劍問蒼天 - 第33章 下山 - 清風書屋

Zeng Shuyan gave an "ah" and nodded his agreement. After a while the waiter brought several platters of delicacies and stir-fries to the table, and last of all a dish of freshly stewed fish. The fish was elongated, its forepart nearly round, its rear tapering narrow, its body dark brown, with two pairs of barbels, thick and long. Above all, the flesh was white and glistening, the fragrance overflowing, and at once it set the appetite stirring.

Zhang Qingyue had always had an interest in cooking, and having never seen this kind of fish before, he could not resist asking the waiter, "Waiter, what fish is this, and how is it cooked?"

The waiter gave a chuckle. "You've a keen eye, sir. This 'clear-stewed mei fish' is the signature dish of our Mountain-Sea Garden—fragrant, smooth and tender, sweet upon the tongue. Within a hundred li of He Yin City it's vastly famous."

Zhang Qingyue swallowed, took up his chopsticks, placed a morsel in his mouth, and at once shut his eyes and nodded away: "Ah, the flesh is wonderful—but the cooking's better still. The sweetness means a little sugar was added; ginger slices were put in to cut the fishiness; mm, there's the aroma of flash-fried scallion—fresh scallion bulbs, surely. Ah, and the rarest thing is how well the pepper and five-spice—oh, yes, and the sesame oil—are matched together. Superb, superb!"

His look of sheer rapture left Qi Hao and Zeng Shuyan staring open-mouthed; even Six Xueqi turned her eyes on him, a peculiar expression surfacing on her face. But the waiter standing by was truly overcome with admiration and cried aloud, "You're a connoisseur indeed, sir—you know your goods!"

Only then did Zhang Qingyue notice the looks of those around him; he flushed red, hastily set down his chopsticks, yet still pressed one more question: "Tell me, waiter, where does this mei fish come from?"

Before the waiter could speak, a woman's voice came suddenly from a large table nearby: "This mei fish is a specialty of Mount Zhugou in the south, a thousand li or more from here. How could it be brought all this way? Your house must be cheating folk, surely!"

Startled, they all looked over. At that large table sat eight people: six men in yellow robes, and two women. One wore a pale purple gown, her face veiled in light gauze so that her features could not be made out, though the little skin that showed was white as snow. The other was the one who had spoken—young, sixteen or seventeen by the look of her, dressed in a water-green gown, with a fair, delicate face, fine brows, snow-white skin, and a pair of great bright eyes, quick and lively, that made one's eyes light up—a beauty not a few degrees below Six Xueqi herself.

Zhang Qingyue gave an "ah," and saw that after the girl had spoken her gaze had fallen upon Six Xueqi at his table, as though she too were startled by Six Xueqi's beauty. Women love beauty, and even one so cold and frosty as Six Xueqi could not help casting the girl another glance.

The waiter now smiled apologetically and said, "You speak truly, miss. But there's something you may not know: a hundred years ago this mei fish was indeed found only on Mount Zhugou in the south. But later the Daoist immortal Daoyan of Canglan Gate passed through Mount Zhugou and specially brought the fish back, to be placed in the Hong River north of Canglan Mountain. By now it has not only taken root but flourished. We all owe our luck in tasting it to the immortal Daoyan of Canglan Mountain!" As he spoke, a look of the profoundest reverence came over his face.

Zhang Qingyue and the other Canglan disciples were naturally pleased at this and smiled, but the young girl, hearing it, turned and exchanged a glance with the veiled woman, then sat back down—though she gave a little snort under her breath.