It was not only Sun Ce who was under pressure, but Yuan Quan, who had always been generous and decent, was also a little uncomfortable, and she should have come out to set up a banquet as soon as possible, standing in the back hall and turning in circles.

Seeing that the wine and food had not come up for a long time, Sun Ce was very surprised, thinking that Yuan Quan had something to do, and no one arranged it, so he asked people to take a look. After a while, Zhu Ran came back, looking a little uneasy, and quietly motioned for Sun Ce to come out and take a look. Sun Ce was puzzled, confessed to Chen Yi and others, got up and came to the backyard, and when he saw that Yuan Quan's face was wrong, he hurriedly stepped forward to ask.

Seeing Sun Ce coming, Yuan Quan felt very guilty for his dereliction of duty and hurriedly apologized to Sun Ce.

"What's wrong?" Sun Ce took Yuan Quan's hand and found that her hands were a little cold, and her palms were still sweaty. "Not feeling well?"

"No, if you don't prepare well today, I'm afraid you'll have to snub your guests."

"Distinguished guests? Chen Yi or Yuan Yi? Seeing that Yuan Quan's face was even more wrong, Sun Ce grinned. You don't mean He Kui, do you? ”

"Who else but him? Husband, you don't know who he is, Yangxia He is a famous family in Chen Guo. ”

Sun Ce raised his eyebrows. "What, it's more famous than your Yuan family of the fourth and third dukes?"

"If my family was prosperous, it would not be like this. But now it is not as good as before, it is a military camp here, all kinds of ingredients are limited, most of them are some home-cooked vegetables, there is no delicacies from the mountains and seas, and there is no preparation, what delicious food can be made in the eagerness? This He family is notoriously extravagant, He Shulong inherits the family style, and ordinary meals are not palatable......"

Hearing Yuan Quan say this, Sun Ce remembered one thing. He doesn't know much about He Kui's living habits, but he is no stranger to the luxury of his son He Zeng. He was the founder of the Western Jin Dynasty, the third duke, a meal cost to 10,000 yuan, and said that there was no place to put chopsticks, and he made a very bad head, which was criticized by many people at that time.

It turns out that this is also the style of the He family.

"In that case, then don't bother, invite him to a working meal."

"Working meals?" Yuan Quan was confused.

"Usually entertain the clerk to eat, let him eat. Anyway, no matter how much you prepare, you can't meet his standards, so just keep it simple. ”

Yuan Quan thought for a moment and nodded vigorously. "If you say it reasonably, you can win by surprise, maybe you can hit it right and end up with a reputation for frugality. He is a member of the Chen family and a member of the party, and he is quite influential in Shilin, and it would be a good thing if he could make a name for his husband. ”

Seeing that Yuan Quan misunderstood what he meant, Sun Ce couldn't help laughing. It seems that Yuan Quan was really suppressed by He Kui today, and said the wrong thing one after another. A similar situation would not have been possible in normal times. It can be seen that everyone has her ability to bear, and once it exceeds her capacity, she is no different from ordinary people. Yuan Quan was born in a wealthy family, and his ability to bear it is a little stronger, but it is not limitless.

Sun Ce turned around and took two steps, then stepped back and picked his chin. "What do you mean when you say it's not as good as it used to be?"

"Huh? Yes! Yuan Quan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly woke up, and was immediately embarrassed. Husband, the concubine has no other meaning, you must not ......"

Sun Ce raised a finger and gently pressed it on Yuan Quan's slightly hot lips. "Don't explain, explanation is a cover-up, I won't reason with you now, and when I'm done sending off the guests, I'll have a good fight with you." After speaking, without waiting for Yuan Quan to speak, he walked quickly.

Yuan Quan was remorseful and distraught. Although she knew that Sun Ce was mostly joking with her and wouldn't really do anything to her, she was still upset by this gaffe. No matter how generous Sun Ce is, after all, he came from a humble background, suddenly became rich, and often interacted with celebrities and nobles, so it was impossible not to feel inferior in his heart, but he didn't usually show it. It really hurt his self-esteem, and he probably reacted more violently than anyone else. Sun Jian and Sun Quan are all of this temperament, how can Sun Ce be an exception.

