Chapter 43: Things Are Not What They Used To Be: A World of Difference

After entering the restaurant, a handsome and clever waiter immediately came up to greet them, nodding and bowing.

"Distinguished guests for the second floor, please this way!"

The first-floor lobby was packed with diners; it was clamorous and noisy as a marketplace, permeated with the fragrance of wine and food.

They were playing finger-guessing games and drinking, their faces flushed red, their foreheads glistening with oil.

The private room was on the second floor; the waiter led the way, inviting Zhou You to walk up from the first floor along the stairs.

Zhou You noticed that the diners in the lobby looked toward his destination with expressions of envy.

Consumption in the second-floor private rooms was not cheap; it could easily cost a middle-class family ten years of savings, far beyond what ordinary people could afford.

The distinguished guests who could host a banquet on the second floor were from the wealthy or noble upper-class families in Gongliang City.

Upon reaching the second floor and pushing open the door to the private room, a warm, fragrant breeze greeted them.

There was a heater and incense in the room, and the faint, intermittent sound of stringed instruments drifted from behind a beaded curtain.

The graceful silhouette reflected on the beaded curtain not far away was a musician specially invited to play and liven up the evening banquet.

"Zhou You has arrived, please take your seat."

Shen Sijing's voice came from across the table.

The apprentices standing beside him were all Zhengshi Xuitu, and Li Hao was among them.

Unsurprisingly, the people in this private room were all in Shen Sijing's camp, belonging to the faction native to the city.

"I have kept Senior Brother Shen waiting, Zhou You is here to apologize."

Zhou You saw Shen Sijing, who was surrounded by others like stars around the moon, and quickly stepped forward to bow with cupped hands.

Xu Ying, standing to the side, helped set the mood, "An apology alone won't do; punish yourself with three cups, and this matter will be settled."

Three cups of wine were a small matter for Zhou You.

The wine cup was as clear as jade, filled with golden-orange liquid, looking from afar like a piece of pure, flawless amber.

It was soft and smooth upon entering the mouth, and once it hit the stomach, a strange fragrance immediately surged up from the throat.

Good wine, at least twenty years of aging.

After Zhou You finished the three cups, he was invited by Xu Ying and Li Hao, one on each side, to sit at the table.

Shen Sijing nodded at him with a smile, and an attendant behind him stepped forward carrying a wooden box.

"Zhou You, a small congratulatory gift to celebrate you becoming a Zhengshi Xuitu of the martial arts hall."

Zhou You subconsciously declined, "Senior Brother Shen, I have done nothing to deserve this reward; I dare not accept it."

He only heard the surrounding Senior Brothers laughing and persuading him, "Accept it, we all accepted ours."

Even Li Hao nodded in agreement.

Zhou You understood; accepting the gift in the wooden box meant joining Shen Sijing's camp—this was a pledge of allegiance!

"Then I shall not decline."

Zhou You opened the wooden box and was slightly stunned; the unique red glow of pure gold rushed toward his face.

On the silk cushion lay three sets of goldware.

The first item was a pure gold cigarette holder, intended for Zhou Laocan, who had the habit of smoking.

The second item was pure gold jewelry—a pair of earrings and a pair of bracelets, both in women's styles, clearly for Zhou You Niang.

The third item was naturally for Zhou You...

A hair-binding ring, a belt buckle, and other daily personal items, all crafted from pure gold, emitting a charming, soft light.

Setting aside the value of the gold, these items took care of his family of three, showing extreme thoughtfulness.

The goldware was crafted with top-tier precision; the styles were exquisite, the details were perfect, and they were suitable for both practical use and appreciation.

"It must have used at least one jin of gold, and 99% pure red gold at that."

Pure gold is red in color, representing a significant increase in smelting costs, which is why it is more expensive.

The market price for one jin of red gold could exchange for at least 125 taels of silver.

Moreover, the labor costs of the goldsmiths had to be factored in as well.

The labor cost for top-tier precision work was basically a 1:1 ratio with the price of gold.

In other words, the true value of these gold items was equivalent to about 300 taels.

