Ren Shanshan is a junior at Northeastern University. Coming from a rural village, she studied day and night to escape that impoverished place. Finally, she passed the college entrance exam and left her hometown, getting into Northeastern University. After arriving in Shenyang, she realized how big the world was. Life in the city changed that innocent girl. She never wanted to go back to that impoverished village, and even during holidays, she found various excuses not to go home and stayed at school.
At this time, university tuition was not yet affected by the commodification of education. The money Ren Shanshan's family made from a year of hard farming was still enough to cover her tuition. As for living expenses, she had to rely on herself. So, from the beginning of university, Ren Shanshan found a tutoring job. As time passed, the pure and kind girl gradually changed. She became snobbish and vain. The twenty yuan she earned from tutoring each day was no longer enough for her expenses. She wanted to buy beautiful clothes, beautiful jewelry, and brand-name cosmetics, but all of this cost money. Later, through a friend's introduction, Ren Shanshan became a tour guide at the Forbidden City.
The salary of a tour guide was much higher than that of a tutor. Ren Shanshan began to have money to buy clothes, to dress herself up, and to become the focus of the boys in her class, but she was still not satisfied, because her colleagues all had more money than her. They wore many brands she had never even heard of, and wore various jewelry. Ren Shanshan was very curious, why did they earn more than her when they were all tour guides? Until one day, a colleague she got along well with told her the reason. It turned out that these tour guides, in addition to taking tourists around every day, also occasionally did other work. There were always some wealthy people who came to travel, some were officials, and some were businessmen. Their ages were uncertain, but many came alone. When they were lonely at night, they would look for women, and beautiful tour guides were their first choice. These people paid a lot of money, and they would leave afterwards and not contact them again, which gave these vain women the opportunity to make money.
The night she heard about this, Ren Shanshan couldn't sleep. She was hesitating, she was making a decision. She knew it was wrong, like an ancient prostitute, but so what? As long as she could make money, that was all that mattered. Like her colleague said, who would know if she didn't say anything? Once she had earned enough money, she could move to another city and start over, and she could live the life of a rich person.
Even though she had made up her mind, Ren Shanshan didn't want to casually give her first time to just anyone. During this time, she had also met several tourists who were interested in her, but their age was old enough to be Ren Shanshan's father. Ren Shanshan, who hadn't taken that first step, couldn't accept men of such an advanced age.
Until today, Ren Shanshan saw Liu Jian wandering around the Forbidden City.
Liu Jian's height is now almost 1.8 meters. The exercise and frequent basketball games during this period have caused the adolescent Liu Jian to grow taller and taller. Liu Jian, who has no acne on his face, looks a little handsome, but this is not the reason why Ren Shanshan values Liu Jian.
Ren Shanshan noticed Liu Jian's clothes. He was wearing Nike from head to toe, with a mink coat on top. In his hand, he held a digital camera that she had only ever seen Japanese tourists carrying. The watch on his wrist looked like a Rolex. Although she couldn't be sure about Liu Jian's shoes, they were definitely name-brand. Therefore, Ren Shanshan could confirm that this man was rich, and a rich young man at that. All the conditions were met.
Ren Shanshan believed she had found her target. Confidently, she walked towards Liu Jian. Liu Jian, who had just come back to his senses, saw a woman walking towards him and was immediately stunned.
Her long, black hair was clean, smooth, shiny, and silky. With a breeze, it gently floated, strand by strand. Combined with her large, sparkling, clear, bright black eyes, small nose, tightly pursed small red lips, and porcelain-like white, smooth, and rosy skin, she gave a stunning feeling of ethereal beauty, like a fairy. Her beauty was indescribable. If she were to show her pearly white teeth in a sweet smile, revealing two small dimples on her face, or simply lightly bite her thin red lips with her white teeth, it would be sexy. Besides that word, Liu Jian couldn't find a more suitable adjective to describe the woman in front of him.
In the dead of winter, in the freezing cold Forbidden City, such a beautiful woman walked by. Liu Jian didn't know what to do. He didn't know what this woman did, but her sex appeal firmly attracted him. Liu Jian only had one thought in his head: to get her, he must get her.
Walking up to Liu Jian, Ren Shanshan said with a sweet smile, "Sir, are you alone? I'm a guide at the Forbidden City, how about I walk around with you? It'll be easier for you to take photos, and I believe the results won't be too bad."
