Chapter 172 Wealth and Poverty in Henry's Eyes
"What?"
Everyone present stared at Henry in disbelief. What did he say? Were they considered poor? Then, were there any rich people in this world?
The person with the least wealth present had a fortune of twenty-seven gold coins. He dined on the finest foods, had servants at his beck and call, and a handful of wives and concubines. If this wasn't considered wealth, then what was?
And then there was Soro, one of the wealthiest. His assets, including his trading caravan, amounted to around a thousand gold coins. He was a well-known merchant even in the Royal City. No one present would believe that he was poor.
Most of those present knew Soro and looked at Henry with amusement, wondering how this nobleman who spoke so boldly would deal.
"Henry, what kind of person would you consider wealthy?" Soro raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious about Henry's answer.
"Let's talk over dinner," Henry replied with a smile. Willow immediately got up and pulled a rope hanging on the wall.
This was a signal for the waiters. A bell was attached to the rope, and the sound would alert the waiters outside to come in. Only the private dining rooms had this setup.
The door opened, and a variety of dishes were brought in, a total of twenty-four, filling the table with their enticing aroma.
The sight and smell of the food made everyone's mouths water.
Even Soro couldn't help but feel tempted. And Brandon, his saliva even dripping from the corners of his mouth. He perfectly inherited the food-loving trait from his father, the Lord of Hyratos.
"Let's dig in!"
Henry firstly took a bite of the steak. He frowned slightly, as the taste wasn't as good as he had expected.
Once the host had started eating, the others could follow suit. However, they were all a bit puzzled, not knowing how to use the utensils. Even if they watched Henry, their fingers didn't seem to cooperate, and they couldn't even pick up a piece of food.
Brandon had tried using the utensils before, but he still couldn't get the hang of it. Soro, on the other hand, simply held the utensils like a pair of tongs and stabbed a piece of steak, sending it flying into his bowl.
Some of the merchants couldn't bear it and started using their hands to grab the food, setting the utensils aside. Henry couldn't help but frown at the sight.
"It's delicious, far better than anything I've had in the Royal City."
"I've been eating garbage all this time. I'm going to come here every day for a meal."
"We should invite those useless chefs from the Royal City to see the food here. Let's see if they still dare to be so arrogant."
The merchants' behavior was a far cry from their usual demeanor, and they even fought over a dish at times.
This made Henry's eye twitch, and he turned to Willow, saying, "Have someone bring in some forks."
"Understood!" Willow replied.
The bell rang again, and forks were brought in, one for each person. This left everyone feeling a bit embarrassed.
Soro looked at the utensils in his hand, then at the fork, lost in thought. He felt that using them actually showcased a person's ability to strategize and handle things with ease.
"Henry, what is this?" Soro asked, holding the fork.
"This is called a fork. Forks are actually convenient and easier to popularize. It allows commoners to use forks as well. You see, 'illness enters by the mouth' is no joke." Henry explained calmly.
The merchants who had been eating with their hands stopped, feeling a bit embarrassed. They put their hands under the table and discreetly wiped them on their clothes.
On the other side of the world, there was a saying that using knives and forks were more noble and refined.
After the merchants picked up the forks, they saw that Henry had no intention of eating, so they put them down again, deciding to practice using knives and forks. After all, the food here was so exquisite.
"Henry, how do you view the concepts of poverty and wealth?" One of the merchants brought up the previous topic.
Henry smiled faintly and said, "A commoner who can't afford to eat a full meal, whose clothes are tattered, and who can't even afford shoes, would you consider them poor?"
"Yes, that would be considered poor," Soro nodded.
"One day," Henry raised a finger and continued, "This commoner struck it rich. He eats wheat porridge three times a day, to the point of having a bowl and then pouring another. He can wear different clothes for four to five consecutive days. Compared to other commoners, can he be considered wealthy?"
"Very wealthy, indeed, especially being able to have a bowl and then pour another," Brandon chuckled.
Henry's smile widened as he pointed to a plate of vegetarian dishes on the table and said, "This dish is the cheapest among all the dishes on this table, and it costs thirty-eight copper coins."
"What?!"
Everyone's eyes widened in shock. A plate of vegetarian dishes for thirty-eight copper coins? Was it made of gold?
"Each piece of vegetable is carefully selected from dozens of plants, picking only the tenderest leaves."
Henry continued, "Of course, there are also vegetarian dishes that cost three or four copper coins a plate, which are the leftovers from the thirty-eight coin dish."
The people present were stunned. They had never thought that a plate of vegetarian dishes could be so exquisite. The merchants no longer had any objections to the price.
"And that fish in the middle is priced at three hundred copper coins; the steak is priced at one hundred and eighty copper coins... These are some of the most expensive dishes at the Garden Eatery," Henry said calmly.
Silence fell, and everyone stared blankly at the dishes on the table. It was as if they were eating silver coins, as each dish cost several silver coins.
"I have these dishes for every meal in the castle. I wonder if it suits your taste," Henry's eyes flickered.
The people present fell silent. Eating like this would cost a gold coin every five or six days, and even the Duke didn't eat like this.
A faint smile appeared on Henry's lips as he said, "Do you think someone who can eat this kind of meal every day can be considered wealthy?"
