Chapter 529: A Friend's Mother

Lin Sicheng's chopsticks never stopped.

He didn't just eat the dishes; he shoveled down rice, finishing three bowls in a "clatter-clatter-clatter."

It was as if he hadn't eaten in days, like a starving ghost reincarnated.

And he still had time to chat, talking about this dish and that dish, not idle for a moment.

The whole group was stunned.

Huang Zhi hadn't expected that Lin Sicheng not only loved to eat but was also an expert, even more knowledgeable than he, a professional restaurant owner.

Where each dish excelled and what flavor it lacked, he hit the nail on the head.

Huang Zhi was even more surprised that Lin Sicheng, having let down his guard and shed his reserve, was actually this lively.

Liu Yiling, on the other hand, felt it was a huge contrast.

No matter the time, Lin Sicheng always gave people the impression of being gentle, courteous, and as refined as jade. She hadn't expected him to have such a down-to-earth side. The siblings, however, were suspicious and disdainful:

Their uncle had praised him to the heavens, but why did he seem like a bumpkin who had never been to the city or eaten anything good?

In reality, they were looking at him through colored glasses; Lin Sicheng's table manners weren't ugly, he just ate fast and ate a lot.

Seeing that several dishes had been cleared, Huang Zhi waved his hand and had the waiter bring the menu.

Actually, there was basically enough to eat, but as the host, he couldn't just watch the table be left with only empty plates.

Flipping through a few pages, Huang Zhi looked at Lin Sicheng: "Lin Sicheng, we didn't order seafood earlier, are you allergic?"

"Not at all! I spent over a month in Guangzhou before the New Year and ate too much seafood, so I'm a bit burnt out on it!"

Lin Sicheng shook his head, "General Manager Huang, don't worry about me, just order whatever you like!"

"Alright, bring five servings of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall!"

Huang Zhi ate it every day and was long since tired of it, so he didn't order any for himself.

He flipped through the menu again: "Lin Sicheng, we have some freshly arrived Knife Fish, would you like one?"

They had ordered fish earlier, which was Jiangtuan, also known as Crucian Carp. Lin Sicheng could tell it was absolutely wild, caught in the Yangtze River. So he made a joke: "Is this also freshly caught from the Yangtze?"

Huang Zhi replied without hesitation: "Of course!"

Lin Sicheng was taken aback.

Although Jiangtuan were rare, there were at least still some in the Yangtze. But Yangtze Knife Fish were almost eaten to extinction.

If you don't believe it, look at the price: two years ago, Knife Fish were only a thousand-something per jin, and by this year, they had risen to four or five thousand per jin. In two more years, around 2011, they would be at least ten thousand per jin.

There were groups of anglers along the Yangtze year-round who, taking advantage of the gaps in the upstream and downstream fishing bans, specialized in catching Knife Fish, and many had made a fortune from it. Even more expensive than Yangtze Knife Fish was the Wild Large Yellow Croaker; the bigger they were, the more valuable, and it wasn't rare for one to cost over a hundred thousand.

Lin Sicheng had eaten both types of fish, but they were all farmed. Seeing pure wild ones, freshly caught from the Yangtze, was truly a first.

"General Manager Huang, where is the fish?"

"It's on display on the first floor, opposite the magnolia tree, but it's ice-chilled."

This fish dies the moment it leaves the water, and to transport it to Beijing, it was impossible to have live ones.

Lin Sicheng stood up: "I'll go take a look!"

Huang Zhi nodded: "I'll accompany you!"

No sooner said than done; while they were still talking, the two of them left the private room.

With their uncle gone, the siblings had no more reservations. Li Huaiyu curled her lip: "Mom, why is this person like someone from the countryside?" Huang Lan glared at her: "Don't talk nonsense!"

Then, she looked at Liu Yiling apologetically: "Teacher Liu, please don't mind her."

"She isn't scolding me, why would I mind?" Liu Yiling smiled, "Teacher Huang, you've done a good job!"

