Chapter 83: Xue An makes a plan, and there are so many guests
"So when the time comes, I will serve the prefect's table. The distinguished guests from the Chamber of Commerce and Yamen will be handed over to you two."
Just as Meng Xingyuan was talking, a fat bald man hurried over and whispered a few words in his ear.
"What?" After hearing this, Meng Xingyuan's face darkened, "Impossible, those fish just arrived at noon, how could..."
"It's not that there's something wrong with the fish, but...well, you can see for yourself."
Fatty Liang opened his palms. When Meng Xingyuan saw what was in his palms, he suddenly broke into a cold sweat.
"Where are the other fish? Are there any other fish..."
"I don't know, Master Xue is checking. Anyway, there are more than one."
Master Xue? Xue An? Zhou Shi heard the key point.
"It's broken, it's broken..."
Meng Xingyuan's face was pale, his thin body swayed a few times, his eyes were slightly closed, as if he was about to faint.
Zhou Shi held him up and asked the fat man who ran out of the kitchen: "What's going on?"
The fat man did not dare to speak and asked his boss for instructions with his eyes.
"Oh, let me tell you." Meng Xingyuan broke away from Zhou Shi's arm and supported the counter and said, "Shopkeeper Zhou, come and take a look at this."
Zhou Shi came up to the fat man and saw an inch-long worm squirming in his palm, which was very disgusting.
"The fresh fish I bought is infested with worms!" Meng Xingyuan covered his face and said in a tone that everything was over, "How can we serve this on the table! If the guests find out... Oh, it's over, it's over..."
The fat man added: "This worm is born strangely. It is not in the belly of the fish, but in the flesh of the fish. If it weren't for Master Xue's sharp eyes, we wouldn't have noticed it until the guests ate it!"
Xue An...
Zhou Shi hurriedly asked: "How many fish have worms? Pick out those fish that have worms, and then..."
"It's too late! To pick out the worms from the fish, you have to tear the fish apart. This is a birthday banquet, and the fish must be served with all the beards and tails!"
"Then sell new ones and come back?"
"Look at what time it is now. Not to mention where there are still live fish for sale. Our fish are all of the best Jiangtuan. Except for Wangjiang Tower, there is only one in the whole river. The prefect would love this one! If only
If you can't serve this dish at the birthday banquet, what's the point of calling it a birthday banquet... I, I'll just kill myself!"
Zhou Shi quickly stopped him and persuaded him kindly: "No hurry, no hurry. Where is Xue An? Let him come out, I have something to say."
When the fat man brought Xue An to the front hall, he was still carrying a fish-killing knife and smelled fishy all over his body.
"The shopkeeper's."
"Xue An, are all those fish infested with worms?"
"I'm afraid so. This kind of bug can't survive in the river. It must have been caught when it was fished out and kept temporarily. No one can escape."
"Is it too late to buy fresh fish now?"
Fatty Liang interjected: "It's too late! What time is it? When the fish is bought, it's time to serve cold dishes..."
"There's enough time."
Before Fatty Liang could close his mouth, he was choked by Xue An's firm answer.
"How long does it take you to cook fish?"
"Half an hour, from when the fish goes into the kitchen to when the dishes are taken out, half an hour is enough."
Zhou Shi nodded and said to Fatty Liang: "Then let the chef prepare other dishes first, and the fish will be served last."
"But, half an hour, how is this possible..."
Zhou Shi ignored him and continued to ask Xue An: "What kind of fish do you want?"
"Crucia carp is the best, followed by silver carp and grass carp."
"Shopkeeper Meng, did you hear that? Hurry up and get someone to look for it!"
Only then did Meng Xingyuan come to his senses and said: "But how can these fish be brought to the table..."
"An empty plate is the last thing on the table."
"...Also. Xu Cong! Xu Cong!"
The accountant of Yueqing Tower ran over, and Meng Xingyuan said to him: "Hurry to Wangjiang Tower and ask for twenty more fresh fish. Crucian carp, silver carp, or least importantly, grass carp, whatever price he offers will do! Go quickly.
!"
Xu Cong obeyed the order and rushed out of the front hall without even having time to put down the rag on his body.
Seeing this, Zhou Shi asked, "You have to go to the fish market to find fresh fish. Why go to Wangjiang Tower?"
"This fish market has closed its stalls a long time ago. Only Wangjianglou may have some left." Meng Xingyuan sighed and said, "It's a pity that my Jiangtuan, which cost ten taels of silver per tail, was all wasted." p>
Seeing this, Xue An and Fatty Liang returned to the kitchen together, as if they were explaining something. Fatty Liang nodded frequently and followed the young master.
Meng Xingyuan looked at them and said, "Shopkeeper Zhou, when did Fengde Building accept such a talented person?"
Zhou Shi smiled and said: "There are always thousand-mile horses."
