A parent who was out with their kids accidentally stumbled into a 5-ha show, and their alter ego sho

When Li Hai reached the foot of the Star-Picking Tower, he stopped and turned around.

"Boss, let me read you the menu." He took out a small notebook from his suit pocket, opened it, and read it aloud in a calm tone, "The appetizer is a three-course platter—drunken crab, jellyfish head, and pickled shrimp, all fresh seafood that we just got from Shenjiamen Fishing Port this morning."

"The soup is matsutake mushroom and scallop stewed with sea snails. The main dishes include steamed yellow croaker, braised monkfish liver, braised sea cucumber with scallions, crab meat lion's head meatballs, crab fairy burger, etc. The vegetarian dishes are pea shoots in broth, stir-fried seasonal vegetables with crab roe oil, and crisp melon."

"The main dish is rice with crab roe and lard, and the dessert is sweet osmanthus rice balls in fermented rice wine."

He closed the notebook, then smiled and said, "For the young lady's strawberry cake, Old Zhou specially made a small one, using only the best ingredients, and reducing the sugar."

Xia Nian, the boss's darling daughter, is known to all the store managers and head chefs across the country for her preferences.

Xia Nian smiled and said to Li Hai, "Thank you, Uncle!"

Although Nian Nian is a little devil, she is very polite.

Xia Chuan patted her little head and nodded, saying, "Old Li put in a lot of effort. All the employees of Yunxuanju in Zhoushan will have their salaries doubled this month."

Upon hearing this, Li Hai's smile widened, and he bowed slightly: "Thank you, boss. I thank you on behalf of the rest of the employees."

Deng Chao and the others were once again astonished by Xia Chuan's generosity, because they knew that everyone working at Yunxuan Residence earned a considerable salary.

Take this store manager for example; his annual salary is at least a million, not even counting bonuses.

Deng Chao joked, "Chuanzi, you're being too generous. Why don't I come work for you?"

Chen He chimed in, "Yeah, if I ever find myself unable to make it in this industry, and you open a new store, let me be the manager."

Lu Han smiled but didn't say anything.

Wang Mian, who was standing to the side, was somewhat tempted, but he quickly suppressed his thoughts.

Xia Chuan rolled his eyes at the two of them, then pulled Niannian along and headed towards the Star-Picking Tower, saying, "Old Li, don't forget the crew."

Li Hai: "Don't worry, boss, I've had the kitchen prepare it."

It has to be said that there's a reason why he was able to become the store manager.

Old Wang thanked Li Hai and nodded to himself as he watched Xia Chuan's retreating figure: "No wonder he's able to build such a large business; he's got the social skills down perfectly."

After all, as that old general from Northeast China once said, the world of martial arts isn't about fighting and killing; it's about human relationships and social interactions!

This is especially true in the entertainment industry.

The moment Li Hai pushed open the door, a faint scent of sandalwood wafted out, causing one to involuntarily slow their breathing.

The first floor of Zhaixinglou is a tea room, square in shape with windows on all four sides.

The window is an old-fashioned wooden lattice window, covered with translucent rice paper. The light shines through from the inside, appearing as a hazy, warm yellow from the outside.

The window was half-open, and the night breeze, carrying the dampness of the lake, drifted in, gently lifting the bamboo curtain hanging by the window.

The ground is paved with old blue bricks, not imitations, but real old bricks—collected piece by piece from a century-old house in Jiangnan that is about to be demolished.

The brick surface has been worn smooth and lustrous by time, and stepping on it gives a solid and weighty feeling.

On the wall directly opposite the door hangs a central scroll painting, a traditional Chinese ink landscape painting with sparse brushstrokes and a large amount of blank space.

A vermilion seal was affixed at the end of the signature. Chen He couldn't recognize whose handwriting it was, but the style and spirit of it were something that no printed copy could possess—it was an authentic work.

Below the central hall is a long, narrow table with upturned corners. On the table is a small white jade Guanyin statue. In front of the Guanyin, a stick of incense burns, and the wisps of smoke rise up, swirl in the air, and then dissipate.

"Tsk tsk, it's really artistic." Huang Bo exclaimed from the side, looking around at the things with envy, especially when he saw the set of tables and chairs made of Hainan rosewood, a hint of amazement flashed in his eyes.

Deng Chao and Chen He were not ignorant people, and they could naturally see that the items inside were extremely expensive, even precious.

"Let's go upstairs and get ready for dinner. We'll have tea after we eat," Xia Chuan waved.

The cameraman silently zoomed in from a wide shot to a close-up, paused on the tea table for three seconds, and then slowly panned across the bookshelves, the central hall, and the latticed windows—every scene looked like a still from a movie.

The layout on the second floor is different from that on the first floor. There are no partitions here; the entire space is open, and it is a pure restaurant.

There was only one table in the middle, but that one table alone was enough to make it hard to look away.

The tabletop is made of a single piece of Phoebe zhennan wood, measuring 3.2 meters long, 1.5 meters wide, and estimated to be over 10 centimeters thick.

The tabletop was not painted, only waxed. The wood grain rippled like water and shimmered with a golden sheen under the light. That was the unique "golden thread effect" of Phoebe zhennan wood. When the light shone on it, it looked as if there was flowing gold dust hidden in the wood grain.

The four corners of the table were worn into a gentle curve, and there were a few shallow marks on the edges, as if it had been hit by something.

"Holy crap!" Lu Han exclaimed, clearly shocked by the table.

The same applies to Deng Chao and others.

Xia Chuan said, "Don't be surprised yet. This thing just looks nice. Actually, it's no different from an ordinary table. Everyone, sit down. Oh, and Li Hai, get an extra chair for the assistant director too."

Li Hai immediately had someone bring chairs, and everyone sat down, but their eyes began to scan the surroundings.

The tableware was already set on the table.

In front of each person is a set of celadon bowls and plates, with a simple design and a warm glaze.

The chopstick rest is a pair of small silver fish, exquisitely crafted with clearly visible scales. The stemmed wine glass and crystal glass refract light in a delicate way under the lamp.

Above the table, an octagonal palace lantern hangs down, its lampshade made of plain white Xuan paper, on which a plum blossom is hand-painted.

The light shone through the rice paper, becoming extremely soft, and illuminating everyone's faces, making even the pores invisible.

The entire north wall is almost entirely made up of windows, not modern large floor-to-ceiling windows, but a row of wooden lattice windows, each of which can be pushed open.

At this moment, all the windows were pushed to their maximum, and the sunlight poured in without any obstruction, carrying the coolness of the lake water and the faint smell of the sea in the distance.

outside the window.

Chen He walked to the window, glanced outside, and then remained silent.

In the distance, the outline of Mount Putuo was faintly visible in the night.

"Can we see Mount Putuo from here?" Chen He's voice was a little unsteady.

"It's fine when the weather's good." Li Hai stood to the side, his tone as calm as if he were just saying the weather was nice today. "The visibility is good today, the boss is lucky."

The others also rushed over, exclaiming in surprise and marveling at the beauty of the scenery.

The door was pushed open silently.

Two waiters walked in one after the other, their steps synchronized and their spacing equal, each carrying a food box made of ebony wood.

"Appetizers." Lu Han sat down immediately when he saw the dishes being served, and the others did the same.

Three separate small dishes are arranged in a triangular shape on a long, rectangular lacquerware tray. The tray is carved with a lotus scroll pattern, and the vermilion background looks like a pool of congealed blood under the light.

Drunken crab, jellyfish head, and pickled shrimp.

"Everyone, have a taste first, to whet your appetite."