The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 429: Delicious Food in the Alley
Xu Wenhou seems to be two or three years older than Jia Huan, and is only about fifteen or sixteen this year. It is normal for him to like reading novels and listening to stories at his age. However, judging from his physique, he is not fond of sports. He certainly does not like riding and shooting. He is also probably not suitable for activities that are favored by dandy young men, such as hawk-fighting and dog-fighting, and living a life of debauchery.

In fact, Xu Wenhou usually likes to read and paint, go out and walk around, look for delicious food in the streets and alleys, listen to storytellers, or watch operas and listen to music. To be honest, it is rare for a royal teenager like Xu Wenhou to have no bad habits.

As the saying goes, an old man in the family is like a treasure. After all, the blind old lady had lived for decades and raised two sons alone. She was quite knowledgeable and had accumulated a lot of weird folk stories in her stomach. Xu Wenhou just loved to listen to these and came to listen to her stories every now and then.

The blind old mother was usually bored at home, and she was eager to have someone to talk to. After she had told all the folk stories in her mind, she would make up some on the spot, and the fat boy Xu Wenhou would listen with great interest. As time went by, the two of them became as close as a grandparents and grandchildren.

Let's get back to the topic. Xu Wenhou chatted with the blind old lady for a while, and then Tie Niu, who had gone out to buy wine and food, came back and hurried forward to greet them.

When Xu Wenhou saw Tieniu carrying a bunch of fresh lamb chops, he couldn't help but frown and said, "Brother Tieniu, are we having lamb for lunch?"

Tie Niu smiled and nodded, "Seventh Master likes to eat lamb chops stewed with red water chestnuts, doesn't he?"

Xu Wenhou covered his stomach and said, "Sister Hongling's stewed lamb chops are indeed delicious, but my stomach has been a little uncomfortable these two days, so I want to eat something light."

Hong Ling smiled and said, "That's easy. I'll make a bowl of clear soup noodles for Master Qi."

Xu Wenhou quickly waved his hand and said, "No, I'd better go out to eat. Brother Jia, can you accompany me for a walk outside?" After saying that, he blinked.

Jia Huan's heart moved, and he smiled and said, "Of course it's no problem, Mandalin, you stay and have dinner with Auntie and Sister Hongling, and Master Qi and I will go for a walk on the street."

"Okay!" Mandarin shrugged and said, "Come back soon!"

So Jia Huan and Xu Wenhou went out of the house, and only took Shi Tou with them. Mu Ye and Jin Bao stayed behind in case Mandalin needed them urgently.

As soon as Jia Huan and Xu Wenhou walked out of the ice cream shop, four burly men followed them. They should be the palace guards responsible for protecting Xu Wenhou. Their temples were bulging, and they were obviously good fighters.

"Brother Jia, come on, I'll take you to eat something delicious!" Xu Wenhou grabbed Jia Huan and walked forward.

Jia Huan asked in confusion: "Didn't Master Qi just say that he felt uncomfortable in his stomach?"

Xu Wenhou said a little embarrassedly: "Sister Hongling's cooking is indeed delicious, but she likes to put spicy food in her braised lamb chops, and the old lady loves spicy food even more."

Jia Huan was surprised: "So the Seventh Master doesn't like spicy food?"

"Well, I do like it, but if I eat too much of it... my butt doesn't feel very comfortable." Xu Wenhou twisted his fat butt awkwardly.

Jia Huan understood immediately. This kid probably has hemorrhoids. It is said that nine out of ten men have hemorrhoids, but the severity varies. Xu Wenhou is obese and obviously lacks exercise. His chance of suffering from hemorrhoids is higher than that of ordinary people. Eating too much chili peppers is indeed prone to flare-ups. He coughed lightly and said, "Seventh Master probably has a sore throat. Drink more lotus seed and lotus leaf soup, or soak some honeysuckle flowers, eat less meat and more green vegetables and fruits. Wash that... cleanly when you take a bath, and it will get better slowly."

