Chapter 43: The Difference Between Today and the Past
Chapter 43: The Difference Between Today and the Past
After entering the restaurant, a handsome and smart waiter immediately came up to greet me, nodding and bowing.
"Dear guest from the second floor, please come this way!"
The hall on the first floor was filled with drinkers, it was bustling with noise and the air was filled with the aroma of wine and food.
They played finger-guessing games and drank until their faces turned red and their foreheads were greasy.
The box is on the second floor. The waiter will lead the way. Please go up the stairs from the first floor.
Zhou You noticed that the drinkers in the hall were looking at where he was going with envious expressions.
The private room on the second floor is very expensive, and it could easily cost a middle-class family ten years' savings, which is far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
The distinguished guests who could hold a banquet on the second floor were either rich or noble upper-class families in Gongliang City.
When I reached the second floor and pushed open the door of the box, a warm and fragrant breeze blew towards me.
There was a heater and incense in the box, and the faint sound of string music could be heard from behind a beaded curtain.
The graceful figure reflected on the pearl curtain not far away was a specially invited musician who played music to liven up the dinner.
"Zhou You is here, please take a seat."
Shen Sijing's voice came from the opposite side.
The apprentices standing next to him were all formal apprentices, and Li Hao was among them.
As expected, the people in this box are all from Shen Sijing's camp, belonging to a faction that originated in the city.
"I'm sorry for keeping Senior Brother Shen waiting for so long. I'm here to apologize."
Zhou You saw Shen Sijing, who was the center of attention, and quickly stepped forward to bow.
Xu Ying on the side added fuel to the fire, "It's not enough to just apologize. Drink three cups as punishment and this matter will be over."
Three glasses of wine were nothing to Zhou You.
The wine glass is as crystal clear as jade, filled with orange wine, and looks like a piece of pure and flawless amber from a distance.
It is soft and smooth when you eat it, and a wonderful fragrance immediately rises from your throat after it enters your stomach.
Good wine, aged for at least twenty years.
After Zhou You finished three cups of wine, Xu Ying and Li Hao invited him to sit at the table, one on each side.
Shen Sijing nodded at him with a smile, and an attendant behind him came forward carrying a wooden box.
"Zhou You, a small gift to celebrate your becoming a formal apprentice of the martial arts school."
Zhou You subconsciously declined, "Brother Shen, I dare not accept this reward without merit."
All I could hear were the fellow apprentices around me laughing and persuading me, "Take it, we'll all take it."
Even Li Hao nodded in agreement.
Zhou You knew that accepting the gift in the wooden box meant joining Shen Sijing's camp. It was a token of his allegiance!
"I will refuse it disrespectfully."
Zhou You opened the wooden box and was slightly stunned. The unique red light of pure gold hit him in the face.
Three sets of gold items were placed on a silk cushion.
The first one is a cigarette holder made of pure gold, which is for Zhou Laocan who has the habit of smoking.
The second item was pure gold jewelry, a pair of earrings and a pair of bracelets, both of which were women's styles and were obviously for Zhou Youniang.
The third one is naturally for Zhou You...
Hair rings, belt buckles and other daily necessities are all made of pure gold, emitting a charming soft light.
Regardless of the value of the gold, these things take great care of his family of three.
The gold products are all made with top-notch craftsmanship, exquisite styles and perfect details, suitable for both practical use and appreciation.
"At least one pound of gold was used, and it was 99% pure gold."
Pure gold is red in color, which means a significant increase in smelting costs, so it is more expensive.
The market price of one pound of pure gold can be exchanged for at least 125 taels of silver.
Moreover, the wages of gold and silversmiths must also be taken into account.
The labor cost of top-level Seiko is basically 1:1 with the gold price.
In other words, the real value of these gold items was equivalent to about 300 taels. Zhou You made a rough calculation and was surprised by Shen Sijing's generosity.
Not only him, but all the formal apprentices present had received similar gifts. How much did it cost?
Senior Brother Shen is indeed the son of a wealthy family. His generosity has seriously shaken Zhou You's values.
"Don't just stand there, drink!"
Xu Ying started to make a fuss. He was one of Senior Brother Shen’s confidants and the one who livened up the atmosphere tonight.
The drinking table is the best way to liven up the atmosphere. After a few rounds, Zhou Zhouyou has already gotten to know all the apprentices present.
Except Xu Ying and Li Hao, the other apprentices were recruited by Shen Sijing.
Their status is similar to Zhou You's, and they are all natives of Gongliang City.
"Senior Brother Shen is treating us. Tonight is the 'Four Treasures Banquet'. We will find out which four treasures they are later."
Knock, knock, knock. Someone knocks on the door. "The main course is about to be served."
Mou Xiaoli stood at the door, feeling quite nervous. Today he had the honor to follow the restaurant owner to serve the guests in the private room. It was a great fortune.
The waiters in Zhaijinlou are also divided into grades. The waiters in the lobby on the first floor are not as good as the waiters serving in the private rooms.
He was originally a waiter, and came as a substitute tonight because there was a shortage of staff.
Mou Xiaoli cherished this opportunity very much. Thinking of serving the distinguished guest well, he asked the shopkeeper to promote him to the private room on the second floor.
There is a legend among the guys that a senior once received a reward of 10 taels of silver, which is the highest record currently held.
Only the distinguished guests in the private rooms were so generous; the guests in the lobby on the first floor could only give copper coins and small change at most.
After the door of the box opened, the shopkeeper quickly asked the waiters to serve the dishes.
"The first dish of the Four Treasures Banquet is made by stewing the tendons of eight kinds of wild animals until they are tender and seasoned with aged Huadiao wine."
"This dish uses old fish from the bottom of a river a hundred meters deep. They are slaughtered when they are fifty years old, and only the fish belly glue is taken out and dried in the sun before being soaked."
The waiters moved quickly and carefully placed the dishes on the table, explaining the sources of the ingredients for each dish.
They are all good-looking, eloquent, and good at observing people's expressions and only say nice things.
Soon it was Mou Xiaoli's turn.
Mou Xiaoli held the bird marrow on the plate and silently recalled the cooking characteristics of this dish.
He put on his most respectful smile, looked up at the distinguished guests at the banquet, and was about to speak when he suddenly froze.
what?
Mou Xiaoli felt that he was dazzled. How could he see Zhou You from next door among the guests?
I blinked and realized I was not seeing things!
Zhou You seemed to be one of the distinguished guests, and the guests around him were toasting him.
Looking at the table in front of him, there were seven or eight shiny gold items, all made of pure gold and exquisite.
Mou Xiaoli's face turned red and he was speechless and couldn't say anything.
When he stopped, the originally smooth flow of dish serving was interrupted, and the atmosphere in the box suddenly became cold.
"How dare you! What are you doing standing there? Do you want us to invite you to sit down and have a drink with us?"
Xu Ying scolded the shopkeeper without any politeness, "What kind of servants do you have?"
"Forgive me, forgive me."
The restaurant owner's forehead was covered with sweat and he kept nodding and bowing.
After a long and arduous apology, the shopkeeper agreed to give him another jar of 30-year-old wine, which finally calmed Xu Ying's anger.
From beginning to end, Zhou You never looked at Mou Xiaoli.
After leaving the box, the shopkeeper's face sank on the spot.
"The money for that jar of aged wine will be deducted from your wages until it is all gone."
"You are tongue-tied and offend the guests. You should quit your job as a waiter and go to the kitchen to wash dishes and do odd jobs."
Mou Xiaoli didn't even have time to beg for mercy, his heart sank into the bottomless abyss in an instant.
(End of this chapter)