First-rank palace maid Su Jixiang

Chapter 142 He is not a pushover

A large table can seat ten people, which means five couples.

Everyone was very happy when they saw this seating arrangement. After all, there weren't so many things to pay attention to when being in the military. Things like men and women sitting at different tables weren't that important here.

However, Su Jixiang still wanted to say, "The New Year is coming soon. We arranged this banquet today so that everyone can get together. We didn't want to follow the clichés and didn't need so much red tape."

Xie Yingfeng brought Qu Wanning over. "It's still so lively, just like at home." He smiled, and there was silence all around.

"Madam, this arrangement is the best! It is not impolite for a husband and wife to sit together. On the contrary, it makes everyone seem closer." Lin Xuwen and Chen Yuzhu spoke first when they saw that the atmosphere had become awkward.

As the only civilian officer in the remaining army, he was also arranged to sit at the main table, right next to Xie Yingfeng.

After he said this, a group of people followed suit.

Xie Yingfeng glanced at Qu Wanning and said nothing more, but pulled her to stand beside his seat. Qu Wanning frowned secretly, but since Xie Yingfeng didn't say anything, she couldn't speak, but she was a little unhappy in her heart.

Their words showed that although Xie Yingfeng had a high official rank, his prestige and appeal among the group of people who stayed behind were not as good as that of an ordinary seventh-rank civil servant. Xie Yingfeng had assumed the rank of a fourth-rank official in vain...

Wei Ling and Su Jixiang were the first to sit down, and then everyone else sat down.

In the center of the table was placed the double-flavored hotpot that Su Jixiang had specially prepared. Half of the soup was red, and the other half was white. There was a clay stove underneath the pot, with bamboo charcoal burning inside. The soup in the pot had already boiled and was bubbling. The red and white soup made people feel happy just by looking at it.

Various hot pot dishes, different kinds of meat and various mushrooms are placed next to the hot pot.

Su Jixiang also asked the chef to prepare some meatballs in advance.

People in Daxie Dynasty rarely add meatballs to hot pot. Usually, hot pot is used to cook meat directly.

So Su Jixiang ordered people to make various meatballs and placed them on the table, which attracted a lot of attention.

"Everyone please don't be polite today." Wei Ling said, "I haven't been together with you for many years since I left Mangcheng. It's also what my wife said, the New Year is coming soon, and I should get together with everyone to avoid becoming estranged from you all after so many years away. Everyone, eat as much as you want, today there will be enough meat and wine!"

After Wei Ling said this, the soldiers cheered.

The waiter came and poured wine. Wei Ling drank a glass first, and the others cheered again.

I have to say that Su Jixiang's suggestion of eating hot pot is an excellent one. Everyone eats from the same pot, which quickly shortens the distance between them. The effect is much better than eating individual stir-fried dishes.

As soon as the wine was served, the atmosphere became lively. They were all soldiers and knew each other. If they were a little restrained at the beginning, after two glasses of wine, the last bit of restraint was thrown away.

Seeing everyone getting more and more excited, not only were they toasting each other, but some were even playing finger-guessing games. Wei Ling smiled faintly, "Madam, your arrangements are very good. I toast to you, Madam."

Su Jixiang also quickly picked up the cup and took a sip along with Wei Ling.

The red soup prepared by Su Jixiang is spicy, fresh and fragrant. At first, everyone thought it was very spicy because of the bright red soup. But someone tried to eat a piece of mutton and found that the red soup was quite spicy, but it was not spicy at all. Instead, it had a strong and fresh fragrance. Soldiers basically have strong tastes, and those who can drink a lot of wine are not afraid of spicy food. Gradually, everyone took the meat in the plate to eat the red soup as if they had discovered a new world.

In comparison, the white soup that everyone is used to in daily life is not as popular as the red soup!

"Delicious!" Someone was enjoying the meal and said to Su Jixiang, "Madam, this pot is well arranged. I have been eating hot pot for so many years, and I didn't know there is such a way to eat it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a whole lamb that had been roasted outside was brought up on a huge tray.

A red silk flower is tied on the head of the roasted whole lamb, which looks very festive.

When everyone saw it, they cheered loudly.

At this time, Wei Ling stood up and walked slowly to the side of the roasted whole lamb. Su Jixiang hurriedly followed him and tied an apron for him.

Everyone was stunned.

"What does the general mean?" someone couldn't help but ask.

"I've been away from you all for such a long time. I'm very happy to be reunited with you all today. So today I will divide the sheep for you personally." Wei Ling picked up the two sharp knives placed on both sides of the tray.

The sharp knife is an ordinary meat-cutting knife, not long, with a single-edged blade.

Wei Ling turned the knife in his hand and accurately inserted the two knives into both sides of the sheep's neck.

Then, Wei Ling's two knives flew up and down, so fast that only afterimages could be seen, making people dizzy. As the two knives flipped, the meat of the roasted whole lamb was evenly cut into pieces.

Everyone's eyes widened. They stopped all actions and stared at Wei Ling's movements.

This set of techniques is not something that ordinary people can use. Unless you are a person who has reached the pinnacle of knife skills, you will not be able to use such a clean and neat technique.

Soon, Wei Ling had used two knives to cut the whole sheep into pieces, leaving only a complete skeleton, and the roasted meat was neatly laid out on both sides of the skeleton. If you look closely, you can see that the size and thickness of each piece of meat are almost the same, and there is no difference at all!

After Wei Ling made the last strike, he put the two knives back to their original positions.

Su Jixiang quickly handed over a handkerchief and took off his apron for him. Wei Ling smiled and wiped his hands slowly and methodically, but his movements were so accurate and fast that not only was his apron as clean as before, but even his hands were not stained with any sheep oil... He was just pretending to wipe his hands...

It was not until Wei Ling wiped his hands and told the waiter to bring the chopped mutton on a plate that everyone woke up from their dream.

Cheers broke out instantly, and Wei Ling pulled Su Jixiang slowly back to his seat amid everyone's meaningful gazes and cheers.

When Wei Ling showed his sword skills, all the generals present were stunned.

Some people were cheering sincerely, but there were many people whose eyes were mixed with other things.

Wei Ling took a sip of wine silently. He had only been away for a few years, but that didn't mean he was a soft persimmon that could be tested and manipulated by others at will!