Xu Wenhou's round, white face turned red, and he asked doubtfully, "Are you serious?"

"Seventh Master, just go back and give it a try!" Jia Huan said with a smile, secretly wondering, even when someone in the Jia family got sick, they could invite the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Clinic to treat them. As Xu Wenhou was a prince, his medical care should have been very good.

Little did people know that it was not that Xu Wenhou could not find a doctor, but that hemorrhoids were located in a very shameful place. So under normal circumstances, even if he had hemorrhoids, Xu Wenhou would not find a doctor, but would wait for the hemorrhoids to go away on their own for a while.

"Okay, I'll try it when I get back. If it works, I'll reward you handsomely!" Xu Wenhou said happily. There was a lump of stuff growing in that place, which was really uncomfortable, especially when he was going to the toilet, it was simply torture.

At this time, the two of them happened to pass by a drugstore, and Jia Huan simply went in and grabbed a paper bag of honeysuckle. This thing is effective in reducing heat and is convenient. It can be drunk directly by soaking it in boiling water.

After leaving the pharmacy, Xu Wenhou took Jia Huan around many turns and finally arrived at an inconspicuous ancient alley in Juxianfang. He said proudly, "Brother Jia may not know that the real folk delicacies are not in those big restaurants, but hidden in these inconspicuous streets and alleys."

After saying that, he sniffed hard and said intoxicatedly, "It smells so good!"

Jia Huan also smelled an alluring aroma wafting from the depths of the alley, so he asked, "What smells so good?"

Xu Wenhou swallowed his saliva and said in a positive tone: "Sauce-cured duck, braised beef."

Jia Huan couldn't help sweating as he watched the kid drooling with desire. It was true that the kid's fat was not grown in vain. He must have often gone to the streets to look for delicious food. He even knew about the fly-infested restaurants hidden in these alleys.

"Brother Jia, come with me quickly. I guarantee you will come back for more after trying the food." Xu Wenhou excitedly took Jia Huan into the alley. Not long after they walked, they saw a snack shop. The shop was not big, with only four or five small tables placed on the street at the door, and it didn't even have a sign.

The shop owner was an elderly couple, probably in their fifties or sixties, with wrinkles all over their faces. When they saw Xu Wenhou, they just nodded slightly and pointed to the only remaining empty seat.

"Hey, it looks like we're lucky today!" Xu Wenhou hurriedly invited Jia Huan to sit down in an empty seat, and introduced him in a low voice: "The boss's surname is Zhong, he's a mute, and his wife is deaf and dumb, but the sauced duck and braised beef they make are really amazing. Usually at mealtime, this place is always full. Fortunately we came early, otherwise there would be no seats if we came later." "Uncle Zhong, the same old rules, five pounds of braised beef, two sauced ducks, and a bowl of white rice, come on!" Xu Wenhou said loudly.

Jia Huan was startled and asked, "Isn't that too much?"

Xu Wenhou said: "If I can't finish it, I'll pack it up and take it back."

Soon, five catties of braised beef and two large plates of marinated duck were served. Xu Wenhou could not wait to scoop up a bowl of steaming white rice, pour the thick sauce on it, and eat it with relish, sighing, "I came here just for this bite. It's simply the most delicious food on earth."

Jia Huan couldn't help but laugh secretly. This kid's character was too weak. He loved food and was harmless. It would be nice for him to stay away from the intrigue-filled court and become a leisurely prince.

Jia Huan also imitated Xu Wenhou, served a bowl of white rice, added the fragrant sauce into it, took the first bite, and immediately couldn't stop, and finished the bowl of white rice in no time.

Xu Wenhou said proudly, "Well, I didn't lie to you, did I?" He picked up a duck leg with sauce and started to chop into big chunks.

Jia Huan nodded and said, "It is indeed a delicacy."

