Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 82

It was four quarters past the hour of You at night, which was around six in the evening, but less than seven.

The Ming Palace was brightly lit.

For many people in the palace, this day is not only a New Year's Day, but also a rare gathering time.

Because Zhu Yuanzhang had many concubines, they usually lived in various palaces in the West Palace. They would occasionally go to the Imperial Garden together for fun, but their children were rarely around.

Therefore, there are not many opportunities like today where not only can everyone come and have fun together, but they can also see their children.

of course.

It was said to be a gathering of the Zhu family, but in fact the concubines, princes, princesses and imperial concubines were all eating and chatting in a side hall.

Only Zhu Yuanzhang, Empress Ma, Zhu Biao, Li Wenzhong and a few others were in the main hall at the rear.

Even Zhu Biao's Crown Princess Lu was not allowed to sit at the table.

It’s not that Lu’s status was not enough, but that it was an ancient feudal custom that women could not sit at the main table, especially for a feudal patriarch like Zhu Yuanzhang.

Unless Lu could become the queen or the empress dowager, she could only stay in the side hall and sit at the same table with the children.

At this moment, there were only seven people at the main table in the outer hall: Zhu Yuanzhang, Empress Ma, Zhu Biao, Zhu Di, Zhu Su, Li Wenzhong and Zhu Yunfeng, sitting around the large round table with an electric oven.

The diesel generator was rumbling outside. In addition to candles, there were several tall LED lamps in the room, and the hot pot cord was also connected to the socket board, making the room full of modernity.

Under the electric heating table are Coke, Sprite, Orange Juice, coconut milk and other essential drinks for the New Year banquet.

There was a big hot pot on the table, with side dishes all around it, including pork elbows, stewed chicken, Chinese cabbage, braised fish, snowflake meatballs, etc. There were also Maotai and Wuliangye drinks.

Except for the hot pot and side dishes brought by Zhu Yunfeng, the rest of the dishes were prepared by the imperial chef.

However, the raw materials were brought by Zhu Yunfeng from modern times.

After all, when it comes to cooking skills, one has to admit that the imperial chef is definitely better than him, and it must be most convenient for him to provide the raw materials and let the imperial chef cook.

But now, at the table with seven people, Zhu Di had a bruised face and nose.

Zhu Yunfeng is not much better.

After being spanked, he now sat on a chair, his butt burning, holding his waist and grimacing.

The poodle obviously didn't know that he had cheated his owner again. He squatted obediently beside his owner, still with an angelic smile on his face, waiting for the kind-hearted person at the table to throw him a meat bone.

Li Wenzhong beside him asked in surprise: "What happened to your highness the King of Wu?"

He is not particularly familiar with Zhu Yunfeng.

However, since Zhu Yunfeng had been strolling in and out of the palace every day recently, the two of them often met and greeted each other, and gradually became familiar with each other.

Zhu Biao looked strange and whispered to him, "Did you go to a brothel recently? Anyway, you are too weak. I will find an imperial physician to heal you."

'Oh my god.'

Zhu Yunfeng got angry and said, "You are the one with the problem. My kidney energy is too strong and it's rushing straight to my head, causing the pain in my waist. You know nothing."

"I see."

Zhu Biao nodded repeatedly.

Li Wenzhong, who was eavesdropping nearby, also had an expression of sudden enlightenment.

'These two bastards.'

Zhu Yunfeng rolled his eyes, then looked at the hot pot soup on the table, sneered and said, "I'll put some vegetables on for everyone."

After that, he turned the hot pot to the highest setting, put in the beef tripe, bean curd and other things, and then said to everyone: "Do you know what the disappointment of eating hot pot in Bashu is called?"

"what is it call?"

Zhu Di played the supporting role at the right time. After spending a long time with Zhu Yunfeng, he knew that Zhu Yunfeng was full of bad intentions and also knew how to cooperate with him.

"Let's call it a shabu-shabu hotpot."

Zhu Yunfeng poured the chili oil on the table into the pot, and then said, "Only real men can eat real hot pot, which means eating the red soup. Do you want to be real men?"

"miss you!"

Zhu Di shouted.

This puts everyone on the spot.

Zhu Yunfeng glanced at Empress Ma, and then said, "Of course, except for Aunt Tai, today, except for Aunt Tai, who can eat the clear soup pot here, anyone else who eats the clear soup pot is a puppy!"

"Ah."

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, "Isn't it just a little chili? I ate it every day before, and I'm used to it."

"Me too, I love spicy food now!"

Zhu Di shouted.

One of them lives here permanently, and the other comes here every day. Old Zhu, in particular, likes to eat at Zhu Yunfeng's place, and the food Zhu Yunfeng cooks always contains chili peppers, so there is no problem with that.

Only Zhu Biao looked embarrassed. He didn't like spicy food very much, so even when he was eating at Zhu Yunfeng's place, he would try to choose the lightest food.

