After inspecting the large construction site under construction, the sun has already reached overhead. Tang Youde and others invited Zhao Hao to take a ride to the Songyue Mountain Villa seven miles away for lunch.
Songyue Mountain Villa was rebuilt on the basis of the original water battle station for Tang Youde and others to stay temporarily before the completion of Xingang Fort.
It is said that it is a temporary residence, but it is not ambiguous at all. The original water warfare building was almost completely demolished, with only its foundation used. So Fatty Tang was right when he said that it was rebuilt on the 'basis' of the water battle station.
The newly built Songyue Mountain Villa is a castle-style square building with a turret with cornices and brackets at each corner. There is a half-moon-shaped pond in front, and you must pass a suspension bridge to enter.
"Old Tang's awareness of precautions is still in place." As the carriage passed the suspension bridge, Mr. Zhao joked and said, "It seems that I don't have to worry about you being careless."
"Safety comes first when you are overseas." Tang Youde smiled and said, "Only by living well can we continue to serve the young master."
"Hahaha." Zhao Hao laughed and got off the carriage.
The carriage stopped in the courtyard. Zhao Hao got out of the car and took a look. He saw that the courtyard inside was well-proportioned, with flowers and trees and flowing water. It felt a bit like Jiangnan overseas.
"Did you spend a lot of money?" Mr. Zhao asked with a smile.
¡°It¡¯s all money collected by the few of us, not a single penny in the market.¡± Tang Youde explained quickly. He has been scaring the little hounds of the Inspection and Supervision Commission for a while now. While meeting Mr. Zhao, I quickly took the initiative to break up the matter to prevent those little wolf dogs from biting people in this villa in the future.
"Don't be so nervous." Zhao Hao smiled and patted Old Tang's belly and said, "At your age, you should be kinder to yourself." Anyway, Jiang Xueying takes care of things that offend others. He can Feel free to act nice.
¡°Translator Jin also contributed money and effort, and he was very enthusiastic.¡± Tang Youde glanced at Jin Xishan, who was like a pug, and added.
Zhao Hao knew that 80% of the enclosed building was given to Tang Youde by Jin Xishan, at least the bulk of it was paid for.
He smiled and glanced at Jin Xishan and said, "I'm sorry, I have something to do in the capital, so I kept you here for so long."
"You are serious, I have the honor to serve you. I am willing to wait as long as I want." Jin Xishan was so excited that he nodded and bowed: "Besides, I am not idle either. I have learned a lot from Mayor Tang."
"Haha, do you still get along with each other?" Zhao Hao asked with a smile.
"Lao Jin is a nice guy. We get along very well." Tang Youde quickly invited Zhao Hao to the table.
The autumn air was crisp and the red maples looked like fire, so lunch was arranged under a big maple tree in the courtyard.
There is a large mat with several feet of rush surface spread under the maple tree. There are two rows of square dining tables facing east and west on the mat. There is also a screen under the maple tree in the north with a painting of the sun rising over the sea. There is a slightly larger sandalwood table in front of the screen, where Mr. Zhao sits.
There was a maid from the Li Dynasty who was wearing a yellow jacket, a bright red skirt, and brightly colored satin trim on the cuffs and skirt. She knelt on the banquet to help Zhao Hao take off his boots. Then he was led by the other two maids and sat down in front of the screen.
The rest of the people were also served by maids, so they took off their boots and sat down. There were rosewood dining tables and chairs set for each person, precious porcelain tableware, musicians playing Xuanhe Qin, and graceful maikos dancing in the atrium. Mr. Zhao and Zheng Ruozeng experienced this for the first time. What Li Chao's wealthy life looked like.
"It is indeed very Tang Dynasty style. But it is rare to see this kind of sitting on the floor in the Ming Dynasty." Zheng Ruozeng couldn't help but sigh. He had been recuperating in the capital for several months and was in good health. This time he had to go to sea with Zhao Hao again.
The pretty maids carried the trays and began to serve the dishes. Large and small copper bowls quickly filled everyone's dining tablewell, it was also because the dining table was a little small.
There are only a dozen dishes on the table, steamed, grilled, hot, mixed, and colorful, which makes the dishes very rich.
This made Zheng Ruozeng wonder when he came back several times, and he felt a little impressed by Li Chao. They all said that it seems that people who call themselves Little China are not completely bragging.
Zhao Hao didn¡¯t make a fuss, because this thing is generally not much different from the Korean food of later generations. It looks good, but actually tastes the same.
Park Cheng-sung boasted proudly that this was prepared according to the standards of palace cuisine. Even the maids who serve the dishes are selected according to palace standards.
He is not bragging, Han Dingshi was indeed concocted by the nobles of the Li Dynasty after imitating palace cuisine. The reason why it looks shabby is because their king also eats shabbily.
"And among the official slaves on Tamna Island, there are many female dependents of two groups of adults. They were originally beauties from the Li Dynasty, and they intermarried with people from the Central Plains on the island, and they actually gave birth to beauties who were not fat-faced.
&nbsShui, he thought that only people from China could join the municipal committee.
¡°As everyone knows, the position of Municipal Counselor has a united front nature, and the city¡¯s population composition will be fully taken into consideration when selecting candidates.
"Hey, Master, why don't you joke? Why don't you thank Master quickly?" Tang Youde said to Jin Xishan with a smile.
"Thank you for your great kindness, sir. I will swear allegiance to you and the Jiangnan Group to the death!" Jin Xishan quickly leaned over and kowtowed.
"Get up quickly." Zhao Hao raised his hand to help him, and encouraged him with a few words of warmth. Just when he was concentrating on eating and filling his stomach, an employee walked in quickly, leaned into Tang Youde's ear, and whispered a few words.
Tang Youde glanced at Pu Chengxing in surprise, straightened up quickly and reported: "Sir, Ambassador Li Mu wants to see you."
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