Today is a happy day, I must say. I was busy in the kitchen, so I asked Top to go and find some banana leaves nearby.
Having lived with me for so long, it naturally knew what I wanted. It was also happy to serve me, hopping and skipping away towards a forest.
I used all the gold plates that I hadn't used before, and this time I cooked a total of four dishes and a soup.
One dish was stir-fried rabbit with scallions, another was dried fish stir-fried with wild vegetables, another was cold dandelion salad, another was stir-fried plantain, and the last dish was clear soup with fresh fish.
Besides that, I also roasted a lot of chestnuts and pine nuts, and filled two large plates with each. Since the plates I made were quite substantial, the portions were definitely several times larger than those sold on the street.
Just then, Top returned carrying a banana leaf. I knew from its quick return that it must have mobilized the other monkeys to collect it together.
Sure enough, not long after, many monkeys came to my shed, some dragging and some carrying banana leaves.
I laid these banana leaves on a stone platform made of stones and clay, intending to use it as my table.
When green banana leaves are laid out, the lush green expanse instantly resembles a tablecloth.
I put all the stir-fried vegetables and roasted nuts on a plate and placed them on this stone table.
I had previously gone with Top to pick some fresh grapes. These were the grapes that weren't picked last time, and they'll come in handy today.
Top and I went to wash the grapes together. Top seemed to be used to my habit of cleaning things, and it turned the grapes back and forth in the water just like I did.
Today, Top knew I was going to prepare a big meal, so it climbed up the tree and carried down its basket full of wild fruits, wanting to share them with me.
Since we had already used up all the plates while cooking, we had to put all the fruit into a draining bamboo basket, which filled it up like a small mountain.
At this moment, the large group of monkeys had already been attracted by the tempting aroma. They all sat around the stone platform like guests at a banquet, their eyes fixed on me and Top beside me.
Clearly, in their hearts, I am as important as Top. It is not an easy thing for two kings to emerge from a monkey troop.
I'm so grateful to those monkeys these days, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to enjoy such a sumptuous meal so quickly.
But monkeys aren't as well-behaved as Top; if they're left unattended and allowed to sit on the table, the consequences will be dire.
So I decided to have Top line up the monkeys, while I used the extra banana leaves to make a cone-shaped bowl, just like when I first came to this place and used water chestnut leaves as cups to collect berries.
Under Top's command, the monkeys lined up in an orderly fashion, one after another, forming a long queue.
At that moment, I felt like a chef serving food in a school cafeteria, holding chopsticks in one hand and a cone-shaped bowl made of banana leaves in the other.
I separated the vegetables and fruits. In one bowl, I put some rabbit meat, fish, and wild vegetables. In the other bowl, I put roasted nuts, grapes, and wild berries.
So the monkeys, each holding a two banana leaf bowl, sat down near the stone platform, then used their equally nimble feet to hold the bowls and began to eat with both hands.
It was the first time the monkeys had ever enjoyed such a sumptuous and comprehensive feast. Judging from their satisfied expressions, they were quite pleased with my cooking skills.
I enjoyed my meal very much, and the monkeys enjoyed it even more.
The newborn monkeys were curious about what their mother was eating, but since their teeth hadn't grown in yet, the mother monkey only let the baby monkeys smell it before putting the food into her own mouth.
The little monkey was taken aback at first, then started making a fuss like a child who had been tricked, and the scene was really funny.
Halfway through the meal, I slapped my forehead and exclaimed, "Look at my memory! How could I forget something so important?"
I put down my chopsticks and bowl. Top was a little puzzled when he saw that I had suddenly stopped eating.
However, it was also attracted by the delicious food, especially the roasted chestnuts, which were sweet, soft, and had a sandy texture that monkeys usually couldn't taste.
I peeled off the jackal skin seal from the large jar of wine that I had sealed earlier, and a rich aroma of wine wafted out, filling the air with a sweet fragrance.
I took out a small jar of wine, and then two gold glasses. These glasses were also made by me in a rush; they are the kind of small horn-shaped glasses that can hold about an ounce of liquor.
Top saw me bring out another jar of something with a unique smell, which smelled like both grapes and sugarcane.
Top was also seeing alcohol for the first time, especially wine. He immediately put down his bowl and curiously came over to look at the wine in my hand.
I took out a slightly crooked little flask and filled it with wine. Since it was already on the table, the proper ceremony was necessary.
Top and I are sitting on stone stools to eat right now; we're more like two old friends catching up.
I picked up the wine pot and poured the wine. A bright red stream of wine overflowed from the spout, filling the air with its aroma. The pleasant sound of the wine being poured echoed endlessly in the cup.
I placed the glass in front of Top, then poured myself a glass as well. I smiled and raised my glass to Top, saying...
"Come on, Top. Raise your glass, let's have a drink!"
When Top saw me raise my glass, it also seemed intrigued by the new thing. So it copied me and raised its glass too, eagerly watching what I would do next.
"Come on, let's do it!"
I held the wine glass with both hands, brought it to my lips, and drank it all in one gulp. A sweet and mellow flavor instantly spread throughout my mouth, sliding down my throat and into my stomach with a warm and comfortable sensation.
Seeing that I finished the glass of wine in one go, Top, being a first-time drinker, didn't have many concerns.
In its mind, I must share the best things, so it drank the wine in one gulp with the boldness of a chivalrous knight.
"Good! Well done, Top!"
I loudly praised the monkey, saying that with such spirit and courage, it deserved to be the Monkey King.
Top stuck out its tongue. It found this stuff strangely delicious, though its tongue felt cool and there was an indescribable smell of alcohol coming from its nose, which was quite peculiar.
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