Silly Zhu's Moving: The Old Neighbor's Nightmare

After listening to Professor Wu's words, Sha Zhu replied with an "okay" and picked up the small iron hammer that had been prepared next to him.

Under the watchful eyes of several people, he cracked open the beggar's chicken in the basin.

A fragrant aroma of lotus leaves wafted out, enveloping the aroma of chicken. Sha Zhu didn't care that it was too hot to handle.

The wrapped beggar's chicken, along with the lotus leaves covering it, was transferred to a plate on a table.

Gently toss aside the lotus leaf to reveal the roast chicken wrapped inside.

It looked bright reddish-brown and had a fragrant aroma that quickly filled the entire hall.

Sha Zhu could even hear the sound of swallowing saliva.

Master Li seemed to remember something, so he quickly got up and went to the inner room. A moment later, he came out carrying two bottles of Fenjiu liquor.

"Come on, come on, good food and good wine," Chef Li said, pouring drinks for the guests.

Everyone was so attracted by the aroma that they couldn't resist any longer. After receiving the instruction from Chef Li to start eating, they all picked up their chopsticks.

Just as Sha Zhu thought, nobody cares about etiquette anymore.

There was no polite conversation, and greetings were completely forgotten.

Once they started eating, everyone became even more reckless, with only a few adults managing to restrain themselves a little.

The three children, not caring about anything else, used both hands...

He used chopsticks in one hand and stuffed meat into his mouth with the other. His hands, mouth, and face were covered in oil.

"Brother, I want to eat a chicken leg," Yu Shui said, the youngest and the slowest eater. He was getting impatient seeing the other two children eating so much.

These past few days, I've been feeding you meat every day, and you don't even know how to be civilized.

Sha Zhu helped his sister tear off a chicken leg and put it into her small bowl.

In an instant, several pairs of chopsticks and hands reached for the beggar's chicken, and in the blink of an eye, only the lotus leaves wrapping the roast chicken remained on the plate.

Sha Zhu was dumbfounded; it was like a battle, and the speed was too fast.

No one paid attention to Sha Zhu's expression, and none of the adults drank.

I'm afraid that in the time it takes to drink a sip of wine, the food on a plate will be completely gone.

Professor Wu and reporter Li ate without any regard for the food.

The chef's partner should be more refined, but only in appearance; her chopsticks movements are also quite fast.

When the dishes on the table were almost empty, everyone slowed down, and the adults were a little embarrassed.

There were quite a few dishes on the table. Although there were eight or nine people, the three children's appetites were limited, so how much could they possibly eat?

Sha Zhu saw that there wasn't much food left on the table, and even the few mixed vegetables were gone, so he prepared to bring out the last two dishes.

Professor Wu quickly stopped Sha Zhu, "Zhu Zi, is that your name? I heard your master call you that."

"Don't bring any more food. I'm already full; I can barely stand up. Bringing more food won't do me any good."

Sha Zhu grinned, "Professor Wu, don't stand up."

You can sit down. There's no other food. There are two soups left; everyone's full, so have some soup to help you settle down.

Sha Zhu went out of the hall and first took out the mutton soup from the space in the courtyard and poured it into a large basin.

Then I moved the mutton soup that wasn't cooked in the yard to my space, and will continue cooking it when I have time.

Then he carried the large basin into the hall and placed it on the table.

He said to the group, "This is the mutton soup I made. Anyone who wants some can try it."

The mutton soup in the bowl was a vibrant golden color, making it look incredibly appetizing.

A faint milky aroma tantalized their taste buds, making them want to take a bite, and everyone couldn't resist digging in.

Sha Zhu went out of the living room and into the kitchen, where he took out the cabbage hearts he had prepared.

I moved the broth from the boiled cabbage to a different location, tidied up the kitchen, and then carried the last dish into the living room.

Seeing that everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Sha Zhu smiled contentedly, grinning widely as he said...

"Come on, show us your special skill."

There was only one cabbage heart in one of the large basins. Sha Zhu opened the lid of the other basin.

A fragrant aroma wafted out as the lid was lifted—fresh, delicate, and rich in flavor. Everyone couldn't help but inhale deeply.

Sha Zhu picked up the broth and slowly poured it onto the cabbage hearts in another bowl.

The heart of the cabbage instantly blossomed, like a flower bud waiting to open.

This scene amazed everyone present; the three children all stood up and leaned on the table to watch.

Professor Wu clicked his tongue in amazement. "Could this be the boiled cabbage served at a state banquet?"

After Sha Zhu finished his performance, he listened to Professor Wu's words and didn't ask how to make boiled cabbage in clear broth. Instead, he said to everyone, "Yes, this is the boiled cabbage in clear broth served at state banquets. Please don't be shy and try it."

Everyone sat down, their eyes fixed on the boiled cabbage in clear broth on the table.

Looking at the unfinished mutton soup in the bowls on the table, they all fell silent.

His eyes would occasionally flash a disdainful look at Sha Zhu.

How can I eat this? I've already eaten my fill, the mutton soup has filled every crevice in my stomach.

No matter how delicious it is, there's no way to make it work.

Silly Zhu scooped a bowl for himself and tasted it slowly. He was amazed and looked at several people who wanted to beat him up.

Sha Zhu was genuinely afraid that everyone would gang up on him later, so he quickly said,

"Actually, what everyone just ate was mostly food that had been served at state banquets, except for a few cold dishes."

The others are all dishes served at state banquets, but they are not as famous as boiled cabbage in clear broth.

Aside from the carefully selected broth for the boiled cabbage, the rest of the dishes are made with mostly ordinary ingredients. If you like it, just come back often.

After saying these words, Sha Zhu realized that he had said something wrong.

To others, it sounded like the other dishes were made with ordinary ingredients.

You cook this for us, the boiled cabbage in clear broth is made with high-quality ingredients, and then you serve it to yourself after everyone else has eaten their fill. Listen to that! Is that even human language?

Sha Zhu quickly tried to smooth things over, "While boiled cabbage soup uses high-quality ingredients, it only contains a few of them."

Foods like Jinhua ham and dried scallops are available at nearby high-end ingredient stores. If you'd like to eat them, I'll make them more often in the future.”

After finishing his sentence, Sha Zhu wore a wry smile. The more he talked, the more unfriendly everyone seemed to look at him. He quickly shut his mouth.

After everyone had rested for a while, the three children went out of the living room to play in the yard, and the adults started chatting.

Reporter Li asked Sha Zhu, "Zhu Zi, I heard from your master that you want to share some of the dishes you make..."

The illustrations, along with cooking methods, are then published in newspapers or printed as books for sale.

Sha Zhu looked up and quickly replied, "Reporter Li, this is what I think: I don't care if it's published in the newspaper."

That depends on your own thoughts. For example, Mr. Li, you think this idea is good and really want to publish it.

"Please, Reporter Li, don't use my name. Just use any pen name."

Reporter Li asked in confusion, "Why? This is to make yourself famous. Who knows, if the newspaper sells well and the editorial department accepts your article, you might even get a fee."

"Silly Zhu isn't short of money, and he doesn't want any royalties," he said, rubbing his forehead.

"People are afraid of becoming famous, just as pigs are afraid of getting fat. I'm afraid that if I become famous, those chefs from Beijing will come knocking on my door and tear me apart."

"Please keep this a secret, Reporter Li. I don't want any payment. You can make the decision yourself, Reporter Li. I don't mind even if you write your own name."

Reporter Li thought there was no problem, but little did she know that agreeing to Sha Zhu's request would bring her a lot of trouble and entanglement.