Sheng Tang: What is Liu Jianjun going to do today?

Chapter 48 Eating hot pot

Liu Jianjun finished speaking.

Li Xian stared wide-eyed in disbelief, while Taiping looked at Liu Jianjun with great interest.

Li Xian was left wondering: Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?
He hadn't even had a chance to tell Li Xian and the others about Liu Jianjun yet!
Then, Li Xian saw Liu Jianjun pause for a moment in surprise, then calmly walk over, place the strange pot in the middle of the stone table, and say with an apologetic smile, "Oh, Xianzi, you haven't introduced me yet, have you? My apologies! Come, sit down, I am Liu Jianjun!"

As he spoke, Liu Jianjun warmly invited Li Xian and Taiping to sit down, and then placed bowls and chopsticks in front of them.

Then he turned around, nudged Li Xian with his shoulder, and said, "Xianzi! What are you standing there for? You, the host, shouldn't you be greeting your guests?"

Not at all like a stranger!

Li Xian then came to his senses and was about to "greet" them when he suddenly realized that he knew nothing about this so-called hot pot. After thinking for a moment, he could only go along with Liu Jianjun's words: "This is the Liu Jianjun I was talking about. Um, Taiping, Xianzi... Li Xian! Please sit down!"

I almost got led astray by Liu Jianjun.

Fortunately, Li Xian and Taiping came to their senses at this moment, but they were just looking at Liu Jianjun and Li Xian with strange eyes.

After the initial awkwardness subsided, Li Xian recovered and continued, "He is the extraordinary person I encountered when I was in Bazhou..."

"See this pot in front of you? Look how red this side is, that's the spicy side. Those of you who can handle spice, cook over here. Oh, Xianzi can't handle spice, so I'll turn this pot around..."

"At that time, I was filled with utter despair..."

"These are winter melon slices. They should be blanched for about three minutes... well, about sixty breaths. They'll be ready to eat if you blanch them longer, but they'll become softer and more tender, depending on your preference..."

"Liu Jianjun has prepared auspicious omens; let's go find the Prefect of Bazhou..."

"This is mutton roll. The chef at Xianzi's residence has truly superb knife skills; he slices it as thin as paper. Eating this is simple. Just remember one rule: seven up, eight down. This so-called seven up, eight down..."

"...Liu Jianjun!"

Li Xian suddenly looked at Liu Jianjun with anger.

Liu Jianjun was taken aback: "What?"

"Do you really have to introduce the dishes while I'm introducing you?!"

"Uh... then you can continue."

Li Xian was so angry he felt like he was suffocating. Just as he was about to continue his introduction, he suddenly realized that there was nothing left to say.

Liu Jianjun was a simple man. His family had been ordinary farmers in Bazhou for generations. One day, he met an official who had been demoted to Chang'an. He learned to read and write and then helped the demoted official come to Chang'an.

Li Xian compromised, saying, "As you've all seen, Liu Jianjun is just that unreliable."

Liu Jianjun interjected, "Xianzi is being too polite. In his words, I'm just a country bumpkin who doesn't know anything about etiquette. If I've been negligent in any way, please forgive me... Um, Xianzi, Taiping, can you two eat spicy food?"

Princess Taiping, who was suddenly called out, was taken aback for a moment, and then nodded.

Li Xian shook his head blankly.

It seems that the two of them haven't gotten used to their way of getting along with Liu Jianjun yet.

But Liu Jianjun was a very outgoing person, and immediately greeted them warmly: "Okay, come on, Taiping, you sit here with me, Xianzi, go sit with Xianzi! I was thinking how awkward it would be if I were the only one eating spicy food!"

"I didn't think much of it when I first met Kenko, but now that there's Akiko too, it just feels so strange no matter how I address her..."

Seeing that Liu Jianjun had arranged things perfectly for him and his sister, Li Xian finally gave up resisting.

sigh.

Forget it, so be it.

