RBCT Chapter 2005 Young Master Zhao Treats People Like Money
Chapter 2005 Young Master Zhao Treats People Like Money
Chapter 2005 Young Master Zhao's Treat - Treating Money Like It's Nothing
While Zhao Jun was having a Versailles-like encounter with people in the backyard of the Qianlong Hotel, Wang Meilan, who had just returned home from Xishantun, was also busy.
She and Zhao Youcai met with Zhao Guofeng, the village head of Yong'an Village, and the two sides had a harmonious conversation.
"Youcai, what have you been up to lately?" Zhao Guofeng took the Zhonghua cigarettes Zhao Youcai offered and asked, "I didn't see Xiaojun's car at home either. What's the kid up to?"
"Ah, hehe." Zhao Youcai smiled faintly and said, "There's a small business at home, and the kids have gone out to take care of it."
"Huh? Then how come I heard... he borrowed all the vehicles from the forest farm?" Zhao Guofeng's words sounded a bit redundant. Zhao Jun borrowing vehicles from the forest farm and the forest farm lending vehicles out had nothing to do with him.
But Zhao Youcai and Zhao Guofeng had an exceptionally good relationship. When Zhao Guofeng asked, Zhao Youcai didn't argue and simply said, "He... went to Chuncheng to pick up some guests from out of town. Afterwards, he thought it wouldn't look good if the guests were too big for their own good after Liberation, so he borrowed two jeeps from the forest farm."
At this point, Zhao Youcai gestured towards the outside room and said, "And Uncle Peng's jeep, they drove it away too."
At this moment, Wang Meilan sensed that something was wrong with Zhao Guofeng, so she asked, "Guofeng, what brings you here?"
"Ah, sister-in-law." Zhao Guofeng smiled and said, "My Jinshan is going to the wedding next Friday, the ninth day of the sixth lunar month, isn't he?"
"Ah..." Zhao Youcai understood immediately and said, "It's alright, Guofeng, they'll be back in the next couple of days."
"Ah, haha, I was thinking he went to Hebei again." Zhao Guofeng said, and Wang Meilan laughed and said, "No, he's right near home. Well... Guofeng, don't worry, your nephew said that when he's in Jinshan on business, he'll drive there first thing in the morning."
The two families are related by generation, son and father. When Zhao Jun got married, Zhao Jinshan was busy helping out. Zhao Jun's family knew about this.
Hearing Wang Meilan's words, Zhao Guofeng felt relieved and laughed heartily. Zhao Youcai looked at Zhao Guofeng and said with great emotion, "Guofeng, you know, in the blink of an eye, these kids have all started their own families."
"You bet." Zhao Guofeng flicked his cigarette ash and said, "You're about to become a grandfather, and I'll be soon too."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Youcai was overjoyed, and his laughter echoed through the window into the courtyard.
Zhao Guofeng sat for a while longer before getting up to say goodbye. Zhao Youcai and Wang Meilan, a married couple, saw him off.
Walking through the Zhao family compound, Zhao Guofeng sighed again and said to Zhao Youcai, "Youcai, you're really living a good life."
"Hahaha..." Zhao Youcai laughed heartily, patted Zhao Guofeng's arm lightly, and said, "Let me tell you, Guofeng. If Jinshan had delayed the wedding by another month, my family could have provided you with a sedan chair."
Zhao Guofeng: "..."
The sedan chair Zhao Youcai mentioned was what the locals called a car. Hearing this, Wang Meilan gave him a light push and whispered, "What are you talking about? Why are you being so irrelevant?"
Zhao Youcai: "Hahaha..."
……
Five minutes to five o'clock in the afternoon, three jeeps were parked in front of the Changbaishan Hotel, and a large Jiefang truck was parked far away on the street corner.
Zhao Jun came out of the hotel lobby and quickly walked down the steps to his car.
At this time, Li Baoyu and other members of the Zhao family, as well as guests from the south, had all disembarked.
