Li Huan raised her ladle and shooed away a grasshopper that had flown to the edge of the food bucket.
"If you go to the thatched cottage now, and Zhuge Liang is taking a nap at noon, would you wake him up?"
Liu Bei replied respectfully, "How could I be so rude as to disturb Master Kongming's rest?"
Li Huan laughed and said, "By the time Zhuge Liang wakes up, the sun will be setting. Why don't you go and visit him in the evening?"
Guan Yu snorted coldly and glanced sideways at Li Huan.
"Brother, don't listen to the vendor's nonsense, he's trying to sell you food!"
Li Huan thought to himself, "I'm not just making this up."
In "The Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage," Zhuge Liang did indeed take a long afternoon nap. After waking up, he recited a poem: "Who awakens first from the great dream? I know myself best. I slept soundly in my thatched cottage in spring, while the sun lingered outside the window."
The phrase "the sun lingers long outside the window" indicates that the sun is setting and it is nearing dusk.
Li Huan continued, "Uncle Liu, go to the thatched hut and find out what's going on. If Zhuge Liang isn't taking a nap, I'll treat you to a meal and drinks, and I won't charge you a penny!"
Zhang Fei's eyes lit up: "Really?"
Li Huan clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, feigning admiration.
"General Zhang is brave and invincible, and his fame is widespread. How could I dare to play tricks on you?"
Zhang Fei was pleased to hear this, chuckled twice, and mounted his black horse, saying, "I'll go and scout it out right away!"
Liu Bei quickly stopped him: "Third brother, you mustn't be rash..."
"Giddy up!" Zhang Fei spurred his horse and charged toward Zhuge Liang's residence.
Looking at Zhang Fei's retreating figure, Liu Bei's face showed worry.
Guan Yu reassured him, "Brother, don't worry. I'm thinking about the wine and meat. If Zhuge Liang hasn't taken a nap, I'll return immediately. If he has already fallen asleep, I'll still return immediately!"
Liu Bei nodded: "That makes sense. Let's wait and see."
Just then, five or six villagers passed by carrying hoes.
Drawn by the aroma of the dishes, they instinctively approached the electric tricycle.
Li Huan had a sudden inspiration and took the opportunity to shout out.
"Fellow villagers of Wolonggang! Come and get your free delicious boxed meals!"
"Fifty sets will be given away in total, first come, first served, while supplies last!"
The villagers were in an uproar and rushed to collect their boxed meals.
Li Huan skillfully served food and rice, holding a lunchbox in her left hand and a spoon in her right.
Since it's a free gift, the menu only includes two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, which you can mix and match as you like.
The villagers received boxed meals and disposable chopsticks and immediately began eating, enjoying the delicious food.
Praises poured in from all sides.
Liu Bei and Guan Yu stood by, watching the villagers feast.
The two maintained a calm demeanor on the surface, but were actually practically drooling.
After fasting for three days, Liu Bei's stomach was already empty of oil and food, so how could he not be hungry?
An elderly villager picked up a piece of braised ribbonfish with his chopsticks and asked with a smile, "It tastes delicious, what kind of meat is it?"
Li Huan explained, "This is a fish from the deep sea, with a slender body, like a ribbon, called a ribbonfish!"
An elderly villager exclaimed with delight, "It's actually sea fish! We're in for a treat!"
Another villager, while eating stir-fried lettuce with dried tofu, asked, "It has an extremely crisp texture, I wonder what kind of dish it is?"
Lettuce originated in the western Mediterranean region and was not introduced to China until the Northern and Southern Dynasties period.
Li Huan continued to explain: "This is lettuce, a tender vegetable from overseas, which isn't grown in the Central Plains region yet..."
Liu Bei and Guan Yu stared intently at the "braised ribbonfish" and "stir-fried lettuce with dried tofu," their hearts itching with anticipation, as if being scratched by a cat.
A farmer reminded the villagers to hurry home and bring people to collect their boxed meals.
In an instant, the villagers packed up their lunchboxes and ran away.
Liu Bei and Guan Yu gazed at the delicacies in the bucket, yet maintained their reserved demeanor.
Immediately afterwards, Zhang Fei returned on horseback.
He excitedly reported, "Brother, Zhuge Liang is indeed taking a nap! I asked the page, and he won't wake up until evening!"
Liu Bei frowned slightly after hearing this.
Zhang Fei said impatiently, "That Zhuge fellow must be a lazy good-for-nothing! If you insist on paying your respects, why don't you fill your stomach first and wait until that fellow wakes up before going to the thatched hut?"
Liu Bei hesitated, turned his head to look at the delicious food in the food bucket, and his stomach rumbled.
He sighed, seemingly helpless yet relieved: "In that case, let's wait until evening."
Zhang Fei grinned from ear to ear and waved his hand, ordering, "Bring the boxed lunches right away!"
Li Huan was overjoyed and loudly announced his offer.
"Five taels of gold for each boxed meal!"
Instantly, Zhang Fei, Liu Bei, and Guan Yu were all shocked!
"Five...five taels of gold?" Zhang Fei stared in disbelief. "I...I didn't hear that wrong?"
“That’s right!” Li Huan repeated, “Each boxed meal costs five taels of gold!”
Guan Yu stepped forward and sternly rebuked, "You scoundrel! You dare to sell a mere meal for five taels of gold!"
Li Huan remained calm, picked up a piece of "braised ribbonfish" with his chopsticks, and waved it at Guan Yu.
"Wild ribbonfish from the deep sea are extremely rare inland. Are they not high-end or precious enough?"
Guan Yu was speechless.
Zhang Fei stared at the ribbonfish: "Fish from the sea? I've never eaten one! Second brother, have you ever eaten one?"
Guan Yu looked slightly embarrassed, his face turning reddish-purple.
Li Huan picked up a slice of bright green stir-fried lettuce: "General Guan has probably never eaten lettuce from a foreign land. Do you know where I can buy it?"
Guan Yu was speechless and habitually rolled his eyes arrogantly.
Then, Li Huan picked up the "preserved mustard greens with braised pork".
"General Zhang used to make a living by slaughtering pigs, so he must have been a skilled cook! Has General Zhang ever cooked this top-quality pork belly with preserved mustard greens from the Lingnan region? And has he ever tasted it?"
Zhang Fei shook his head and swallowed.
Li Huan, holding a ladle, scooped up the "spicy diced chicken" and "stir-fried eggs with green peppers".
"Look! The green and red vegetables in the chicken and eggs are called bird's eye chilies, a variety of chili pepper, produced in Mexico, North America, more than 20,000 miles from the Central Plains! Why can't they fetch a high price?"
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com