicious and cautious. Why would he eat food from the street?"
Zhuge Liang said, "I personally accompanied Huandi to Xudu to set up a stall selling boxed lunches. Cao Cao was attracted by the delicious food and after tasting it, he couldn't stop and immediately bought thirty servings."
Lu Su believed that Zhuge Liang would not lie, and quietly began to look at Li Huan with new respect.
"Hahaha..." Zhou Yu laughed, looking up at the sky. "Liu Bei and Cao Cao can't even resist food. What's the difference between them and starving men? How can they achieve great things?"
Witnessing Zhou Yu's arrogance, Li Huan cursed inwardly.
Zhuge Liang frowned slightly: "Grand Commander, we must not underestimate Huan's culinary skills. His dishes are not only incredibly delicious, but they also use many precious ingredients from overseas countries."
Zhou Yu scoffed, "What about ingredients from foreign lands? Can they compare to horses from outer space? Mr. Kongming, don't blame me for being ruthless, but your brother's lunchbox is ridiculously overpriced. I will never buy it!"
Li Huan raised an eyebrow: "You really aren't going to buy it?"
Zhou Yu sneered: "Enough with the nonsense! Get out of the way immediately and don't block the road!"
"Grand Commander!" Sun Shangxiang exclaimed, "Do you know that Sister Xiao Qiao has already bought Li Huan's lunchbox!"
Zhou Yu was stunned, and hurriedly asked Xiao Qiao, "Did Madam buy a boxed lunch?"
Xiao Qiao nodded: "Three days ago, I bought two boxed meals, and they were indeed delicious. The ingredients were also local specialties from foreign lands."
In an instant, Zhou Yu lost face.
Xiao Qiao continued, "Tonight we're hosting a banquet for Mr. Kongming and Mr. Zijing. Why doesn't Zhou Lang buy all the boxed meals and share the delicious food with everyone?"
Zhou Yu never expected that his own wife would side with Li Huan, betraying him.
Sun Shangxiang said, "Grand Commander, are you perhaps short of money? Very well, I'll ask my brother for five hundred taels of gold to buy Li Huan's boxed lunch and present it to the Grand Commander to entertain our distinguished guest!"
Zhou Yu's face flushed slightly, looking somewhat embarrassed...
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