diskusbooks Chapter 149: Attentiveness (Part )
Chapter 149: Attentiveness (Part )
Chu Huanjun waved to Tao Yao from a distance and called out, "Come quickly, it's time for dinner."
Lu Che was trying to find an excuse to avoid the dinner, so he teased, "Arnold, I'm feeling a little unwell. How about you guys eat first..."
Unexpectedly, Tao Yao grabbed his sleeve, preventing him from moving even a step. "Lu Che, we haven't had a free meal on this trip. This is hard-earned, we can't miss it."
While Lu Che was still trying to figure out what the new term "free dining" meant, Tao Yao had already pulled him forward. She waved enthusiastically at Chu Huanjun and ran towards him in two steps at a time.
The waiter's gaze shifted from Chu Huanjun to Tao Yao and Lu Che who came closer, and the smile on his face froze for a moment - after all, Chu Huanjun was dressed so flamboyantly, and Tao Yao and Lu Che looked even more shabby standing next to him.
Who would have thought that these three people came to eat together?
Tao Yao was good at observing people's expressions. Noticing the waiter's strange expression, she hurriedly asked, "Waiter, what's wrong? What's the problem?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Chu Huanjun's sharp eyes swept over the waiter. The waiter shuddered, not daring to say anything else. He hurriedly nodded and bowed, inviting the three people to go upstairs and sit in the elegant pavilion.
Tao Yao once again experienced the joy of borrowing the power of others to bully others. She felt inexplicably refreshed and ordered the maids and servants who had been waiting in the elegant pavilion to make tea, pour water and serve melon seeds for her.
Chu Huanjun sat nearby, watching Tao Yao's "spouting" with a smile on his face. He gently fanned himself and said, "It's rare to see you like this. You used to be so timid and timid that you didn't dare to bother others. Why are you acting so differently today?"
Hearing Chu Huanjun's comments about Tao Yao, Lu Che felt an inexplicable unease rising in his heart. Who was he to Tao Yao? He was actually pointing fingers at Tao Yao. If it were any other person, Lu Che would have thrown the hidden weapon from his sleeve long ago, but the opponent was Chu Huanjun, so Lu Che had no choice but to hold back.
"That's because I was living under someone else's roof, of low status, and had no one to support me."
Tao Yao took the bowl of sugared snow dumplings brought by the servant while talking about it with relish, scooped a piece with a spoon and put it in her mouth and took a bite. The sweet and crunchy white sugar sesame filling immediately filled her mouth with sweetness.
Tao Yao raised the corners of her mouth in satisfaction, placed the sugared snowballs on the table, and then told the maid to bring her some candy and melon seeds. She smiled and said, "Now that I've finally been able to dine with the rich, I must follow their steps and learn to speak like them! Otherwise, even the waiter will look down on me."
Chu Huanjun also laughed helplessly and sarcastically said, "Slippery tongue."
Perhaps the gold Chu Huanjun offered was too generous, so the tavern owner dared not neglect the meal and personally led a group of cooks to the table, carrying fine wine and delicious food. The tavern owner shouted loudly, and the row of cooks immediately formed a long line.
The shopkeeper, beaming, bowed to Chu Huanjun, Tao Yao, and Lu Che, who were seated at the table. He then introduced the dishes, "Today, we have prepared for our distinguished guests a selection of imperial court cuisine, as well as snacks from both the south and north. Please take a look, my dear guests."
As soon as the shopkeeper finished speaking, the chefs began to call out the names of the dishes one after another. There was a wide variety of dishes, and the names were all very bizarre. As each dish was served, Chu Huanjun would chime in, mentioning the story behind each one.
Lu Che looked at Chu Huanjun's pretentious manner with some disdain. He automatically closed his ears to block out his long words and focused on the small bowl of porridge in front of him.
But Tao Yao was different. She seemed to like Chu Huanjun's style very much. She ate the sugar-soaked dumplings while listening to Chu Huanjun's introduction of various famous dishes with relish, and cast admiring glances at Chu Huanjun.
"Wow, Xiao Chu, how do you know so much? Did you try all these dishes back in the palace?"
Chu Huanjun received Tao Yao's admiring gaze and couldn't help but secretly feel overjoyed. He nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes. I've long been tired of eating these dishes in the palace."
Needless to say, Tao Yao's eyes were filled with envy. However, as she looked at the eclectic array of delicacies on the table, so abundant that she didn't know where to start, she couldn't help but sigh, "Alas, it seems being rich is also a kind of sadness. Eating these exquisite side dishes all day long, with only one or two pieces of shredded meat thinner than a fingernail on a plate. I think it's even worse than eating a big sesame bun on the street."
As Tao Yao finished her words, Lu Che beside her couldn't help but burst out laughing. Chu Huanjun was speechless for a moment, but he couldn't call Tao Yao a fool to her face, so he quickly picked up a piece of steamed abalone and put it in Tao Yao's bowl to show his courtesy.
Tao Yao picked up the abalone and put it into her mouth without hesitation. As soon as she bit it, the rich soup of the abalone burst in her mouth, catching Tao Yao off guard and scalding her lips so much that they trembled.
I saw her exhaling hurriedly to cool her mouth, while she scooped up the syrup made with snow balls and poured it into her mouth to cool down. Her whole face was burning red.
Chu Huanjun patted her back to soothe her breath, gently handed her a clean handkerchief, and said with a smile, "You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry... Why are you still so impatient?"
For a moment, Tao Yao suddenly remembered that a long time ago, they were having dinner at Chunfeng Tower and she burned her mouth with hot tea. Chu Huanjun had also teased her like this before.
Tao Yao was in a trance for a moment. She took Chu Huanjun's handkerchief to wipe the food residue from the corner of her mouth and smiled embarrassedly.
Chu Huanjun, in an effort to save face, ordered far too many dishes. With only three of them, they couldn't eat much. By the end, Tao Yao had loosened and re-loosened her belt, finished three bowls of rice, and was just about to put down her chopsticks when the shopkeeper arrived with a team of chefs and set up a new table.
Tao Yao couldn't help but beg for mercy from Chu Huanjun: "Xiao Chu, we are just here to have breakfast, not to starve to death and reincarnate. If I eat any more, I'm afraid my stomach will explode. Why don't we just leave!"
Chu Huanjun seemed to be a little full. Although he had always been a respectable person, Tao Yao secretly discovered that Chu Huanjun took up his folding fan to cover his face many times during the banquet, pretending to fan himself to cool down, but in fact he was hiding behind the fan to burp secretly.
Today's meal was nothing more than Chu Huanjun's way of showcasing his charm. Since Tao Yao had already suggested it, Chu Huanjun naturally wouldn't refuse. He waved his hand and said, "Since Xiao Tao is full, let's go. Boss! Pack up these untouched dishes and give them to the beggars begging at the door of your tavern."