Glasses had Liu Zhizhong sit down on the single sofa at the very end on the left, waiting.
Liu Zhizhong, emerging from officialdom, understood his status here was indeed humble!
Yet, this single sofa was comparably larger than one for a couple, and the root-carved tea table in front of him was also exceedingly exquisite.
Glasses went over to the storage safe and took out a pack of cigarettes for Zhizhong, tossing them in front of him. He said he'd go call Brother Xuan, that this brand of cigarettes was not something ordinary people could enjoy. "Give it a try," he said, "but you can't take it with you."
Another woman, dressed in a pretty servant uniform, came in from outside. She bowed with much decorum, the scenery within her collar swaying enticingly, a blinding array of whiteness.
She greeted Zhizhong, asking what he would like to drink—tea, juice, beer, or some other beverage.
Carrying a sizable copper menu booklet, she handed it to Zhizhong, inviting him to choose.
Zhizhong looked through the numerous options. Some names he had never heard of, nor seen—it genuinely felt like he was a frog in a well.
Indeed, in the world of the wealthy and powerful, a bureau-level official like Comrade Zhizhong didn't understand! He was, after all, someone in a leadership position, a young man coddled by his career path, yet here he was, still appearing completely inexperienced.
Zhizhong simply smiled and said, "Thank you! No need for anything so troublesome, a glass of plain water will do." Get full chapters from 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱
"Oh, alright, sir..."
The maid nodded, immediately squatting before him, maintaining a humble demeanor, a fragrance wafting around her.
She flipped to a page toward the back of the copper service booklet, pointing and saying, "Sir, please look, we have these types of plain water here, you see... which one would you like?"
Zhizhong glanced over and felt his soul plunge into a realm of tradition.
This was way too... fastidious, wasn't it?
Even plain water was divided into so many kinds.
There was Changbai Mountain Heavenly Pond Water, Alaite Mountain Spring Water, Southern Luofu Mountain Spring, Italian Ground Water, and more...
Zhizhong could only say, "Okay, Alaite for me, you've heard of that, right?"
"Understood, sir. Do you want it warm, room temperature, boiled, or boiled then cooled?"
Zhizhong inwardly exclaimed at the fastidiousness and chuckled, "Room temperature and unprocessed, then?"
"Alright, please wait a moment!"
The maid, ever so polite, took her leave with the copper menu booklet.
In less than three minutes, she returned, bringing with her a beautiful, jade-like, large porcelain carafe, exquisitely made.
Just one glance at the large porcelain carafe, it was evident it bore the flavor of the grasslands and snow-capped mountains, filled with room-temperature, unprocessed Alaite Spring Water.
The maid courteously poured Zhizhong a cup using a lovely snow-capped mountain themed small cup, asking him to enjoy slowly, and then she withdrew.
Of course, Zhizhong had to taste it—what in the world was this flavor?
He lifted the cup, took a sip—my goodness...
It was indeed really good, crisp and refreshing, giving one the feeling of a coolness reaching down to the bones without being cold or icy—it was just cool and refreshing!
Instinctively, he drained the water in the cup, truly refreshing!
So, he poured himself another cup, then sat there waiting, casually picking up the pack of cigarettes to try out the flavor.
The packaging of the cigarettes was very ordinary, almost without any design, save for three thin strands of blood-red silk that encircled the box.
But the paper was fine and velvety to the touch, a pleasure to hold.
"What kind of cigarettes are these? Specially provided?"
Zhizhong pondered as he opened the pack and drew out a cigarette ready to give it a try.
Goodness, upon opening the box, a faint and elegant tobacco scent wafted out.
This type of aromatic cigarette was already a delicacy, and Zhizhong infrequently indulged in such luxury.
Yet this box was extreme in its indulgence—he hadn't even smoked it yet, and he already felt intoxicatingly blissful...