Ye Li strolled leisurely to the entrance of the county academy; there was still some time before school let out. But there were several others waiting at the gate, just like him.

There were also more than ten ox-drawn, mule-drawn, donkey-drawn, and even horse-drawn carriages.

Compared to the private school, there were quite a few students at the county academy from well-to-do families.

He stood beside the stone lion on the right side of the gate, resting while he waited. In the past, whenever he came to the county town to shop, he always rode in a carriage.

This was the first time he’d walked such a long distance—and, to be honest, he was actually a bit tired. After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, the bell signaling the end of class rang.

Before long, a group of students of varying ages—some carrying bookcases, others clutching books—began streaming out of the main gate in small groups. He stood up straight, waiting for Jiang Ji to emerge.

A moment later, Jiang Ji appeared at the gate, carrying a backpack.

Before he’d even stepped over the threshold, his gaze began scanning the crowd at the entrance.

As soon as the person he’d been longing to see came into view, a radiant smile instantly lit up his handsome, previously expressionless face. He then took two steps at a time and was at Ye Li’s side in no time.

“I thought you weren’t coming.” 

“I just didn’t want to disappoint you,” Ye Li said with a smile.

Hadn’t he been turning his head to look for him just a moment ago, hoping he’d show up?

Hearing this and seeing her smile, Jiang Ji’s own smile widened instantly, and his heart filled with sweetness: “Then let’s hurry back—there’s a lot going on at home.” 

“Nothing much left now; everything’s back on track.”

“Come on, let’s go eat some hot pot. I just bought a jin of mung bean cakes—here, have some to tide you over.” As Ye Li spoke, he handed him the oil-paper-wrapped package he was holding.

He reached out with his other hand to take the backpack from his hands.

“…Go eat hot pot?”

Jiang Ji was taken aback.

“Right, it’s Banxianju. Manager Yu is very generous—if we go there today, every table gets half a jin of fried tofu puffs and half a jin of lamb for free,” Ye Li explained.

The last time he’d come to see Jiang Ji,  he’d mentioned that Yu Cai had placed an order for one hundred jin of goods all at once.

“Then we’ve got to go.”

Jiang Ji smiled. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and reached out to take the oil-paper wrapper from Ye Li’s hand. He was indeed hungry.

“Have you eaten this snack yet?” he asked Ye Li.

Ye Li nodded. “I’ve already eaten. This is for you—go ahead and eat it.”

Hearing this, Jiang Ji still brought the oil-paper wrapper to his mouth: “I’ll have one more piece.” Ye Li then pinched off a piece.

Only then was Jiang Ji satisfied; he pinched off a piece and began to eat.

The two quickly left the alley where the county academy was located and reached the end of this street, which ran north along the Third Cross Street in the eastern part of the city. Ye Li’s gaze swept back and forth along the street.

Just the thought of walking all the way back to Banxianju made his legs ache. He wanted to hire a carriage to take him and Jiang Ji there.

But there were no public carriages at this hour, and the porters who carried passengers usually waited at the north and south city gates. So, after searching around for a while, he and Jiang Ji ended up walking back to Banxianju on their own two feet.

The walk took nearly half a shichen, and mealtime had long since passed. Yet the first floor of Banxianju was still packed with people.

A waiter led the two of them to the second floor.

The second floor had the same layout as the first, with only regular tables. The third floor was where the private rooms were located.

There were fewer guests on the second floor; the two found an empty table and sat down, after which the waiter brought them a menu, a charcoal pencil, and paper so they could order. Jiang Ji took the menu and examined it closely with Ye Li.

Although fresh vegetables were scarce in winter, the menu was packed with items, filling an entire page.

The first section featured vegetarian dishes, such as mushrooms and wood ear fungus, potatoes, lotus root slices, kelp, Chinese cabbage and radish, tofu, dried tofu, bean sprouts, dried tofu strips, fried tofu puffs, and various dried vegetables.

The lower half featured meat dishes.

These included various cuts of lamb, pork, and chicken; crispy pork strips and meatballs; cured sausages and cured pork; and duck blood and pork blood, among others. Ye Li scanned the menu from top to bottom, unable to help but be secretly amazed.

