While in America, the system says Roosevelt was an emperor.

Upon entering, you're greeted by a drunkard clutching a bottle of baijiu, the pungent smell of cooking oil, and a heavily accented Mandarin accent...

In an instant, Tom felt like he had returned to his past life, to the small, hole-in-the-wall restaurant downstairs from his old home.

The food at this kind of restaurant can't be bad.

Tom randomly found a small table, and the waiter slammed the menu in front of him, saying:

"General Tso's Chicken, Fortune Cookies, Beef Fried Rice."

"anything else?"

Tom: "???"

"What kind of Sichuan cuisine are you talking about? I've never heard of it."

"Wait, let me look at the menu first."

Tom took the menu and looked down at it.

General Tso's Chicken, Fortune Cookies, Beef and Broccoli, Li Hongzhang Chop Suey, Beijing Beef...

Tom frowned. Is this food for humans?

When did Sichuan cuisine start making these dishes?

Tom flipped through the menu over and over, but he couldn't find a single proper "Chinese dish," let alone Sichuan cuisine.

Mao Xue Wang (a spicy Sichuan dish), Kung Pao Chicken, Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth, Mapo Tofu, Spicy Chicken...

Where are you going?

The fire in the house wasn't strong enough, and the wok hei (wok aroma) wasn't there, which made Tom really crave this dish.

Tom frowned and said to the waiter:

"Is this food for humans? Even pigs wouldn't eat it!"

"No Chinese food is like this."

The waiter's eyes lit up, thinking to himself that this white foreigner actually knew how to eat, and he said:

"You want to eat authentic Sichuan cuisine?"

"Sure, I'll give you a Chinese menu, just wait a moment."

The waiter turned back to the bar, and just then, a deep, husky female voice rang out, calling out:

"Yo yo yo~"

"The tax collector has quite the leisure and refined taste, actually coming to a Sichuan restaurant for a meal."

Tom looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Wu Ailian, the branch leader of the Fuxing Society.

Tom frowned, his killing intent radiating, and asked Wu Ailian:

"Branch Leader Wu, what brings you here?"

"Could it be that you were following me?"

"Or are you spying on me?"

When Wu Ailian saw Tom's cold expression, she instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

Tom the tax collector's tiger skin was intimidating enough, not to mention his godlike 50-0-0 record.

Wu Ailian quickly explained:

"Tax collector, don't scare me."

"You drive around in a Studebaker luxury car, making a big fuss. Do you think my subordinates wouldn't report that to me?"

"That car could buy ten 'Zhonghua Lao Sichuan Restaurant's'."

"I knew it was you who had come, so you must be here for the banquet."

Am I right?

Upon hearing this, Tom's cool expression crumbled, turning him as red as a crab.

Tom couldn't very well say he was there to "go upstairs to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor," so he could only nod.

Tom finally understood why the word "Confidential" was so big on the matchbox of the urology hospital in his previous life.

Next time you come, don't fire a gun, sneak up to the second floor.

Seeing that Tom's expression had softened, Wu Ailian thought to herself that she had guessed correctly, and continued:

"I'm here on behalf of the Grand Master to personally pick you up."

"The Grand Master has summoned all the other branch masters and they are waiting for you at the hotel."

"By the way, what would you like to eat?"

"I'll call them first and tell them to get ready."

Tom thought to himself that there was no chance to "go upstairs to see the old Chinese medicine doctor" today, so he might as well take care of the Fuxing Association's business first.

Fuxing Society is different from other gangs; it is the richest among them.

Fu Hing Society, relying on its status as a Chinese gang, has exploited ordinary Chinese people to the point that almost all the money in the Chinese community is in its hands.

If Tom wants to tax the Chinese community, he can only tax the Fuxing Association; ordinary Chinese people don't have much money at all.

Tom said:

"I want to eat hot pot."

"Oh, and remember this: find a special hot pot, we'll all use one pot, and it has to be a pot of pure water."

Wu Ailian didn't understand why Tom made such a strange request.

If you're going to eat hot pot, then eat hot pot. Don't foreigners always serve individual portions?

Shouldn't each person have their own individual hot pot?

Is there any special meaning behind everyone sharing one big hot pot?

