Chapter 29: Poems and Paintings in the Meal

The owner of the villa was called Yuan Xian.

Hearing Yuan Xian’s words, the eyebrows, feet, and eyes of the arrogant and cold young man in red raised slightly. He also looked over. He was the esteemed guest of the Yan Capital, Ying Zhefeng, who was known as the Crazy Edge King.

The person beside the lake bowed and said humbly and respectfully, “Sir, it was the supervisor, Miss Bai, who instructed me tonight. She said that there are many mosquitoes in the summer and was afraid of spoiling the noble’s mood. The smoke from wormwood is small, so the mosquito repellent effect is the best.”

Yuan Xian and Ying Zhefeng looked at each other. This small detail was enough to show their sincerity. “Good, well done.”

The incense burners were stunned because they knew that their master rarely praised people.

Then, a zither sound came from the pavilion. It was a man and a zither. The zither sound was ethereal. The graceful singer in the manor opened her red lips and sang,

“How short was the day? A hundred years of hardship would be easy to fulfill.

The sky was vast and endless.”

…

It was Li Taibai’s1 “Tanka Line”.

Bai Caoshi was thankful that she had watched many ancient marionettes and ancient dramas in her previous life. she still remembered some classic scenes and famous scenes. Now, she had used them to direct and act.

When Yuan Xian heard this, he pondered for a moment. “What a good saying, ‘The Big Dipper drinks good wine and persuades each dragon to drink a goblet. Wealth is not what one desires and one stays youthful with others.’ Such a scene. The true meaning of this can only be understood after careful consideration.”

Ying Zhefeng sat down in front of the table. His body was still slanted. “Yuan Taozhu1, you’re an elegant person. I just find it interesting.”

Speaking of which, it was very interesting. Yuan Xian was a businessman who dealt with the smelly copper all day long, but Ying Zhefeng said that he was elegant. On the other hand, Ying Zhefeng was a prince of the current era. He was noble and revered, but he could not get this poetic and artistic feeling.

“If Young Master Ying says that it’s interesting, that would be a huge affirmation.” Yuan Xian glanced at Huan Uan.

Huan Yan covered her mouth and laughed. “Sir instructed me to cooperate fully, so I’ll do whatever Miss Bai says. This is all her ingenuity.”

“Then, let’s begin.”

Huan Yan raised her hands above her head and patted them. A servant carried a tray with a small wine bottle and two luminous glasses. He muttered something.

“Green Ant New Liquor, a small flagon of red mud. The scenery is nice late in the day. One can drink a glass of wine without any problems. Please try this glass of red koji wine first.”

The red wine was bright red, and when poured into the night glass, it added to the alluring fragrance.

Yuan Xian picked up his wine glass with his slender fingers and felt that his interest in the person behind the scenes who had devised the strategy today was even stronger. “I boast that I’ve read a few books of sages, but I’ve never heard any of the songs you’ve sung today. I was really ignorant and ignorant.”

If Bai Caoshi were present, she would definitely exclaim, “You are a man of great talents, however, how can you compare to Li Bai and Bai Juyi, the poets of the Tang Dynasty?”

“Young Master Ying, please!”

They each took a sip of wine.

Ying Zhefeng said, “This red koji wine is worth a thousand taels of silver in Yanjing City. Yuan Taozhu used it to entertain me, so I can only taste it carefully.”

“It’s fine. As long as Young Master Ying enjoys himself.”

Next, the dishes were served.

“Half a cup of Snow Foam Milk Flower, a jade testing plate of Polygonum filament. Please enjoy the Polygonum filament.”

This was a cold dish made into a vegetable salad. In between, there were a few small wolfberries. Between the jade plates, the red was redder, and the green was greener. After Yuan Xian tasted it, he only felt that it was sour and delicious.

“How’s that?”

Ying Zhefeng didn’t say anything, which meant that it was boring.

Huan Yan sized up Ying Zhefeng with a worried expression. She gestured and served the second dish.

“Red ice bowl lotus root in hand, ice red hand in lotus root bowl. Please try the ice lotus root that nourishes the mind and energy.”

This plate was also a cold dish. The woman holding the plate was a young girl. She picked up the jade bowl with ice mixed with lotus root threads with her rosy hands. The jade bowl with ice mixed with lotus root threads chilled her rosy hands.

Yuan Xian exclaimed, “The ice lotus root is amazing, and the poem is even more amazing. It’s precisely because there’s poetry in the meal, medicine in the food, and paintings in the meal.”