The Ming Dynasty: Reshaping the Land

Chapter 51 Approaching

As Fu Youde, Fu Zhong, and Fu Rang left the Duke of Ying's mansion, the sky was gradually darkening, and the evening breeze was slightly cool, but it felt refreshing on their faces.

Li Jinglong had already booked a private room at Xiangheshun Restaurant, and besides, Xiangheshun's Shaoxing rice wine was its signature dish, making it perfect for entertaining his father-in-law.

"Uncle, everything is ready at Xiangheshun's place. Shall we head over now?" Li Jinglong asked respectfully, bowing slightly.

Fu Youde waved his hand and said casually, "I heard that your club has food from all over the world, so I'll go there."

Upon hearing this, Li Jinglong froze on the spot.

Looking at Fu Youde's graying temples, he couldn't help but wonder: At your age, do you still have a taste for this?

Despite his inner joking, Li Jinglong genuinely didn't want to take Fu Youde to the club.

What kind of place is his club? He usually brings his brothers-in-law, like Fu Zhong and Fu Rang, there. They're all young people, so it's fine for them to eat, drink, and have fun; nobody would say anything.

But what's the point of bringing your father-in-law along?

Just thinking about that scene made Li Jinglong feel uneasy. What decent person would do such a thing?

Taking his father-in-law to a club, what will become of Li Jinglong's reputation?

"Well... Uncle," Li Jinglong said with a smile, "Xiangheshun has made everything ready, top-quality Shaoxing wine, twenty years old. Isn't that your favorite, Uncle?"

Fu Youde waved his hand dismissively: "We can drink anywhere, and eat anywhere, so let's go to your place. What, does your place have some kind of secret place?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jinglong's face froze on the spot. He quickly gave Fu Zhong a wink, the meaning of which was crystal clear: persuade your father!

But when Fu Zhong saw Li Jinglong's gaze, he deliberately turned his head to the side, pretending to be admiring the street scene.

Li Jinglong rolled his eyes in anger. "Your father wants to go to the club, and you don't even stop him? What kind of brother-in-law is that?"

Fu Youde waited a moment, and seeing that Li Jinglong was just standing there without saying a word, his expression changing, he glanced at him and asked, "What's wrong? Is it inconvenient?"

"Convenient! Convenient!" Li Jinglong quickly replied with a smile, "Since Uncle wants to go to the club, I'll arrange it right away!"

Without waiting for Fu Youde to speak again, he waved to Li Er, who was not far behind him.

Li Jinglong said in a low voice, "Go over there and get ready first."

"Yes!" Li Er replied, then turned and quickly left.

Watching Li Er's figure disappear around the street corner, Li Jinglong turned around, walked a few steps to Fu Youde, and bowed slightly: "Uncle, we'll go over now."

Fu Youde didn't stand on ceremony, grunted in response, and immediately took the lead.

Li Jinglong followed suit, and he and Fu Zhong walked behind Fu Youde, one on each side.

The clubhouse wasn't far from the Duke of Ying's mansion; the group rode horses and arrived at the clubhouse in less than a quarter of an hour.

When Fu Youde walked in, even with his extensive experience, he couldn't help but marvel at the luxury inside.

Li Jinglong, however, was not idle. As soon as he entered the club, he directed Li Er to run around busily.

After a while of fussing, everything was finally settled, and the group took their seats. Fu Youde naturally sat in the main seat, with Fu Zhong and Fu Rang on his left and right, respectively, and Li Jinglong accompanying them from below.

Shortly after he sat down, a group of maids filed in, all wearing fitted long dresses. Li Jinglong glanced at the three members of the Fu family—father and son—without making a sound.

Fu Zhong wasn't into this kind of thing, so he barely lifted his eyelids, simply picking up the teacup in front of him and slowly blowing on it to warm it up.

But Fu Youde and Fu Rang were different. The moment the maids walked in, the father and son's eyes widened and their breathing became heavier for a moment.

Fu Rang was young after all, and his gaze couldn't help but linger on the maids for a few more moments, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

Although Fu Youde was also momentarily stunned by the sudden erotic scene, he was, after all, a veteran who had fought many battles, and his composure, honed through countless battles, was not for nothing.

His eyes flickered for a moment, then returned to normal, his face regaining its calm and indifferent expression, as if nothing had happened.

At this moment, a burly Mongolian man strode in, carrying a huge wooden tray in both hands.

A whole roasted lamb, golden and glistening with oil, sits on a wooden platter, steaming hot and gleaming enticingly. Its surface is crispy and charred, with sap dripping from it from time to time.

The rich aroma of roasted meat, mixed with the unique scent of spices, filled the hall, making everyone's mouths water.

"My lord, this is a lamb I just roasted. It's tender and juicy, please eat it while it's hot!"

The Mongolian man carefully placed the wooden tray in the center of the table, stepped back, and spoke in heavily accented Mandarin.

Li Jinglong smiled and nodded at him: "Old Mu, you've worked hard, your skills are getting better and better."

Upon hearing this, the Mongolian man named Mutuo gave a shy smile on his dark, rough face, scratched the back of his head, and said in a simple and honest manner, "Your Excellency is too kind. It is my honor to be able to roast meat for you."