Tom certainly had his reasons, and they were quite extensive.

After making a phone call, Wu Ailian and Tom walked out of the restaurant together.

Wu Ailian's car is cheaper than a Ford luxury car, but it is still considered a luxury car, priced between $1500 and $3000.

At 12:30, the five people arrived at the entrance of a restaurant.

The signboard is very imposing – "Chung Hwa Grand Hotel".

Unlike the Zhonghua Lao Sichuan Restaurant, the Zhonghua Grand Hotel was filled with extravagance.

A five-meter-tall gilded statue, a wall covered with landscape murals, an artificial waterfall, a large red and white koi carp, and antique porcelain ornaments...

Let alone 1941, even in the 21st century, it would need its own special background music:

Having mistakenly entered the heavenly realm, I urge you to lay down the sand in your hand.

Tom didn't seem to care much. Even if he hadn't eaten pork, he'd at least seen a pig run.

In my past life, there was a time when all the major platforms were filled with videos of extravagance, so I was used to it.

The hall was cleared out by the Fuxing Society, leaving only a table in the middle with a large copper hot pot on it.

Seven or eight middle-aged men had already taken their seats, all slouching and chatting.

Each person had one or two trusted confidants behind them, and hundreds of burly men sat around the hall.

As soon as Tom entered, everyone stopped chatting and focused their attention on him.

As I approached the dining table, a sprightly old man in his fifties or sixties walked in from the inside.

As soon as he entered, the men, who had been behaving themselves, instantly stood up straight.

Wu Ailian also stopped and stood still.

More than one hundred members of the Fuxing Society present shouted in unison:

"Hello, Mr. Lai!"

Chief Lai gestured with his hands to indicate that everyone should sit down.

Tom pretended not to see and continued walking towards the dining table.

After Mr. Lai took his seat, everyone else also took their seats.

The hot pot was lit, and as Tom had requested, there was only one large pot. Everyone waited for the water to boil.

Tom stood up, looked at the empty clear broth hot pot, and said:

"There are two main styles of hot pot at Dongda University."

Southern-style hot pot, represented by Chongqing hot pot, features a wide variety and complex array of ingredients.

"Northern-style hot pot, represented by the clear broth pot from Beijing, northern Shanxi, and Chahar, is more like mutton hot pot than hot pot."

"Compared to other ingredients, hot pot places more emphasis on the quality of the lamb."

Tom picked up the chopped scallions, ginger, and garlic, threw them in directly, and continued:

"Just a pot of water, add scallions, ginger, and garlic; no other seasonings."

"Slice the mutton thinly and put it into the pot after the water boils."

"Thirty seconds, at most one minute, then take it out and dip it in sesame sauce."

"That taste was absolutely wonderful!"

The members of the Fuxing Society didn't understand why Tom was talking about this.

But you can also tell that Tom really understands the food culture of Tokyo University.

Tom is a seasoned gourmand; in his past life, no family could escape Tom's gaping maw.

It's not that Tom is bragging; it's not just about food culture, there's no Tokyo University mindset that Tom doesn't understand.

With the enhancement of Intelligence 5.0, past life memories can be saved and retrieved at will, like a slideshow:

Personal experiences, the history of Tokyo University, cultural and entertainment works, online social skills and etiquette...

Tom (accordion performance without props): No one understands the social dynamics of Dongda University better than me.

Tom saw that the water was about to boil, so he got up again and skillfully used his chopsticks to pick up a slice of ginger from the pot.

Tom placed a slice of ginger into Old Lai's bowl and said:

"Chief, I'll treat you to some ginger slices."

"It's not just Old Lai. From now on, I'll decide what you eat from the hot pot and how you eat it."

The atmosphere instantly tensed up the moment Tom finished speaking.

Many of the gunmen who understood English already had their hands on their guns.

Even the most clueless Chinese person would understand what Tom meant:

Tom wanted to become the head of the Fuxing Society, even above Lai Lao.

Old Lai still wore a "kind" smile, but his tone was extremely cold as he said:

"Young man, I've given you face."

"There are more than a dozen of us who have prepared a banquet to invite you to discuss the matter of taxation."

"What do you mean by not giving me face now?"