Lin Yuan and Lin Wen hurried to the dining hall. The moment they walked in, they saw someone familiar sitting by the main seat, drinking tea slowly.
"Hey? Big brother!" Lin Yuan exclaimed in surprise.
"Big brother, you're finally back!" Lin Wen cheered and leaped towards him.
Lin Feng put down his tea cup and smiled, ruffling Lin Wen's hair. "You've grown so much in three years, Wen'er."
Lin Wen puffed out his chest proudly. "Of course! Sixth brother has grown a lot too!"
"You cheeky thing! Don't tell me you've been slacking off all these years?" Lin Feng teased, shooting Lin Yuan a mischievous grin.
Lin Yuan stuck out his lip. "Not at all! If you don't believe me, let's have a spar later!"
"Haha, interesting." Lin Feng laughed, then looked at the old man beside him—his master, Master Zhang.
Master Zhang stroked his beard, eyed Lin Yuan, and nodded slightly. "The lad has made good progress. These years of training weren't in vain."
"Naturally." Lin Yuan tilted his chin confidently. But when he saw the Bo Xia Gong on the table, his smile faded.
It didn't look like any hot pot he'd ever seen.
Modern hot pot had rich broths—spicy oil, clear soup, mushroom soup, and more. The sliced meat was paper-thin, and it came with a variety of seasonings, offering a burst of spicy, numbing, fresh flavors. But this ancient hot pot was different. The copper pot had a chimney in the middle, heated by charcoal underneath. The broth was clear, and the ingredients were mostly mutton, beef, fish slices, and some root vegetables. The seasonings were simple—just ginger, scallions, and garlic—nowhere near as diverse as modern dipping sauces.
Lin Yuan stared, bewildered. "This... What's this?"
Lin Feng skewered a piece of mutton with his chopsticks and smirked. "What, never laid eyes on a hot pot?"
"Er... It's my first time..." Lin Yuan swallowed. Even though it wasn't what he'd expected, it was still hot pot. He didn't hesitate, grabbing his chopsticks and digging in. Without modern seasonings, the meat was tender, and the simple ginger, scallion, and garlic gave it a unique taste.
After a satisfying meal, Lin Yuan rubbed his full belly and ambled towards the small study.
He flipped through a book on military strategy. Soon, he heard low voices from the main study next door. Curious, he pricked up his ears and faintly caught words like "Hu Kingdom," "Man Kingdom," and "war." His heart skipped a beat, and he inched closer to hear better.
"The Hu Kingdom declared war on the Man Kingdom," Lin Feng said, his voice steady but grave.
"It seems the war between the Man Kingdom and the Qian Kingdom two years ago was actually instigated by the Hu Kingdom," Master Zhang said coldly.
"That's right." Lin Feng spoke slowly. "The war between the Man Kingdom and the Qian Kingdom lasted over a year. The Man Kingdom barely won, but their national strength drained severely. Now that they're just starting to recover, the Hu Kingdom's timing for the declaration of war is shrewd."
"Hmph, the Hu Kingdom's ambition has never changed," Lin Jiwu let out a scornful snort, his voice laced with threat. "This is no trivial matter. If the Man Kingdom crumbles, the Hu Kingdom will set its sights on the Da'en Kingdom next. And if that happens, they'll gobble up the entire East."
"On the flip side..." Lin Feng continued, "if we can seize this chance to defeat the Hu Kingdom, we can unify the whole East."
The study fell silent briefly, the atmosphere tense and heavy.
Lin Yuan's heart jolted. Just as he strained to listen more, the door suddenly slammed open, and a sharp voice rang out...
"Who's there?! Come out!"
Lin Yuan's heart leaped. Knowing he'd been discovered, he stepped out bravely.
Stepping inside, he saw not only Lin Feng, Master Zhang, and Lin Jiwu but also his third sister, Lin Su. In a martial outfit, arms folded, she gave him a teasing look.
"Well, sixth brother, eavesdropping isn't very gentlemanly," Lin Su said with a half-smile.
Lin Yuan forced a sheepish grin. "I... I was just passing by."
"Passing by?" Lin Feng looked at him helplessly. "Do you know the consequences if what we discussed leaks out?"
Lin Yuan waved his hands hurriedly. "I'm not stupid. I won't breathe a word!"
Lin Jiwu fixed him with a stern glare. "This is a matter of national destiny. Breathe a word of it to no one."
Lin Yuan snapped to attention. "Yes, Father. I won't say a thing."
Master Zhang chuckled, stroking his beard. "Still, the lad heard a lot. He has some smarts. Maybe it's time he studied more military strategy."
Lin Jiwu pondered, then nodded slightly. "Indeed, it's about time."
Lin Feng cleared his throat. "Alright, sixth brother, you should leave now. We still have matters to discuss."
As Lin Yuan turned to go, Lin Su spoke up casually. "Sixth brother, remember—keep quiet, or..."
Lin Yuan whirled around, on guard. "Or what?"
Lin Su gave him an innocent smile. "Or I'll tattle to Mom about your late-night snacking."
Lin Yuan: "..."
