Chapter 189 "BBQ Wan"

Amid the laughter of the family, they excitedly wandered around the yard, discussing future plans and improvements.

Soon after.

"Wow! It's so hot today!"

"Zhiye, please go get the kettle from the car. I'm thirsty." Gan Ning couldn't stand the heat and was clamoring for water.

Liu Zhiye smiled and said, "Okay!"

"You guys stay here and play for a while. I'm going to buy some iced soda."

Gan Ning was delighted when he heard this: "Hey! That's great, let's go!"

Liu Zhiye went out and didn't walk far before smoking a cigarette in the alley. He waited patiently until he finished smoking, then took a few bottles of steaming "Arctic Ocean" soda from the space. He looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, and then returned to the yard along the same route.

After he entered the room, he shouted loudly, "The soda is here!" Upon hearing this, Gan Ning and others couldn't wait to gather around.

Liu Zhiye easily pushed the bottle cap open with his thumb, and then it flew off with a "bang!" sound, followed by the sound of the soda dissipating with a "hiss!". He handed a bottle to Gan Ning, and then "bang!", "bang!", "bang!", "bang!", he opened the remaining bottles and handed them to He Hongmei and the other two.

Liu Zhiye drank a bottle of Arctic Ocean soda generously. Unlike the others who sipped the drink in small sips, he was reluctant to finish it all at once. So he gulped down the entire bottle of iced soda in one breath.

Gan Ning and the others didn't know that there were hundreds of bottles of iced soda lying quietly in Liu Zhiye's space.

Speaking of this "Arctic Ocean" soda, Liu Zhiye really didn't spend a penny. Jingcheng Food Company is now one of his "big customers", so naturally he also received "care" from the factory's purchasing director.

To thank him for being the "middleman", the purchasing manager patted his chest and said to him: "Brother! If you want to drink soda in the future, just let us know and we will give you enough."

"Burp! So comfortable!" Gan Ning no longer cared about his image and burped happily with a satisfied expression on his face.

"Wow! How refreshing! It's so enjoyable to drink a bottle of iced soda on such a hot day!" Liu Zhitai continued.

After Liu Zhiruo finished a bottle, he acted coquettishly towards Gan Ning and Liu Zhiye: "Brother! I want to drink more! Please buy us a few more bottles!"

Liu Zhiye smiled and said, "I'm full after drinking. Do you want to stop eating watermelon later?"

Hearing this, Liu Zhiruo was a little conflicted. Watermelon was also her favorite. "Okay!" she responded.

"Then let's go. Should we go to the North Sea or the South Sea first?" Liu Zhiye asked for everyone's opinions.

Gan Ning thought for a moment and said, "It's already past 9 o'clock, I'm afraid we're a little late. I think we should go to the South China Sea first, play around in the South China Sea Village, and then we should have lunch.

After lunch, we will continue to play, then go to Zhonghai and Beihai and finally go home, what do you think? "

He Hongmei said with a smile: "We have no objection, everything is up to you!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhiye clapped his hands and said, "Okay, let's set off for Nanhaizi."

The family then drove south for less than two miles, got on East Chang'an Avenue and drove west for a few miles before finding a place to park near Fuyou Street.

This is the Beihai Scenic Area of ​​Beihai Park, which is a place that makes people linger.

The Liu family got out of the car with ease and walked into the beautiful scenery.

Beihai Park is divided into three broad water areas by two stone bridges over Taiye Lake: the north of Jin'ao Yu'an Bridge is Beihai, the south of Wugong Bridge is Nanhai, and the middle of the two bridges is Zhonghai. The scenery here is picturesque and the style is simple and clear, which makes people feel relaxed and happy.

Among the three seas, the South Sea has the smallest area. Its main scenic spot is Yingtai, which is a water island scenic area composed of a group of palaces, pavilions, rockery corridors and terraces.

Important buildings include Xiangluan Pavilion, Hanyuan Hall, Xiangzhen Hall, Zaoyun Tower, Daiyue Pavilion, Yingxun Pavilion, etc.

There is a stone bridge on the east side of Yingtai leading to the shore.

In addition, there are Fengze Garden and Jinggu in Zhongnanhai, which are gardens within gardens. The Jinggu garden is particularly famous for its superb stacking techniques of lake rocks and rockery.

Liu Zhiye and his family focused on visiting Yingtai, which is a very famous place in modern history because Emperor Guangxu was once placed under house arrest here.

Under the Sunday sun, Yingtai is like a fairy island in the sea, standing quietly on the clear water. Surrounded by ancient buildings, pavilions and towers dotted around, it adds a bit of mystery and elegance. Tourists flock here, attracted by the beautiful scenery.

The island has an extremely beautiful environment, with green trees, singing birds and fragrant flowers. Tourists strolling in it feel as if they are in a beautiful painting. They admire the style of the ancient buildings, listen to the sound of gurgling water, and feel the tranquility and harmony here.

Liu Zhiye and his family were also deeply attracted by the beautiful scenery and profound historical heritage of Yingtai, as if they had traveled back to that turbulent era.

Here, they not only appreciated the elegant and simple environment, but also gained a deeper understanding of the history of the late Qing Dynasty.