Wait... Teacher Liu, what do you mean by that?

The girl is bad-mouthing someone behind their back, and you're still praising her?

No matter how naive Huang Lan was, she could understand Liu Yiling's meaning: Teacher Huang, you have taught her quite well.

She twitched her lips, feeling both angry and embarrassed, but didn't know how to explain.

If she had taught her well, could her daughter speak like that?

Opposite her, Li Huaiyu's face turned green. Because she could tell that Liu Yiling was indirectly scolding her: she had neither manners nor upbringing. She wanted to scold back, but didn't dare.

This wasn't the kid from just now, someone with no roots or background who could only run their mouth.

This person was an Expert from the Forbidden City; she had status and even more social standing. If she dared to throw a tantrum, her uncle would tear her mouth apart.

Li Huaizhang sat to the side, dumbfounded: Wait... how are they all the same style, scolding people without using a single dirty word?

He was just about to say something when he was glared back by Huang Lan.

Then she gave her daughter a warning glare, meaning she would settle the score when they got home.

Li Huaiyu wasn't afraid at all.

She was certainly afraid of her uncle, because her uncle really dared to discipline her.

But her mother would, at most, just scold her a few times.

Curling her lip, she glanced at Li Huaizhang, and Li Huaizhang nodded.

It meant: don't worry, brother will definitely get this back for you.

Of course, it was aimed at Lin Sicheng, not Liu Yiling.

Giving a look that said "rest assured," Li Huaizhang lowered his head and typed on his phone.

Li Huaiyu glanced at it, the corners of her mouth curling up in a smile like a scheme had succeeded.

Huang Lan was still sulking and didn't notice their small movements, but Liu Yiling saw it all clearly.

Are these two up to no good?

I'll have to remind Teacher Lin in a moment...

Seven-thirty, it was the busiest time for the restaurant, but the lobby was very quiet. Neither customers making noise nor children running around could be seen. But one could hear the faint sounds of laughter and chatter coming from the private rooms, and waiters in vests walked by with hurried steps.

No need to guess, the private rooms were basically all full.

Lin Sicheng made a rough calculation: "Based on our table, the per-customer spend is only around two hundred; for the whole table, it comes to two thousand." If this were anywhere else, this standard would be quite high. But here, given this location and the master chef's skills, Lin Sicheng felt that even doubling it would be too low.

Comparing it to nothing else but those restaurants and private kitchens in Beijing that use "Imperial Chef" as a gimmick, the same dishes cost at least twice as much as they do here. Just the Boiled Cabbage in Consomme and Wensi Tofu he mentioned earlier cost at least four or five hundred a plate. Here at Huang Zhi's, they only sell for a little over a hundred.

"Lin Sicheng, that's not how you calculate the accounts, and not everyone is as good at eating as you: only ordering home-style stir-fries!"

"Furthermore, once the per-customer spend gets high, you have to develop high-end clients, and the membership system becomes just for show."

Huang Zhi shook his head: "Business being too good isn't necessarily a good thing!"

This sounded a bit strange, but Lin Sicheng could understand it.

If you want to make more money and want a higher per-customer spend, you have to lower the threshold, at least letting in that segment of people who are the wealthiest and do business. But by then, with dragons and snakes mixed together and the place becoming a den of iniquity, how many of the previous customers would still remain?

As time went on, this place would turn into the Ruyi Garden from *Great Song Forensic Scientist* that Huang Zhi mentioned earlier.

And it would be a natural, inevitable result, one that would not change based on his will.

That's true too.

Lin Sicheng still wanted to come back a few more times, and he didn't want this place to become a den of iniquity either.

"You might not believe what I say, but my original intention in opening this Small Courtyard wasn't to make money. It was a place for relatives and friends to relax. At the beginning, there was only half a small courtyard, with only four private rooms. There weren't many chefs in the back kitchen either; including the helpers and dishwashers, there were only eight people..."

"But later, friends came by reputation, and friends brought friends; there were more and more guests. I couldn't handle the service, so I had to hire chefs. Fearing a drop in quality, I had to hire famous chefs who could handle the hard dishes."

