Today, Gu Tangjin didn’t study. Instead, he followed Gu Chuncai to repair the oven. He measured the dimensions and went with Gu Chuncai to Potter Qian’s workshop to order the necessary boards.

Potter Qian said they could pick them up in two days.

Fortunately, Gu Tangjin was quite skilled with his hands when not cooking, or else Gu Chuncai would have had another worry.

Tomorrow they’d sell pan-fried buns, but the pork skin jelly prepared that morning wouldn’t be enough. In this heat, the jelly might spoil by tomorrow.

Ji Rongxia simply diced the leftover pork skin jelly, tossed it with vinegar, sesame oil, scallion threads, and shredded tofu for a cold salad to serve as supper.

All four found it quite tasty—cool and springy, no less satisfying than cold-dressed pork head meat.

“Back to slicing meat tonight!!!” Ji Rongxia stretched lazily before flopping onto the bed, ready for sleep.

Gu Tangjin lit the oil lamp and, as usual, picked up an agricultural book to read while keeping watch over him.

Ji Rongxia soon drifted off to sleep.

“Here I come, here I come! Hurry up—let’s see if I can finish this massive task in the next couple of days.” The moment Ji Rongxia entered the system space, he rushed to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and began learning how to slice beef.

Cooking God System: “…”

Today’s host seemed unusually driven. The system drifted to a corner, quiet as a mouse.

Having heard stories of his parents’ youth that day, Ji Rongxia resolved that he couldn’t fall short of them. Today, he cut meat with even more patience and precision than usual.

Though Ji Rongxia was full of zeal, half an hour proved far too short. He barely managed to complete one-tenth of the task.

“Sigh.” Ji Rongxia opened his eyes and gently rubbed his chin against the thin quilt covering her.

“Didn’t finish?” Gu Tangjin asked with understanding.

“Too much! It’s just too much! I’ve never seen so much beef! No, I should say I’ve never seen so much meat!” Ji Rongxia sat up and stretched lazily. Though his body hadn’t entered the system space, he still felt the corresponding exhaustion.

“Take your time, no rush.” Gu Tangjin set down the farming manual and walked to the bedside to massage Ji Rongxia’s shoulders.

Ji Rongxia leaned against Gu Tangjin: ” But I really want those rewards! There’s so much this time—not just beef, but milk too!“

Gu Tangjin applied a bit more pressure to Ji Rongxia’s shoulders. ”We’re not short on food right now. Having it is nice, but if we don’t, there’s no need to fret.“

Ji Rongxia hissed, ”Ouch! Easy there.”

Gu Tangjin readily eased his pressure.

“I want you to taste that beef,” Ji Rongxia murmured, lowering his voice as she leaned close to Gu Tangjin’s ear. “Mature beef tastes amazing. I secretly tried a bite of raw beef—it was incredible.”

Gu Tangjin was both amused and exasperated. “Raw?”

“I want to try it raw too! It’s beef! I’ve never even eaten beef before. I’ve seen cows fewer than ten times in my life,” Ji Rongxia admitted candidly.

“Alright, then I’ll wait for Xia-ger to treat me to beef,” Gu Tangjin chuckled softly.

“Too bad we can only eat it secretly,” Ji Rongxia thought to himself. This delicacy couldn’t be shared with their parents, or his brother, and his fulang—slaughtering cattle privately broke the law. They’d have to enjoy it covertly themselves.

“It’s fine. You can store it inside for now. We’ll find a chance to treat them someday,” Gu Tangjin offered, offering the only comfort he could manage for the moment.

Ji Rongxia nodded. He gently pushed away Gu Tangjin’s hands as he massaged him and said, “That’s enough. Go to bed early. We need to rise early tomorrow to boil fresh pork skin jelly.”

Gu Tangjin nodded, extinguished the oil lamp, and climbed into bed.

___

Before dawn broke, Lin Dongshan rose early, groggily dressing and washing.

He was the youngest son of Blacksmith Lin from the western part of the county town. This year, the family had split up. His parents doted on his older brother and second daughter, but never showed much affection for him, their youngest son.

As a child, he’d thought working harder would win his parents’ favor. Later, he overheard neighbors say his mother had suffered terribly during his birth, carrying away basin after basin of blood. They believed this youngest son had come to collect a debt, making it impossible for them to love him. His father, absorbed in his forge work, only listened to his wife’s complaints about the boy’s disobedience, naturally growing to dislike this troublesome child.

