Opening a Tavern in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 346: Chickens Fly, Sheep Jump, Fish Slip, Chickens Step on Ducks

Cheng Chumo, rubbing his hands in anticipation, was the first to step forward. "I'm an expert at slaughtering cattle and sheep, I'll handle the beef!" He strode towards the tethered cow. The prince, not to be outdone, rolled up his sleeves and said, "I'll help too. Leave the mutton to Chumo and me." The two of them worked in perfect harmony, one holding the cow down while the other expertly wielded the knife, their movements swift and deft.

Fang Yiai shouted, "Leave it to me, this little thing of killing the chickens and ducks!" He grabbed a kitchen knife and rushed to the chicken coop, causing the chickens and ducks to flutter about. Wei Shuyu and Qin Huaidao assisted, one handing them tools while the other cleaned up the chickens and ducks.

The Yuyu family wasn't idle either. Xiaoyu's mother expertly prepared the hot pot base while guiding the waiters in preparing the side dishes. Yuyu ran around, handing out towels and water, and occasionally offering suggestions: "Cut more chicken, everyone will definitely like it!"

The ministers were a little reserved at first, but they were infected by the lively atmosphere and joined in one after another.

Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling helped wash the vegetables, and while washing they discussed how to eat hot pot tonight.

Du Ruhui helped to process the fish. Although his technique was not as good as that of a professional chef, he did it quite well.

Li Shimin looked at the lively scene and couldn't help laughing: "Today's scene is really rare. I haven't felt so happy in a long time. Everyone is working so hard!"

For a moment, the backyard was bustling with activity. Cheng Yaojin and the prince were processing mutton. He reached out to grab a sheep, thinking it would be easy to catch, but unexpectedly the sheep suddenly spread its hooves, broke free from Cheng Yaojin's hands, and ran away.

"Hey! This sheep can run quite fast!" Cheng Yaojin shouted loudly and started to chase it, but the sheep was very agile and dodged left and right among the crowd and debris. Cheng Yaojin was so tired that he was out of breath, but he just couldn't catch it.

"Don't run! I'll catch you!" Cheng Yaojin ran until his face turned red and his back was soaked with sweat, but the sheep seemed to be teasing him on purpose and ran faster and faster.

At this time, Qin Huaidao had just finished his work. Seeing this scene, he walked over calmly and said to Cheng Yaojin, "General Cheng, I'll do it."

Qin Huaidao's eyes were fixed on the fleeing sheep, and he walked lightly and quietly around to the front of the sheep.

The sheep was running happily and didn't notice the danger at all, so it ran headfirst into Qin Huaidao's "encirclement".

Qin Huaidao was quick-witted and quick-handed. He took a step forward, firmly grasped the sheep's neck with both hands, and pulled hard, and the sheep could not move.

"Good!" The people around cheered.

Cheng Yaojin ran over, patted Qin Huaidao on the shoulder, and said with a hearty laugh, "Master Qin, you are really amazing! I am a rough man, and I almost let this little guy run away. Tonight's mutton depends on you grabbing it!"

Qin Huaidao handed the lamb to Cheng Yaojin with a smile, saying, "General Cheng, thank you for the compliment. Let's all work together to make this hot pot more enjoyable."

Everyone went back to preparing the ingredients, and the backyard was once again filled with laughter and busy figures.

Just as the sheep were subdued here, there was another commotion over there.

Wei Shuyu was just about to kill a chicken when the chicken in his hand suddenly flapped its wings, broke free from its restraints, and started running around the yard, clucking.

Wei Shuyu had never seen such a scene before. He was panicked and frantically reached out to grab it, muttering, "What should I do? Don't let the chicken run away!"

The chicken seemed to be deliberately making trouble, sometimes crawling under the table, sometimes jumping onto the firewood pile, making a mess around it.

Seeing this, Fang Yiai ran over with a big laugh and said, "Shuyu, watch me!" As he said that, he rolled up his sleeves and pounced on the chicken with his teeth and claws bared.

