Daming: My grandfather is Emperor Hongwu!

Chapter 186 A Good Dinner
"Grandmother, why are there so many delicious dishes today?"

At the dining table in Kunning Palace, Zhu Xiongying couldn't help asking when he looked at the dazzling array of delicacies on the table.

It should be noted that the diet of the old man and Queen Ma has always been relatively simple. Although it is much better than that of the poor and small households, it is far from that of the wealthy households in the south of the Yangtze River.

On this table today, the pleasing meals are carefully cooked by the imperial chef, even rare seafood such as sea cucumber, shrimp and abalone appeared.

The old man sat at the main seat, looked at the table full of dishes, and asked, "What day is it? Chinese New Year?"

Empress Ma came up from behind with a plate of dry-roasted large yellow croaker, and said with a smile, "Today our eldest grandson has chosen a master and a companion. It's such a good day, why don't we celebrate it!"

As he said that, he said to Zhu Xiongying, "My grandson, this table is full of good things. They are all from the chief secretaries of various places, who paid tribute on the New Year's Day!"

The old man nodded and said, "Yes, there is a saying in the folks, it's called a teacher appreciation banquet. You have to get a table of good food for the child's teacher!" Then, the old man continued to laugh, "But our family, no matter how good the husband is, he can't serve us. table!"

Speaking of this, the old man picked up a chopstick and put the sea cucumber with green onion into his mouth, and chewed it a few times.

"What the hell!" The old man pouted and swallowed, "There is nothing to eat, no smell of bacon!"

"What do you know? You won't get tired of eating bacon for a lifetime!" Empress Ma snapped a sentence, even though she said so, she pushed a plate of taro meat in front of the old man, "I made it just for you!"

"That's good!" The old man laughed loudly, swallowed a thick piece of fat, and grinned, "Fat but not greasy, it melts in your mouth! It tastes good, good!"

Said, looking at Zhu Xiongying, "Go, get us some wine!"

"Hey!" Zhu Xiongying got up from the dinner table, walked to the side and brought the old man's drinker.

On the table in the house, fill it up for the old man.

"Hey! You've gone to school now!" The old man took a sip of his spirits, grinned and said, "One more shake, and it's time for you to get married and have children. If you shake it around, we'll grow old!"

"You're old now!" Before Zhu Xiongying could speak, Empress Ma smiled, "Don't talk about eating, don't talk about what you have and what you don't have, what's old and old. There is no one who is not old. The bastards in the pond in the imperial garden are not old." !"

The old man slapped his hands, his face was a little angry, "Why are you hurting us in front of the children?"

Empress Ma picked up a chopstick fish belly for the old man, "What's wrong with you? How many days can I hurt you at my age?"

The old man paused again, and asked with concern, "Sister, what's the matter, but I'm not feeling well, have you passed on the imperial physician?"

"That's all!" Empress Ma laughed, "Come on, my eldest grandson has chosen a husband today, and I'm also happy, so pour me a cup too!"

"Give it to your grandmother!" The old man smiled, "It's a rare sight, we haven't had a drink with you for a long time!"

The old man, Empress Ma, was holding a wine glass opposite.

Zhu Xiongying looked left and right, "Grandfather, Grandmother, and grandson want to drink?"

"Taste it for you!" The old man dipped it with his chopsticks and brought it to Zhu Xiongying's mouth.

"Ah! Spicy!" Zhu Xiongying grinned in disgust.

"Haha!" The old man laughed.

At this time, Zhu Xiongying's same mother and brother also ran over and grabbed the old man's arm, "Grandpa Huang, Grandpa Huang, grandson wants too!"

"Okay, all of them!"

Grandparents and grandchildren were laughing together when Jia Gui came in to report that Prince Zhu Biao had arrived.

"Boss hasn't eaten yet? It's just right, there's a table of good food!" Empress Ma smiled and got up, and took the bowl and chopsticks for her son.

Zhu Biao sat down next to the old man, "Father!"

The old man looked at him with disgust in his eyes, "If you want to eat, you don't know how to come early, and everyone else will eat it, so you stop in the middle!"

"What the father said was the son's fault!" Zhu Biao laughed.

"You should drink some too!" The old man glanced at him, "Today's food is good!" As he said, he looked at the dried seafood on the table, "Sister, let someone give these dried seafood from the sea to Zhu Shan and others. A few Hanlin scholars sent it."

"It's up to you to say, it's been prepared a long time ago!" Empress Ma laughed.

"Dasun, do you know why you gave them something?" The old man asked with a smile.

"Grandson knows!" Zhu Xiongying replied, "It's Shu Xiu!"

Shuxiu, originated from morale in the Spring and Autumn Period, is said to be a gift from Confucius' disciples to express their hearts to the teacher.

It has been passed down to this day, and it has long been popular among the people.Ordinary people send some white rice, bacon and cloth.Rich people pay attention to the six rituals.Dried meat, celery, lotus seeds, dried longan, red dates, red beans.

"Although we don't like those scholars who talk too much, you still have to respect scholars in the future." The old man said, "In this world, there is no shortage of farmers, no shortage of warfighters, but there is a shortage of scholars."

As he said that, the old man seemed to think of something, and sighed, "When we were young, our family was poor! At that time, we saw other people's children going to school, and we were so greedy, we would tell your grandpa and grandma when we came back!"

"They love us. It just so happened that the year was not bad. Your grandma traded chickens for some white rice at the market."

Speaking of this, the old man looked at Zhu Biao again, "Your uncle heard that we want to go to school, so he asked someone to cut a piece of fat and delivered it overnight!"

"Your grandma led us to kowtow to my husband, and he reluctantly agreed to teach us after he collected the things. But teaching is teaching, we can't afford banknotes or books!"

"Hey!" As he spoke, the old man took a sip of wine and said sentimentally, "That's it, we are not blind, know how to write our own name, and can read some characters!"

"Why are you talking about these old things?" Empress Ma said, "It makes the children feel unhappy!"

"It was not easy for my father to start a business back then!" Zhu Biao said, "Listen, my son, I have benefited a lot!"

"Grandfather!" Zhu Xiongying asked, "What about later, did you stop studying because you couldn't afford school?"

"Later, things got worse and worse. Don't even talk about going to school. You didn't even have to eat. Your grandpa and grandma died of starvation. We went to Huangjue Temple to become a monk and become a little novice monk!"

The old man continued to eat the meat, and continued, "Damn it, but the abbot found us just after a few days of safe meals. Chongba, this year is not good, the temple can't support so many people, you go outside for alms go!"

"Isn't that why you're being kicked out?" Zhu Xiongying said, "You still have a pair of chopsticks in the temple. The old monk is so bad!"

"That's what we thought at the time!" The old man said, "At that time, the army was in chaos, and on the way out, we met hungry victims. If we didn't keep it together, we would kill us and stew the meat!"

As he said that, he smiled again, "But let's think about it again, the heavens will send great responsibilities to the people, so there is no need to suffer when we are young. We will wear patched clothes and go down the mountain with a bowl. We will go all the way for alms, and we will be full when we are hungry. After a while, if there is a school, we don’t care if they agree or not, just lie outside the window and listen!"

"Hehe, don't tell me, in those years, we still painted gourds and learned a lot of words!"

(End of this chapter)