Sun Ce returned to the front hall, arched his hand to Chen Yi and the others, and said with a smile: "I'm ashamed, I'm ashamed, I didn't know that you were here, and I didn't prepare, so I could only invite you to a light meal." The food in the army can only be full, but the taste is really not very good. ”

Xu Qian worked in the Taishou Mansion, and was often ordered to report to Sun Ce, knowing that although Sun Ce didn't have any delicacies here, he did it very exquisitely, and he didn't go to his heart, just as Sun Ce was polite. Chen Yi and the others didn't think much about it, and Yuan Yi also chimed in, showing that he had also suffered in the army.

As soon as a few words were spoken, several people began to chat. Although Sun Ce became famous as a young man, he didn't have much of a fight, and his original rudeness also had a bit of casualness. Xu Qian and others are common, he doesn't say much, and most of the time he talks with He Kui. Tiannan Haibei, astronomy and geography, he knows most of them, although he has not formally apprenticed to study, there are strategists like Guo Jia around him, there are Confucian students like Yang Xiu, and occasionally he can drag a few sentences, especially "Zuo Chuan", he has read a lot recently, and specially copied a copy of Zhang Zhao's "Spring and Autumn Zuo Biography Notes" to read carefully. Besides, it's no secret that the Sun family has no knowledge, He Kui's expectations for him were originally not high, but now listening to him be reasonable, it has already exceeded expectations.

The guest and the host talked very happily, but He Kui was always very cold, no matter what Sun Ce said, he never smiled from beginning to end, and he didn't make eye contact with Sun Ce, he listened with his eyelids drooping, and nodded occasionally, that condescending sense of superiority made Sun Ce very unhappy.

When it was time to eat, Yuan Quan took a few maidservants to serve wine and food. Although it is not a light meal exactly as Sun Ce said, it is not as delicate and hearty as usual. As soon as Sun Ce saw it, he knew that Yuan Quan was still a little nervous in his heart, and he was very unqualified. But he didn't say anything, even if Yuan Quan didn't play to his level, it was much better than the real army food.

He looked at He Kui and wondered very much if this famous gentleman, who was used to eating good food, could swallow this meal, and whether he would say that there was nowhere to put it.

Xu Qian was a little surprised when he saw a few simple meals on the case, and after tasting it, he felt that the taste was not as good as usual, and he was surprised. However, he is a smart person, his eyes swept inadvertently, and he saw Sun Ce looking at He Kui intently, and there was a faint smile on the corner of his mouth, and then he "understood". Needless to say, this is Sun Ce's deliberate frugality. Such a good thing, how can He Kui monopolize it, the land in Runan was scraped by Sun Ce, and Chen Guo is no exception, the He family is one of the best families in Yangxia, and the oil and water are thick, so they should be allowed to share a little.

"It's admirable that the general can lead by example." Xu Qian sighed lightly: "Zhang Fujun often told the officials in the palace that the general was thrifty, and asked us to save food and tide over the difficulties together. We all thought that Zhang Fujun was exaggerating, but when we saw it today, we knew that Zhang Fujun's words were true. Admire, admire. ”

Sun Ce was a little surprised by Xu Qian's support, but he was not surprised. Xu Qian has always been very cooperative.

Chen Yi listened, looked at the food on the table again, and although he was a little disappointed, he still ate it. After his father Chen Fan was killed by eunuchs, he fled for many years, and he survived all these bitter days, and today is nothing. Yuan Yi barely ate two bites and stopped, claiming to be full. Although he has served as a taishou and led soldiers, he is not in the habit of sharing weal and woe with ordinary soldiers.

He Kui took a small bite of rice, put it in his mouth, and didn't swallow it for a long time, and the expression on his face became extremely rich for a while. It took him a lot of effort to swallow the food in his mouth, and he forced a smile: "The general usually eats such food? ”