Zhu Su and Li Wenzhong were completely confused and had no idea what this chili was.

"Let's eat."

Zhu Yuanzhang saw that the side dishes had been put in, and soon the pork rolls, mutton rolls, and beef rolls were cooked. He had eaten modern hot pot once at Zhu Yunfeng's house, so he was quite familiar with it.

"Let me try."

Queen Ma took a roll of mutton and put it into the clear soup. She cooked it for a few seconds, then dipped it in the prepared dipping sauce. Finally, she put it in her mouth and chewed it. Her eyes lit up and she said, "It's delicious."

"Come on, Wen Zhong, give it a try."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed.

Li Wenzhong picked up a piece of beef tripe, which was covered with red chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, and imitated Empress Ma, dipped it in the sauce and put it in his mouth.

After just one bite, his face changed drastically. He wanted to spit out the spicy pepper, but he didn't dare to. He could only chew it and finish it with an expression uglier than crying. His whole face almost turned green.

"Hahahahaha."

Zhu Yunfeng did not laugh at him, but Zhu Yuanzhang said with great joy: "This pepper must taste bad."

"Uncle, this is too..."

Because it was a family dinner, Zhu Yuanzhang allowed him to use family members' titles. Li Wenzhong said aggrievedly: "It feels like my mouth is on fire, and there is a tingling sensation."

"It's okay. You'll get used to it after a few bites. Now I can appreciate the taste of it."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and picked up a piece of tripe and put it in his mouth.

But he wanted to spit it out after just one mouthful, but he held it back. Hot sweat broke out on his forehead in that cold weather.

What does this smell like?
I saw that his face looked wrong.

Zhu Yunfeng was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling.

There is controversy over who can eat spicier food between Hunan and Sichuan, but there is no controversy over who can eat spicy food.

To be honest, Zhu Yunfeng traveled to Sichuan during his summer vacation during college. During those fifteen days, he ate hot pot for fourteen days and had diarrhea after eating so much.

He always orders very spicy food every time he goes there. In his opinion, the spiciness of the local hotpot is a little above medium spicy and a little below extra spicy in Hunan, which is within his acceptable range.

However, the combination of Sichuan peppercorns was really unbearable for him. Every time after eating hotpot, his lips felt numb, but the taste was indeed delicious.

"What does this smell like?"

Zhu Di also took a bite, and the tingling sensation immediately came up.

Zhu Yunfeng smiled and said, "This is the real hot pot. Hunan's hot pot has been modified to suit the local spicy taste. Sichuan's hot pot is really amazing. A large pot and a half of it is filled with Sichuan peppercorns, and the oil is all beef tallow. It's really good stuff."

As he spoke, he also picked up several pieces of food with chopsticks and ate a few bites happily. Although his mouth was swollen from numbness, he still enjoyed it and enjoyed the meal very much.

Seeing him like this, everyone had no choice but to continue eating.

After a while, except for Empress Ma, everyone else's mouths felt numb and they were sweating profusely. They could not breathe through their noses and could only gasp through their mouths.

They looked at each other and saw that everyone's lips were swollen. Zhu Yuanzhang was the first to laugh.

"Hahahahaha."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Everyone started laughing too.

These red sausage mouths.

"Order this!"

Zhu Yunfeng opened the iced Coke and poured a glass for each person.

Zhu Di had drunk Coke before, so he took a big sip and said happily, "Great!"

"This taste is a bit strange, but I can't put it into words."

Li Wenzhong took a sip and smacked his lips. Zhu Su drank Orange Juice, which was sweet, icy and refreshing.

Zhu Yuanzhang pushed aside the Coke, poured himself and Empress Ma a glass of coconut milk, and said, "This tastes better."

"Lao Li, you have to drink this."

Zhu Yunfeng opened the Moutai, shook it in front of him, and then poured him a full glass.

Li Wenzhong sniffed it, then took a sip, his mouth suddenly opened into an O shape, pointing at the wine glass and praising it repeatedly: "This is good, this is good."

"Then drink more."

Zhu Yunfeng refilled his glass.

Li Wenzhong drank half a cup and found the taste very enjoyable.

Soon, the drinks on the table turned into wine. Everyone was an adult, and even Queen Ma joined everyone in taking a sip.

After half an hour, when everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Zhu Yunfeng ran outside and started setting off fireworks.

This is not a fairy wand for children to play with, but a real big one.

The rear hall of the Qianqing Palace is the Jiaotai Hall, but there is a corridor between the Jiaotai Hall and the Qianqing Palace, and there are marble-paved squares on both sides of the corridor.

At this moment, there are boxes of fireworks displayed in the square. The cheapest ones cost more than one hundred yuan, while the expensive ones start at two or three hundred yuan.

Zhu Yunfeng lit them one by one with a lighter, while Pipi remained by his side.

"call out!"

