Chapter 324: Chapter 200: Still One Piece of Dragon Meat Left? Let’s Make Dumplings! Hurry, I Need Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation! [Seeking Monthly Ticket]
After admiring the blossoming flowers, the relatives contentedly put down their phones, picked up their spoons, and tentatively began tasting the Qingshui Furong.
They had all initially thought that such a crystal-clear broth would taste very bland.
However, upon tasting it, they were instantly captivated by its savory depth.
"Oh, this soup is exceptionally delicious and fresh!"
"Yes, it’s so savory it could knock your eyebrows off! Simply unimaginable."
"It’s delicious, truly delicious!"
"It looks like plain water, but who knew it could taste so rich."
"This culinary skill is just amazing."
"..."
Soon after, Lin Xu’s White Jade Lotus Root Strips were also served.
This prompted yet another wave of amazement from the relatives.
Mrs. Shen was particularly satisfied with Lin Xu’s cooking skills and said cheerfully to Mrs. Han, "Congratulations on having such an excellent grandson-in-law."
Mrs. Han returned the compliment in kind, "Congratulations to you too for having such a wonderful grandson-in-law!"
While the two elderly ladies were enjoying themselves, the Giant Grouper dishes began to arrive.
Braised Fish Lips, Salt and Pepper Fish Segments, Stir-Fried Fish Fillet, Crispy Fried Fish Intestines, Garlic-Exploded Fish Liver, Dry-Fried Fish Belly, Stewed Fish Backbone, Clear Soup Fish Balls, Steamed Fish Belly, Black Bean Sauce Fish Tail, Crispy Fried Fish Fillet...
A single fish was transformed into twenty or thirty different dishes, each portioned onto four plates.
With over a hundred dishes now served, the table finally looked bountiful.
By this time, Xie Baomin and the others, having finished their work, also came in. Xie Baomin first made a round of toasts to everyone before taking his seat to eat.
The executive chef of Fishing Platform had personally cooked and then went around offering toasts with a wine glass. This made Shen Guofu’s relatives all the more satisfied with Lin Xu.
Whether Lin Xu was wealthy was, for the moment, beside the point. Such connections and networking alone set him far apart from ordinary people.
And let’s not forget, in the corner sat a renowned calligrapher, currently vying with his granddaughter for food.
Although the Shen Family had many wealthy relatives, not a single one of them could have invited such a calligrapher to this kind of event.
Before their arrival, Shen Guofu had repeatedly warned his relatives not to look down on the Lin Family for being poor or for not being locals.
But now...
How could we dare look down on them? It’s good enough that *we* aren’t the ones being looked down upon!
Lin Xu, holding his chopsticks, tried each dish one by one.
It must be said, buying a Giant Grouper for such a banquet was quite a good deal. The creature was meaty all over, and one large Giant Grouper easily yielded over a hundred dishes.
And each part tasted completely different.
The Fish Intestines were crisp, the Fish Liver delicate, the belly meat rich, and the Fish Fillet juicy.
As they were eating, Chen Meijuan took out a few jewelry boxes from her bag and handed them to Shen Baobao, "Yueyue, according to the customs back in our hometown, the engagement requires the giving of ’three golds.’ I took some time to buy these for you the day before yesterday. Try them on and see what you think."
In Beijing, an engagement simply meant the two families having a meal together.
However, in the Central Plains, there was a tradition where the groom’s family gave the bride three pieces of gold jewelry.
Although Shen Guofu had previously declined, Chen Meijuan was resolute. Other daughters-in-law received such gifts, so her own perfect daughter-in-law, Shen Baobao, absolutely had to have them too—and hers had to be even better!
Shen Baobao hadn’t expected to receive three gold gifts in addition to red envelopes for her engagement. She quickly thanked Chen Meijuan and happily opened the jewelry boxes.
The first box contained a platinum necklace.
A diamond was embedded in the four-leaf clover pendant, sparkling under the light.
"Wow, it’s so beautiful! I love it!"
Saying that, Shen Baobao swiftly put it around her neck.
After putting it on, she checked her reflection using her phone’s front camera. It really looked beautiful!
The second jewelry box contained a charming platinum bracelet, encircled with a row of small diamonds, equally sparkling.
Shen Baobao unceremoniously slipped it onto her wrist.
After taking a few photos of her fair wrist with her phone, she opened the third jewelry box.
Inside was a pair of platinum diamond rings.
"Perfect, one for each of us," Shen Baobao thought.
She slid the ring onto her left ring finger. It was a perfect fit and matched the bracelet beautifully. Her mother-in-law had great taste in picking jewelry.
Once her ring was on, she urged Lin Xu to put on his.
After they both wore their rings, they put their hands together, showing off both rings, and then took a photo to post under the Lin Ji’s Food online topic.
"We got engaged today! Can we get some blessings?"
No sooner had they posted it than comments began flooding in:
"Wishing you a harmonious union for a hundred years!"
"Wishing you grow old together!"
"Wishing you everlasting love!"
"Wishing you a joyful and content life!"
"Have five kids!"
"Have six kids!"
"Have seven kids!"
...
While Shen Baobao was busy liking the netizens’ comments, Lin Xu, led by Shen Guofu, began toasting the relatives, wine glass in hand.
The relatives, in turn, toasted them back.
The atmosphere was very harmonious.
「After the meal.」
Waitstaff entered in single file, cleared the table of dishes and drinks, and then served everyone a specially supplied internal tea.
The relatives chatted for a while longer.
Then, they rose and prepared to leave.
However, as they were leaving the private room, they found a pile of parting gifts at the doorway.
The front desk manager of Building Number Ten and several waitstaff were responsible for distributing them; every guest, adult and child alike, received one.
"These parting gifts are usually reserved for foreign heads of state or leaders who have stayed here; you can’t buy them outside," Xie Baomin explained. "Thank you all again for attending my junior’s engagement banquet. This is just a small token of our appreciation."
Dai Jianli also meticulously explained the differences between the various parting gifts, allowing everyone to choose for themselves.
This gesture thoroughly impressed the Shen Family’s relatives.