Upon seeing Zhao Jun approach, Huang Chongshan immediately raised his hand to greet him, saying, "Mr. Zhao, come here quickly. Let me introduce you. This is Mr. Li from Singapore, Southeast Asia."
The Mr. Li mentioned by Huang Chongshan was in his thirties, slender, with bright eyes, and looked very capable.
Zhao Jun shook hands with him and greeted him. The two introduced themselves. This Mr. Li spoke fluent and standard Mandarin, which showed that he had practiced it on purpose.
He said his name was Li Guangming and he came from Yu Sheng Ginseng and Deer Antler Pharmacy in Singapore.
Zhao Jun was overjoyed to finally meet the boss from Southeast Asia and exchanged several polite words with Li Guangming.
The four men who came with Li Guangming were all his subordinates, so they were not introduced in much detail.
Then, Zhao Jun looked at Liu Jinrong and his group of five. The first thing that caught his eye was Liu Jinrong's big white teeth.
The man grinned, showing his large teeth, and said, "Zhao Jun... I've brought you two distinguished guests."
At this point, Liu Jinrong paused slightly, then introduced the two people beside Zhao Jun: "This is Liang Wanshun, the head of Hetang."
"The helmsman? What are they called?" Zhao Jun wondered to himself, but he didn't show it on his face. He just smiled warmly and shook hands with Liang Wanshun.
"This is Mr. Ma Jiren, the manager of Qianchengtang." Liu Jinrong introduced the man in his fifties next to him. As Zhao Jun shook hands with him, Liu Jinrong said, "Weihetang was founded during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, and Qianchengtang was founded during the Daoguang period. Both are top-notch pharmacies in our port city."
Zhao Jun had no idea about Daoguang or Guangxu. In his previous life, he watched TV and was familiar with only Qianlong, Kangxi, and Cixi among the Qing Dynasty figures. The rest of the names sounded pretty much the same to him.
But with Liu Jinrong's grand introduction, Zhao Jun instantly understood: "These people are all rich!"
Thinking of this, Zhao Jun's smile became even brighter.
Zhao Jun invited these guests into the hotel and had them check into rooms at the front desk.
The nine people from the port city and the south naturally did not have ID cards, but since they were foreign guests, they only needed to be registered in detail and then reported to the GA.
However, Zhao Jun estimated that by the time the hotel finished reporting, they would have already left.
Although foreign guests are allowed to stay in suites, previous guests had stayed in deluxe rooms, so Zhao Jun treated all nine of them the same and booked them a deluxe room as well.
Also staying in the luxury room with them were Huang Chongshan, Liu Jinrong, Lin Xiangshun, Li Baoyu, Xie Chen, and Zhao Jinhui.
After a complicated registration process, the formalities were finally completed. Zhao Jun personally escorted them upstairs and arranged to meet in the hotel lobby at six o'clock to travel together to the hotel for a meal.
Forty minutes later, the third floor of the Qianlong Hotel was booked out by Mr. Zhao for the entire evening.
Two tables were set up in the large private room, where Zhao Jun was with eighteen guests and Liu Jinrong.
The other members of the Zhao family gang, along with the Shao family father and son, Liu Erbao, and the people from Xishantun, sat at four tables in the hall.
They could have gone to other private rooms, but everyone said it would be more lively to stay together.
Lin Xiangshun, Li Baoyu, Xie Chen, and Zhao Jinhui each opened a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes and distributed them to everyone.
Holding a whole box of Zhonghua cigarettes, not only were the people of Xishantun stunned, but Shao Zhiqiang and Shao Jun were also dumbfounded.
As the head of the Shao family gang, Shao Zhiqiang didn't have much social standing, but his family was well-off; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to drive a 212 Jeep.
You know, these days, not many people own private cars.
But seeing Zhao Jun's actions today, Shao Zhiqiang finally understood what it meant to be rich and powerful.
"Dad," Shao Jun said to Shao Zhiqiang beside him, holding a cigarette, "the conference that my brother Zhao Jun organized was much more impressive than the one led by Wu the foreman."
