Chapter 60 (Catching Bugs) Digging the Wall

Jiang Yanyi put a piece of chicken in Qiu Kui's bowl, cleared his throat and said, "I kicked you by accident when I raised my foot."

Qiu Kui continued to eat with some doubt.

Yang Xiu said uncomfortably: "The old scholar's family was poor. When his mother was dying, she wanted to eat some fish. But the old scholar went to Beijing to take the imperial examination, and he borrowed money from relatives and neighbors for the travel expenses. After failing the exam, he returned home in disgrace and owed a large sum of money. The old scholar had no money to buy fish for his mother. When he was telling a story in Lai Fu Restaurant, a guest in a private room happened to order a dish of fish. When the guest paid the bill, the dish of fish was only touched by two chopsticks. The old scholar secretly hid the fish and prepared to take it back to his mother."

"Who would have thought that a waiter in the restaurant saw it, and the waiter reported it to the restaurant manager, It was said that the scholar was dishonest and secretly hid the fish ordered by the customer. The manager of the restaurant checked and found the fish that was only touched by two chopsticks. He thought that the scholar had stolen it and reported it to the restaurant owner. The restaurant owner asked the scholar to roll up his sleeves and get the fish. The scholar explained but no one believed him. He and the fish were thrown into the street by the restaurant's thugs, and his reputation was ruined. "

Later, the old scholar shamelessly said all the good things and finally bought a fish from the fishmonger. When he took it home to cook for his mother, his mother heard the rumor that he stole fish from the restaurant, In the end, he refused to eat the fish and died with his mouth open. Later, the incident became a big deal. The official who ordered the fish in the private room did speak up for the old scholar, saying that he had not finished the fish, but the rumor had become a huge wave, and this voice was soon drowned out. Everyone still firmly believes that the old scholar was greedy and stole the fish from the restaurant. "

People say that life is full of ups and downs. Jiang Yanyi never thought that there were so many injustices in the words of others that the old scholar was not clean. She couldn't help sighing: "You two can go with me to see the old scholar someday."

She had decided to invite the old scholar to come and sit in the hall. The old scholar had sat in the hall of Lai Fu Restaurant, so his storytelling skills must be very solid. Having such a feud with Lai Fu Restaurant, Jiang Yanyi was not worried that he would be poached by Lai Fu Restaurant in the future.

After making delicious food, Jiang Yanyi naturally did not forget to bring a portion to Feng Shuo.

An unexpected surprise was that after she fed cat food for several days in a row, the female cat was finally not so wary of Jiang Yanyi. Although she still did not dare to touch her, when she went to put cat food in, the female cat lay in the cat nest and ran away without hearing any movement.

Several kittens closed their eyes, huddled under the mother cat and meowed, each one more obedient than the other. I don’t know if it was Jiang Yanyi’s illusion, but they seemed to be a little bigger than when they were just born, and the cat hair on their bodies was thicker.

When she entered the house, she said to Feng Shuo with a happy face: "I think these cats can all be raised."

Feng Shuo wore a black gold brocade dress today, with half of his long hair tied up with a golden crown and the other half hanging down behind him, elegant and graceful.

"These cats are so noisy, they keep crying all day long." There was obvious disdain in his tone, but there was no annoyance on his face.

Jiang Yanyi hurriedly said: "You bear with it for a few more days. When the kittens are a little bigger and stronger, I will move them all to my yard."

Now the mother cat is no longer as defensive towards her as before. Jiang Yanyi thinks that after some time, she will definitely be able to take the cats away.

Feng Shuo propped up his head and looked at Jiang Yanyi: "What are you busy with recently?"

In the past, she had to take care of the store and couldn't come here often. These days, her foot injury has healed and the store is closed, so she comes less often than before.

Jiang Yanyi brought the covered dry pot to the table like a treasure and said with a smile: "Busy making delicious food."

Even though the pot was covered with a lid, the spicy aroma from the pot was still very tempting.

She took out the small stove she had brought with her: "Put the silver charcoal in here, and you can cook it."

Feng Shuo automatically understood Jiang Yanyi's words as "busy making delicious food for him." The corners of his lips curled up slightly, and his mood immediately improved. But he said, "Where did you learn these weird cooking methods?"

Jiang Yanyi's heart tightened. This was the first time someone asked her this question. She laughed dryly and said perfunctorily, "I figured it out myself."

