Chapter 629 You came at the wrong time
After Xiao Peng cut the lamb spine into sections, he said, "I was reading a book the other day about the story of Su Dongpo. I realized he was a true foodie, so I'm going to imitate him and make grilled lamb spine!"
Shao Feng was stunned: "Isn't Su Dongpo's most famous dish 'Dongpo Pork'? That's pork!"
Xiao Peng waved his hand and said, "Alright, when did Su Dongpo live? The Song Dynasty! The Chinese didn't start eating pork until the Ming and Qing dynasties. Su Dongpo couldn't have eaten pork, and if he did, he would have done so in secret. How could he have created 'Dongpo Pork' and publicized it so widely? So, 'Dongpo Pork' was most likely a name coined to capitalize on the celebrity's influence."
Shao Feng didn't understand what Xiao Peng meant: "What do you mean 'Su Dongpo can't eat pork'? Is it shameful for him to eat pork?"
Xiao Peng nodded and said, "It's really shameful!"
"Ah?" Shao Feng was stunned after hearing this.
Xiao Peng explained, "Who was Su Dongpo? He was a 'scholar', a scholar! So, he valued 'etiquette' above all else. At that time, all scholars had to read Confucian classics. 'The Book of Zhou Li', one of the Thirteen Classics of Confucianism, was a must-read for all scholars! You're probably familiar with the idiom 'One word, nine tripods'. These 'nine tripods' actually refer to nine large hot pots representing nine types of food, and they also categorize food into 'high' and 'low' categories. Scholars back then were very particular about what they ate and what etiquette they used."
"The top three foods in the Nine Cauldrons are beef, mutton, and pig. These three are also known as the 'big prison.' Our country has been an agricultural nation since ancient times. In ancient times, cattle were not allowed to be eaten. Every death of a cow had to be reported to the government. Do you think it's like in 'Water Margin,' where you walk into a tavern and are asked, 'Two bottles of wine, two pounds of beef!' Even landlords couldn't do that! The vast majority of ancient people never ate beef in their entire lives! The only edible meats in ancient times were mutton and pork. The 'Book of Rites' also categorized foods into different levels, meaning: if you had status, you had to eat mutton; eating pork meant you considered yourself inferior. Do you think those ancient scholars who valued 'integrity' above all else would lower themselves to eat pork? Although Su Dongpo was exiled to Huizhou and lived in poverty, he still couldn't live without mutton. He carefully recorded this in his 'Letter to My Brother Ziyou.'"
Shao Feng scratched his head and said, "Okay, then what's going on with this sheep spine?"
Xiao Peng laughed and said, "When Su Shi was exiled to Huizhou, he was living a very tight life. He wrote to his brother saying that the market in Huizhou was not prosperous and they only slaughtered a sheep every few days. He didn't dare to compete with the local dignitaries for mutton, so he could only ask the butcher to buy the lamb spine that no one else was eating to satisfy his craving. But as the Song Dynasty's foremost foodie, Su Dongpo didn't just eat the lamb spine casually. He washed the lamb spine, marinated it with rice wine and salt, and then slowly roasted it over low heat until the lamb was golden and sizzling. When I saw this record, I thought this method was interesting, so I wanted to try it too. Let me tell you, although the lamb spine is from a young goat purchased locally, the rice wine used for marinating it is not just a random choice. I paid a high price for 'Gu Yue Long Shan', a real wine used for state banquets!"
"Other people use it for drinking, but you use it for marinating meat?" Shao Feng teased, "You rich dog!"
"Then don't eat it!" Xiao Peng said as he turned on the range hood and the electric oven and set them to low heat to slowly roast it.
Shao Feng looked out the window and said, "With such a tall building and such large floor-to-ceiling windows, wouldn't everyone be able to see you having a barbecue here? Are you trying to piss people off to death? If people knew about your lifestyle, they would definitely say you're extravagant."
Xiao Peng looked up and said, "One-way glass, what are you afraid of? I don't understand what you're saying. Do I have to eat coarse food? Then what am I making money for? Shao Feng, let's be honest, among the wealthy people with as much money as I do, who else would take on everything and do it all by themselves like me? So now I just want to have a good rest. I know why you came to see me. Don't say anything, I won't listen."
Shao Feng laughed and said, "You're just like the heroine in a Qiong Yao novel: I don't want to listen, I don't want to listen, I don't want to listen."
"Fuck you!" Xiao Peng said, "This time you come to my place, we'll eat, drink and have fun. I don't even want to reply to your email. After all, if you come to me, it means my location is known to others. I just want to be alone and relax."
Shao Feng looked apologetic: "Sorry..."
"Don't apologize!" Xiao Peng waved his hand and said, "You can't do anything about it. Even if they knew I was here, they couldn't do anything about it."
"Why?" Shao Feng asked puzzledly.
Xiao Peng curled his lips and said, "Do you think anyone can come to this rich man's house like visiting? The security here is very tight. Today, I even made people suspect that I sneaked in."
Then he told Shao Feng what happened in the elevator today. Shao Feng was surprised and said, "Is there such a thing? You live next to a famous star? Is she beautiful?"
Xiao Peng thought for a moment. "From a Western perspective, she's quite beautiful, but I don't have any impression of her. Besides, I'm not interested in people like her. They take themselves too seriously and don't take others seriously at all!"
Shao Feng asked curiously, "Wait, how did I get in? No one was checking me!"
Xiao Peng, who was grilling over there, curled his lips and said, "Have you ever stayed in a high-end luxury hotel? Even if you haven't been there for a few years, they'll still remember you. It's not because you're handsome and impressive, but because they have a database. I knew you were coming, so I told them your information. Otherwise, you wouldn't even be able to get up the elevator: below the 35th floor, you can go anywhere. Above the 36th floor, not everyone can enter! That's why the woman will be suspicious if I didn't press the elevator floor today. By the way, what's going on with the meeting?"
Shao Feng said, "Don't mention it. Your batch of Middle Eastern artifacts has really excited the French. They're clamoring to rent artifacts from us and bring them back for exhibition. This is just to piss off the Turks. The country can't agree to this matter, so I have to handle it. The real reason I came to you this time is to get your opinion on this matter."
Xiao Peng looked disgusted: "Why are you so cheap? They came to you to discuss whether they should go to China, what are you doing here?"
Shao Feng smiled bitterly and said, "Isn't there something else going on? Well, I won't mention it! Let's get down to business. Boss Xiao, what are you going to do about this request from the French?"
Xiao Peng shook his head: "What should I do? Nothing!"
"What do you mean?" Shao Feng asked in confusion.
Xiao Peng said, "You came out at the wrong time. You won't be here for long and you have to go back. A new batch of exhibits will arrive from the sea in a few days, and this time it will be France's turn to be anxious!"
"Damn it! Don't tell me you took away the French national treasure again!" Shao Feng exclaimed.
Xiao Peng nodded: "About the same."
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