Chapter 18: Noodles with oil
The camp was noisy in the evening. At this time, people only ate two meals a day, breakfast at 10 a.m. and dinner at 4 p.m. Since the dinner was not cooked until the camp was set up, the soldiers were already hungry and drooling, looking at the fire brigade cooking. The cooking in the Tang Dynasty was really cooking. There was only one way to cook any ingredient, which was to throw it in the pot and cook it with a pinch of salt.
The generals’ meals were slightly better, with one or two pieces of meat. Of course, the meat was also cooked, without any seasoning, and could only be eaten with sauce.
Yun Ye had already seen the sauce long ago. It was yellow and black, smelled disgusting, looked crazy, and made you want to kill the cook’s whole family.
After thinking that the cook was teasing him and beating the fat cook, he discovered that all the generals in the army ate this stuff with relish, and the soldiers were not qualified to eat it at all. He grabbed the personal guard and ordered him to eat it all. The bastard didn’t say a word and finished the meal with a plate of food. He was still not satisfied and used his index finger to scrape out the last trace of sauce and put it in his mouth to savor it.
Seeing this, Yun Ye knew that the cook had been beaten up for no reason, and he planned to apologize to the cook. Cheng Chumo stopped him and advised Yun Ye that it was okay to apologize for a mistake, but not to apologize for a beating. The cook couldn’t afford to be apologized to, and your status didn’t allow you to apologize, unless it was between nobles.
After saying that, he threw ten coins to the cook, saying that it was medicine money, so that others would not say that I was bullying you. It is not enough to be beaten for making such bad food. If you don’t improve in the future, I will fix you.
Yun Ye thought that the cook should be furious at this moment, holding two kitchen knives in his hands and standing up to fight to the death with him. Unexpectedly, this guy picked up the copper coins with a smile, didn’t even wipe the blood on his nose, and bowed to the two of them, saying that he was grateful to the nobleman for his reward.
Damn it, the aristocratic temper is just being spoiled by you, Yun Ye sighed in his heart. The common people in the previous life only had their backbone left. If a second-generation official beat him up and threw a hundred dollars for medical treatment, the second-generation official would probably be more seriously injured than himself, and he might even die. As for the consequences, who cares?
In the feudal society, the hierarchy was strict, the nobles had great power, and the common people could only obey the nobles’ management. This system has been in place since the Warring States period and has permeated to the core. I saw the surrounding soldiers smiling and saying that the cook was lucky to get ten coins for free. From this, it can be seen that they really think the cook is lucky.
Yun Ye secretly rejoiced that he was now a noble, otherwise, with his temper, he would probably have been buried in the ground by now.
It gradually grew dark, and Old Cheng finally finished his patrol of the camp and walked into the tent wearing sunglasses.
As soon as Yun Ye saw that Lao Cheng was walking like a blind man, he knew that he was reluctant to take off his sunglasses. Now he was still showing off, and he didn’t dare to mention taking back his glasses. He could only persuade him, “Uncle Cheng, sunglasses are worn during the day to prevent sun damage to the eyes. At night, don’t wear them, or you won’t be able to see the road clearly and you’ll fall. In that case, I’ll be eternally sorry for my nephew.”
Old Cheng waved his hand with a generous air: “It doesn’t matter. My eyes were originally swollen and unbearable, but wearing these sunglasses is much cooler. They are really good things. I will keep them for you first and return them to you when I return to Chang’an.”
Yun Ye had long known that this would be the outcome. It would be strange if he could get back the things in the mouth of the Pixiu.
Cheng carefully removed his glasses, carefully wrapped them in silk and placed them in a mahogany box on the desk. Only then did he have time to look at Yun Ye. Seeing that he was wearing a clean linen shirt, he asked in a strange tone, “You’re a man of status, why are you dressing so casually? This is fine in the barracks, but in Chang’an, there will be officials who will accuse you. You should remember that the way to survive is to follow the crowd. Your teacher is a great man who lives outside the world, so he naturally does not care about human etiquette, and only seeks to be free and easy. I see that you are a free spirit who is not bound by the rules of the world. This is not good. Your teacher was born into the world, and you, my boy, have entered the world. Since you have entered the world, you should know the ways of the world. I have seen many talented people who are arrogant because of their talent, but there are only two outcomes: either they sink into the sand or they become ordinary people. Do you understand, my boy?”