"Hey... Stone boy, come and try it too." Xu Wenhou greeted him. He did not have the airs of a prince at all and was happy to share the food.

Shitou looked at Jia Huan inquiringly, and when he saw the latter nod, he sat down with a smile and said, "Thank you, Master Qi, for the meal."

"Don't just stand there, come and eat together. Filial piety and delicious food are the only things in this world that you shouldn't waste." Xu Wenhou said while gnawing on a duck leg, shaking his head.

The four guards looked at each other, thanked the Seventh Master verbally, then quickly filled a bowl of rice each, picked up some meat and vegetables, and squatted on the ground to eat.

Jia Huan took out the bag of honeysuckle he had just bought from the pharmacy, asked the store owner for a pot of boiling water to brew it, and poured a cup for Xu Wenhou. The leading guard hesitated for a moment, but finally did not stop him. Seeing that Xu Wenhou did not feel abnormal after drinking the cup, he was relieved and continued to eat.

"Ever since Brother Jia taught me the art of sketching, I have devoted myself to practicing it and have made some achievements over the years. It's a pity that I didn't bring my paintings this time, otherwise I could have given Brother Jia some comments on them." Xu Wenhou said regretfully while eating.

Jia Huan couldn't help but think of the painting "Chicken Pecking at Rice" that Xu Wenhou had drawn when they first met. He coughed and said, "It's okay. Next time, Master Qi will bring it out. It won't be too late for Jia Huan to read it again."

Xu Wenhou lowered his voice and said excitedly, "After the Chinese New Year, I will be fifteen years old. I will move out of the palace by then. It will be more convenient for me to go out on the street. I don't have to leave the palace once every ten days like now."

Jia Huan's heart moved. According to the rule of the Jin Dynasty, the prince would be crowned king when he turned fifteen, and then move out of the palace to live independently. It seemed that Xu Wenhou was also old enough.

Just as Jia Huan and Xu Wenhou were eating and chatting with relish, four people were slowly walking towards the alley, and all the intersections of the nearby streets and alleys were silently blocked.

I saw two of the four people walking in front, and the other two were several meters behind. They should be followers. The two in front were dressed ordinary, wearing melon-shaped hats, with their hands tucked into their sleeves. Judging from their ages, they looked like a father and son. The older one had white hair and beard, and was probably in his sixties or seventies. The other one was about forty years old, with a gloomy and elegant temperament, and looked like a scholar.

The old man walked and said, "The braised beef and salted duck here are delicious. I haven't eaten them for a long time."

"Since your Majesty likes it, you can just summon the store owner to the palace to make it specially for you. Why bother making a trip in person?" said the middle-aged scholar calmly.

The old man shook his head and said, "In a different environment, I'm afraid the store won't be able to make this kind of taste, and it always feels a little less homely."

The middle-aged scholar asked curiously, "How did the emperor know about this place?"

The old man stopped, as if recalling the past, and said slowly: "I have a good friend since childhood. Although he is older than me, he is about the same age. He loves food. By chance, he found this restaurant and brought me here to taste it."

The middle-aged scholar said with a sigh, "I think I know this friend of your father, right?"

The old man said calmly, "Your Majesty, of course he knows him. He taught you how to ride a horse when you were a child and took you to hunt in Tiewang Mountain. In order to protect you, he was almost injured by a brown bear."

The middle-aged scholar fell silent. He indeed knew this man. Not long ago, he personally ordered the execution of his entire family.

The old man ignored the middle-aged scholar and continued to walk deeper into the alley. The two people following him saw that the middle-aged scholar was standing still, so they hurried over and asked in a low voice: "What does the emperor want?"

That’s right, the middle-aged scholar was none other than Emperor Qiansheng, and the white-bearded old man was naturally Emperor Kangping, the retired emperor. The fact that the two of them appeared in this alley was exactly in line with the saying that there is no coincidence in the world.

(End of this chapter)