These three bottles, the sign at the entrance stated thirty thousand... Upon thinking of this, Zhuang Bilian's chest tightened, her vision darkened, and she almost fell from her chair.
"I... you..."
Let alone Zhuang Bilian, her second sister, and her husband Zhuang Jingnian also had darkened faces. They knew about these wines too. If only one bottle was opened, there was still some room for maneuver, but with all of them opened...
"Auntie Zhuang, did I order too much? I'm a little embarrassed. I'll contribute some money later too."
"No... it's nothing. For us, it's just ordinary home-cooked dishes."
Damn it, of course it was too much, over a million! Zhuang Bilian was pounding her chest, but the pride of a Shanghainese wouldn't allow her to back down. She had to swallow this bitterness, but she really couldn't afford this meal. She had no choice but to exchange glances with her second sister and Zhuang Jingnian beside her.
However, their sibling relationship should be considered quite good. With just a glance from Zhuang Bilian, they understood and nodded slightly without saying much.
While they had darkened faces, Li Haochen and his group were eating and drinking as usual. Li Dehai, in particular, who had a lot of pent-up resentment, was eating and drinking heartily.
Li Haochen and his companions were clinking glasses and enjoying themselves immensely. In contrast, the Zhuang family found the food as tasteless as chewing wax. They had been fleeced severely. How could they be in the mood? Despite their mood, they wouldn't stop eating, as this was their money. They had never eaten so luxuriously at their age, and they wouldn't let these bumpkins have it all.
For a moment, a comical scene unfolded in the room. The six members of the Zhuang family were fighting for food with Li Haochen and his group, to the point where Li Haochen and his group eventually stopped, wiped their mouths, and watched their antics as a joke.
After the dessert, seeing that it was almost time, Li Haochen walked over and opened the door, calling out, "Waiter, the bill."
Zhuang Bilian and the others, who had been savoring the sweet and nourishing bird's nest and snow frog soup, froze instantly upon hearing the word "bill." Yes, they had to pay.
"Hello, the total is 1.23 million. Our manager said to give you a discount, so you only need to pay 1.2 million. May I ask..." The waiter's eyes scanned the people at the table, searching for the person settling the bill.
"One... one point two million?"
Zhuang Bilian staggered slightly. Although she had mentally prepared herself, hearing this amount still made her eyes go black with shock. One point two million! Her expenses for two to three years were gone in one meal?
"Excuse me, which boss is settling the bill?"
The waiter's voice urged them again. Zhuang Bilian's mouth twitched, and she helplessly raised her hand to take the bill. "Huh, that's not right!"
Looking at the bill again, Zhuang Bilian angrily accused the waiter, "We only ate ten portions of abalone and sea cucumber, how did it become eleven portions? Give me an explanation..."
"Auntie, my eldest aunt hasn't eaten yet. I ordered a portion for her. How about... I'll pay for this one?" Li Haochen explained before the waiter could.
"Hmph, no need. I can still afford this small amount."
Zhuang Bilian took the bill, glared at Li Haochen, and then pulled the other Zhuang family members together to whisper. Soon, she had six bank cards in her hand, two of which belonged to her daughter and her second sister's son. This made the latter two very depressed; they had to fork out a large sum for a meal, which was a huge loss.
They were looking at Zhuang Bilian resentfully. Not only them, but her second sister and Zhuang Jingnian also had their reservations. This was hundreds of thousands! Why pretend to be generous? If he wanted to pay for that portion, he should have done so. With one more person sharing the cost, they could have paid less. However, they only complained in their hearts. After all, they were family and wouldn't just watch her become a laughingstock without helping.
In fact, Li Haochen had intended to pay for the entire table of food himself. He just couldn't stand their arrogance and wanted to curb their high-and-mighty pride. Just as he was about to take out his card to pay, Li Haoyang, who was beside him, quickly stepped forward and handed over a bank card. "Auntie, our Li family is celebrating a new addition, so it's only right for me to treat. Miss, swipe my card, hehe!"
Before the Zhuang family members could react, Li Haoyang had already entered the password on the POS machine. With a few beeps, a white bill slowly rolled out.
As Li Haoyang was signing, the Zhuang family of six stared at him dumbfounded. The most surprised were Zhuang Jingnian and his wife. When did their son-in-law have so much money?
"Ah Yang, where... where did you get so much money?"
"My in-laws, it's just a meal, it's nothing, hehe!"
Li Dehai's words slapped the Zhuang family in the face. Nothing? This was over a million! Zhuang Bilian and her sister, who had always looked down on Li Haoyang's family, now had spectacular expressions. It turned out that they were the clowns all along. Their innate pride as Shanghainese people had been struck, making it difficult for them to accept.
While the Zhuang family was still immersed in this shock, Li Dehai tightened the caps on the wine bottles. They had only drunk half a bottle. He handed the two unopened bottles to Zhuang Bilian and her second sister. "Auntie and second aunt, take this wine back for your husbands to drink."
"This..."
The two women really wanted to take them. A bottle worth 300,000! But after what had just happened, taking their things now would be...
"Auntie, second aunt, take them back. Drinking them would be a waste on us, we don't know how to appreciate good wine."
"Yes, sister, take them back."
Zhuang Jingnian said this with a pang in his heart. He was also a connoisseur of fine wine, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't pained by hundreds of thousands. Fortunately, the remaining half bottle unexpectedly fell into his possession. Li Haoyang was also thoughtful. Under the guise of going to the restroom, he went to the counter and bought the last two bottles. After all, he was her father-in-law, and repairing their relationship was necessary. He also wanted to let them know that their daughter had not married the wrong person.
"Dad, take this bottle home." Li Haoyang put a bottle in a bag and handed it over.
"Why did you get more wine? Hurry up and return it."
Seeing Li Haoyang return with two more bottles, Zhuang Jingnian and his wife felt a pang of heartache. Hundreds of thousands! It would be better to save it to buy a house.
"In-laws, Ah Yang's intentions are good, please accept them."
"This child, why do you spend so much money? You can't be like this in the future. Save some money for the children's education." Zhuang Jingnian chided verbally, but his heart was filled with joy.
The four people, including Zhuang Bilian, were once again shocked. Another 600,000 was spent? Could making cured meat and sausages be so profitable? Amidst the shock, they couldn't help but ask, "Ah Yang, is your food factory very large?"
"Not really, it's just a workshop in the village. Mom and Dad visited last time." Li Haoyang guessed what Zhuang Bilian meant by asking this and replied, "Our sales are quite good, hehe!"