Shao Zhiqiang glanced at Zhao Jun but said nothing.
At this moment, there was some commotion at the three tables in Xishan Village. After learning that the cigarettes cost several yuan a pack, the people of Xishan Village refused to take them no matter what.
"Even if you don't smoke, we'll still take it." Lin Xiangshun whispered to everyone, "Since my brother bought it for everyone, it's his way of showing his appreciation. Let's not argue, or we'll become a laughing stock."
After Lin Xiangshun said this, the people of Xishantun stopped arguing with them.
Tong Youfeng glanced at the large private room with its door open and muttered, "The young master really doesn't treat us like outsiders."
The door to the private room not far away was open, and what was being eaten and drunk inside could be clearly seen from the outside. Zhao Jun was treating his guests with the highest level of hospitality today, and he wasn't shortchanging his own people either.
At this moment, waiters came up from downstairs. Some of them carried beer crates in pairs, while others carried liquor in their hands.
"Come on, bring out the liquor first." Lin Xiangshun waved to the waiters and said. He made this arrangement because the people of Xishantun had only drunk beer once, and that was at Zhao Jun's wedding.
But they only drank it out of curiosity that time, and their evaluation after drinking it wasn't very good. They all said that the beer tasted like horse urine.
Lin Xiangshun wanted to tell them that they'd get used to the beer after a few drinks. But since the Zhao family was hosting a banquet, he'd serve them whatever they liked.
Two bottles of baijiu were served, and Li Baoyu, Xie Chen, and Zhao Jinhui went from table to table to apologize.
“My brother said we have to leave early tomorrow, so no one should drink too much today, just two ounces each,” Li Baoyu said. “After we get back, when things are less busy, my brother will treat us all to a good drink.”
The people of Xishantun expressed their understanding. They usually drink loose liquor, and the only time they had ever drunk bottled liquor was at Zhao Jun's wedding.
That time we drank Xifeng, this time we drank Wuliangye.
These days, Wuliangye is more famous than Moutai.
Some of the people in Xishantun had heard of these famous wines, but none of them had ever seen them, and none of them could read.
The father and son from the Shao family at the next table knew each other. Shao Zhiqiang and Shao Jun, a total of four eyes, stared at the wine bottle on the table, remaining silent for a long time.
At this moment, six more waiters came up the stairs, carrying large iron platters with four dishes on them.
After going up to the third floor, a waiter went to a table.
"A large platter of wild game, cucumber salad with sauce, garlic-flavored bracken, and smoked rabbit meat, turn around slowly."
After the four cold dishes were served, a waiter quickly brought over two more dishes.
"Orchid bear paw, roasted ground pheasant, turn around slowly."
The main course is served!
The sound of plates clattering against the table rang out, but everyone's attention was now focused on the two dishes that had been placed on the table.
Orchid-shaped bear paw is the best dish in Liaoning cuisine.
Since Song Dapeng only received four bear paws today, Zhao Jun discussed it with Manager Xu and finally decided to serve the two front paws whole as a dish to entertain the guests.
The remaining two hind paws were split in two, with each of the four tables outside receiving half a paw. But today there were plenty of dishes, and the portions were large, so there was definitely enough for everyone.
At this moment, half a bear paw lies in the center of the plate, shaped like a hill and the color of amber. There is also a thick, bright red sauce, with a thin layer coating the surface of the bear paw.
After processing, the bear paw appears thick and plump, with distinct knuckles, faintly raised veins, and a translucent, gelatinous appearance.
It looks just like a freshly cooked, hot pig's trotter, soft and tender.
This dish is called Orchid Bear Paw, and the bear paw is surrounded by a circle of small emerald-colored orchids.
But those orchids weren't real orchids; they used rapeseed hearts for the petals and minced shrimp for the stamens. They were then garnished with diced ham and shiitake mushrooms, creating a beautiful contrast of white and green, meat and vegetables, exuding an air of luxury.
