Chapter 96 The Money-Giving Boy
A single dish of braised chicken with a secret sauce was enough to win over Li Xinhui's stomach. Now, with a full sixteen delicious dishes, the aroma made her forget the purpose of coming to Shengyuan for a meal today.
If even she is like this, then Miss Liu and the others are even more so.
When faced with delicious food, everyone has only one thought in their mind: eat!
As if the food wasn't enough of a treat, Shuqi brought over an exquisite wine jar and placed it in front of Li Xinhui:
"Today is Miss Li's birthday. My master has specially prepared a jar of glutinous rice wine. I hope Miss Li and all the ladies will enjoy themselves to the fullest."
After saying that, he unsealed the seal.
In an instant, a refreshing aroma of wine hit everyone present, overpowering the aroma of the dishes in the room.
Li Xinhui wanted to be reserved, but her eyes were uncontrollably drawn to the glutinous rice wine, and she had a terrible urge to bury her head in the jar and drink it all down.
Sitting next to her, Miss Liu couldn't contain herself either, and more than that, she couldn't believe it: "Your master can brew wine?"
Shuqi shook his head: "This is glutinous rice wine, which is much simpler than brewing wine. It is very suitable for people with a low alcohol tolerance."
Before Li Xinhui could speak, he poured a cup for each of the young ladies.
The glutinous rice filling is a pale off-white color, mixed with a little glutinous rice and a few bright yellow osmanthus flowers.
Now, Ms. Liu and the others could clearly smell the faint fragrance of osmanthus, making them even more eager to taste it.
Li Xinhui finally came to her senses, but her hands under her sleeves were trembling slightly.
Seeing her girlfriends looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to pick up her wine glass first, Li Xinhui knew very well that she would not only fail to embarrass herself today, but might also have to embarrass herself.
She took a deep breath and silently comforted herself: Forget it, that woman cooked for her and even brought her glutinous rice wine. That was her way of giving her a way out. If she still held a grudge about what happened that day, she would be petty and become a laughing stock.
Having mentally prepared herself, Li Xinhui finally calmed down and, under the subtle urging gazes of her close friends, picked up the fragrant glutinous rice wine: "Today is my birthday, thank you all for coming to celebrate with me."
Ms. Liu and the others raised their glasses and offered auspicious blessings.
Upon tasting the sweet glutinous rice wine, a look of intoxication appeared on everyone's faces; they couldn't believe there could be such a delicious drink.
After swallowing the glutinous rice, a warm current rose from my stomach, feeling warm and comfortable.
Li Xinhui suffers from cold hands and feet, and she couldn't wait to drink a few more sips. Soon, the warmth in her stomach slowly spread to her limbs, and her whole body felt as if it were being bathed in sunlight.
The others also realized the wonder of the glutinous rice wine, and for a moment they no longer cared about dining etiquette, each one drinking more and more voraciously than the last, and the full cup of glutinous rice wine was soon emptied.
Shuqi saw all this and started making plans in his mind.
These young ladies are all well-off; they'll definitely spend money to buy glutinous rice wine to take home and share with their families.
The master said that a jar of glutinous rice wine would cost ten taels of silver.
There are fifteen people here, and each person gets a jar, which is 150 taels of silver. They've made a killing!
Sure enough, Ms. Liu was the first to suggest buying glutinous rice wine: "My grandmother and mother will definitely like it, and I want to buy some to take home as a gift for them."
Immediately following were the other girls' eager voices: "Me too, I want one too!"
Shuqi's smile was brighter than the sunlight outside: "Alright, ladies, please wait a moment. Someone will carry it to the carriage outside shortly."
Li Xinhui was a step behind, and was the last to speak: "I want one too."
When she uttered those three words, her expression froze, as if she hadn't expected to speak.
Just as she was about to say something to save face, Shuqi said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Miss Li, my master didn't make much glutinous rice wine. The first batch only has fifteen jars."
Upon hearing this, Li Xinhui felt targeted and her face immediately turned ugly.
The next moment, Shuqi said with a smile, "There will be a second batch of glutinous rice wine tomorrow. Miss Li can send someone to pick it up then."
Li Xinhui: "..."
Are you deliberately messing with me?
Li Xinhui's bad mood was instantly cured after taking the first bite of the dish. She no longer cared about the glutinous rice stuffed rice; her eyes were only on the sixteen delicious dishes on the table.
Mmm, this simple braised pork with preserved mustard greens is delicious!
Wow, this seemingly ordinary stir-fried lotus root slices are so fresh and crisp!
Wow, this spicy and savory diced meat dish is so hot and delicious!
The fifteen people at the table ate without looking up, completely forgetting about losing face or saving face.
When faced with the ultimate culinary experience, friendship is nothing.
The last sixteen dishes were devoured by these young ladies who usually only ate half a bowl of rice, their faces beaming with satisfaction.
At this moment, Sheng An walked in with a smile, his gaze falling on Li Xinhui, who was seated at the head of the table: "I wonder if Miss Li enjoyed her meal?"
Li Xinhui wanted to shout that the food was terrible and she was not satisfied at all; as the head chef, she had to apologize to herself.
But looking at the empty plates and bowls on the table, she simply couldn't bring herself to say such insincere words.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the private room became somewhat tense.
Miss Liu stepped in to smooth things over: "Madam Sheng, your cooking skills are superb, far surpassing the head chef of Zuixianlou. We are very satisfied with the meal, thank you!"
Li Xinhui really wanted to say that she paid for the meal and there was no need for her to thank her.
After thinking for a moment, she swallowed her words and reluctantly gave a critique: "So-so, it still needs improvement."
