At this moment, Wang Chong suddenly raised his nose and sniffed a few times. His eyes widened as he said,"It smells so good! Smells so good! Do you smell it? Ginger River Carp! Good craftsmanship! Good craftsmanship!"
Mu Weizhou couldn't help but feel a little strange when he heard him say this. The kitchen was not close to where they were drinking tea. Although Mu Weizhou knew that Liu Qingping was preparing food, he did not smell any fragrance. He asked,"Brother Wang, aren't you exaggerating? He could smell the fragrance of the dishes in the kitchen from here? And what kind of vegetables can you smell?"
It turned out that Wang Chong was extremely talented. Not only was he able to read it, but he also had an outstanding sense of taste and had a deep understanding of food. If he wasn't so poor now, he would definitely be able to do it 365 days a year and not eat the same thing. Although he could do it now, it was mostly based on imagining every meal as chicken, duck, and fish cooked in various ways. Sometimes, he could eat it, and sometimes, he couldn't.
Hearing Mu Weizhou's question, Wang Chong smiled and said,""Brother Mu, do you want to make a bet? Even if I sit here without moving, I can still know how many dishes I made today. What kind of dishes did I make? How?"
Mu Weizhou saw that Wang Chong was full of confidence and thought that he definitely had the ability, but it was really as mysterious as he said. He didn't believe it, so he asked,"Bet? What are we betting on?"
"If you lose, you'll be the one treating us to our meals in the future. What do you think?" Wang Chong said with a smile.
Mu Weizhou thought to himself that this old brother was really poor and delicious. After all, he just hoped that he would treat him to meals more often in the future. In fact, he was not happy to be able to eat with Wang Chong and the others often. He agreed,"No problem. Brother Wang, what if you lose?"
"How could I lose?" Wang Chong laughed.”
"Brother Wang, it's hard to say. There will be a win and a loss." Why don't I be a witness? If you lose, what will happen?”
" If I lose…If I lose…" Wang Chong muttered," How could I lose? I can't lose!"
Seeing how confident he was, Mu Weizhou couldn't help but feel competitive and asked,"That's right. What if we lose?”
Wang Chong sniffed again and said,"Sesame roasted beef ribs! This was also done very well! Wow, I didn't expect this girl's craftsmanship to be so good!”Then, he turned to Mu Weizhou and said,"What if we lose?" Whatever you say."
Mu Weizhou didn't know what to ask for after hearing what he said. He suddenly remembered Liu Qingping's request and said,""If you lose, I don't know what I want you to do now. Why don't you take it that you owe me a favor?”
Wang Chong agreed indifferently. He knew that he could not lose. The two of them high-fived to confirm. Ban Chao was the witness, and the bet was confirmed.
After the two finished their high five, Ban Chao reminded them,""Brother Weizhou, Brother Wang is gifted and has a great sense of taste. Although he doesn't have enough to eat, he's compared to the famous chefs Yi Yin and Duke Taihe. I think you're going to lose this bet. Haha."
Mu Weizhou knew Yi Yin and remembered that he was the prime minister of the Shang Dynasty. He was a very wise person, but he did not know much about him being a chef. As for Duke Tai He, he had never heard of him. So he asked Ban Chao to introduce him.
Yi Yin's original name was Che, nicknamed Ah Heng. Yin meant prime minister. Because he did a good job as prime minister, he was directly called Yi Yin by the later generations. Yi Yin was a famous politician and ideologist in the early Shang Dynasty. He was one of the earliest Taoist figures. He was born 1,600 years ago when the Eastern Han Dynasty was founded. He was smart and studious since he was young. Not only did he master cooking techniques, but he was also proficient in the way of administration of the ancient Holy Kings. He had once been a chef for a slave owner noble and a tutor for a noble's children. Later, he assisted Shang Tang in destroying the Xia Dynasty and was one of the founders of the Shang Dynasty. He governed the world with the theory of "using the tripod spoon" and "blending the five flavors". He had been the prime minister of the Shang Dynasty for more than 50 years, making the Shang Dynasty's politics clear, its economy prosperous, and its national strength rapidly growing. Lao Tzu's saying that 'ruling a big country is like cooking a small fresh', came from his thoughts. Yi Yin lived for a hundred years and was buried with the etiquette of the Son of Heaven. He was later honored as the ancestor of Chinese chefs and the founder of Central Plains cuisine.