Afraid that Feng Shuo would ask something else, she urged, "Lift the lid and taste it."

Feng Shuo said, "I haven't taken the medicinal bath yet this morning. I'll come out to eat after the bath."

Jiang Yanyi nodded: "Then go quickly."

Bathing on a full stomach is not good for the body.

As soon as Jiang Yanyi finished speaking, she found that Feng Shuo looked at her with a look that seemed to want to say something but hesitated, and then went to the back room without saying a word.

Jiang Yanyi was afraid that the dry pot would get cold, so she went out and asked the servant to get some red-hot silver charcoal and put it in the small stove, and covered the two iron plates at the mouth of the stove, leaving only a small opening to let the temperature of the silver charcoal inside come out and warm the pot.

After doing all this, she habitually went to Feng Shuo's bookcase to find a book to read. The servant had not left the room yet and accidentally saw this scene. His expression was very surprised, and could even be described as terrified.

The servants serving in Feng Shuo's yard all knew that the section of the bookcase in his room could not be touched. Even on weekdays, it was Guard Xing who did the cleaning.

He was just about to remind Jiang Yanyi not to touch those books when he heard Jiang Yanyi turn to the back room and ask, "Why can't I find the travelogue I read last time?"

Feng Shuo's cold and low voice soon came from the back room, "The third row of the bookshelf, the sixth book from the left."

The servant looked as if he had seen a ghost, and walked out of the door with unsteady steps. He was shocked and shocked. It seemed that the prince was really special to this Miss Jiang. He became more respectful to Jiang Yanyi from then on.

Jiang Yanyi didn't know these things. She followed Feng Shuo's words and really found the book she didn't finish reading last time. She also found some other travelogues. The pages of the book were very new, which was very different from other books that were often flipped. They were obviously newly bought.

Jiang Yanyi's heart suddenly jumped twice. Could it be that these books were found by Feng Shuo for her?

"Did you find it?" Feng Shuo's voice came from the back room.

Jiang Yanyi nodded, and then she realized that Feng Shuo couldn't see her. Her face flushed slightly, and she replied, "I found it."

She looked at a newly placed Zhiqu Yetan on the bookshelf and asked Feng Shuo, "What is the second book from the left on the third row of your bookshelf?"

"Huyang Jialan Ji, written by Shen Xuanzhi, the Guanglu doctor of the previous dynasty, when he traveled to various ancient temples after resigning from his official position. Although it is said that he used the Buddhist door to mourn the fall of the previous dynasty, the legends and customs of various ancient temples in it are still worth reading."

Jiang Yanyi has always known that Feng Shuo's voice is nice, but it has never been so nice.

Is it true that a person with a wealth of knowledge will be elegant?

And he remembered the positions of all the books on his bookshelf?

Jiang Yanyi didn't believe it, so he asked about several more books and found that Feng Shuo could answer them accurately.

She didn't give up. She looked up at the books on the top row of the shelf that were obviously not turned often and asked him, "What's the eleventh book from the right on the top?"

"One Hundred Chapters of Military Strategy." When he said this, Feng Shuo had already come out of the back room. He had changed into a double-nest cloud goose robe with selected silk patterns. The ends of his hair were stained with moisture and a little damp, with some strands of hair draped over his shoulders, forming an extreme contrast with the cloud goose robe he wore meticulously. Coupled with his cold face, there was an inexplicable sense of abstinence.

Seeing Jiang Yanyi still standing in front of the bookcase, he said, "Military books are boring, I'm afraid you don't like reading them."

Jiang Yanyi turned around and was immediately surprised. She walked over with the travel notes in her hand, "Well, I'm just curious."

She sat cross-legged on the futon where she often read books: "You have read all the books on the bookcase."

Feng Shuo glanced at him: "Don't you read the books in the bookcase? Do you keep them as decoration?"

Jiang Yanyi has added a filter of erudition to him. Even if his tone of voice at this moment is asking for a beating, it doesn't sound so annoying.

She held her chin with both hands and asked: "Have you read those new travel notes?"

Feng Shuo said: "I flipped through them and thought they were worth reading, so I kept them."

Although someone likes to be stubborn, Jiang Yanyi still feels sweet in her heart.

She quickly invited Feng Shuo to sit down: "Try the hot pot I made."

