Free Web NovelChapter 1209: Chapter 1211
Gong Ruini thought that if possible, she definitely hoped these guests could gather in a relatively private courtyard.
Yes, it had to be a courtyard, not only to showcase social status, but because a well-arranged courtyard had an absolutely wonderful environment.
Dining, tea drinking, wine drinking, chatting, and enjoying the scenery inside were all feasible. As for the chef, of course, there were partners to collaborate with.
But after searching repeatedly, she truly couldn’t find a suitable place that met the requirements. There were many courtyards at her disposal, but the ones with good environments were almost all rented out.
The courtyards left on hand either had average environments or had just been recovered and hadn’t been spruced up yet.
If they really wanted to entertain guests in these courtyards, then a good renovation was necessary, which Gong Ruini was truly reluctant to do.
After all, once the club opened in the future, they would entertain guests there, and these courtyards would be left empty. Was she really going to start a private dining business?
The idea was good, but unfortunately, their good partners preferred to open their own restaurants, making the situation truly frustrating.
"Actually, I think setting up in the pavilion in the garden is a good idea." Zhan Jing saw Gong Ruini fretting over this and thought she was overlooking the obvious.
"There’s a kitchen there, although we haven’t used it." In the past, there was a stage in the garden, and when the family entertained guests, they would invite performers to sing opera on stage. The food couldn’t be transported from the front kitchen, so a kitchen was established near the stage in the garden, not far from the pavilion.
Although it was just a small kitchen, it had all the necessary amenities. Initially, everyone thought this kitchen was a bit wasteful, but due to the large courtyard, it certainly wasn’t utilized and remained idle.
Now, it could be put to good use. If the guests entered from the back gate, they wouldn’t run into the residents in the front.
Gong Ruini was of course in agreement; her family’s garden was absolutely famous. It’s just that later, everyone found it troublesome, and they didn’t often invite people home for dinner.
Originally thinking that this would keep it off people’s minds, she didn’t expect the reputation to grow even more. A few times when Zhao Gang entertained guests outside, people joked about whether they could host at home.
"Let’s meet their request this time."
Looking at the lotus flowers in the pond and drinking wine while chatting, the feelings certainly grew stronger and better.
Once Gong Ruini decided on the venue for this gathering, she prepared a menu according to the list of attendees.
Don’t think entertaining guests is so easy; you must at least know the guests’ preferences and taboos to demonstrate sincere hospitality as hosts.
Gong Tao and the others, despite attending numerous gatherings like this, had never encountered a situation where they were asked such questions.
After experiencing it once, Gong Tao felt somewhat regretful about hosting guests, but he had already told people about it, and if he didn’t host, what would those people think?
Despite Zhao Gang and them complaining about the hassle, they filled out what needed to be written; regarding the unknown, they would ask the other party.
"Since we are doing it, we are doing the best." Gong Tao originally thought asking would let some friends criticize him for not caring about them.
For this, he was ready to be reproached by friends, but unexpectedly, those friends became unexpectedly excited.
Being excited was one thing, but they also asked if more people could join. Of course, they assured it wasn’t people with ill intentions. Previously, Gong Tao surely wouldn’t agree.
This wasn’t about dining in restaurants, adding more people wouldn’t just mean adding more tables. It was his daughter who was busy, and Gong Tao wouldn’t let his daughter work hard.
Noticing that since planning to host guests at home, his daughter became extremely busy, losing quite a bit of weight.
However, there are a few people who are indeed valuable, even though there are no immediate collaboration intentions, it doesn’t guarantee there won’t be any in the future.
After contemplating for a long time, Gong Tao decided to go back and ask his daughter, "I’ll go home and see if we can add people."
"Set up drinks in my pavilion, then prepare food in advance. It’s unknown if the chef can take on additional guests."
Gong Tao wasn’t concerned about whether his words displeased anyone. If someone truly resents and holds a grudge, he wouldn’t care.
He wasn’t money, it couldn’t be ensured to please everyone.
Although not everyone was happy to hear Gong Tao saying this, most people understood.
"Understood, understood." No one was foolish; if agreeing too readily, it indicated the banquet was not prepared earnestly.
The more cautious Gong Tao was, the more it showed that they weren’t fooling people. Imagining the beautiful scenery and good wine, each person became increasingly excited.
After returning home, Gong Tao actually regretted the decision but had no choice; he went hesitantly to find Gong Ruini.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Gang was also discussing this matter with Gong Ruini. Well, it seemed this was indeed tricky.
Gong Tao thought about leaving quietly but took a few steps and realized it was inappropriate. If all the guests he agreed to were friends of Zhao Gang, how would he face his own friends in the future?
He didn’t ask his daughter to agree to host all the additional people, at least it should be on par with Zhao Gang’s side.
Gong Ruini felt like swearing internally. The pavilion wasn’t that big; the current guests already occupied all the space, and adding more would make it cramped.
But if she outright opposed it, even if Zhao Gang was embarrassed, the guests introduced must be of considerable significance.
Even if there’s no urgency now, it doesn’t ensure there won’t be any connection in the future. What to do, really left Gong Ruini in a dilemma.
No solution came to mind, then she saw Gong Tao’s troubled expression, signaling her father faced similar issues.
What to do, besides doing nothing, there seemed to be no solution, as it revealed upon inquiry.
If adding fewer people, Gong Ruini would have no solutions, but adding more people didn’t worry her.
"If not in the pavilion, we will set up in the garden’s lounge hall." That place is spacious, setting up ten or more tables was feasible, not to mention it could be outdoor.
As for the pavilion, it would be used for entertaining guests with chatting and tea.
The only problem was insufficient chefs, which Gong Ruini deftly delegated to Zhao Gang and his team to solve.
She had a pile of matters to handle from being out so long; dividing the attention to tackle these was already decent enough; the rest couldn’t all be fixed by her.
Major issues were resolved, only the chef issue remained, and Zhao Gang reassured it wasn’t a problem, just spending money to hire a chef, shouldn’t be unsolvable.
Besides, this time was a good opportunity to expand social connections, unquestionably no mishaps must occur, or it would truly be a disaster.
Knowing this, Zhao Xuran felt reluctant, this time he genuinely wasn’t joining the fun, though his wife suggested he could invite friends, seeing his wife’s fatigued expression warranted letting her rest.
Unexpectedly, while he felt unwilling, both elders truly showed willingness, which angered him.
"My dad and the others are really something; frankly, hosting outside isn’t bad either." Previous gatherings were always hosted in restaurants, no complaints of dissatisfaction were ever heard.
His wife was thinking of this extensively, wanting it organized this way.
Hosting outside was fine indeed, but lacked the atmosphere, unlike boasting, even Beijing’s finest private dining restaurant couldn’t match her environment.
"Dad’s first time organizing a gathering, it shouldn’t make them lose face; they must feel such a gathering brings them honor."
Otherwise, spreading rumors that their gathering was poorly organized would disgrace Zhao Gang and Gong Tao.
Since money would be spent for this arrangement, there was no reason to skimp on such expenses.
Alright, her words were undoubtedly correct; aside from reminding Gong Ruini to rest, Zhao Xuran didn’t know what else to do.