But this chicken was as agile as a little thief, and Fang Yiai missed every time and almost fell to the ground.

"This chicken is so cunning!" Fang Yiai was so angry that he stomped his feet. His face was covered with dust and he looked very funny.

At this time, Cheng Chumo finished processing the beef, turned around and saw this scene, and joined the chicken catching team.

He shouted, "Get out of the way, let me do it!" Cheng Chumo ran towards the chicken like a brave warrior, but the chicken dodged left and right and he couldn't catch it.

Just when everyone was in a state of panic, the prince had an idea. He picked up a long branch and gently drove the chicken into the corner.

The chicken was trapped and its flapping movements gradually became slower.

Qin Huaidao took the opportunity to step forward, took a step forward, and grabbed the chicken firmly with both hands.

"Finally caught him!" Everyone cheered. Wei Shuyu said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I almost ruined everyone's good thing. Thanks to everyone's help."

The prince smiled and waved his hand: "It's a small matter. It will be fun if we all work together."

Everyone looked at each other and smiled.

While everyone was busy catching chickens and driving away sheep, Yu Yu was also busy preparing ingredients for the hot pot.

She stood in front of a large wooden basin filled with live fish, with her sleeves rolled up high, ready to catch some beautiful fish.

Yu Yu took a deep breath and thrust her hands into the water, thinking she could easily catch the fish. However, the fish was slippery and slipped out of her hands with a whoosh, splashing a large amount of water all over Yu Yu's face.

Yu Yu wiped the water off her face and reached out again unwillingly, but the fish seemed to be playing hide-and-seek with her, cleverly avoiding her every time.

Yuyu chased the fish around the basin, and when he wasn't paying attention, he slipped and almost fell into the basin. "This fish is so hard to catch!" Yuyu shouted anxiously.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Yuyu became anxious. She shouted to Xiaoyu Niang, who was preparing the hot pot base, "Mom, come and help me catch the fish! This fish is too naughty, I can't catch it no matter how hard I try!"

Xiaoyu put down the seasoning in her hand, walked over quickly, and said with a smile: "Silly child, catching fish requires skills."

Xiaoyu was calm and put her hands gently into the water, slowly approached the fish, and then quickly closed her hands and caught the fish steadily.

"Wow, mom, you are so awesome!" Yuyu's face was full of envy.

Xiaoyu put the fish into the bucket and patiently taught Yuyu: "Don't be too impatient to catch fish. Be gentle and wait until they get close before you strike."

Yu Yu nodded seriously, imitated Xiao Yu and tried again, and this time he successfully caught the fish.

After solving the fish problem, Yu Yu and Xiao Yu continued to prepare the ingredients, and together with others, made the final sprint for this lively hot pot banquet.

Amidst the noise, the duck pen seemed calm.

A fluffy duck was strolling leisurely, completely unaware of the chaos around it.

Who would have thought that while walking, the duck suddenly stepped on the claw of a chicken that was dizzy from being tossed around by everyone.

"Hey!"

The chicken instantly screamed at the top of its lungs and flapped its wings, as if it wanted to vent all its accumulated grievances.

This sudden movement attracted everyone's attention.

Wei Shuyu, who was busy chopping vegetables, stopped what he was doing, turned around and looked over, unable to help laughing: "How could such a scene happen between the chickens and ducks?"

Fang Yiai laughed so hard that he fell backwards, slapping his thigh and saying, "Good boy, this duck is a great help, adding an unexpected episode to our chicken-catching drama."

Cheng Chumo also said jokingly: "Maybe the chickens and ducks are 'protesting' each other, blaming us for making them suffer so much."

When everyone heard this, they laughed even more happily.

The stepped chicken struggled hard, trying to break free from the duck's "feet confinement". The duck was also at a loss because of this sudden resistance. It swayed its body from side to side and quacked.

Qin Huaidao walked forward, carefully picked up the duck and touched the frightened chicken to comfort it, which brought this "chicken and duck farce" to a temporary end.