He realized that Liu Jianjun was taking advantage of Li Xian and Taiping's closeness to him to quickly establish an image of being hospitable but lacking in manners.

His silly younger brother and his silly... clever younger sister were both completely fooled by him. They didn't think to blame him at the moment, and it would be too late to bring up the rudeness later.

Li Xian glanced at Li Xian, who was still smiling shyly, and thought to himself that Li Xian was probably stuck with the nickname "Xianzi" for a long time. Then, he remembered a familiar past.

Wasn't I also given the title of "wise son" in a similar confused way back then?
Turning his grief into appetite, Li Xian grabbed his chopsticks, picked up a mutton roll, and dipped it into the bone broth, expertly cooking it several times before putting it in his mouth.

"hiss……"

It's really delicious!
Li Xian's eyes brightened slightly.

"Yes! Xianzi is right!" Liu Jianjun praised, then took out some small dishes from the side and said, "These are all dipping sauces. If you think the taste is too bland or anything, just dip it in after you've cooked it!"

At this moment, Li Xian and Taiping finally came to their senses.

Taiping was the first to ask a question. She tried putting a slice of lamb into the strange pot and then asked, "This is similar to hot pot, but with dipping sauce and a freshly cooked way of eating... Is this what you wanted?"

Li Xian: "..."

It seems even my smart younger sister has been led astray.

Liu Jianjun said casually, "It's pretty much the same. It's something invented by our ancestors. I remember there's a place where they call this stuff 'Gudong Geng' (咕咚羹). See? It's bubbling and bubbling in here."

Li Xian asked curiously, "Gudong Soup? That sounds much nicer. Taiping, let me try your spicy hot pot... Hehehe..."

Li Xian: "..."

"Xianzi, if you can't handle spicy food, then don't eat it. Xianzi is an example; back then at my second uncle's house, a mouthful of spicy water made him drool for a mile!"

"Water-soaked spicy?"

"Of course, my second uncle added ginger slices, dogwood, and Sichuan peppercorns to the water. It was all red, and he drank it without even glancing at it."

"Hahahaha!" Li Xian and Taiping burst into laughter.

Li Xian finally couldn't help but interject: "One shouldn't talk while eating..."

"You don't know what I'm talking about!" Liu Jianjun interrupted, then continued, "Xianzi, I heard from your brother that you know how to cockfight?"

Mentioning cockfighting, Li Xian puffed out his chest and raised his head: "Of course! Just two days ago, my brother Wang and I had a cockfight. His mighty general was defeated and fled in disarray by my Grand Marshal of the Expeditionary Army!"

"The mighty general?" Liu Jianjun was taken aback and asked, "Is it a big rooster with two tufts of black feathers on its neck?"

Li Xian tapped his bowl with his chopsticks and scolded, "Eat! Eat!"

He hadn't told Liu Jianjun yet that the dish he cooked that day was the Mighty General!
I mainly felt ashamed.

"That's right! I lent that mighty general to my brother. I'm planning to have another match with him after the sacrificial ceremony. It should be well-rested and ready to fight after these few days! By the way, how is it now? Is it recovering any better? Can I go see it later?"

Li Xian's expression froze; he had forgotten about that.

Liu Jianjun gave Li Xian a strange look, then continued to say to Li Xian, "Look, it seems we can't see it anymore. I guess you'll have to go outside the city to look for it!"

Indeed, it had long since turned into filth and flowed out of the city along the Yong'an Canal.

"Has the mighty General run away?" Li Xian exclaimed in surprise.

"I suppose so. Shall we have a cockfight after we finish eating? You have cockfighting cocks there, right?" Liu Jianjun said vaguely.

“Yes! There is more! That’s perfect, Brother Wang. Have one of your servants make a trip so we can finish eating and catch it right away!” Li Xian said, looking at Li Xian.

Li Xian was speechless.

Well, they're even making me do things for them now.

……

(End of this chapter)