Under the busy work of a dozen waitstaff, two long dining tables about seven or eight ters in length were set up in the hall in less than ten minutes.
Looking at the velvet-covered tabletop, set with neat knives and forks, plates, and goblets, Lin Jie chuckled and said, "So it's Western food! Eating Western food at such a long dining table feels like dining in a noble's castle."
Fu Xiuyuan happily said, "At Jiuzun Club, we naturally should taste what is considered authentic Italian cuisine here."
"Master Zhou, Expert Lin, everyone, please..."
Under the host Fu Xiuyuan's invitation, everyone in the hall politely found their seats and sat down.
Lin Jie, Lin Miao, Guan Muhua, Lu Kaicheng, Yao Siyuan, and others naturally sat together at a nearby spot.
After everyone was seated, Fu Xiuyuan brought out a large bottle of champagne.
He gently pried the cork, and as it slowly moved out, suddenly with a "pop," the cork flew off.
The hall imdiately burst into applause.
At this mont, Shen Lanruo's voice echoed in my mind, "Italians consider it a custom to pop a champagne cork at important banquets as a good on."
It turns out that foreigners have similar dining etiquettes as in China.
Lin Jie conveyed this information to Lin Miao, Chen Lili, and others.
Once everyone's glass was filled with champagne, they all raised their glasses and took a sip together.
Servers ca in single file to start serving the courses.
Lin Jie noticed that the first dish served to him was seafood, a cold platter of black caviar and salmon.
Through Shen Lanruo's introduction, Lin Jie learned that Italian cuisine generally consists of appetizers, first courses, second courses, desserts, and after-dinner drinks.
Appetizers are akin to starters, small and delicate, available in cold and hot versions.
Lin Jie tasted it and found the flavor of the black caviar and salmon quite good.
After finishing the appetizer, the first course was served, mushroom risotto.
Then ca the second course, the main course: herb-crusted veal, accompanied by raw salad, tomatoes, pickled vegetables, and olives.
At this point, Lin Jie realized that the portions of Italian cuisine were quite large, certainly more than French cuisine.
He even felt a bit full, so he thought of taking a break and drinking so water.
At this mont, Lin Miao leaned over and whispered, "Brother, this beef is too much, I can't finish it!"
Lin Jie looked at the plate in front of her, noticing only a small portion of the beef had been eaten, and said, "Ask Guan Muhua if he can eat it, give it to him. I'm quite full myself, I can't help you."
Lin Miao responded with an "oh" and turned to Guan Muhua beside her, "Brother Guan..."
"Expert Lin..."
Hearing soone call him, Lin Jie looked toward the voice and saw a man with a long face in his forties or fifties raising a glass of red wine towards him from across the table.
Lin Jie nodded slightly at him and responded with a smile.
The long-faced man took a sip of red wine and asked, "Expert Lin, I heard that you're looking for aged wild ginseng?"
"That's true!" Lin Jie nodded in response.
Upon receiving the raw material list submitted by Zhou Ziyan, Lin Jie not only handed it over to the health committee but also published it on his personal dia account, hoping to leverage the public's help in the search.
Of course, what's published on his personal dia account naturally excluded any dicinal materials like tiger bones that require approval from the relevant authorities, only listing wild ginseng, polygonum multiflorum, and so other precious Chinese dicinal herbs.
The power of the public was indeed vast, and feedback on aged polygonum multiflorum and other herbs ca back quickly.
There were also so reports of wild ginseng, but none that t the inducer's requirents for age or size.
However, all the information about wild ginseng and other mismatched dicinal herbs received from the dia accounts was requested by Zhou Ziyan.
Though they didn't et the research project's needs, they were still beneficial for Jian'an Hall, the more, the better.
"May I ask, Expert Lin, what do you need the wild ginseng for?"
Faced with the man's inquiry, Lin Jie candidly replied, "I am currently working on a research project that requires aged wild ginseng. It's just that such wild ginseng is becoming increasingly rare."
The long-faced man nodded slightly, saying softly, "I know a little about the project you're working on. I happen to have one wild ginseng with , I wonder if it ets your requirents, Expert Lin?"
Saying this, he handed over his phone.
Lin Jie took his phone and saw a photo of a ginseng on the screen.
The photo showed a ginseng sealed in a transparent box, with intact roots.
Since Lin Jie was not knowledgeable about identifying ginseng, he invited Zhou Hongzhi over.
After arriving, Zhou Hongzhi sat in the seat Lin Miao had vacated, took the phone from Lin Jie, and after a glance, widened his eyes.
He magnified the image on the phone, studied it carefully for a mont, and excitedly said, "Complete with all five elents, elegant shape, and three reed heads each having three nodes, whiskers like bark, visible pearl dots, fine veined skin."
"The age of this ginseng should be over a hundred years, truly a top-quality wild ginseng."
"I wonder, how about its dry weight?"
The long-faced man on the opposite side spoke with a hint of pride, "The dry weight is seventy-six grams."
Zhou Hongzhi exclaid in surprise, "Seventy-six grams dry weight? This is a treasure among ginsengs."