There weren’t any wholesale markets in those days, so to be able to prepare this much meat meant that Manager Yu not only had deep pockets but was also extremely confident in his business.

“What should we eat?”

Jiang Ji looked around, then raised his eyes to Ye Li.

“Let’s have some meat.” Ye Li pointed to the bottom half of the menu: “We’ve been walking for so long—I’m hungry. Let’s have plenty of meat.”

With that, he pulled a palm-sized pouch from his robe.

He opened it to reveal a dozen or so copper coins and a five-guan silver note.

He said, “Let’s try a little of everything. Each dish is only half a jin anyway. If we can’t finish it, we’ll take the leftovers home and have a hot pot for dinner.”

“We didn’t bring Xiao Mai or Ya-ger with us today. If those two found out, they’d definitely pout and look all aggrieved.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ji couldn’t help but laugh. “All right, then let’s order a little more.”

It was perfect timing—he’d been studying hard all morning and had just walked for so long; that tiny bit of mung bean cake had only made him even hungrier. Order!

So, lamb shanks, pork belly, pork tenderloin, lamb chops, pork chops, chicken thighs, crispy pork cutlets… He and Ye Li practically ordered every meat dish on the menu.

As for the vegetarian dishes, the two only ordered sliced lotus root and Chinese cabbage.

These were all home-style dishes they were used to eating; ordering them now was purely to cut through the richness of the meat. The restaurant also offered a wide variety of dipping sauces, allowing diners to mix their own.

Ye Li, of course, went for the sesame sauce.

Jiang Ji chose a flavor to go with his.

The waiter jotted down their order item by item, then asked, “Gentlemen, we also have century egg and lean pork congee, goat’s milk milk tea, and jasmine honey tea—would you like to try any of these?”

“Goat’s milk milk tea?” Ye Li raised an eyebrow.

The waiter hurried to explain, “Yes, this dish is called ‘Soy Milk Rice Mochi,’ and it’s made with…” 

“All right, bring us two bowls later.”

Feeling pleased, Ye Li interrupted him: “Two more bowls of congee, please.”

Both he and Jiang Ji were hungry; they needed to fill their stomachs with congee first. The waiter agreed and, clutching the menu, hurried downstairs.

Ye Li turned to Jiang Ji: “Manager Yu actually served the Soy Milk Rice Mochi—Bao Beiyuan is going to have his hands full from now on.”

“He can’t handle it all by himself; tell him to hire someone.” Jiang Ji said.

Ye Li nodded: “I’ll think about it.”

This time, the new hire wouldn’t be someone like Aunt Zhou who didn’t participate in the cooking process. So, they had to choose carefully.

Soon, the soup base, various ingredients, and congee were all brought over. This included half a jin of lamb and half a jin of fried tofu puffs, complimentary from the restaurant.

The two had ordered so much that it wouldn’t all fit on one table, so the waiter brought over a small side table specifically for them to place their ingredients on. This semi-casual hot pot used a shallow iron pot, with a coal-fired stove underneath the table.

Its overall design was similar to the hot pot Ye Li had eaten in his previous life.

This type of pot boiled quickly and was large enough to hold a considerable amount of ingredients at once. By the time Ye Li and Jiang Ji had finished their congee, the broth in the pot was boiling.

The fragrant, spicy aroma wafted up to their noses with the rising steam. Ye Li took a deep breath, picked up the ladle, and used his chopsticks to scoop a heaping spoonful of lamb.

He placed the spoonful of lamb into the small bowl in front of Jiang Ji: “Go ahead, eat.”

Seeing this, Jiang Ji picked up another ladle and scooped a heaping spoonful of lamb for him as well. Ye Li chuckled: “All right, all right, just eat on your own.”

Jiang Ji laughed as well.

Just as the two were about to tuck in, a voice drifted over from the stairwell not far away: “Fulang, the way you two are so affectionate with each other really makes others envious.”

Huh?

Ye Li and Jiang Ji simultaneously put down their chopsticks and looked toward the staircase.

