Volume 1: The Ivory Tower's Happy Life Chapter 12: The Feast is Over but the Fun Remains

  To the left, a row of people led by Teng Hongyu were going downstairs and out the door when they saw that those in the courtyard had already started drinking and toasting each other, having a great time.

  The host and guest were delighted, that was the happiest. As they spoke, Lao Zuo kept praising the wild vegetables in the small shop, saying he hadn't tasted them for many years. Teng Hongyu humbly introduced the scenery of Xiangma Village to the guests, and also boasted about his own small shop, leaving a phone number to book a table. Director Xu was naturally overjoyed and put it away with a smile.

  To the south, down this road is where I was headed, but seeing Lei Da Peng's sideways glance at me with a silly expression, I suddenly thought of something. I walked forward and said to the three of them: "Thanks to you young gentlemen. It really is that I have eyes but fail to recognize gold and jade."

  "Didn't I tell you it's delicious?" Lei Dapeng easily said a human-like phrase. Zuo Nanxia smiled and nodded, giving a thumbs up: "Great, really great! This time back to Lanzhou, being able to taste your dishes, these few turtle eggs, is not a waste of the trip!"

  Yes, everyone naturally thought they were referring to the so-called "turtle eggs", but unexpectedly, Da Peng immediately caught on and pointed at the old man, scolding: "Are you cursing? What do you mean by 'we're a few turtle eggs', are we the ones who laid them?"

  Everyone was stunned, then burst out laughing. Zuo Nanxia quickly explained that he had misspoken in his excitement and apologized with a bow. Lei Dapeng laughed and waved his hand, saying: "Alright, alright, I won't bother you anymore. Remember my adoptive mother's shop, come try some dishes when you have time. Next time we meet, I'll treat you to something special. In this land of Luoyang, there's nothing you can think of that we can't find."

  This guy is really making everyone laugh, and it's hard to bear. At this time, everyone also understands Da Peng's silly and straightforward personality, so they don't mind anymore. Zuo Xiying didn't say much, quietly holding the camera, clicking away, taking several close-ups of Lei Dapeng's lovely ugly face, which really left a deep impression. In the lens, Zuo Xiying saw Xuan Yu, handsome and smiling, secretly staring at her, and suddenly thought of the scene by the reservoir, her hand trembling slightly. Moreover, she discovered something that made her feel surprised, putting down the camera, waiting for a pause before pointing and asking: "What's... what is that?"

  What is it? Still in Shanyong's hand, holding two halves of lotus root, not eating, but inserting a straw into the hole, sucking something with a gurgling sound. Simu Xian smiled and held up a bucket next to the low table, pulled out several straws, all vertical, with straws inserted on top, handed one to each of the four people present, reminding them to hold it well. When everyone was puzzled, they heard this little guy explain: "Ice lotus root wine, hung in the well to lower the temperature, the wine is a sweet wine, drinking it is sweet and icy and fragrant, mixed with the taste of lotus root. Only one family in Luzhou, no branches elsewhere."

  Nature is unique in this family, and this method was thought of by Lao Da and Lei Ge, two gluttons. It's both fun and delicious to drink.

  As soon as the wine was poured into his hand, he took a sip and immediately felt invigorated. The cool sweetness stimulated his senses, making him feel refreshed all over. He gave a thumbs up and Tong Hongyu smiled, explaining: "These little monkeys have tried everything edible on the mountain and in the river. Taste it, it's actually not bad! His dad used to work at the Liujiu Wine Factory and was a wine connoisseur. Try some... Miss, this wine has been diluted, it won't get you drunk."

  It seemed that Zuo Xiying was particularly taken care of, standing beside her and diligently advising her. Zuo Xiying put it in her mouth and sucked it in like a drink, suddenly a cool and refreshing aroma mixed with the smell of wine and lotus root rushed into her nose. She hummed and almost choked, then looked up to see those three guys grinning from ear to ear, laughing nonstop. The normally reserved Zuo Xiying was suddenly left with a bright red face. Teng Hongyu scolded these few rascals for a while, then turned around to teach Zuo Xiying, "This needs to be savored slowly, even if the degree is low, it's still wine."

