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"Do you know that a super VIP is coming to Xianyang?" Wen Ting put down his chopsticks and mysteriously said.
"Super VIP? Don't tell me it is the emperor?" Wen Shouzhen asked.
"Although he is not the emperor, he is not inferior to the emperor!" Wen Ting grinned.
"Someone not inferior to the emperor, don't tell it is the father of the emperor?" Zhou Shi asked.
"Do not talk rubbish, the father of the emperor had passed away 2 years ago! Rascal, if you have things to say, let it out [1]. Do not dilly-dally!"
"Accordingly to our teacher…." Wen Ting stood up, and cupped his hands as he faced the North. Then his eyes widen as he looked very serious and speak very slowly, "The teacher of the king, the highest ranked scholar in the land, the leader of the scholar faction, Sir Song Tao will be coming to Xianyang after he retires."
Saying this, he looked at his family members. His face was filled with respect for this learned man.
Zhou Shi is just a housewife. She is not concern about this matter, and just replied, "Oh!"
As for Wen Shouzhen and Wen Rou, they were fully absorbed in eating their dinner and wolfing down the food hungrily, and did not seem to pay him any heed.
At this time, Zhou Shi suddenly switched the topic, "Hubby, had you heard about this? The Yin family's ten miles wineshop will be closing down soon."
"That old tortoise and crook! The business should have closed down long ago!" Wen Shouzhen was very happy with the news.
"Father, right now, many of the finest restaurants in the Xianyang city had ordered the 'Morning Dew Wine' from us. It looks like we are going to be busy brewing wine for some time!" Wen Rou reminded her father.
"Hey, didn't you hear me?" Wen Ting was annoyed.
"We hear you! We knew about this matter a long time ago! You rascal had been holed up in the school, and is really slow to learn about this!" Wen Shouzhen chided, and grabbed a piece of Shang Fang Pork.
"How did you know about it?" Wen Ting finally sat down, and leaned towards his family out of curiosity.
"Brother, regarding this matter, Governor Zhao had informed us. Even the chairman of the Drunken Immortal Restaurant old man Qiao had come over to pressurise us, saying that as soon as Sir Song Tao arrive, the Drunken Immortal restaurant will be hosting a feast for him! These few days, father is busy preparing and procuring ingredients just to serve him once he arrived!" Wen Rou explained.
"Oh, no wonder there is Shang Fang Ham for dinner today! It is because of this super VIP! Father, does it mean that these few days, we will have new and tasty food every day?" Wen Ting grinned as he asked.
"Just study your books. You need not worry about the food!" Wen Shouzhen's face turned black.
"Father, you do not know that Sir Song Tao is very smart! All his disciples are learned man and are talents in the literary world! Sigh! If only I could become Sir Song Tao's student, that would be so wonderful! Even if I have only listened to him once, and learned from his insights, I should be able to learn a lot! I will not be like this….." Wen Ting eyes sparkled when he begins, but when he finished speaking, the light in his eyes dimmed down and he sighed.
"Oh? This teacher is so incredible, does he knows everything?" Wen Shouzhen asked.
"Of course! Sir Song Tao knows everything from the heavens to the earth - he knows poetry, government, chess and more! There is nothing that he does not know!" Wen Ting stood up again, and cupped his hands as he faced north. As if Sir Song Tao was standing in front of him.
"Oh, then does he knows how to cook?" Wen Shouzhen grinned.
"Father! How could everything be related to food? Sir Song Tao is a very learned man and a great teacher. He is a national treasure. How could a chef be compared to him!" Wen Ting was very angry.
"Oh, no matter how learned or powerful he is, he also needs to eat! If no one cooks for him, he could not teach well!" Wen Shouzhen ate some more rice as he continued, "As chefs, our status is quite low and we are commoners, but this world cannot do without chefs! For all human beings need to eat. And chefs like us make eating a pleasure!"
"Father is right! Heaven is big and the earth is big, but the chef is the biggest!" Seeing that her father hit the nail on the head, Wen Rou immediately flattered her father.
"This lass! She is supposed to learn cooking from you only, but she ended up learning how to be as ignorant as you. In future, how is she going to marry?" Zhou Shi laughed as she teased Wen Rou.
Wen Ting was stunned as he just sat there. He wanted to refute Wen Shouzhen's words, but he could not deny what his father said is true. Even the Emperor needs to eat as well.
Wen Ting did not expect that there is meaning hidden in the cooking world.
"Brother, you want to study until Sir Song Tao?" Wen Rou saw that Wen Ting was lost his world again, and waved her hand over his face as she giggled.
"I want! All the scholars also want! But….." Wen Ting sighed.
"Then when Sir Song Tao comes to Xianyang, you visit him and asked if he would guide you!" Wen Rou suggested.
"Little Sister, it is not as simple as you think! Sir Song Tao is the most renowned teacher in this land. He will only accept the most talented scholars as his students or those with a very good …." Wen Ting sighed. The last words 'family background' was swallowed down his throat.
"Brother… have some vegetables." Wen Rou gathered some vegetables for Wen Ting.
The whole family did not say another word, and the dinner table becomes quiet. Only the sounds of chopsticks hitting the plates occasionally ring out.
In this night, Wen Ting was unable to sleep. He turned on the light and studied all night. He had no choice regarding the family that he was born into, and he is not talented. If he wants to learn from Sir Song Tao, he had only one way out. And that is to put in more efforts.
Wen Rou was lying on the bed. She was tossing and turning and was unable to sleep as well.
In her past life, Wen Ting was unsuccessful his examinations, and he ended up quitting his studies to learn cooking from his father. But he also does not have the talent for cooking, just like he was not talent in his studies. When he died, he was just kitchen hand, and have never handled the spatula in his life.
Today, although she had learned cooking from her father and freed her brother some time to focus on his studies, Wen Rou was not satisfied.
In this lifetime, her brother still did not achieve the success in his studies.
But if this continued on, in the exams next year……
Wen Rou dared not think about it any further.
Unless her brother had a great teacher like Sir Song Tao and becomes his student.
—The next day, daybreak. —
"Lord, it is bad!!" Outside of the court, a soldier jumped down from his horse.
"What happened?" Governor Zhao had drunk too much last night, and is sitting in his room as he tried to shake off the hangover.
"Coming, coming!" the soldier shook with excitement, and his speech was blurry.
"What are you so excited about? Who is coming?" Governor Zhao asked.
"Sir Song Tao is here!" The soldier finally spoke a sentence that makes sense.
"What!" Governor Zhao was stunned, and immediately got up suddenly.
The chair that he was sitting on fell onto the floor with a loud bang.
"Where?" Governor Zhao asked.
"Almost at the city gates!" The soldier replied.
The famed Sir Song Tao is finally here?
Why didn't he inform me in advance?
"Prepare the horse!"
Governor Zhao immediately straightened his uniform, and brought his aides and soldiers with him as he rushed towards the city gates.
Thank you for making the choice to read this chapter directly from the original translators at w w w . p r o s p e r o u s f o o d . c o m
Notes[1] 有屁快放 - translated literally as 'got fart, let it out!'. As usual, I translate the meaning and not the literal translation. It translated better as 'if you got things to say, say it."
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