Duke Taihe was a famous chef in the State of Wu. He had lived on the shore of Taihu Lake for a long time and was proficient in dishes that used aquatic products as raw materials, especially grilled fish. It was said that the grilled fish he made had won the praise of King Liao of Wu. Later on, Wu Gongzi Guang, the King of Wu, sent Zhuan Zhu to learn the art of roasting fish from the Duke of Taihe. When Zhuan Zhu returned from his studies, he stabbed King Liao to death with his Yuchang sword when Gongzi Guang hosted a banquet for King Liao of Wu.
After Mu Weizhou heard this, he couldn't help but sigh. They were both delicacies, but one had established a country while the other had lost it.
When Wang Chong heard this, he said a very classic sentence,""Delicacies are innocent!"
When everyone heard this, they couldn't help but laugh. Wang Chong's mind was no longer on the conversation, and his soul had probably flown to the kitchen.
"Sigh, what a pity Zhuan Zhu!" Mu Weizhou said regretfully.
"Brother, you're wrong!" Ban Chao smiled and said," Zhuan Zhu assassinated Wang Liao and corrected the country. Although he died, he achieved the hegemony of the Wu Kingdom. After his death, his son Zhuan Yi became a high official. It can be said that he is loyal to his family and country. You're a real husband!"
"Oh? Could it be that Brother Ban worships Zhuan Zhu?" Mu Weizhou asked.
" That's not it." Ban Chao laughed," I just admire the attitude of sacrificing oneself for justice." Taishigong once said,'Death is inevitable for all people. It may be lighter than a feather or heavier than Mount Tai.'Zhuan Zhu can be said to be heavier than Mount Tai."
"That's true." Ban Gu echoed," For Gong Ziguang, Zhuan Zhu can be described as 'a scholar dies for a confidante'. Mencius said,'Sacrifice one's life for benevolence, sacrifice one's life for righteousness.'How many people in the world can do that?"
Mu Weizhou was touched by their words. Ever since Liang had recovered from his injuries, Mu Weizhou had started to ponder the question of life and death. What was the most important thing for a person? Was living the highest principle? Was there really no existence higher than life? On the way from Guangling to Luoyang, Mu Weizhou truly experienced the happiness of the people of this era. This kind of happiness did not mean that they were living in luxury, but that no matter where they went, their faces would be filled with joy from the bottom of their hearts. Their hearts would be safe, and they would be filled with hope for the future and pride for the Great Han Dynasty. All of this was probably related to the current emperor. Mu Weizhou even thought that if he died because of that rescue, it might not be unacceptable. However, if such a situation happened again, would he still risk his life to save the emperor? Although he answered that he would definitely do it, he was still unwilling to accept it. After all, he only had one life.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but ask,"If you were Zhuan Zhu, would you do the same?"”
Ban Gu listened and considered for a moment, but didn't say anything. "Why not?" Ban Chao asked.! A real man has nothing to be happy about when he is alive, and nothing to fear when he dies. If you die for a reason, why not die in vain?”
Seeing Ban Chao's honest answer, Mu Weizhou couldn't help but praise in his heart. He thought that this person must have understood life and death. Such a person probably began to live meaningfully, and he couldn't help but admire him.
The few of them continued to chat, and after a while, they talked about Yuchang Sword. Mu Weizhou then took out the Clear Sable Sword and the Cheng Ying Sword for his brothers to appreciate. Wang Chong was very knowledgeable and told the story of the two swords thoroughly. Mu Weizhou realized that a lot of the content he was talking about originated from the Yue Jue Shu that he had read two days ago. He suddenly remembered the Qianqiu Manual and Guoshi Lu that were missing from the table of contents, so he asked Wang Chong if he had read them. Unexpectedly, Wang Chong was stumped. Ban Gu had never heard of this before. Seeing that he had stumped the two great Confucians, Mu Weizhou felt a little proud. As for what those books were, he did not think too much about it.
The four of them were chatting when Wang Chong suddenly said,""Ah, I'm done chatting. The dishes are served, the dishes are served! The first dish was lotus seed venison soup. This soup was well made. It was cooked slowly with a gentle fire and added with lotus seeds. Rice vinegar to remove the smell of mutton, cereal-sugar to cover the smell of fishy. This little girl has good culinary skills. Old Wang is going to have a good meal today.”
As they were talking, Liu Qingping came into the room with a pot full of meat soup. Although Mu Weizhou did not know what meat it was, he could see the lotus seeds in the pot clearly.
Liu Qingping placed the earthen basin on the table, surprised that Wang Chong actually knew what dish it was. Thus, Mu Weizhou told Liu Qingping about his bet with Wang Chong. Liu Qingping was surprised that Wang Chong had such ability. As he spoke, a child brought the second dish. The second dish was the Ginger River Carp, which was exactly what Wang Chong had said. Moreover, Wang Chong had also roughly explained the cooking methods of the first two dishes, and they actually matched perfectly.