"boom!"

As green smoke came out, bright sparks shot straight into the sky, then quickly exploded, bursting into dazzling fireworks.

The loud noise frightened Pippi so much that he shuddered all over and even tucked his tail between his legs.

The fireworks technology in ancient times was far inferior to that of modern times. Modern fireworks can even write in the air.

The dazzling splendor quickly attracted the people in the hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang came out of the hall with his family, young and old, and looked up at the beauty.

Even the concubines, princes, and princesses in the side hall who had eaten and drunk their fill and were preparing to ask Zhu Yuanzhang for leave and return to their own palaces heard the noise and ran out to watch.

In an instant, the Dali jade platform outside the rear hall of the Qianqing Palace was filled with people.

"Wow, the fireworks are so beautiful."

"Yeah, I've never seen fireworks like this before."

"When they bloom together, it's like a dream. I've read poems written by people before, and they say that a boat full of clear dreams overwhelms the stars. Perhaps this is the case."

Everyone stared at the sky in a daze. The fireworks were so beautiful.

Zhu Yunfeng lit all the fireworks, then trotted up the steps and stood next to Zhu Di and Zhu Biao.

"Bang bang bang bang bang bang!"

The night sky seemed to be brighter, and countless fireworks rushed into the sky, splendidly displaying their lives at the highest point, leaving only a moment in the world.

But just this moment gives people a sense of eternity.

There was a silly smile on everyone's face.

It was as if I saw the happiest moment of my life in this dazzling brilliance.

Time just passes like this.

Gradually, no one spoke anymore and everyone just watched the fireworks.

However, youth is easy to pass away and time is hard to keep.

After all, the fireworks that cost 5,000 yuan can’t last too long, just less than half an hour.

With the last bloom, it finally stopped, and the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder.

Everyone was still standing there staring at the sky, still wanting more.

"Why did you stop?"

"It seems like I'm going to continue watching."

"Yes, your majesty, please let it go again."

"No more, I'll put it in later."

Zhu Yuanzhang said.

After everyone chattered for a while, they slowly dispersed.

Zhu Yunfeng was the only one left on the field, still leaning against the railing. He no longer looked at the moon above his head, but lay on the railing, not knowing what he was thinking.

"Yunfeng."

Zhu Yuanzhang dispersed the crowd, turned around and saw Zhu Yunfeng standing there alone, so he shouted.

"Well, what's wrong, ancestor?"

Zhu Yunfeng turned around.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "What's wrong? You seem a little uneasy."

"It's okay, it's just that I haven't celebrated the New Year with others for a long time. In the past few years, it was just me and Pi Pi Dan Dan."

Zhu Yunfeng touched the head of the puppy squatting next to him.

"hehe."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said softly in a gentle and mellow voice: "Come to Daming often in the future."

After saying that, he turned and left.

"Oh."

Zhu Yunfeng responded in confusion.

Queen Ma came over and took his hand, patted it gently, smiled, and said softly: "Your ancestor wants to tell you that this will always be your home."

Now he understood, and was very surprised: "I used to think that our ancestors only knew how to beat people, but I didn't expect them to say this."

"He is a thoughtful person, but he just won't say it out loud."

Empress Ma turned her head to look at Zhu Yuanzhang's departing back and whispered, "After all, you are also his descendant, and you are also Chongba's favorite."

After that, she also left with a smile.

Zhu Yunfeng stood there, and Zhu Di came over and put his arm around his shoulders.

The two of them looked up at the night sky together.

As night falls, the year 1379 of the Ming Dynasty, the modern year 2024 AD, slowly comes to an end.

The Year of the Snake is coming, and it is another new beginning.

Zhu Yunfeng looked at the night sky and remembered that when he was a child, the whole family would gather around the TV to watch the Spring Festival Gala together.

At that time, my parents were working hard on their careers.

But at least I still go back every Chinese New Year and the family always gets together.

But now.

Grandma died early, when Zhu Yunfeng was in the fifth grade.

My grandfather also passed away three years ago.

His grandfather passed away when he was in the second grade of junior high school, and his grandmother passed away when he was in the first grade of college.

Life took a sharp turn for the worse in the next few years.

My dad's business failed and he was in debt. He had a fake divorce with my mom and now he's been hiding from her for years and we haven't seen each other.

My mother runs a small business in Changsha and can barely make ends meet.

Once upon a time, their family was the face of the family.

My mother's relatives come to our house to pay New Year's greetings every year, but my father has never paid them a New Year's greeting. He only helps out when my mother's relatives encounter difficulties.

But now.

It cannot be said to be sad, it can only be said that things in the world change too fast. Although my parents are still alive, it is no different from a broken family.

'Home?'

Zhu Yunfeng thought in his heart.

Perhaps in the Ming Dynasty, it is indeed more like a home than the two-story building in modern times where only cats and dogs keep you company.

(End of this chapter)