Seeing Lin Jie's puzzled expression, he further explained, "Expert Lin, there is a saying about ginseng: 'Seven tales for ginseng, eight tales for treasure.'"
"If this ginseng has a dry weight of seventy-six grams, then its fresh weight is at least over three hundred grams. According to the old system, that's at least eight liang."
"Therefore, this ginseng can be called a ginseng treasure."
Many people heard his words and curiously got up to take a look at this treasure among ginsengs.
A tall guy with a buzz cut and a head shaped like a rugby ball saw the photo and shouted at the long-faced man, "Wow, Su Zhongqing, you actually have such a treasure hidden away."
"Are you planning to cash it in this ti? Na your price, I won't haggle, I'll take it."
The long-faced man known as Su Zhongqing smiled and said, "President Fei, I know you have money, but no matter how much you offer, I can't let you have this ginseng."
"This ginseng is ant for Expert Lin's significant use, so don't get mixed up in it."
"Don't say that, a good thing should naturally go to the highest bidder."
The rugby-headed man called President Fei chuckled and said, "Next month, a respected elder of mine is having an eightieth birthday, and I haven't found a decent gift yet."
"This ginseng treasure seems tailor-made for ."
"Su Zhongqing, co on, just na your price."
Hearing this, Lin Jie felt quite displeased.
He wasn't sure if this rugby-headed man was a plant, purposely inflating the price, or if he genuinely intended to snatch it away.
But regardless of his reason, it made Lin Jie very unhappy.
Su Zhongqing ignored President Fei and looked at Lin Jie, saying, "Expert Lin, the reason I brought out this ginseng is to transfer it to you."
"Shall we discuss the details after the al?"
Before Lin Jie could respond, President Fei beca a bit anxious and shouted, "Don't be like that, Su Zhongqing, I'm truly sincere. Eight million or ten million, just na an amount, and I definitely won't bargain."
Most of the people around could see that Su Zhongqing was here for Lin Jie.
He brought out this ginseng either to make friends or because he owed Lin Jie a favor.
Soone advised the rugby-headed man, "President Fei, you can always find a gift for a birthday."
"This ginseng is rarely seen, and it has great use in Expert Lin's hands; it could save many lives, so don't ddle."
However, the rugby-headed man still wouldn't give up and chuckled, "I'm aware of ginseng's effects."
"They mainly restore vital energy to the body and keep a dying patient hanging on to see their family one last ti. The other effects are not as mystical as described in dical books."
"As a surgeon, Expert Lin's utilization of this ginseng is nothing more than for personal use or gifting."
"Personal use?"
He looked Lin Jie up and down, smirking without warmth, "Expert Lin, with your health, using this kind of ginseng is truly wasteful. How about I give you one or two hundred ten-year ginsengs instead?"
"As for gifting?"
"No offense, Expert Lin, but this ginseng is too valuable for you; it's not sothing an ordinary person can afford."
Upon hearing his words, the surrounding people no longer tried to persuade him.
Clearly, President Fei was intentionally causing trouble, but no one knew what grudge he had against Lin Jie!
Fu Xiuyuan, who was standing beside Lin Jie, frowned and said, "President Fei, this ginseng from President Su isn't up for auction, are you intending to forcefully buy it?"
President Fei glanced at Su Zhongqing, then at Lin Jie, and finally looked at Fu Xiuyuan, smiling serenely, "Of course I can't forcefully buy it; I'm just offering a high price, which isn't illegal."
He looked at Su Zhongqing again and said, "I can tell you bluntly, I want to give this ginseng to my wife's grandfather as a birthday gift."
"My wife's uncle is said to be getting a promotion soon..."
Fu Xiuyuan leaned closer to Lin Jie and murmured, "His wife's uncle works in the drug administration departnt..."
At this mont, he felt his phone vibrate. Taking it out, he saw it was a new ssage.
After glancing at it, Fu Xiuyuan seed enlightened and handed the phone to Lin Jie.
Lin Jie looked at the ssage on the screen and couldn't help but laugh.
The ssage read: President Fei's sister is married to the head of the Xie Family in Capital City.
Seeing this ssage, Lin Jie understood why President Fei wanted to snatch it away from him.
Due to the death of the head of the Xie Family and the matter of the inheritance donation, many people with vested interests probably hated him.
"President Fei..."
Fu Xiuyuan mocked, "Don't even ntion your wife's uncle. It seems you don't really know much about Expert Lin."
He glanced around the people and said loudly, "In this pharmaceutical industry, everyone's network of connections is broad and deep; you could say friends are all over the world."
"But we all know our networks are largely fueled by benefits, and the network that cos from associating with famous doctors is incomparable."
Fu Xiuyuan looked at the rugby-headed man disdainfully, "President Fei, about Expert Lin's network, let divulge two points."
"First, Young Master Ye from Capital City calls Expert Lin his friend, and the injuries of those foreign players from Guohua's team were treated by Expert Lin."
Fu Xiuyuan noticed the surprise flash across President Fei's face and continued, "Secondly, Expert Lin received a congratulatory call directly from Minister Xiao of the National Health Commission."
"Expert Lin even has Minister Xiao's private contact information and can reach out directly..."
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