The dinner was held at the Old House, a very authentic Yunnan-style restaurant in Kunming.
To get to the old house, you have to pass through a bustling flower and bird market, and then find an old house with a history of 150 years in a quaint alley. This is an extraordinary old house. Every brick, every stone, every wood has experienced hundreds of years.
In the past years, leaning against the black pillars and holding on to the dark red fence with gold edges, the ancient times have transformed into modern life like a dream.
The locals also call it 'a seal', because the whole building of the old house has a square and neat appearance, just like a seal in ancient times. It looks very special and tasteful. It is a small courtyard house with four pots on the patio.
There are five wooden tables where guests sit around, chatting and laughing. The small table next to the second floor can have a panoramic view of the patio, but it can only seat two people, and they are sitting at the door of the private room, but it is still full, which shows that the business of the old house
So good...
Gong Xue and the others don't have to stay outside, because Hua Jingyi has booked an elegant and unique private room in advance. I heard that it takes at least three days to book a private room in the old house, and I don't know how much Hua Jingyi has done behind the scenes.
It was so hard that I managed to get it done in just one day.
Originally, Long Zhan was supposed to be the host, but Hua Jingyi said that she was Gong Xue's natal family, so how could a relative who married far away return home and ask for a treat from the instructor.
So Long Zhan had no choice but to compromise. After all, he was still far behind the privileged position of his mother's family.
At the quaint round table, the elders Hua Jingyi and Long Zhan were placed at the main seats. Long Sifeng sat next to Hua Jingyi, followed by Gong Xue and Gao Lie, and finally Zhou Botong.
Hua Jingyi handed the menu to Gong Xue with a smile on her face: "Xiaoxue, come on! Order what you like, don't save me money."
Gong Xue took the menu and looked at it, "Small pot rice noodles." She returned the menu to Hua Jingyi, "I don't know if this place makes it authentic or not."
Hua Jingyi's eyes flashed, and the content in her eyes became more profound, "I haven't eaten it either."
She knew that Gong Xue and Gao Yuan had eaten rice noodles together, but she didn't expect that many years had passed and now that Xiaoxue was married, she still hadn't forgotten that time.
Hua Jingyi glanced at Gao Lie, who was talking to Long Zhan, and found that the corner of his eyes was always on Xiaoxue, so she relaxed a little.
"Gao Lie, you'd better order some." Hua Jingyi pushed the menu to Gao Lie opposite.
Gao Lie was not polite. He took the menu, looked at it, and said to the waiter without raising his head: "Steam pot chicken, beef with green onions, stir-fried bait cubes with mixed mushrooms, stir-fried phoenix tails, and pan-fried milk pancakes." His fingers were moving.
I drew a long line on the menu, and finally buttoned it up and handed it back to Hua Jingyi, "It should be almost done. Sister-in-law, you can add a finishing touch."
Hua Jingyi and Gao Lie's eyes met, and they were still for a second. Hua Jingyi smiled and said, "It seems that you have done your homework in advance."
The dishes he ordered were from a restaurant with an excellent reputation. She had been to the old house several times and also liked ordering these dishes.
A high smile is considered acquiescence.
Hua Jingyi didn't look at the menu and said with a smile: "As the saying goes, there's no feast without fish, so I'll order another sweet and sour fish dish. Look, what else do you need to order? Don't be polite to me, Instructor Long.
?Sifeng, Xiaopang? Whatever you like to eat, just order it."
Long Zhan and the others all waved their hands and said no. What they ordered just now was enough.
The waiter went out to pass the dishes and put a pot of Pu'er on the table before leaving.
Long Sifeng was the youngest, but the most diligent and discerning girl. She stood up on her own initiative and wanted to pour water for everyone, but Gong Xue snatched the teapot away, "I'll do it."
Starting from Hua Jingyi, in order of age, she poured bright-colored tea for everyone.
The food is served quickly in the restaurant, and within a short time, all kinds of Yunnan delicacies are on the table.
Gong Xue held the cup, stood up, and took the initiative to speak: "Logically speaking, what I am offering you today should be wine, not water. But you are all wearing military uniforms and don't give me face, so I can only offer tea instead of wine.
I would like to express my deep gratitude to everyone!”
Long Zhan was the first to stand up, followed by Gao Lie and Hua Jingyi. Zhou Botong, who showed an obviously incredulous expression, finally stood up and said, "Xiaoxue, why has your style changed?"
In his memory, the girl who was as serious in words and as cold as icebergs and snow lotuses seemed to have a lot more worldly fireworks now, especially the shallow curvature of her mouth and the rare jokes that she always made, which made Zhou Botong deeply suspect that there was something wrong with his eyes.
I thought he saw it wrong and his ears heard it wrong...
Could it be that everything written in those magazines is true?
When a woman gets married, she changes.
Gong Xue smiled and knocked the cup against Zhou Botong first, making a crisp ding sound.
"Does Second Senior Brother think that I was cuter in the past?"
The atmosphere at the scene was a bit subtle.
Not only Zhou Botong was dumbfounded, but several other old friends who knew Gong Xue's character also showed surprised expressions. Only Gao Lie exchanged a complex and surprised look with Gong Xue, and then took the initiative to save: "Xiaoxue and I respect everyone together.
!”
When the banquet first started, several people were a little cautious, but halfway through the meal, Gao Lie suggested changing the tasteless tea to beer. Everyone responded enthusiastically. After all, when old friends meet, how can drinking tea alone enhance the atmosphere.
Wine is really a good thing.
The sense of strangeness and distance that was originally bound between them disappeared after three glasses of wine.
Of course, there are more than three cups.
Even Long Sifeng, who couldn't drink the most, already had four empty bottles of Tsingtao dry beer on hand.
Zhou Botong drank alcohol and his face became blurry, and his eyes became hazy, "Xiaoxue, have you forgotten that time we went to the wild for training? You saved my life! Have you forgotten?!"
Gong Xue frowned and thought for a moment, then pointed at Zhou Botong, "Is it... the time when you fell into the quagmire?"
It seems that it is not that easy to forget such a profound experience.
Zhou Botong's head nodded wildly, "It was that time, it was that time..."
Long Sifeng smiled and interjected: "I also remember... when Zhou Botong fell, he still shouted desperately, district captain-----save me------I don't want to die--save me."
.....Three generations of my family are single..."
"Hahaha... Three generations of singles..." Hua Jingyi also joined in, pointing at the chubby Zhou Botong and laughing.
Zhou Botong scratched his head and admitted sheepishly: "It's true, I am really the only child of three generations in our family. When I was a national defense student, my father was unwilling. Later, I was assigned to the countryside of Sichuan, and my father even chased me to the army to make trouble.
He wanted me to change jobs. It was so embarrassing. He didn’t know that we had to serve in the army for eight years before we could ask for a job transfer. He didn’t believe me even after I told him, and he even went to see our battalion commander..."
When Zhou Botong saw Long Zhan, he suddenly raised his hand and said, "Thanks to Instructor Long. Apart from my grandfather, my dad only listens to Instructor Long. If Instructor Long hadn't enlightened my dad, I'm afraid I would have become the laughing stock of our national defense class today."