Chapter 12: Family Banquet
Restaurant, main hall.
Butler Li stared blankly at the empty surroundings, looking at the plate in front of him that had been licked cleaner than his face, recalling the scene from just now in his mind.
This group of guys were like starving ghosts reincarnated, wolfing down the food as if they hadn’t eaten for eight hundred years.
“Butler Li, Butler Li, here’s the bill, a total of sixty taels.” The shopkeeper said respectfully from the side.
Butler Li snapped back to reality with an “ah.”
“So expensive?”
Was this eating gold?
Three tables of people ate sixty taels.
“Butler Li, these dishes are all delicacies, especially this wine, it’s thirty-year vintage.”
“Bring the abacus.”
Soon, as the shopkeeper brought the abacus, Butler Li compared it to the bill, his fingers moving nimbly, phantom butterfly hands erupting, a clatter of operations, then he widened his eyes and looked.
Sixty taels and three qian.
The shopkeeper had even wiped off the fraction for him.
Count on you for being sensible, but not too sensible.
Butler Li took a deep breath, pulled out two silver ingots, one large silver ingot of fifty taels, and one small silver ingot of ten taels.
Was this meal worth it?
He felt it was worth it, at least he had connected with Lin Fan, but if he said it wasn’t, it seemed like it wasn’t either; the whole time they were just eating, no one exchanged words, and even he hadn’t stopped his chopsticks because it had been so long since he’d eaten so well.
“Thank you, Butler Li, thank you, Butler Li.” The manager thanked him.
“Mm.”
Butler Li still sat blankly in place, his mind full of the matter of three tables of dishes costing sixty taels.
Ordinary common people earn two or three hundred wen a month at least, topping out at five or six hundred wen at most; nowadays five wen can buy a jin of pork, and while there was indeed big fish and meat in front of him, it couldn’t be this expensive.
……
Street.
“All full now, right.”
Asking despite knowing the answer.
Lin Fan looked at the group of subordinates following him, each with greasy mouths, rubbing their bellies, faces full of satisfaction; clearly, that meal just now had made them go completely wild.
The subordinates crowded around.
One subordinate said with a crying tone: “Bro, this food was too good, I’ve never eaten this well in my life.”
“What’s in your arms?”
“Chicken leg, I snuck it away, I want to bring it back for my child to taste.”
Lin Fan nodded; he had been a low-level thug before and knew how hard it was at the bottom. If there was a fight and you performed outstandingly, you could get extra rewards, but if not, you just waited for the monthly wage of two hundred wen.
Days could pass, but living comfortably was hard.
“When I have time, I’ll suggest to the hall master to raise wages for us brothers. Nothing else, but we must ensure the brothers eat meat every day.”
At these words.
The subordinates’ eyes lit up, excitedly cheering: “Brother Lin forever.”
Lin Fan smiled, returned to the warehouse, and continued immersing himself in cultivation; as for Butler Li’s situation, he didn’t take it to heart, having figured out the other’s purpose.
Pretty good.
With a first time, there would be a second; such situations weren’t easy to come by, had to cherish it.
Before transmigration, he had seen plenty of plots about green tea types stringing along suckers, all about teasing, keeping distance yet occasionally pulling closer; generally, as long as you paid attention and didn’t slip up, this sucker would explode with gold coins more ferociously than an old codger.
Dusk, sunset glow enveloping.
After tidying up, Lin Fan left the warehouse; he didn’t head home but went to attend a family banquet. Someone had notified him in the afternoon that the hall master invited him to dinner at home.
He knew his excellence had long been noticed by the hall master.
Especially the Cui Jing Tower matter, which made the hall master regard him as a confidant among confidants; but before going, he had to buy some gifts—going empty-handed would be rude.
Of course, no need for expensive ones; what could the hall master’s family lack?
Just a token gesture would do.
Wang Family.
In the hall.
Wang Changhai sat there drinking tea, while his wife bustled about, personally cooking in the kitchen; as plates of exquisite dishes were brought up.
The originally empty table was filled with appetite-inducing gourmet food.
“Madam, that’s enough, right? Let the servants handle it.” Wang Changhai said.
The madam rolled her eyes at her husband, “What do you mean ‘enough’? It’s his first visit, must prepare perfectly; and what are you sitting for? Time’s about right, hurry to the door and wait, see if he’s here yet.”
“I’m the hall master.” Wang Changhai said discontentedly, emphasizing his status to his wife: that’s my confidant, what hall master squats at the door waiting for a confidant.
“Hall master? Ha, don’t make me laugh. When that little vixen had you spinning, how come you didn’t remember you’re the hall master? You don’t even know your own worth, eating from the bowl while eyeing the pot—with your meager capital, what’s there to fancy about you?”
The madam’s gaze aggressively looked toward Wang Changhai’s crotch.
The meaning was very clear.
Surrendering after a few rounds, can’t even satisfy the one at home, yet going out to provoke those wanton women—arrogant beyond measure.
Wang Changhai’s old face reddened, “Madam, don’t say it like that. When he arrives later, you have to give him some face; I am still the hall master after all.”
The madam in front of him had followed him since she was fifteen; back then he was just a low-level thug in Loyalty Hall, days were tough, later things improved, and they had children.
“Wow, smells so good, Mom, dinner’s so abundant today.”
Two children with schoolbags ran in happily, saw the table full of delicacies, leaned over the table to take a deep sniff, reached to grab some to eat, but got their little hands slapped away by the madam.
“Guests coming today, hurry and do your homework.”
“Oh.”
The two children drooped their heads pitifully, looking back three steps at a time, reluctant to leave the food on the table, shouldered their schoolbags, and left the hall.
Seeing her husband still sitting there, the madam immediately went up, grabbed his ear, “Do you take my words as wind past your ears? Told you to wait at the door, what are you dawdling for? Go!”
“Hey hey, going, going.”
Wang Changhai stood up, very helpless; this woman had him completely pinned. In other families, which proper wife would dare treat her man like this.
Was there no more rules, no more family status?
At this moment.
Lin Fan arrived at the surroundings of the hall master’s home, glanced at the surrounding buildings—very nice; clearly, those living here were all upper class in Yong’an City.
Either rich or noble.
The hall master had been in Loyalty Hall for so many years, managing Jili Wharf, so having the wealth to buy a mansion here was normal.
Just as he walked toward the door, he saw the hall master standing at the entrance looking around.
Soon, Wang Changhai spotted Lin Fan carrying things and went up with a beaming smile.
“I said just come, why bring anything.”
“Hall master, first visit, can’t go empty-handed; didn’t know what to buy, so got some rouge for sister-in-law and some snacks the children like.”
“Alright, your sister-in-law’s been waiting anxiously.
