Recalling the banquet from before, Shi Yuliang felt a pang of hunger!
He wanted to taste it immediately!
But he couldn't help but worry, wondering what kind of banquet Old Lu had ordered, and if it was as good as what Su Xiaotian had arranged.
He regretted not asking Comrade Su Xiaotian for help with the arrangements.
For two consecutive days, the dishes prepared by Comrade Su Xiaotian had been well-received by Mr. August and Miss Christina.
"As expected?"
Seeing Shi Yuliang almost drooling, Minister Qian became a little more interested.
From what he knew, Shi Yuliang was not someone who overly indulged in food.
His expression was rather peculiar.
"Minister Qian, Mr. August and his sister, Miss Christina, are very fond of this restaurant."
They liked it so much that they had been dining here for three consecutive days.
With that statement, Minister Qian's worries completely subsided.
As long as the guests were pleased, whether they were descendants of imperial chefs was not that important.
He wasn't someone who clung to old traditions.
Although the lunch banquet was arranged by Lü Ruyai today, Su Xiaotian had actually made prior arrangements for what dishes would be served if the silk factory ordered a banquet.
Grandma Su remembered it all clearly.
At this moment, the sixteen dishes were served one by one. Even before anyone picked up their chopsticks, the aroma of the food wafted into everyone's noses.
The rich fragrance made not only Christina and August, who were already eager to eat, but also Minister Qian, unable to resist a craving.
"The taste of this dish is truly excellent, and it looks exquisite. It has the perfect combination of color, aroma, and taste!" Minister Qian said with a chuckle.
He wasn't someone who paid much attention to food. He could eat three large bowls of noodles with pickled vegetables.
He was also not picky about coarse grain steamed buns, but today's banquet made him feel an unprecedented sense of eagerness.
When did such a restaurant appear in the capital?
He didn't even know!
"Minister Qian, you're in for a treat today!"
Seeing Minister Qian's eager expression, Fan Shufang couldn't help but smile.
It was only then that Minister Qian realized that among this group of people, he was the only one who hadn't been here before; everyone else was a regular!
The foreign friends, having eaten here once before, were familiar with the routine. They didn't pick up their chopsticks, but instead grabbed spoons and forks.
They didn't know how to use chopsticks, so why would they make things difficult for themselves?
It was better to obediently use spoons and forks!
Regardless of the cutlery, what mattered was the taste of the food.
Minister Qian watched the foreign friends pick up their forks and spoons, preparing to eat, with great surprise.
"Mr. August, Miss Christina, since you are in China, you could try eating with chopsticks. It will bring you a different and novel experience."
Minister Qian felt that eating with forks and spoons was not quite right, so he advised them.
However, to Minister Qian's surprise, when this statement was translated by Fan Shufang, the foreign friends showed no unusual reaction.
Only August glanced at him.
Christina, with her head bent over the delicious food on the table, thought that this old Chinese man was too cunning, trying to trick her.
Was she, Christina, someone who was easily deceived?
Minister Qian was unaware that for a single sentence, he had become a deceiver in the heart of this young girl, Christina.
That's right, Christina thought so.
She believed that Minister Qian intended to trick her into using chopsticks, thereby reducing the amount of food she could eat.
She wouldn't have it; she wanted to snatch as much delicious food as possible.
Minister Qian clearly did not anticipate that the foreign friends were sharpening their "knives" and were about to engage in a fierce food-grabbing battle with him.
"Respected Mr. Qian, we truly don't know how to use chopsticks. Forks and spoons are excellent!" August said a few words in his language, and the translator diligently translated them into Chinese.
Then, August directly invited Minister Qian to start eating and unceremoniously plunged his fork into the food.
Had these foreign guests never eaten before?
Why were their actions so rough?
Weren't foreigners supposed to be the epitome of elegance?
Especially those from prominent families, they were supposed to be incredibly graceful!
How could they eat in such a manner?
Was he mistaken, or were these people outright tricksters?
Minister Qian's initial bewilderment turned into understanding after he picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks. He realized that this was the true reason for the foreign friends' loss of composure.
It had to be said that the food at this restaurant, called Yiming Pavilion, was truly exceptional.
After taking a bite of the delicious food, Minister Qian, still vigorous, joined the food-grabbing frenzy.
Alright, he had to admit that compared to the food at Yiming Pavilion, the meals he usually ate were akin to pig slop.
They were so unpalatable! How could he have swallowed them?
He had a military background, and during his time in the army, he was quite adept at snatching food.
Therefore, in this fierce battle, although he started late, he was not at a disadvantage at all.
Christina stole a glance at Minister Qian, becoming even more convinced that his words before the meal were intended to prevent her from picking up food with chopsticks!
This old man was truly wicked.
The utterly wicked Minister Qian was completely unaware of his standing in the minds of the foreign guests.
August, on the other hand, gave Minister Qian a meaningful look and then sped up his eating.
He suspected that if he didn't eat faster, this old man might just stuff all the dishes into his own mouth!
After more than half an hour, Minister Qian patted his bulging stomach, a look of benevolent joy on his face.
It had been many years since he had eaten so heartily.
For the first time, he realized that there was such a vast difference between meals.
He had always believed that braised pork was the most delicious food in the world, glistening with oil and incredibly satisfying.
However, today he discovered that even the taste of braised pork was merely ordinary.
Those pieces of meat that didn't look oily tasted just as good, even wonderful.
"Minister Qian, what do you think of the dishes here?" Shi Yuliang, also full, asked politely.
While the foreign guests were important, his immediate superior was even more so. Therefore, Shi Yuliang first inquired about Minister Qian's opinion.
Minister Qian nodded with satisfaction.
It was unexpectedly good.
He even wondered if he would ever be able to stomach the food at home again.
After everyone had eaten their fill, they exchanged a few more pleasantries.
Seeing that everyone had eaten their fill, Su Xiaotian smiled and said, "Respected Mr. August, Miss Christina, please allow me to formally introduce the chef of this restaurant!"