Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 269: Banquet of Thousand Old Men
By the beginning of September, the preparations for Chaofengzhai were complete and the ingredients were almost ready. Not to mention, Wang Qing had a wide network of contacts, so he didn't purchase any substitutes; all of them were first-order ingredients.

After Yan Jiekuang and Wang Qing discussed it, they decided to open the business on September 5th, which happened to be a Sunday. Yan Jiekuang had already prepared the invitations, and after filling in the date, he sent them out.

Yan Jiekuang specially sent invitations to Minister Liu, Minister Wang, and the chef king Yu Zhenqing, and delivered them personally. Several people readily agreed to attend the event.

There were three invitations to Courtyard No. 95, one from Mr. Ji, one from Jia Zhang, and one from Grandpa Sun. Mr. Ji didn't want to go, but Ji Lian borrowed a wheelchair for him and secretly told him that today's banquet was unusual, it was a lost thousand-year-old banquet, and Mr. Ji kept silent.

But when Jia Zhang received the invitation, Yan Jiekuang felt something was wrong. Jia Zhang was showing off from the front yard to the back yard, showing off to everyone she met, making everyone in the courtyard look unhappy when they saw the Yan family.

Yan Bugui kept explaining to people that this was a banquet for the elderly and only those over 65 years old were entertained. When Yi Zhonghai heard this, he snorted and turned back to the central courtyard.

Yan Bugui hated Yan Jiekuang to the point of being itchy, but there was nothing she could do. Yang Ruiping knew about it because Yan Jiekuang had told her in advance and even said that there was a private room on the second floor specially for his family. Yang Ruiping didn't bother to pay attention to the reaction of the hospital.

On September 5th, Yan's Restaurant was closed for a day. All the chefs and waiters came to the new store to help. Guests arrived one after another in the morning. Wang Qing was doing reception work at the front, and Ji Lian and Jia Dang were helping there.

When Jia Zhang came and saw Jia Dang, she looked at her with strange eyes, probably meaning that she was asking if she had nothing better to do and came to help.

At exactly nine o'clock, the first cup of tea, Junshan Yinzhen, was served. Some people who often drink tea tasted something different and their eyes lit up, while those who don't drink tea often tried it for fun.

Next is the four kinds of dried fruits: strange-flavored walnuts, crystal soft candy, spiced cashews, peanut sticky
Four kinds of candied fruits: candied orange, candied crabapple, candied banana, candied plum

Four kinds of pastries: flower-shaped longan, Aiwowo, jam golden cake, and two-color water chestnut cake
When these dishes were served, the guests knew that today's banquet was extraordinary. Liu Zheng secretly asked Minister Wang, "Old Wang, did you see anything?"

Minister Wang shook his head. At this time, Yu Zhenqing next to him said, "The legendary Banquet for a Thousand Old Men. I haven't seen it for many years. Let's try it quickly. I don't know if we can have it again in the future."

Everyone at Minister Liu's table knew that this banquet was extraordinary. Soon, word spread among the elderly people in the restaurant. They all knew that Yan Jiekuang had put a lot of effort into preparing a feast for the elderly people.

The dishes were served one by one. When the fruit platter was finally on the table, Yan Jiekuang came out from the kitchen. This banquet made the guests feast their appetites. Yan Jiekuang stood in the middle, holding up a glass of wine, and said, "Today is the grand day of the opening of our restaurant. We are the descendants of Yan and Huang, and we attach great importance to filial piety. We invite all the elders today to wish them good health and longevity. Thank you all for coming. I respect all the elders."

Everyone applauded warmly, and Yan Jiekuang took Ji Lian and Wang Qing to each table to toast, no matter if they were employees' family members, store owners, or people with connections.

Finally, they came to the main table. Minister Wang pulled Yan Jiekuang to his side and said, "Not bad, you are worthy of being the person I like the most. Although this banquet is a bit extravagant, it is worth it, especially for promoting filial piety. Come, let's have a drink."

Yan Jiekuang quickly picked up the wine glass and drank a glass with Minister Wang. Then Minister Liu Zheng and Yu Zhenqing also came over and praised him endlessly.

Yan Jiekuang walked around the hall and told Wang Qing to take good care of them. He took Ji Lian and Jia Dang to the box on the second floor. There were two groups of people there. One group was Xu Huizhen, Chen Xueru and their families, and the other group was his own family members. The whole family was there.

Yan Jiekuang and the other two went to Xu Huizhen's private room first. As soon as they entered the room, they saw the resentful eyes of Xu Huizhen and Chen Xueru, as well as Cai Quanwu's gloating eyes. Before Yan Jiekuang could say anything, Chen Xueru said, "Did you fool us with the dishes you cooked for us before?"