The villagers of Xishan Village stared at the bear paw, knowing that the young master had once again treated them to a fine meal. But when they saw the orchid-shaped bear paw, they all felt as if they were dreaming.
Unlike the people of Xishantun, the Zhao family gang's attention was focused on burning the ground sparrows.
"What's this? What are we burning?" Jie Chen asked. Shao Zhiqiang, who had seen the world with Zhao Jun that afternoon, replied, "We're burning ground sparrows. You know what a ground sparrow is?"
"Oh my god, there are such things?"
Jie Chen's reaction was similar to Zhao Jun's in the afternoon. He looked at the plate of food in surprise and said, "There's this stuff too?"
Xie Chen's hometown is a rural area, without mountains, forests, or meadows. But every year when the pheasants migrate, some inevitably get separated from the main herd. These lost pheasants scatter to various places, so people in Northeast China these days all know about them.
Inside the private room, manager Xu Tianyuan was introducing the two dishes to the guests.
"When we make this bear paw soup, we use old duck, ham, and dried scallops to make a rich broth. The soup is fresh but not pungent."
The orchid dish paired with it is made with bok choy and shrimp paste; it helps to cut through the richness of the bear paw.
"This braised ground pheasant was a famous dish in the Manchu Han Imperial Feast. In Inner Mongolia, the ground pheasant, yellow sheep, and sand pheasant are known as the Three Delicacies of the Grassland."
This pheasant is all live meat; its texture and taste are much better than those of the red-crowned crane or the wild goose.
Following Xu Tianyuan's words, everyone looked at the braised quail. They saw long, thick slices of quail meat, each slice coated with a thick sauce, and the whole thing was a glossy, dark red color.
The meat chunks are neatly arranged on the plate, with the edges of the meat slices slightly curled up, and garnished with a few sprigs of bright green scallions, creating a striking contrast of red and green.
"Come on, everyone, let's pick up our chopsticks and try our Northeastern cuisine," Zhao Jun said, inviting the guests to eat.
At this moment, he sat at the same table as the group of guests who came in the evening. This was not because these people were rich, but because Zhao Jun had already accompanied that group of guests at noon.
That evening, Zhao Jun asked Huang Chongshan to keep Tian Guozhong, Yang Changjiang, and others company. He was accompanying these people who came from Hong Kong and Singapore.
Actually, guests from Beijing and Hebei, like Tian Guozhong and Yang Changjiang, were better off. But these people from Hong Kong and Singapore—who had ever seen this dish before?
They had heard of bear paws before, knowing that only the emperor could eat them in the past.
They had never even heard of the burning ground sparrow.
However, they all knew about red-crowned cranes, and upon hearing that this pheasant was even rarer than a red-crowned crane, the group of people, seeing the appetizing dishes, all started eating.
Zhao Jun first picked up a piece of ground pheasant meat; he had never eaten this meat in either of his lives. He was lucky to be here, otherwise he wouldn't be able to eat it for several years.
And it got even weirder as time went on. More than thirty years later, each of the pheasants had a location tracking system. Anyone who dared to touch it would have someone take care of their food and lodging for the rest of their life.
Zhao Jun picked up a slice of meat; it wasn't large, but it had a slight weight to it. He put it in his mouth and chewed, finding distinct layers. The surface was slightly chewy, while the inside was tender yet firm. His mouth was filled with a savory, umami flavor, mixed with the unique freshness of wild fowl, without a trace of fishiness.
The guests all picked up their chopsticks. Although the tastes varied from place to place, it was clear that they were quite pleased with the two dishes.
Li Guangming, who came from Southeast Asia, finished eating the roasted ground bream and then reached for the orchid bear paw with his chopsticks.
Li Guangming picked up a small piece of the skin with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. Instantly, the salty, savory, and rich sauce filled his mouth.
"Hmm?" Li Guangming moved his tongue and the bear paw skin melted in his mouth.
At the same time, there is a slightly sweet aftertaste.
Li Guangming was completely amazed by the dish, and he couldn't help but reach for his chopsticks again.