Seeing Lin Yuan's glum expression, Lin Feng and Master Zhang couldn't help but laugh.
Lin Yuan let out a sigh, his face burning with embarrassment. As he dragged his feet away, he thought, "Hu Kingdom, Man Kingdom, Da'en... Seems like chaos is about to engulf the world."
===================
林远和林温快步来到饭厅,一进门就看到一个熟悉的身影坐在主座旁,正一脸悠然地喝着茶.
"哎?大哥!" 林远惊讶地叫道.
"大哥,你终于回来了!" 林温也高兴地扑了过去.
林锋放下茶盏,笑着揉了揉林温的脑袋:"三年不见,温儿长高不少啊."
林温骄傲地挺起胸膛:"那当然!六哥也长高了很多呢!"
"臭小子,这几年有没有偷懒?" 林锋转头看向林远,笑着调侃道.
林远撇了撇嘴:"当然没有!不信等会儿咱们比划比划!"
"哈哈,有点意思." 林锋大笑,随即看向旁边的一位老者,正是他的师父,张大师.
张大师捋着胡子,打量了一眼林远,微微点头道:"小子长进了不少,这几年没白练."
"那是当然." 林远得意地一扬下巴,随即目光落在桌上的拨霞供,然而下一刻,他的笑容微微僵住了.
这...这火锅,怎么跟他想象中的不一样?
现代火锅,锅底浓郁,分红油,清汤,菌汤等各种口味,涮肉讲究薄切,配上各种调料,麻辣鲜香.但眼前的古代火锅却大不相同,铜制火锅中间是个烟囱,下面是炭火加热,汤底清澈,食材也大多是羊肉,牛肉,鱼片以及一些根茎类蔬菜.调料更是简单,基本上只有姜葱蒜,远没有现代火锅的丰富蘸料.
林远有些懵:"这,这是?"
林锋夹起一片羊肉,笑道:"怎么?没见过?"
"额... 第一次..." 林远咽了咽口水,虽然跟自己想象的不一样,但好歹也是火锅,他也不矫情,赶紧拿起筷子开吃.虽然缺少现代的调料,但肉质鲜嫩,蘸着简单的姜葱蒜也别有一番风味.
吃饱喝足后,林远心满意足地摸着肚子,慢悠悠地往小书房走去.
林远翻看了一会儿兵法书,不久便听到隔壁主书房传来低沉的交谈声.他好奇地竖起耳朵,隐约听见了 "胡国","满国","战争" 等词汇,心里一紧,忍不住靠近书房,想听得更清楚些.
"胡国已经和满国正式开战了." 这是林锋的声音,语气沉稳而低沉.
"看来两年前满国与乾国交战,其实是胡国在背后挑拨." 张大师的声音带着几分冷意.
"不错." 林锋缓缓道,"满国与乾国的战争持续了一年多,最后满国勉强胜出,但国力也大幅消耗,如今才刚刚开始恢复,胡国这时候宣战,实在是好算计."
"哼,胡国的狼子野心,从未改变." 林季无冷哼一声,语气森然,"此事可大可小,若满国败了,胡国的下一个目标必然是大恩国.到时候,他们就能顺势吞并整个东方."
"反之..." 林锋缓缓道, "若我们能趁机击败胡国,也能完成整个东方的统一."
主书房里陷入短暂的沉默,气氛紧绷而沉重.
林远听得心头一震,正想再仔细听听,忽然,房门猛地打开,一道冷厉的声音传出...
"是谁?!出来!"
林远心里一跳,知道自己被发现了,索性不再躲闪,硬着头皮走了出来.
当他进门时,看到书房里除了林锋,张大师和林季无,竟然还有三姐林苏!林苏一身劲装,双手抱胸,正一脸戏谑地看着他.
"呦,六弟,偷听可不是君子所为啊." 林苏似笑非笑地道.
林远讪讪一笑:"我...只是路过."
"路过?" 林锋无奈地看着他,"你可知道刚才谈论的内容,若是传出去,会有什么后果?"
林远连忙摆手:"我又不傻,怎么可能乱说?"
林季无沉着脸盯了他片刻,语气严肃:"此事关乎国运,不准再提半个字."
林远立刻站直,正色道:"是,阿爹,我明白."
张大师倒是笑了笑,摸着胡子道:"不过,这小子刚才也听了不少,倒是有些见识,或许以后也该多学学兵法了."
林季无沉吟片刻,微微点头:"的确是时候了."
林锋在旁边轻咳一声:"好了,六弟你先出去吧,我们还有事情要谈."
林远应答后,转身准备离开.但就在这时,林苏悠然开口:"六弟,记得啊,别乱说出去,不然..."
林远警觉地回头:"不然怎样?"
林苏微微一笑:"不然,我就告诉阿娘你晚上偷吃点心的事."
林远:"..."
见林远一脸郁闷,林锋和张大师忍不住笑了出来.
林远无奈地叹了口气,感觉今晚真是出丑了,悻悻地转身离开.
走出书房,他仰头看着夜色,心里默默嘀咕:"胡国,满国,大恩... 看来这天下,真的要乱了."