Accompany by A Fool to do Farming

Chapter 55: 上山 (To go uphill)

Time passed slowly . Soon it was time for lunch. Meanwhile in the kitchen, Zhong Ziqi had reached the finishing touch.

A plate of simmer fried fish, a plate of Yan Shui prawns, a plate of deep fried oysters, a plate of steamed pork with preserved plums, a plate of tenderloin, a plate of cold dish, a plate of vegetarian dish, and a pot of thick soup.

There were eight dishes in total, which was a lucky number and standard to entertain honorable guests.

Zhong Ziqi asked Hong Ying, who was standing behind him, "Help me carry it over!"

Hong Ying walked over with a blank face and carried a plate of dishes to the dining table which was set up in the hall.

"It smells good." Shen Yu Bei leaned over in his chair and sniffed, taking a deep breath, even though he hadn't opened his mouth to eat it yet, he knew it would definitely be delicious.

"I said he wouldn't let you down. Ziqi's skill is the kind of 'the color blue is made out of indigo but is more vivid than indigo'. There's no one in the eight villages around here who can match him." Zhao Zheng'an set up the dishes and brought out the jar of good wine he had bought today and filled it up for him.

[青出於藍而勝於藍 : qīng chū yú lán ér shèng yú lán—lit. the color blue is made out of indigo but is more vivid than indigo (idiom) / fig. the student surpasses the master]

"That's enough. Drink a little less today! Avoid making a fool of yourself!" Shen Yu Bei reached out to block Zhao Zheng'an's hand from continuing to pour.

Zhao Zheng'an didn't force himself to pour another bowl. He also didn't pour it for Hong Ying, it seemed like, as a guard he couldn't drink.

When all eight dishes were served, Zhong Ziqi also sat in the chair next to Zhao Zheng'an, except for Hong Ying, who stood motionless on the side. Without his master's permission,as a junior guard he was not qualified to sit at the same table with his master. On previous occasions, in order to be less high-profile, his master allowed him to sit next to him.

"Eh ... little uncle" Zhong Ziqi pointed to Hong Ying, was this asking them to eat while he watches them eat?

That's cruel ...

Shen Yu Bei swept a glance at the wood-like Hong Ying: "You sit down and eat together too."

"Thank you, master." Hong Ying couldn't help but gulp as he sat next to Shen Yu Bei, his hands on his knees, his head slightly hanging down, sitting upright.

"Little uncle, eat ba! I didn't make any special dishes. All of the dishes are just ordinary home-cooking. I don't know if the cooking suits your taste or not. " Zhong Ziqi said politely.

Shen Yu Bei looked at the eight dishes on the table and smiled helplessly, "You kid! Didn't I tell you not to cook so much? Even at the old mansion it wasn't this luxurious."

"I just cooked this in a hurry, otherwise I could have made a few more delicious dishes. It's not troubling at all. Try some."

"Okay, I'll try it."

Shen Yubei picked up his chopsticks and took the nearest plate of diced meat, put it into his mouth and chewed it twice, his eyes lit up, then he gave a thumbs up: "Delicious! The chef in the restaurant at the same level is not even as good as you!"

Shen Yu Bei was inwardly quite surprised. Zhong Ziqi's skill was not an exaggeration, it was really good. This was something he hadn't expected, it was even better than the restaurant chef had, Zhong Ziqi's dishes carried a very unique flavour. He didn't know what the flavour was, but he knew that everyone had their own taste in cooking.