The guests and hosts enjoyed the hot pot meal to the fullest.
This made them even more excited for tonight's barbecue.
Su Murong and Guo Zhenyu couldn't wait to open the store; they were certain that hot pot would make a lot of money!
However, with the Emperor and the Third Prince present, it is really not appropriate to discuss business.
Finally, night fell, and Xiaohu and Qiuqiu returned home. The two children were very excited, knowing that there would be a barbecue at home that night.
but……
"Qiuqiu, Xiaohu, what happened to your faces?" Yang Cui noticed that Qiuqiu and An Xiaohu had returned with bruises and swelling on their faces.
"Brother, did someone bully you, Uncle? Who was it? Tell me, and my sister and I will grab our weapons and get revenge for you!" Sanya said angrily.
"Yes, we'll go and avenge you!"
"This is a man's business, you two girls shouldn't interfere! Ouch, ouch, ouch, sister, let go!" Before An Xiaohu could finish speaking, Yang Cui twisted her ear.
"How old are you? Talking about men? What exactly happened? Tell me the truth!"
An Xiaohu looked around and saw several guests. She lowered her voice and said, "Sister, with so many guests, can you give me some face?"
Yang Cui knew that children have self-esteem even when they grow up, and that criticism shouldn't be done in front of outsiders, so she said, "I'll let you two off the hook for now. We'll have barbecue tonight, so go wash your hands quickly."
"Okay!"
An Xiaohu acted as if nothing had happened, but Qiuqiu, that child, had a lot on her mind.
The charcoal fire was already burning brightly, and Yang Cui picked up a skewer of meat to demonstrate for them: "Barbecuing is more fun when you do it yourself, but be careful not to burn yourself."
Children prefer hands-on activities to adults.
"Your Majesty, let this old servant serve you." Eunuch Liu was afraid the emperor would get burned.
"It's alright. Back when I personally led my troops on campaigns, I roasted pheasants in the wild. Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye..." The Emperor suddenly sighed, "I'm getting old too."
"Father, you are not old at all, just like you were back then," the Third Prince said respectfully.
Eunuch Liu immediately added, "The Third Prince is right, Your Majesty, you are in the prime of your life."
"You lot are all good at flattering me." The emperor turned his gaze to Yuan Qiu and asked with a smile, "Boy, tell me, am I old or not?"
Yang Cui's heart skipped a beat. She knew that serving a king was like walking on thin ice. What if Qiuqiu's answer displeased him and made him unhappy?
Why ask a child this out of the blue? Doesn't the emperor have any self-awareness about his own age? Yang Cui cursed the emperor countless times in her mind.
"Your Majesty, my godmother always says that she will always be eighteen years old."
All eyes fell on Yang Cui, and the emperor laughed heartily: "Then does that mean I'll be eighteen forever?"
Yang Cui breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yang, you certainly have a thick skin," the emperor said, addressing Yang Cui by name.
Yang Cui replied respectfully, "I believe that one should always maintain a youthful mindset."
After carefully considering this statement, everyone felt that it was somewhat interesting.
At this moment, the maid Ah Hong brought over toothpick meat and Sichuan-style chicken frames. Yang Cui had taught Granny Zhuang how to make these two snacks yesterday, and she had tried them several times. Now she could make them quite well.
"This is toothpick meat, made with pork, and this is made with chicken carcasses. Your Majesty, please try some."
The emperor's attention was finally drawn to the delicious food, and he stopped discussing the issue of whether or not he was old with Yang Cui and Qiuqiu.
"The taste is not bad, but there's no meat on the chicken carcass."
Chicken frames have less meat, so they'll be cheaper, making them more affordable for the middle class and expanding the customer base.
"The beef and lamb skewers are ready, Your Majesty, please have a taste." Yang Cui handed him two skewers, then handed two more to Qiu Tianyun, "Godfather, please try some too."
"The taste is indeed excellent, much better than the roasted meat we ate during our military campaigns back then," the Emperor said.
"Your Majesty, please try this pork belly again."
Yang Cui loves beef, but when it comes to barbecued meats, she prefers chicken wings and pork belly. Actually, vegetables are also good for barbecue, such as eggplant, but unfortunately, eggplant is not available in winter.
Yang Cui roasted a little for the Emperor, Qiu Tianyun, and the Third Prince to try, and then let them do it themselves.
These pampered people, who have always been waited on hand and foot, are less capable of doing anything than several children.
However, they probably found it fun, so they imitated it quite well. Plus, the food tasted good, and all the ingredients prepared for today were eaten up, which shows how popular it was.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Yang Cui and her family saw off the Emperor and his son, and Qiu Tianyun and his nephew Chen Shaoyun also left afterward.
Su Murong and Guo Zhenyu didn't want to leave yet; they wanted to finalize the food court deal with Yang Cui that night.
How could Cen Xiao not know what they were thinking?
"It's too late today, let's talk about it tomorrow." Cen Xiao shooed them away.
Cen Xiao knew his wife had been working hard for two days to prepare for today's hot pot and barbecue.
"Okay, we'll come over again first thing tomorrow morning."
After all the guests had left, Yang Cui called out to Qiuqiu and An Xiaohu, "Now that there's no one else around, tell me, what happened to the injury on your face?"
"Sister, this is not our fault. Shen Nan went too far. He bullied us first."
"Who is Shen Nan?" Yang Cui asked Cen Xiao.
"He is Qiu Mingxuan's uncle's youngest son."
Ultimately, the reason still lies with Qiu Mingxuan.
An Xiaohu added, "That Shen Nan said bad things about you, and Qiuqiu and I were so angry that we beat him up. Don't be fooled by the bruises on our faces; he suffered even more."
Yuan Qiu said angrily, "If he's still being so foul-mouthed tomorrow, like a gossipy old woman, I'll beat him up again."
It's a pity I live in Kyoto now and can't go to the mountains to get some leafy greens, otherwise, haha, I'd kill him!
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