The horizon is blue. In the streets and alleys of the capital, there are gradually hawkers carrying burdens to sell back and forth.

Some of the street store guys get up early, take off the door panel with an iron hook, dust the chicken feather duster and white hand towels, and prepare for the morning business.

After tossing all night, his stomach was already hungry, Qin Xiaolou touched his belly: "Big brother, do you know what kind of food in these four or nine cities you can't miss?"

Chen Huaji asked, "Which ones?"

The corners of Qin Xiaolou's mouth were raised, and he was proud, like a few treasures: "Naturally, it is the Poria cake of Fahai Temple, the cheese and almond tofu of Nanluoguxiang, the fried liver of the Eight Immortals of Fresh Fish Mouth, and the minced meat steamed buns in the palace!"

Chen Hua and Qi said: "It's not surprising that you are familiar with the snacks in the market, but how do you know that there are minced meat steamed buns in the palace?"

Qin Xiaolou was even more proud, and said with a straight chest: "How can there be anything in the capital that I Qin Xiaolou doesn't know?" It is said that this Queen Mother Lafayette is extremely extravagant, and she will spend two hundred taels of silver on food alone every day. ”

"Two hundred taels!" Chen Huahe exclaimed, "One day of eating and drinking is enough for ordinary people to use for two years!"

"What is this. If she can be satisfied with the money, but the delicacies in the palace are difficult to meet her appetite, and she says that there is no taste in her mouth all day long. One day, Lafayette dreamed that someone came down from the sky and brought her a big white steamed bun mixed with minced meat, and was about to open her mouth to eat it, when she found that it was Nan Ke's dream. When he was stunned, he went to the imperial dining room to do it according to the steamed buns in his dream, and the imperial dining room tried hard, but it was rare for Lafayette to agree. ”

"How can the things in the dream be taken seriously?" Chen Huahe shook his head and said, "No wonder all the people in the world have gradually complained!"

"Who says it's not. The old man Buddha Tianwei was furious, and he didn't know how many palace cooks he had killed, but he never got the minced meat buns he wanted. Until one day, a newcomer who was not afraid of death came to the imperial dining room, and the artist was bold, and steamed out a drawer of food and sent it to the queen mother. The Queen Mother was very happy at first sight, it was exactly the same as the thing in the dream, tasted carefully, the taste was better than the mountain treasures, and she was given the name 'Lazy Dragon'. The cook also followed suit, and since then he has been serving the Queen Mother's food and drink, and he is in the limelight in the palace. ”

Chen Hua rarely heard about the things in the palace on weekdays, if it was really as Qin Xiaolou said, the Qing court was brutal and corrupt to this point, and if there was no reform, I am afraid that the people would not be able to make a living! So he clenched his hands into fists and said indignantly: "Ignoring human life for the sake of a mouthful of food! Such tyranny is intolerable!"

Qin Xiaolou hurriedly covered Chen Hua and his mouth: "Mother's good girl! You can eat indiscriminately, don't talk nonsense! What kind of realm is this? At the feet of the Son of Heaven! Be careful to be listened to and lose your head!" As he spoke, he pulled Chen Hua and his arm with his hand, "Let's go, seeing that your anger is unquenchable, we won't eat the lazy dragon." Come with me to another place and taste the real delicacy. ”

The area around the front door is always a lively place. There are eating, drinking, juggling, selling clothes, cloth and watermelons.

There is a tavern at the mouth of the fresh fish outside the city tower, the name is "Eight Immortals", from the Tongzhi years, it operates rice wine, peanuts, Songhua eggs, salted duck eggs and other small wine dishes, to the Guangxu year, the new snacks such as liquor sauce meat, fire offal and so on.

Different from the thick branches and leaves of other houses, Baxianju cooks snacks with extreme finesse and meticulousness - first of all, the heart and lungs used in the streets and alleys and miscellaneous shops are removed, only the pig intestines and pork livers are selected, the fresh fat intestines are rubbed and soaked with salt and alkali, and then washed with white vinegar, the fishy smell of the intestines is removed and boiled in the pot, and the simmer is slow. The lid of the pot is made of southern lychee wood, and the red willow of the Western Regions is selected as the hoop, and when the hot oil in the pot is stirred, the aroma of lychee wood and red willow dips into the soup, which has a unique taste.

