Relying on the Competition for Contrast

The waiter held a gilded menu in his hand.

The smile on his face was a little stiff.

Because the customer across from him, an old man dressed like a steamed bun, had been staring at the menu for a full five minutes.

Old Jack's hand was trembling.

Though only slightly.

It was definitely trembling.

To him, the numbers on the menu were not prices.

They were knives carving into his heart.

A Wellington Steak cost three Gold Coins?

Why didn't they just rob him?

Had this cow been raised on holy water?

And what was this foie gras with truffles, five Gold Coins?

Old Jack felt his heart twitching.

He had never eaten anything this expensive in his life.

If he really ordered those dishes, he would probably drop dead from heartache before finishing the meal.

"Ahem."

Old Jack cleared his throat.

He closed the menu.

The motion was heavy.

As if he wanted to crush all the prices inside it.

He raised his head and looked at the waiter with the most arrogant gaze of his life.

"Is this all?"

The waiter froze for a moment.

"Sir, these are our latest seasonal chef's recommendations..."

"Too greasy."

Old Jack waved a hand.

His face was full of disdain.

"My young master is unwell. He cannot handle such greasy, gamey food."

"That is food for barbarians."

"We want something light."

Old Jack raised one finger.

"Bring me a serving of shredded potatoes. Blanch them in water, and don't use any oil."

"And a serving of boiled cabbage. Only the tenderest hearts."

"Lastly..."

Old Jack gritted his teeth.

After all, they had to keep up appearances. A table full of vegetables would not do.

"Bring a serving of diced beef."

"Cut it to the size of fingernails. Well-done, no sauce."

The waiter was dumbfounded.

He had worked at the Golden Wheat Ear Restaurant for three years.

He had seen people order the finest wine just to rinse their mouths.

He had seen people cut steak into pieces to feed their dogs.

But ordering boiled cabbage and shredded potatoes at a top-tier restaurant like this was a first.

"Sir..."

The waiter had just been about to say that they did not serve such dishes.

When Old Jack slapped the bag of Gold Coins onto the table.

It landed with a heavy thud.

"Do as I say."

"This is a health-preserving secret recipe from the Eastern Imperial Court."

"You wouldn't understand."

The waiter shut his mouth.

Money talked.

Forget boiled cabbage.

Even boiled leather shoes could be made to look fancy if the customer paid enough.

"Very well. Please wait a moment."

The waiter left with the menu.

He was probably going to relay that absurd order to the kitchen.

Su Li sat across from him.

He toyed with the two wooden sticks in his hand.

There was no expression on his face.

But inwardly.

He had mocked Old Jack a hundred times already.

This old bastard.

If he was stingy, then just be stingy.

Why make up some Eastern Imperial Court secret recipe?

What proper prince went out to eat and ordered shredded potatoes?

Only his own bearing could make this work.

If it had been anyone else, they would have been thrown out as beggars trying to cause trouble.

Very soon.

The dishes arrived.

A huge white porcelain plate.

In the center sat a pitiful little pile of white shredded potatoes.

Beside it was a plate of fresh green cabbage hearts.

There was also a small dish of dark, unappetizing beef cubes.

It looked utterly shabby.

Compared to the glistening roasted meats and delicate pastries on the surrounding tables, this was practically refugee camp fare.

Old Jack, however, let out a sigh of relief.

All of it together cost only a dozen or so silver coins.

That was still within what he could bear.

He picked up his knife and fork and pretended to cut the few cubes of beef.

"Eat."

Old Jack lowered his voice.

"This is to fit your persona."

"Pure and ascetic."

"Understand?"

Su Li ignored him.

He extended his chopsticks.

The two smooth, rounded wooden sticks spun deftly around his fingertips.

Then they descended lightly.

They picked up a strand of shredded potato.

The movement was gentle.

Precise.

As though he were lifting a fragile golden thread.

He lowered his head slightly.

And opened his mouth.

The shred of potato was placed into it.

He chewed slowly.

He ate very slowly.

His back remained perfectly straight.

Even while eating the cheapest food, there was not a single flaw to be found in his manners.

He had been taught proper posture and table manners by his parents since childhood.

The elegance that radiated from his bones.

Somehow gave this shabby meal the lofty air of a sacred ritual.

The looks around them began to change.

Originally, most of the nobles cutting into their steaks had been watching with amusement.

After all, there were two men.

Who had ordered an entire table of vegetables.

And one of them was holding two wooden sticks.

No matter how one looked at it, it was strange.

But now.

Their mockery turned into curiosity.

And even admiration.

"Look at that man."

A young noblewoman at the next table hid half her face behind a feather fan.

Only her eyes were visible.

Those eyes were fixed firmly on Su Li's hands.

"His hands are so beautiful."

"So pale and long."

"What are those two wooden sticks?"

"I don't know, but they seem incredible."

"Look at how he eats. He doesn't make a sound."

"Unlike my idiot brother, who eats like a pig at a trough."

Another girl in a pink dress leaned closer as well.

Her cheeks were flushed red.

"And he is really so handsome."

"That black hair."

"And that... that look in his eyes, as if he has suffered so many grievances but does not want to speak of them."

"Oh my."

"I want to take him home."

"I want him to look at me like that."

The whispers were not deliberately kept quiet.

Or rather.

In this restaurant.

It was not shameful for noble ladies to discuss a handsome man.

It was their privilege.

Su Li heard them.

But he did not even raise his eyelids.

He continued eating his shredded potatoes.

There was no salt in this stuff.

It tasted awful.

But not a trace of it showed on his face.

Instead, he wore a faintly melancholy expression, as though he were yearning for his homeland.

He really was homesick—homesick for the days when he had a phone.

That appearance made the girls even more captivated.

Old Jack heard them too.

The hand cutting his beef became steadier.

The corners of his mouth nearly stretched to his ears.

But he desperately held it back.

He even had to put on a cold expression that said, "This is perfectly normal, so don't make a fuss."

It was settled.

This was called presentation.

If Su Li had been tossed by the roadside, gnawing on black bread, those young ladies would have seen nothing but a filthy vagrant.

But put him in this resplendent restaurant.

Dress him in silk.

Give him utensils no one could understand.

And pair it all with that face.

Then he became mysterious. He became noble.

However.

Not everyone was focused on Su Li's face.

In a corner of the restaurant.

Several older women sat together.

They wore darker-colored gowns made from more expensive fabrics.

Massive pearl necklaces hung around their necks.

They fanned themselves with lace folding fans.

Their gazes were not as straightforward as those young girls'.

Instead, they carried scrutiny.

The shrewdness of someone appraising merchandise.

"That's an unfamiliar face."

One of the women in a dark purple gown said.

She had a full figure.

Like a perfectly ripe peach.

The fine lines at the corners of her eyes did not make her look old. Instead, they added to her mature charm.

She was a well-known widow here.

And one of the wealthiest women around.

"He's certainly handsome."