Seeing Wang Chong's confident look, Liu Qingping thought for a moment and smiled.""God Wang, can you let me join your bet with Brother Weizhou?”
At this moment, Wang Chong was already full of saliva. He couldn't wait for the dishes to be served. He quickly started eating and said indifferently,"What's there to be afraid of? I'll add you. Tell me, what are we betting on?"
"Since you're in, then you'll be like Brother Weizhou?”Liu Qingping said slyly.
Wang Chong thought for a moment and said,"Although you will definitely lose, I can't promise you that." Brother Weizhou is honest and honest. You are smarter than me, so it's better for us to make things clear in advance. Haha!"
Hearing this, Mu Weizhou laughed to himself. He thought to himself,'See, this isn't just my impression.' Liu Qingping rolled her eyes at Wang Chong."Mm, that's good too. If I lose, I'll treat you to a meal at Sunset Smoke Hall every day. How about it, God Wang?”
When Wang Chong heard that he would be able to eat for free every day, he was naturally happy. He wished he could write a contract with Liu Qingping and let everyone present sign it as a witness. He could not help but swallow his saliva and nod vigorously.
"What if you lose?" Liu Qingping asked with a smile.
"Brother Wang, if you bet with Brother Mu, you will most likely win. If you bet with Miss Liu…Brother, I don't think you should bet."”What he meant was that Wang Chong definitely couldn't beat Liu Qingping.
Of course, Wang Chong knew what Ban Chao meant, and that was exactly what he was worried about. However, the words had already been said. How could he repent in front of the two young men? However, when it came to the stakes, he was in a difficult position. Putting aside the fact that he was penniless, even if he included the two old brothers in front of him, he probably wouldn't be able to take out a bet that was equivalent to Liu Qingping treating him to meals every day. He felt that it wasn't as big as the previous round, so he passed it vaguely and won the bet directly. It also reduced the awkwardness at the moment.
Liu Qingping saw Wang Chong's troubled look and thought for a moment. She then thought of the reason and smiled."Brother Wang, don't make things difficult. His little sister had made a bet with someone and bet everything she had. Gold, silver, money, and other worldly possessions, little sister didn't care about them. If Big Brother Wang loses, how about writing an article for Little Sister?”
Wang Chong was feeling uncomfortable, but when he heard that he could bet an article, he couldn't help but be overjoyed.""What's so difficult about that? Lao Wang could agree to ten or a hundred of them, let alone one.”He thought that although this girl was smart, she had a good heart. This gambling method must be the same as Brother Mu. He saw that my life was difficult and cleverly helped me. These two people are so virtuous, in the future, they must be close friends. "Miss Liu, how about this?" If it was just writing an article, Old Wang would inevitably take advantage of it. Old Wang was nearly fifty years old and had no other strengths. Other than reading some scriptures, he also enjoyed his appetite. Even though Old Wang doesn't eat much, he does have a lot of recipes in his stomach. I can see that you're also talented in this aspect. If I lose, I'll teach you a dish for every meal you eat in the future. How about that?”
When Mu Weizhou heard this, he immediately felt that Wang Chong was too particular and didn't want to earn money with an article. Who knew that Liu Qingping immediately curled her lips and said," Master Wang is really cunning. Not only does he earn free food and drink, but he also wants to order it himself every time." However, I do like cooking. Let's do as you say. I'll go serve the dishes." With that, he turned around and ran to the kitchen.
Liu Qingping's words made everyone present admire her secretly. Mu Weizhou thought to himself,'That's right, that's not the case. Why didn't I think of that?' Ban Chao laughed and said to Wang Chong,""Brother Wang, I think you're going to suffer this time.”
Wang Chong sniffed a few more times, then looked at Mu Weizhou and said,"Even if Old Wang doesn't suffer losses, someone will suffer losses sooner or later. I estimate that Miss Liu should have made eight dishes. Old Wang knew what to do after smelling it.”
Mu Weizhou and a few others cleaned up the table and opened another jar of wine. The child also served the dishes one by one. Wang Chong was really amazing. Before each dish was served, he would announce the name of the dish in advance, which was exactly the same as the name of the dish that Xiao Tong announced later. After a while, the child stopped passing the dishes. Mu Weizhou counted eight dishes and couldn't help but click his tongue in wonder.
