But Lin Sanqi didn't say anything. He came here to do business, not to follow the rules. If he could eat the meal, he could eat it. If he couldn't, he could go home and order takeout. It didn't matter.
Southerners are so pragmatic when doing business and don’t care about empty formalities.
Yao Zhuohan saw that the chairman of the other company was sitting on the left of his boss. He was about to sit down next to his boss's right, but was stopped by a female public relations officer at the door.
"Secretary Yao, I'm wrong, you're the guest of honor today. You should sit to the left of Chairman Zhou."
Lin Sanqi blinked, tasting the flavor. He thought there must be some local specialties involved, so he asked curiously:
"Mr. Jay, and this beautiful lady, is there any local custom for you sitting like this?"
The female public relations officer is Huang Yuqi, the reception director of Daisy Company. She is about 30 years old, wears a professional suit, has big wavy hair, and smells of nice perfume. She is very elegant.
The key point is that she was wearing a tight base shirt, and the slit of the bra was almost up to her belly button, and the killer weapon on her chest was so dazzling that it could blind people's eyes.
Huang Yuqi then smiled and introduced:
"Director Lin, we in Dongshan Province have strict rules for seating arrangements at the banquet tables.
Usually, the host's seat is in the center of the table, and other guests are seated in order according to their status and relationship.
This seating arrangement not only reflects respect for the host, but also demonstrates the order and etiquette of Dongshan people at the dinner table.
For example, our Jay Chou’s seat is called the host, which is the primary position of the host, usually held by the highest-ranking person in the host’s organization or the most distinguished drinking companion.
This position is located in front of the door, and its core function is to control the rhythm of the entire banquet, including the time control of the banquet and the degree of alcohol consumption.
At the Dongshan banquet, the role of host is crucial. It is not only a symbol of the host's identity, but also a key role in controlling the entire banquet process.
I sat directly opposite the host, with my back to the door. This is called the deputy host. As the second in line for hosting guests, my status is second only to the host among the guests.
In the traditional sense of Dongshan, this position was usually occupied by the person who treated the guests and paid the bill.
However, with the prevalence of the custom of treating guests, now the guests often come in groups, so matters such as paying the bill do not actually need to be handled personally by the second-in-command host.
Therefore, the main responsibility of the deputy host is to guide the guests to drink and do a good job of accompanying them.
For friends from other places who are not familiar with this rule, like Mr. Lin and Secretary Yao, there is actually a simple way to distinguish: just observe how the napkins are folded in the cups on the table.
Mr. Lin, please look, the way the host and the second host fold their napkins is unique and obviously different from other positions.
The host's napkin is usually folded into a cylindrical shape and inserted into the cup, while the second person's napkin is cleverly folded into a fan shape. By observing these subtle differences, we can easily determine the two key positions.
Similarly, the person sitting to the host's right is the "main guest," the most distinguished guest of the evening, while the person sitting to the host's left is the "secondary guest." Today, Secretary Yao is the second most distinguished guest.
Lin Sanqi looked around and saw that everyone was already seated. He asked curiously:
"Then are there any rules for the other people's seating arrangements? Manager Huang, please help me. I'd be sorry if I ruined everyone's fun by not knowing the rules."
Huang Yuqi's smile was as warm as a spring breeze, revealing her domineering demeanor everywhere, which made Yao Zhuohan feel very inferior.
"Mr. Lin, you've asked the right person. There are actually other rules for seating. For example, the seat to your right is called the sixth guest, the one next to you is called the third guest, and so on and so forth, the fifth guest and the fourth guest.
Counting from my right, there are the third guest, the eighth guest, the fourth companion, the seventh guest, and then to Secretary Yao, who is the deputy guest.
Because there are two Director Lins here today, the seats originally occupied by these guests have been filled by several managers from our Daisy Company."
While introducing, Manager Huang stood up, took the Moutai liquor from the waiter, and personally filled the glasses of Lin Sanqi and everyone else.
Lin Sanqi is not a big drinker and doesn't like liquor very much. When he saw the waiter had five boxes of Moutai next to him, he felt uneasy and quickly tried to dissuade him:
"Mr. Zhou, Manager Huang, since the location is so particular, I'm afraid drinking in Dongshan Province is even more particular, right?"
When he looked back, he saw that the wine glass in front of him, which was only about three or two taels in size, was already filled to the brim.
If I drink one glass of this, I'm afraid I'll pass out before I even have a chance to eat the cold dishes.
Zhou Daxin stood up with a smile at this time, not giving Lin Sanqi any chance to refuse:
"Today, we have a distinguished guest. Chairman Lin has come all the way from Huadu to take care of our Daisy Company's business. Let's raise a toast together to welcome Chairman Lin. Let's express our deep affection!"
Everyone at the scene cheered and stood up, raising their glasses.
Lin Sanqi twitched the corner of his mouth, thinking that he had to give face to the host with this first glass, so he picked up the glass and everyone drank it directly.
In fact, what Lin Sanqi didn't know was that this first glass of wine was called "entry wine". According to the rules, the host took three sips, the deputy took three sips, and the whole glass was finished in six sips.