  Zuo Xiying's face turned bright red, and as the crowd walked out of the courtyard gate, those who were good at drinking were savoring the low-degree wine, which was cool, sweet, and fragrant after dinner. It was only natural that they praised it again. When they saw off the guests and returned to the courtyard, including her son, the three little ones were peeking out from behind the door. Teng Hongyu waved her hand: "Go back, go back, everyone's gone, what are you looking at?"

  "Dry mother, what's her name?" Lei Dapeng asked curiously.

  "What are you calling her? With your foolish appearance, it's questionable whether the village girls can even look up to you, and yet you're thinking of that one?" Teng Hongyu scolded.

  "Not, not." Lei Dapeng hastily followed his godmother, asking: "I think she and Gege are quite a match, it's okay to be my god-sister."

  "Oh, that's more like it." Teng Hongyu was delighted and turned around to look at Lei Dapeng's eager gaze. She slapped her forehead in surprise: "Hey, I forgot to ask for the person's name! It seems to be a surname Zuo, but I don't know what... But asking is useless anyway, judging from the accent, it's not a local, even if it were, this kind of daughter-in-law your aunt can't afford to raise. Why don't you try going? Your mom will definitely be able to afford it."

  Lei Dapeng is a bit foolish, but he still has some self-awareness, so he shut up and didn't speak. This girl made both Lao Da and Lao San amazed, naturally she's not someone that can be handled by Lei Ge.

  While talking, they returned to the table, a family of three with two outsiders. Such a combination often appears in Shanyong's home. Lei Dapeng doesn't consider himself an outsider, and Simu Xian is embarrassed, but he is often dragged home by the hospitable Shanyong. Just as they were eating, unexpectedly, business was good today, and something else came up. The fat aunt next door had come to ask Master Shan to make a few portions of chicken stewed with mushrooms. In the village, whoever can't accommodate guests will introduce business to another household. Whoever is too busy to cope will pull you in to help. Shanyong's father and mother hadn't eaten a few mouthfuls before they were busy preparing again.

  Dad and mom got up together, the corn cake was only bitten a few mouthfuls, the hot turtle soup still had more than half left. Danyong was originally sitting in front of his parents chatting and laughing, but when he saw them get up, his eyes were wide with wonder, stunned, and a little melancholy crept onto his eyebrows. Unlike these guests who came to eat, even the best delicacies didn't have any feeling in dad and mom's mouths, or it could be said that after falling from a good family background and hitting rock bottom, the hardships of life had already worn away those idle and elegant feelings.

  This subtle look of sorrow was caught by Simu Xian, and he seemed to have sensed Shanyong's concerns. He looked a bit embarrassed, not knowing how to comfort him.

  There's another one who didn't have much thought, Lei Dapeng packed the unfinished turtle into a thermos lunch box and said he wanted to take it back for his parents to taste. This guy is stupid, but he's not stupid either. He took a glance at the two of them and naturally judged that they both had a crush on that beauty. He sat down and solemnly educated the two:

  "Brother, Egg Brother, you two shouldn't be so lustful. You're not even thinking about it and you've already gone stupid, like you've lost your mind. What's the point of thinking about it? On this matter, we need to be realistic. I have a suggestion... Tomorrow, let's sell the turtle we caught back to the hotel, and then we'll go to the sauna together. If not, we can go to Dasong City, there are often beautiful women appearing, and the price is not expensive. With one turtle, you can still have some leftover after getting a girl... How should I put it? Money is like turtle eggs, spend it and then earn more; girls are also like turtle eggs, finish with one and then change to another, no need for too much nonsense... Ah, want to go or not? I've always wanted to go. A happy life needs to be created by our own hands, but our sex life can't always be solved by our own hands, right?"

  Lei Dapeng lowered his voice, asking with great anticipation, Si Mu Xian covered her mouth and smiled, her face slightly embarrassed. The sentence behind was taught by him and quoted by Lei Dapeng. The problem of whether Lei Ge is a virgin or not has been an unsolved mystery for a long time. As for Shan Yong, he rolled his eyes and stared at Lei Dapeng without responding. He had taught him many times that a refined person enjoys food, drink, and entertainment, while a degenerate indulges in food, drink, whoring, and gambling. After spending countless years on this, he still couldn't turn Lei Di into a refined gentleman.

