I'm back in 1990

Chapter 453: Fine Cigars and Family Feast

Just as a financial war broke out in Hong Kong, a large group of lawyers, actuaries, and accountants from Europe, America, and major Asian countries arrived in the resort paradise of Hawaii. They were hired by a mysterious tycoon to design a stable family trust system for him.

These people were housed in a beautiful manor near the sea, and each of them was required to sign a strict confidentiality agreement. However, they would receive a substantial reward after completing the task.

The office in Xujiahui is now packed with over a hundred people, not including bodyguards and other support staff. All of them serve Huang Xiaochuan. Documents and reports are categorized and compiled here before being handed over to Huang Xiaochuan for review, and then his instructions are relayed down the chain of command.

Now Mai Guangde is just hoping that the building in Pudong will be renovated soon so he can arrange to move. The current state of his office is really like trying to do a grand ceremony in a snail shell, with everyone's backsides pressed against each other.

Huang Xiaochuan began his plan to get the three heavy smokers to quit smoking.

He has already arranged for someone to purchase cigars from abroad, and he has done some research on this topic. Although he doesn't smoke these things, they are for Lao Huang, Lao Yu, and his uncle, so he needs to understand the ins and outs first. Buying them haphazardly is definitely not an option.

Through his research, Huang Xiaochuan learned that the classification of cigars in the world is mainly based on three dimensions: origin, size, and manufacturing process.

The place of origin is easy to understand; many people are familiar with Cuban cigars.

Other famous cigar-producing regions include the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Mexico.

Cuban cigars are known as the "King of Cigars," and many high-quality cigars come from Cuba.

Another factor is size, which, simply put, refers to the thickness of the cigar. Generally speaking, the thicker the ring gauge of a cigar, the higher its age range is suitable for. Young people usually start with thin cigars, and as they get older, they tend to smoke thicker cigars.

Furthermore, thin cigars take less time to smoke because the thicker the cigar, the longer it takes to smoke, making them less suitable for young people with fast-paced lifestyles.

There are generally three types of cigar making processes, which is easy to understand: handmade, machine-made, and semi-machine-made. Handmade cigars are generally very expensive, while machine-made ones are more affordable. There is also a type of cigar that is semi-machine-made and semi-handmade, which is used to make cigars for women.

The main reason for getting Lao Huang, Lao Yu, and their uncle to switch to cigars is that cigars don't inhale directly; you savor the flavor with your mouth. Also, cigars, after years of fermentation, contain much less nicotine than cigarettes.

However, smoking a cigar is much more complicated than smoking a cigarette. Smoking a cigarette is very simple: just take a cigarette out of the pack, light it with a lighter or a match, and you can smoke it.

But cigars are different; first, you need equipment to store them, at the very least a humidor made of cedar.

Generally speaking, the storage conditions for cigars are: constant temperature of 18-21°C and humidity of 65-70%. Therefore, in order to store them, you need to get several cigar cabinets.

Next is how to extract it.

First, you need to use a special cigar cutter (flat cutter, V-cutter, drill cutter) to cut the cigar, and the opening should be of a suitable size.

Moreover, lighting the fire is very particular; you must use a butane lighter or a cedar wood chip to light it, and you must never use a gasoline or kerosene lighter.

When smoking, you should inhale slowly, one to two puffs per minute. Generally speaking, it takes about an hour to smoke a 42mm ring gauge Robusto. So, people who smoke this stuff are either rich and have time, or they're just showing off.

Just as drinking alcohol requires snacks, smoking a cigar also requires a beverage.

Some people like to use spirits, such as single malt whisky or cognac, which is said to enhance the spice flavor of the cigar.

It can also be paired with coffee or tea, usually espresso or Lapsang Souchong black tea, which is said to bring out the sweetness of the cigar. Who knows? Huang Xiaochuan has never tried it, and he doesn't smoke.

But now you should know how tedious it is to smoke a cigar, right?

Moreover, cigars come in a wide variety of flavors, some of which are strong and spicy, making them unsuitable for beginners.

Some have a mild and balanced flavor, making them suitable for beginners.

Some have a rich and strong flavor, making them more suitable for long-time smokers.

Considering that the three people in the family are heavy smokers, Huang Xiaochuan chose for them the Cuban Cohiba Centenario No. 4 (143cm length, 46mm ring gauge) and the Dominican Davidoff No. 2 tube cigar, which are all relatively mild in taste.

