After the group followed Su Shuang into the county government, they took their seats under the guidance of the staff. As soon as I sat down, I saw a man in a white shirt and a white high hat holding a tray of fish rushing in, and with them came in, there was a special fragrance. These well-informed trade team leaders naturally knew that it was the smell of high-grade spices transported from the Western Regions, and the people of Fulong Villa called it cumin, even outside the fortress, and a small bag would cost thousands of dollars.

On each tray were several plates, covered with a large silver cover, and the enticing aroma escaped from the cracks in the silver cover.

After a cup of tea, every table was filled with wine and food. Cold dishes are served directly on clay plates, while hot dishes are kept warm by a large hood. It is because of the well-informed knowledge of these business elites that many of the ingredients of the meals have never been seen before, and there are many dishes in which the ingredients have been seen and the way in which they are seasoned is greatly beyond everyone's expectations.

The most intuitive manifestation is the sweet and sour peanuts and cold pork head meat that appear on the dinner table. Don't underestimate these two dishes, these two dishes that are well-known in later generations are extremely rare and extravagant high-end dishes in today's world.

Let's talk about sweet and sour peanuts, as the name suggests, its main ingredients are sugar, balsamic vinegar and peanuts, in addition to auxiliary materials such as garlic, onions and coriander.

In prehistoric times, humans have known to consume sweet foods from fresh fruits, honey, and plants. Later, it developed into the production of caramel from grains, and then developed into the production of sugar from sugarcane and sugar beets. China is one of the earliest sugar-producing countries in the world, and the sugar produced in the early days mainly includes starch syrup and sucrose. Sugar has been a high-end luxury since ancient times, otherwise it would not be considered one of the bases for measuring the happiness of the elderly in their old age. This sugar, Guo Bin ordered a caravan to transport cane sugar from southern China.

There are many kinds of vinegar in our country, and the old vinegar of Qingxu, Shanxi Province is said to have a history of 4,000 years, and the slightly sweet Zhenjiang balsamic vinegar is rumored to be made by Du Kang, a famous brewing master in the Han Dynasty. The so-called homology of wine vinegar refers to the fact that wine is first produced and then vinegar is produced during the fermentation process.

As for peanuts, it is generally believed that their origin is Peru and Brazil. However, archaeological discoveries suggest that China may also be one of the origins of peanuts. In the ruins of Qianshanyang primitive society in Wuxing, Zhejiang, carbonized peanut seeds were excavated, which were about 4,700 years ago, and the error before and after was about 100 years. In the primitive social ruins in the mountainback area of Xiushui County, Jiangxi Province, carbonized peanut seeds have also been excavated. In addition, in Guangxi, Yunnan, Jiangxi and other places, wild plants with very similar morphology to peanuts have also been reported. In 2007, experts from the Xi'an Cultural Protection Center confirmed that peanuts had appeared in the crops unearthed from the burial pit of the Hanyang Mausoleum 2,100 years ago.

Not only that, but in the Tang Dynasty Duan Chengshi's "Youyang Miscellaneous", the existence of peanuts was also recorded: "The shape is like taro, and it grows... The flowers also fall to the ground, and the knots are like taro, also known as peanuts. "Peanuts were introduced from China in Europe, so some parts of Europe still call them "Chinese nuts". In his 1818 book Flora of the Congo, Brown of the Congo said, "Peanuts were introduced from China to India, Ceylon and the Malay Archipelago, and then to Africa." ”

However, despite this, peanuts native to China were not taken seriously for unknown reasons, and even gradually disappeared, until the great geographical discovery in the modern history of the world, after the introduction of South American peanuts to China by Westerners, its cultivation was widely spread. Today's widespread growers are undoubtedly introduced to South America.

Guo Bin has been very concerned about peanuts since he was reborn, not that he is a foodie and likes to eat peanuts in particular, but this crop is extremely high-yielding, which can help people fill their stomachs in this troubled world. Therefore, after Guo Bin inadvertently mentioned it in a casual conversation, Sima Hui, who was knowledgeable, took it to heart, and he seemed to have heard of this crop. Later, many inquiries were made, and the caravan that trafficked tea to Shuzhong found peanut seeds native to China. In Fulong Villa, the yield is still considerable. Now it is transported to Luoyang and Saiwai as a rare ingredient.

Garlic is divided into two types: garlic and garlic. Garlic is native to China, garlic cloves are smaller, garlic is native to southern Europe and Central Asia, first cultivated in ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, ancient Greece and other Mediterranean coastal countries, the Han Dynasty was introduced by Zhang Qian from the Western Regions to the Guanzhong region of Shaanxi, China, and then spread throughout the country. Cui Bao's "Ancient and Modern Notes" cloud: "Garlic, garlic is also commonly known as small garlic." Hu has garlic, ten sons and one plant, the name is Hu garlic, commonly known as garlic. ”

Onions are native to Central Asia or West Asia, and like coriander produced on the Mediterranean coast and Central Asia, they were also brought back from the Western Regions by Zhang Qian during the Western Han Dynasty.

However, as the king of seasonings in later generations, Guo Bin tried his best to find it. Guy Ne pepper is native to the tropical regions of Central and Latin America, the country of origin is Mexico, and it was introduced to China at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

is such a small plate of sweet and sour peanuts, Guo Bin is scheming, it took more than a year of hard work to prepare all the materials. Relatively speaking, it is much simpler and more convenient to use pork head meat, courgette, garlic, and vinegar as raw materials.

