Chapter 6 - Dinner Entertainment

"Missing?" Sue Ying, one of the ladies next to Char Char asked. Her black hair was in a tight bun and she had a round face and a plump figure.

Edwin sighed, and smiled, "It's probably not anything serious. My master is prone to acting spontaneously. As one of the monastery’s elders he has many duties that can call on him unexpectedly. All I can do is wait for him to return."

Sue Ying's concerned expression melted away as she smiled, relaxing. "That's good, then. I hope for a quick reunion."

"Have you filed a missings person report to the police?" The lady next to Sue Ying said. Yuzu didn't know her, she was thin and tall, and wore a delicate framed pair of glasses that gave her a refined, serious look. She had an air of haughty importance to her that intimidated Yuzu. She was younger than the host, perhaps in her mid-40’s rather than the Uncle Zhao’s mid-60’s.

"I haven-" Edwin began.

"Well, then, you should file one with my husband." She looked pointedly across the table to the man sitting next to Grandma Jingyi.

He had a stern look, with pronounced cheekbones and a strong jaw. His hair was cut short and he had a neatly trimmed mustache. He wore a pressed black suit jacket over a navy blue turtleneck sweater. He looked to be in his late 40’s, though his eyes had the deep look of someone with many life experiences. He nodded towards his wife, and turned towards Edwin.

"I can take down his description and any information you think would be helpful and bring it to the station tomorrow."

"You should assign the case to a detective, dear." The lady said. “For an elder of a prestigious monastery to be missing for a week, it’s better to err on the side of caution than wait for potentially bad news.”

At that moment, Yuzu realized the identity of the couple. The woman's name was Lily Fang, the assistant to the Minister of Finance. Grandma Jingyi would occasionally mention the tales of the grand balls and fancy events that Lily attended as part of her visits. Although Yuzu had never met her, from the stories she appeared to be pushy, nosy, but ultimately intelligent person that tried her best to make things right.

Lily's husband was Jintang Fang, the Chief of Police. Yuzu didn't know much more than that, but his broad shoulders and serious demeanor certainly fit the role. She found herself subconsciously sitting a little farther away from him after coming to the realization.

"Yes, I was just going to say I was planning to do that, Lily." Police Chief Fang said. Yuzu sensed the slightest hint of exasperation in his voice. The corner of her lip curled up at the observation.

"I would be grateful for any help." Edwin pressed his fingers together again and bowed.

Fang raised his hand and shook it as if clearing the air, smiling amicably, "Let's not discuss business at the table. Come, the food is getting cold."

While they were talking, the maids had brought out large plates of food from the kitchen. Aromatic smells floated in the air, wetting Yuzu's appetite.

There was a vegetable dish heaping with juicy guangdong mushrooms, leafy green bok choy and a colourful assortment of peppers and radishes. The sauce was a thickened white wine glaze and it was drizzled with sesame oil that added a nutty tone to the first bite and a wonderful aroma to the dish.

Next to it was a steamed black finned tiger cod, prepared with spring leeks and a light soy sauce broth. The fish had been steamed whole and was presented on the platter as such with a garnish of chives. As an added detail, a trio of dyed radishes had been expertly cut into the shape of flowers with paper thin petals. One of the chefs emerged from the kitchen and began carving the glossy slate grey skin of the fish. It steamed profusely as the skin was pierced, revealing the deliciously light and flaky flesh within. As the host, Uncle Zhao received the first portion, then the other guests were served.

Following that were numerous other dishes, all equally mouthwateringly aromatic and expertly plated. There was an abundance of seafood, which formed the base of Kumin cuisine. Though Noga was located in the shadow of the Yonge mountains, Seline Harbour was only two days journey away by carriage. As a connoisseur of Kumin cuisine, and the host of other such gourmets and important people, it would be remiss of Sansen Zhao not to treat his guests to the best he could offer.

King crab served chilled with ginger and scallions. A local dish popularly known as the seven mountain treasures with many roots and fresh herbs harvested from the surrounding areas. Finger length smelt battered and fried in oil. Far too much food for a table consisted mostly of older people. But any spare food would be shared by the servants afterwards, so none of it would go to waste.

"The girls will enjoy this one." Uncle Zhao said, a twinkle in his eyes. Both Char Char and Yuzu looked expectantly at the dish that was being brought out from the kitchen.

A modest stack of plump Aldini shrimp were piled on a platter. They were breaded and fried in a fish paste batter that was formed into a ball around the body of the shrimp, which was peeled with the tail still attached for presentation.

Char Char had a bright glimmer in her eyes and she even bounced a little in her seat, as if unable to contain her excitement. Yuzu kept her composure, even looking back at her plate to feign non-interest, but inwardly she tracked the location of the dish by the footsteps of the maid carrying it.