What he meant was all in the second half of the unspoken sentence. Meng Xingyuan knew that this was a sarcasm to him, but he had no choice but to count on this "thousand-mile horse" to save the prefect's birthday banquet.
"When will the prefect arrive?"
"There's still half an hour..."
Before he finished speaking, he heard a shout coming from the yard——
"The prefect's wife has arrived——"
The two looked at each other, stunned for a moment, and rushed into the yard.
"Oh, what a beautiful yard. Shopkeeper Meng took the trouble to do it."
"No matter what, as long as Madam is happy, Yue Qinglou will dress up like this every day from now on!"
Two maids supported a bloated woman in luxurious clothes and came in through the front door. Meng Xingyuan saluted as she went up, obviously this was the prefect's wife.
Zhou Shi followed behind, peeking at the wife of a third-grade official.
"She looks to be in her fifties, about the same as Wu Zhaokun... The daughter of the Minister of Rites, was promised by her father to Wu Zhaokun, who had just become a Jinshi, and became the prefect's wife... Why did she arrive first? Where is Wu Zhaokun?"
Meng Xingyuan went to the same place with him and asked, "May I ask, madam, where is the prefect?"
The lady sighed and said, "Forget it. The official suffered from the cold a few days ago. He is still in bed and cannot come here, so he had to ask me to attend the banquet on his behalf. I really feel sorry for Master Meng who prepared such a scene for nothing." "Where, where. The prefect can't come, and the flowers, plants, fish and insects in this yard will be sad. But Madam is willing to show her favor, and they are as happy as us."
Zhou Shi got goosebumps when he heard this. Although flattering is an essential skill for the shopkeeper, Meng Xingyuan is obviously not as familiar as Agui, and he can't let the guests be flattered without knowing it.
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Wu Zhaokun can't come? Tsk, it must be that the stolen money matters have not been settled and it is inconvenient to show up. Anyway, I don't necessarily have to find Wu Zhaokun himself...
"Madam, please!"
Although Meng Xingyuan's horses were too artificial in the photo, the prefect's wife didn't care. Her round face was full of smiles, and she walked across the winding bridge holding Meng Xingyuan's hand.
During this process, Zhou Shi secretly prayed that this small bridge was not just an illusion and could withstand the equally "luxurious" weight of the prefect's wife.
Although Madam is getting older, her dress and grooming have not fallen behind. She is still as showy as a girl in her twenties, and is a bit undignified. Does she know that Wu Zhaokun is cheating? Well, even if she knows, she probably won't care... Wait a minute.
.
Zhou Shi looked at the way she shyly followed Shopkeeper Meng and kept leaning on him, and suddenly he had a guess that made his skin crawl.
Since Wu Zhaokun can find a mistress, she can also find a lover. Dressed like this, could it be...
With this idea in mind, the behavior of the two people in front seemed like flirting.
"Madam, please sit here for a moment. Tea and snacks will be here soon."
"No, chat with me for a while."
"Forgive me, madam, I still have work to do..."
Meng Xingyuan finally asked the prefect's wife to help him. When he turned around, he saw Zhou Shi with a subtle expression pretending to look at the scenery.
"Shopkeeper Zhou, could you and I go to the door? The other guests will be here soon."
Zhou Shi suppressed his smile, and after instructing Agui to entertain his wife, he followed Meng Xingyuan to the door and stood still.
"Yueqing Building, not bad, not bad..."
"Master Li, please come quickly!"
"Shopkeeper Meng, long time no see!"
"Mr. Zheng, you look good..."
Zhou Shi judged the identities of the guests from the way they arrived: those who came in sedans were all officials from Jiangdu Prefecture, while those who came on foot were wealthy businessmen from major chambers of commerce.
I have to admit that Meng Xingyuan is much better than Zhou Shi in terms of interpersonal relationships. He calls each other "Master" and "Sir" cheerfully, and the other party will give him three points of face. It seems that they are all acquaintances before.
"Are all these famous people regular visitors to Yueqing Building..."
Fortunately, there were no acquaintances of Zhou Shi among these people, so he was able to introduce guests who had greeted Meng Xingyuan without worrying about his identity as the shopkeeper.
Soon, it got dark, and the lanterns in the yard were lit one by one.
"Are there any guests?" Zhou Shi stamped his feet to dispel the chill brought by the evening breeze.
"There is another person who is from the Yamen..."
While they were talking, a tall figure quietly appeared between the two of them, startling Zhou Shi.
"This, is this the Yueqing Building?" the man asked with trembling teeth.
"Yes, yes, you are Mr. Zhao? Please come in quickly!"
Zhou Shi took his hand out of his sleeve and sang: "Okay, inside you..."
The light shone on the visitor's face, causing him to swallow the rest of the sentence.
"Phew, this weather is so cold, man..."
Zhao Xuan, who was wearing a bungalow, said tremblingly.