After the last hot dish, the Braised Yellow Croaker with Soup, once again received a round of praise from the guests, the desserts that marked the end of the banquet began to be served.
In the banquet hall on the second floor, the female waiter introduced the desserts to everyone in a sweet voice. "There are two desserts tonight: Glazed Apples and Cherry Foie Gras."
All the ladies from wealthy families were immediately attracted by the beautiful appearance of the two desserts.
Each golden apple was wrapped in a crystal-clear, slightly yellowish sugar coating, shining with a translucent luster like glass and emitting a rich caramel - sweet smell. It looked like a work of art.
When you took a bite, the crispy texture of the sugar coating was followed by the crisp and waxy fruit aroma of the inner apple. The sweetness of the caramel and the sour - sweetness of the apple were perfectly intertwined in the mouth. Even those who usually didn't like sweet food could find a lot of fun in it.
The other dessert, Cherry Foie Gras, was just as its name suggested. At first glance, it looked like a fresh cherry, bright red, shiny, plump and round. You couldn't tell there was foie gras inside at all.
But when you put it in your mouth, after the sweet skin made of cherries and beetroot juice melted, the foie gras, as delicate as velvet, immediately released its unique rich fatty and milky aroma. The texture was even smoother than ice cream.
Even Mrs. He, who was always reserved, couldn't help but nod. "These two desserts combine Chinese and Western elements perfectly."
"Yes,"
The other ladies echoed. "Moreover, the flavors match very well with the cold dishes and main courses before. It's just wonderful!"
"I really made the wisest decision to come back for this meal today."
After Queen Xixi, the foodie, finished her excitement, she said to her mother, Mrs. Shen, "Mom, isn't this Cherry Foie Gras the dish that big brother learned last night?"
Really?
Hearing this, everyone immediately became interested and asked Mrs. Lu one after another, "Unexpectedly, Young Mr. Lu also likes cooking?"
Mrs. Lu said with a smile, "He didn't like these things before. Maybe he's changed a bit recently."
Mrs. Lu, a surfing enthusiast, said with a smile, "I heard that Jingming showed up during Jingxi's live - broadcast the other day. He is really different from before."
Oh?
Another lady asked Mrs. Lu, "Is there something going on? Will we soon be able to drink the wedding wine from your family?"
Mrs. Lu smiled even more brightly. "I hope so too, but I can't interfere in the young people's affairs. It depends on his own ability."
After she finished speaking, Yao Chunling, who had hardly been able to get a word in all night, glanced at her daughter, Jiang Zhiyue.
Then she said to Mrs. Lu, "Zhiping, we are of the same age. You got married early. It seems that Jingming is about to get married, but our Xiaoyue has never been in a relationship!"
Sure enough, everyone's attention was diverted. Someone asked her, "Which year was Zhiyue born?"
Yao Chunling said with a smile, "She is the same age as Jingxi, twenty - five years old in nominal age."
"It's still early!"
One lady comforted her. "Zhiyue has such good conditions. She doesn't have to worry about getting married."
"How can she not worry?"
Yao Chunling deliberately sighed again and said, "This child has only known how to play the piano and study since childhood. She has never associated with boys. She always sticks to me during holidays. She has little experience and is as innocent as a blank sheet of paper."
After she finished speaking, Lu Jingxi glanced at Jiang Zhiyue, who was lowering her head to eat, and held back her words.
Others praised her again, "Isn't this kind of child great? She is filial and obedient, beautiful and talented! Unlike my naughty son, I can't see him all day long during holidays."
"Who says it isn't?"
Mrs. Lu also sighed. "It's still more considerate to have a daughter. It's a pity I don't have that luck. I have two sons."
Another person asked Yao Chunling, "By the way, I heard just now that Xiaoyue came to Rong City for a performance this time. When was it?"
Jiang Zhiyue replied, "I had a performance at the concert hall last night, and there will be another one at eight o'clock tomorrow night."
After she finished speaking, the other person said regretfully, "I didn't know about it yesterday, and I'm going to Hangzhou tomorrow. Won't I be able to watch it?"
"So what?"
Yao Chunling immediately said to her, "I saw there is a piano in the reception hall on the first floor. Let Xiaoyue play a few pieces for everyone later."