Char Char was given the first serving from the maid, who elegantly placed three of the batter encased shrimps on the girl's plate, then placed a small dish filled a creamy thick sauce that resembled whipped cream. It glistened in the palm sized dish, enticing Yuzu from across the table, who could no longer resist eyeing the plate.

The maid was then directed over to Yuzu by Uncle Zhao, and it took all of Yuzu's self control to wait patiently to be served.

The first bite of the battered shrimp crunched with a satisfying crispiness, as the rich flavour of shrimp and fresh dough filled her mouth. The creamy white sauce, which she had dipped the shrimp into, coated the inside of her mouth with a silky smooth coolness that offset the piping hot heat from the fried delicacy. The sweetness of the sauce came from cooked down yellow peaches, powdered sugar and fresh cream, and it matched perfectly with the savoury shrimp. Yuzu was in heaven as she closed her eyes to savour each bite.

"I hope you are all enjoying dinner. I have to apologize for the lack of meat tonight." Uncle Zhao spoke as all the main dishes had been served. "It seems that wild game is scarce this year, and the quality of meat is also very low."

Northern Kumin cuisine typically had a balance of seafood and red meat, but due to the mountainous terrain it did not have much land for pasture. Thus, game meat such as elk, deer and bear were more common.

"I’ve heard of this." Said old man Reza with a smirk. He was a close friend of Grandma Jingyi, and was the owner of a shipping company that maintained many trade routes throughout the region. "There are rumours of spirits and strange beasts being spotted in the mountains by the traders.”

“The kind of strange beasts that don’t produce meat?” Police Chief Fang chortled, elbowing old man Reza in the ribs in jest, “Those traders are always trying to make new excuses to up their prices.”

“I’m just relaying what I’ve heard.” Old man Reza said, a grin on his face, “So far it hasn’t affected business. My business, anyways.”

“Still,” Sue Ying said, “You’d think they could come up with more convincing stories than spirits in the woods.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised how superstitious the workers are.” Reza said, “I’m sure they very much believe in them. There are rumours going around that other trading companies have lost entire caravans in the mountain paths in recent weeks.”

“Strange beasts need their spices and cloth, of course.” Police Chief Fang said, though his expression turned a bit more serious, “It’s not my department, but it seems that travel in the mountains is indeed not safe lately.”

He then turned to the monk and added, “You’d best be careful when you travel up to the monastery, Edwin.”

“You mean the stories of strange beasts could be real?” Char Char piped up.

“The old tree on the mountain pass; Grows crooked throughout many seasons.” Police Chief Fang said, quoting the famous poet Li Ru. It was a poem that expressed that situations were often caused by many factors.

“The spirits beckon me to act; How can I resist their call?” Old man Reza said, gesturing poetically.

There was a moment of silence, before all the adults began praising the recitation, smiling and complimenting Old Man Reza’s response.

“Ah, that was a good one!” Uncle Zhao laughed heartily. “Your old mind is sharp as ever!”

This was a common game that the educated class liked to play, to express their knowledge of literature and challenge their wit. Oftentimes, instead of directly responding on a topic, one would quote a line of poetry or verse from a famous author to make their point. Police Chief Fang had started the game by quoting a line from “Along Weathered Peaks”, which Li Ru had written in the era of the five kings.

Old man Reza had responded with a verse from a play called “Runan’s Plight”, also written by Li Ru. In this play, the main character was a drunkard who often lied and made poor decisions. The word “spirit” in the verse referred to liquor in the play. Old man Reza was reflecting on Police Chief Fang’s comment by suggesting that the trader’s problems were a result of foolishness and inebriation. But what made this retort particularly clever was that it also connected to the present conversation topic of spirits and strange beasts. As an added bonus, it was written by the same author, but in a different piece of work.

Sometimes the exchange of wits would continue, with various parties replying in verse, but in this case Old man Reza’s response had been so cleverly appropriate and succinct, the adults at the table simply conceded that he had ‘won’ the game. Even Police Chief Fang was laughing and complimenting his opponent.

Yuzu reflected on all of this as she observed the adults stoically, with the attitude of a researcher observing a band of monkeys. It seemed like a boorish method of entertainment to her, one that was overly convoluted and presumptuous. But since reading was one of her main hobbies, Yuzu had understood the references and the hidden meaning of the verses (even if it had taken her a moment to piece together).

She glanced over to Char Char, and clearly the entire exchange had gone completely over the other girl’s head. The only thing she could do was smile cluelessly in her seat. A hint of a grin tugged at Yuzu’s lips as she enjoyed a self-satisfied feeling of superiority.

Through the windows, a green and coral pink sky shone vibrantly with the last rays of the setting sun.