After Muto bowed and withdrew, Fu Youde turned his gaze from the roasted whole lamb to Li Jinglong, his brows furrowing slightly: "You actually let a Mongol roast meat for you? Aren't you afraid he'll poison you?"

Although Fu Youde spoke in a calm tone, Li Jinglong could tell that the deep-seated vigilance and hostility in his voice were genuine.

Fu Youde fought his entire life, battling the Mongols for decades. He beheaded countless Mongol cavalrymen and lost countless comrades to the Mongol scimitars and arrows.

Such a veteran who had crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood naturally had no good feelings towards the Mongols and was very wary of them. This was experience gained at the cost of his life, and it was something he could not change.

"Uncle," Li Jinglong put down his wine cup and said seriously, "I obtained this person, Mutuo, from His Highness the Prince of Yan back then."

When he was on the grasslands, even though he has such great skills in grilling meat now, he still had a hard time getting enough to eat on a regular basis.

For ordinary herders like him, it's common to starve or freeze to death during snowstorms.

Since arriving in Nanjing, I have been able to eat well, dress warmly, and sleep soundly. I no longer have to live in fear, no longer worry about the day when the iron cavalry of the Great Ming Dynasty will trample through my camp, and no longer worry about feuds and raids between tribes.

I gave him a life he never dared to dream of before, so why did he want to hurt me?

Li Jinglong paused, then continued, "Besides, even if he really had that intention, could he really bribe all the people inside and outside my club to harm me?"

After hearing these words, Fu Youde remained silent for a moment, but the expression on his face did not relax much.

He picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and said expressionlessly, "Those who are not of our race will surely have different hearts. Moreover, the Mongols are the mortal enemies of our Great Ming Dynasty. After decades of fighting, the blood feud cannot be resolved with a full meal."

You're young and haven't experienced those things, so you don't know their methods. It's always good to be cautious.

Knowing Fu Youde's temperament, Li Jinglong smiled and obediently said, "Uncle is right. Don't worry, I'll be careful."

Fu Youde nodded, no longer continuing the topic, and turned his gaze back to the whole roasted lamb in the center of the table: "But speaking of which, while the Northern Yuan barbarians are hateful, their skill in roasting lamb is truly exceptional."

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Jinglong picked up a small knife from the table, stepped forward, sliced ​​off a piece of rib meat from the roasted lamb, and placed it on the plate in front of Fu Youde.

He laughed and said, "As long as our Great Ming Dynasty is full of martial spirit and our iron cavalry is tough enough, and we defeat them and make them afraid, then the Mongols will still sing and dance for us, in addition to riding horses and shooting arrows."

"Singing and dancing?" Fu Youde was taken aback at first, then laughed, "Mongolians singing and dancing? How could you even think of that! Those people are more suited for riding horses and shooting arrows, making them dance?"

Fu Zhong and Fu Rang also laughed, but Li Jinglong smiled without saying a word, thinking to himself that they just hadn't seen it.

The meal was very enjoyable. Roasted whole lamb was the main dish, and the kitchen brought out several carefully prepared Shandong dishes one after another. Paired with fine Shaoxing rice wine, it was a very pleasant experience.

Li Jinglong thought that the meal would end soon, since it was getting late and Fu Youde was getting on in years and should be going home to rest.

But to his utter surprise, after they had eaten and drunk their fill, Fu Youde slammed his wine glass on the table, wiped his mouth, and spoke again with undiminished enthusiasm: "I heard you can also listen to music here? Make some arrangements, this old man would like to see it tonight."

Li Jinglong almost couldn't keep his smile going. Listen to music? Continue?

Li Jinglong sighed inwardly. Helpless, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and make the arrangements. He gave Li Er a wink, and Li Er understood immediately. He turned and went out, and soon brought people in.

Two women dressed in cheongsams gracefully entered the hall, their beautiful figures accentuated.

One held a pipa, and the other held a tea set. They bowed gracefully to the guests and then sat down on an embroidered stool on one side of the hall.

Fu Youde closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and tapped his fingers lightly on the table in rhythm with the pipa, his face full of enjoyment.

Li Jinglong sat at the lower end of the table, his heart filled with mixed feelings, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself: What sins have I committed?

Bringing your father-in-law to the club for a meal and drinks is one thing, but now you're also listening to music and enjoying tea. You're having more fun than the young people. If word gets out, Wanqing, it'll be all your dad's doing!

It wasn't until curfew was approaching that Fu Youde finally stood up, satisfied, and prepared to leave.

As the group exited the clubhouse, Li Jinglong respectfully escorted Fu Youde to the car. Fu Youde, however, seemed to suddenly remember something, turned to look at him, and stretched out his hand.

Li Jinglong was stunned and didn't react.

Fu Youde didn't say anything, but just beckoned to him with his finger.

Li Jinglong then realized what was happening, and quickly pulled a membership card from his sleeve, handing it over with both hands.

Fu Youde took the plaque, looked it over, and then calmly put it into his sleeve. He patted Li Jinglong on the shoulder, said nothing, and turned to get into the carriage.