The bear paw was roasted until it was tender and the bone was falling off; he picked off a tendon with his chopsticks.
Li Guangming put the tendon into his mouth. The texture of the tendon was different from that of the skin; it was soft yet slightly springy. It tasted like tendon from a pig's trotter, but it was finer and smoother.
That's the allure of top-quality ingredients. Li Guangming wanted to eat more, but he felt he had already taken two bites, and it wouldn't be good to take any more.
So, Li Guangming picked up another piece of ground bream.
Li Guangming had eaten good food before, but he had never tasted meat that was firm, tender, and juicy, with a unique wild and fresh aroma.
After eating a piece of ground bream meat, Li Guangming wanted to eat more, but then he stopped eating with restraint.
Just then, another waiter came up with a plate.
"Stir-fried quail meat with green peppers!"
"Wild Ginseng and Monkey Head Soup!"
The waiter announced the names of the dishes, and Xu Tianyuan helped bring the soup to the table.
The large, delicate porcelain bowl was filled to the brim with soup, which had been simmered to a milky white color and was clear and not cloudy.
Wild ginseng, hazel mushrooms, monkey head mushrooms, and large chunks of quail neck and back meat, along with the bones, are soaked in the soup, their skin and flesh slightly relaxed and their color light yellow.
A thin layer of pale yellow oil floated on the soup, with no extra side dishes, and steam rose from the rim of the bowl.
Xu Tianyuan personally served soup to everyone. Liang Wanshun from Gangcheng picked up the soup bowl, scooped some soup with a small spoon and brought it to his lips. He took a small sip and his eyes lit up instantly.
fresh!
At this moment, Liang Wanshun only had one word in his mind. He couldn't describe the deliciousness of the soup made from wild game and mountain delicacies, but he felt it was extremely delicious.
Zhao Jun doesn't really like soup; his attention was focused on the stir-fried quail meat with green peppers.
This dish is made by stir-frying the wing root meat and thigh meat of the ground bream, which is more chewy than the breast meat used for roasting ground bream.
This dish isn't thickened with cornstarch. The sliced meat, cut in a rolling motion, is stir-fried with green peppers, garlic sprouts, and scallions, creating a wonderful wok hei (wok aroma). The smoky, caramelized flavor of the stir-fry, mixed with the aroma of wild game, made Zhao Jun want to eat it with rice.
Since none of the guests at this table were drinking, Zhao Jun asked Xu Tianyuan to make watermelon juice and serve some rice.
As Xu Tianyuan gave the order, waiters continued to serve the dishes. This time, each person only brought one dish, because the dish was served in an earthenware pot.
When Xu Tianyuan served the dish, he placed the earthenware pot on a wooden tray and put it on the table. Xu Tianyuan smiled and said, "A pot of braised oil."
"Huh?" Even people living in cities in Northeast China would be confused by this dish name, let alone those from Hong Kong and Singapore.
After Zhao Jun and Xu Tianyuan explained, the group of people from the south realized that "oil can" was actually a type of bird.
Look at that earthenware pot; it has a faint ring of charcoal ash around its surface, indicating that it was slowly simmered over charcoal fire.
As soon as Xu Tianyuan lifted the lid of the pottery pot, a warm mist carrying a fragrance spread out.
The oil pot got its name from its plumpness; although it wasn't at its fattest right now, it was still more oily than a quail. Inside the pot, a layer of fine, golden oil floated on the surface of the soup.
Xu Tianyuan used small bowls to distribute meat and soup to everyone. Everyone was quite curious and tried what they got.
The Eurasian Curlew is naturally thick with fat and has fine-textured meat. The fat melts into the meat, so every bite is full of rich, oily flavor.
But it's fragrant without being greasy, making you want to take another bite.
The kitchen has been busy ever since Zhao Jun ordered the dishes in advance.
So the dishes were served very quickly, one after another: braised venison strips, stir-fried venison, braised roe deer meat, and braised wild boar ribs.
