Lin Li helped the old gentleman toward the banquet hall. "We specially reserved a suite on the top floor with the best view. You'll have to have a few more drinks tonight."
Mr. Yu nodded and led the group up to the top floor.
The crystal chandeliers in the banquet hall illuminated the hall brightly, and three hundred round tables were covered with snow-white tablecloths.
The central ice sculpture is a miniature model of the hotel, with icicles slowly melting and dripping in the warm light.
Lin Laosan was standing on the stage adjusting the microphone, the buttons on his suit cuffs gleaming.
This was a business opening gift from Lin Li, with the two seal characters "湾景" (Wanjing) engraved on it.
"Mom, Mr. Yu wants you to go and check out the dessert table."
Lin Yao ran over, his suit tie askew, "Auntie Zhen's almond cookies were all gone, and Teacher Zhou said he'd bring over two more plates."
Lin Li followed him to a corner of the banquet hall, where Ah Zhen was directing her apprentice to put char siu pastries on a silver platter, her nose covered in flour.
"Madam, what do you think of this crab shell pastry?"
She picked one up and handed it to me; the sesame seeds glistened on the crispy crust.
Mrs. Yu said she wanted to let the TV station staff try it and have them mention it in the news.
"Yes, it's beautiful."
Lin Li took the pastry, the flaky crust crumbling in her hands. "Is the stew in the kitchen still warm? I'll have Yao Yao take a bowl to Mr. Yu later."
As soon as Ah Zhen nodded, Mrs. Yu pulled her away.
“Ah Zhen, come quick,” Mrs. Yu’s voice was full of laughter. “That man with glasses is the food columnist for Ming Pao. He says he wants to learn your secret recipe for roast goose.”
Lin Li watched as Ah Zhen blushed and shook hands with the writer, unable to hide the smile in her eyes.
That's great, Ah Zhen has her own career now.
She went out onto the terrace. The rain had stopped, and the ferries in Victoria Harbour were slowly passing by with their lights on.
Colorful lights hung on the scaffolding of the convention center on the opposite bank.
"Mom, are you getting chilled here?"
Lin Laosan walked over and handed her a cup of hot cocoa, with water droplets clinging to the cup.
"I just received a call from the front desk that all the rooms are booked for the first day of opening, and even three suites for next year's Spring Festival have been booked."
He exhaled a puff of white breath, his excitement barely concealed. "Mr. Yu said this is the first time in the history of hotels in the port city."
Don't be arrogant.
Lin Li touched his cup; the sweet scent of cocoa mingled with the scent of his cologne.
"I just looked at the bill. The seafood supplier's quote was 20% higher. I'll have the purchasing department renegotiate tomorrow."
"It was already arranged by someone."
Lin Laosan smiled and pointed downstairs, "Look at the parking lot, there are seven Rolls-Royces here, and that silver-gray Bentley belongs to the shipping magnate's son. He said he wants to book the entire rooftop for a private party."
The terrace door was pushed open, and Mr. Yu walked in, holding a wine glass, his tie hanging loosely around his neck.
"Dr. Lin is our lucky star! Just now, Manager Zhang from HSBC said that he is willing to provide the hotel with an additional loan of five million, and lower the interest rate by two percentage points."
He took a sip of whiskey and gently swirled the glass.
“I told the third brother that this is all thanks to you. Mr. Huang is an absolute authority in the business world of Southeast Asia.”
Lin Li smiled slightly, looked at the night view of the port city, and felt relaxed.
“Mr. Yu,” she turned around, her eyes sparkling, “I just told Ah Zhen that next spring, let’s open a tea house in the hotel lobby and sell her pastries and Phoenix Mountain tea.”
"Great idea!"
Mr. Yu clapped his hands and said, "I'll have the designer revise the drawings tomorrow, and we'll also hire an old gentleman who sings Cantonese opera to perform here. I guarantee it will be even more popular than the Peninsula Hotel's afternoon tea."
At this moment.
Applause suddenly erupted in the banquet hall. Lin Laosan was giving a speech on the stage, his voice trembling slightly as it came through the microphone.
"...Thanks to my mother, she taught me that doing anything is like simmering a slow-cooked soup—it takes time to get the flavor..."
Lin Li looked at her son on the stage, her face filled with pride and satisfaction.
Mrs. Yu came closer and looked at Lin Laosan on the stage.
"Look at you, so happy."
She then pointed to the audience below, "The one in the purple cheongsam is the Miss Hong Kong winner. She said she wants to take her wedding photos at our hotel."
As Lin Li watched the guests raise their glasses to congratulate each other, as Ah Zhen was surrounded by a group of people asking for autographs, and as Lin Yao and Mr. Yu's youngest daughter twirled around on the dance floor, she suddenly felt that everything in front of her was too unreal.
But the warmth of the hot cocoa in her hand, the aroma of the char siu pastry on her lips, and Lin Laosan's words on stage, "Mom, thank you," told her that this was not a dream.
As the midnight bells rang, Lin Laosan ran over with a thick stack of bills.
"Mom, look, the revenue from the banquet hall tonight alone is enough to cover our costs for a month. And Mr. Yu said that we should open a separate account to deposit those membership top-ups as a development fund for the hotel."
Lin Li took the bill and looked at the total amount at the bottom.
"Don't just look at the numbers."
She returned the bill to her son and asked the front desk to put a box of almond cookies in each guest's room. Ah Zhen said she wanted the hotel's address and phone number printed on the cookie boxes.
As soon as Lin Laosan ran away, a reporter from the TV station came over with a camera.
"Mrs. Lin, may I say a few words of blessing?"
The female reporter's voice was tired, but still clear: "It's going to be on tomorrow's morning news."
Lin Li smiled at the camera.
“I hope that Bayview Hotel can be like a harbor in the port city,” she said gently but firmly, “providing a warm place for every weary person to rest.”
Immediately, applause erupted.
When the camera's red light went out, the sky was already beginning to lighten.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
