Truly Meeting a Benefactor Upon Leaving Home

Lan Tian had just stepped over the threshold when a waiter with a rag slung over his shoulder hurried up to greet him.

"Just one guest?" the waiter asked with a smile.

Before the words had even faded, Gao Yuan instinctively lunged forward, zipping between the two and startling the waiter.

Gao Yuan reached out and said in a gruff voice, "Lad, get us a private booth."

The waiter froze, looking slightly surprised. "Y-you're together? Then why the shove?"

"Forgive my companion, lad. Do you still have a private booth?" Lan Tian asked with an apologetic smile.

"The upstairs is full today, so you two distinguished guests will have to sit in the main hall." The waiter gestured toward the room, where six of the eight tables were already occupied by patrons enjoying steaming hot pots.

"Sir, shall we try somewhere else?" Gao Yuan asked.

"This eatery is nearly full; I suspect the food must be quite good. Let's stay here," Lan Tian said, shaking his head before walking over to an empty table and sitting down.

Because tables and Bench had been mass-produced, and with the invisible promotion by government offices, the cities under Lan Tian's administration had abandoned the old habit of kneeling. Following the trend, they had adopted high-legged Bench, which kept the legs dangling and prevented the discomfort of kneeling for long periods.

Although the diners were seated around the same table, each person still had their own small charcoal stove and individual hot pot. Looking at the scene before him, Lan Tian couldn't help but sigh. In the future, those countrymen lacking cultural confidence would boast about the Western style of individual servings, calling it clean, hygienic, and the height of elegance, never realizing that their own ancestors had practiced individual servings from the very