They saw Yu Cai, supported by an elderly woman, walking toward them.

Surprised, Ye Li stood up and walked toward Yu Cai: “Oh my, Manager Yu, what brings you here? It’s so lively in here—I didn’t even notice you coming up just now.”

Jiang Ji stood up as well.

Earlier on the way here, Ye Li had mentioned that Manager Yu was the youngest son of County Constable Yu and that he had an older brother who was also studying at the county academy. He hadn’t realized until now just how influential this major client actually was.

Just then, Ye Li approached Yu Cai and took over from the old woman, supporting him.

Yu Cai smiled and said, “It’s just as well you didn’t notice me—it means the aroma from my hot pot is irresistible.”

Ye Li laughed as well: “You’re absolutely right—that aroma is making my mouth water.”

“Then please sit down and eat. I came here specifically to hear Fulang’s opinion—to see if there’s anything that needs improvement.”

Yu Cai said, pointing to the table.

Hearing this, Ye Li was taken aback: “My opinion?”

“That’s right—you’re a real whiz at business.”

Yu Cai looked at him with admiration.

“…You flatter me. Sit down, let’s talk. This is my husband, Jiang Ji.”

Ye Li helped Yu Cai to a seat by the table and introduced Jiang Ji to him.

Yu Cai looked intently at Jiang Ji. When he saw Jiang Ji return his bow, he smiled and said, “He really is a handsome man—a perfect match for Fulang.” 

On this point, Ye Li wasn’t the least bit modest: “Thank you for the compliment, Manager Yu. Let’s take our seats.”

Yu Cai nodded and sat down next to him.

Jiang Ji sat on the other side.

Yu Cai glanced at the ingredients on the table and explained, “I was just resting in the backyard when I heard the shopkeeper say you two had arrived, so I dropped by unannounced. Please go ahead and eat—it’ll get cold if you wait too long.”

“No problem. Everything here has truly opened our eyes.”

“Everything here is as good as it gets—I can’t find a single flaw.”

Ye Li said.

He meant what he said.

This Banxianju was much like the hot pot restaurant he’d visited in his previous life. Every step of the process was flawless.

The selection of ingredients was abundant, and the staff was both knowledgeable and attentive.

From the moment he walked in until now, he truly felt as if he were back at that hot pot restaurant from his past life.

Upon hearing this, Yu Cai smiled gently and said, “I came in a bit too hastily. You two go ahead and eat; we’ll chat as we eat.”    

“Would you like me to get you a pair of chopsticks?” Ye Li asked.

Yu Cai shook her head slightly: “No need, I’ve already eaten.” Seeing this, Ye Li didn’t stand on ceremony.

He and Jiang Ji picked up their chopsticks, scooped up a piece of lamb, dipped it briefly in the sesame sauce bowl, and then popped it into their mouths.

The lamb was sliced very thinly and had only a faint gamey flavor; once in his mouth, it felt tender, succulent, and melt-in-your-mouth soft. Paired with the richly flavored sesame sauce, Ye Li couldn’t help but give Yu Cai a thumbs-up: “Delicious.”

“No wonder the first floor is still packed right now.”

Yu Cai laughed: “Actually, my maternal grandfather put in a good word with the security agency, asking them to bring their families to show their support.” 

“Add to that my father’s and my brother’s friends and relatives, and that’s why there are so many people here.”

Of course, there were also some people trying to curry favor with County Constable Yu, so they rushed over first thing in the morning. But he didn’t want to mention that.

So, even though the place was swarming with guests today, he actually felt a bit uncertain.

He’d been cooped up at home for so many years; this was the first time he’d stepped out to seriously try his hand at something. But given his status, he couldn’t tell how much of today’s praise was genuine.

He didn’t want to end up like Zuixianju, which had become the county town’s largest restaurant only by relying on Constable Yu. He wanted to run Banxianju on his own merits.

