Chapter 190

The setting sun sprinkled broken gold, and a hazy golden luster flowed on the Great Marsh.

Liang Qu leaned on the railing, the river wind lifting his forehead hair.

Should he tell Xu Xu Yuelong the fact that the bait at his hand is a bucket of yellow mud?

A battle between heaven and man...

"Ah, it's raining."

Liang Qu looked up, and suddenly water foam splashed on his face, and then the world was shrouded in a mist of water.

In the orange sunset, there were threads of rain like ox hair. The river wind and light rain mixed together, and the temperature dropped rapidly.

"Why does it always rain in Huaiyin Prefecture? When I was in the Imperial Capital, it was either heavy rain or dry for a month. Eh, it's hooked!"

Xu Xu Yuelong shook the fishing rod in his hand, his wrist lifted, and a silver-white sharp-mouthed fish was pulled out of the water, struggling to flick its tail, water splashing everywhere.

It's not small, about five or six taels. Steamed with green onions, ginger, and garlic, and drizzled with a little soy sauce, it's enough for a dish.

Liang Qu glanced at it and rubbed the water on his fingertips.

"It's the end of May, I guess it's about to enter the plum rain season. By the end of June or early July, basically, there will be light rain every day for a month.

Furthermore, fish in shallow water when it rains, and fish in deep water when it's sunny. On rainy days, fish schools in the Great Marsh will float to the surface to breathe. As long as there are no strong winds and big waves, there is no great danger. Many fishermen will go out on boats at this time, which is a good thing for them."

"There's such a saying?" Xu Xu Yuelong was stunned. "Wait, you said it will rain every day for the next month? People will be moldy, right?"

Growing up in the Imperial Capital, Xu Xu Yuelong had never been to the south and found it hard to understand why there were places where it could rain for a month in a row.

"It will be moldy. The 'plum' in plum rain has two interpretations. One is the plum of plum fruit; this time is roughly the season when yellow plums ripen. The second is the mold of moldy."

Xu Xu Yuelong frowned.

"Isn't that easy to cause floods?"

Liang Qu nodded.

"It is easy."

In this day and age, it's not that there are no dams; there are various canals and weirs, but they are far inferior in function and quantity. Not to mention floods, waterlogging is common.

"However, the plum rain season is basically light rain." Liang Qu pointed to the sky. "The possibility of a major flood is relatively small."

Xu Xu Yuelong nodded, took off the fishhook, and put away the fishing rod.

"Let's go, let's eat."

When the two returned, the entire hall had been cleared. The wine jars were moved to the corner, all the low tables were pieced together one after another, and a circle of arhat beds surrounded them.

The door was wide open, and Bai Bai Yinbin brought over a huge porcelain plate, which almost filled the entire low table after being placed down.

Liang Qu had never seen such a huge porcelain plate, and he soon knew the purpose of this porcelain plate.

The man who couldn't hear followed closely behind. He was holding a huge iron fork, carrying a whole roasted lamb with a charred aroma, and placed it completely on the porcelain plate.

Xiang Fang Su picked up the wine jar and placed it by the table. The man nodded in thanks, poured spoonfuls of fine wine onto the lamb, and the moment he took fire to ignite it, blue light sprayed, and the strong wine instantly turned into green smoke.

The rich aroma of wine accompanied by the charred aroma of lamb spread out, stimulating people's appetite.

Xiang Fang Su saw the two enter the door and beckoned.

"I was just about to call you. Sit down quickly. There are still hard dishes behind, eat the appetizers first."

"Cimu lamb? Good stuff. Where did it come from? Weren't the previous stocks eaten up by us?"

Xu Xu Yuelong took out a dagger himself, cut a piece of oily lamb, stuffed it into his mouth, and kept exhaling.

"It was all sent by my mother yesterday along with those ice platforms. She said she was afraid I would miss home after staying in Huainan for too long, so she sent some good lamb to let me satisfy my craving.

Hey, what are you in a hurry for? The wine smell hasn't dissipated yet. Eating it now is stuffy. There is another lamb roasting in the back, flying cow camel, green-horned antelope, all have it."

"Good, good, good!"

Xu Xu Yuelong praised it repeatedly and scanned the table.

"Where are the perilla and dipping sauce? How can you eat lamb without perilla and dipping sauce? It's tasteless in the mouth?"

"Isn't it just not served yet?"

Ran Seeing Ran Zhongshi shouted, holding two large plates in his hands. One plate contained red dry ingredients ground into powder, and the other was piled with perilla leaves.

Ran Ying brought a small jar of sesame oil.