Seeing that it was easy for him to eat free food, Wang Chong couldn't help but feel proud. He swallowed his saliva and explained to Mu Weizhou and the others how to roast the "sesame roasted sparrow", how to cut the "bean-sauce beef chop", how long to cook the "onion dog trotters", and how big the rabbit needed to cook the "honey rabbit breast". However, he skipped over the two vegetable dishes,"Black Bean Green Blossoms"(Steamed Rape with Black Bean) and "Coriander Reed Radish"(Stewed Radish with Coriander). Mu Weizhou nodded and laughed secretly as he listened, thinking that this Old Brother Wang was really a carnivore.
Just as they were making arrangements and waiting for Liu Qingping to sit down, they heard Wang Chong sniffing hard and saying,""Hey, that's not right! This should be three shredded cucumbers, carrots, and green bamboo shoots. Why did the green bamboo shoots taste so strange?”
"Brother Wang, what's the big deal? Could it be that he remembered that he had something urgent to do at home and had to rush back?”Ban Chao joked.
"Haha, Zhong Sheng is just joking. How can there be anything else in the world when there is a delicious meal in front of us?”Wang Chong replied," I think Miss Liu added a cold dish for us. She used cucumbers, carrots, and green bamboo shoots. However, this green bamboo shoot is special. I'll take a look at it later.”
As they were talking, Liu Qingping came into the room with a plate. She deliberately placed the plate in front of Wang Chong and smiled at him."Brother Wang, what do you think this little sister's dish should be called?”
Mu Weizhou looked at the dish and saw that the white, red, and green ingredients were shredded and placed on the plate. There was also a circle of sauce around it. It looked very beautiful. Mu Weizhou didn't recognize the white one. According to Wang Chong, it should be a melon. The red one was a carrot. Mu Weizhou was more familiar with it. When he saw the green ingredient, he couldn't help but be surprised. He wondered where Liu Qingping got this.
It turned out that the green ingredient was actually sweet. When she escaped from Taihu Lake, Liu Qingping had specially brought a few pieces with her to use as seasoning. He had made a bet with Wang Chong just now, and he thought that ordinary ingredients wouldn't be a problem for Wang Chong, so he used the rest of the ingredients, along with melons and carrots, and added a dish at the last minute.
Before Liu Qingping could put the newly made dish on the table, Wang Chong already knew that it was not because there were no bamboo shoots in the dish. At this moment, Wang Chong had long lost his previous arrogance. He looked at the three-colored platter in front of him and blinked without saying anything.
Although Ban Gu and Ban Chao didn't know what was going on, they could roughly guess what was going on when they saw Wang Chong's expression. They thought to themselves that this Old Wang was really strange. He was actually stumped by a simple dish. Could it be that there was something special about this sauce?
Wang Chong looked at the platter for a while, raised his head, and thought for a while. Then, he sat down and said sadly,"Miss Liu, Old Wang has lost. Old Wang can't think of this dish." Wang Chong had read since he was a child and was knowledgeable. It was not an exaggeration to say that he was the great encyclopedia of the time. He was quite conceited about his own knowledge, but he didn't expect to lose in this Sunset Smoke Hall and fall on a three-colored platter. How could he not be depressed?
"How is it that Master Wang lost?" Liu Qingping smiled and said," I prepared eight dishes. Master Wang didn't even need to look at them to know what ingredients to use and how to cook them. Just based on this alone, I'm afraid he's already the only person in the world. Yi Yin and Yi Ya can't compare. If it wasn't for the fact that his little sister had some extra things and coincidentally still had half a piece of 'sweet', he was afraid that his little sister would have long lost. "Pan Ming" has a saying: if the day is new, the day is new, and the day is new. Today, Master Wang not only had a good meal, but he also knew how to taste it. In her eyes, not only did Master Wang not lose, but he also won.”
These few sentences were spoken in a measured and reasonable manner, giving Wang Chong a way out and also making everyone present feel as if they were following the path of a sage. "That's right, that's right." Wang Chong laughed. You little girl, not only are you intelligent, but you also know the way of sages. It's rare! As the saying went," Life has a limit, and knowledge is boundless." Lao Wang was completely convinced of his loss. Miss Liu, tell me, what essay do you want Old Wang to write?”
"Teacher, there's no hurry to write the article. The dishes were all ready, so we chatted while eating. After you're done eating and drinking, I'll give you some tea and talk about it later, okay?”Liu Qingping said happily.
It was already close to noon, and with delicious food in front of them, everyone could no longer sit still, especially Wang Chong. If his tongue was not his, he would have swallowed it long ago. Thus, everyone took their positions, pushed their cups, and began to eat heartily.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]