Ch52 – The Reception Banquet – Part 3

When the boiled fish in chili oil was set on the table, everyone couldn’t wait to start. Although it was their first time to each this dish and they weren’t very clear on how to eat it, nevertheless they all relied on their instinct and reached out for the white fish slices.

Once the smooth and tender fish entered their mouths, a spicy, numbing and savory taste quickly invaded. Although their foreheads were beading with sweat from the heat, no one’s movements slowed down. The more they ate, the more they wanted to eat — especially the Rute people. They have been completely impressed by the imperial chef’s exquisite cooking skills. So far, of all the dishes that had come out, not a single one tasted bad. Although this dish could be considered as a bit too spicy, towards fine food, these people were dauntless.

Ruan Tang was afraid that these aliens wouldn’t spit out the fish bones, so the fish fillets were all taken from the belly of the Chinese perch, which had very few bones. It was also fresh and tender with an absolutely fine texture. Underneath the layer of fish fillets, Ruan Tang also put in bean sprouts, potato strips and bean curd skin as garnishes. Having fully absorbed the taste of the Shui Zhu Fish, it too had a rich and delicious taste. With one bite, the juices flood into their mouths. They might even be more captivating than the fish.

The Rute people once again broke their principle of “do not like vegetarian dishes”. Their love for these garnishes in the Shui Zhu Fish was no less than that of the fish meat. If He Yun Yi hadn’t stopped them, they might have eaten even the dried chilies.

[Silver ripples: Hahaha, didn’t the Rutes say that they didn’t like ‘vegetables’? They look pretty happy eating those potato strips though! ]

[I want to think of a soft floating account: oh, so many new dishes that haven’t been done during the live broadcast! I am super jealous! QAQ]

[Ji Lixin: Boo hoo hoo… Seeing how happy they’re eating makes me want to eat some too! ]

Because the boiled fish had more salt, it might feel salty especially after eating it. So Ruan Tang, had the smart robot give them each a small bowl of steamed white rice. Each of the rice grains were plump and looked particularly radiant and lustrous under the light. The smell was also sweet and fragrant. One look and you could tell that it was delicious.

“No, no, we don’t need to eat rice.” Seeing the rice, the Rutes’ first reaction was to refuse. The last time they came, the imperial people also served this, but it was completely tasteless. It didn’t taste good at all.

He Yun Chen glanced at them with an indifferent look. Minding his own business, he picked up the serving spoon and took a spoonful of Shui Zhu Fish into his rice bowl. The snow white rice was dyed with a touch of red and it released an aroma that penetrated deeply into the heart. The other imperial people were also resolute. They picked up their bowls of white rice, topped with the spicy and tingling fish and started to eat with relish.

Looking at how the imperial people were so engrossed in their food that they couldn’t even lift their heads, several of the Rute people looked at each other helplessly. And then copying the imperial people’s actions, they hesitantly put a bit of the red sauce over their rice and had a taste.

Rute: ! ! ! ! !

The taste of this rice was totally different from the one they ate last time! The rice was soft and fragrant. After adding the sauce from the Shui Zhu Fish, it was not only delicious, but it also relieved the stimulation caused by the spicy seasoning. Together with the fish and garnishes, the taste was so good that it could not be described in words.

The fish and garnishes in the washbasin-like bowl were rapidly decreasing at a rate visible to the naked eye. When only the sauce and dried chili peppers were left, the smart robot came forward to take away the bowl, but the Rutes stopped it.

“Can we have another bowl of rice?”

“Yeah! There’s so much sauce left, we can’t waste it!”

“Right, come back with another bowl! How can such a small bowl of rice be enough?!”

The Rute people changed their disinterested attitude towards rice and asked for another bowl.

Cheng Ji actually wanted to eat another bowl too, so he had the smart robot go to the back kitchen to bring back another round of rice.