However, Guo Bin is not the only person who knows the goods, these well-informed business elites are shocked after seeing the various ingredients in this small plate of sweet and sour peanuts. Seeing that this is a "high-end cuisine" that can not be eaten even if they have money, they have a new understanding of Su Shuang's sincerity in inviting guests.

When the food and drinks on the table were arranged, the couches around the main table were still empty. After another cup of tea, the two sides of the Su were late. However, Su Shuang's arrival made everyone present more and more suspicious, just because there were five people who came with Su Shuang, and these five people were all extraordinary. As one of the actual rulers of the three cities outside the Saiwai, Su Shuang, although he is not arrogant on weekdays, he is also full of confidence and walks with the wind. But who would have thought that now he would be humble and honestly follow behind these five people, as if he was a follower.

Among these five people, the most eye-catching are the two strong men with long bodies and big shoulders and round waists. One of them was eight feet long, with a leopard's head and eyes, and a swallow's jaw and tiger whiskers, like a galloping horse, which made people feel fear at the sight of it. and the other, nine feet long, with a beard two feet long; The face is like a heavy jujube, and the lips are greased; Danfeng eyes, lying silkworm eyebrows, dignified appearance, majestic, make people look at and respect.

Although these two people were only wearing a samurai robe at random, they looked like cheetahs full of strength, ready to choose people to devour at any time, and the coercion and master's momentum exuded from their bodies forced people to dare not look directly.

The other two people have a temperament, and they are obviously civil officials. I saw a man in his early twenties, with a beard under his chin, his long hair on the top was not very neat, and the Confucian robe on his body was quite wrinkled, but in his sloppiness, he showed the unbridled and unbridled manners of a gentleman, which made people dare not underestimate him. The other is much younger, however, while a decent Yangzhai standard military uniform adds a bit of heroism to him, it can't hide his vigorous and literary bearing.

Just looking at the grandeur of these two cultures, two martial arts, and four people, the business elites of the major wealthy families in the Central Plains have never seen it. Although these people are young, the style around them, the self-confidence and heroism revealed in their bones are the patriarchs of their own clan and the outstanding descendants of various clans, and they seem to be quite inferior to them. One by one, they held their breath, and even breathing casually seemed to be disrespectful.

Look at the young man who walked in front and was personally led by Su Shuang. This man is nearly eight feet long, with ape arms and a bee waist, slender hands and feet, a face like a crown of jade, and lips like grease. Dressed in a very well-fitting Confucian attire, with a humble and decent smile, although his eyes are full of modesty and clarity, he gives people endless pressure. As he walked, the calluses leaking out of the swinging palms showed that he seemed to be a military general who had been practicing swords all year round.

He walked proudly ahead of the four, but the crowd did not feel abrupt or out of place. The kind of confidence and demeanor that naturally forms because of staying in a high position for a long time cannot be pretended to be no matter what. The infinite charm that exudes while walking makes its body seem to exude a layer of brilliance, making people unconsciously bow their heads. Strangely, however, although they saw him and walked here, they did not seem to feel his breath, as if he were a tree, a bird, and a breeze, as if he were one with the natural things around him.

Taoism is to pay attention to the integration of nature, the so-called: "human law earth, earth law heaven, heaven law Tao, Tao law nature", the pursuit of the Taoist masters of the past generations is the supreme principle of life in the universe, so the integration of the heavenly way, it has become the supreme pursuit of the Tao. For more than a year, Guo Bin has been diligently practicing the five bird operas taught by Hua Tuo, although the practice of crane opera is just some methods of walking, sitting, lying down, breathing and breathing, but it is the most authentic and the most mysterious Xuanmen internal family exercises.

Under Guo Bin's long-term practice, he has become a small success, and now in the eyes of these ordinary people who are not very sensitive to the six senses, his slow breathing and the almost non-existent murmur between his movements make him seem to be one with heaven and earth. This is also the special function of the crane opera, if it is Guan Yu's bear opera that is known for his strength or Zhang Fei's plum blossom boxing method, although it comes from the Taoist lineage, it has no such miraculous effect.

During the banquet, everyone knew that the main event was coming, and they all immediately sat up straight, as if waiting for the review, and watched Guo Bin, Xi Zhicai, Guo Jia, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei sit on top of the chairman in turn under the guidance of Su Shuang.

Looking at the hesitant looks of the people below and the people who sometimes covered their mouths and didn't dare to exclaim, the pride and excitement in Su Shuang's heart were incomprehensible.

He got up and said aloud: "Everyone, you are polite, in Xia Sushuang, you are the person in charge of the three cities outside the Saiwai. Many of you here know what you know and some don't know, and today the city gate is not opened, and perhaps you have heard the rumors, so you specially set up a banquet in the yamen to tell you the beginning and end of this matter. ”

Immediately, the conversation changed and said: "However, before that, I need to state in advance that today's dinner is not made by Xia. ”

Speaking of this, everyone seems to have a bottom in their hearts, and the host of this dinner should be that young man. Just looking at the grandeur of his body, could it be a noble person in the Jingzhong clan? But at first glance, this person is both civil and military, and he has been in a high position for a long time, everyone has traveled south and north for many years, and he has seen a lot of the world, but he has never heard of such a person in the clan!