Upstairs, the glum expression had finally vanished from Ren Chongmo’s face after he had had his fill of wine and food.
He was very satisfied with today’s al, and even more pleased with chatting with a group of like-minded people.
Discussing ancient and modern tis in such a setting really felt great.
Geng Lishan, slightly drunk, had the dishes cleared from the table and, flourishing a brush, copied down Lu You’s famous lines praising fish:
"The wine is like nectar, the fish is like flowers!"
After writing, he switched to a smaller brush and added two lines to his signature:
"In the late autumn of Renyin, along with literary friends at Lin Ji’s Food tasting Silver Shrimp Soup, we spoke jovially, got drunk, and thus I copied this famous line from Fang Weng to cover the cost of the alcohol."
Professor Xu grinned and said,
"Lishan, sir, with those last four words, you’ve insulted all of us poor scholars."
Ren Chongmo, however, was quite pleased with these words:
"Well insulted. Being a scholar should an being untainted by material desires. I feel like Lishan is really getting more profound. Maybe I should also resign and stay at ho for a couple of years?"
Geng Lishan wrote this partly as a small joke with Lin Xu.
Laughing, he said,
"Don’t do it. I sat at ho for two years and nearly drove myself mad. Only after eting young Lin have I gained many insights into life. If you’re not busy, feel free to co by more often. At Lin Ji’s, there’s good food, good wine, and plenty of human warmth—a great place to experience the myriad flavors of life."
Ren Chongmo nodded and said to his partner, Tian Qinglan,
"Since the kids seldom co ho for als, let’s frequently eat here from now on. Maybe we’ll bump into Lishan and can raise a glass in joy."
"Sure, and it happens that Little Yan is here every day too, so we can also try the staff als that aren’t available to the public."
Over the course of the al, Tian Qinglan grew increasingly fond of Chen Yan, eventually calling her by the more affectionate "Little Yan" instead of "Little Chen."
Chen Yan also respected this graceful female professor greatly. She truly embodied the deanor of soone devoted to academia.
Geng Lishan pointed at the calligraphy on the table and said to Shu Yun,
"Miss Yun, this is today’s al paynt. Ask young Lin if it’s enough. If not, I can write a couple more pieces. Ever since I finished ’World’s First Chicken,’ I’ve had more insights into writing about ’the world’s firsts.’ If he doesn’t mind, I can write about ’The World’s First Duck,’ ’The World’s First Pig,’ ’The World’s First Goose’..."
Shu Yun covered her mouth and laughed,
"You’re just teasing our boss, especially since he’s not here."
She had always thought Geng Lishan was a very serious person, but the old man turned out to be quite adorable. She rembered the helpless expression on the boss’s face when he brought in the ’World’s First Chicken’ last ti—it was absolutely hilarious.
After the jokes, everyone prepared to leave.
Older people tend to feel sleepy after a drink.
It was a good opportunity to go back and have a good nap in the afternoon.
Upon exiting the private room, they saw gift boxes at the entrance filled with various snacks from Lin Ji’s, including ginger candies made that morning.
Shu Yun specially explained,
"These are little delicacies from Lin Ji’s Food. Teachers, you can try them when you get ho. They also include ginger candies made by our boss this morning, which are very good for warming the stomach. Have a few whenever you’re free to help warm you up."
Hearing this, the professors and scholars were even more pleased with Lin Ji:
"Boss Lin is really too kind."
"Since Boss Lin made them himself, I must try them."
"Next ti we have a family banquet, we should just co and eat here at Lin Ji’s. It feels wrong not to arrange a few tables as a way to thank Boss Lin’s generosity."
"It’s a pity I’m not good at calligraphy; otherwise, I’d also write a few words to compete with Lishan’s charm."
Carrying the gift boxes, they walked downstairs where Lin Xu was in the first-floor hall seeing everyone off.
Just as they exited, they saw several vans parked at the entrance.
Geng Lishan was puzzled:
"What’s this?"
Chen Yan smiled,
"After listening to the lectures from the teachers today, I learned a lot, so I helped arrange rides for everyone. Just tell the driver where you want to go, and please don’t be shy about it."
Tian Qinglan, holding Chen Yan’s hand, said,
"You shouldn’t have spent your money, Little Yan."
"It’s no big deal. You and Professor Ren, please get in the car; it’s windy outside, don’t catch a cold."
After the guests left, Chen Yan turned to Lin Xu and asked,
"Brother-in-law, got anything to eat right now?"
"Didn’t eat enough?"
"They’re all experts in the field of Chinese language, and so of them even taught . I was too awestruck to focus on eating."
Lin Xu pointed upstairs,
"Well, in a minute Wei Qian can make you so stir-fried noodles. They’re processing fish upstairs; I need to get back to the kitchen and keep busy."
After saying this, he turned and went back inside.
Processing fish? Is more delicious food being prepared?
Chen Yan followed him inside, just about to ask what was being made, when she heard Shu Yun reporting to Lin Xu:
"All four orders of Boiled Fish Bladder are pre-ordered. Only one of the eight servings of Scalded Fish Liver remains. Fifteen orders of Stir-Fried Fish Intestines have been pre-ordered, and more than half of the dry pot Fish Roe has also been pre-ordered. They should all sell out before dinner."
Eighty fish, with twenty fish bladders making one serving of Boiled Fish Bladder, cos out to exactly four servings.
The fish livers are slightly smaller, but the livers from ten fish can still make a substantial dish.
As for the fish intestines and roe, about two or three fish are needed per serving.
If all these sell, about half the cost of the fish might be recovered.
While that’s just revenue, not profit, it’s still pretty good.
Hearing about these dishes, Chen Yan couldn’t help but swallow hard:
"Brother-in-law, can you make one serving of each? I’m still not full."
Lin Xu was just about to suggest she settle for stir-fried noodles since it was quite busy, but then his sister-in-law pulled out her mbership card, numbered 00001:
User Comments
0 comments from readers