When the family divided their property, he knew he wouldn’t get a house or a shop. They gave him eight taels of silver and sent him on his way.

Lin Dongshan didn’t feel particularly hurt or resentful toward his parents. He simply accepted that he wasn’t meant to have a close relationship with them. He moved straight to the eastern part of the city to live. Out of sight, out of mind.

With no fields or shops to his name, he walked every day to the docks outside Qingchi County to work as a laborer.

He possessed considerable strength. On good days, he could earn several dozen wen; on bad days, he still managed about twenty. He rented a room in a shared courtyard with other families, paying only thirty wen a month. After covering his daily food and drink, he could save three or four hundred wen each month.

Lin Dongshan wasn’t without ambition. He planned to save enough silver to start his own small stall when he grew older. While he might not excel at everything, he was skilled at sharpening knives, mending porcelain bowls, and repairing iron pots. Back at the blacksmith’s shop, he’d handled these odd jobs too. As a child, he’d mastered them diligently to please his parents. But he knew he couldn’t keep up this backbreaking work forever. He was mindful of his health and never skimped on food or drink. As for marriage, he hadn’t given it a second thought. Just keeping himself in decent shape was a challenge enough. Saving up enough silver to propose? That seemed like a distant dream.

Lately, he’d been making a point of buying breakfast from the Gu Family Restaurant before work.

Most of the men he worked with had fulangs, wives, and children to support. None was as willing as he was to spend silver on food and drink. When Lin Dongshan bought food outside, he always ate it before heading to work, afraid someone might see him and say he spent his silver recklessly. He wasn’t afraid of what people said, but it annoyed him. Some people, seeing him eat well, would stare at him as if he were eating their own meat. That kind of attention annoyed Lin Dongshan to no end.

“Pan-fried buns… I wonder if they’re tasty. I wonder if they’re greasy.” Lin Dongshan muttered to himself as he approached Gu’s Eatery.

Outside the eatery, the stalls were already set up.

On the wooden table were still the four large bowls of fruit drink, but this time, the cakes under the bamboo-covered basket had been replaced by shiny, white ‘little buns’.

These ‘little buns’ were golden brown underneath, topped with bright green scallions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. The aroma alone was intoxicating.

A crowd of young wives and fulangs lined up to buy fruit drinks.

This sweet-and-sour drink was delicious and quenched thirst. Bringing your own bowl, two scoops cost just two wen—enough to keep the kids happy all day.

Lin Dongshan avoided the crowd and stayed behind.

“How much are these pan-fried buns?” Little Diao Qiuyun couldn’t resist asking, captivated by their plump, round appearance.

“Pure meat filling inside. Three coins each, five coins for two, ten coins for four,” Ji Rongxia replied.

“Three coins for one!” Diao Qiuyun thought it was expensive—these tiny pan-fried buns were nearly as pricey as a steamed bun.

She quickly bought a fruit drink and left. Gu Tangjin and Ji Rongxia weren’t disappointed. They hadn’t made many pan-fried buns for their first day—just over seventy in total, exactly what two griddles could handle. Twenty were reserved for their own family. If they didn’t sell out today, they’d try selling the rest at the shop around noon.

“Three coins each? I’ll take four. And a spoonful of fruit drink to drink here,” Lin Dongshan pointed at the pan-fried buns when it was his turn.

“Right away,” Gu Tangjin replied.

He took a large lotus leaf, folded it twice to form a small bowl-like shape, then scooped out four pan-fried buns with a spatula.

“Would you like some vinegar?” Gu Tangjin asked again.

“Just a little,” Lin Dongshan replied. He hadn’t tried this dish before and thought the buns were oddly small—he could probably eat one in a single bite.

Gu Tangjin added just a tiny splash of vinegar.

Then he picked up a sharpened bamboo skewer and placed it on the lotus leaf.

“These pan-fried buns are full of juice inside. Be careful when you eat them,” Gu Tangjin cautioned.

Lin Dongshan nodded, handed over a wen, cradled the lotus leaf, picked up the bamboo cup, and crouched down to eat.

Many customers not staying in the alley did as Lin Dongshan did: finding a corner under an eave to stand or squat, eating and drinking their fill, returning the bamboo cup, and leaving.

Lin Dongshan hesitated, tentatively piercing a pan-fried bun with his bamboo skewer. As the skewer sank into the meat filling, a trickle of broth oozed out from beneath the wrapper.

