At the start, I had to choose one of four options, and I immediately picked the Brahmin from the cou

Each time a dish is served, the manager announces its name and origin.

Li Xiao was so tired of hearing it that his ears were practically calloused, but his mouth never stopped moving.

The black truffle lion's head meatballs melt in your mouth, the aroma of the meat blending perfectly with the unique richness of the truffles. The wild yellow croaker has flesh as white and firm as garlic cloves. Simply steaming it in its original flavor makes it so fresh that you'll want to swallow your tongue along with it.

As for the golden broth sea tiger shark fin soup, the rich broth was so thick it seemed like it could be pulled into threads...

Li Xiao scooped up the last spoonful of the golden broth and put it in his mouth. The rich, gelatinous broth melted on his tongue, its deliciousness sending shivers down his spine. He put the bowl down, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long breath.

He was terrified during the meal.

Every bite is money, every spoonful costs more than he could afford even if he worked himself to the bone in his past life. But the taste is so good that he can't stop eating, and now he's so full he can barely bend over.

"Young master, is it to your liking?" The manager handed over a warm, damp towel.

"Not bad." Li Xiao took the towel and wiped his hands, forcibly suppressing the burp that was about to come out.

"With this kind of decor and food here, do you really think anyone can afford to eat this?" Li Xiao asked, voicing the doubts he'd had since he first arrived.

Putting everything else aside, the construction cost of this courtyard alone is estimated to be around several million. If you add the pond full of koi from Niigata Prefecture, Japan, and the Southern Song Dynasty official kiln celadon sunflower-shaped cup that is worth more than four million each, Li Xiao really can't understand who in this small county town would be so rich as to be willing to come here to eat.

Upon hearing this, the manager revealed a meaningful smile.

He bowed slightly, poured hot tea for Li Xiao, and explained, "Young Master, if you were to calculate this using the typical restaurant business mindset, you would definitely be losing money. Our place isn't here to make money by selling food."

"Oh? You opened a restaurant not to make money?" Li Xiao raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled by the manager's explanation.

"To put it bluntly, Guilan is actually Mr. Li's private reception room."

The manager pointed to the exquisite koi fish outside the window and the antiques on the display shelf, "At Mr. Li's level, the competition isn't about profit statements on paper anymore; it's about experience and strength. Think about it, what high-ranking officials and big investors from other provinces haven't they seen in their time?

"But when they step on Ming and Qing dynasty gold bricks worth one or two taels of gold each, and drink tea while looking at these Southern Song dynasty antiques worth millions, their moral compass naturally shifts. They immediately understand just how deep the roots of our Li family are in Jiangyang County, and how much influence we wield."

Li Xiao suddenly understood and secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.

He never expected there to be so many twists and turns involved.

"Young Master, as General Manager Li often says, good steel should be used where it's needed most, and that's exactly the point." The manager smiled as he put away the tea set, tactfully ending the conversation and not continuing the discussion.

"Mr. Li specifically instructed that you have a math exam this afternoon, and eating a full meal can make you sleepy. The private lounge upstairs has been scented with calming sandalwood incense for half an hour beforehand, and the bedding has been changed to your usual Jiangnan silk. Why don't you go up and take a nap? When it's time, Lao Zhang will naturally have the car waiting for you downstairs."

"Okay, let's go upstairs and rest for a while."

As the lounge of a top-tier private restaurant, the interior decoration was naturally top-notch, featuring all international luxury brands. Li Xiao took out his phone and casually checked the price of the sofa. He was shocked by what he saw.

"What? This sofa costs 300,000?"

Three hundred thousand! Are you kidding me? Even if his family is rich, they can't spend money like that.

In his past life, in his rented room of less than 20 square meters, there was a second-hand sofa that the springs would hurt his butt after sitting on it for a long time. He spent a long time haggling with the old man at the second-hand market before he finally bought it for 100 yuan.

What? You're spending 300,000 on a sofa? Does sitting on it make you an immortal or something?

However, it must be said that the high price is justified. The delicate and soft touch, as well as the support that perfectly conforms to the curves of the human body, made him sink into it and feel so comfortable that he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

"Damn money..."

If Li Xiao in his past life knew that someone spent 300,000 yuan to buy a sofa, he would probably sigh and say that it was a waste of money, and then continue to curl up on his creaky second-hand sofa, scrolling through his phone screen to see if anyone wanted to join a group order for the restaurant he wanted to eat at.

But now, his ass is honestly sending a signal to his brain that this thing is indeed better than the hundred-dollar one.

At that moment, he suddenly understood why rich people could be so extravagant.

When money is spent to its extreme, what you're buying isn't the product itself anymore. Take that meal, for example.

From beginning to end, every dish, every cup of tea, and every piece of furniture in this meal silently conveyed the same message—you don't need to worry about anything, you just need to enjoy yourself.

In his dazed state, a phrase suddenly flashed through his mind: Fan Jin passing the imperial examination.

At the time, Li Xiao thought the plot was too exaggerated. Was it really necessary? It's just passing the imperial examination, is it really necessary to go crazy? But after he actually experienced that kind of life, he suddenly felt that the description was a bit too conservative.

After an unknown amount of time, there were three soft knocks at the door.

"Young Master, it's 2:30, time to leave." It was the manager's voice.

"Come in." He cleared his throat.

The manager pushed open the door and entered, carrying a silver tray with a damp towel that was emitting a slight chill.

"Young master, please wash your face and refresh yourself. Old Zhang's car is already parked at the side gate, and the air conditioning was turned on fifteen minutes ago."

Li Xiao took the wet wipe and applied it to his face; the icy temperature instantly sobered him up.

After wiping his face, Li Xiao stood up and straightened his collar in front of the full-length mirror in the corner. His young face looked energetic in the mirror. He patted his cheeks and grinned at his reflection.

"Let's go take the math test."

When I went downstairs, Lao Zhang had already parked his car under the eaves of the side gate.

Upon seeing him come out, Old Zhang immediately handed him a freshly made iced Americano.

"Young master, perk yourself up, math is hard on the brain."

Li Xiao took it and drank a mouthful. The bitter taste mixed with the icy coldness flowed down his throat, washing away his last bit of drowsiness.

The Maybach smoothly drove out of the side door of the private restaurant and turned onto the riverside avenue. The afternoon sun made the river surface sparkle. The traffic police at the intersection saw the consecutive license plates from afar and, as usual, moved the cones in advance.

The car traveled smoothly all the way and came to a steady stop under the shade of trees in the staff passage of the No. 1 Middle School in less than ten minutes.

Li Xiao glanced at his phone and realized it was only 2:40, a full twenty minutes before the exam started at 3:00.

"Young Master, would you like to go in now or sit for a while longer?" Old Zhang asked, leaning over from the front row.

"Sit for another ten minutes."

Li Xiao adjusted his seat back, half-reclining, and opened the past years' college entrance examination math questions on his phone. Although his family had dragged him down, he didn't intend to just give up and become a good-for-nothing who did nothing but eat and wait to die.

In his past life, he was a 211 university student who fought his way through the fierce competition of the college entrance examination, and he has always had that ruthless spirit of a test-taker in his bones.