Chapter 1604: Chapter 1584: The Noble Duke’s Banquet
"Start simmering the soup in advance, don’t forget to add the stock cubes." Luo Qianqian quietly reminded from the side. Everything had to taste so unexpectedly good that people would feel it was worth spending this money for such a fresh flavor.
"This is the first of the nine cold dishes, ’Gathering of Heroes’." Luo Qianqian pointed at the plate of colorful radish in front of her, completely ignoring the waiter’s look. "After you finish shouting and serve it, remember to tell them to dip it in the sauce." She pointed at the small jade dish of sauce beside the radish, narrowed her eyes. "This sauce is called ’Pointing Rivers and Mountains’."
"Got it." The waiter looked at the exquisite plate, then doubtfully glanced at the identical pastry plates in the kitchen. Since when did their kitchen have such pretty plates?
"Those two ladies in red, make the pastries according to this recipe. If there’s anything you don’t know, come ask me." He Wenyu quickly picked up a sheet of paper, scribbled a few lines, and handed it to the women making pastries. These people had been sent over after training at the Nine Heavens Pavilion, so they naturally knew He Wenyu’s status and immediately agreed at top speed.
"You, stop slacking over there and help me carve." Rolling her eyes at Luo Qianqian, He Wenyu simply ordered. Luo Qianqian shrugged, speechless for a long moment. This person really was waving a chicken feather like an imperial decree...
"Carve what? I can’t do complicated stuff. I can do watermelon though."
Luo Qianqian knew very well that aside from taste, their only chance was to win on presentation and make things look exquisitely refined.
Wasn’t that exactly how internet-famous food in later generations worked?
"Then use watermelon. Carve a wall on the outside, with red plum blossoms on the wall. You know what I mean. Hollow out the inside of the watermelon, I’m going to use it. Oh right, don’t eat the watermelon; I’ve got other plans for it. I can’t just give this bunch a sip of honey water, can I?"
Luo Qianqian nodded repeatedly; this she understood. Listening to He Wenyu’s endless stream of instructions, Luo Qianqian felt her own worldview refresh itself.
"Luo Shiqi, get over here. You tell me—where’s the watermelon?" He Wenyu was quite satisfied with the carved watermelon, but then suddenly noticed there was only a small portion of the flesh left.
Luo Qianqian wiped her mouth, and even the two chefs, the two ladies, the waiter, and the Shopkeeper all had watermelon flavor in their mouths.
He Wenyu’s face was full of speechless exasperation. "Take out some of your treasured stash. We’ll make do for now. Next up is Sichuan cuisine." The cold dishes were about to give way to hot dishes. Originally they’d planned to serve something sweet and sour, but Luo Qianqian had directly eaten it, and there was no extra watermelon left to cover for them.
If these people found out they had a Spatial Storage Device on them, it would definitely cause trouble.
"What ’treasured stash’ of mine do you want?" Luo Qianqian used her other hand to grab her own wrist and shielded her chest, her face full of vigilance.
"Milk tea!" He Wenyu rolled her eyes. Milk tea made with black tea didn’t taste that great, but it was nutritious. The milk tea powder in Luo Qianqian’s hand, though, tasted good.
Luo Qianqian rolled her eyes. "Fine, four cups?"
"Yeah, four flavors. Since we’re out of watermelon, we’ll serve them four different ones later." He Wenyu nodded, her face perfectly calm as she glanced around. "You’d better handle things in here. If the smell gets out, wouldn’t that be bad?"
"What you need is a range hood, why are you telling me this..." Luo Qianqian pouted and waved her small hand. The smell was sucked into the mist and then all dumped into an unused pot off to the side.
"What range hood could work as well as you?" He Wenyu squinted and smiled. Only after seeing Luo Qianqian reconnect the ’line’ and show a bit of smugness did she continue, "That thing wastes energy. You’re so energy-saving and environmentally friendly."
"Get lost!" Luo Qianqian rolled her eyes. "Next dish, ’Boiled...’ No, uh—’River of Blood’!"
...
The two of them were studying things with great interest over here, while in the eyes of the customers, they were full of anticipation for the next dish. These nine cold dishes in a row might not have looked particularly eye‑catching, but there was no doubt they were all extremely delicious. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been polished off so clean.
When the second round of drinks was served, the whole room instantly filled with an overflowing fragrance, immediately drawing everyone’s attention again.
"So dark..." Mo muttered to himself on the side. He’d smelled this thing before, and Luo Qianqian had given him some to drink as well, but because it was a bit too sweet, he hadn’t liked it much, so he hadn’t finished it... In the end it seemed he’d fed it to Big Black and Xiao Hei.
Bai Yinshu, however, sniffed. "Every time Shiqi takes something out, I can’t identify the ingredients by smell."
"...You can do it. Like this richest scent—it’s taro... Woon Xin? What are you doing over here?" Seeing the little girl suddenly appear in front of him, Bai Jian jumped in surprise.
Woon Xin looked at Bai Jian aggrievedly. "I want to eat too..."
They seemed to be eating very happily over there; every plate was spotless. She wanted to taste what it was like as well.
"Uh, it’s one hundred taels a dish, don’t make trouble." Black lines practically formed on Bai Jian’s face. He had seen that bag of money the waiter dragged inside to pay for the dishes.
He didn’t think he could afford it... but he could still go through the back door.
"I want to eat too, I have money." Woon Xin was very wronged; she’d been drooling over that fragrant drink for a long time. If this weren’t the Ten Thousand Sect’s territory, she would’ve thrown a tantrum already.
"Wait till they’re done. I’ll get you in through the back door." Bai Jian coaxed in a low voice. "Don’t make a fuss now. Can’t you see they’re busy helping you get revenge?"
"Helping me?"
"You really think those things are worth that much money?"
"Aren’t they?"
"Of course not, silly child. We’ll talk later. Just wait for now."
While they were talking, Bai Jian had already set up a sound barrier, so no one could hear them. Naturally, the Water Ripple Sect disciples who were engrossed in eating had no way of noticing anything.
Woon Xin nodded. She might not trust what others said, but Senior Brother was still reliable.
"Noble Duke Banquet, all served!" As the last dish, Ginseng Chicken Soup, was set down, the sun was already slanting toward the west. The waiter’s shout rang out, drawing everyone’s eyes to the still‑covered chicken soup.
Judging from the previous dishes, this soup wouldn’t be simple either, right?
As the waiter lifted the lid, a plume of white mist slowly rose from the soup. Instantly, a fresh fragrance poured out. The aromas in the room shifted at once into a rich, savory scent, rapidly filling the room and flooding everyone’s noses.
"Wow, that smells amazing..."
Exclamations of praise sounded one after another, making even the four people sitting at the table feel deeply satisfied.
Although it was already afternoon, the Noble Duke Banquet had drawn more and more people to the commercial district around Forget Worries Tea House. Everyone was there to admire this rumored dish priced at one hundred taels of gold.
One hundred taels of gold—this was not one hundred taels of silver.
Even one hundred taels of silver would be enough to book a very lavish table at the most famous restaurant in the Imperial City...