But Zhou Daxin was a soldier and a straightforward person, so he liked to drink three glasses of wine first and then follow the rules.
Lin Sanqi drank a glass of Moutai and frowned because of the spicy taste. He was just about to sit down and try some cold dishes when his assistant, Manager Huang, filled his glass with wine again.
"Director Lin, I admire those big bosses and entrepreneurs the most in my life. You are so young, yet you have become the chairman of Lingnantang Group, the largest supplier of wild ginseng in the country, and the owner of the country's top traditional Chinese medicine clinic.
For your career success and your elegant demeanor, I offer this toast to you. We Dongshan people are honest, and our drinking capacity represents sincerity. Director Lin, please see how I perform."
After saying that, Huang Yuqi drank three taels of Moutai in one gulp.
Lin Sanqi was now being roasted on the fire. He had already done it to a woman, so how could he refuse?
So he also smiled and said, "Okay, Ms. Huang is as capable as any man. I have to give her this honor. I'm going to do it."
After the first two cups of six taels of Moutai, Lin Sanqi instantly felt a burning sensation from his mouth through his esophagus to his stomach.
The young secretary Yao Zhuohan could only try her best to signal to the boss to take it easy. In such an occasion, the fact that she could sit at the table was already a great honor for him, so naturally she had no right to speak.
Who knew that at this time, the escort stood up again, and the sales director Kong Hongde raised his glass with a smile:
"Mr. Lin, I'm in sales. Don't worry, our company's all-terrain vehicles, both in design and quality, all follow the most advanced international standards, but the price is the lowest in the world.
I, Old Kong, can confidently assure you that we will cooperate with Lingnan Hall with the utmost integrity. Come, come, may our cooperation be as mellow and long-lasting as this wine. Do you feel the sincerity of us Dongshan people?"
The few people serving drinks nearby also laughed and cheered, adding to the atmosphere, and shouted in unison: "Cheers!"
Lin Sanqi was holding the wine glass, and he really wanted to vomit blood, but he was too embarrassed to refuse the first three glasses of wine since the other party was so polite.
So he gritted his teeth and raised his glass again: "Cheers to the enthusiasm of the Dongshan people!"
“Okay~~~”
Lin Sanqi picked up the wine glass and drank it all up, then he felt dizzy all of a sudden, the alcohol took effect.
Although he was not drunk, since he had thousands of tons of Moutai liquor, he began to stagger.
Seeing that Si Pei was about to stand up again, Lin Sanqi couldn't stand it anymore and quickly waved his hand and said:
"Stop, stop, stop. I know how enthusiastic the Dongshan people are. Stop it. I still want to eat your Dongshan specialty, fish head. Please at least let me have a taste of the hot dishes."
Lin Sanqi's words were half true and half false, but Zhou Daxin was a shrewd man and knew that if the guest was an ordinary one, he would definitely have to follow the host's wishes, which was a bit bullying.
But when it comes to a billionaire like Lin Sanqi, you can't offend him easily. If Ma Huateng comes, who dares to force him to drink?
So Zhou Daxin used his eyes to signal his subordinates. Everyone got it, and Huang Yuqi, the social butterfly, immediately warmed up the atmosphere and said:
"Director Lin is truly knowledgeable. In Dongshan Province, there are many ways to pay attention to the etiquette of eating fish.
For example, when the fish is served on the table, the fish head must be facing the guest of honor as a sign of respect, and the guest of honor must also drink three glasses of wine to show his respect.
The person facing the tail of the fish has to drink four glasses of wine, which is the traditional saying of three for the head and four for the tail.
There are also some etiquettes for eating fish. For example, giving fish eyes to leaders means showing respect; giving fish weirs to distinguished guests means supporting the cause; giving fish mouths to good friends means showing close ties; giving fish tails to subordinates means entrusting them with important tasks.
Giving fish fins to the younger generation means that they can spread their wings and fly high; giving fish belly to new acquaintances means that they can be open-hearted; giving fish buttocks to the frustrated means that they will have good fortune in the future; eating fish meat at will means that there will be surplus every year.
In short, Dongshan's drinking culture is very sophisticated. Many people say it's too complicated, but in fact, it's a respect for the etiquette and culture passed down from generation to generation by our ancestors, and it also highlights the magnanimity of our hometown of Confucius and Mencius.
Lin Sanqi thought to himself, the people of Dongshan are really warm and hospitable, but they are also really troublesome.
He glanced at his secretary again and saw that the girl had drunk a glass of white wine and her face was as red as a female Guan Gong. He felt a little distressed.
"Mr. Zhou, I feel the enthusiasm of the people of Dongshan. Let's just be casual from now on. Don't get too tired. I still want to taste the essence of your Boshan cuisine. If I get drunk, I will be letting you down."
Zhou Daxin put down his wine glass:
"Boss Lin is right. We're next door, so let's just eat. I'm tired of all the rules. Let's listen to Boss Lin and let's just be casual. No one is allowed to toast anymore."
Lin Sanqi finally breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this. If he drank any more, he would really vomit. (End of this chapter)
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