Yingtai is located in the South Sea among the "Three Seas of the Western Garden". It was first built in the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt twice during the Shunzhi and Kangxi periods of the Qing Dynasty. It was the place where the emperor held court, escaped the summer heat and lived.

In modern history, Yingtai is often mentioned because after the Wuxu coup, Empress Dowager Cixi imprisoned Emperor Guangxu here, restricting his freedom and depriving him of the power to handle state affairs. The emperor was trapped like a puppet.

He was imprisoned here, no one cared about him, and the years passed by. The former emperor could only silently endure this cruel reality. All this was because of the struggle between new and old ideas, which made him a victim of the failure of the reform.

What's even more tragic is that according to historical records, Emperor Guangxu had trouble even getting food in Yingtai at that time.

An important document of the late Qing Dynasty, Qing Bai Lei Chao, records: "When Emperor Dezong was imprisoned in Yingtai, although there were dozens of dishes for each meal, half of those farther from the seat were already smelly and rotten, probably because they had been presented for days for decoration and there was no change. The rest was dry and cold and unpalatable, so he could not feel full every time he ate. Occasionally, he wanted to ask the imperial kitchen to change a dish, but the imperial kitchen would report it to Emperor Xiaoqin, who would always blame him for his frugality, so he did not dare to say anything."

We often describe the emperor's dining table with words such as delicacies, delicacies from land and sea, etc., but unexpectedly, there were spoiled dishes in front of Emperor Guangxu. It was really strange that the emperor of the Qing Empire could not eat enough! A small landlord's family would not be like this, right?

This was not the worst. There were times when he could not get food. The Records of the Boxer Rebellion recorded: "The emperor lived in Yingtai, and his food was not delivered on time, so he picked hibiscus flowers to eat." The food was not delivered on time, and he was so hungry that he ate hibiscus flowers, looking like a starving person on the street. It was miserable for the emperor to do this.

"Haha, speaking of Emperor Guangxu, it really makes people sigh. Back then, he couldn't even have enough food to eat, let alone eat delicacies from land and sea. His life was worse than that of us ordinary people. Hey! It's already this late, how about I treat you guys to a good meal?" Liu Zhiye said with deep emotion as he recalled this period of history from sixty years ago.

After hearing this, Liu Zhiruo clapped her hands and laughed, "Great! Great! Then what do you want to treat us to? " When she heard about food and drinks, she became particularly excited and was the first to speak up to express her agreement.

Liu Zhiye said: "Let me think about it, is there any good place to eat nearby?"

An idea suddenly occurred to him, and he said, "Well, I got it! How about we go have a barbecue?" He looked at them with a smile, his eyes full of anticipation and kindness.

Gan Ning smiled and asked He Hongmei: "Hongmei, how about we go get some barbecue?"

He Hongmei answered readily: "Sister-in-law, just order whatever you want to eat. I can eat anything. I'm not picky about food."

Seeing this, Liu Zhiye suggested, "Well, I'll take you to a famous barbecue restaurant. Have you heard of Kaorouwan?"

Liu Zhitai also echoed: "Yes, everyone in Beijing knows it, we just haven't been there to eat it, hehe!"

"Then let's walk. The barbecue place is not far away."

So, they headed southwest and came to the "Kaorouwan" restaurant at the west entrance of Aner Hutong, Xuanwumennei Street.

Among the many barbecue restaurants in Beijing, Kaorouwan is the oldest one. This restaurant has a history of nearly 300 years, which can be said to be very old.

The first business of Kaorou Wan was that a Hui Muslim named Wan pushed a cart to sell beef and mutton in the Xuanwumen area. His second generation installed a barbecue grill on the cart and started selling roast beef.

It was not until the third generation that they purchased a shop and ran it from then on, specializing in roast beef and beef and mutton steamed buns.

The barbecue skills of this restaurant are very exquisite. They use top-quality beef, which is specially marinated and then grilled on a special barbecue grill. It has a delicious taste and a fragrant aroma.

In the early years, Nan Wan and Bei Ji in the capital were famous and well-known. Ji's roasted lamb and Wan's roasted beef were both unique and had their own way of standing.

Art masters such as Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian, Mei Lanfang and Ma Lianliang are frequent visitors here, which shows how extraordinary its charm is.

It is said that one day more than ten years ago, a reporter named Tang from "Shibao" invited Mr. Qi Baishi to taste the barbecue at "Kaorouwan".

Mr. Qi smiled and said, "How can my teeth chew anything?" The reporter said, "It is precisely because you can chew it that I treat you to barbecue." Then he added, "The meat is as tender as tofu." Mr. Qi was in a good mood that day, so he picked up his walking stick and went with him.

When they arrived at the barbecue restaurant, the unique barbecue flavor won the praise of Mr. Qi Baishi. The chef carefully cut two bowls of "Niu Milong" for Mr. Qi, and after they were cooked and served, Mr. Qi praised them highly.

At this point, Mr. Qi really fell in love with "Kaorouwan" and wrote poems, painted pictures and wrote plaques for it many times.

Inscribed on the plaque: "Qingzhen BBQ Wan"

He painted a picture of plum blossoms and inscribed a poem: "Walking in the cold, I am as vigorous as the pines and cypresses. I know that I have no life and my blood is full of passion."

The inscription on the painting "Longevity Peach" reads: "The kind will live longer."

(End of this chapter)