The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 430 Want to buy sweet-scented osmanthus and wine

A plate of salted duck weighed about five or six pounds, and was quickly devoured. Xu Wenhou pushed the second plate of salted duck to the middle of the table, licked his lips with satisfaction, and thought to himself: "I wanted to pack a plate to take home, but forget it, let's eat it first."

"Come, Brother Jia, try this!" Xu Wenhou enthusiastically put a piece of fat duck meat into Jia Huan's bowl.

Jia Huan was speechless, because the piece that the fat guy gave him was actually the duck butt, the most disgusting part. The key point was that the fat guy was looking at him expectantly. He didn't know whether to eat it or not, so he had to pretend to burp, touched his stomach and said, "I'm too full, let me rest for a while before fighting again."

Xu Wenhou chuckled, patted his belly and said, "Brother Jia's fighting power is too weak. I'm only six-tenths full!" Then he picked up a piece of duck head and started chewing it happily.

Jia Huan took advantage of the other party's inattention and threw the duck butt under the table. Unexpectedly, although the little fat boy's movements were clumsy, his eyes were quite sharp. He actually noticed Jia Huan's little move. He quickly turned sideways to take a look under the table and found the duck butt thrown on the ground. His face suddenly changed, and he said in a distressed tone: "Brother Jia, what are you doing? Why did you throw away the duck tail?"

Jia Huan was embarrassed now, and said awkwardly: "I don't really like eating this."

"Then don't throw it away, what a waste, just give it back to me to eat!"

"Confucius said: Do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you!"

"Brother Jia doesn't want it, but I do. It's such a waste of resources!" Xu Wenhou had a look of pity on his face. He actually crawled under the table, stuck out his butt and picked up the duck butt on the ground, which shocked Jia Huan and Shitou.

"Seventh Master, this is dirty, let's not use it!" Shitou said with disgust.

However, Xu Wenhou threw the duck butt into the teacup, washed it with tea, then picked it up and dipped it in the sauce again. He said with drooling: "It's such a waste to throw it away. It can be eaten after washing. This is my favorite!" Then he stuffed it into his mouth and began to chew it happily.

Jia Huan couldn't help sweating, but he also understood that the little fat boy was not trying to annoy him on purpose, but really thought that this part was delicious, so he gave it to him to taste. This shows that this boy is quite naive and is willing to share what he thinks is the best with his friends.

At this moment, Xu Wenhou suddenly froze, his eyes staring straight ahead. Jia Huan was startled, thinking that the duck's butt was too big and choked the boy, so he quickly stood up and slapped his back hard.

"Well, Brother Jia, don't... don't take pictures!" Xu Wenhou hurriedly grabbed Jia Huan's hand and swallowed the duck butt in his mouth, while his eyes were still staring straight ahead.

Jia Huan followed Xu Wenhou's gaze and was startled. Shitou was also slightly shocked. It turned out that two people came to the alley at some point, an old man and a middle-aged scholar, and the fat boy was staring at them blankly.

The two men were obviously surprised to see the little fat man, and the four guards who were squatting on the ground eating also stood up at this time, holding their bowls and standing solemnly, not daring to even breathe.

"Grandpa Huang, Uncle Huang!" Xu Wenhou called out with a chuckle.

Jia Huan's heart was shocked and he stood up subconsciously. Shitou reached for the small axe at his waist. This was because the two followers behind them were so murderous, with fierce and sharp eyes, that Shitou felt a dangerous sense of oppression.

Jia Huan hurriedly reached out and held Shi Tou's arm, and shook his head gently. Shi Tou quietly loosened his hand that was touching the axe handle and stared at the person who came over vigilantly.

The other diners present also obviously noticed that the atmosphere was not right. They stood up and quickly slipped away. The couple who owned the restaurant also nervously retreated back into the house.

"Seventh brother?" The old man glanced at Jia Huan and Xing Wei in surprise and asked, "Is this your friend?"

Xu Wenhou stole a glance at the middle-aged scholar and said timidly, "Yes... yes!"

The old man pulled over a stool, sat down at the table and said, "Since you are Qi Ge'er's friend and we meet by chance, let's sit together."

Shitou stood up and moved behind Jia Huan. The middle-aged scholar hesitated for a moment and sat down where Shitou had originally sat, while the two followers stood on his left and right.

"Seventh brother, please sit down!" The middle-aged scholar said calmly, "It's a good opportunity to accompany your Grandpa Huang to have a meal, and this friend of Seventh brother, you can sit down too!"

Xu Wenhou sat down again carefully and winked at Jia Huan.

Jia Huan had no choice but to sit down as well. The old man called out to the store, "Shopkeeper, bring me another two pounds of braised beef, a plate of salted duck, and two pots of Shaodaozi wine."

After a while, the store owner brought the wine and food, and replaced the bowls, chopsticks and cups for everyone.

The middle-aged scholar poured a glass of wine for the old man. One of the followers wanted to taste the wine first, but the old man refused and drank it all in one gulp. He smacked his lips and sighed, "It still tastes the same. The old wine is still here, but where is the old friend?"

After saying this, he looked at Jia Huan and asked, "What's your name, young friend?"

Jia Huan bowed and said, "I am Jia Huan!" The old man's eyes flashed with brilliance, and he glanced at the middle-aged scholar meaningfully, and smiled and said, "Your surname is Jia, could it be that you are the descendant of Lords Rong and Ning?"