Feng Shuo sat down opposite her. He usually ate only half of his breakfast, but this morning he ate a full pot with white rice.

Jiang Yanyi looked at him expectantly: "How does it taste?"

Feng Shuo had not eaten all the delicacies since he recovered his sense of taste. He didn't remember eating such a hot pot, but he was not sure whether he had tasted dishes with similar taste when he lost his sense of taste.

He hesitated for a moment

and said, "Not bad." Jiang Yanyi was not disappointed with his reply. After all, he was a prince and had eaten all kinds of delicious food. To be called "not bad", he must be very popular among other dignitaries. She smiled with her teeth showing.

Feng Shuo was dazzled by her smile, his eyes deepened, and he turned his head to look out the window.

In order to allow light and ventilation in the room, the servants installed a layer of windproof gauze at the window. Now even if the window is opened in the room, the cold wind cannot blow in, but the scenery outside can be seen from inside.

"In a few days, it will snow in Xizhou City." He said.

Jiang Yanyi followed him and turned to look out the window. The asparagus fern in front of the window was warmed by a floor dragon and showed no signs of withering. It was still lush in the severe winter months. Above the asparagus fern was a half-gray and bleak sky.

At this time, Jiang Yanyi still didn't know what Feng Shuo meant by that. He just thought he was lamenting about the season. A few days later, Jiang Yanyi and Yang Xiu Bing Shao went to the south of the city to find the old scholar and found that many soldiers were distributing quilts and rice at the street corner. Only then did he realize that Feng Shuo was worried that if it snowed, countless people might freeze to death or starve to death in Xizhou City.

Two days later.

People in the south of the city lined up in the street to collect quilts and rice.

When Jiang Yanyi passed by, she saw that every face was gray. She couldn't remember or tell who was who, but every pair of eyes ignited light in the dead gray, like sparks bursting out in the dark night, small but burning the night sky with thousands of holes.

Her ears were filled with voices such as "The King of Liaoning is kind", "The King of Liaoning is compassionate", and "The King of Liaoning is kind and virtuous". They were praising Feng Shuo, but Jiang Yanyi was also very happy in her heart.

Yang Xiu and Bing Shao had explored the way before, and they found the old scholar's residence without much effort.

The house was dilapidated and drafty on all sides.

There was a small shed in the yard, and under it was a simple fire pit. A ragged old man was using a charcoal stick to gesture on the ground, teaching the children who were warming themselves around the fire how to read.

Jiang Yanyi knocked on the rusty door knocker, and the old man turned around and looked at the door with empty eyes: "I wonder which distinguished guest is visiting my humble home?"

His hair and beard were gray, and he looked a little old and shabby, but he was still in good spirits.

Jiang Yanyi asked Bing Shao to take over a pot of wine and a roasted chicken bought on the road, and said with a smile: "I am not a distinguished guest. I am sorry to bother you today. I just want to invite you to come out and tell stories."

When the word "storytelling" was mentioned, a hint of disappointment flashed in the old man's eyes, and he waved his hands repeatedly: "I haven't done this job for many years, and my tongue is not very good. You should find someone else."

He pointed at the wine and roasted chicken and said: "Take these things back as well. I don't want to receive gifts without merit."

Jiang Yanyi said: "Don't be modest, old sir. When you told stories, the whole room applauded..."

"It's all in the past. There's no need to mention it. Go back!"

The old man seemed unwilling to talk more about the topic of storytelling. He stood up with a stern face and wanted to chase them away in person.

Yang Xiu and Bing Shao were afraid that he would harm Jiang Yanyi, so they hurriedly protected Jiang Yanyi.

Jiang Yanyi was afraid that the two would not be careful, so he hurriedly said, "Don't hurt the old man."

Several people were kicked out of the gate. Lao Xiu returned all the wine and meat to Bing Shao, and closed the dilapidated courtyard door with a "bang".

Jiang Yanyi did not expect to be rejected like this, and he felt complicated for a while.

Yang Xiu looked at her and said, "Shopkeeper, what should we do now?"

Jiang Yanyi shouted through the door, "Old sir, I'm the owner of Jiang's Gudong Soup. I sincerely want to invite you to come out and tell stories. If you change your mind, feel free to come to Jiang's Gudong Soup to find me."

Only the old scholar's voice came from inside, "Go away."

