Chapter 261: Chapter 261: Packed Full
Ming Lingyi then pointed to a lighter soup dish next to it. "This is called Golden Toad with Carp. The main ingredient is a meaty, firm bullfrog, kept whole. It’s steamed with Shaoxing wine and ginger slices to set its shape, resembling a squatting golden toad with golden-brown skin.
"The soup base below is simmered separately. We take a Yellow River carp and use only the most tender part of its belly, slicing it thinly. A crystal-clear supreme broth is made by simmering ham, a stewing hen, and pork bones. Just before serving, the fish slices are blanched until just cooked and placed in the ’golden toad’s’ embrace or around it, as if the toad were embracing treasures of gold and silver."
This was the "Lu," for prosperity, of the Lucky Three Treasures.
Feng Shuyu looked at the vessel the soup was served in, which was surprisingly a small ding cauldron. "How unique! Did you arrange for this specially as well?"
Ming Lingyi nodded. "For the people of our Dayan Dynasty, a meal must be perfect in color, aroma, and taste. This ’color’ isn’t just about the food itself, but also the color of the tableware. The two should complement each other."
The "golden toad" brings wealth, and the "carp" leaps toward nobility, symbolizing a bountiful harvest of both fortune and status.
Downstairs, Manager Qian had just finished introducing the "Lu" dish and hadn’t even had a chance to describe the final "Shou" dish when several voices already started calling out orders.
"I’ll have a set of the Lucky Three Treasures!"
"Our table will have a set too!"
"Waiter, our table wants a set as well!"
The dish’s name had such a wonderful meaning. Who didn’t want to get promoted and become rich? On the strength of the name alone, more than half of the available sets of the Lucky Three Treasures had already been ordered.
Manager Qian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He’d been a store manager for, if not thirty years, then at least more than twenty, and he had never seen a large group of customers clamoring to order before the dishes were even fully introduced.
At first, only a small number of people ordered the Lucky Three Treasures, but gradually, almost everyone in the main hall had placed an order for it.
"Hurry up and order, Grandpa, or it’ll be all gone!" At that moment, at a table near a first-floor window, a family of four was dining at the Ming Family Restaurant. The young child couldn’t help but anxiously urge their grandpa.
"Let’s get one of everything on Boss Ming’s signature menu! There are so many people here today, I’m worried they’ll run out of food!" This was the voice of Du Xuan, coming from a private room. As expected of the first person to rush into the Ming Family Restaurant, he had lived up to expectations by snagging the private room with the best view.
While Manager Qian was still speaking eloquently downstairs, Du Xuan, with a keen sense of crisis, had already pre-emptively ordered more of the signature dishes.
Fortunately, everyone in the private room was a neighbor from Huaided Fang. Their trust in Ming’s Restaurant had now been transferred to the Ming Family Restaurant. Upon hearing this, almost no one objected.
Mrs. Wei was also in this private room. Upon hearing this, she nodded repeatedly. "We should take advantage of Boss Ming’s grand opening promotion today. It’s only sixty percent of the original price! Ordering more is a great deal!"
She used to be the kind of person who felt a pang of regret every time she went to Ming’s Restaurant. However, over the past few months, Ming Lingyi’s cooking had thoroughly spoiled Mrs. Wei’s palate. It probably wasn’t just her; the palates of all the neighbors in Huaided Fang had been spoiled by Ming Lingyi. As a result, people who used to think their own home cooking was perfectly acceptable now found their own creations unsatisfying after just a few meals.
’The restaurant’s dishes aren’t cheap, but isn’t there a promotion for these three days? Even if I weren’t specifically coming to support Ming Lingyi, I’m determined to bring my family and take full advantage of the discount for all three days!’
’Yep, I’m planning to come every day for these three days!’
Young Master Xu Qian also came to the Ming Family Restaurant today. He was used to a grand style and had no intention of sharing a table with anyone. The young master had plenty of silver.
However, when Xu Qian arrived at the restaurant’s entrance with a large retinue of servants, he was completely dumbfounded.
’What’s going on here?’
’Isn’t it mealtime already? Why are there still so many people outside?’
"Go and find out what’s happening. Is someone causing trouble inside?" Xu Qian said with a frown, gesturing to an errand boy beside him.
’If someone really is causing trouble,’ he thought with a troubled expression, ’should I step in and help, given my connection with the people from Xianyun Liushui Pavilion? After all, Boss Ming seems to be on pretty good terms with them, right?’
Before anyone could answer, Xu Qian had already made his decision.
’If someone is really here to cause trouble today, I’m definitely going to help Boss Ming!’
With that thought, Xu Qian brushed off his robes. "Let’s go! We’ll go take a look!"
After saying this, he strode toward the restaurant entrance.
Who would have thought that after just two steps, someone would call out to him.
"Hey! You up front, don’t cut in line! Get in line!"
At first, Xu Qian didn’t even realize someone was talking to him, not until a person grabbed him directly.
"I’m talking to you! Why are you cutting in line?! Can’t you see everyone’s waiting in a queue?!"
Xu Qian: "???"
Just then, the errand boy he had sent out finally returned. The boy, unaware that his young master had just been accused of cutting in line, explained earnestly, "Young Master, everyone outside is waiting in line! The restaurant is completely full, and many strangers are even sharing tables. I asked one of the waiters inside. If you want a private table, Young Master, we might have to wait for over an hour. Should we wait, Young Master?"
Only after finishing did the errand boy notice that his young master’s expression was not a pleasant one.
Xu Qian frowned. "I have to wait this long just to eat a meal?"
’If I had known it would be this crowded, I shouldn’t have spent so much time ’preening in front of the mirror’ at home. At the very least, I should have sent someone ahead to save a spot.’ he thought, suddenly annoyed.
’That Boss Ming is a terrible friend. How could she not give me a heads-up?’
’Otherwise, I would’ve been seated long ago.’
Just as the young master was grumbling to himself and blaming Ming Lingyi for being disloyal, someone suddenly poked their head out of a second-floor private room overlooking the street.
"Isn’t that Xu Qian?" someone from above called out.
Xu Qian looked up, annoyed. He couldn’t help it; right now, he felt that everyone eating inside had stolen his spot, so how could he possibly look pleasant?
The ones who had snagged the room overlooking the street were none other than Liu Lingxing, Zhang Zhidong, and their group, along with several other students from the Imperial College.
Xu Qian wasn’t very familiar with these people from the Imperial College. The one who spoke was Liu Lingxing. Since he’d spotted him, Liu Lingxing made a polite, perfunctory offer, "Want to come up and eat with us?"
Liu Lingxing swore that he was really just making a casual, polite offer. After all, this Young Master Xu Qian’s style was... quite unusual.
For instance, back at Ming’s Restaurant, even though the young master was very satisfied with the taste of the food, he still disdained the dining environment and rarely sat inside.
In the words of Liu Lingxing and his friends, he was "fussy."
’How could such a fussy young master possibly agree to share a table with us?’
But in the next moment, something happened that made Liu Lingxing and his group’s eyes nearly pop out of their sockets.
The man standing downstairs seemed to ponder for a moment, then nodded as if doing them a great honor.
"Alright. Wait there, I’m coming up now."
Liu Lingxing: "!!!"
’I didn’t actually mean the invitation!’
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