Free Web NovelChapter 86: Chapter 87: Wine, Meat, and Words
Roast duck should be fatty, soy-braised duck lean, and salt-cured duck somewhere in between.
It was said that the ducks exclusively supplied to this restaurant were raised on snails and duckweed. Before being slaughtered, they were fed osmanthus flowers for three days so that the meat would have a delicate osmanthus fragrance when served.
Hee Lingchuan had been here a few times and admitted the duck was delicious, but he had never tasted any osmanthus. That didn’t matter, though. A gimmick gave it style, and style gave it class.
And with class came a high price.
Besides, the traditional meats in Black Water City were mainly beef, mutton, chicken, and dog. Ducks, which thrive in watery regions, were rarely eaten by the locals. Xiangsi Building had come here and employed a strategy of differentiation, winning over a huge wave of fans.
As soon as Hee Lingchuan arrived at Xiangsi Building, he was welcomed by Liu Baobao into the innermost private room.
At this time of year, private rooms in Black Water City’s major restaurants were hard to book, but this was no challenge for Liu Baobao.
Zeng Feixiong hadn’t arrived yet. Liu Baobao peeked outside. "The Second Young Master isn’t here?"
"He’s only fourteen. He can’t drink!"
Liu Baobao cleared his throat. "Eldest Young Master, I’m actually entertaining two other tables of guests at Xiangsi Building. My father gave me instructions before he left Black Water City..."
It wasn’t that he wanted to be neglectful, but his other dinner appointments for the evening had been arranged long ago. Hee Lingchuan was the unexpected guest.
"No matter." Hee Lingchuan was surprisingly easygoing today. "I’ll let you go in a bit."
Before the room’s attendant could come over, he grabbed the wine pot, personally filled both their cups, and then offered a toast to Liu Baobao.
Liu Baobao was flattered. He quickly drained his cup before asking, "Since when are you so polite, Eldest Young Master?"
"Am I not usually polite?"
Liu Baobao just chuckled.
’If *this* young master was ever polite, he himself wouldn’t know the meaning of the phrase "thick-skinned."’
Hee Lingchuan raised his hand, dismissing the attendant serving the private room. "I have something to ask you. Do you remember a few days ago, when my old man met with your old man?"
Liu Baobao nodded.
His father, Liu Yang, was the Helmsman of the Liu Family Commerce Association. A few days ago, he had been summoned by Hee Prefect. That night, he even went to dinner at the Crane Building with other political and business magnates. He came home glowing, a clear sign that both host and guests had been pleased.
"What did they talk about?"
Liu Baobao thought for a moment. "Nothing too important. Hee Prefect said the contract for Bailu Forest was up. The original contractors, the Lin Family, were planning to move away. They hadn’t managed it well these past few years, cutting down too many trees and replanting too few. So, Hee Prefect asked if we were interested in taking over—of course we were!"
Bailu Forest was a state-run asset, not private territory. There were many such official enterprises, including mines, forests, and even large tracts of Official Land. In the heartlands, these would all be contracted out to the local official’s brother-in-law, but Hee Chunhua always entrusted their management through a public bidding process.
He had long seen that if these enterprises were left to be managed by the officials themselves, the efficiency would be abysmally low. Moreover, they would squeeze profits from every nook and cranny, and the ledgers they produced would be nothing but a mess of old, bad accounts.
Needless to say, these were all lucrative posts. When had it ever been the Liu Family Commerce Association’s turn before? "Anything else?"
Liu Baobao was young, but he had been learning business from his father since he was a child and knew the ropes of dealing with Official Families. "There’s nothing to hide," he said. "My father is going to the Capital City on business, and Hee Prefect asked him to deliver a letter to Junior Minister Du Feng of the Ministry of Finance—he’s said to be an old acquaintance of the Hee Family. He also instructed my father to be sure to visit the Du Mansion’s old matriarch, Junior Minister Du’s grandmother, and tell her what happened in the Panlong Desert."
"The Du Mansion’s old lady?" Hee Lingchuan didn’t understand. "That’s it?"
