Chapter 168 Birthday Banquet, Unexpected Guests
Ning Sihan stood under the eaves, watching Sheng An's figure disappear into the distance.
Doctor Wang stepped forward, his face revealing his disappointment: "Boss Sheng finds it hard to leave his hometown; we can only wait two more years."
Physician Hu shook his head: "Whether she can go to the capital in two years depends on whether her husband can pass the imperial examination and participate in the spring examination in the capital."
Imperial Physician Wang, eager to abduct Sheng An to the capital, glanced at Ning Sihan, whose face remained expressionless, and said regretfully:
"Young Master Xu's tutor comes from the Jiang family of Jinling. He even achieved the rank of Tan Hua in the imperial examination and was appointed as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Otherwise, if the young master recommends a famous teacher in the capital for him, Boss Sheng would definitely go with him."
Since this path was blocked, they could only hope that Young Master Xu would pass the imperial examination soon and take Boss Sheng to the capital to take the exam.
Ning Sihan listened to their conversation without saying a word.
Sheng An returned to Sheng Garden humming a little tune. Shu Qi came over with a list filled with dense writing: "Master, a scholar named Zhao is holding a birthday banquet for his elders at the end of the month. He sent someone to reserve five tables and has already paid half of the deposit."
Upon hearing this, Sheng An took the order in surprise and looked at it: "Five tables of food would cost at least four hundred taels of silver. Since this Scholar Zhao is not short of money, why didn't he invite me to host the banquet?"
Shengyuan has been open to the public for several months, and most of the guests are friends or business partners invited to dinner. We haven't received any orders for wedding banquets or birthday banquets yet.
This was Zhao Juren's first order, which is worth commemorating.
Upon hearing his master's words, Shuqi guessed, "I didn't ask any further questions. Perhaps it's because our Shengyuan Garden is so famous that Scholar Zhao felt it would be more prestigious to hold his birthday banquet there."
Sheng An was convinced by this compelling reason, and his smile widened. He didn't forget to promise Shu Qi a lucrative reward: "Work hard, and the better you do, the bigger the bonus you'll receive at the end of the year."
Shuqi decisively ate the pancake, his spirits lifting considerably: "Yes!"
Summer has a great advantage: a wide variety of ingredients are available in abundance.
Most of the ingredients needed for Zhao Jiading's five-table banquet could be purchased on the day of the event, and those that couldn't be purchased on the day were successfully sourced in advance.
On the last day of the month, Sheng An got up early and took her four children to prepare for the birthday banquet.
Shuqi and the others, along with Granny Sun, were not idle either. They took brooms and rags and swept the front yard inside and out, and carefully trimmed the flowers, plants and trees.
After all, there are dozens of guests coming for lunch, and they will definitely wander around the courtyard. We have to provide a clean and comfortable environment for the guests and not ruin Shengyuan's reputation.
Before noon, the Zhao family, including the scholar Zhao, and their guests arrived at Shengyuan in various horse-drawn carriages and donkey carts, some luxurious and some simple.
This was the first time the Zhao family had dined at Shengyuan Restaurant. Looking at the grand and imposing entrance, the birthday celebrant, Old Mrs. Zhao, felt a little apprehensive: "Eldest son, this place looks even more impressive than our home. Is this really a place to eat?"
It wasn't that Old Mrs. Zhao was ignorant; before Zhao became a scholar, she was just a farmer living a hard life in the countryside.
Having lived in Qingzhou for less than ten years, under the influence of people of the same social class, Old Mrs. Zhao's knowledge and experience have improved considerably, but she is still far behind the naturally wealthy old lady.
Zhao, the scholar, was also shocked, but he managed to keep a straight face in front of his mother: "Mother, this is where we eat. I heard that the chef is extremely skilled, and I only managed to book five tables ten days in advance."
The thought that just five tables of food had cost four hundred taels of silver made Zhao, the scholar, feel a pang of heartache once again.
Looking around at the distinguished guests he had invited, he felt that the four hundred taels of silver were well spent. If he didn't take this opportunity to get closer to them, when would he?
For this reason, he did not send invitations to some of his poor relatives back home, for fear that their vulgar behavior would frighten the guests.
These distinguished guests were unaware of what Zhao, the scholar, was thinking. They had dined at Shengyuan before today, unlike the Zhao family who showed such astonishment at their lack of worldly experience.
At the warm invitation of Scholar Zhao, the guests entered in twos and threes, with Scholar Zhao's son, Zhao Peng, and several friends he had specially invited bringing up the rear.
Looking at the two characters "Shengyuan" on the plaque above the gate, Xu Huaining felt a mix of emotions welling up inside him—envy, jealousy, and... resentment.
As Zhao Feipeng walked inside, he said to his friend and savior, "Huaining, this Shengyuan Garden is no ordinary place. I've always wanted to come here to see it, but I haven't had the chance yet. We should take a good look around later."
Xu Huaining gathered his scattered thoughts and smiled as he thanked Zhao Feipeng: "Thank you for your hospitality, Feipeng. Otherwise, I would not have had the chance to step into this place."
Zhao Feipeng's other friends chimed in, "Yes, Feipeng, we're only able to get this opportunity today because of you. Otherwise, we'd probably only be able to set foot here if we passed the imperial examination."
These people came from much better backgrounds than Xu Huaining; they were considered wealthy families in Qingzhou City.
However, there are certain requirements for dining at Shengyuan. Ordinary wealthy families simply cannot afford to spend tens of taels of silver to eat here, let alone have to queue up and make a reservation.
"Not at all, you are all my friends. I should be thanking you for coming to my grandmother's birthday banquet."
Zhao Feipeng's vanity was greatly satisfied, and he puffed out his chest and continued walking in with a big smile.
The group had long heard that Shengyuan Garden was a beautiful place, like a poem or a painting, and as soon as they stepped into the courtyard, they couldn't help but look around.
Upon discovering that the rumors were true, the young people were filled with astonishment.
Xu Huaining's jumbled thoughts surged again, especially when he saw the servants, Shuqi and the others, entertaining the guests. Each of them was well-mannered and had a refined demeanor, and the resentment in his eyes grew even stronger.
Xu Jinnian is so lucky!
Sheng An, who was busy in the main kitchen, was unaware that Xu Huaining was among today's guests.
Her face was covered in sweat from the heat, and Baolan kept wiping it for her. The water used to wet the cloth was freshly drawn from the well, and its coolness could temporarily relieve the heat.
When the last dish was ready, Sheng An breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from her face, took off her apron covered in grease, and slumped down in the ventilator while Bao Xiang and Bao Yun fanned her from both sides.
After resting for a while, the group of calligraphers and painters, having received the news, came to the main kitchen to serve the dishes.
Sheng An stood up and personally carried the main dish, specially prepared for the birthday celebrant, from the main table to the front yard.
Normally, when entertaining guests, she wouldn't take the initiative to greet them unless the guests were interested in a particular dish she made and needed her to explain it to them personally.
Today is different; it's Zhao Juren hosting a birthday banquet for his grandmother, and it's perfectly normal for Sheng An, as the owner and head chef of Shengyuan, to show up and offer his blessings to the birthday celebrant.
Just as she stepped into the front yard, Sheng An spotted an unexpected person.
Then she noticed a blushing young girl standing next to the other person, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Does Liu Huazhi know that her boyfriend has been stolen away?
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