Liu Jian didn't expect such a sexy female guide. There was no reason to refuse good luck that came knocking on his door. He quickly said, "Great, thank you so much. By the way, how much do you guides charge? I'll pay you."
After saying that, Liu Jian took out his wallet to pay. Seeing the Boss brand wallet, Ren Shanshan's eyes lit up even more and she said, "No need, it's off-work hours now, and I don't have anything to do anyway. Just think of it as showing a friend around."
Liu Jian thought for a moment and said, "I'd feel bad about that. How about this, after touring the Forbidden City, I'll treat you to dinner, but you get to pick the place. It's my first time in Shenyang and I don't know any good restaurants."
Liu Jian's words hit Ren Shanshan's sweet spot. She was wondering how to start the next step with this young man, but she didn't expect him to be so on the ball.
Ren Shanshan reached out her hand and said, "Let's get acquainted, my name is Ren Shanshan, currently in university and working as a part-time translator." Ren Shanshan had heard from colleagues that college students like her were more popular with guests, and it was the same when receiving tour groups. Many tourists who heard she was a college student looked at her more favorably. She believed this title would be very tempting. But this time she was disappointed, Liu Jian didn't really care about her being a college student.
Liu Jian gently shook Ren Shanshan's hand and said, "Liu Jian, Deputy General Manager of Liu's Industrial Co., Ltd., haha, you could also say I'm a 'leeching-off-parents' type."
Ren Shanshan blinked her eyes and asked, "Leeching-off-parents' type?"
Liu Jian chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Yeah, at this time, no one thought that the post-80s generation would become a group who live off their parents." He explained, "It means someone who's incompetent, desperately squeezing money from their parents, haha, a representative of the unsuccessful."
Ren Shanshan silently repeated "leeching-off-parents" several times, and laughed mockingly in her heart: How much I wish I could be one of those. But Liu Jian saying that didn't make Ren Shanshan look down on him; on the contrary, she thought this young man was very cheerful, able to joke about himself so easily.
With Ren Shanshan as a guide, Liu Jian's sightseeing was much slower. With Ren Shanshan's excellent explanations for many of the sights, Liu Jian felt they looked even more beautiful. Before Liu Jian could even process it, Ren Shanshan had already brought him to the entrance. Only then did Liu Jian realize that they had already finished touring the Forbidden City. Looking at the photos in his camera, and a few pictures with Ren Shanshan, Liu Jian felt that time had passed too quickly. Fortunately, they had already made plans to have dinner together, otherwise Liu Jian would definitely not be able to sleep tonight.
Ren Shanshan hesitated for a moment and asked, "Liu Jian, do you want to eat Chinese food or Western food?"
Liu Jian said without hesitation, "Of course Chinese food. Preferably Shenyang specialties. I came out this time wanting to taste the specialties of different cities, so I'm relying on you for recommendations."
Ren Shanshan smiled and said, "There are several restaurants that serve Shenyang specialties, but the famous ones are all quite far from here. Taking a taxi would be a bit expensive!"
Liu Jian smiled and said, "It's okay, I drove here. Just tell me the place. Anyway, I don't have anything to do. Since we're eating, we should eat well. Find the most unique place."
Ren Shanshan thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go to 'Daqinghua'. It's an authentic Shenyang specialty restaurant, but it's a bit expensive."
Liu Jian asked doubtfully, "What kind of restaurant is Daqinghua? I've never heard of it." Ren Shanshan smiled and said, "It's a restaurant in Shenyang that specializes in Manchu cuisine. You can eat authentic Manchu Han Imperial Feast here. I've only heard of it, but haven't been there yet."
Then he talked about the history of Da Qing Hua, which Liu Jian found fascinating and made him eager to try it.
In Shenyang, only Da Qing Hua still preserves authentic Manchu food culture. In ancient times, when the Manchus hunted and picnicked, they often used clay pots heated by firewood to cook food. They ate while cooking by the fireside in the cold regions outside the Great Wall, which gradually developed into hot pot. This culinary culture of thousands of years has been passed down by the Manchu descendants and influenced the later Manchu Han Imperial Feast. The Manchu Han Imperial Feast is a grand banquet with strong ethnic characteristics in China. It has the characteristics of both imperial cuisine and the essence of local flavors; it highlights the special flavor of Manchu dishes, with barbecue, hot pot, and instant-boil almost indispensable dishes. At the same time, it also demonstrates the characteristics of Han cooking, including braising, frying, stir-frying, quick-frying, and stewing. It is truly a treasure of Chinese cuisine culture. The Manchu Han Imperial Feast was originally a full-course banquet where Manchus and Hans sat together at official banquets. A Manchu Han Imperial Feast generally consists of at least one hundred and eight dishes (54 southern dishes and 54 northern dishes), which are eaten over three days. The Manchu Han Imperial Feast includes both savory and sweet dishes, both meat and vegetarian dishes, with a wide range of ingredients and exquisite materials, encompassing delicacies from land and sea.
