The Jade Pearl Banquet Aroused Envy and Heartfelt Speech to Stop Tears
Qian Jianjun arranged dinner at a private estate. The car drove through the grounds for about five or six minutes before stopping in front of a single-family villa. Two neat rows of beautiful women in cheongsams lined the red carpet at the entrance to welcome us.
"This is a place for friends to have private gatherings. Not only can you dine here, it's also a small museum." Qian Jianjun introduced as he led the way.
Soon, a waiter politely arrived. He was about 1.85 meters tall, wearing a dark blue suit with a black satin collar and a red bow tie. He led the group around the villa, introducing the exhibits in a voice like a newscaster.
Each room has a different theme. The European-themed rooms are luxurious and elegant. There's a sofa from a French royal palace, famous Renaissance paintings hang on the walls, and a sapphire necklace once worn by a European queen sits on the dressing table. Every object in the house has a history, a provenance, and a story. Even the wallpaper on the walls is from the same manufacturer and style used by a European royal family.
The Chinese-style room offers a strikingly different style. While similar in size, each room is decorated with a unique scene, enhanced by carved red sandalwood screens. Furniture crafted from small-leaf red sandalwood or rosewood is inherently valuable, and the furniture in this room is entirely vintage, originating from the imperial court or belonging to prominent historical figures. Furniture from different periods, meticulously arranged, creates a harmonious interplay between the simplicity of the Ming Dynasty and the sophistication of the Qing Dynasty. As in the European-style room, even the teacup on the small table is a piece of porcelain, fetching eye-popping prices at auction.
The entire tour, including the Japanese-style rooms, was filled with a sense of life, giving people the feeling that they were ready to move in. If it weren't for someone introducing it, I would never have imagined the high prices and unparalleled artistic value behind it.
"Dear guests, you may have noticed that all the artworks you see are arranged according to their function, without any particular classification or preference for style. This is the attitude of the owner of this place towards art: art comes from life and serves life. Art separated from life itself is like water without a source and a tree without roots."
The summary brought by the waiter's mellow voice made everyone marvel at the host's wealth and admire his artistic insights.
Finally, they were led to a banquet hall. It was a room reminiscent of a Chinese palace. In the center sat an oversized round table, flanked by seven carved mahogany chairs. In one corner sat a grand piano, where a performer, judging by the exceptional skill of the instrument, was playing the "Yellow River Piano Concerto."
The waiter just said goodbye and left. Seven cheongsam beauties, each about 1.7 meters tall, took his place. They led Xue Jiuyue and her group to their seats one by one, and then stood behind the guests.
After they were seated, Qian Jianjun continued his introductions. "Today, to welcome everyone, we've prepared a dinner based on the Manchu-Han Banquet. However, aside from the drinks, all the ingredients we'll be eating are sourced from this estate. They're all organic and pesticide-free, and we only use seasonal produce. Therefore, if some of the Manchu-Han Banquet dishes aren't available, the head chef will substitute other ingredients. Please understand."
"Mr. Qian, you're too polite! As you said, we're all friends, so just be casual. This is way too grand."
Qian Jianjun couldn't tell whether Xue Jiuyue's words were praise or criticism, so he could only respond, "This place belongs to a very good friend of mine. It's just like your own home, so please feel free to do as you please. Xiao Nian comes here often, too, right, Xiao Nian?"
"Yeah, yeah, Sister Yue, the food here at Yiyi is delicious, everyone feel free to eat as you please." After saying that, Qiu Nian looked at Lin Yiyi blankly again, but was only glared at in return. He didn't know if it was considered a reward.
Qian Jianjun continued with a smile, "Yes, yes, Xiaonian is right. Everyone, please feel free to come and be informal. I'm very happy to have friends old and new gathered here today. Especially when I was talking about art with Mr. Xue just now, I really felt that it's hard to find a soulmate, and it's a pity that we met too late. So, let's have a drink to celebrate. What do you think, Mr. Xue?"
"The guest should follow the host's wishes and follow Mr. Qian's arrangements." This time Xue Jiuyue did not refuse.
In the end, Qian Jianjun recommended that Xue Jiuyue and the others drink dry red wine, which has the effect of beautifying and nourishing the skin, and it would be the "icing on the cake" for the three already very beautiful girls; while the three men except Lao Zhou drank white wine, which showed their heroic spirit and masculinity.
The beautiful women in cheongsams meticulously set the tableware and napkins for the guests, then decanted, divided, and poured the wine. Soon the dishes were served, and the beautiful women in cheongsams placed more or less of the dishes on the plates in front of the guests, depending on their preferences.
At first, I felt a little awkward, but with Qian Jianjun and the wine as our golden pair, there was no chance of a dull moment. After three rounds of wine and five dishes, the atmosphere was already lively.
Xue Jiuyue continued her previous conversation, discussing the differences between traditional Chinese and Western culture with Qian Jianjun, eventually touching on the similarities and differences between Aristotle's The Middle Way and Confucianism's Doctrine of the Mean. Qiu Nian patiently introduced dishes to Lin Yiyi beside him, despite receiving constant stares. Ke Yike, watching Xue Jiuyue and Qian Jianjun engage in conversation while he remained completely unable to get a word in, felt a mixture of emotions.
"Ying'er?" A habitual call.
