Chapter 68: Dinner time

The grand ballroom in the earl's castle was brightly lit. This was a banquet hosted by Xiao Chen, the earl provided the venue.
The banquet is a traditional long table form. Three tables occupy the east, west, and west sides of the banquet hall. On the front side of the entrance is the main table of Xiao Chen and Earl. A long table and six chairs facing the hall were placed on a low platform one foot high to show that this is the seat of the owner and the guest.
Earl Arias and Xiao Chen sat in the middle, next to Celinda, Li Jia and two big businessmen. Their tables are lined with light gray linen tablecloths embroidered with simple patterns, and the dishes, knives and forks are made of silver. Wine glasses and hip flasks are glass products from the earth. Such tableware is not luxurious among nobles. The red fruit wine contained in the glass jug, under the common illumination of magic runes and candlelight, changes color from red to yellow, which is superb at first glance.
A steamed swan was placed in the middle tray, decorated with washed white feathers, eyes replaced with small red fruits, and beneath it was waves made of lettuce leaves. There are grilled herring, grilled squid and oyster soup on the side. In this kind of place that is not near the sea, it often needs magic freezing to eat these seafood, which is very expensive. Most of the more than ten other dishes are meat, including wild boar, veal, venison and lamb, some are made into cutlets, some are made into pies, some are smoked, and some are burnt with cheese. Taste. There are also some vegetables and beans, which are made into a paste or cake shape, and some are ground into a mud and mixed with flour, which is kneaded into a simple animal cake. Compared to tableware, these dishes are much more refined, and they are famous at hand.
Underneath the table on both sides of the east and west, there are mixed seats of the Earl's Knight, Xiao Chen's Guard and merchants from all over. Ye Zi, Shi Hao, Roger and Siro also sat among them. These people's tables are more than ten meters long. Two rows of benches are placed on both sides of the table. People sit opposite each other. There is no table cloth on the table, and the food is much simpler. The swan was replaced with a pheasant, and the meat was simply cut into chunks. The fragrant aroma was attractive but less exquisite. Although the pastries had the same taste, they were made into simple round cakes. Drinks are wine and ale in clay pots.
A five-member band played cheerful music on the side of the main table. The main actor was an elf flute. This slender flute has been popular in the kingdom for a long time. Take the Ramos violin and a northern desert bagpipe. Singing is a half-elf bard. He beat his tambourine and hummed inaudibly. He warmed up the atmosphere.
"This seat is really distinguished and humble, or Xiao Chen they are well mixed, wherever they sit on the seat." Shi Hao strenuously cut off a piece of bacon with an iron table knife, and stuffed it into his mouth, and the stage over there , A meat-cutting waiter, helped Xiao Chen cut the meat into small pieces and sent it to him.
"Now is the feudal era, these lords can be harsh on the people below. I have seen what the farmers around me eat every day. It is really 'Zhumen wine is smelly and the road has frozen bones.' I don't know if they are eating like this now Drink, will you feel guilty. "Ye Zi responded, also using Chinese.
"I don't think you can't eat it anymore." Shi Hao saw Ye Zi slamming the poor people for not eating. He generally tried to stuff meat into his mouth and couldn't help laughing.
"I don't eat white, don't I eat, can these things be sent to the farmers' mouths? Can these nobles be cheap." Ye Zi wiped his mouth and poured a sip of wine.
"Cough." Roger coughed twice and said in Chinese: "Miss Ye, although you speak in magic words, most people can't understand it, but well-educated mages, scholars and nobles can understand it. "
Ye Zi looked around and saw that no one noticed what he said, including some of the knights and businessmen who were relatively elaborate. She shrugged: "It seems that the people here have not been educated like you."
"Miss Ye, most of the people here are businessmen and martial arts. There is no chance to learn magic words. Some people can understand the words, but the sentences are not good. I admire you and learn our words so quickly." The members of the business group have spent a lot of time on learning Chinese and have been able to communicate for a few months.
Ye Zi laughed: "Spanish, um, is your local language, it is okay to learn, after all, we have evening schools, teaching materials, and teachers. And, we run outside and there are many contacts with local people, Naturally there will be much more. The people who have been staying in school are worse than others. "
"Well, you are all literate, it's amazing. There are few people who can read literacy in the kingdom. It is even harder to learn magic words and essays." Siro said that he was a little proud, not to mention that he was already middle-aged, Those who learn the magic text in Floro are definitely the fastest, even faster than his son Garcia.