Ruan Tang, who was watching the live broadcast “…”

“It’s okay, as long as the Rute people are happy to eat.” Seeing his worry, President Gu patted his shoulder.

Since President Gu said so, Ruan Tang had no choice but to let the smart robot give them another round of rice. He also had it serve the next dish. The eighth dish was chicken stewed with mushrooms, which was also a delicious dish that went well with rice.

The smart robot came out with the rice and the glistening golden chicken stewed with mushroom. The dish had been divided into individual bowls and were quickly placed in front of everyone. This immediately caught the attention of the audience.

[Blowing wind: Woah, that was fast! They hadn’t even taken away the previous dish!]

[Light autumn dust: What is this dish? It looks delicious…]

[Little Swallows fly: There wasn’t a single dish today that didn’t look delicious! ]

In fact, Ruan Tang never planned to serve the next dish only after the first one was finished. A banquet table needed to be filled with dishes in order to make it look sumptuous. However, he had underestimated the speed at which these people finished off the dishes, so that it gave the illusion that they were serving the dishes one by one.

Chicken stewed mushrooms also contained vegetables. Aside from button mushrooms, it also had shiitakes. However, the Rutes no longer seemed opposed to this. Apparently they had completely abandoned any sort of resistance and simply picked up their spoons and silently ate. This dish was slowly stewed over a low fire until the chicken was fall-off-the-bones soft and it instantly melted in your mouth. Together with the mushroom that had absorbed the savory broth, it was extraordinarily delicious. The texture of the shiitakes was similar to that of the button mushroom’s, but it tasted richer and distinct. Both tasted very good.

As soon as they ate it with the rice, it made everyone feel warm and cozy and it lifted their moods even more. When they asked for a third helping of rice, Ruan Tang was calm and simply directed the smart robot to bring it out together with the next dish.

The ninth dish was a vegetable dish – Hu Mi Jiao Bai. This was a dish that had once been served for the Manchu Han Feast. Naturally, the taste was very good. Ruan Tang was actually surprised the Presiden Gu knew how to make this dish. President Gu told him that he had remade this based on description left from Ancient Earth. Before, he used to make this with rice (Da Mi), however, he always felt that there was something off. It wasn’t until Ruan Tang and the Academy of Science came out with small dried shrimps (Xia Mi). When he tried this instead of rice, he suddenly saw the light. Sure enough, the white-yellow color of the dish was now distinct, and the taste was clear and refreshing. It finally lived up to the descriptions left in the ancient records.

The lake rice (Hu Mi of Hu Mi Jiao Bai) was actually the small dried shrimp (Xia Mi). President Gu used dried shrimp that was soft and had a fresh taste. He also used the freshest wild rice shoots for this dish. The beauty of the dish was absolutely one of a kind.

This dish was, as expected, loved by the diners. The Rutes no longer cared whether the dishes were vegetarian dishes or meat dishes, they were simply engrossed in eating.

The last hot dish was the highlight of today’s feast — roast suckling pig. This dish was also a famous court dish and was a main dish in the Manchu Han Feast.

The roast suckling pigs hadn’t yet been taken out, when everyone has already smelled an unbelievably appetizing aroma. They had already eaten so many things before, but when they smelled this, their stomach still sent out signs of hunger. It’s as if everything they had eaten before were digested in an instant.

Don’t say that the Rute people stared with rapt attention at the big tray with the lid that the smart robot was carrying, even Cheng Ji couldn’t help but sit up straight. The He family father and sons’ eyes shone ever brighter.

When the lid was uncovered, the rosy, well-formed small roast suckling pig appeared in front of everyone. However, it was because this roast suckling pig was completely intact that people didn’t know how to begin eating it.

[Mushroom tea: My god, how do you eat a pig this big?]

[kiku: Could it be that they’re supposed to gnaw on it? Hahaha]

At this time, from the back of the kitchen, a young man, as big as a horse and wearing a chef’s uniform came out with vigorous strides. He held a sharp cleaver in his hand and approached the main table. With a voice like a loud bell’s, he said loudly, “Excuse my rudeness.”