One thing led to another, the kitchen staff kept expanding, and the place kept getting bigger... The place as it is now is already four courtyards joined together..." Huang Zhi gestured in a circle and sighed again: "Lin Sicheng, you might not believe it, but I actually don't lack money: my maternal grandfather used to run a company in Shanghai, which later became a state-private joint enterprise, and he received dividends every year. It was confiscated in the middle, but later returned, under my mother's name..."

Lin Sicheng looked stunned: "Good heavens, a Red Capitalist?"

Huang Zhi nodded: "Putting it that way isn't wrong!"

That's impressive!

Lin Sicheng had heard of them often, but this was the first time he had seen a living one.

Wang Qi Zhi had told him some things, but he had only spoken about Huang Zhi's father's side; he hadn't mentioned the mother's side at all.

The Chinese value the principle of repaying a drop of water with a gushing spring. Given his grandfather's status, Huang Zhi's conditions were better than average.

"General Manager Huang, then why didn't you go into politics?"

"I did it for two years, but my heart was too tired, and I'm a person with no patience!" Huang Zhi shook his head, "Besides, there's already one!" Oh right, he forgot about his second brother in the Organization Department.

Lin Sicheng finally knew where the money Teacher Huang used for collecting came from.

A joint enterprise that can still pay dividends to shareholders today is definitely a rare gem; at the very least, it would be in the millions, and tens of millions wouldn't be surprising. And that's just for one year!!

"General Manager Huang, have you ever thought about controlling it?" Lin Sicheng thought for a moment, "For example, giving Teacher Huang less money?"

Huang Zhi was stunned and gave a bitter smile.

Back then, his father and mother were locked up, and the three siblings could only wander the streets. At the time, the eldest sister was only twelve, the second brother seven, and he had just learned to walk. The eldest sister relied on begging and selling blood to keep her two younger brothers from starving to death. Later, to save him, the eldest sister was injured, and her temperament changed drastically. With a clear conscience, could Huang Zhi do such a thing?

Even if he could harden his heart, the old man and old lady couldn't.

"It's fine, as long as she's happy!" Huang Zhi didn't mind, "I can still afford it for now!"

At least the old lady is still alive, and there are still dividends.

After a brief pause, he sighed again: "Lin Sicheng, you've seen it too, my two nephews are both a bit dim-witted; actually, I find them quite annoying too."

Hearing this, Lin Sicheng almost couldn't keep a straight face: if Wang Qi Zhi dared to say such things, Ye Anning's mother would dare to slap him with the sole of a shoe. The kind that wouldn't stop until his face was swollen.

The key is that Huang Zhi and Huang Lan have an extremely good relationship. So, how unreliable must that pair of siblings be for Huang Zhi, their own uncle, to be so annoyed by them?

He looked strange: "General Manager Huang, do you mean that I should be more tolerant in the future?"

"No, I will teach them how to behave, but the premise is that you must tell me!"

Huang Zhi stared into Lin Sicheng's eyes, "Lin Sicheng, my sister is actually quite pitiful!"

It was a bit incoherent, but Lin Sicheng understood:

Lin Sicheng, my nephew is my nephew, and my sister is my sister; these are two different things. Don't you dare add the mistakes my nephews make to my sister's account. As long as they dare to offend you, you tell me, and I will help you take revenge.

Lin Sicheng sighed: the sister is blood-related, but aren't the nephews also blood-related?

"General Manager Huang, the relationship between you and your sister is really good!"

"Of course!" Huang Zhi nodded, "My sister saved my life!"

Then what else is there to say?

If anyone dares to make his sister unhappy, he would beat his nephews just the same.

But there's no need.

With Lin Sicheng's methods, even if he gave them two hands, those two wouldn't be his match.

"General Manager Huang, I can handle it myself; you just need to not blame me."

Huang Zhi paused: "Lin Sicheng, don't try to be a hero!"

