novelslam Chapter 848: I guess I drank too much.
Chapter 848: I guess I drank too much.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, Tang Jianhua had already made arrangements. At first glance, the dishes were exquisite and very appetizing, and two chefs were cooking on-site in a private room.
Ma Yifeng and his group were also familiar with Tang Jianhua, and naturally, they exchanged pleasantries upon meeting.
"Brother-in-law, you brought out all your best stuff today?" Ma Yifeng pointed to the abalone being cooked in the casserole. He could tell at a glance that it was top-quality dried abalone, but it varied in size. The large ones were as big as a palm, while the small ones were only about one-fifth the size of the large ones. Serving two different sizes of abalone at the same time puzzled Ma Yifeng. Generally, in high-end hotels, the same ingredients should be served in the same size. Why were there different sizes?
"Top-grade abalone with two ends is indeed a rare find. I usually can't bear to bring it out, but since you, Professor Ma, are here, I have to get one for you to try." Tang Jianhua has been in business for so many years that he has developed a smooth tongue.
Ma Yifeng knew it was just polite talk, but he still felt very pleased. The preparation of this kind of dried abalone had to start three days in advance, and their decision to eat here today was made on short notice. However, this also showed that the people who usually dine at Huahong Restaurant are quite wealthy, otherwise the restaurant would not keep such things on hand. After all, a single abalone costs tens of thousands of yuan, which Ma Yifeng, being from Fujian, knew very well.
Tang Jianhua knew that Ma Yifeng was puzzled by the simultaneous appearance of large and small abalone, so he took the initiative to explain.
"The smaller abalone is called 'He Ma abalone.' Don't let its small size fool you; it's the finest among dried abalone, far more precious than the two-headed abalone in the same pot. Considering there are ladies here tonight, and their appetites are relatively small, I figured one two-headed abalone wouldn't be enough. So I arranged for each lady to have one of these smaller 'He Ma abalone,' about two ounces each—just right, no more, no less. Plus, the texture is softer and more tender than the netted abalone."
"Brother-in-law, now I know why your restaurant is so successful. You've thought of everything so meticulously." Ma Yifeng said with admiration.
Tang Jianhua laughed: "Hahaha, what's the big deal? You have to keep up appearances in this business! You have to think about how to keep your customers happy!"
Once everyone had arrived, Tang Jianhua instructed the staff to quickly serve the dishes.
Seeing that Tang Jianhua was about to leave, Huang Xiaochuan stopped him: "Brother-in-law, sit down and have a drink with us. We're all family here."
Tang Jianhua didn't stand on ceremony with his brother-in-law and readily agreed: "Okay, you guys eat first. I have some things to arrange, I'll come back later."
"Okay! You can go ahead and get busy." Huang Xiaochuan then let Tang Jianhua leave.
"Xiao Chuan, the dishes are so heavy tonight, we have to make something light and refreshing." Ma Yifeng started rubbing his hands together, completely ignoring the fact that his boss, Sang Weihong, was watching him from the side.
Huang Xiaochuan pointed to the liquor cart filled with alcoholic beverages: "Beer, baijiu, and red wine are all here. Just help yourself."
Seeing Sang Weihong staring at Ma Yifeng, Yu Xiang smiled and tugged at her, "Weihong, it's rare for these good friends to get together, so why don't you give your Professor Ma a day off tonight!"
An Cheng's wife and Jiao Zhiyong's wife nodded in agreement.
"Yes, yes! Let's eat our own food."
Seeing that his wife had given her tacit approval, Ma Yifeng began to completely let loose. He brought a bottle of 86 Moutai and drank two glasses with everyone. He was in high spirits and it seemed that he would not stop until he had drunk his fill.
Taking advantage of the situation, Huang Xiaochuan stirred up trouble and, together with An Cheng and Jiao Zhiyong, forced Ma Yifeng to drink a pot of wine.
Tang Jianhua returned shortly afterward, and it seemed that everything had been arranged.
As soon as Tang Jianhua sat down, Ma Yifeng filled the wine dispenser in front of him.
Huang Xiaochuan quickly stood up to smooth things over for Tang Jianhua: "Just a heads-up, don't let my brother-in-law get too drunk. If my sister scolds me later, I'll go and settle accounts with each of you."
Upon hearing this, An Cheng was the first to jump up and object: "You're wrong about that. I'm not trying to flatter my brother-in-law, but with my alcohol tolerance, I couldn't even last one round against him. You're worried he'll get drunk? Your bias is way too obvious!"
"That's right, you expect us to drink more, but when it's your brother-in-law's turn, you expect him to drink less? There's no such logic in the world," Jiao Zhiyong chimed in.
Tang Jianhua stood up abruptly, picked up the decanter, and said, "How about this, I'll drink what's in this pot first, and then I'll toast each of you with a pot later?"
How could An Cheng let Tang Jianhua drink like that? He was just trying to make things lively with his words, it was just a joke.
He quickly stopped Tang Jianhua: "Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, I was just joking with you, don't take it seriously! Sit down, we'll keep you company and have a drink."
The group toasted and drank, creating a lively atmosphere.
Halfway through the drinking session, Ma Yifeng started causing trouble again. He deliberately provoked Huang Xiaochuan: "Given the topic 'I love drinking,' if you were asked to describe a short passage in the style of Lu Xun's writing, could you do it? If not, you'll have to drink a pot. If you can describe it right now, I'll drink a pot myself."
Halfway through the drinking session, Ma Yifeng started causing trouble again. He deliberately provoked Huang Xiaochuan: "Given the topic 'I love drinking,' if you were asked to describe a short passage in the style of Lu Xun's writing, could you do it? If not, you'll have to drink a pot. If you can describe it right now, I'll drink a pot myself."
Huang Xiaochuan put down his chopsticks, his face full of disdain: "I thought you were going to do something else, is this all you're going to do! Listen to me!" He had been drinking a bit tonight, and he had completely let loose.
He adopted a serious demeanor, speaking slowly and deliberately: "I suppose I was a bit too heavy-drinking. There are two bottles of wine on the table, one is mine and the other is also mine. It's time to raise a glass. I calmly picked up my glass, slowly opened my mouth, and you see the wine flowing down my throat—that's the bittersweet experience of my life."
Upon reading this, Huang Xiaochuan glanced mischievously at Ma Yifeng, whose face was almost green, and continued, "Life is like wine, each cup goes down the throat, and you should enjoy it to the fullest." After saying this, he took Jiao Zhiyong's cigarette, picked it up, and raised his face slightly, pretending to be Lu Xun.
"Hahaha"
The private room erupted in laughter, with several family members doubled over with laughter. Yu Xiang was also somewhat amused and exasperated. She knew her husband sometimes liked to joke, but what happened today had truly shattered her worldview. After having a few drinks, he had completely let loose.
However, this also shows that he was not really angry about what happened today, so Yu Xiang was completely relieved.
Ma Yifeng shook his head with a wry smile. He was convinced of his defeat. He first gave Huang Xiaochuan a thumbs up, and then drank the wine in the decanter in one gulp.
Few people get to see this side of Asia's richest man, but Ma Yifeng, An Cheng, and Jiao Zhiyong, who were colleagues with Huang Xiaochuan, often saw him like this. So they knew that Huang Xiaochuan was the kind of person who was very knowledgeable, talented, and witty. However, he always liked to insult people indirectly, making you fall into his trap without you even realizing it. So they both loved and hated him.