Linxia

Chapter 68, Luxury

"Master, Brother Fang, my friend and I went to the Yang Mansion for a banquet today, and we went to the courtyard." Man Gensheng said with a proud and self-conceited look on his face.

Obviously, for him, this was something very worthy of boasting. He took the initiative to come to Master Ou and tell him about it, hoping that the other party would look up to him - he really respected Master Ou and wanted to be recognized.

When Fang Lin heard that Man Gensheng went to the Yang Mansion for a banquet, he was slightly surprised, but then he was relieved.

For former classmates like Dong Zugao, Yang Juren sent out an invitation as usual. Man Gensheng's friends probably did the same, pooled together a gift and brought Man Gensheng in with them.

Master Ou glanced at Man Gensheng. As a student he had taught, he naturally knew what this boy was thinking. He just wanted to show off and make him look at him differently.

However, this kid was wrong. If he did some serious work, his impression of him would really improve a little, but he would not mind showing off eating, drinking and having fun.

Man Gensheng didn't understand and thought Master Ou was waiting for him to say something, so he said excitedly: "Master, Brother Fang, you don't know that Mr. Yang invited Sun Erniang to the banquet today. Who is Sun Erniang? The Governor of Yingtian wanted to invite her to his palace, but failed...

It is said that Sun Erniang asked Mr. Yang to prepare 300 sheep, 500 ducks, and 800 fish for the banquet. For the sheep, a piece of meat was cut off the lip, and no more was needed, only the thin piece of meat on the upper lip. This was very particular. Sun Erniang said that only the lip of the sheep could be eaten, and the rest would have a smell of mutton.

For duck, the duck is caught alive, and the duck's feet are dipped into the oil pan. When it touches the boiling oil, there is a sizzling sound and a puff of white smoke comes out. The duck struggles in great pain, and then it is thrown into the water, caught again, and dipped again. After several times, the duck is still alive and kicking, but the duck's feet are already crispy. They are chopped and cooked, and the dish is called "crispy duck feet"!
Sheep only have their lips cut off, ducks only have their paws removed, and fish have the same thing..."

Man Gensheng had received several years of education and had a strong desire to express himself, so he spoke very eloquently.

"Sun Erniang is indeed the master of the chef at the Donkey Restaurant. The lamb, duck, fish, etc. are made in the same mold as the donkey meat at the Donkey Restaurant. No wonder they are so tender." Fang Lin also understood why the buffet outside Yang's house had lamb, chicken, duck, and fish. It was probably because they were leftover ingredients from the banquet in the courtyard.

As they were talking, Granny Qiu also came back. Her family was some distant relative of Mr. Yang, so she attended the ceremony, gave a gift money, and entered the inner courtyard.

In the past, if he had seen Granny Qiu, whose face was so hideous due to the burn, Man Gensheng would have avoided her with disgust without saying a word. But today, as soon as he finished speaking, he saw that Master Ou and Fang Lin were silent. He thought they didn't believe him, so he got anxious and called Granny Qiu: "Granny Qiu, tell me, is what I just said true?"

"How can an old woman like me know how to cook those dishes? However, I did see how the turtle at the table was cooked."

Granny Qiu said, "Put a small stove in the middle of the table, light a fire in the brazier, put an iron box on the fire, and put a turtle in it."

"Yes, this dish is also one of Sun Erniang's specialties, it's called 'Simmered Sea Turtle'!"

Man Gensheng quickly took over and explained: "For this dish, the turtle selected should be the size of a plate, tied with wire and placed in an iron box so that it cannot struggle. Light a fire below, and the iron box will be heated, which will make the turtle uncomfortable. Then it will open its mouth and breathe deeply. At this time, pour the prepared sauce, garlic and other seasonings into the turtle's mouth.

Just like that, wait until the turtle is cooked over a slow fire, and the seasoning in its belly emits a fragrant aroma, the turtle is still alive, but its mouth is opened wider and wider. Use the dagger with a cold glow to cut into its belly, the meat smells delicious, and makes you salivate. At this time, you should eat up the turtle that is still struggling to death while it is fresh. As for the taste? There is only one word, absolutely!"

"That's how it's done." Grandma Qiu said, "My husband also grabbed a piece for me to eat, but I shook my head and couldn't eat it, so he had to eat it himself and said it was fresh and delicious. "

She just couldn't bear to see this, so she ate something else and came back first.

