Chapter 53: Yan Song, an official of the Qing Dynasty
Yan Song looked at the plate of salt-cooked bamboo shoots and was slightly startled: "A free gift?"
"Yes, Master Yan." The boy replied with a smile.
Yan Song hesitated for a moment, then shook his head slightly: "Eating two dishes for one person is too wasteful and inappropriate!"
"It's better to thank your shopkeeper for your kindness on my behalf."
The smile on the waiter's face faltered, and then he replied smartly: "Master Yan, I put this dish of salt-boiled bamboo shoots on the plate of fennel beans. Isn't this just a dish?"
"This is an act of self-deception, and I don't want to do it."
Yan Song waved his hand firmly: "A pot of wine and a plate of fennel beans are enough. I appreciate your kindness and thank you for your kindness."
The waiter couldn't do anything with the old man who couldn't get in the oil and salt. With a helpless expression, he walked towards the counter carrying the plate of salted bamboo shoots.
Yan Song poured the weak wine from the flask into the cup and took a careful sip, as if he was savoring some fine wine.
Then he picked up a fennel bean, put it into his mouth and chewed it carefully. It was soft and fresh, with a strong fragrance, and the taste was cooked but not rotten, soft but not rotten.
Yan Song nodded slowly: "The cinnamon bark imported from Lingnan in Xinghelou is very oily and has a strong aroma, so it is possible to cook such good fennel beans."
His long follower Yan Yi, wearing a short green cloth shirt, watched the sedan stop and also came to Yan Song's side.
"If the master likes it, I can ask the family to cook more for later."
"No need." Yan Song waved his hand: "Home-cooked food doesn't have this taste."
He broke off a piece of steamed bun, put it into his mouth and chewed it slowly, then picked up an fennel bean and put it into his mouth.
Chang Sui Yan Yi laughed sarcastically and waited behind him.
Yan Song ate slowly, chewing every bite carefully, as if he wanted to savor the taste.
After a while, he ate half of the thick-wheat buns and half of the fennel beans on the plate.
Many diners around him glanced secretly at Yan Song while eating.
This old man was a frequent visitor to Xinghe Building. Many people said that he was a high official in the imperial court, and even the shopkeepers of the restaurant treated him with respect.
But many diners don't quite believe it.
Not to mention high-ranking officials, even the chief clerk in the yamen always wears brocade silk clothes when he comes out of the yamen. How can a real high-ranking official wear patched coarse cloth clothes?
Eating only one dish of fennel beans for one meal is obviously wrong!
All those high-ranking officials are eating delicacies upstairs!
Wearing shabby clothes and eating shabbier food than us, is this how you can still be a high official?
Who are you fooling??
But believe it or not, every time Yan Song comes over, people's eyes will inevitably focus on him and look at him carefully, as if they want to see some clues.
The rumors spread more and more, and some people gradually believed the rumors and concluded that the old man was a high official.
And he is the most upright official in the entire capital.
Dressing like this and eating like this, what else is this but an upright official?
Therefore, every time Mr. Yan came to eat, there were many people watching. Sometimes some people saw that he ate too little, so they brought him the food on their own table.
Just like now.
A middle-aged man wearing coarse cloth, with a rough face and thick knuckles came over carrying an untouched plate of cold pork ears with shredded green onions and placed it on Yan Song's table.
"Sir, you...you are a good official."
The man's hands were holding the hem of his clothes, and he was a little cautious: "I have never seen an official like you since I was a child. You...you eat too little. This dish is what I gave you..."
The rude man put down his food and turned around and left.
Yan Song raised his eyebrows and raised the corners of his mouth, as if he was about to smile, but in the end he stopped abruptly, straightened his face, and turned to look at the long follower Yan Yi who was standing behind him.
"Yes, sir."
Yan Yi looked a little helpless, but she still nodded respectfully, picked up the plate of cold pig ears and chased after the man.
"Brother, brother, our master cannot accept your food, you should take it back!"
"This..." The man's voice was a little uneasy: "I haven't touched this dish, and it's not dirty..."
"It's not a matter of whether something has been done or not."
Yan Yi was helpless, but still raised her voice a bit, and explained solemnly: "Brother, please forgive me, our master never accepts anything from others in the yamen, and we can't make an exception now when we go out to eat."
The attention of the surrounding people was attracted.
The man was a little nervous: "But...but I don't ask your master to do anything, just to send you a plate of food..."
“It’s even worse if you don’t ask for help…”
Yan Yi hurriedly covered her mouth mid-sentence and corrected: "No matter what, our master will never accept a cent or a meter from the people! Brother, we appreciate your kindness. You should bring this dish back!"
"
"This...this..." The man couldn't resist, so he blushed and took the plate of pig ears back to his table.
When the people around saw this scene, they were in awe.
He doesn’t charge a cent or a meter from the people! What a good and upright official he is!
If all the officials in the world could be like this Mr. Yan, wouldn't it be a peaceful world?
After dealing with the man, Yan Yi returned behind Yan Song, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Discussions continued all around, and the diners lowered their voices and praised Mr. Yan for his honesty and simplicity.
Yan Song poured out a glass of thin wine and sipped it carefully, like an upright official who didn't care about his reputation.
Yan Yi stood behind him and curled his lips speechlessly.
This pot of broken wine can be mixed with half water, what kind of taste can you taste?
He didn't understand why his master's food was so beautiful and fragrant, just like Yan Yi didn't understand either. Every time something like this happened, his master would come to Xinghe Building for dinner more often in the days after.
‘Wait a minute, isn’t this person a sitter arranged by the shopkeeper of Xinghe Building?’ Chang Sui Yanyi suddenly became alert and looked towards the counter.
The shopkeeper greets and greets every diner with a smile.
'How is that possible?'
Yan Yi shook her head again and gave up her ridiculous idea.
'Sir, he only spends fifteen cents per meal. How can a restaurant owner arrange childcare for him?'
At the table, Yan Song picked up an fennel bean, put it into his mouth and chewed it carefully, then used chopsticks to stir up the remaining fennel beans on the plate, and counted them calmly.
Two, four, six...nine...
I was happy today and ate a little fast.
Yan Song woke up with a start, put down his chopsticks a little distressed, picked up the wine glass and took a sip.
At this moment, a group of people dressed in brocade robes came down the stairs with big bellies, talking and laughing.
"Haha, I didn't expect that you and I would be in such high spirits today."
"Master He was given a shoulder carriage by His Majesty today, so he is naturally very happy. Speaking of which, it is because of Master He that we can taste a delicious anchovy at this time..."
The words of these people were noisy, but Master Yan's ears were perked up and he extracted the key information.