"My father's name is Jia Zheng!" Jia Huan said calmly.

"Haha, as expected, I heard that the Jia family has a young man who was born with a jade in his mouth. Could it be you, my friend?"

Jia Huan shook his head and said, "That is my elder brother, his name is Baoyu."

The old man nodded and said, "Yes, I remember now. You are the boy who won the third place in the imperial examination and the first place in the Nanzhili provincial examination this year - Jia Huan, the child prodigy of the Jia family!"

Jia Huan was a little surprised and said hurriedly, "I'm ashamed. It was just a fluke. I didn't expect that you had heard of Jia Huan's reputation."

The old man shook his head and snorted, "Being the first in a case once is luck, being the first in a case every time is not luck at all. Being humble is a good thing, but being overly humble becomes hypocrisy. I have always despised such people."

Jia Huan bowed and said, "Thank you for your advice!"

Seeing that Jia Huan did not change his expression and had a calmness that was very inconsistent with his age, the old man could not help but admire him and said with a smile: "Interesting, how long have you known each other, young friend Jia?"

"If you count carefully, it should be almost four years," Jia Huan recalled.

The old man nodded and said, "Four years have passed, so we are old friends. Come, let's have a drink to old friends." After that, he raised his glass and drank the wine without waiting for Jia Huan to respond. Then he tore off a duck leg in sauce and started eating.

"Silang, you should also try the flavor of this pickled duck." The old man looked at the middle-aged scholar.

The middle-aged scholar picked up a piece of marinated duck meat, took a bite, and put down his chopsticks. He shook his head and said, "It's too greasy. It doesn't suit my appetite."

The old man didn't care, and continued to chop big pieces of meat, while calling out, "Seventh brother, Jia Xiaoyou, you can eat with us."

Xu Wenhou said awkwardly, "I'm full. Grandpa Huang, Uncle Huang, enjoy your meal. I'll take my leave now."

The old man frowned and waved his hand, saying, "Go!"

Xu Wenhou felt as if he had been pardoned. He quickly winked at Jia Huan and then hurried away. However, he did not forget to settle the bill before leaving.

Emperor Kangping looked at the departing figures of Xu Wenhou and Jia Huan and chanted as if deeply moved:

Reeds cover the sandbanks, cold sands carry shallow currents. I have been to the South Tower again after 20 years. The boat is tied to the willows but still not stable. How many days will it take? It will be Mid-Autumn Festival again.

"At the Yellow Crane's Broken Rock, is my old friend still here? The old mountains and rivers are all filled with new sorrows. I want to buy some osmanthus flowers and carry them with me to drink, but it's not like the time when I was young."

After Emperor Kangping finished reciting this poem, he seemed to become depressed in an instant. He stared at the dilapidated ancient alley in front of him, as if he was wandering in a trance, or as if he was reminiscing about a good friend. The cold wind blowing through the alley blew his gray hair and beard, and his old face was wrinkled and mottled under the winter sun. He no longer had the majesty of a king, and was clearly an old man in his twilight years.

After a long time, Emperor Kangping retracted his gaze, glanced at Emperor Qiansheng who looked calm, and said: "Youth knows nothing about sorrow, but the friendship of youth is the most sincere and unforgettable. Xiaoqi's character is too cowardly and he doesn't fit in with his brothers. I just thought he had no friends, but it seems that I was wrong. He has friends, and sharing food with friends is undoubtedly a happy thing. It's a pity that I have no chance to have this kind of happiness now. I want to buy osmanthus flowers and carry wine together, but it's not like the travel of youth!"

Emperor Qiansheng frowned and said, "But this Jia Huan doesn't look like a teenager. I'm afraid he has ulterior motives in contacting Hou'er."

Emperor Kang Ping laughed and said, "Then why did he choose Xiao Qi?"

Emperor Qiansheng fell silent. Among all his sons, the most useless one was undoubtedly the seventh son. He was simply a piece of useless mud. He had personally supervised him for a period of time in the past, but he still could not control his soaring weight. Now he had left him alone and would drive him out of the palace after he was crowned a king. He would not allow him to stay away from his sight.

"Perhaps this boy has ulterior motives, but he is definitely a talent. Your Majesty can use him appropriately." Emperor Kangping said calmly: "Of course, this is just a suggestion. Your Majesty can make your own decision!"

Emperor Qiansheng naturally knew that Jia Huan was a talented person, and a rare one at that. After all, Jia Huan made an indispensable contribution to the successful solving of the Yangzhou smuggling salt case. However, he still did not like people from old noble families. Moreover, Jia Huan was unusually mature and steady at a young age, and he was afraid that he would be even more extraordinary in the future.

There is already a Concubine Jia and a prince in the palace. If there is another noble official named Jia in the court in the future, this is something Emperor Qiansheng does not want to see, so he said calmly: "Let's talk about it after he passes the imperial examination."

Emperor Kangping seemed to have expected Emperor Qiansheng to do this. He smiled indifferently, finished a bowl of rice in silence, and then ordered people to pack up the rest and take it away.

PS: Khan, there is a big mistake in the previous article, I have to explain it here. In the previous incident of injuring the seventh prince, only Jia Zhen and Wang Ren were punished, but Jia She was not, so Jia She's title is still there. I hope readers will know this. (Because the previous chapters have been automatically locked, the author does not have the right to modify them, so I can only modify the latest few chapters.)
(End of this chapter)