Kaifeng Bistro

Chapter 98, Method 2

It was past noon that day, but there were still an endless stream of guests in the tavern.Tomorrow morning, all the libraries will open for exams. Many scholars studied for most of the night last night, and now they staggered over to eat their first meal of the day.Tan Zhifeng sent away table after table of guests, but he was still too busy to touch the floor.Like a gust of wind, Zhuozhuo kept shuttling between the back kitchen and the front hall, running to Tan Zhifeng from time to time and saying a few words to him: "Zhifeng, I heard that the Nanzheng Fu written by the great god has become popular, and all the schools are looking forward to it." They are competing to praise each other, "

"Oh, really?" Tan Zhifeng couldn't help being a little surprised when he heard that.Although Lu Yang told him a few days ago that the two gentlemen had read some of Xu Gan's articles and appreciated them very much, and both of them were willing to recommend him to study in the Taixue, he did not expect this article to be circulated among the scholars. It was also circulated by them.

"It seems that he has to enter the examination room..." Tan Zhifeng said to himself, he pressed the dough in his hand over and over again, and said to Zhuo Zhuo: "Maybe Yiyi didn't buy enough vegetables today. If you want to go out, don't tell him."

"What?" Zhuo Zhuo looked at Tan Zhifeng wonderingly: "Are you going to buy vegetables? Why don't you let Yi Yi go?"

"Well, I'll go after I've made this for Xu Gan. I think after a while...there should be fewer people." Tan Zhifeng rolled out the dough, and the knife in his hand flew up and down, and the thin dough became thin and thin. The shredded noodles, with a faint fragrance of minced pepper and sesame seeds in the noodles, Zhuozhuo leaned over and smelled it: "Hey, isn't this the five-spice soup cake? You haven't made it for a long time, can you give it to me too?" Keep a bowl?"

"Of course, I made one for you and one for Yiyi. There is also the fruit food boiled by Huang Jing. You have worked hard these two days. Eat something later, and you can recover your strength to some extent." Tan Zhifeng Pointing to the wooden plate beside him, he said to Zhuo Zhuo.

Zhuozhuo happily picked up trays of tea nuts and Tan Zhifeng’s freshly made honey pancakes and ran out, and placed them in front of the new guests. Tan Zhifeng took a look outside, it was lively outside, but there was a special Being quiet made him feel that the time in the back kitchen was a kind of enjoyment.

The simple five-spice soup cakes are put into the pot, and then mixed with the sauce he prepared. It smells fresh and fragrant, and it will whet the appetite.Now that winter is finally coming to spring, Kaifeng Market gradually offers more and more southern melons, fruits and vegetables, and the weather is getting better. The thick cotton curtains are rolled up high, and the warm and warm afternoon sun shines through the door frames and window lattices. Every corner of the tavern is illuminated brightly, and the flowers and plants in the corners are thriving, full of the vitality of spring.

Tan Zhifeng withdrew his gaze and concentrated on filling the three bowls of noodles. Sure enough, as he expected, there were a lot fewer people entering the house at this moment.Zhuo Zhuo came to the back kitchen and picked up her bowl of noodles, happily sat on the side and ate, then picked up a few pieces of fruit food made of Huang Jing and chewed happily.Tan Zhifeng put another bowl on the wooden tray, put some fruit and refreshments, took the wooden tray and went to the next door.

Xu Gan wasn't reading a book, but was sitting by the window contemplating deeply, not knowing what he was thinking.Tan Zhifeng put the bowl of noodles in front of Xu Gan. Xu Gan turned around and smiled at him. He picked up the bamboo chopsticks and was about to eat the noodles, when he suddenly pointed to the candy-shaped snacks beside him and asked Tan Zhifeng, "Where is this?" What? Isn't it for Shangshang and Ling'er to eat?"

Tan Zhifeng said: "Didn't you say Huangjing pancakes are very beneficial that day? This is another method. I read in the book, 'The roots are harvested deeply in mid-spring, steamed nine times and exposed nine times, smashed like sugar, and can be used as fruit food." These days. Just had some time, so I tried it, it’s not sugar, it’s not that sweet.”

Xu Gan picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. Sure enough, there was only a faint fragrance, crisp and sweet, neither sticky nor greasy.He couldn't help sighing: "Zhifeng, I suddenly remembered that the Yellow Emperor once asked the immortal: "Is there anything born in heaven and earth that can eat it so that it will not die?" The immortal replied: "The grass of the sun is called Huang Jing. If you eat the bait, you will live forever.'”

"Throughout the ages, how many people can really live forever?" Tan Zhifeng picked up a piece and tasted it himself, and found that the taste was indeed satisfactory. He showed a faint smile on his face: "I am afraid that the longest living is only You and Wen Hui."

Xu Yan also smiled: "It doesn't matter whether you can live forever. 'Although the tortoise lives long, it still has its time. The snake rides the fog and ends up as dust." I think, you are right, when the time comes, these things will be over. After that, we will find a place to go to enjoy the days of 'fireworks on earth' every day, whether it is here or in any other place, as long as we are with you..."

As he was talking, his voice suddenly became weaker.Tan Zhifeng raised his hand to support him, sat beside him for a while, and called softly: "Xu Gan."

Xu Gan didn't answer, so Tan Zhifeng closed the window and asked him to lean against the window gently, then put away the half-eaten five-spice soup cakes and other things he had eaten, neatly placed them on a wooden tray and served them out.

The outside guests all left, Yi Yi disappeared, Zhuo Zhuo and Chang Chang sat on the floor of the back kitchen and fell asleep.Tan Zhifeng breathed a sigh of relief and put on his coat, but heard Ling'er timidly calling him from the side: "Brother Zhifeng, you, where are you going?"