The man cutting the lamb hurried forward to take it, first distributing the dry ingredients. The roasted lamb was sliced into thin slices with a sharp knife, placed on a silver plate, and presented in front of everyone.

Liang Qu found an empty seat and sat down on the arhat bed next to Ran Seeing Ran Zhongshi.

The arhat bed has the word "bed" in it, but it actually has both sitting and lying functions, more like a "sofa".

"Come, come, come, everyone is here, don't be polite. Brother Liang is here for the first time, Uncle Wang, give him more, so he won't be embarrassed and say he didn't eat enough when he goes back."

Xiang Fang Su gestured while speaking, and the man hurried to respond with gestures.

"Ke Ko Wenbin, you guys stop playing cards too, come over to eat. Playing that broken horse card all day, is it interesting?"

"How many times have I said it, it's a hanging card, hanging card! I'm about to win, watch me kill them and leave no armor! If I get off the boat today, they won't even have a pair of underpants left!"

The clear sound of throwing cards exploded on the table.

"Top flower straight! Haha, I won! I won! Pay up, pay up!"

"Pah, bad luck!"

"Not playing anymore, not playing anymore, eat, eat."

"Pay up first, then eat!"

The silver plate filled with lamb was handed in front of him. The lamb was cut neatly, bite-sized.

Liang Qu thanked him and took the tray, looked left and right, pinched the plate with his fingernails, and pinched out a small mark.

It's not pure silver, too soft, can't make a tray, but even if other metals are mixed in, this one weighs several taels...

Forget it, eat, eat.

Liang Qu shook his head.

Food should not be tired of being refined, and minced meat should not be tired of being fine.

The roasted lamb cut into strips was wrapped in dipping sauce, drizzled with a few drops of sesame oil, wrapped in perilla leaves, and swallowed in one bite. The thick charcoal-grilled grease aroma with the clear air of perilla leaves spread in the mouth.

Fragrant!

The river wind blew through the hall, bringing the coolness of the night.

Starlight fell from the top of his head. Looking out, the Great Marsh was deep and pitch black, with no islands, let alone continents. On the boundless water, this houseboat was floating.

The candlelight was bright, and the water surface reflected orange light.

This is the enjoyment of life!

"Spicy ingredients, more spicy ingredients!"

"This ingredient of yours is like swallowing a knife, you really have it."

"You have to put spicy when eating lamb. If it's not spicy enough, no matter how you burn it, it's tasteless!"

The atmosphere of the banquet was warm, and no one cared about status or family background.

Strictly speaking, the thirteen people present had a distinction between superior and subordinate, but everyone grew up together in the Imperial Capital since childhood, either playing ball and beating drums, comparing skills; or flying eagles and running dogs, wandering in the marshes.

They knew what style of underpants each other liked to wear, so there wasn't so much fuss.

Liang Qu also understood why he couldn't get in before; it wasn't that Xu Xu Yuelong didn't bring him.

It was originally a private circle of friends. If he forced someone to come over, it would be like forcing a classmate from the state school to integrate into the circle of classmates from the Imperial Academy, which would be very awkward for everyone.

It was because he did a big thing in Fengbu County, which benefited everyone and gave them common ground, so he integrated smoothly.

"Fang Su, where is your kidney? Why didn't I eat the kidney?"

"Hey, I didn't hide it. You guys be honest, who stole it and ate it?"

"Definitely not me, I'm physically strong, okay."

"I don't believe it, Ke Ko Wenbin, open your mouth!"

"Hey, why should I open my mouth?"

"Whoa, such a big smell, still say it wasn't you who ate it?"

"Get lost!"

Midnight.

The boat docked.

Liang Qu supported his stomach and drank the last sip of juice.

【Water Essence +1.2】

Comfortable.

Going ashore, there was still a light rain in the air.

The candles on the houseboat were extinguished, and everything around was pitch black.

"Brother Liang, wait."

Xiang Fang Su stopped Liang Qu and moved out a square, large object.

It was more than a meter long and wide, and the thickness was also several tens of centimeters. The touch was like porcelain, and it felt cool to the touch.

"Brother Liang, the ice platform I promised to give you."

Relying on Liang Qu to earn a great service, Xiang Fang Su promised at the gathering to give him an ice platform, so he naturally had to fulfill his promise.

Liang Qu took the large object and scratched his head.

"I'm afraid Brother Xiang will laugh at me for saying this, but what is this ice platform? I've never heard of it."

Xiang Fang Su was stunned and laughed loudly: "It's my fault for forgetting to say. The ice platform is a new gadget made by those people in the Ministry of Works. If you want to use it, add a pot of water to this mouth. It can release cold mist for three hours. Installing a cold core can last for three or four years, which is much better than an ice chest."