If we consider the oil pot stewed in the earthenware pot as a hot dish, then now there are four cold dishes, eight hot dishes, twelve dishes in total, plus a soup on the table.
The portions were huge; there was enough for all the manual laborers in Xishantun.
For his main dish, Zhao Jun only ordered rice tonight. He had asked Xu Tianyuan and learned that the rice used at the Qianlong Hotel was transported from Daohua County, and Zhao Jun wanted these southerners to taste the good rice from Northeast China.
Inside the private room, the guests at both tables ate very elegantly, but they ate quite quickly.
Outside the private room, the four tables of people were enjoying their meal even more, with laughter filling the air.
Shao Jun picked up a piece of braised venison strips coated in gravy with his chopsticks, stuffed it into his mouth, and then shoveled two mouthfuls of rice into his mouth.
After chewing hurriedly for a couple of seconds, Shao Jun picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.
"Clang!" Shao Jun put the cup on the table, then said to Shao Zhiqiang beside him, "Dad, look at the meal my brother Jun arranged, no one else can do it."
Upon hearing this, Shao Zhiqiang glanced at his son and thought to himself that Zhao Jun was not only rich, but he didn't treat money like money. Fifty or sixty people ate good food, drank good wine, and smoked good cigarettes.
Shao Zhiqiang had a feeling that today's meal would cost a lot of money.
Sure enough, after everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Zhao Jun had Lin Xiangshun, Li Baoyu, Xie Chen, and Zhao Jinhui escort the guests back to the Changbai Mountain Hotel, while he stayed behind to settle the accounts.
"Our banquets with bear paws start at 500 yuan." At this moment, Xu Tianyuan stood at the front desk, holding the bill, and said to Zhao Jun, "We have four bear paws spread across six tables, but we added two ground pheasants, so it's basically even. We didn't have any appetizers, but we added an oil jar to each table, so they should give us a little compensation for that, but it's about the same."
The "encircling plate" is a small dish served with wine, arranged in a circle on a small plate. It is usually included in banquets featuring delicacies from the mountains.
“Normally, this table would cost extra, but we won’t count that,” Xu Tianyuan continued. “The rice is also not included, then there’s Wuliangye, which is ninety yuan a bottle, and we drank ten bottles, so that’s nine hundred. This nine hundred, plus the six tables of five-hundred-yuan banquets, and eight bottles of beer, watermelon juice…”
"Alright, Manager Xu." Seeing this, Zhao Jun stopped Xu Tianyuan and said, "I'll round it up for you, four thousand."
Zhao Jun wasn't pretending; he glanced at the menu and figured it was probably around four thousand. Considering that the small platter couldn't compare to the oil can, and since Xu Tianyuan had already waived the price difference and the cost of the rice, Zhao Jun decided to be generous.
You know, the people from Xishantun can really eat; one person can finish three or four bowls of rice.
“Alright!” Xu Tianyuan wasn’t one to mince words, and immediately smiled and said, “Then I thank Boss Zhao.”
"I must thank you, Manager Xu." Zhao Jun smiled and said, "The meal was very well arranged for the guests, and I'm very pleased with it."
As he spoke, Zhao Jun took out stacks of 100-yuan bills from his pocket and placed them on the front desk.
When he left home, Wang Meilan gave him five thousand yuan. Zhao Jun originally had five thousand yuan on him; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to get through the night.
As they watched Zhao Jun place the four stacks of yuan bills there, Shao Zhiqiang and Shao Jun swallowed hard.
To reiterate, the Shao family is wealthy; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to afford such a large Jeep. Yet, even so, they've never spent four thousand yuan on a single meal.
The people of Xishantun had all gone out to wait for Zhao Jun. If they saw this scene, they would be even more astonished.
After settling the bill, Zhao Jun said goodbye to Xu Tianyuan.
At this moment, Xu Tianyuan seemed to remember something, and whispered in Zhao Jun's ear, "Boss Zhao, next time you catch a tiger, you can bring it to us."
Zhao Jun: "..."