From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor-Chapter 273 - 249: Tea Banquet

Tong Guangsheng wasn’t worried; he had faced tougher battles before, and this little skirmish didn’t scare him. He was just afraid there wouldn’t be one left for him.

The last guy who hadn’t been hit was short and skinny. He turned to run, but Tong Guangsheng caught up and kicked him in the butt, sending him sprawling onto the car, his face squished against the windshield like a pancake.

The woman who had been cursing earlier screamed like a pig being slaughtered, yelling for help, her voice trembling.

Xu Chunliang pointed at her nose and threatened, "Shut up, or you’ll get beaten too!"

The woman shivered with fear, closed her mouth, and didn’t dare to make a sound.

Tong Guangsheng said, "Everything has an order. You can’t bully others just because there are more of you."

Wang Jinwu grabbed one of the men and acted like he was going to hit him. The men were all cowards who couldn’t handle real conflict; seeing the seriousness, they immediately lowered their heads and admitted fault.

Tong Guangsheng didn’t make things difficult for them, telling them to move their car and queue up at the back. He didn’t want to escalate the situation being away from home.

It was only then that Xu Chunliang recognized the woman driving the Model Y as Xu Ying, the owner of Hua Jian Japanese Cuisine, where Zhao Feiyang had hosted a dinner not long ago.

Xu Ying recognized him too and exclaimed in surprise, "Dean Xu, is that you!"

Xu Chunliang smiled and said, "Isn’t it Sister Xu? Why are you driving such a long distance alone?"

Xu Ying explained that her daughter was studying in Nanjiang, and she usually visited almost every weekend. She recently bought this Tesla, and it used to make it from Dongzhou to Nanjiang on a full charge, but with the cold weather, its range dropped significantly, requiring a mid-trip charge.

She had run into trouble earlier; if not for their help, she would have been bullied.

Xu Chunliang told Xu Ying to charge her car first. When she got out, she handed him a carton of cigarettes to give to Tong Guangsheng and the others as a token of gratitude.

Xu Chunliang declined, noting that Tong Guangsheng and Wang Jinwu had already returned to the car to wait.

Considering the possibility of those men returning to trouble Xu Ying if they left, Xu Chunliang stayed longer, chatting with her for a while.

When Xu Ying heard he was going to Nanjiang Party School for study, she immediately asked for his contact information. She told Xu Chunliang she had just transferred Hua Jian Japanese Cuisine and was looking for new premises in Nanjiang to settle down.

Although Xu Chunliang had only met Xu Ying once before, he had a good impression of her. He also knew that Xu Ying and Zhao Feiyang were college classmates and had a great relationship.

However, Xu Ying didn’t mention Zhao Feiyang today. After charging for half an hour, she reckoned she could make it to Nanjiang without any issues. Knowing that Xu Chunliang stayed longer just to keep her company, her fondness for him increased significantly.

As Xu Ying drove away, Xu Chunliang returned to the vehicle.

Wang Jinwu said, "Do you know her?"

Xu Chunliang briefly explained, and Wang Jinwu remarked that he used to think Dongzhou was small, but it turns out Pinghai isn’t big either, as you can run into acquaintances even at a highway service area.

Xu Chunliang handed the carton of cigarettes Xu Ying gave to Tong Guangsheng, who laughed and said, "Didn’t expect to get a reward for helping in a fight."

Xu Chunliang remarked, "Uncle Tong, even at your age, your combat skills are still impressive?"

"Don’t underestimate me. Back in my day on the battlefield, I could take on ten men. If I were still young, I could have handled those three men and a woman alone today."

Wang Jinwu chimed in, "Even now, you could still handle those four by yourself. Today, Xu Chun and I just got in the way."

Having fought that battle, Tong Guangsheng was in high spirits and started recounting his past experiences on the battlefield of Zhe Yin Mountain with enthusiasm when Zhan Aihua called.

Zhan Aihua was also a comrade from those days, though they weren’t in the same company. Gao Xinhua had contacted Zhan Aihua in advance to tell him that Tong Guangsheng was going to Nanjiang for hospitalization.

Gao Xinhua meant well, thinking that Zhan Aihua, who had been developing in Nanjiang for many years and had many local connections, could make things easier.

Tong Guangsheng didn’t want to trouble too many people, and upon receiving Zhan Aihua’s call, he couldn’t help but complain about Gao Xinhua’s unnecessary concern.

The camaraderie between old comrades is special, and Zhan Aihua had already arranged a lunch, waiting for Tong Guangsheng’s arrival.

Unable to refuse such hospitality, Tong Guangsheng instructed the driver to head directly to Qinghuai Residence in Qinghuai District after exiting the highway.

Due to delays along the way, they arrived at Qinghuai Residence at 1:30 p.m. As their vehicle pulled into the parking lot at the entrance, Zhan Aihua had already come out to greet them.

The young man accompanying him was his son, Zhan Tianhang, who had just returned from studying abroad and was temporarily managing one of Zhan Aihua’s hotels.

Qingya Residence was just one of Zhan Aihua’s properties; he primarily worked in the hotel industry, owning five hotels now, including two four-star ones.

Upon seeing Tong Guangsheng, Zhan Aihua offered a hearty embrace. Heroes admire heroes; on the battlefield, Zhan Aihua admired Tong Guangsheng the most.

In the business world, he held Tong Guangsheng in high esteem as well, believing that if he had experienced the same ups and downs as Tong Guangsheng, he would have probably collapsed long ago.

Tong Guangsheng introduced his companions, Wang Jinwu and Xu Chunliang, to him.