Yan Jiekuang quickly said, "No way, I am very serious about cooking."

Xu Huizhen said: "Why is this so different? It's two levels different from what you did before?"

"Oh, sisters, you are really wronging me. This time it's because all the materials and ingredients are complete, so the original flavor is preserved. In the past, either this or that was missing, and we used substitutes." Yan Jiekuang explained quickly.

Chen Xueru said, "Your new store is opening today, so you are right. I will let you go and come and have a drink."

Yan Jiekuang sat with this table for a while, then said he wanted to go to another table. Jia Dang stayed. She was still very close to Xu Huizhen, and Xu Huizhen took good care of her. When Yan Jiekuang and Ji Lian opened the door of the private room of Yan's house, they were stunned at first, and saw Jia Zhang sitting next to Yang Ruiping, chatting happily. Yan Jiekuang thought to himself, this person really doesn't treat himself as an outsider. As soon as he entered the door, Yan Bugui said, "Third brother, you are really amazing. This meal is the most delicious one I have ever eaten in my life. The Banquet for a Thousand Old Men, Kangxi's masterpiece, you can even make it. It's amazing."

Yan Jiekuang said a little embarrassedly: "This is the work of Chef Yu. His notes are very detailed."

Jia Zhang gave Yan Jiekuang a thumbs up and said, "Jiekuang, today I know your strength. Your cooking skills are superb. Thank you for thinking of me. Come, let's clink glasses."

Yan Jiekuang picked up the wine glass and drank with Jia Zhangshi. Yang Ruiping advised Yan Jiekuang, "Drink less and eat more. You have been busy all day. Hurry up."

The two of them sat down and chatted with their families.

After one o'clock, the banquet finally ended and the guests left one after another. Yan Jiekuang and Wang Qing stood at the door, seeing them off one by one.

Finally, the Yan family came out with big and small bags. Yan Jiekuang knew that they were packing up the leftovers, and he was very relieved, otherwise it would be a waste. Yang Ruiping asked him if he would go home today, and Yan Jiekuang said, "I will give the employees a day off in the afternoon, so I won't go back. You can take care of the children first, and I will pick them up tomorrow."

Yang Ruiping asked curiously: "Aren't you going to keep an eye on the opening of the new store?"

Yan Jiekuang waved his hand and said, "We have Wang Qing and my apprentice. I trust them."

The Yan family pushed the old man back home. Yan Jiekuang returned to the store and told Wang Qing to let the employees rest in the afternoon and pack up the remaining dishes to take home. After everything was explained, Yan Jiekuang and Ji Lian went back home.

In the afternoon, Yan Jiekuang prepared some candied fruit and melon seeds, and brewed a pot of tea, which he placed on the small square table under the pear tree, with a recliner on each side. Ji Lian chuckled and said, "If Mom sees this, she'll scold you again."

The couple each lay on a recliner, drinking tea and chatting. It was a very pleasant afternoon.

Ji Lian turned around and suddenly said sorry. Yan Jiekuang looked at her in confusion. Ji Lian said, "I have been going to class for the past few years. You are the only one at home, taking care of the children and taking care of my parents. Thank you for your hard work."

Yan Jiekuang took a sip of tea and said, "What's the big deal? This is my responsibility. This is what I should do. We are husband and wife. If I don't support you, who will?"

Ji Lian looked at Yan Jiekuang lovingly and said, "It's just as Grandpa said. Choosing you is the best decision I have made in my life."

Yan Jiekuang said proudly: "That's right, who am I? An all-round genius, your little prince."

Ji Lian rolled her eyes at him and said, "We already have two stores, so there won't be any problems."

Yan Jiekuang smiled mysteriously and said, "Of course it's not good, so I re-applied for the business license under Wang Qing's name. In principle, these are two stores. Would I be so stupid?"

Ji Lian looked at Yan Jiekuang in amazement and said, "No one can compare to you in terms of cleverness."

Yan Jiekuang said: "I had thought about it a long time ago. If I still use the name of Yan's Restaurant, I will definitely be accused of bourgeois tendencies. So I re-applied for a business license."

Ji Lian gave Yan Jiekuang a thumbs up, and Yan Jiekuang continued, "This is also the reason why I advise you to follow the school's arrangements. Now is not the time to be independent. It will take a few more years."

Ji Lian nodded, and the couple spent a happy weekend together. However, what Yan Jiekuang didn’t know was that trouble would come the next day.

(End of this chapter)