The Manchu Han Imperial Feast is exquisite in its dishes, and pays attention to etiquette, forming a unique and eye-catching style. Before seating, two pairs of "xiang" (side dishes), tea, and finger bowls are served; the table has four fresh fruits, four dried fruits, four ornamental fruits, and four candied fruits; after seating, cold dishes are served first, followed by hot stir-fried dishes, main courses, and then sweet dishes. The Manchu Han Imperial Feast is divided into six banquets, all named after famous grand banquets in the Qing Palace. It brings together many famous Manchu and Han delicacies, selects seasonal seafood, and searches for rare mountain delicacies and exotic animals. The entire feast has a total of 196 cold and hot dishes, and 124 dim sum and tea snacks, totaling 320 dishes. It is served with a complete set of famille-rose longevity tableware, accompanied by silverware, luxurious and gorgeous, in an ancient and solemn dining environment. During the feast, famous musicians are specially invited to play ancient music, following the elegant traditions, with strict and solemn etiquette, carrying forward traditional virtues, and serving meals with the same respect as in the imperial court, making guests linger and forget to return. The Shengjing Manchu Han Imperial Feast is a Chinese imperial cuisine that independently formed in the late Qing Dynasty.
The banquet theory of the Shengjing Manchu Han Imperial Feast is brilliance, order, stability, and closure. "Brilliance" means placing distinctive items in the reception hall of the banquet to express the significance of the feast; "Order" refers to the banquet etiquette, including the placement of tableware and utensils, and the positions of the host and guests; "Stability" refers to the grade and specifications of the banquet; "Closure" refers to the specific arrangements after the end of the banquet, such as the emperor rewarding guests with dishes and items.
"Enclosure," "pairing," "inlay," and "stuffing" are unique cooking techniques of the Shengjing Manchu Han Imperial Feast. "Enclosure" refers to surrounding meat with vegetables, or surrounding small with large, where the main ingredients such as chicken, duck, and fish are prepared and then surrounded by seasonal vegetables; "Pairing" refers to the ingredients of the dish being "in pairs," coordinated and matched, generally referring to two or more main ingredients combined; "Inlay" refers to a processed ingredient being used to embellish another ingredient; "Stuffing" refers to processing various ingredients into paste, puree, shreds, grains, etc., and spreading or placing them in the formed ingredient tray or shell (such as apple shells, winter melon cups, etc.), making the dishes complete, full, fresh, and exceptionally fragrant.
In terms of culinary skills, the special flavor of Manchu dishes is highlighted, with roasting, barbecue, and hot pot being essential. At the same time, it also showcases the cooking characteristics of the Han people, with braising, frying, stir-frying, glazing, and stewing all included.
Liu Jian knew this meal would cost him a fortune, but he was even more excited. It was a Manchu Han Imperial Feast, something he had only heard of in books or movies in his previous life. He never had the opportunity to eat it, let alone the money. Liu Jian believed that in ten years, you wouldn't even dream of it without a hundred or eighty thousand, but now, even if it was ten or eighty thousand more expensive, it would definitely be enough. It's just that the opportunity is hard to find. Although it's a bit expensive, what else is money for if not spending it? As he earned more and more money during this time, Liu Jian already had the idea of enjoying it. What's the point of keeping this money? So when Ren Shanshan said it was expensive, Liu Jian didn't care at all. His interest in Ren Shanshan had even diminished somewhat.
Ren Shanshan originally intended to make a joke, but she didn't expect Liu Jian to actually go, which startled her. But when she saw the imported Audi that Liu Jian drove, all her worries vanished. She even felt proud of her own judgment. It seemed she had really found a big boss. Now it was just a matter of how to sell herself. However, Ren Shanshan had a strong confidence that this man would definitely be captivated by her.