Zhan Aihua and Wang Jinwu were meeting for the first time, while Xu Chunliang they already knew.

Zhan Aihua called his son over to Tong Guangsheng: "This is my son, Zhan Tianhang, who studied hotel management in Europe and just returned last month."

Zhan Tianhang respectfully said, "Uncle Tong, hello, my father often tells me about your heroic deeds."

Tong Guangsheng smiled and said, "Your father is the real hero." Seeing the son of his comrade reminded him of his own son, Shu Yuanhang, coincidentally, both children have the character "Hang" in their names.

Zhan Aihua suggested everyone go inside first, and seeing the hotel’s decor, Tong Guangsheng could not help but sigh. Zhan Aihua indeed had taste; he could never match such sophistication.

Zhan Aihua modestly said he wasn’t capable either. The management concept of Qingya Residence was proposed by his son, who wanted to establish a Chinese-style hotel. As he was getting older and his vision was becoming outdated, he was gradually stepping back and intended to hand over all business to his son within two years.

Tong Guangsheng praised Zhan Tianhang as truly talented and promising.

Zhan Tianhang humbly said, "Uncle Tong, I just graduated and don’t know anything. Right now, I rely entirely on my father to steer the ship. I couldn’t manage without him. Please take a seat, and I’ll arrange for the dishes to be served."

Tong Guangsheng watched Zhan Tianhang’s back with envy, wishing his own son could be as filial as him.

Since falling ill this time, Tong Guangsheng had been planning to retire. He had fought his whole life and built a successful career, though Wang Jinwu was filial. However, Wang Jinwu was reckless and uneducated, and without him at the helm, expecting him to hold up the entire Xianhong Group was impossible.

Wang Jinwu had repeatedly expressed that he was willing but powerless, and of course, Tong Guangsheng wanted to pass his business to his son, but their situation made it impossible in the short term.

Zhan Aihua had already heard about Tong Guangsheng’s condition from Gao Xinhua, so today’s menu was arranged to be light and nutritious, with no alcohol served.

Tong Guangsheng knew it was well-intentioned, and combined with long-distance travel, he was somewhat tired, so he didn’t bring up drinking.

Zhan Aihua said this was their hotel’s latest tea banquet, inviting everyone to taste it.

Zhan Tianhang was in charge of the introduction, explaining that the tea banquet began in the Northern and Southern Dynasties and flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, where tea was the main focus, and tea replaced wine at banquets.

The tea banquet at Qinghuai Residence features the soup, color, oil, taste, and culture of tea, presented to everyone through the chef’s cooking.

Wang Jinwu said, "So it’s a vegetarian feast?"

Zhan Tianhang laughed, "A tea banquet is still a complete banquet, emphasizing elegance and harmony with flavorful dishes."

At this moment, the cold dishes were served, including Qingya nourishing heart, Red Robe Noble Chicken, Kung Fu Beef, Pastoral Tofu Sticks, Tea Fragrant Shredded Rabbit, and Immortal Tea Mushrooms.

Zhan Tianhang introduced each one, focusing on the Kung Fu Beef, which was cooked with Keemun black tea and slow-cooked to make the beef more tender. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Xu Chunliang ate a piece and found the beef indeed unique, with the toughness of the beef combined with the sweetness and caramel flavor of the red tea.

Tong Guangsheng had a preference for robust flavors; the cold dishes were quite bland. Although the texture was good, he felt they were missing something, but it wasn’t appropriate to say so in front of the hosts.

It was clear the host put a lot of thought into the meal, even the dining utensils were elegant and exquisite. The hot dishes began to be served, including Jade Bud Nectar, Tea Oil Flavored Shrimp, Guanyin Tea Fragrant Pork, Summer Lotus Fragrant Lotus, Old Tea Roasted Yellow Croaker, Jasmine Emerald, Red Robe Rock Beans, Rock Tea Supreme Abalone, and Dragon Well Shrimp.

Wang Jinwu was a simple man, and though he had attended many banquets in the past, a tea banquet like this was a first, making him feel like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden. Even though each dish was beautifully crafted, he still felt hungrier as the meal went on.

It seemed like he had eaten many kinds of dishes, yet felt like he hadn’t eaten anything, and he didn’t dare to speak up, fearing his lack of cultural knowledge might make him a laughingstock if he spoke incorrectly.

Tong Guangsheng shared a similar sentiment and suggested having the staple food.

Zhan Aihua noticed the meal wasn’t to their taste and smiled, "Eating like this is nutritious and healthy."

Zhan Tianhang said, "Our common diet in the country is heavy on oil, salt, and spice, which is really unhealthy. I plan to promote the culture of tea banquets from Nanjiang to other domestic cities."

Xu Chunliang said, "That’s a good idea." He was praising only Zhan Tianhang’s idea, realizing changing a nation’s eating habits was too difficult, and tea banquets were destined to be niche.

At Tong Guangsheng’s request, the staple food arrived, which was boiled rice with tea known as "coarse tea simple meal tea rice." Just hearing the name dampened the appetite.

Tong Guangsheng reluctantly ate a few bites, and Zhan Aihua asked how it tasted. Tong Guangsheng thought for a moment and said, "I still think rice with lard tastes better."

The entire table burst into laughter, and Zhan Aihua said he would arrange rice with lard for him in a few days.

In fact, Zhan Aihua was very considerate, thinking of Tong Guangsheng’s health. Eating too much greasy food is harmful, so he arranged accommodations for Tong Guangsheng and his party at his hotel.

After lunch, Xu Chunliang went to the party school to report, and Tong Guangsheng asked the driver to take him there.