  The two men did not respond, and Lei Dapeng became impatient, slapping the table to urge them: "I'll treat you, okay? Give me a straight answer, are you going or not?"

  The two didn't speak, someone spoke up, and Auntie from the kitchen poked her head out, asking bluntly: "Where are you going again?"

  Lei Dapeng's eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly covered it up by saying: "Nothing, nothing, Godmother, I'm not going anywhere."

  "Go back to school honestly, you're so big and still making adults worry. Da Peng, especially you, your mom calls me when she can't find you, complaining that my son San Yong is corrupting you... I don't know how this school is managed, it's either eating, drinking, playing or being naughty, or disappearing without a trace. Even the village sheep herders and donkey drivers are not as free and unruly as you university students... Have you finished eating? If so, hurry back to your dorm before dawn and call me..."

  Hong Yu's voice was sharp and shrill, lecturing them at length while working, until the three of them responded in unison before she finally turned back. Lei Da Peng knew that although his adoptive mother was kind, she didn't show much courtesy to either her adopted son or biological son. In the past, when his adoptive mother was in the opera troupe, Yang Qiuniang and Mu Guiying had both played roles where they didn't listen to orders, and the big broom would chase after them like a theatrical gun.

  After finishing their meal, the three of them packed up their things and put them in the car. They bid farewell to the family and took advantage of the remaining daylight to head back to the city.

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  In the stretched-out Benz that had gone ahead and descended the mountain, when the car reached the foot of the mountain, Zuo Liying in the back seat was still holding onto that piece of lotus root. The wine stored in the lotus root hole wasn't much, even if it was all sucked out, when brought to the nose there was still that hint of wine fragrance mixed with the refreshing scent of the lotus root. Upon closer inspection, the lotus root chosen was a straight one, not exceeding ten centimeters, fitting neatly in the palm like an exquisite cow horn cup. The skin had been removed from the lotus root, its white and tender color truly pleasing to the eye. It could be seen that this thing for storing wine had taken quite some effort, such attention to detail for something so delicious and enjoyable left Zuo Liying speechless with laughter.

  At this time, Zuo Nanxia was also looking at him, holding it for a long time and not wanting to throw it away. Zuo Xiying whispered jokingly: "Dad, I think this family's cooking skills are going to surpass yours."

  "Heh, indeed." Zuo Nan nodded slightly, holding the calabaza and admiring it, saying uncertainly: "I think I've seen this way of drinking somewhere... This is a refined person's way of drinking."

  "Unbelievable, that guy, with the messy hair... " Zuo Xiying smiled and gestured, having a deep impression of Lei Dapeng. But as soon as she spoke, everyone burst out laughing, and for some reason, Zuo Xiying's eyes flashed back to the scene by the reservoir, her father mentioning that young man full of wildness, also still vivid in her memory.

  "Ah, I remember now." Left Nanxia looked at the wine for a while, seemingly deep in thought. Suddenly, he spoke up, and even Director Xu's daughter looked at him in surprise. "Yes, it's Bi Tong wine," said Left Nanxia. "It's made by plucking a lotus leaf from the pond, placing the wine on the leaf, using a hairpin to pierce through the connection between the leaf and stem, allowing the wine to flow into the stem, and then sucking it out. There's a poem that says: 'The flavor of the wine is mixed with the scent of the lotus, its cold fragrance surpasses even ice.' This is exactly the kind of wine being described... It's an elegant pastime of ancient Jiangnan scholars and literati. To be able to see it here is truly rare."

  "Left Lao, don't think too much about it, maybe it's just like what the boss's wife said, a few kids messing around." Director Xu said with a smile, clearly not understanding the nuances of the situation, and threw away the lotus root after finishing his drink. Turning back to say something, but unexpectedly Left Nan shook his head: "No, I saw that young man who scooped up the turtle this morning, Director Xu, think about it, he didn't hesitate to catch a turtle, and then had to make a two-layered egg beforehand, plus seven or eight kinds of expensive ingredients, and then use a stone pot to cook it with great effort. Is this considered messing around? Didn't that young man tell us that the ingredients, craftsmanship, and cooking time are all top-notch, and that this dish has a strong traditional flavor? Truly, there have been many strange people in the folk culture since ancient times."