Sheng An's eyes lit up, and she put on a show of listening attentively: "I wonder what insightful opinions Miss Li has? I greatly need Miss Li's candid evaluation."
Li Xinhui: "..."
This woman is as annoying as ever!
After a satisfying meal, the group didn't rush to leave. Instead, they gathered in the card room and billiards room, playing until it was almost dark before reluctantly departing.
Sheng An counted the silver notes and coins, his smile never fading: "I didn't expect the glutinous rice wine to be so popular. I can make more."
Today's deal yielded a net profit of over 180 taels.
Sheng An announced that today's lucky charm for Sheng Garden is none other than Li Xinhui.
We would love to have more high-quality customers like this.
Sheng An put away the money box and instructed Shu Qi: "Tomorrow, order another batch of wine jars, both five-jin and ten-jin jars."
Shuqi quickly agreed, then asked, "Will we be able to buy glutinous rice wine separately at Shengyuan in the future?"
Sheng An nodded: "Making this is not difficult, but the profit is much higher than that of roast chicken."
Few women dislike this sweet and fragrant flavor, and drinking a cup every day is good for your health. Ladies and young ladies certainly know what they're talking about.
The market for glutinous rice wine is still quite large.
Compared to Sheng An's happiness, Li Xinhui felt uneasy, as if she had suffered a huge loss.
She was clearly looking for trouble, but in the end, she not only spent half a year's worth of monthly allowance, but also allowed Sheng An to make a fortune from her group of girlfriends.
Who can I complain to about this?
Miss Liu, who was riding in the same carriage as her, guessed her awkward thoughts, and after secretly chuckling to herself, comforted her:
"As the saying goes, a day of pleasure is worth a thousand pieces of gold, but you bought it with only half a year's worth of monthly salary. Don't tell me you didn't have fun today."
Li Xinhui pursed her lips, and after a long while, a bitter smile appeared on her face: "I used to laugh at her for being a country bumpkin, but today I realized that compared to her, I am utterly worthless."
That woman earns her living through her skills, yet they paid a high price for her and still acted like they got a bargain.
If she hadn't been born into a good family, what would she have to compare with others?
After hearing this, Miss Liu was full of admiration for Sheng An and asked with a smile, "Will you go again next time?"
Li Xinhui gritted her teeth: "Go!"
It's just a monthly allowance for half a year; in a few months it will be the Lunar New Year, and she'll receive a lot of lucky money.
Even without New Year's money, she could easily coax a lot of money out of the old lady by flattering her, enough to make her come to Shengyuan once a month without any problem.
Miss Liu blinked: "Remember to call me next time you come."
Li Xinhui snorted, "Next time it'll be your turn to treat me!"
There are thirteen other people. When they celebrate their birthdays, she will definitely make them host a banquet at Shengyuan Garden to get back the sixty taels of silver she spent today!
In any case, none of them can be left behind.
Shengyuan successfully hosted two groups of guests, and its good reputation spread.
Over the next few days, customers placed orders every day, with the order backlog extending to ten days in advance.
Sheng An suddenly became busy, making the most of the accumulated roasted chicken orders and dedicating more time and energy to cooking delicious dishes.
For a time, everyone was so busy they barely had time to breathe.
Such busy work brought in very good profits, with at least one hundred taels of silver coming in every day.
When Grandma Sheng found out, her eyes widened: "So much money?"
Grandpa Sheng sighed, "The rich are still too rich."
A single meal cost a poor person more than they could earn in half a lifetime—something he would never have dared to imagine before.
Even with his vast experience, Xu Chenglin couldn't help but question his life when faced with a daily income of a hundred taels of silver. He slapped his son hard on the back and said, "You're really lucky, kid!"
Xu Jinnian remained calm: "Yes, I have good taste."
Xu Chenglin laughed heartily: "You acted quickly too."
He only met his daughter-in-law once before quickly arranging their marriage.
If this kid had hesitated even slightly, he probably wouldn't have gotten this free meal today.
Listening to the conversation between the father and son, Sheng An secretly pinched Xu Jinnian, telling him to behave himself in front of the elders.
Xu Jinnian didn't think he was talking nonsense and emphasized seriously, "What Father said is true, there's no need to deny it."
Sheng An was speechless: "Aren't you afraid that outsiders will say the same thing?"
Xu Jinnian said calmly, "What outsiders think is not important. It's better for our family to live a peaceful life."
Xu Chenglin immediately chimed in: "That's right. If anyone laughs at Jin Nian, it must be because they're jealous that Jin Nian can live off a woman. They want to but can't!"
Being a kept man is so appealing. If he had met a woman willing to be his kept man when he was young, he might not have been able to resist and would have given in.
Sheng An: "..."
As expected of father and son, their mental state surpasses that of 99% of people.
Shengyuan's business is booming, and everything is moving in a positive direction.
The wonton shop's business became increasingly prosperous, and Grandpa Sheng and Grandma Sheng got a few more stoves and started selling steamed buns, mantou, and dumplings together.
After all, adult men have a large appetite, and a bowl of wontons can easily make them hungry. It's just right to eat it with steamed buns, mantou, and dumplings.
Xu Chenglin no longer sets up a stall at the market. He stays in the shop every day to help his parents, taking care of greeting customers, seeing them off, collecting bowls, and wiping tables.
In order to earn more money, the wonton shop is open all day long. As a result, everyone in the family is busy with their own things, and no one does the housework.
Sheng An didn't want the exquisite little building to turn into a dirty pigsty, so he directly asked Shu Hua to go back to the human broker and buy two quick-witted people to work.
As it turned out, his eye for calligraphy and painting wasn't very good, and the people he picked were dishonest, almost ruining Sheng'an's life.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com