Chapter 1047 Cleansing Banquet
Sun Shan followed County Magistrate Wang and his group to a banquet, and the banquet was held in the most upscale teahouse in Yuanlu County.
Sun Shan looked at the name of the teahouse - Yuanlu County No. 1 Teahouse.
The corners of his mouth twitched.
That’s right, it’s that direct, it tells you clearly that this teahouse is the highest-end teahouse in Yuanlu County.
You don't have to guess.
Sun Shan walked in from the main entrance and went up to the second floor. The entire teahouse was empty and quiet. It was obvious that the place had been cleared long ago and no outsiders were allowed to approach.
County Magistrate Wang invited Sun Shan to take the C seat, and the officials afterwards took their seats according to their ranks.
Only important officials from the government were invited to the banquet.
The only people who sat down with Sun Shan were County Magistrate Wang, Chief Clerk Wu, Inspector Liang, and Instructor Deng.
Among this table, except Teacher Deng who was not of a high rank, the other four were the highest officials in Yuanlu County.
Although Teacher Deng was not a well-known figure, he had a very high status among the officials because of his status as a scholar.
Even Sun Shan, the top leader, would show some courtesy.
Master Zhang sat at the second table with the clerk. They also needed to get to know each other and test each other's temperament.
As soon as Sun Shan sat at the table, the teahouse quickly served the food.
The first thing that catches your eye is a dish of boiled chicken.
It's so white and clean, and it doesn't look very authentic at first glance.
Then steamed sea bass, steamed spareribs, and blanched vegetables.
You can tell it’s Cantonese cuisine at first glance.
Then we moved on to Yuanlu local dishes, such as stir-fried black pork, dry-pot pork with bamboo shoots, and so on.
The people of Yuanlu mainly eat spicy food, so it was hard for County Magistrate Wang and his group to serve Sun Shan several dishes that were not spicy at all.
And some local dishes are only slightly spicy.
Sun Shan secretly glanced at County Magistrate Wang. As expected of a local tyrant, he knew everything about his situation and his taste, so he prepared the meal according to his taste.
County Magistrate Wang was indeed meticulous and thoughtful in his work, catering to the people's preferences and treating them attentively.
County Magistrate Wang smiled and said, "Your Excellency the County Magistrate is from Guangnan. I heard that people there don't eat spicy food, so I asked the teahouse to make a few non-spicy dishes. If they are not good, please bear with me, Your Excellency the County Magistrate."
Sun Shan said with a smile, "Mr. Wang is thoughtful. I am very satisfied with today's meal. After such a long journey, I am very happy to be able to eat hometown food on my first day in the city."
County Magistrate Wang smiled and said, "As long as the county magistrate likes it, that's good. The chef is still Yuanlu's chef. If the cooking is not authentic, please forgive me, county magistrate."
Sun Shan waved his hand, smiled gently and said, "Of course not. It looks like something from my hometown. Haha, I am very happy."
Wu Zhubo also spoke up, "Your Excellency the County Magistrate has come a long way and is exhausted. Today we have to give you a proper welcome. If the dishes are not well prepared, please bear with me."
Sun Shan shook his head and said, "Master Wu, you have prepared very well. Thank you very much."
Inspector Liang also jumped out and said, "Mr. Magistrate, please try our Yuanlu dishes. Haha, they taste good too."
Sun Shan smiled and said, "I once studied at Yuelu Academy and ate Huguang cuisine for several years. I'm used to it. I think Yuanlu cuisine is also to my taste."
Teacher Deng looked at Sun Shan with shining eyes. Yuelu Academy was the best academy in their hearts. They, who were from Huguang, had no chance to study there, but Magistrate Sun, an outsider, had the opportunity to study there for such a long time. It can be seen that Magistrate Sun had a very solid background.
Even if he is not rich, at least he is a rich man.
The first stop today was the county school. As expected, as someone who could study at Yuelu Academy, I had special empathy and concern for those who studied hard.
It is indeed better to have a county magistrate who is a double-listed Jinshi. I believe that with the support of County Magistrate Sun, the children of Yuanlu will reach a higher level.
Teacher Deng said with a smile on his face: "I didn't expect that the county magistrate also lived in our Huguang. It's really great."
As for how to do it, Teacher Deng didn't say.
I believe that for someone who has lived in Huguang, Huguang is either his second or third hometown, and he will always have feelings for this place.
Yuanlu is in Huguang, and I believe that County Magistrate Sun must have deep feelings for Yuanlu.
Sun Shan raised his chopsticks, picked up a piece of vegetable, and then made a gesture of invitation. Then his subordinates at the same table started to eat.
Everyone ate and chatted, communicating with each other, understanding each other, and checking each other's personalities.
Sun Shan took a bite of the stir-fried black pork and praised it, "This dish is well cooked. The meat is tender and the peppers are crisp. Not bad, not bad. It goes well with rice."
When we are together we always have to find something to talk about. I originally wanted to talk about the weather, but now we are eating, so I started talking about the food.
County Magistrate Wang smiled and said, "Your Excellency has good taste. This dish is the best in this teahouse. Everyone who comes in to eat must order one of these dishes."
Others also echoed: "Yes, adults have really good tastes. They can taste the classics here just by eating."
Because Sun Shan donated the examination papers to the county school, Teacher Deng felt that he was closer to Sun Shan and spoke to him more casually.
He smiled and said, "Sir, this dish is our Yuanlu specialty and also a home-cooked dish. If you can cook this dish well, the other dishes in this teahouse must be delicious. Haha, sir, you are really amazing. You can tell that this is our Yuanlu's most distinctive dish as soon as you taste it."
A group of people gathered around Sun Shan for dinner and also gathered around him to flatter him.
Where is Sun Shan?
The whole audience laughed along. As for whether he would get lost in the rainbow bubbles blown by his subordinates, he was sure that he would not.
This is a welcoming banquet, or maybe it’s also a Hongmen Banquet.
Haha, Sun Shan is the smartest boy in Sunjia Village and the top Jinshi in Zhangzhou Prefecture. He has heard all kinds of exaggerated praises, so he naturally won't be fascinated by these little rainbow bubbles.
Sun Shan and his colleagues ate and chatted.
We are not familiar with each other and there is nothing to talk about.
Since Sun Shan gave the examination papers as gifts, we had to talk about where the examination papers came from and how to organize them.
Of course it was Instructor Deng who asked the question, and Sun Shan kept it short.
Finally, Sun Shan said, "Huguang is a land of outstanding people and talents. I benefited a lot from the three years I spent studying at Yuelu Academy. If the children of Yuanlu have the opportunity to study at Yuelu Academy, I believe it will be of great help to their path to the imperial examination."
Sun Shan then said to his colleagues: "I hope we can work together to govern Yuanlu well. I also hope that more good men will leave Yuanlu and bring glory to our country."
Sun Shan raised his glass, and everyone followed suit. They toasted and drank the wine.
Sun Shan’s welcoming banquet also ended here.
As for who will pay the bill, of course it won’t be Sun Shan.
But it depends on the situation, usually it is paid for by the public.
It's a rare opportunity to eat and drink openly, so if not now, when will you eat and drink?
The people at Sun Shan's table were quite polite and well-mannered, but those at the next table, wow - all the bowls and pots were clean.
You can eat as much as you want, the food you don’t have to pay for is delicious!