RPAGF Chapter 340 Red Wine
Chapter 340 Red Wine
ten minutes later.
Pacific Place, Admiralty Magistrates Road, Central and Western District, Hong Kong Island.
Li Jian parked his BMW at the Shangri-La Hotel.
After getting out of the car, a doorman came over to open the car door for the two of them.
Li Jian tossed the car keys to the doorman and led Fang Jing into the restaurant.
Looking at the magnificent and opulently decorated Shangri-La Hotel, Fang Jing felt a sense of awe and admiration.
"Maybe we should go to another one; this place looks very expensive."
Li Jian said, "There's a reason why it's expensive. You've come all the way from the north, I can't very well treat you to mixed noodles."
The Perri Restaurant at the Shangri-La is located on the 56th floor of the building.
Sitting here, you can enjoy a panoramic view of Victoria Harbour.
"The French food here is quite good; you should definitely try it."
Li Jian gentlemanly pulled the chair back, inviting Fang Jing to sit down.
Fang Jing falls for this kind of thing.
The melodious violin music echoed through the Perri restaurant; upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a live performance.
Li Jian asked, "If there's any song you'd like to hear, you can tell the waiter."
Fang Jing immediately felt a little awkward and said, "I don't know much about music."
Li Jian didn't ask any further questions and called over a waiter: "What vintages of wine can you recommend?"
The waiter smiled and said, "Our restaurant, Perri, collaborates with many renowned wineries in Europe, offering over 100 bottles of fine wine. Would you like something to recommend, sir and madam?"
Li Jian handed the wine list to Fang Jing.
Fang Jing looked flustered: "I...I don't understand English."
"Would you like some?" Li Jian asked.
Fang Jing nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
Li Jian casually pointed to one: "I'll take this one."
"Okay sir, please wait a moment, I'll get it for you right away."
The waiter bowed slightly, took two steps back, and left.
Fang Jing sat in the most beautiful restaurant on Hong Kong Island, feeling out of place.
Especially the dress she was wearing, which cost her over 200 Hong Kong dollars at Chungking Mansions. She thought it was pretty good, but compared to the waiters, it didn't look as good.
It's not even as good as the dishcloth on the dining table.
Oh, I forgot, they don't call it a rag here either.
A short while later, a waiter came over carrying several large white porcelain plates.
"This is dessert, please enjoy."
"Tampo Whipped oysters, paired with champagne and caviar; Scottish scallops, paired with seaweed and sea urchin; Hokkaido potatoes; Spanish red shrimp."
Fang Jing was surprised to see a porcelain plate bigger than a washbasin with only a tiny bit of food in the middle. She exclaimed, "It's so small! I could eat two in one bite!"
Li Jian laughed and said, "Sure, order more if it's not enough."
Fang Jing shook her head and said, "Hmph, do you think I'm stupid? They're just being sophisticated and looking down on us northerners, aren't they?"
Li Jian waved his hand and said, "Absolutely not. Actually, I am a northerner at heart. I just got born in the wrong place and ended up in Hong Kong."
Fang Jing sighed and said softly, "I really envy you Hong Kong people."
"What's there to envy?" Li Jian asked rhetorically.
Fang Jing said, "Your living conditions are so much better than ours. You don't know, when I first came here, I couldn't believe my eyes."
Everywhere you look there are skyscrapers, cars clog the streets, and there's a dazzling array of goods at ridiculously high prices. I can't even afford a single piece of clothing with a month's salary.
But the appliances here are really cheap, almost half the price of what we have back home!
Li Jian smiled but remained silent.
He thought to himself that those smugglers made their money from the price difference; a TV set or VCR could be sold for several times the price after entering the country, making more money than flour.
Li Jian said, "Don't be fooled by the high standard of living in Hong Kong; their wages are also quite high. For example, I can earn more than 3 a month."
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Fang Jing couldn't hold back and choked on the potato: "3,3?! I only make a few hundred yuan a month!"
Wages in the north have also gradually increased along with economic development.
Li Jian still remembers that the tuition for first grade in the 90s was 50 yuan.
Teachers earn around 500 or 600 yuan a month, and civil servants earn about the same amount, though their salaries are not high.
Until 2010, the salary of civil servants in the north was still around 2000 yuan.
Li Jian laughed and said, "Our wages are high, and so are our expenses. A bowl of wonton noodles costs more than a hundred yuan. If we eat a lot, it will cost you a day's wages in a day."
Fang Jing stuck out her little tongue: "No wonder so many people risked their lives to swim here."
Seeing Fang Jing's adorable appearance, Li Jian asked, "Do you want to come to Hong Kong Island to work?"
Fang Jing shrugged and said, "Who wouldn't want that? It's just a pity it's not possible."
Water flows to lower place, man goes to higher position.
Everyone wants to climb the social ladder; if someone doesn't, it means they don't have the opportunity.
There may indeed be people who have seen through the illusions of the world and attained enlightenment, but unfortunately, Li Jian himself has not yet met one.
The waiter quickly brought out the main course and wine.
The waiter placed the wine in a decanter on the table and said, "Sir, this wine will taste best in half an hour."
Fang Jing was truly amazed; she felt like she had never seen anything like it before.
Li Jian said, "No need, just pour it out."
He's not a professional sommelier, so why is he decanting the wine?
No matter how you drink red wine, it's always sour.
If Sprite weren't unavailable, Li Jian would have liked to add some sugar to it.
The blood-red liquor was poured into the glass, its vibrant color clinging to the sides, releasing a subtle yet unrestrained aroma.
"cheers!"
Fang Jing hesitated, "I don't drink alcohol."
Li Jian said, "This bottle of wine has already been opened and cannot be returned. If you don't drink it, it will be a waste."
Fang Jing said, "But I really can't drink alcohol; I get drunk as soon as I do."
Li Jian beckoned with his finger: "Waiter, how much is this bottle of wine?"
The waiter said, "1888 dollars."
At this time, the KOL was still very strong, with a ratio of about one to eight RMB.
"How many?"
Fang Jing's big, bright eyes widened in surprise. "Are you kidding me? This wine costs $1888? That's over ten thousand yuan!"
A bottle of wine costs ten thousand, so this glass in front of her must cost several hundred.
Looking at her month's salary in front of her, Fang Jing felt that this was a terrible thing.
Li Jian said, "Since Miss Fang doesn't want to drink it, let's just pour it out."
The waiter nodded and said, "Yes, sir."
Just as the waiter reached out his hand, Fang Jing immediately picked up her wine glass: "No, let me try it."
I'm used to living in poverty, I've never seen anything like this, wasting things like this.
"Sir?" the waiter asked, looking at Li Jian.
Li Jian waved.
The waiter bowed and withdrew.
Fang Jing grimaced as she took a small sip, finding it incredibly bitter, and her face contorted in pain.
"What does this taste like? It's awful."
Red wine is a type of wine, which is a fruit wine produced through natural fermentation.
It's 80% grape juice, and if it weren't for the approximately 20% alcohol, it would be a grape juice beverage.