"uh-huh."
"Comparing yourself to others is really frustrating! Mr. Qian is so young, so rich, and knows so much. I feel like I am nothing when I am with him." Ke Yike was a little depressed.
"Can he cook? Is he more romantic than you?"
"What can't money buy?"
"That's not true. Of all the deeply moving art and stories that have been passed down for thousands of years, which one has anything to do with money? West Lake vinegar fish, beggar's chicken, which of these famous dishes were created by dignitaries? Even Dongpo pork was a masterpiece created by Su Dongpo after he was demoted."
Zhou Ying's advice always convinced Ke Yi, "What you said seems to be the case."
Zhou Ying added sweetly, "Not only that, doing what you like and what you are good at is your life. Serious boys are the most handsome! Boys who focus on their own fields are the most charming."
"Cheers, Ying'er." This time, Ke Yike was completely revived. Not only did he clink glasses with Zhou Ying, he also raised his wine jug and made a toast, bringing the atmosphere of the banquet to a new climax...
It has been raining frequently recently, and the gloomy sky makes it hard to breathe.
When Mei Rugu saw Li Jingzi, the rain outside the window was still falling like tears.
"Sister Mei, don't get excited. It's just a misunderstanding. Nothing that can't be solved." Li Jingzi said as she handed over a tissue.
Mei Rugu took the tissue and slowly calmed down after a long time, but she still felt uneasy. "Lan, this time is really different! He hasn't been home for several days."
"Haven't you complained before about Qian not coming home for so long? Isn't that a common occurrence?"
"No, no, he was busy working overtime before and didn't come home. And recently he gave himself a day off, purely because we had a quarrel and he didn't come home."
"No wonder. You really shouldn't have let outsiders get involved in what happened between you two." Li Jingzi was quite critical of what Mei Rugu had done. After all, she was also responsible if you looked into it in detail.
"I only saw the bag that Lao Qian bought once before, in a car, and never saw it again. So I always assumed he had given it away. When I saw it in the coffee shop, I just assumed it was this. I couldn't contain myself at the time. Who would have thought that Lao Qian was giving it to his assistant, Xiao Gu?"
"Sister Mei, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you're truly wrong this time. My opinion is that you should apologize. Misunderstandings aren't scary. What's scary is not resolving them, letting them become hurt, and ultimately scars and estrangement."
"Apologize? Lan, I'm not going to be angry until you apologize. You don't know that after that day, Old Qian had dinner with Xue Jiuyue twice under the guise of an apology. I was a little irrational that day, but that doesn't mean my judgment was completely groundless."
"Sister Mei, we're not talking about the same thing. No matter what, you were the one who started this, so you should apologize. Don't even mention whether you're angry or not. I think you just can't let go of your pride. Sister Mei, face is used between outsiders. It's the most useless thing between husband and wife. Don't lose sight of the big picture for the sake of a small one."
Mei Rugu felt a little embarrassed at being touched on, but she still explained, "Lan, it's not just a matter of face. I'm mainly afraid that if I apologize and admit my mistake, Old Qian will have a hold on me and do whatever he wants from then on, and it will be out of control. Although, as you said, I was wrong first, but just because of such a small misunderstanding, you're going to make such a fuss and go through so much trouble to treat me to dinner again and again. You definitely have ulterior motives."
"Sister Mei, let's not talk about Mr. Qian's mentality for now. This is because of you, right? It needs to be resolved, right? And I can really promise you that even if we take a step back, I mean, if Mr. Qian really can't control himself like you said, then he can only think about it. Xiaoyue will definitely not waver."
"Okay, I believe you! It's just..." Mei Rugu bit her lip and added firmly, "It's wrong to even think about it! If your husband's heart is with someone else, then it's better to get a divorce. There's no need for a marriage of charity."
Even after compromising, Mei Rugu remained strong and proud.
"My dear Sister Mei, the law won't sentence people based on their thoughts. Imagination is human nature. According to reliable research, when two people are intimate, not only men, but even women will close their eyes and think about others. This is not unforgivable."
"Tsk, I didn't think about anyone else!" Mei Rugu blushed at this sensitive topic that suddenly came up.
"Okay, okay, Sister Mei, you are pure and innocent, and everyone else is a bunch of scabies, okay?" Li Jingzi chuckled and said a funny remark, which instantly melted Mei Rugu's embarrassment.
She then added, "It's not impossible for Mr. Qian to devote all his attention to you. This requires management. Throughout history, which of the most favored beauties in the imperial harem wasn't adept at this? And who could remain prosperous solely on beauty?"
"Oh? Why didn't you tell me about this great idea earlier?"
"Sister, I'm just saying it takes effort to achieve. The specifics of how to do it would fill a doctoral dissertation, and it might not even be suitable for you. Let's just talk about the empresses. Emperor Taizong of Tang's Empress Zhangsun was renowned for her virtue, while Zhu Yuanzhang's Empress Ma was known for her humble beginnings in the chaos. Aren't they all different? And none of them would be suitable for you. Will you allow Mr. Qian to take a concubine?"
"I can't kill him!"
"That's it! You need to manage your own marriage yourself, you can't just copy other people's experiences. I still insist that you and Mr. Qian having a child should be the most effective solution at the moment."
"To have a child..."
Mei Rugu was a little shaken...
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