Man Gensheng was still talking proudly: "I was lucky enough to have a piece of that 'braised sea turtle', it tasted very delicious..."

The boy didn't notice it, but Fang Lin noticed that Master Ou had quietly sat up, straightened up from the rattan chair, bent down, and took off his shoes.

'Man Gensheng is going to be in trouble,' he thought to himself. Sure enough, the next moment, Master Ou suddenly jumped up and beat Man Gensheng all over the face, scolding him as he beat him: "You don't do any work all day, just eat, drink and have fun, you are so proud of yourself, aren't you?"

He looks so vigorous that he doesn't look like an old man in his sixties.

Man Gensheng was stunned by the beating. When he came to his senses, he didn't dare to fight back and could only run away. But Master Ou would not let him go. He chased him and beat him until he made him scream and jump, and then he went back home.

The noise attracted Fang's mother, Sister Guihua, and Su Xiaoqing, who were making clothes at the door of Fang's house. They stood up, tiptoed, and stretched their necks to watch the excitement.

After a while, Master Ou came back staggering. Fang Lin handed him the bamboo tube with a smile on his face: "Master Ou, are you tired? Have a drink of water?"

"You boy!"

Master Ou pointed at Fang Lin, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He took the bamboo tube and took a sip. Immediately, his expression became restrained and he sighed, "The world is going downhill and people's hearts are no longer the same as before!"

He sat down slowly and talked to Fang Lin: "It is recorded in history books that during the reign of Emperor Taizu, when entertaining ministers, there were only four dishes and one soup, namely carrots, leeks, green vegetables, and a bowl of tofu soup sprinkled with green onions.

During the reigns of Emperor Guangwu, Jiankang, Yongning, Taixi, Xuantong, Zhengde and Jinglong, the lifestyle was still simple. When entertaining guests, servants were sent to invite them and verbally told them when to come. Usually, five or six people would share an eight-person table, with four main dishes and four side dishes. Drinking was done in large cups, which were taken in turns. A basin of water was placed on the top to wash the cups, which were called Shanwan.

More than ten years later, invitations were still used when entertaining guests. The invitations were one and a half inches wide and five inches long. However, the food and drinks during meals did not change much.

After another ten years, people became more and more particular about it. When entertaining guests, they would use folding invitations. When the guests arrived, they no longer used the 8-immortal table. Instead, they would sit at one table for two people, which was called an occasional table. And if they did not eat, they would not eat at all. Once they did, they would take most of the day.

Today, people are even more particular about it. When sending letters, they have to use gold-plated folding cards. During meals, they have to prepare all kinds of dishes and waterways. They also invite famous chefs to come to the house, and there are singing and dancing to entertain. The prohibitions in the early years of the founding of the country have been completely shelved. "

Master Ou spoke in great detail about the changes in customs in the Great Xia Dynasty, from the simplicity in the founding years to the extravagance of today.

"In the early years of the founding of the country, there were many things to be done. Only by listening to the Master and Taizu setting an example himself did the spirit of frugality and simplicity emerge. As time progresses, today, with the economy affluent, the barriers of some institutional prohibitions have gradually been broken, and the trend of extravagance can no longer be controlled." Fang Lin also sighed.

"That's true. Take today's banquet at Mr. Yang's house for example."

Master Ou had a look of deep sorrow on his face: "The banquet was so extravagant that we wished we could use all the treasures from the mountains and the seas, gather oysters from the south, bear paws from the north, roasted mackerel from the East Sea, and horse milk from the West, taking the flavors from all over the world. The banquet was extremely luxurious, but many of the people who ate at the banquet were like that kid from the Man family, with no knowledge of literature and nothing in their heads. Tell me, is this phenomenon surprising?"

Fang Lin took a look and reflected. Before today, he thought that Master Ou was a bit conservative and stuck in the past. Today, he realized that tradition does have an aspect that is worth upholding.

Take eating, drinking and banqueting for example. He agreed with Master Ou's point of view that even if one is rich, one should have limits. Indulging in pleasure without restraint is not necessarily a good thing.

'Behind the extravagant banquets, at a deeper level, is the economic development brought about by the budding of capitalism. The wealthy merchants expanded their business overseas, seized a large amount of wealth, and got rich first. Under the general environment, etiquette and law collapsed, money was supreme, and people pursued luxury...'

Fang Lin had a vague grasp of something, but after careful consideration, he still couldn't find any clue, so he could only write it down for the time being.

……

(End of this chapter)