"That's great!"
Everyone expressed their welcome one after another.
Lu Jingxi glanced at Jiang Zhiyue again. After thinking about it, she swallowed her words.
Unexpectedly, not long after, Jiang Zhiyue quietly went out, looking not in a good mood.
Just as Lu Jingxi was wondering whether to go out and have a look, the last soup of the night was served. The waiter introduced beside, "The last soup tonight is the Cuttlefish Roe Soup, made from the special and precious cuttlefish roe from the Yellow Sea. Please enjoy it."
After the waiter finished speaking, Jiang Zhiyue came back again.
Lu Jingxi didn't think much about it and first accompanied the guests to taste it.
Immediately after that, her eyes lit up. "What a delicious soup!"
"Yes!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Even Mrs. He, who had seen the world, nodded. "It's salty, fresh and refreshing. The quality is no less than that of a state banquet."
Then she sighed to Mrs. Lu, "The dishes tonight are very amazing. I think I won't forget these flavors for a long time. I wonder if it's convenient to invite this young friend out to meet us?"
"Yes!"
Everyone also sighed. "This meal is just perfect. Please invite the chef out so that we can thank him/her properly."
"Of course."
Mrs. Lu said with a smile, "You all are so appreciative. Our Miss Xu must be very happy too. But she has been busy all night, and her foot was injured a few days ago. Let her go and prepare first."
Then she whispered instructions to a nearby waiter.
The waiter nodded and immediately went to the kitchen.
Everyone continued to chat and eat. About twenty minutes later, Xu Yanxia entered the banquet hall wearing the cheongsam prepared by Mrs. Lu.
Since her foot hadn't fully recovered, she changed her original high - heels into a pair of flat shoes.
However, because she was naturally tall, it still looked very harmonious.
"Hello, everyone."
She greeted everyone with a smile, and her slightly - made - up face was bright and confident.
"Finally, our chef is here!"
Led by one of the ladies, everyone applauded her one after another.
Xu Yanxia smiled and bowed to everyone several times. "Thank you all for coming. I wonder if the flavors tonight suit your tastes?"
"They suit our tastes perfectly!"
All the ladies sighed. "It's no less delicious than any restaurant outside."
"Yes. The only drawback is that it's so delicious. What shall we do if we can't eat it in the future?"
"This problem is easy to solve,"
Lu Jingxi, her best friend, immediately advertised for her. "My elder brother has acquired the Jiuzhen Zhishan restaurant near the WANXIANG Center and specially hired our Chef Xu as the quality supervisor. In the future, everyone can go there to support Xiaoxia!"
"Really?"
Everyone expressed their enthusiasm one after another. "We must support it. Judging from tonight's taste, it must be good!"
"Yes. I'm just afraid the business will be so booming that we won't be able to get in line."
Someone also said humorously, "Is there any discount for getting a membership card now? I'll definitely be a loyal member!"
Xu Yanxia thanked everyone with a smile again. "Thank you all for your support. I will definitely work hard to improve the quality of Jiuzhen Zhishan."
After her words fell, even Mrs. He laughed and said, "Then I'll definitely come to Rong City several times a year just for this taste."
Then she asked her seriously, "Seriously, girl, these flavors are hard to find in many old restaurants these days. I didn't expect a young girl like you to be able to make them. What's even rarer is that you write such good calligraphy. I heard you're also good at traditional Chinese medicine. What do your parents do? How did they raise such an excellent child?"
"You're overpraising me. I'm not that excellent,"
Xu Yanxia replied with a smile. "To be honest, my family situation is a bit special. Actually, I grew up with my grandparents. They're from the older generation and pay a lot of attention to traditions. Maybe they've had a deep influence on me."
"I see,"
Mrs. He nodded. "No wonder you seem more composed than others."
The other guests also nodded.
— Although they could tell from Xu Yanxia's words that there might be an unusual story behind her family, out of good manners, they didn't ask any more questions.
Only one person spoke up, "Why did you grow up with your grandparents? Were you a left-behind child, or did your parents get divorced?"
This made everyone pause and look at Yao Chunling, who had spoken.
