Do Bandits Cater Banquets Now?

The next morning, the family started making preparations.

When will these 20 tables for the wedding banquet arrive?

"It's all the master's fault. He insisted on booking the wedding banquet outside, saying the food there was delicious. But no matter how good the food outside is, can it ever compare to what our own chef can make?"

"I heard the master ordered 10 taels of food per table, but it still hasn't arrived. It's driving everyone crazy with worry."

The patriarch of the Lu Family looked anxious. "Didn't you say you'd arrive this morning? Why haven't you arrived yet?"

Then someone knocked on the door and said:

"Your food has arrived, but our young lady is worried it will get cold."

So we've been waiting until now. If you'd like your food served now, we can serve it to you immediately.

Master Lu coughed and said, "Serve the dishes! The guests are almost all here. Did you all arrive quite early?"

The man smiled and said, "We arrived early this morning and have been waiting outside! We'll serve you your food now."

One by one, the maids came in from outside and brought out the dishes.

Madam Lu stared dumbfounded at the tables laden with dishes. "This... this meal only costs ten taels of silver a table? This can't be!"

Everyone knows that prices are skyrocketing these days; this meal would easily cost twenty or thirty taels outside.

The key point is that even with twenty or thirty taels of silver, it might not be possible to make it.

The cold dishes include Buddha's Hand Jellyfish Strips, Drunken Shrimp with Fermented Rice Wine, Braised Duck Tongue, Crystal Pork Trotter Jelly, Spiced Beef in Five-Spice Sauce, Cold Abalone Strips, Sesame Oil Bamboo Shoots, and Candied Golden Dates.

Hot dishes include steamed grouper, braised abalone and shark fin, boiled Dahai, steamed scallops with garlic, pan-fried scallops, braised abalone, eight-treasure seafood soup, braised Dahai, boiled fresh squid, fish maw stewed with chicken soup, roast duck, charcoal-grilled whole lamb leg, stir-fried wild vegetables, and garlic-flavored wild mushrooms.

And importantly, there's fruit after the meal: watermelon, cantaloupe, and grapes.

The guests all swallowed hard and asked, "Which restaurant did Master Lu? This banquet looks a bit different from ordinary banquets."

"Look at this banquet, there are even two pots of wine, while we women only have one pot of tea. This is such an elaborate meal."

I wonder what it tastes like?

Master Lu laughed heartily and said, "Today is my grandson's one-month celebration, everyone please take your seats! How does the food taste?"

Master Lu looked very satisfied. He had invited many colleagues today, and as soon as they sat down, they asked, "Where did you order this banquet from?"

Master Lu said softly, "It was arranged with Zhou Wanwan. You know Zhou Wanwan, right?"

"Zhou Wanwan? Isn't that the leader of Black Wind Stronghold? Are bandits hosting banquets now?"

Master Lu quickly whispered:

"They're not bandits; their mountain village is a legitimate large-scale farming community, and all these vegetables are grown by themselves."

I heard they also raise livestock; let's try their food and see how it tastes.

Master Lu had someone pour the wine, and everyone took a sip, their eyes lighting up. "This wine is also from the mountain stronghold?"

Master Lu nodded. "It's all included in this set meal. She said it was a set meal, but I don't really know. As for the maids serving the dishes, they're all from their own mountain stronghold."

The butler next to him quickly said:

"This wine is indeed brewed and aged in our own mountain village. You can't easily find it outside. It's mellow and smooth with a strong aftertaste."

One of these two pots is aged baijiu, and the other is aged sorghum liquor. Both are smooth and mellow on the palate, strong but not spicy, with a mild aftertaste. Even the ladies can enjoy a few sips.

The guests looked at him and said, "Wow, your service here is amazing! You even offer in-home service?"

The butler smiled and said:

"Yes, our boss said we need to make our customers feel at home."

Once you've finished eating and drinking, we'll help you clean up the table.

Master Lu never expected the service to be so thoughtful.

The ladies and young women picked up their cups, took a sip, and couldn't help but whisper among themselves, "This drink is so sweet and refreshing, it's so delicious! What is it?"

The butler stepped forward with a smile and replied:

"Ladies and misses, both of these are homemade knockoffs."

One type is milk tea, made by simmering fresh milk with fine tea leaves until it is fragrant, rich, and smooth.

Another option is chilled watermelon drink. Fresh watermelon is mashed to extract its juice, chilled, and then served. It's sweet, refreshing, and perfect for cooling down in the summer.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Lord Lu rewarded them with twenty taels of silver, saying, "This meal was such a great deal, and the service at your stronghold was impeccable. I'll definitely come back to you if I need anything in the future."

Others asked, "How can we contact your stronghold? I have sixty tables ready for a banquet right now."

I have thirty tables here.

My family has over eighty tables.

The butler smiled slightly and said:

"This is our contact information. You can find us as long as you go to these locations."

If you need anything now, you can order directly from me, and I will write down the time and the package you need.

You just need to pay the deposit, and we will definitely come to your door to provide service on the day of your visit.

The butler brought out the menu, which was exquisitely made.

Two families quickly made reservations, and after everyone had finished eating, the butler gave an order, and the entire table was quickly cleared away.

Everyone witnessed their speed and marveled at it.

Zhou Wanwan never expected the food delivery business to be so successful; orders were pouring in like snowflakes.

Zhou Wanwan looked at the orders and said:

"Luckily, we have a lot of people making knockoffs, so our order book is full for tomorrow."

In addition, we have to deliver vegetables, fruits, and wild game to people every morning.

Earning money isn't easy for us!

Zheng Xing'an, who was standing next to her, laughed and said, "I feel like we're robbing people; so many people are coming to our house."

Zhou Wanwan said:

"We focus on service, quality, and reputation; how can that be considered robbery?"

Although our seafood is free, it's not like we're robbing people! After all, we've also put in the effort."

The dishes on this table today cost almost nothing, because the seafood was all caught from the sea by those trees.

Zhou Wanwan looked at the Old Scholar Tree and said, "Uncle Scholar Tree, I'd like to see how you fish for seafood in the sea. Can I come along?"

She was curious!

The Old Scholar Tree rustled and said, "What's the big deal? We'll go tonight."

Zhou Wanwan brought her brothers along, and Gu Sinian looked at her and said, "Shall we go out to sea? Is this appropriate?"

Zhou Wanwan smiled and said:

"What's wrong with that? Just think of it as a trip."

I just wanted to see how they catch seafood; I was very curious.

The Old Scholar Tree is incredibly fast; its root system is extremely developed. If it encounters a mountain, the Old Scholar Tree can simply use its roots to grab onto those trees and fly over them.

Its root system has now reached over twenty meters, and these roots are very strong.

The Old Ancestor, standing nearby, said, "I also want to go to the sea and catch some fish and shrimp. Let's go see the Dahai; I've never seen the Dahai in my life."