At this moment, the sound of gongs and drums came from the back of the crowd. Everyone turned around and saw people dressed in lion dance costumes coming towards the barbecue restaurant.
They didn't stop until they reached the door of the barbecue restaurant. Su Chenyu walked up from behind and said, "Congratulations, Grandpa Xu, on the grand opening of your new store. Chenyu has specially invited a lion dancer to celebrate. I hope our barbecue restaurant will do a booming business!" After that, the secret guard behind him brought a box covered with red silk cloth and presented it to Grandpa Xu.
The old man asked in surprise, "Chenyu, what is this?"
Su Chenyu said, "This is a gift to congratulate the opening of the new store. I hope Grandpa Xu will accept it."
Old Master Xu also knew that Su Chenyu gave this to them to save face, so he accepted it and would return it to Su Chenyu in private later!
So Mr. Xu took the gift box with both hands and said, "Thank you, Chenyu!" Although Su Chenyu is also one of the owners of the barbecue restaurant, the shop is still under the name of Qibao, and the majority of the money also belongs to Qibao.
Suddenly, there was another noise in the crowd. Jing Chen led a group of people, setting off firecrackers along the way, to the entrance of the barbecue restaurant. One of his men was holding a large box. No one knew what was inside. He came to Old Man Xu and said with a bow, "Grandpa Xu, this is a gift from the younger generation to congratulate us on the opening of our restaurant. It's a jade toad. It will be perfect for the counter!"
Ye Feng opened the box, and inside was a jade toad made of white jade, shining brightly in the sunlight.
Everyone around gasped. This toad was carved from a whole piece of white jade. A small piece was rare, let alone such a big piece. This was mutton-fat jade, worth a fortune.
The Xu family was also shocked. Old Master Xu said, "Jingchen, this is too valuable. You should take it back!"
"Yeah, yeah," the others echoed.
Jing Chen said, "Grandpa Xu, I also have a share in this barbecue restaurant. Just think of it as a table I bought for my own store."
The others had nothing to say, Jingchen was right.
Seeing that the Xu family didn't say anything, Jing Chen gestured to Ye Feng to place the jade toad on the counter.
Seeing a large group of people gathered at the door, Mr. Xu said, "Today is our opening day. Anyone who wants to try our barbecue, please come in and find a seat. If you're late, there won't be any seats left."
After hearing this, the onlookers all rushed into the barbecue restaurant and found a seat with their family and friends. The waiters in the restaurant immediately became busy, pouring tea for the guests and taking orders.
A man dressed like a student looked around the shop and said, "This is the first time I've seen a shop like this. Look at the paintings on the wall—they're really interesting! This is the first time I've seen such a style of painting!"
"Yeah, yeah, I don't know if the food at this barbecue restaurant is as good as that old man said!"
"You'll know after trying it. Even if it doesn't taste good, it's worth it to be able to see these paintings!"
At this moment, there was a burst of exclamations from the people in the box, and everyone gathered at the door of the box looking curiously.
The students finally squeezed into the box and saw a painting of gorgeous rose-red plum blossoms on the wall. They were so beautiful that they could almost smell the fragrance of the plum blossoms. They couldn't help but exclaim, "What a beautiful painting!" They had never seen anyone who could paint the spirit of self-improvement that the plum blossoms evoke. It was truly a masterpiece. Today they had really broadened their horizons.
"And this poem is truly amazing! Who on earth could have written this poem? The gap between us and them is as vast as the sky."
There were some smart people who said, "If this is all there is to this box, then the others must be even more exciting!"
Those who were obsessed with literary talent immediately ran to other boxes to watch after hearing this. In this way, one or two exclamations were heard from time to time throughout the barbecue restaurant.
The waiters who served the food were also helpless. Some dishes were served, but there was no one at the table.
Mr. Xu said loudly, "Dear guests, can we enjoy these paintings slowly after dinner? We can't even serve the dishes, please forgive us!"
After hearing this, the guests felt embarrassed to continue gathering at the door of the box and all returned to their seats. A few of them who were obsessed with poetry borrowed paper and pen from the shopkeeper and copied down all the poems they had just seen.
The illiterate guests did not understand the preferences of these literati and could only focus on the food. They began to grill the meat like other guests who had already started eating.
As soon as everyone took their first bite, they all started praising the meat, saying, "This barbecued meat is so delicious! It's so different from the barbecue I've had before!"
"Yeah, I don't know what kind of seasoning this is, but when I sprinkle it on the meat, the aroma is so good I almost swallow my tongue!"
There were also many people who were too busy eating to talk, all of whom testified to the deliciousness of the barbecue.
At this time, a bearded, well-mannered middle-aged man walked in from outside the door. He was wearing official uniform and was followed by two yamen runners.
When Shopkeeper Zhang saw the visitor, he hurriedly walked around the counter, knelt down and saluted, "Greetings, Your Excellency the County Magistrate!"
The man called the county magistrate said, "No need to be so polite. I wonder if Master Su is here?"
Shopkeeper Zhang quickly replied, "Your Excellency, I'm here. I'll go to the backyard and inform Master Su!"
The county magistrate quickly said, "No need, just take me to see Mr. Su." He was kidding. What virtue did he have to let Su Chenyu come to meet him, unless he didn't want to be an official anymore.
When the Xu family heard that the county magistrate had arrived, they hurried to the backyard. When they saw Manager Zhang and a middle-aged man in official uniform coming in, they knew that this was the county magistrate and knelt down to pay their respects.
The county magistrate hurriedly stopped them and said, "No need to be so polite, everyone. I am here to congratulate you on the opening of your new store. I have brought you some small gifts, please accept them."
Everyone in the Xu family looked at each other in confusion. Old Master Xu said, "Sir, how can I accept your gift? Please take it back."
The county magistrate said, "No problem, just accept it. I wonder where Master Su is?"
The Xu family was initially puzzled as to why the county magistrate had come to deliver a gift in person when they only had a shop. When they heard the magistrate ask this, they immediately understood that the gift was meant for Su Chenyu. Uncle Xu quickly ran to call Su Chenyu.
After a while, Su Chenyu came out of the room and raised his eyebrows when he saw the county magistrate.
The county magistrate hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Mr. Su, I'm here today to wish you a good luck on the opening of your new store. If you need me in any way, please send someone to let me know!" He knew that Su Chenyu had not revealed his true identity to anyone, so he couldn't expose it himself.
Su Chenyu said, "Well, I won't stay in Huamen Town for long. Please help take care of this barbecue restaurant, County Magistrate. This restaurant is jointly opened by me and the Xu family, you know?"
The county magistrate understood the meaning of Su Chenyu's words and responded repeatedly, "I know, I know!"
Su Chenyu said, "Then please ask County Magistrate Wu to try our barbecue at noon. Is County Magistrate Wu free?"
County Magistrate Wu quickly replied, "When I'm free, thank you very much, Master Su and Master Xu, for your hospitality."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