Then they saw him bring his cleaver down on the whole roast suckling pig, chopping it into small pieces. When the pig was cut open, the aroma from the spices that was confined inside was completely released. The already delicious scent in the banquet hall rose several notches.

The piglets were meticulously selected by Ruan Tang from the breeding base of the Academy of Sciences. Each piglet was only five or six kilograms. The skin was thin and the flesh soft. When roasted, it was sure to be aromatic and tender. After they were slaughtered, they were marinated with countless spices and seasonings, and finally the syrup was applied to the outer layer to give the suckling pig this lustrous color.

Probably because this fragrance was too potent, some of the people present were stunned. Aside from doing their best to swallow down their saliva, they couldn’t do anything else. The entire live broadcast looked like it was on a standstill. The audience couldn’t help but make fun of them.

[A milk tea bear: Hahaha, is the network down? Why aren’t they moving?]

[Clouds Hirano: What the hell is going on? Why are they all staring at that pig? Is it that delicious?]

[Excited Mushrooms: It must be particularly fragrant? I saw the goddess swallow her saliva! I beg you to open the holographic mode! Just let us smell it!]

“Please enjoy your meal.” After cutting the roast suckling pig at the main table, Tao An quickly walked to the other tables, and also cut the pig for them, and then he hurried back to the kitchen.

Don’t look at his seemingly calm look, in fact, he was so nervous, his heart was about to jump out of his chest. Shifu and Master Ruan were bullying him. QAQ

“Ahem, everyone, let’s eat.” When Tao An left, Cheng Ji coughed and invited everyone to taste the roast suckling pig.

The roast suckling pig skin was crisp and its meat was tender. It carried a bit of sweetness. The oil in the pork had been baked out, and the syrup brushed outside was sweet and fragrant. Each bite was incomparably appetizing. The meaty juices were dripping all over but even the fatty parts weren’t at all greasy. It was so delicious, they couldn’t stop eating.

The Rutes eating in the outer hall were once again captivated by this scent. How was it that the barbeques and braised meats they thought were pretty good, now seemed to be tasteless and insipid? At this moment, their stares were trying to drill a hole through the doors of the main banquet hall. They wanted to see what was so delicious in there.

Until the roast suckling pigs, all the hot dishes had already been served. The only ones remaining to be served were two light snacks and a staple food. The snacks were savory glutinous rice balls and custard buns while the staple food was soy-braised lamb noodles, all of which were very well-received.

Each bowl had four round, tender and appetizing dumplings. It was delicious when you ate it. The skin was sticky while the stuffing was tasty. Inside, it was full of savory meat juices.

The custard buns had a strong milky fragrance and delicious yolk flavor. It was soft and fluffy. The Rutes wished that they could stuff one entirely into their mouths.

The last dish, which was soy-braised lamb noodles, was even more delicious. They didn’t know how long this had to have been stewed for this to be so soft. The gamey smell and taste wasn’t there at all. The broth didn’t contain a lot of seasonings, only a little bit of chili. It was delicious to drink, and that little bit of spiciness was a stroke of genius. The noodles were nice and chewy. Everyone ate their portions to the last drop.

Before serving, Ruan Tang was worried that they had eaten so many dishes and bowls of rice that they were already too full to eat. He didn’t expect that their fighting power would remain so strong. Even the beautiful goddess at the main table, hadn’t wasted any food, eating all her portions completely.

The reception banquet had ended perfectly, but because they had eaten too much, for the moment, no one could stand up. Everyone sat in their seat and rubbed their bulging tummies. They were both happy and sad. Happy that they had been able to eat such delicious food and sad that once they went back, they wouldn’t be able to eat these anymore.

Gilbert narrowed his eyes and suddenly had a rare idea. He turned to look at Cheng Ji and asked:

“Your Majesty, can you let us meet this magical chef?”