Another week has passed, and at Jiang Rong's invitation, some of her colleagues have been invited to visit the old house.

However, Jiang Rong only said that she would treat everyone to a meal at home. As for where she would stay, Jiang Rong did not say, but said that she would arrange a car to pick everyone up from their homes. Everyone just needed to tell her their home address.

However, Jiang Rong only said that she would treat everyone to a meal at home. As for where she would stay, Jiang Rong did not say, but said that she would arrange a car to pick everyone up from their homes. Everyone just needed to tell her their home address.

Seeing that this guy was going to treat them to a meal and was doing it in such a mysterious way, Jiang Rong's colleagues all agreed to go and be his guests, thinking that they might as well eat it if they wanted to.

Mao Qin whispered to her close colleague Sun Qiaozhen, "This bastard is treating us to dinner and she's putting on airs. I want to see what she's really up to."

When the day arrived, Mao Qin was startled when she saw the car that came to pick her up—a Mercedes-Benz! Really?

Mao Qin didn't dare get on the bus until the driver asked her, "Excuse me, are you Teacher Mao Qin?"

Mao Qin then realized what was happening and quickly replied, "It's me, it's me!"

After getting into the car, Mao Qin looked around at the interior, her mind filled with questions. What was the background of that Ba Zi, no, that Jiang Rong family? They seemed pretty powerful.

Soon after, the car dropped Mao Qin off in front of an old Western-style house. After getting out of the car, Mao Qin happened to meet Sun Qiaozhen, who had also been brought there in a Mercedes-Benz.

She looked equally incredulous and quickly walked up to Mao Qin, asking, "That Jiang Rong wouldn't happen to live here, would she?"

At this moment, the driver got out of the car and rang the doorbell. Soon someone came to open the door, and then Jiang Rong, dressed in a formal outfit, came out smiling to greet them.

"Teacher Mao, Teacher Sun, you've arrived! Please come in, Teacher Gu and Teacher Zhou are already here."

Mao Qin and Sun Qiaozhen quickly responded to Jiang Rong with smiles, "Really!"

The two followed Jiang Rong into the courtyard and were immediately stunned by what they saw. It was the first time they had ever entered a garden villa like this. They had only ever heard about it from others or looked at the roof from outside the walls, and had never known what the inside of a garden villa was like.

They were amazed by the quaint and elegant courtyard, which was a miniature Jiangnan garden with winding paths, streams, pavilions and towers.

Upon entering the house, I was even more taken aback. It was February, and the weather in Shanghai was still quite cold, but the house was warm and cozy. Some colleagues were sitting or standing in the living room, looking at the decorations and chatting away.

Upon seeing Mao Qin and Sun Qiaozhen, these people greeted them one after another.

"Teacher Mao, Teacher Sun, why are you so late!"

After the two sat down, the nanny immediately served tea, which made them feel flattered. They thought to themselves, "My God! We even have a nanny in our house?"

At this moment, Teacher Zhou asked Mao Qin and Sun Qiaozhen, "Were you shocked? We were too. We never expected that Teacher Jiang's family was so wealthy."

At this point, a teacher surnamed Yao added, "I just counted, there are three nannies and two cooks busy in the kitchen. It's unbelievable! That takes up a lot of their monthly salaries!"

At this moment, someone asked Jiang Rong, "Teacher Jiang, where are your family members?"

Jiang Rong responded with a smile, "My parents-in-law took my son to the Dianshan Lake Golf Club and they won't be back until the afternoon."

The group looked at each other in surprise. They knew about golf; they had seen it on TV quite often. It was said that only rich people played with it. They never expected that Teacher Jiang's parents-in-law were so rich.

After everyone took their seats, a sumptuous feast amazed them once again.

In the center of the restaurant stood a round mahogany table, surrounded by twelve mahogany armchairs. The lazy Susan was carved from a single piece of green jade. On an ivory-white porcelain plate were slices of beef as thin as cicada wings. In a glass dish lay golden scallops and sea cucumbers. Longjing shrimp were as smooth as jade, and Dongpo pork was as red as agate. Steamed grouper, large yellow croaker from the East China Sea, and many other delicacies were also on display. The table was filled with exquisite dishes.

Jiang Rong said, "Don't stand there! Teachers, please sit down! Otherwise, the food will get cold!"