pertwk Chapter 69 Opening Ceremony
Chapter 69 Opening Ceremony
After lunch, preparations will begin for Mr. Wang's private banquet in the afternoon.
The overwhelming scene today caught Lu Yuan somewhat off guard.
This left him with no time to rest even for a moment.
The afternoon banquet was a simple business dinner, and a drinking party mainly for men.
Mr. Wang attached great importance to this meal and arrived at 4 p.m. to set up the venue.
He brought his own high-quality tea and drinks, which saved Lu Yuan a lot of trouble.
Today, we have the bosses and their secretaries present, a total of 10 guests.
Lu Yuan prepared 14 dishes in total, consisting of 5 cold dishes and 9 hot dishes, to entertain the guests.
Considering that the evening's main activity was drinking, Lu Yuan added an extra cold dish to make it easier to enjoy with the drinks.
Mr. Wang arrived early and, having nothing to do, strolled around the yard before going up to the kitchen to take a look.
Lu Yuan immediately kicked him out: "Mr. Wang, the kitchen is a restricted area; unauthorized personnel are not allowed in!"
"I'm not a free spirit!" Mr. Wang chuckled, then stepped outside the kitchen to chat with Lu Yuan.
"But to be fair, Mr. Lu, your courtyard and private rooms are really nice!"
"No!" Lu Yuan corrected, "I'm just a cook, so please don't call me 'President Lu'."
Mr. Wang said with a smile, "You're too modest. With your little courtyard, these bosses have had a great time today, they'll come every day from now on. There's no place in the city as convenient as this little courtyard."
"Mr. Wang, you can't do anything reckless!" Lu Yuan sensed something was wrong and specifically came out to explain to Mr. Wang:
"This is just a restaurant; I can't handle anything fancy!"
These days, nouveau riche and unsophisticated bosses are rampant; they earn a lot and live a wild life.
Once upon a time, a group of nouveau riche businessmen specifically sought out a remote, uninhabited mountain for gambling.
They carved a set of dice out of stone on the spot to play Texas Hold'em, and the stakes were the rows of excavators parked outside the casino.
Lu Yuan was a little worried that President Wang might be looking for a place to relax, so he came out specifically to remind him.
Mr. Wang understood Lu Yuan's meaning, waved his hand, and said with a smile:
"Don't worry, Boss Lu, we are all legitimate businessmen. That kind of thing is outdated."
"Okay, Mr. Wang, I was just asking, don't mind me!" Lu Yuan chuckled and went back to the kitchen.
At 5 p.m., several luxury cars turned off the national highway and parked in the front yard.
Lu Yuan glanced out the window and saw that the cheapest car was an Audi A6, while the top-of-the-line one was a Mercedes-Benz W14.
Lu Yuan could vaguely guess the business of someone who could drive a Mercedes-Benz W14 around the northern border in 1996.
It has to be said that Mr. Wang's dinner party today was quite grand; I wonder what kind of business deal he's going to discuss.
However, Lu Yuan had no interest in paying attention to these things, and he told the others not to go to the front to watch the excitement.
Only Zhenzhen and Pingping should stay in the courtyard to receive the diners.
As a long-time contractor, Mr. Wang has invited mostly clients and business partners today.
The group of 10 people, led by the oldest member, Mr. Ding, entered the private room one after another.
After a week of learning, Zhenzhen and Pingping behaved much more gracefully and appropriately this time.
Her every move exuded elegance, and whether she was leading the way or seating the business owners, she made them feel as if they were bathed in a gentle breeze.
For today's business banquet, Lu Yuan specially arranged an opening ceremony.
After the guests were seated, Zhenzhen stood at the head of the table below the round table and spoke softly:
"Welcome to Lu's Private Kitchen, dear guests! We wish you a pleasant and enjoyable experience!"
Pingping held a beautiful teapot, and after Zhenzhen finished speaking, she picked up the teapot and poured the tea into a vase in the center of the round table.
A piece of dry ice was placed in the vase. The moment it came into contact with water, it released a large amount of white smoke.
Instantly, a soft mist swirled around the desktop, as if one were in a fairyland.
In 96, such tricks were relatively rare, and the bosses were very satisfied, so they couldn't help but applaud.
However, Lu Yuan's scheme wasn't over yet; he had to make sure to give President Wang face.