Jiang Yanyi sighed. Today's trip was considered to be in vain. She left the wine and roast chicken at the gate of the courtyard and left with Yang Xiu and Bing Shao.

On the way, Yang Xiu couldn't help complaining about the old scholar, "This old antique is really ignorant of manners."

Jiang Yanyi said, "Forget it, let everything be as it will be. He suffered such a big setback when he was a storyteller, and his mother died with hatred. It is understandable that he doesn't want to tell stories anymore."

Counting the days, she could pick up the stoves she made today. On the way back, Jiang Yanyi went to the blacksmith shop to get the stoves, but ran into an old acquaintance.

It was Chef Yao, the chef of Lai Fu Restaurant.

They had held a banquet together at Han's house last time, and Jiang Yanyi had a good impression of him, but now because of the incident of the owner of Lai Fu Restaurant, he didn't know what position Chef Yao held in there, and he was not as comfortable as before when greeting him.

However, Chef Yao felt quite unfair and said, "Manager Jiang, the owner of Lai Fu Restaurant is not honest, but it's not me, Old Yao, who is dishonest. Please don't hold a grudge against me!"

Although there was no awareness of copyright in ancient times, Lai Fu Antique Soup Shop copied everything from her store, and others were neither blind nor stupid.

Jiang Yanyi said, "No way, Master Yao, what did you come here to do?"

When he talked about this, Chef Yao was furious, and he cursed his parents, "The new chef in the antique soup shop is really a piece of shit. This kitchen knife of mine is a family heirloom, and he used it to chop bones, you son of a bitch, and you see what he did to my knife!" Lai

Fu Antique Soup Shop is next to Lai Fu Restaurant, and they are one family anyway, so the back kitchen is not separated.

The kitchen knife in Chef Yao's hand had a big hole in it, and it was bent in several places.

As a chef, Jiang Yanyi could tell that this was a knife that was made with great care from workmanship to shape. If she were to use such a knife to chop a large bone, she would be heartbroken.

Jiang Yanyi sighed, "What a pity to waste such a good knife."

Chef Yao's heart was bleeding. He said angrily, "That bastard touched my ancestral knife, and I was so angry that I beat him up. But the boss openly scolded me in front of everyone in the restaurant!"

"I worked so hard for more than ten years in Lai Fu Restaurant, but the boss only paid me 1,500 yuan a month. When it was time to buy shares and get dividends, the boss didn't let me buy. Now, the new chef has a reputation as a chef, right? The boss not only gave him dividends, but also paid him 2,000 yuan a month!"

Jiang Yanyi said, "The boss of Lai Fu Restaurant is wrong. Even if he didn't know that the knife can't be used, It is used to cut big bones, but Master Yao, you have worked so hard for so many years, he shouldn't let you down like this."

Chef Yao has worked in Lai Fu Restaurant for so many years, no matter what, there is a relationship between them. Jiang Yanyi, an outsider, said this, which made Chef Yao feel even more sad. He shook his head and couldn't help but tear up: "People are only interested in money. When the boss first opened the restaurant, it was difficult everywhere. Once, he even I haven't been paid for half a year, and most of the people in the building have left. Other places offered me a high price to work, but I didn't leave. Now Lai Fu Restaurant is prosperous, and the boss may have forgotten the kindness we had back then. "

He sighed and said, "Manager Jiang, please open your antique soup shop quickly and beat that turtle grandson. I can't stand him being superior to others in everything! What's wrong with his ancestor being a chef? He is not a chef. Chef!"

Jiang Yanyi's eyes moved slightly, and she said tentatively: "Master Yao, I really feel sorry for you. You and my master are both people who value friendship and loyalty. You have supported Lai Fu Restaurant for so many years, and now you have to endure this! If you are willing, why not come to my shop and work, I will give you double the salary."

She had to launch a dry pot when she opened the business. Making a dry pot is more troublesome than making a soup pot. It requires a chef to always be in the back kitchen to manage the stove. Aunt Guo is Dunzi's master. She is good at cutting vegetables, but she lacks some skills in cooking.

If she traps herself to death on the stove, no one will look after the accounts outside.

Chef Yao is good at cooking. She has seen his skills before when she hosted a banquet at the Korean Mansion. If Chef Yao is willing to leave Lai Fu Restaurant and work with her, she

can let Chef Yao do the cooking and save a lot of worry.