  "It's not that strange." The driver chimed in, continuing straight away: "Old Lao, you don't understand the market situation. Now wild things are expensive, wild fish and wild turtles are several times more expensive than artificially raised ones. There are even people here who specialize in this business. They deliver to hotels and collect a high price."

  "Hehe, driven by profit, and done with elegance, the process is the same, but the results are vastly different. There are many elegant things that can't be measured by profit, such as the ancients' green plum stewed wine, new snow cooked tea, raising cups to invite the moon, and treading snow to appreciate plums... none of which have anything to do with profit. Maybe the person we met today who caught fish in the water and cooked eggs in a stone pot is also an elegant person, haha. Otherwise, if it wasn't for a chance encounter, we would have spent money, who would have gone to such trouble?"

  Zuo Nanxia smiled and said, Director Xu and the driver both laughed. When he turned his head to look at his daughter, he suddenly saw that her cheeks were flushed red, and didn't know if it was because she couldn't handle the wine or if she had thought of the embarrassing thing by the reservoir again.

  A group of people chatted and laughed, soon entering the city, night fell and neon lights came on, the car drove smoothly, Lao Zuo's enthusiasm was high, from local customs to food habits, it seemed that at such a big age, he hadn't lived in vain, having been to many places, eaten and walked around, Secretary Xu listened carefully and took note, occasionally interjecting a sentence or two, Lao Zuo also answered thoughtfully. Before long, they arrived at the Kayla Hotel, when getting off the car, the secretary rushed up and said that there was another visitor from Lu Zhou Academy, Lao Nan's enthusiasm was high, hearing it was an old friend, he quickly walked into the hall with a comrade-like hug with another white-haired old man, seemingly an old acquaintance, inviting him to go upstairs.

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  The driver had just stopped the car and gotten out when someone suddenly appeared from behind the vehicle, startling him. On closer inspection, it turned out to be Manager Feng of the hotel. The manager, looking rather furtive, approached him and, fearing that he might have fooled Director Xu and offended an important guest, pulled the driver aside and asked in a low voice, "How was it?"

  "What's wrong?" The driver was taken aback.

  "How was your meal?" asked Manager Feng.

  "Not bad." The driver nodded.

  "Is Mr. Zuo satisfied?" Manager Feng asked again, most concerned about this issue.

  "Satisfied, extremely satisfied, it made the old man so happy that he kept talking non-stop all the way." The driver said with a smile.

  "What about Minister Xu? Didn't he say anything?" Manager Feng felt relieved upon hearing this.

  "No, happily speaking, another old man came and went upstairs together." said the driver.

  Alright, Manager Feng finally put down the burden on his mind, patted his chest and let out a long sigh. Just as he was about to tell the driver to take a rest, someone else pulled him back, looking tense and strange, asking: "What's with your silly smile? What did you eat that made you all so happy?"

  "Son of a turtle." The driver blurted out.

  "What?" Manager Feng's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at her.

  "Not that, the egg laid by a turtle... no, not that either. Half of it is, half of it isn't. The one that isn't, what's it called? One egg with two layers and three flavors... hmm, how do I put this?"

  The driver explained repeatedly, but the more he explained, the more confused Manager Feng became, and even thought it was a turtle egg or something. The driver explained for a long time before finally clarifying this "golden and jade-filled hall" and "perfect in every way", and then added some embellishments to the story.

  At this, Manager Feng was taken aback. Others might not know the goods, but this hotel manager Feng was particular, listening to the color, carefully asking about the workmanship, and then asking about the taste, asked almost enough, didn't ask anymore, picked up the phone and called someone, the driver looked at him in confusion, before long two head chefs from the hotel rushed out, Manager Feng said nothing, waved his hand and got into the car: "Let's go, Xiangma Village."