Zhou You made a rough calculation and felt shocked by Shen Sijing's grand gesture.

It wasn't just him; all the Zhengshi Xuitu present had received similar gifts—how much money must that have cost?

Senior Brother Shen was truly worthy of being the son of a wealthy family; his generosity severely shook Zhou You's values.

"Don't just sit there, drink!"

Xu Ying clamored; he was one of Senior Brother Shen's confidants and the one enlivening the atmosphere tonight.

The dining table was the best place to liven up the atmosphere; after a few rounds, Zhou You had already met all the apprentices present.

Besides Xu Ying and Li Hao, the other apprentices were all recruited by Shen Sijing.

Their status was the same as Zhou You's; they were all families born and raised in Gongliang City.

"Senior Brother Shen is treating us tonight to the 'Four Treasures Banquet'; as for what the four treasures are, we shall see soon enough."

Dong, dong, dong—someone knocked on the door of the private room, "The main course is being served."

Mou Xiaoli stood at the door, feeling quite nervous; today he had the honor of following the restaurant manager to serve the distinguished guests in the private room, which was truly a stroke of great fortune.

The waiters at Zhaijin Lou were also ranked; the waiters in the first-floor lobby simply could not compare to those serving the private rooms.

He was originally a lobby waiter and was only filling in tonight because they were short-handed.

Mou Xiaoli cherished this opportunity immensely, hoping to serve the distinguished guests well so the manager would promote him to the second-floor private rooms.

There was a legend among the waiters that a predecessor had once received a tip of 10 taels of silver, which was the highest record held to date.

Only the distinguished guests in the private rooms were this generous; the first-floor lobby at most offered some copper coins and small pieces of silver.

After the private room door opened, the manager hurriedly signaled the waiters to serve the dishes.

"The first course of the Four Treasures Banquet is made by stewing the tendons of eight kinds of wild beasts until tender, seasoned with aged Yellow Rice wine."

"This dish uses an old fish from the bottom of a hundred-meter-deep river, slaughtered after reaching fifty years of age, using only the fish maw that has been sun-dried and then rehydrated."

The waiters moved with agility, carefully placing the dishes on the table while explaining the source of the ingredients for each one.

They were all handsome, eloquent, and skilled at reading the room, choosing only to say what sounded pleasant.

Soon it was Mou Xiaoli's turn.

Mou Xiaoli held the tray with the Hundred Bird Marrow, silently recalling the cooking characteristics of this dish.

He put on his most respectful smile and looked up at the honored guests at the banquet, but just as he was about to speak, he suddenly froze.

What?

Mou Xiaoli felt as if his eyes were playing tricks on him; how could he see Zhou You from next door among the honored guests?

He blinked his eyes—he hadn't seen wrong!

Zhou You was clearly one of the honored guests, and the surrounding guests were all offering him toasts.

Looking again at the table in front of him, there were seven or eight gleaming gold items, all crafted from pure gold and exquisitely beautiful.

Mou Xiaoli's face flushed bright red in a flash, and he stood there tongue-tied, unable to say a word.

Because he paused, the previously fluid serving and announcing of dishes was interrupted on the spot, and the atmosphere in the private room instantly turned cold.

"Insolent, what are you standing there dazed for? Do you expect us to invite you to sit down and drink with us?"

Xu Ying scolded the manager without any courtesy, "What kind of waiters do you raise in your establishment?"

"Forgive me, forgive me."

The restaurant manager's forehead was covered in sweat, and he kept nodding and bowing.

After much effort apologizing, the manager promised to gift an additional jar of thirty-year-old fine wine, which finally smoothed over Xu Ying's anger.

From beginning to end, Zhou You did not look at Mou Xiaoli even once.

After leaving the private room, the manager's face sank on the spot.

"The cost of that jar of aged wine will be deducted from your wages until it is paid off."

"Since you are clumsy and offended an honored guest, don't bother being a waiter anymore; go to the back kitchen to wash dishes and do chores."

Mou Xiaoli didn't even have time to beg for mercy, and his heart instantly sank into a bottomless abyss.