Even a rotting ship has three pounds of nails.

Not to mention, the two nephews are bona fide children of high-ranking officials. If they play dirty, Lin Sicheng might really suffer a loss.

It was hard enough to find some security for his sister; don't let her be scared away before she even has a chance to use it.

Huang Zhi thought for a moment: "Lin Sicheng, you've seen *Bloody Romance*, right? Kids today aren't as impulsive as we were back then, but they are definitely more devious than we were!"

"General Manager Huang, don't worry, I have bodyguards!"

What use are bodyguards?

People won't play fair with you at all;...

Huang Zhi thought Lin Sicheng had never come into contact with this type of person and didn't understand at all.

This could also be seen from his attitude toward him: knowing his background wasn't simple, yet he wasn't the least bit intimidated.

Huang Zhi felt that talking to Lin Sicheng was useless. Tonight, when he went back, he would first give his two nephews a good warning: if they dare to ruin his eldest sister's good fortune, he would break their legs. He couldn't be bothered to say more and brought Lin Sicheng to the display area.

It was designed well: half was a seafood section, and half was an open kitchen displaying dishes.

The key was that it was clean: several large fish tanks, with lobsters, seafood, and sea crabs all available, and surprisingly, you couldn't smell any fishiness.

There were also plenty of river delicacies: Crocodile, Giant Salamander, Ascaris Fish, and Ascaris Fish.

Of course, most are artificially farmed. Especially the crucian carp; that thing is a Level One protected animal, the same level as a giant panda. Take one bite, and you'll spend half your life in prison.

Arriving at the chilled section, Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment.

There really were Knife Fish, and quite a few of them, a full seven or eight.

Furthermore, they were all quite fresh; one look and you could tell they were caught yesterday and transported overnight.

The key point was, there were actually two among them that were three fingers wide!

This thing has an exceptionally long growth period and simply doesn't grow large; the common ones are only about one tael or so. Whenever one reaches three taels, it costs at least one thousand per tael.

Looking at these two, even if they hadn't reached half a catty, they were at least four taels.

A treat for the palate.

Suddenly, Lin Sicheng's eyes lit up, and he kept licking his lips.

Huang Zhi waved his hand, called over the chef from the open kitchen, and picked out the two largest ones. He even gave special instructions to have the Su-cuisine chef prepare them.

Afterwards, he smiled complacently: "If you like them, come often in the future; I'll sign the bill for you!"

That won't be necessary.

Being allowed to come is enough; one shouldn't take advantage and then act coy about it.

Lin Sicheng shook his head: "General Manager Huang, what I said earlier about a discount was just a joke."

With a single transaction worth millions, Huang Zhi knew Lin Sicheng wasn't short on this bit of money, so he didn't insist further.

After taking another look at the Giant Salamander, the two prepared to return to their private room.

Just as they walked out of the display area, a voice came from behind: "Lin Sicheng?"

Lin Sicheng turned his head and was stunned: What a coincidence?

He hurriedly greeted her: "Auntie!"

Then, he looked at the boy beside the woman: "Nanlang is here too?"

The boy smiled shyly: "Brother Sicheng!"

"Nanlang said it was you, I thought he had recognized the wrong person, but it really is you?" Ji Yun looked surprised, "Are you here to eat with your teacher?"

"My teacher didn't come; I'm here with a few friends today!"

"Oh!" Ji Yun nodded, "Nanjin, Nanyu, and Nan Yan will be coming later too. If you have time, come over and sit for a while. We are in private room number five on the second floor..."

"Alright, Auntie!"

Since Ji Yun and Tang Nanlang (Tang Nan Yan's younger brother) were here, then Department Head Tang and Tang Nan Yan would certainly come too. Since they had run into each other, he definitely had to go pay his respects—of course, provided it was convenient for them...

After exchanging greetings, and without introducing Huang Zhi, Ji Yun took Tang Nanlang back to their private room.

Huang Zhi looked curious: "Lin Sicheng, who is this?"

"A friend's mother!"