dognovel Chapter 352 A Rare Banquet
Chapter 352 A Rare Banquet
The Zhou family's business has prospered in the past two years and they have some savings. Now they have received a reward from the current emperor and their reputation has spread. They have to prepare a good banquet, and they intend to make it more grand.
Not only did he invite his own relatives and friends, but he also invited neighbors from the entire village, plus the adults from the county town, a total of more than three or four hundred people. Each table accommodated eight to ten people, so there were a total of forty or fifty tables. The tables alone filled up the two courtyards, and not only that, they also set up tables outside the courtyard.
Fortunately, there is a large open space outside the yard, otherwise there would be no room for seating.
Lord Xue, Lord Qi, Magistrate Niu and other nobles naturally had to sit at the seats of honor. Old Madam Zhou specially placed two tables in the house for them to enjoy, and the best wine and food were brought here first.
The wedding trumpets outside blew for a while, firecrackers rang for a while, and then the men came over from the kitchen quickly with trays in their hands.
Adults and children were extremely happy when they saw the food being served.
First, four plates of nuts were served, one plate of rice candy, one plate of crispy spiced peanuts, one plate of melon seeds, and one plate of candied chestnuts.
These snacks are the children's favorite and were snatched up as soon as they came out.
Qi Rui in the room also saw the plate of rice candy at a glance. Could this be the wedding candy that Ming Shu mentioned?
Then he has to taste the saltiness!
When you take a bite, you first feel the sweetness, then the sesame aroma, and then you feel the crispiness when you bite it.
She really has some creative ideas in this regard. She actually combined popcorn and maltose to make such delicious candy, and added peanuts and sesame seeds in it, making it extremely fragrant.
Lord Xue and Magistrate Niu also thought it was delicious and couldn't help but eat a few more bites.
However, the rice candy was a bit sticky and accidentally got on their beards. It hurt when pulled, so they felt both happy and worried while eating it.
Before they had finished eating, Old Lady Zhou brought over two jars of Moutai.
"My dear adults, I feel honored that you have come all the way to attend my granddaughter's wedding. I never thought I would be able to meet so many officials before, but this time I really saw them."
Old Mrs. Zhou put the wine in her arms on the table and wiped the corners of her eyes with the corner of her clothes. She used all the words she knew, but she didn't know if they were appropriate.
"My family doesn't have anything good to treat you, so I can only prepare a few more jars of wine that you adults like to drink. You adults must drink to your heart's content today and don't leave until you are drunk."
Mr. Xue stood up and shook Mrs. Zhou's hand. "Mrs. Zhou, you don't have to be so polite to them. They are all here because of your family. I think their gifts are not enough. You are so busy, so you don't have to entertain us. I will take care of them for you."
As soon as Lord Xue opened his mouth, he belittled everyone present, and then took the opportunity to praise himself.
Old Lady Zhou waved her hands to indicate that she didn't dare, but Lord Xue was the highest-ranking official present.
No one dared to refute what he said. Instead, several flatterers came over to flatter him.
Mrs. Zhou thought, "Master Xue, why are you talking about me? I'm so busy that I don't have time to talk to you guys about official matters."
Fortunately, Dazhi and Xiaojie arrived in time. They were very busy, serving wine to each table.
They listened to their grandmother's advice and decided not to shortchange the adults and let them drink to their heart's content.
"While you guys are talking, let me see if the appetizers are ready. Dazhi, open two more jars for the adults. Let's drink to our heart's content today."
Old Mrs. Zhou pinched her handkerchief and hurriedly got out of the crowd.
After we had almost finished eating the four fruit plates, the six cold dishes were prepared.
A group of men followed the same process as before, filing out of the kitchen, running to the tables they were responsible for, and then taking away the empty plates.
The six cold dishes are spicy roast duck, preserved egg and cucumber, a large platter of braised meat, hot and sour jelly, cold shredded chicken, and a small dessert, which is jasmine-flavored tea jelly, specially prepared for children and women.
These are the foods that people usually cherish but are reluctant to eat, as well as some delicious and rare delicacies.
Everyone ate so much that their stomachs were hot, their eyes were red, and their hands were shaking!
They can't eat such delicious food during the Chinese New Year. This big platter of braised meat is enough for them to drink two pots of wine.
Not only are there many varieties and delicious taste, but the portion is also large, half pork and half duck, so full that the plate can't even hold it all.
Before they could even have a couple more drinks, the hot dishes were served.
The first dish is braised pork with preserved vegetables. The pork is very soft and glutinous, fat but not greasy. The aroma of preserved vegetables neutralizes the fat in the pork belly very well. Men, women and children in the village love it very much.
The second dish was Farewell My Concubine, a whole turtle and a whole chicken were placed in a bowl, which stunned everyone.
Oh my god! Is this the legendary "Farewell My Concubine"? They really had the day to eat Overlord!
I heard this is a good thing, very nutritious!
This dish is simply adrenaline for men. They toasted each other with cups, and even slurped the turtle shell several times, and finally put it in their pockets and took it away.
The third dish was braised fish. The whole fish was stewed in red. There was no special cuts on it, but it was stewed two days in advance. It was very tasty inside and out. They had never eaten such delicious fish before, and they were still reluctant to forget it after eating it.
The fourth dish is the Four-Happiness Meatball Soup. The meatballs are filled with smooth tofu and minced meat, and some chopped lotus root is added to the soup. Some coriander and chopped green onion are sprinkled on top and it’s done. One meatball is enough to fill you up.
The fifth dish is fried crispy pork sprinkled with chili and cumin powder, and some tomato sauce on the side. You can adjust the flavor to your preference and it is easy to make.
The last dish was candied dates and white rice. This dish is a favorite of children. As soon as it was served, it was snatched away before the plates even landed.
Do you think this is over?
In fact, there are two soups, one sweet and one salty.
But the feast at Old Zhou’s was so sumptuous that everyone finished all the food in the front and couldn’t drink any more of the soup.
But they definitely wanted to taste it. The sweet soup was as sweet as if honey, and the salty soup contained not only chopped eggs, but also some shredded meat.
The meal was so good that they wanted to eat it every day.
Zhou Mingqin and her sisters were also eating in the backyard, but they were all girls of the same age. The food on the table was indeed delicious, but when they saw that the three sisters of the Zhou family were used to it, they managed to hold back and not lose their composure.
Wang Youwei was full and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.
"Er Ya, I finally understand why my grandfather always scolds grandma and asks her to practice her cooking skills. If I could eat such delicious meals every day, I would be willing to sweep the streets."
Zhou Mingqi laughed loudly, "My family doesn't have such a feast every day. We'll have a feast for my brother next time he gets married. You'd better make sure you have enough space in your stomach by then."
Several little girls were laughing and the atmosphere was lively.