Li Zhensheng reacted quickly, scooping him up and asking, "What happened?"
"Knife...knife!" Master Dong was so frightened that he stammered, and everyone else was startled as well.
Li Zhensheng turned around and saw that it was Jia Huan who had come in carrying a kitchen knife.
He quickly reassured everyone, "Don't be afraid, this is my nephew, the head chef of the restaurant. He brought the knife in to carve the roast duck in front of you all!"
"Sliced roast duck?" Everyone was skeptical.
Jia Huan realized he had almost caused trouble, so he quickly smiled awkwardly and stepped aside, revealing the young man behind him.
The waiter carried a large tray with a roasted duck, its skin glistening with oil, looking so appetizing it made one's mouth water...
A moment later, Master Dong and his entourage were able to eat roast duck pancakes.
They finally understood why Li Zhensheng wasn't afraid of Minghua and Zhuozhuoer stealing the spotlight—because his trump card was so sharp!
It almost instantly devoured the tongues of that group of gourmands...
The lobby and private rooms on the second and third floors of Cyclamen were full of guests.
The waiter carried the roast duck all the way, and everyone could see it clearly and was tempted by the aroma.
Just then, seeing Li Zhensheng come down from the third floor, many people greeted him with smiles.
"Master Li, your restaurant has another delicious dish! Why don't you tell everyone? That roast duck was so fragrant! Give us one!"
Li Zhensheng smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to everyone. Of course, he couldn't let such a good opportunity slip by, so he quickly promoted it.
"As you may not know, we have a private room called 'Hundred Flowers Fragrance' on the third floor of our restaurant. We will be offering private banquets there, featuring rare ingredients and the most innovative cooking methods. One table every five days, priced at one hundred taels."
"The first table today was reserved by Master Dong to entertain his friends. That roast duck is the main course today. To be honest, let alone you all, I didn't even have a chance to taste this roast duck myself. The preparation was just too exquisite and too rare!"
"If you'd like to try it, you're welcome to book a banquet at Baihuaxiang. We offer banquets every five days, so if you book late, you'll probably have to wait two or three months."
One hundred taels for a seat?
Everyone grimaced upon hearing this. What kind of food was served at such an expensive banquet?
Are they cooking with gold?!
Everyone just smiled and made a few perfunctory responses, but no one actually made a reservation.
Li Zhensheng didn't care and just went about his business.
About half an hour later, Master Dong and his friends, having eaten and drunk their fill, came down from the third floor, their faces glowing.
One busybody quickly asked loudly, "Master Dong, how was the roast duck? Is this private banquet at Baihuaxiang Restaurant, costing one hundred taels a table, really worth it?"
Master Dong was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Oh dear, I booked a table for sixty-six taels. It turns out Brother Li is taking good care of me!"
Just then, Li Zhensheng came over from behind and said, "Brother Dong is the first guest at Baihuaxiang, so we at Xiankelai naturally want to express our gratitude. From now on, starting from the second table, it will be one hundred taels, to symbolize that everything will go smoothly."
"No, no!" Master Dong waved his hand forcefully and said loudly, "Brother Li, I am already very satisfied to be able to appreciate such beautiful flowers and eat such rare delicacies today! It would be worth it even if it were two hundred taels, let alone one hundred taels!"
"I don't want this discount! Baihuaxiang's private banquet is worth charging a hundred taels of silver from the very first table!"
After saying that, he took out two hundred-tael silver notes and slapped them directly onto the counter.
"This is the money for today's meal, plus a reservation for a second table. I want to bring my whole family to try this delicious food."
Li Zhensheng quickly thanked him, accepted the silver note, and said with a smile, "Brother Dong, remember to send someone to tell me your family's preferences in the next few days. I'll have the head chef try to make the menu accordingly, so that everyone in the family will be satisfied!"
"Alright, alright, it's settled then!" Master Dong nodded with a smile, then rubbed his hands together and whispered, "Those potted plants in the private room upstairs..."
Li Zhensheng quickly waved his hand, "Brother Dong, as you probably guessed, we can't grow such beautiful flowers at home. I borrowed them from a hermit, and I promised to return them tonight."
Master Dong was extremely disappointed, but he looked at Li Zhensheng with pleading eyes and refused to give up. "Brother Li, please help me think of a solution. Just one pot, I'll take just one!"
Li Zhensheng hesitated for a long time before steeling himself and replying, "I'll talk to that hermit and see if I can spare you a pot..."
"Hahaha, that's great, that's great! Brother Li, I'll take it all, no matter how much silver it is, please give me a bowl!" Master Dong was overjoyed, as if afraid that Li Zhensheng would change his mind, and hurriedly left with a few friends.
The diners were completely baffled from beginning to end.
But there were two things they understood.
That is, the fragrance of cyclamen flowers, with beautiful flowers and delicious vegetables!
Everyone couldn't help but start discussing it, curious about what kind of beautiful flower it was, and also curious about how delicious the roast duck was.
Li Zhensheng ignored them and didn't say another word. He took the silver notes and went to the backyard.
In the backyard room, the old lady was having dinner with Tao Hongying and Jiayin.
Tao Hongying was a little tired after a morning of preparations, so she didn't have much of an appetite. She just ate a bowl of plain porridge with some pickled vegetables.
Jiayin felt sorry for her mother and kept putting food on her plate.
At this moment, Li Zhensheng came to deliver the good news.
“Mother, sister-in-law, the guests at Baihuaxiang have left. They not only gave us 100 taels of silver for the meal, but also reserved a second table.”
As he spoke, he handed the banknote to Tao Hongying.
Tao Hongying took the silver notes, her face beaming with excitement, all her fatigue vanished, and she quickly asked, "Brother, why so much? Wasn't it sixty-six taels of silver per table?"
Li Zhensheng laughed smugly, "Master Dong said he was very satisfied after admiring the beautiful flowers and eating delicious food. He wouldn't accept a discount and insisted on paying one hundred taels! Also, he kept pestering me to sell him a pot of flowers..."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked towards Jiayin.
Jiayin was gnawing on a rib, her little mouth greasy, and after blinking her big eyes twice, she nodded, "Selling flowers, give the money to Grandma!"
"Oh my, my Fu Niu'er, she's such a little girl, and she's always thinking about how to earn money for her grandma!" The old lady hugged her granddaughter tightly, feeling both happy and heartbroken.
Others may not know, but she knows all too well.
A few days ago, when I went to the Peng family to present the betrothal gifts, my granddaughter walked around the betrothal gift box several times.
She was probably worried that her brothers would all need to pay betrothal gifts to get married in the future, and the family wouldn't have enough money.
This is something I've been longing for, and it's also opening up new avenues for wealth for my family.
The old lady pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her granddaughter's mouth and gently patted her back, saying, "Eat well, you don't need to worry about things at home."
Jiayin grinned foolishly, wanting to repay her family's kindness a thousandfold.
Besides, who would complain about having too much money?
Seeing her granddaughter's reaction, the old lady knew she couldn't persuade her, and could only look to her eldest son.
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