"The cultural heritage of the Iberian kingdom is still much worse than that of the empire. Our Purple Eagle Empire has a unified territory and a large population. Many ancestors' knowledge has been passed down in the library and the magic tower. If you are in the empire The capital of China will find many people who can speak magic words. "Speaking of his motherland, the knights of the empire always have a sense of pride.
"However, there are many empire officials. The businessmen know that filling the money of one empire tax officer can deal with the three king tax officers." Siro said, as a kingdomman who had lived and killed many years with neighbors in the north It is difficult to have too much affection for the empire.
"The Emperor Xian spent a lot of effort to rectify the tax system, and many good policies have remained until today. Although His Majesty is young, but very smart, he will definitely rule the empire further in the future." Roger said.
"Who cares?" Siro shrugged. His Chinese was not enough for him to discuss topics that were too profound.
At this time, Roger's lieutenant Jacob spoke, and he spoke in local language: "Adult, do you want to speak for those bastards?"
"Don't say that."
"If they are not bastards, we would not sit here!"
The atmosphere on the stage is much quieter than people making noise, laughing and even drinking wine on the table below the stage. Xiao Chen thanked the swan meat served by the attendant. The sliced ​​roasted meat slices were already covered with sauce and accompanied by several spices that he could not distinguish.
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"Alberto was the royal chef of the royal capital. Because I committed some things and was kept by me, he often complained that I didn't have any worthy guests for his skills. Today he can get his wish." The count held his hand. Swan meat, dragged on the sauce on both sides, and then stuffed into his mouth, "However, he can't use these skills in the court, our king is a famous saver."
"Isn't saving a virtue?" Xiao Chen said.
"But dominating the genius like Alberto, and then talking about saving, it's a brutality." He leaned closer to Xiao Chen, and then lowered his voice: "The old man always likes to do such things, you have there The saying is very good. I heard Li Jia say, 'Do not in Mao Keng'. Haha. "
"It seems that my food is still worth the money." Xiao Chen smiled.
"This is still the price of friendship, for friendship." The count raised his glass and touched Xiao Chen. The glass gave a crisp clink, which made Xiao Chen return to the shadow of the cup in that world.
The attendant filled Xiao Chen with wine again, and Xiao Chen still said, "Thank you!"
"You are a humble and polite person. Such a person is really strange among the magicians. I have never seen a person like you care so much about the waiter."
This is the respect brought from the original world, or, according to Xiao Chen ’s education, the workers are most respectable. But here, he can only explain: "I heard that these waiters are mostly the sons of those nobles under your rule, and come to you to learn how to become a real noble."
"Indeed, our meat cutting attendant Diego Bediniani, do you sound familiar?" The count pointed to the young man who stood in front of the chopping board with a meat cleaver on his side.
"Viscount Ruiz?"
"Well, eldest son. There" he pointed to the young man who came in from the side and carried a tray of roast suckling pigs. "Antonio Bedingani, his younger brother. These little guys do have a good family background, but Before they succeeded to the title, they shouldn't care about you. They are just young people who need to learn well. "
"I remember Miss Celinda already had the knighthood."
"Ah, my little Celinda." The count looked very proud. "While these little ghosts were playing mud, she had already practiced swords in my barracks; when these guys love to lift the maid skirt, she I have studied in the magic tower of the capital. Although she is still a very simple child, she sometimes has some dreams, but after all, it is a species of the Arias family. "
It was taken by the earl and compared with Celinda, and the face of the meat-cutting attendant immediately turned red.
"It's really excellent," Xiao Chen praised.
"Later, the old guy in Wangdu gave her a knight title after she was successful. You know, this is not good intentions. The discerning king, the deceased count, the unworthy son-in-law, The female knights returned by the seal can write about knights. Hey. "
"You have nothing to be proud of. Everything I have is the result of my own efforts." Selida's cold voice came from the side. She did not pass on skirts today, but the upper body shirt and waistcoat, the lower body trousers and boots, a neat dress. Even a simple ponytail in her hair made him look heroic.
"Look, I said she was still very childish." The count shook his head.
Li Jia on the side of "Selinda" persuaded in her ear before she could continue to refute.
But soon, Celinda threw down the knife and stood up, saying: "I'm a little sick, so I'll go back to the room first."
"Does it matter? Or should I go with you?" Li Jia asked.
Celinda said in his ear, "You know, a woman will always be in a bad mood for a few days every month, and it will be even more upsetting to meet some shameless old guys. I just went back to rest early, what are you worried about Yes. Men ’s attention should be used more in business. "
Li Jia blushed old and sat back pretendingly again, watching Celinda quickly walk out of the banquet hall through the side door.