Yun Ye felt something in his chest that was blocking him. Old Cheng was teaching him the way of the world. He wouldn’t say these things to someone who wasn’t close to him.
“Uncle Jin Yu’s words of wisdom are deeply engraved in my heart.” After saying this, he bowed deeply to Lao Cheng. Lao Cheng saw that Yun Ye had listened to his words, so he didn’t say much more. This kid is very smart, and once is enough.
Yunyu turned and walked out of the tent, and soon after, he came back with a wooden tray. On the tray was a huge bowl, about the size of a human head, with a few small dishes and bowls on the side. The dishes contained some wild vegetables, and the small bowls contained garlic, vinegar, and a red sauce that smelled delicious.
Yun Ye did not say a word and placed the wooden tray in front of Lao Cheng. He poured the wild vegetables in the small bowl into the large bowl. The wide noodles in the large bowl were covered with green vegetables and white green, which was very beautiful. Yun Ye then poured the garlic paste, green onion, boiled vinegar, and red oil into the large bowl. Finally, a small bowl of boiling vegetable oil was poured into the large bowl. For a moment, the large tent was filled with a strong fragrance.
Lao Cheng’s throat kept twitching, his eyes staring at the bowl, and his hands were itching to grab the bowl and eat it. Yun Ye slowly mixed the noodles with bamboo chopsticks and brought a bowl of authentic oil-spattered noodles to Lao Cheng.
Lao Cheng picked up the bowl and took a deep breath, as if he was intoxicated. He picked up a chopstick of noodles and put it in his mouth. His eyes brightened up in an instant. The speed at which Lao Cheng ate the noodles was indescribable. He finished the entire bowl of noodles, which weighed three catties, in the time it took to drink a cup of tea. He looked at the bowl on the table and said, “One more bowl.”
Yun Ye almost fell over when he heard this, but he dared not give him any more to eat. It would be a tragedy if he hurt his spleen and stomach. He quickly brought a bowl of noodle soup, which was the original soup and the original food.
Lao Cheng drank half a bowl of soup, and then wiped his mouth with satisfaction and sighed sincerely: “This is what it means to eat. I’ve been eating pig food for most of my life. This is another secret of your boy. With this bowl of noodles, I can tell that your boy can walk sideways in Chang’an. You are a great man from another world. I wonder what kind of style this gentleman had in his lifetime. The people of the Lao Cheng family are not comparable. I just hope that you brothers can support each other and take the road that belongs to you. Even if I die, I will still be smiling in my grave.
“Uncle, why do you say that? Although Xiao Xue and Chu Mo are not blood brothers, after spending time together, I have come to admire him for his character, his way of doing things, and his personality. We are now closer than blood brothers. We help each other and love each other. This is our own meaning, and there is no need for you to worry.”
After listening to this, Lao Cheng laughed happily: “My family is blessed. All the brothers I have met are loyal and honest people. No one I have met is not sincere in their interactions with others. Now it is the turn of the ugly ox to be so prosperous. How can I not live a few more years to see how far your brother can go?”
Lao Cheng tasted Yun Ye’s friendship in a bowl of noodles. This is the spontaneous respect and love that a younger generation has for an elder, which is ten thousand times more reliable than saying it out loud. How could Lao Cheng not be ecstatic? All along, he has been worried about Cheng Chumo. His Majesty has made it clear that the princess will marry into the royal family, which is already the ultimate honor. Who can ensure that their family will be able to continue to prosper and grow without worry or disaster?
It turns out that Yun Ye is a super-slick guy, but he is also a man of compassion and loyalty. He has accidentally become friends with his son. Having such a brilliant and resourceful young man as his son’s best friend, Cheng Chumo, you are truly blessed.