He tentatively took a bite.

The crispy bottom crust and the soft top layer of the pan-fried bun entered his mouth together. The meat filling, brimming with juices, was utterly delicious.

Fragrant and glistening with oil.

With just this one bite, Lin Dongshan felt he had fallen for this new delicacy called pan-fried buns.

Too bad there wasn’t more!

Lin Dongshan’s eyes lit up. He bought two coarse-grain steamed buns and squatted down, devouring them alongside the remaining three and a half pan-fried buns, eating with relish.

Someone watching Lin Dongshan’s eating style saw his eyes sparkle.

“Two pan-fried buns, please,” said the middle-aged fulang who had just reached the fruit drink stall.

Gu Tangjin held up a large lotus leaf and asked, “Want some vinegar?”

“A little bit.” It was free—might as well add some.

Gu Tangjin swiftly scooped out two pan-fried buns, drizzled a tiny bit of vinegar over them, and placed a bamboo skewer on top.

The middle-aged Fulang still held a large porcelain bowl containing two scoops of peach-flavored fruit drink.

After receiving the pan-fried buns and paying, the fulang headed to the noodle shop next door to buy a serving of plain noodles.

Gu Tangjin and Ji Rongxia: “…”

That was actually a clever idea.

Inspired by Lin Dongshan’s suggestion, their pan-fried buns sold out remarkably fast.

For five wen, one could buy two pan-fried buns. Adding a few more wen for a coarse steamed bun, plain noodles, or a flatbread meant a filling meal. The dumplings, filled with pork and rich in oil, sustained one for several hours after eating.

As Gu Tangjin and Ji Rongxia packed up their stall, Pei Laofulang, who sold coarse-flour buns, and Guan Hongchi, who sold noodles next door, were both especially friendly toward them.

Gu Tangjin and Ji Rongxia: “…”

They truly didn’t know what to say, though it was a good thing.

Pei Laofulang asked with a kind smile, “Mr. Gu, Xia-ger, will you be selling these… these pan-fried buns again tomorrow?”

“Selling! Of course we will. Tomorrow we’ll make more and season them a bit saltier,” Ji Rongxia replied with a smile.

“Ah, good, good, good! Xia-ger, you’re truly remarkable. You haven’t been learning long, yet your skill is already so impressive.” Old Master Pei Laofulang’s compliments flowed freely. Thanks to Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin today, his coarse-flour buns sold exceptionally well. He figured he could steam an extra pot at noon, netting him over twenty more coins.

Ji Rongxia: “Not at all, Uncle Pei, you flatter me.”

“It’s a bit dirty out here. I’ll sweep it up.” Gu Tangjin glanced at the entrance of the eatery and turned to go back inside for a broom.

Guan Hongchi chimed in warmly, “Oh, I’ll take care of sweeping the outside area. I have a broom right here. You two don’t need to bother with it. Just get your stall ready quickly.”

“No, no, we’ll handle it ourselves.” Ji Rongxia was almost unrecognizable to Guan Hongchi.

Guan Hongchi lived next door to them, selling various noodles—the shredded chicken noodles and egg noodles were especially delicious. Five years older than Gu Tangjin, they were considered peers. Because Gu Tangjin excelled in his studies, Guan Hongchi had endured constant nagging from his parents in his youth, so he never treated Gu Tangjin kindly. Yet after Gu Tangjin became lame, he never spoke ill of him either. Though neighbors, their lives had been as distant as familiar strangers.

After Ji Rongxia married into the family, he once heard Tangjin mention that this man possessed exceptional skill in making noodles and had a knack for business. His family had originally arranged a marriage for him, but the young bride passed away before the wedding. Later, they betrothed him to a sturdy ger, but tragically, he too passed away before the wedding. The ger’s family came to cause a scene, and the reputation of Guan Hongchi as a man who brought misfortune to his wives spread. Since then, he has never managed to marry. Now, he was the sole provider for his elderly mother, two younger brothers, and one younger sister. It was no easy task.

Tangjin spoke of Guan Hongchi with evident admiration, so even though Guan Hongchi treated them coolly, Ji Rongxia felt he was a decent man.

“Tangjin, if you want to switch to other foods later, just let me know. These pan-fried buns are selling well—I’ll make extra vegetable noodles tomorrow,” Guan Hongchi said generously.

Gu Tangjin: “…”

Gu Tangjin: “Alright.”