allonlinenovel Chapter 218: Fat Crabs and Yellow Chrysanthemums
Chapter 218: Fat Crabs and Yellow Chrysanthemums
When Chinese people celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival, they focus on family reunion.
Although the Mohist school is a big tree with deep roots and luxuriant branches and leaves, the main family members are not large.
So even though Grandma Mo disliked her second son, she disliked his new daughter-in-law even more.
But during the holidays, we still call people back to have a reunion dinner.
Originally, this matter was not mentioned this year, and she thought the second son and his family would not come.
But when I really saw someone coming, I was happy in my heart even though I didn't say it.
However, this happiness only lasted until dinner time.
In the restaurant, everyone sat around the table, which was filled with ten dishes.
Halal hairy crabs, beer-roasted duck, candied taro, lotus root with osmanthus honey, roast chicken with edamame...symbolize reunion.
Because we were eating hairy crabs, each person was served a plate of ginger vinegar sauce and warmed plum blossom wine.
There aren't so many rules for eating at the Mo family. After everyone sits down, Grandma Mo signals everyone to start eating.
The servant came forward and shared the hairy crabs with everyone.
Hairy crabs should be eaten while hot. If they are cold, they will have a fishy smell and will not be delicious.
The rest were left to the servants to deal with.
But Ruan Tang felt that the hairy crabs would lack flavor if he didn't open them himself.
So he declined the servant's help.
Uncle Wang quickly asked someone to prepare a hot towel for him to wash his hands.
Qin Shumin's eyes flashed with contempt, and she kindly reminded him, "Ruan Tang, our Mo family is not like some small families. We have to follow the rules when eating. You are disassembling the crabs by yourself, making a mess. If the servants see it, it will not be decent."
Demolition of crabs is a demanding job that requires the use of eight special crab tools and the steps are very complicated.
Qin Shumin didn't think that a country bumpkin like Ruan Tang would understand these tricks.
This is obviously just looking for trouble.
Mo Jinchen and Grandma Mo's faces immediately darkened, and they stared at Qin Shumin with the same cold and sharp eyes.
Both the grandfather and grandson had been in high positions for a long time, and the aura they exuded was so overwhelming that Qin Shumin could hardly breathe, and her face turned slightly pale.
Ruan Tang curled his lips indifferently: "Don't worry, Second Aunt. I can't say anything else, but I am an expert in disassembling crabs. Do you believe that after disassembling this crab, I can still put it back together in its entirety?"
As he spoke, he picked up the handkerchief handed to him by the servant, wiped his fingers carefully, then picked up the tools and began to dismantle it with very skillful movements.
Each crab on the Mo family’s table weighs eight taels. After opening the crab shell, it is full of tempting golden crab roe.
Ruan Tang changed the small spoon, scooped a spoonful of crab roe and put it into his mouth.
It tastes very fresh and mellow, without any fishy smell. You can also taste the gravel-like texture of crab roe, which is rich in layers.
After finishing the crab roe, we start to cut the crab meat.
The hand holding the crab needle is white and slender. Not only can it perfectly remove the meat from the crab body and crab legs, but its movements are also as smooth as flowing water, which is pleasing to the eye.
After all the crab meat was removed, Ruan Tang picked up a small piece of snow-white crab meat with chopsticks, dipped it in ginger vinegar, and put it into his mouth.
The sourness of vinegar and the spiciness of ginger did not conceal the deliciousness of the crab itself. Instead, they brought out the ultimate sweetness of the crab. It was a feast for the tongue, like fireworks blooming in the mind, making people unable to stop.
He was the first person to eat crab at the dinner table.
By the time he finished eating the crab, the crabs of others had been cut up.
Ruan Tang looked at Qin Shumin, "Second Aunt, do you think the crab has been put back together?"
When he was taking the crab apart, he put the shell back together.
Qin Shumin, who was slapped in the face, forced a smile, "Second Aunt didn't expect you to be so skillful."
But everyone knows that this is not a question of dexterity.
Although hairy crabs are not a rare species, ordinary people do not need such complicated tools to eat crabs. Only some high-end restaurants or discerning families use the eight crab dishes when eating crabs.
Ruan Tang is certainly not a waiter in a high-end restaurant, which only means that he has an extraordinary family background.
But this is not right. She had clearly checked and found out that the other party was just an actor from the countryside.
Although she was confused, Qin Shumin did not show it.
I just wanted to go back and ask someone to re-investigate Ruan Tang's background.
How could the Mo family's grandfather and grandson not see the problem that Qin Shumin could see, but they asked nothing and said nothing.
At the whole table, only the naive Mo Zongbao was unaware of the undercurrents at the table and was concentrating on eating.
While eating the crab meat that the servant had chopped up, he did not forget to praise: "This year's crabs are good, and they are fatter and more delicious than last year. Uncle Wang, please have someone send a basket to my house later."
"Yes, Second Master."
Seeing that her husband only knew how to eat and didn't ask any questions, Qin Shumin became very angry.
Under the dinner table, she stepped hard on the other person's instep with her ten-centimeter high heels.
Mo Zongbao suddenly felt a pain and almost cried out.
When he turned around, he saw his wife blinking at him vigorously, as if she was having a seizure.
He asked curiously, "Wife, what's wrong with you? Are your eyes uncomfortable?"
Qin Shumin: …
This idiot, is he trying to make him angry on purpose?
Seeing everyone looking at her, she could only smile awkwardly, "It seems like a bug flew into my eye just now."
Grandma Mo glanced at her calmly and said in a cold voice, "Did you hear that, Uncle Wang? The Second Madam said there are bugs in the house. Ask the servants to clean it up again later."
"I understand, old lady."
Qin Shumin's expression was a little stiff. She knew that the old lady was pointing at her, so she didn't dare to speak again.
The reunion dinner went smoothly.
According to Mohist tradition, after dinner, the family should gather in the garden pavilion to eat moon cakes and admire the moon.
While the servants were preparing tea and snacks, Qin Shumin found an excuse and pulled Mo Zongbao aside to question him.
"Just now at the dinner table, why didn't you tell the old lady about Jin Zhang joining the company after graduation?"
Mo Zongbao slapped his head and said, "Oh no, I forgot. Maybe next time."
Qin Shumin twisted his arm and said, "What do you mean by next time? We agreed to do it tonight, when we are admiring the moon later. You must remind me, otherwise you will have to sleep in the study room from tonight on."
"Just sleep in the study." Mo Zongbao muttered softly.
No one knew whether it was because of his old age or because he indulged himself too much in his youth, but now that he was middle-aged, Mo Zongbao was no longer so concerned about matters of that nature.
"What did you say?"
Qin Shumin reached out to his ear and was about to twist it hard.
Mo Zongbao quickly begged for mercy, "I'll go and tell them, I'll tell them."
As he spoke, he ran to the garden as if the wind had sped up under his feet.
In the pavilion of the garden, there was Pu'er tea on the table, as well as baked moon cakes prepared by the chefs.
Grandma Mo had just returned from a walk with Ruan Tang and the others to help digest their food. When she saw Mo Zongbao running towards them breathlessly, she frowned.
"You are old, why are you still so irritable?"
Just as Mo Zongbao was about to explain, Qin Shumin's voice came from behind him.
"Mom, Zongbao has something urgent to discuss with you, that's why he ran so fast!"