"Oh, I'll go out for a while, and I'll be back later... um... I'll be back in a while. Shangshang and Zhuozhuo, they'll wake up right away. If you drink water, I'll pour you a glass and put it here. Or, I'll take you Go to the next door and wait, Xu Gan should wake up sooner..."

Ling'er shook her head: "I don't drink water, Brother Zhifeng. I heard Dad... Dad told Brother Yiyi yesterday, tell him to watch you and not go out for a few days. Do you have to go out?"

Tan Zhifeng touched his head and smiled, but did not speak.Ling'er didn't ask any more, just grabbed Tan Zhifeng's hand with his soft little hand and squeezed: "Brother Zhifeng, you have to be careful."

Tan Zhifeng didn't answer, just touched his face lightly.

Ling'er showed him a sweet smile, and Tan Zhifeng realized that Ling'er seemed to have grown up too.He looks less and less like Xu Yan. He looks delicate and cute, a bit delicate, but there is still a bit of boyish bravery and frankness in his unfocused eyes. He is facing the direction he imagined Tan Zhifeng to leave. He waved his hand: "Okay, I will be obedient."

Tan Zhifeng tightened his coat and walked out of Maistraw Lane. He used to occasionally visit Zhan Zhao in Kaifeng Mansion, but now that Zhan Zhao is not here, he hasn't gone out for quite a while, and the sunshine outside even made him feel a little uncomfortable.However, like all flowers and plants, he has an instinctive desire for sunlight.He stopped, half because he wanted to enjoy the warm, even fragrant spring sun, and the other half because...he forgot how to get to the market.

Tan Zhifeng stood at the intersection hesitating, and many people cast curious glances at him.There was curiosity and prying eyes in these gazes, but Tan Zhifeng didn't feel embarrassed, he murmured: "It's okay, I should be here soon."

Just when he made up his mind to turn right, suddenly there was a voice behind him that dragged him back to the twelfth winter: "Tan Zhifeng, what on earth do you want to do?!"

Tan Zhifeng was taken aback. When he was thinking whether he should run away or turn around and face it calmly, Yi Yi walked up to him, pulled his face and said to him: "Do you think you are very smart?"

Tan Zhifeng quickly waved his hand, and Yi Yi asked again, "Do you still think you are great?"

"I don't think so." Tan Zhifeng quickly replied: "I just..."

"You fool!" Yi Yi gritted his teeth and cursed in a low voice: "Go, don't stand here stupidly!"

"No, Yiyi," Tan Zhifeng took a breath, and said seriously: "You see, they still don't believe Xu Yan so much, and that person didn't come out to meet Xu Yan, so tomorrow...they let Xu Gan enter the examination room, don't they? Wasn't it because they were afraid that he would back down? But this is not enough, only when they have another hostage in their hands will they relax their vigilance against Xu Gan, and only in this way can Xu Gan cooperate with the guards of the Kaifeng Mansion... and I also You can take this opportunity to find out who that person is..."

"Shut up." Yi Yi's fair face flushed with anger, "So what? So you're walking the streets alone now, do you think they'll believe it?"

"So... you are here to help me?!" Tan Zhifeng couldn't believe it for a while: "You..."

"You fool..." Yi Yi repeated in a low voice, but this time, his voice was much softer: "Do you know where the market in Kaifeng is? You are not allowed to speak, follow me."

Tan Zhifeng's heart trembled, although he knew that Yi Yi would not let him speak, he still couldn't help saying: "Yi Yi, thank you."

Yi Yi stopped talking to him, he put the bamboo basket in Tan Zhifeng's hand, and then walked ahead with his head held high, never looking back at Tan Zhifeng.Tan Zhifeng said again in a low voice: "Thank you." Yi Yi's footsteps did not stop at all, but he turned his face and asked, "Where do you want to go?"

Tan Zhifeng thought for a while, and said, "Uh... how about going to a place that is a little bit remote, but not too remote...?"

"Okay, let's go to Xinzhengmen to buy fish." Yi Yi seemed to lose his temper, and walked slowly, and soon the two began to walk side by side, and when they came to a fork in the road, Yi Yi said: "Xinzheng Gate is just to the west... West, I said West, where are you going, Tan Zhifeng?!"

"Oh..." Tan Zhifeng quickly turned around and followed Yiyi. He saw Yiyi's face that had just turned a little better turned frosty again, and couldn't help but want to say a few words to ease the atmosphere. After much deliberation, he Trying to speak to Yi Yi with a relaxed tone: "Actually, they don't know that I can spell, and I haven't used any spiritual power these days, so...you really don't have to worry about me."

"You don't use spiritual power?" Yi Yi sneered: "Then how did you fascinate Xu Yan and Zhuo Zhuo?"

"Oh, it's just an ordinary drug..." Tan Zhifeng replied in a low voice: "Xu Gan is a mortal after all, as for Zhuo Zhuo...she used to eat too much and fell asleep...but you..."

"I knew you wouldn't be honest." Yi Yi looked ahead and walked towards the river, where there were fishmongers sitting next to the big wooden barrels in twos and threes, yelling, and he subconsciously slowed down: " Don’t hit the south wall and don’t look back.”

Tan Zhifeng was about to refute a few words, but Yi Yi paused, and continued: "But you have to know..." He said, "Whether you have spiritual power or not, I will not let you do such a dangerous thing alone .”

Tan Zhifeng was stunned for a moment, his throat was a little stiff, he didn't even say "thank you", he could only speed up his pace to follow Yi Yi and walked towards one of the vendors.