Xiaoyao Xiaojunhou

Chapter 254 Picnic
"Count us again..."

Dong Shuzhen and Xia Wu went to count the prey they had hunted. They added a number to each rabbit, as if they were nodding heads. It was very funny.

"After counting, there is one sika deer and 27 hares! The sika deer and the wild goat are equal, and they cancel each other out. Looking at the hares alone, we have two more than Yan Dashan! Yeah! Win, win, husband, look at it, I told you that I will defeat Yan Dashan!"

"Haha, okay, you won, you won, Yan Dashan lost, lady, you are awesome!" Zhu Xiuyuan praised helplessly.

Dong Shuzhen was overjoyed and made bold and conclusive statements, saying that she was Zhu Xiuyuan's "right-hand man"...

……

Zhu Xiuyuan and others returned to the top of the mountain and handed over the prey to Dong Shuyu and the Dong family chefs. These prey will be the main course of this picnic.

"Shuyu, it's been hard work for you this time, please prepare all these meals."

When handing over the prey, Zhu Xiuyuan took the opportunity to chat with Dong Shuyu.

"It's a trivial matter, it's nothing to worry about, not to mention that I don't do much, everything is done by the chefs, servants and maids!"

Dong Shuyu's words were soft and soft, and it was really a pleasure to listen to them.

"By the way, are you preparing that 'beggar's chicken' for Gang Leader Hong today? What's the story behind this 'beggar's chicken'..."

Immediately, Zhu Xiuyuan worked with her to become a beggar chicken.

Just like in the Dong's kitchen, the two of them cooperated happily and understood each other. One person spoke and the other acted. They worked together perfectly!
At this time, it was almost noon, and all the teams on the mountain were preparing for the Double Ninth Festival picnic.

While Zhu Xiuyuan and Dong Shuyu were working together to cook beggar's chicken, the chefs in Dong's mansion were also busy.

……

noon.

The whole mountain is filled with aroma, smoke is billowing, and the sound of pots and pans is constant.

The long-awaited Chongyang picnic has officially begun!

On the Dong family's side, Dong Shuyu had already chosen a flat ground, spread it with a straw mat and tablecloth, and used it as a table.

Before the food and wine were served, people were already sitting around this rustic "table". The old beggar took the main seat in the north, with Dong Cheng on the left, Zhu Xiuyuan on the right, then Dong Shuzhen, then Dong Shuyu...

In addition, there were Li Linzhou, the governor of Jiangzhou, Liu Wencai, the prince of Prince Zhenze, and more senior and prestigious officials in the yamen. They all sat around the table and sat on the floor.

As for the rest of the servant girls and others, they sat at separate tables and gathered happily.

Except for the Dong family, everyone else was also sitting on the ground, using straw mat tablecloth as the dining table, blue sky and white clouds as the roof beams, front, back, left, right, 360 degrees, it was a wild scene... The taste of the picnic was already there.

Not long after Zhu Xiuyuan and others took their seats, the maid serving the dishes brought the first dish of the Double Ninth Festival picnic - Double Ninth Cake.

Double Ninth Festival cake is a general name for various pastries.

At that time, the Double Ninth Festival cakes included Magu cake, rice cake and chrysanthemum cake.

They are cakes made by first pounding cooked rice or grinding the rice into powder and then cooking it with special techniques.

Dong Cheng first picked up a piece of Double Ninth Cake, glanced at the people at the same table, and said: "'cake' and 'gao' have the same pronunciation. During the Double Ninth Festival, anyone who climbs high must eat cake. I hereby wish you all to climb high step by step. Keep climbing, please!”

"Step by step, climb higher and higher!" Everyone at the table, including Zhu Xiuyuan, picked up a piece of Double Ninth Cake one after another. After saying this like an oath, they ate the Double Ninth Cake in their hands.

"Well, this cake is soft and soft and melts in your mouth. It is really a delicious Double Ninth Festival treat!" someone praised.

Everyone agreed, because Dong Shuyu personally led the team to cook the Double Ninth Cake in Dong’s Mansion. With Dong Shuyu’s talent in cooking, I’m afraid Dong’s Chongyang Cake is one of the most delicious pastries in this mountain.

The well-informed Liu Wencai was also surprised and said: "I have eaten many kinds of Double Ninth Cake in the capital, not to mention the one known as Chen Guojia, which is the best in the world."

"But from all aspects, this cake is comparable to the Double Ninth Cake in the capital. It is in the middle. It can be called the best in the world!"

Liu Wencai's praise like this naturally attracted everyone's approval, praising the wonderful cooking of this cake!

Dong Shuyu, who took the lead in cooking this cake, naturally received praise from everyone.

After tasting the Double Ninth Cake, the maids brought wine jugs. Needless to say, this is the second symbolic food of the Double Ninth Festival—chrysanthemum wine.

Chrysanthemums never wither despite the frost, bloom despite the cold, and have a fragrant smell. They are a good product for longevity.

Chrysanthemum wine is naturally a fine wine brewed from chrysanthemums.

Whenever the chrysanthemums are in bud, people pick their buds, leaves and stems and mix them with millet to brew the wine. On September [-] of the next year, they can open the jar for drinking.

Dong's chrysanthemum wine is naturally made by Dong Shuyu. Needless to say, its smell, color and taste are all excellent wines!
Eat a bite of Double Ninth Festival cake, drink a sip of chrysanthemum wine, and take a look at the wild scenery everywhere... The Double Ninth Festival picnic, this is the fun of the Double Ninth Festival picnic.

Everyone was intoxicated by it and felt comfortable.

After eating Double Ninth Festival cakes and drinking chrysanthemum wine, the maids have begun to serve the dishes one after another.

Roasted rabbit, roasted lamb chops, boiled lamb soup, venison, etc., as well as beggar's chicken cooked by Zhu Xiuyuan and Dong Shuyu, and delicacies brought by Liu Wencai from Xunyang Tower.

The "table" covered with straw mats and tablecloths is filled to the brim with no gaps. It is full of delicacies that are full of color, aroma and taste, making you want to eat.

There is no need to describe in detail how the people drank and feasted happily, how they exchanged cups and cups, how they talked eloquently.

After an hour, the banquet was over.

"Everyone, everyone!"

While everyone was chatting after dinner, an official came to the top of the mountain. He turned around and shouted in all directions, attracting the attention of everyone including Zhu Xiuyuan.

Zhu Xiuyuan, Dong Cheng and others stared at this person, and immediately made a judgment in their hearts. This official has a good background. He is neither a state official nor a county official, because the clothes are different.

"This is the person next to the Disposer!" Dong Cheng narrowed his eyes for a while and then spoke slowly.

When Zhu Xiuyuan and others were surprised, someone had already responded to the official: "My lord, the common people see you smiling and smiling. Could it be that there is some ceremony or gathering in the Yamen?"

After the man finished speaking, many people around him looked at Dong Cheng, with inquiring expressions on their faces. They may have thought that this official was from the Jiangzhou Yamen.

"Everyone!" The official ignored the man. He only held his hands together and said loudly: "My lords and scholars, your lord has set up a 'Double Ninth Poetry Festival' on the hill next door."

"All adults and scholars can participate, and those who don't know how to write poems can also join in the fun. The disposition makes the adults happy today, and the poetry meeting will be set up, and the prizes will be rich. Those who win the first poem will be awarded His Majesty's imperial disposition envoy." A golden and jade belt of your lord!"

(End of this chapter)