He knew he couldn’t completely sever ties with County Constable Yu, but he still pretended to be too proud to rely too heavily on him. That’s why, when he was resting in the backyard earlier and learned that Ye Li had arrived, he decided to come over and ask for his opinion. Ye Li had built his business from scratch and amassed such a large enterprise in just over half a year—he truly had real talent.

Moreover, since Ye Li was his business partner, he surely wouldn’t want his restaurant to go under. If he asked sincerely, Ye Li would certainly tell him the truth.

Ye Li hadn’t expected Yu Cai to lay his cards on the table like that. He was taken aback for a moment, then said, “With such outstanding flavors, these people are sure to become repeat customers.”

“Really?” Yu Cai’s heart leapt with joy, and he hurried to confirm.

“Of course it’s true. Jiang Ji and I will be stopping by often from now on.”

Ye Li nodded.

This time, Yu Cai felt genuinely happy.

He asked with a smile, “So you really have no suggestions? If business at Banxianju picks up, it’ll benefit you too.”

Huh?

Those words made Ye Li sit up straight, his mind racing: “Well… personally speaking, today’s experience was nothing short of perfect.”

“The only thing I wasn’t entirely satisfied with was having to wait so long for the broth to come to a boil.”

“Jiang Ji and I came all the way from the county school, so we were already hungry, and then we had to wait on an empty stomach for quite a while.”

“Although we had some congee to tide us over—and it was absolutely delicious—sitting there with this pot of meat right in front of us while eating such plain congee just made us feel even hungrier.” 

“Well… that’s just how it is with hot pot. How about I prepare some extra pastries or other snacks?”

Yu Cai looked troubled.

“Sure. But I suggest you prepare some specialty hot pots, like fish hot pot or rabbit hot pot.”

“Prepare these ingredients in advance so guests can start eating as soon as they arrive. Once they’ve finished, you can add other vegetables and meats to the pot.”

That was the only suggestion Ye Li could come up with.

His suggestion was very practical, and Yu Cai’s eyes lit up instantly: “Fulang, that’s a great idea!” 

“Let’s do just as you say!”

“That way, Banxianju will be the only one of its kind in the county town.”

In Beiyang County, there were more than a dozen hot pot restaurants of all sizes, as well as establishments like Zuixianju that served hot pot.

Each one operated the same way as Banxianju: customers ordered first, then waited for their food. From the moment they walked in until they could start eating, it took a full quarter of an hour! For those who were impatient or ravenous, that wait could be unbearable.

If Banxianju offered ready-to-eat specialty hot pots, this detail and innovation alone would surely attract more customers. Ye Fulang had come up with a great idea!

It was well worth his trouble to come up to the second floor specifically to humbly seek advice.

The more he thought about it, the happier he became. “Ye Fulang,” he said, “this meal is on me today. From now on, whenever you and your husband come to dine here, I’ll give you a 50 percent discount.” Ye Li was delighted to hear this.

That’s a 50 percent discount! What a great deal.

Given the profit margins in the restaurant business, Yu Cai was essentially just breaking even.

He had intended to make a polite refusal, but before he could speak, Yu Cai cut him off: “Fulang, it’s settled. You two must come by often from now on.”

With that, Yu Cai stood up: “You two continue your meal; I won’t keep you any longer.”

With that, he started to leave.

An elderly woman standing nearby hurried over to help him up.

Ye Li had no choice but to rise as well, and together with Jiang Ji, they escorted him to the top of the stairs.

His legs were unsteady, so whether going up or down the stairs, he had to hold onto the banister and pause after every step. Only after he had slowly made his way down to the first floor did Ye Li and Jiang Ji sit back down to continue their meal.

Jiang Ji first gave Ye Li a thumbs-up: “You’re the one with the skills.” 

Ye Li smiled smugly: “Nothing special.”

Having said that, he saw Jiang Ji start to laugh, and he joined in. After that, the two said nothing more and buried themselves in their meals.

It wasn’t until they were more than halfway full that their pace slowed. By the time they stepped out of Banxianju, half a shichen had passed. Jiang Ji’s backpack was stuffed to the brim with takeout ingredients.

Ye Li was also carrying several oil-paper wrappers in his hands. 

Let’s head back to the village!