"Oh, this duck is fresh out of the oven. I can smell the aroma from far away. It looks delicious. Thank you, sir. Please put it here." Hong Xiaoduo said with a smile, gesturing for it to be placed on the table.
So, they're not allowing it? The waiter understood, and decisively placed the roast duck in the middle of the table: "Your dishes are all served. Enjoy your meal. If you need anything, just let me know." With that, he turned and left.
Hong Xiaoduo was quite surprised by the waiter's reaction. She had just seen the man who wanted her to give up her food come down the stairs.
Brother Quan once said that this restaurant has three floors. Most customers stay in the main hall on the ground floor, while those who go to the private rooms on the second floor are of higher status. They are either wealthy tycoons or powerful officials.
Guests who could dine in the private rooms on the third floor were basically royalty.
It's not that high-ranking officials aren't qualified to go to the third floor, but rather that they don't dare to go. They can afford the cost of the private rooms on the third floor, but they're afraid of being too conspicuous and giving people something to gossip about, like embezzlement.
So, logically, the waiter should have advised me to give the dish to this person, which would have been normal, but he didn't.
The middle-aged man standing to the side seemed to have not expected things to turn out this way. He really did not expect Hong Xiaoduo to refuse. He wanted to leave, but found that the diners on both sides were looking at him.
He frowned and glanced at Hong Xiaoduo, about to speak, when the person behind the counter came over.
"Manager Chen, actually our restaurant's steamed and smoked duck is quite good. Your master has also tried it. Since we have distinguished guests, why not change it to steamed and smoked duck?" the man said with a smile.
"Manager Liu, the distinguished guest my master is entertaining wants to try your restaurant's roast duck. Why don't you talk to this young lady and ask her to have it replaced with steamed and smoked duck?" The man didn't smile.
Upon hearing this, the fifty-year-old shopkeeper Liu looked at Hong Xiaoduo and asked with a smile, "Young lady, would you like to change the dishes?"
At this moment, the guests at the surrounding tables all looked over in this direction.
Some were worried, while others were just watching the spectacle.
Hong Xiaoduo glanced around, but finally her gaze settled on the roasted duck on the table. "We're unwilling. We came to your restaurant specifically for this dish. We got it by chance, so why should we give it to someone else?"
After saying that, he rolled up his sleeves and, under the gaze of everyone, reached out and tore off a duck leg, handing it to Kaiyang across from him: "Here, eat it while it's hot."
Kaiyang reached out and took the duck leg, and immediately took a bite.
"How does it taste?" Hong Xiaoduo asked with a smile.
With a large mouthful of duck leg meat in his mouth, Kaiyang couldn't answer, so he nodded vigorously. He wasn't lying; the duck meat was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The skin looked golden brown and oily, but it didn't feel greasy at all when he tasted it.
For some reason, even though he was a little nervous and worried just now, seeing the way the person opposite him always acted without ever suffering a loss, the annoyed expression of the manager next to him, and the various reactions of the diners around him, Kaiyang suddenly wanted to laugh.
"Where did you come from, woman? How can you be so ungrateful? Do you even know who my master is?" Steward Chen couldn't bear the embarrassment any longer and said in a low voice.
Hong Xiaoduo glanced at the other person, then reached out and tore off a duck leg before looking at the man again and saying, "It's none of your business where I came from, and I have no interest in knowing who your master is."
No matter who he is, he has no right to take a dish from someone else, right?
And besides, I think you're the one who doesn't know what's good for you, right? Judging from your tone, your master must be someone of great status, so why would he appoint someone like you as a manager?
"Aren't you afraid of ruining your master's reputation by flaunting your status when you're out and about?" After saying that, under the other person's annoyed gaze, he brought the duck leg in his hand to his mouth, slowly tore off a bite, and then nodded with satisfaction.
Seeing Hong Xiaoduo's reaction, Manager Liu was quite surprised. Suppressing a laugh, she said to the man, "Manager Chen, quickly go and ask your master if steamed smoked duck is alright?"
Upon hearing this, Manager Chen did nothing to Manager Liu, but glared fiercely at Hong Xiaoduo and said, "You sharp-tongued little girl, eat your food properly." After saying that, he turned and walked towards the second floor.
Shopkeeper Liu smiled at Hong Xiaoduo, then turned and went back behind the counter.
The diners who had been watching also resumed eating and drinking, but their conversation included Hong Xiaoduo's table.
Those who speculated about her and Kaiyang's identities thought that someone who dared to refuse so vehemently and confront Manager Chen must have powerful backers.
Some say that judging from her clothes and appearance, she is a member of the martial arts world, and may be new to the capital and unaware of these fearless and undaunted customs.
Hong Xiaoduo and Kaiyang could vaguely hear these words, but they didn't care at all. Each of them had a roasted duck leg in their hand and ate it with great relish.
"We should let my second brother try it too, then he'll start thinking about making it," Kaiyang suggested.
Hong Xiaoduo shook her head after hearing this: "This is not so easy to figure out. After the duck is slaughtered, what seasonings to use for marinating, the marinating time, the special oven for hanging it for roasting, the temperature, and what kind of charcoal to use—all of these are very particular." After saying this, she took a sip of pomegranate wine.
After finishing the duck leg in my hand, I wiped my hands with the damp cloth on the table and then tasted the other dishes, which were all quite good.
The number one restaurant in the capital city truly lives up to its reputation.
"Have you heard? Minister Wei of the Ministry of Revenue has found his grandson. He's still alive."
“I’ve heard about it too. It seems that tomorrow, the Wei clan patriarch will arrive to formally recognize the child’s ancestors and add him to the clan genealogy.”
"If someone isn't registered in the family genealogy after birth, why do they need to be registered again?"
"Are you stupid? Didn't you say it was an accident and he died? It would have been marked on the family genealogy. Now that the child is alive, it's natural that he should be added back to the genealogy."
"Alas, Lord Wei really had a tough time. He was an honest and upright official who worked for the people, yet he encountered such a thing. Back then, everyone speculated that the corrupt officials he offended hired someone to kidnap the child and harm him."
"Yes, I heard that several of Lord Wei's mortal enemies mocked him to his face several times, saying he didn't know how to behave, and that he got his comeuppance. But now, thank God, the child has been found."
The surrounding chatter was quite clear. Hong Xiaoduo noticed that Kaiyang had also been listening, eating his food with his eyes down, probably feeling unsettled and struggling with his inner turmoil.
Even if Kaiyang hadn't heard those words, the two of them still wouldn't have been able to finish all the food on the table at lunch.
This is also the first time that there was no CD or any takeaway packaging.
After paying the money and leaving the restaurant, the two continued to stroll around. Hong Xiaoduo looked at Xiao Kaiyang, who had a tense little face and seemed to be preoccupied, and sensed that the child's emotions had actually changed somewhat. It seemed that he had already made a decision in his heart.
"Tomorrow, will they accept the fake Tong'er as originally planned? Or will they accept me instead?" Kaiyang looked around to see if there were any pedestrians and asked Hong Xiaoduo.
"They didn't tell me about this, so I don't know either. But I guess they're waiting for your response before making a decision."
Kaiyang, I know this is all too sudden for you, so they don't want to pressure you, and neither do I. The decision is yours…”
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