As long as these business owners don't cause trouble, he's confident he can turn them into regular customers with this meal.
Amidst the smoke, Zhenzhen and Pingping began to pick up the teapot and pour tea for everyone.
Lu Yuan used a clever prop: when he picked up the cup, a handwritten card just happened to stand up.
Mr. Ding sat at the head of the table. After Zhenzhen picked up her teacup, a handwritten card stood up, on which was written:
May your grand plans unfold and your good fortune last forever!
"Great!" President Ding clapped his hands in satisfaction again, then said to President Wang beside him:
"Mr. Wang, you've chosen a wonderful place!"
Mr. Wang immediately smiled ingratiatingly and said:
"Mr. Ding doesn't like noise, so this place is perfect! The owner of this restaurant is a reclusive master chef; we should try his cooking later!"
"Alright, Mr. Wang has really whetted everyone's appetite, so let's wait and see!"
As everyone was talking, the first dish was served: a cold dish of beef tendon salad.
This dish is a safe bet for banquets, and Lu Yuan used it as a preliminary preparation.
This time, Lu Yuan changed the way the food was plated, making it look more elegant and beautiful.
"Let's put the taste aside for now, the knife skills alone are incredible!"
The speaker was Mr. Liu, a business partner of Mr. Wang, who had also been brought in to lend his support, so naturally he was praising him.
Lu Yuan cut the slices himself, and each slice was exactly the same size and thickness, creating a beautiful effect when they were stacked one on top of the other.
Mr. Ding didn't reply, but simply nodded, picked up a piece, fed it to him, and after patiently chewing and swallowing, said, "Above standard!"
Upon hearing this, President Wang knew that Lu Yuan's dish was definitely not a problem.
As an industry leader, Mr. Ding has traveled all over the country and seen a great deal, so this evaluation is already quite high.
Before everyone could even taste the first dish, the second dish was already served.
"Cold Three-Shredded Salad!"
Judging from the name, it's a very ordinary dish.
But it was only amidst the swirling smoke that everyone discovered what made this dish so special.
Mr. Liu, a discerning customer, took a bite and commented:
"These three shredded vegetables are no ordinary dishes! They're a tribute vegetable from the Qianlong Emperor's reign, wild bracken from the Qinling Mountains, and our local black moss. This plate of wild vegetables is equivalent to several servings of meat!"
Mr. Liu's praise was spot on; this was the epitome of wild delicacies, something that future generations might not even be able to enjoy.
Mr. Ding didn't say anything, but silently picked up several pieces of food with his chopsticks.
The third dish also came out quickly; it was scallion oil chicken.
With its rich aroma of scallions and chewy chicken, this is an excellent dish to enjoy with drinks.
Scallion oil chicken has a stronger flavor compared to poached chicken or shredded chicken.
It's suitable for use at the dinner table to tone down the taste of the alcohol.
As everyone was enjoying their meal, the fourth dish arrived – a platter of appetizers to accompany the drinks.
Three small dishes were arranged at different heights: cold fish skin salad, peanut salad, and crispy okra.
"Old Buddha Peanuts" is a braised peanut dish made with a secret recipe. Lu Yuan chose a small peanut with four red kernels.
The peanut shells are split in half, and the braised peanuts are placed in the shells and neatly stacked together.
Even General Manager Ding couldn't help but exclaim, "This one peanut must have taken several hours of work!"
Mr. Wang immediately chimed in, "I know the owner of this restaurant. He's very meticulous about cooking. I went to the kitchen and before I could even finish a single sentence, they kicked me out!"
Mr. Wang was very good at lightening the mood, and everyone burst into laughter.
As the atmosphere warmed up, Mr. Wang raised his glass and began to offer a toast.
This is also a rule at the dinner table: start drinking after four dishes are served.
After Mr. Wang raised a glass of wine, Zhenzhen timely served the last cold dish: a platter of braised duck parts.
These days, there are basically no braised duck products like braised duck necks in the northern regions, so the flavor of this dish is very appealing when it's served.
Moreover, braised duck is a perfect accompaniment to alcohol, spicy and addictive, which greatly enhances the drinking experience.
Five cold dishes were served in less than five minutes, just so as not to disrupt everyone's drinking rhythm.
Otherwise, one won't be interested in drinking when faced with an empty dining table.