The intestines are cooked and cut into more than half an inch long "thimble segments"; the pork liver is sliced obliquely, changed into about one inch of "willow leaf strips", added green onion and ginger condiments and the secret "mushroom soup", thickened to a moderate thickness, and finally sprinkled with a handful of pounded garlic paste, a bowl of fried liver that is like a treasure cup containing crystals, the color is pleasant, and the aroma is fragrant.

Chen Huahe and Qin Xiaolou walked into the store, picked a seat against the wall and sat down, and the boss greeted warmly: "Second master, please sit." Seeing that Chen Huahe was wearing an old Taoist robe, he asked carefully: "This Taoist master, is he a vegetarian or a vegetarian?"

Chen Huaji said: "I am not a monk, and I have no taboo meat and vegetarian food. ”

Qin Xiaolou stepped on the bench with one foot, and said loudly: "Boss, bring all the delicious food to you!"

Half a cup of tea, the square table is full of all kinds of snacks. Qin Xiaolou pushed the two bowls of fried liver in front of himself and Chen Huahe respectively, sniffed hard, and said, "Do you know how to eat this bowl of treasure in order to taste the taste?"

Aged and picked up a spoon: "Naturally, this is used." ”

Qin Xiaolou shook his head disdainfully, reached out and snatched the spoon out of Chen Huahe's hand: "In the Eight Immortals Residence, you are also particular about eating fried liver, you don't need chopsticks or spoons, you just need to hold the bottom of the bowl with your hand, ......" As he spoke, his lips swirled in circles along the edge of the bowl, smacking, blinking, and a bowl of steaming food entered his stomach, which was really a unique taste.

Aged and painted gourds in the same way, picked up the bowl to eat and drink, the entrance is really delicate and smooth, and the lips and teeth are fragrant.

Qin Xiaolou was proud when he saw that he was eating happily, and handed him a bowl of green and gray soup in front of him, raised his eyes and smiled: "Come, try this bowl of palace drink again." ”

Fang Cai was still satisfied with a bowl of fried liver, aged and without thinking, he picked up the bowl and drank it, but before he could take a sip, he sprayed all over the ground with a "poof".

"Okay, you Qin Xiaolou, why do you tease me with the swill fed to the pigs!" Chen Huahe shouted, his face full of sourness.

"Hey, you're called unblessed! Look at me!" Qin Xiaolou smiled, picked up the bowl and smacked it, looking like he was enjoying it, and then dipping the burnt circles on the plate into the bowl, sandwiching two spicy pickles, and filling them in his mouth together, "Oops...... You say there is nothing more enjoyable in this world than drinking a bowl of bean juice and eating two burnt rings......" After that, he picked up the bowl again and savored it in one bite.

"Uh, this bean juice you are talking about, is it really not swill?" Chen Huaji still couldn't believe it.

When the boss of the Eight Immortals Residence saw Chen Hua and his embarrassment, he laughed and said, "You, you are not from this capital. Let me tell you, this little brother is right, the bean juice, it was really loved by Lord Qianlong back then, and he specially ordered someone to introduce the bean juice into the palace and gather the civil and military ministers to taste it together!"

"The emperor is clothed and fed, and he would drink such a strange tasting thing?" Chen Huahe shook his head.

The boss laughed again: "You just drank that first sip, it really tastes like swill and is difficult to swallow, after a while, you will have a pickle burnt ring, and then take two small bites, a quasi-addiction!"

Qin Xiaolou's eyebrows and eyes were full of smiles, and he put his mouth open: "What's the matter?"

"Try it, try it!" Chen Huahe took one end of the bowl, as if he had a mortal thought, and tasted the second bite.

Strangely enough, the sour smell is still there, but it doesn't seem to be as unpalatable as the first sip.

The third and fourth bites, in the blink of an eye, half a bowl of belly, Chen Hua and his heart gradually fell in love with this sour and slightly bitter taste.

Qin Xiaolou's face was full of pride: "How about it, Lord Qianlong enjoys it, and we also enjoy it, this is called Blessing and Tianqi!"

Chen Huahe nodded, and was about to speak, when a familiar figure flashed outside the door. The figure seemed to catch a glimpse of him, but deliberately did not stop, lowered its head, hurried its steps, and quickly left.

"Miss Tingfang!" Chen Huaji had a bad thought flashing in his heart, and hurriedly got up and chased after him.