"That’s it, nothing more." Liu Baobao had no desire to know why Hee Lingchuan was asking about his own father’s activities. "Simple and straightforward."
The two drank for a while longer. Then, Liu Baobao’s personal handmaiden came over and repeatedly gave him meaningful looks.
"Alright, go entertain your other guests." Hee Lingchuan was busy gnawing on a duck head. This was another of the restaurant’s specialties—first braised, then roasted. It was especially good with wine, but the supply was limited because not everyone would touch a duck’s head.
Hee Lingchuan had loved to eat them in his other world, so eating one now was filled with the taste of nostalgia.
Liu Baobao smiled and took his leave.
Hee Lingchuan had someone clear away the leftovers, wipe the table, and replace the utensils. Only then did he pour a cup of fine wine and wait as he drank.
About half a quarter-hour later, Zeng Feixiong arrived.
He immediately apologized upon arrival. There had been a brawl in the barracks, and he had spent some time dealing with it, which was why he was late.
Of course, Hee Lingchuan didn’t mind. He called a waiter over to recite the menu and quickly ordered ten dishes.
Zeng Feixiong quickly said, "That’s enough, that’s enough! How can we eat so much?"
Hee Lingchuan was unconcerned. "Liu Baobao’s paying. Are you feeling sorry for his wallet?" He then ordered two more jars of fine wine.
Soon, fine dishes were brought to the table one after another, like a flowing stream.
Though Zeng Feixiong had received a handsome reward for the trip to Panlong City, he was used to being frugal. Before, he would even hesitate for days over buying a small piece of fatty meat to grease his wok for the New Year. Now that his pockets were full, the most he did was go to a tavern and drink a few pots of liquor he couldn’t afford before. The snacks he paired with his spirits also changed from garlic and peanuts to things like braised pig’s tail and wine-cured fish.
Xiangsi Building was a place he had always wanted to visit but never dared.
In the desert, the two were close in age and on the same side, so Zeng Feixiong and Hee Lingchuan had gotten along well. But after returning to Black Water City, the gap in their statuses had invisibly distanced them, making Zeng Feixiong a bit reserved.
But that was easily solved. After a dozen cups of yellow wine, a chat about interesting events from the desert, and most importantly, a session of cursing out that vicious little bastard Nian Songyu, the atmosphere in the room became harmonious.
By the time Zeng Feixiong had polished off an entire Peking duck with half a pot of wine, the two were already calling each other brothers and chatting and laughing freely. If not for the room’s good soundproofing, their laughter would have carried downstairs.
"Here, try this." Hee Lingchuan personally used the serving chopsticks to pick up two ’drumming shrimp’ for him.
Xiangsi Building’s series of main courses always tried to incorporate duck in some way. For this shrimp dish, the sweetest local drumming shrimp were deep-fried until crisp, then coated in a powder of salted duck yolk that had been rendered down to a red oil, creating a delicacy that was an explosion of both aroma, flavor, and calories. freewebnøvel.com
Normally, Zeng Feixiong would have been modest and said, "Thank you, Eldest Young Master." This was basic official etiquette. But now, his cheeks were flushed red. He took the shrimp and ate them with a loud CRUNCH, simply savoring the deliciousness without saying much.
In contrast, Hee Lingchuan’s mind was still clear.
’This body’s high alcohol tolerance is certainly convenient for the questioning to come.’ freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
He guided the conversation from Nian Songyu to Sunx Fuping. Together, they cursed Sunx Fuping for his venomous schemes, for wanting to slaughter more than two hundred of Black Water City’s Official Army as human sacrifices.
Fueled by alcohol, Zeng Feixiong’s face grew red and the veins on his neck bulged as he cursed. In the end, however, he grabbed Hee Lingchuan to express his gratitude to him and his father. Otherwise, he would have been buried in the yellow sands on that trip, with no chance to care for his own father in his old age.
And so, Hee Lingchuan naturally brought up a certain matter:
Sunx Fuping’s final moments.