  The driver didn't dare to drive slowly, and drove back on the original road. On the way, he heard Mr. Feng and the head chef talking about it. These two chefs were not very convinced, at least they wouldn't believe that replacing egg yolks with turtle egg yolks would work, let alone using a braising method to infuse flavors into the egg whites. Moreover, making one egg have three layers of flavor was even more unbelievable. And this wasn't even the entirety of the dish, which made it even harder to believe. If it were in a big restaurant's kitchen, it might be barely possible, but if it came out of a farmhouse, who would believe that such culinary skills existed? The three people argued back and forth, while the driver listened intently, realizing that he had actually gotten to taste something special, something that even the head chef didn't think was possible.

  Manager Feng had no choice but to drag the driver in as a witness, which made the two even more astonished. Their eagerness to see what was happening was even greater than Manager Feng's. The speed at which modern cuisine introduces new dishes cannot keep up with the speed at which those foodies' wallets are getting thicker. In this line of work, it is especially evident that one dish can be both elegant and popular, suitable for both refined and common tastes. If there really was such a dish that could satisfy both the gourmands and the ordinary eaters, Manager Feng wouldn't worry about those foodies not opening their wallets. Moreover, Manager Feng knew that Old Zuo was a connoisseur of fine cuisine, so if he could satisfy this old man, it shouldn't be an ordinary dish.

  Back slowly, go quickly, on the way, Manager Feng was teaching a few people in a secretive manner not to let Nongjiale see it. When they arrived at Xiangjiazhuang, they found Lao Dan's house, which was already cold and dark, but fortunately, there was still some leftover soup in the pot. The two chefs didn't say a word, went into the kitchen, found some utensils to scoop up the soup, cleaned up quickly, and the group of people hastily searched around inside and outside the house. It was that driver who had sharp eyes and found half-eaten Wonton being picked up by the chef as if it were a treasure. Dan Changqing and Teng Hongyu looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what happened, before they could figure it out, they were handed several hundred-yuan bills, and the group of people hastily mumbled a few words and left quickly.

  "Lao Dan, what's going on today? Everyone's gone crazy! The table that was supposed to be free cost me 500 yuan, and they said it was a good deal. And now the leftovers have been sold again... This is ridiculous, 600 yuan for this!" Teng Hongyu stared at the tail lights of the Mercedes, then looked at the 100-yuan bill in her hand, bewildered, unable to understand why the leftovers were worth more than the whole table.

  "They want to get into that pot of soup and that pot of eggs." Shuang Qing said lightly, with a hint of disdain on his face. Having run a restaurant before, how could he not understand the thoughts of these business people? As soon as he said this, Teng Hongyu understood and laughed: "Then let them fuss around, if they can mass-produce, we'll get rich early."

  In the middle of this, the two old men were clearer than anyone else. The son and his classmates had nothing to do with each other, so they played around and changed their ways. Just this pot alone took a week's worth of effort. The taste was definitely good, but if you wanted to mass-produce it for profit, you'd probably have to work the chef to death first. The two old men turned around and walked in the door, and Zhang Changqing said with intention: "Hongyu, our son is putting his heart into making this dish for us to taste. Don't always scold him."

  "You still don't know what kind of temper he has. If he doesn't get his way for three days, he'll go crazy and cause trouble. It's only been a few years since things started happening at home that he's begun to understand a bit. In the past, except for asking for money, he didn't even recognize me as his mother. Just over two years ago, I saw him getting arrogant again." Teng Hongyu said angrily, stuffing the money into her waist.

  "Kids these days are not like that, I'd rather he was still as mischievous as before. Unfortunately, with a useless person like me, it's been tough on you and the kid. Remember when the store closed down and we sold the house? We came back here and our son had to take a year off school to take care of us. He did all sorts of odd jobs, chopped firewood, bought groceries and medicine... it was as if he grew up overnight. It's heartbreaking..." Single Longqing wiped away tears, unintentionally bringing up the eternal regret in his heart.

  "Let's not mention this anymore, haven't we all been through it? Let him suffer a bit earlier, it's better than suffering later." Tian Hongyu thought of the incident at home and closed the courtyard door with tears in her eyes.

  In the quiet night, in a small courtyard with wooden doors, the couple's whispers could be heard. They were talking about how much money they had saved, how much more they needed to buy their son a house and get him married, whether they should look for a job that would cost them even more, what kind of opportunities they should seek... As usual, the reality was far from their expectations, and the life they yearned for was still very far away.