Xiao Jinhan raised his eyes, his gaze lingering for a moment on Qin Yucheng's hand holding the silver coins. "Today is the day of the roof-raising ceremony, and these red envelopes are meant to bring joy to the guests."
You've come from afar, so it's only natural that you share in the joy.
However, with so many people coming and going, please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality.
"Young Master Xiao is too kind! Hua'er and Brother Su invited me to drink the roof-raising wine, which means they treat me like family. There's no question of whether they're entertaining me or not," Qin Yucheng chuckled softly, suddenly emphasizing the word 'Su'.
She then met the man's gaze and seemed to suddenly remember, "By the way, the restaurant opens tomorrow. Hua'er and I have put a lot of effort into the restaurant these days. Whether it's the dishes or the restaurant's layout, it can definitely be called the only one of its kind in Qingshui County."
"If Young Master Xiao has some free time tomorrow, you must come and try our restaurant. It'll be my treat, how about it?"
"There's no need for a treat." Xiao Jinhan's eyes remained unchanged. "I'll also have a share at Su's Restaurant. I'll definitely go with Hua'er tomorrow."
Qin Yucheng's smile eventually faltered.
"When did you start getting a table at the restaurant?"
Xiao Jinhan glanced at the girl, a hint of tenderness appearing on his cold face. "Hua'er gave this to me."
"What?! It's a gift for you?!" The boy's voice rose involuntarily, his obsidian-like eyes filled with surprise. "How could Hua'er give it to you? How is that possible!"
Hua'er is intelligent and never one to suffer a loss.
He and Hua'er collaborated on the restaurant's naming rights, which earned him 20% of the restaurant's profits. But this guy in front of him had Hua'er give him a share of the business without him even noticing.
If seeing him surrounding Hua'er before made her feel like someone had thrown a jar of vinegar into her heart, now she felt like she was emitting sourness from head to toe.
This guy is so good-looking, he must have been tricked into marrying Hua'er.
Ah Cai stood behind the two men, his eyes downcast, sweating profusely. His young master had grown up under the care of the old master of the Li family and was known for his sharp tongue. However, he had never expected to be repeatedly humiliated by this taciturn young general.
Seeing that things were not going well, Wang Dapang and Lu Lao Er quickly ran to join the other villagers in grabbing the candy.
The tension between men is even stronger than that between real firecrackers; they're best avoided.
Su Hua was a little puzzled when Xiao Jinhan suddenly brought this up, but she smiled and nodded: "At Su's Restaurant, Zichen, like you, enjoys 20% of the profits."
When he delivered the two land deeds, she thought about giving him something in return. After seeing the large restaurant in Tongxin Lane, she decided to give him the restaurant's profits.
After all, the restaurants in Qingshui County start at least at a thousand taels of silver, and the restaurants in Tangshan Prefecture City, which she had never seen before, were even more expensive. Apart from the restaurant's profits, she couldn't think of anything of equivalent value to offer.
However, when offered a bonus, he refused to accept it, finally saying: "No matter how much or how little I earn, I'll keep it with her and ask her for it when I need it."
Now that he's willing to take 20% of the profits, she's relieved.
However, since the restaurant's land deed involves the Yu family of Prince Gong's Mansion, there's no need to disclose it to outsiders, lest it cause unnecessary trouble.
Just then, Su Bai's loud voice rang out, "The dishes are served! The first course! Hot braised wild beef, everyone please make way so we can have our dish served first..."
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Su Bai carrying a large plate of spicy and fragrant beef through the courtyard gate, followed by Aunt Zhou and a string of Su family members, each holding a large, red, steaming bowl or plate.
The aroma wafted into everyone's nostrils, and they no longer cared about crowding under the beam. Of course, the red envelopes had long been snatched up, and now even the peanuts, red dates, and candies were all gone. Everyone hurried to find the nearest table to sit down.
The Su family built a courtyard in front of and behind their new house. The front courtyard was about an acre in size, with a high blue brick wall in front of it. The acre behind the wall was still empty, but today eighteen tables were set up neatly.
The village has more than 50 households, totaling more than 500 people. Except for the Meng family, the Feng family, and the Xiao family, every family came. Even Widow Liu's family came just in time. Usually, they bring one or two children. She brought all four of her cows.
Although there were many people, they also brought a lot of gifts. Each person brought four cows, twenty copper coins, twenty eggs, and a basket of cucumbers and peppers. These gifts for the housewarming were considered quite generous in the village.
In the blink of an eye, all seventeen tables, except for the main table, were fully occupied.
On the table, dishes were served one after another, ten hot dishes: braised wild beef, braised goat leg meat, stir-fried wild boar meat with soy sauce, stir-fried chicken with wood ear fungus, braised whole fish, duck with ginger, spicy pork lung, preserved rabbit with green peppers, stir-fried pork intestines, and scallion omelet.
Six cold dishes: braised meat platter, braised dried fish in soy sauce, pork skin jelly, cold mixed mushrooms, spicy and sour chicken feet, and spicy duck neck.
Two soups: chicken soup with matsutake mushrooms and old hen, and fish and mutton soup.
In addition, there are two pots of wine on the table: one pot of strong liquor and one pot of apricot wine.
The tables brought by the villagers varied in size. Some tables were too small to hold all eighteen dishes, so they had to be placed on plates and bowls. At a glance, the dishes on the table were all colorful, fragrant, and delicious, making one's mouth water just by looking at them.
"My goodness! My husband always tells me that the food at the Su family's house is amazing. Today I've seen it with my own eyes! It's more than just good; even the gods in heaven and the king of hell couldn't get this kind of food!"
"These dishes are clearly a testament to the Su family's generosity. They know we've never tasted such delicacies before, and they're giving us a feast today!"
"That's right. Let alone wild boar meat, even beef, my old woman is half-buried and has never eaten a bite. Besides, most of the meat on this table, bowl after bowl, I've never even heard of. This is the first time in decades that we've had such a grand feast at the house-raising ceremony in Shanghe Village!"
"Stop talking, or I'll be drooling all over the place..."
Su Bai's face lit up with joy. Like a proud peacock, she straightened her back and said loudly, "Thanks to Daddy Barley and the villagers for their help these past few days, our new house has been built. Everyone here is a hero!"
This feast today was specially prepared by my daughter to express her gratitude to everyone, so that everyone can eat and drink to their heart's content! Please eat and drink to your heart's content; there's plenty of food!
Su Hua's lips twitched slightly. She had only added a few more dishes to the original menu, but her mother had been heartbroken for quite a while.
Upon hearing this, the villagers showered Su Hua with compliments, and laughter instantly echoed throughout the entire village.
Standing in front of his large brick and tile house, Meng Yongfu listened to the faint laughter coming from the end of the village. His long, square face stretched even longer than a donkey's, and his face was so dark it was unrecognizable.
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