As soon as Ji Rongxia finished making the braised pork, he served a bowl to Ge Fulang.

Ji Rongxia also washed the pork rinds that hadn’t been used today, cut them into pieces, and braised them. Ji Rongxia: “I just threw this together—it’s just pork and pork rinds. I don’t know if it’ll taste good.”

“It smells amazing—it’s bound to be good. Look at me, barging in like I’m begging for food.” Ge Fulang took the bowl and said sheepishly, “I’ll wash this bowl clean later and bring it back to you.”

Yao Tianlan: “No rush. We live so close—it’s just a couple of steps away. Bring it back whenever it’s convenient for you.”

“Well, I won’t keep you then.” Seeing the two children staring at the braised pork in his hands, Ge Fulang didn’t want to linger and took the children back home first. Ji Rongxia called out to Gu Tangjin: “Tangjin, send a bowl of braised pork to Brother Guan and the others, too.”

“Alright, I’ll go right away.” Gu Tangjin arranged the split firewood, stood up, wiped his hands, and then carried the bowl of braised meat Ji Rongxia had prepared over to the noodle shop next door.

The breakfast rush had passed, and the noodle shop had quieted down. Guan Hongchi was currently helping his younger brother and sister wash the dishes. As soon as he saw Gu Tangjin coming over, he hurried out: “You came by, but why did you bring something too?”

“I was craving braised pork. Xia-ger made some, and I wasn’t sure how it tasted, so I brought it for you to try. If it’s good, we’ll sell it at the restaurant later.” Gu Tangjin said, placing the bowl in his hands. “Remember to return the bowl.”

“Hey, do you really think I’d keep a bowl from you?” Guan Hongchi said with a grin. Gu Tangjin laughed and replied, “Of course not.”

After Gu Tangjin left, Guan Xiaomei and Guan Erlang both gathered around.

“Big Brother, this smells so good. Let me have a bite.” Guan Xiaomei stood on tiptoe to peek into the bowl in Guan Hongchi’s hands. The aroma of the braised meat was so intoxicating that Guan Xiaomei couldn’t help but swallow hard.

“Of course I wouldn’t leave you out.” Guan Hongchi set aside some of the meat in the bowl for their mother and Sanlang, who was studying at the private school. He gave the rest to Guan Xiaomei and Guan Erlang.

Guan Hongchi handed the bowl to them: “Here, eat up.”

“Brother, you eat a bite first.” Guan Xiaomei picked up a pair of chopsticks and used them to pick a piece of braised meat for Guan Hongchi.

Guan Hongchi leaned forward slightly and opened his mouth to take the piece of meat from his chopsticks.

The braised meat was still a bit hot; its rich aroma mingled with the savory flavor as it entered his mouth. Guan Hongchi chewed

twice, swallowed the meat, and cast a slightly envious glance at the remaining meat in the bowl before quickly looking away.

“It tastes pretty good. Go ahead and eat.” Guan Hongchi picked up the portion of braised pork he’d set aside for his mother and headed to her room. Guan Erlang couldn’t wait and had already taken a bite of the braised pork rind.

The chewy texture and the salty, savory, slightly spicy flavor made Guan Erlang close his eyes in pure bliss: “It smells so good.” “Mmm-hmm,” Guan Xiaomei nodded like a chick pecking at grain as she ate the braised meat.

“This meat smells so good, the flavor is so rich, and it’s a little spicy too. It’s so much better than the meat I’ve eaten before.”

The small bowl of braised meat was quickly devoured by the two children, who hadn’t even had breakfast yet. Guan Hongchi’s mother, Wu Meihua, was sitting on the bed drinking porridge.

“Mother, the weather’s nice today. I’ll carry you out to the courtyard to soak up some sun later,” Guan Hongchi said. “This meat was sent by Xiucai Gu. He called it braised pork—it tastes pretty good. It goes perfectly with the porridge.”

“Sent by Xiucai Gu?” A hint of a smile and a touch of curiosity flashed across Wu Meihua’s sallow face.

“That’s right. He wanted some braised pork, so Xia-ger made it especially for him,” Guan Hongchi said with a smile, shaking his head.

“You don’t know, Mother, but Xiucai Gu isn’t the same as he used to be. He even jokes around with me now.”

“It’s good to have a Fulang, isn’t it?” Wu Meihua didn’t rush to eat the braised pork, but spoke obliquely instead. “Dalang, what do you think—maybe we should…”

“Mother, I’m thinking of waiting until I’ve saved up enough silver before talking about marriage. Give it a couple of years—once I’ve saved enough, I should at least be able to arrange a match.” Guan Hongchi actually had no desire to marry; given his reputation for being a widow-maker, he really couldn’t be bothered with the hassle. But he dared not tell his mother this, so he could only brush her off.

“Sigh, all right, I’ll listen to you.” Wu Meihua sighed. She didn’t want to rub salt in her son’s wounds, but Wu Erlang was getting on in years, and it was nearly time to start looking for a match. If the eldest son kept living off others, it would be difficult for Wu Erlang to find a wife later on. Besides, the eldest son was currently shouldering all the household responsibilities, which was truly exhausting; having a husband or a wife to help out would make things a bit easier.

“Mother, you must try this meat. Xiucai Gu sent it over. Won’t you have a taste?” Guan Hongchi quickly changed the subject.

Wu Meihua had no choice but to pick up her chopsticks and take a bite of the braised pork rind. The pork rind was chewy and savory.

As one gets older, meat becomes hard to chew and tends to get stuck between the teeth. This braised pork skin had a meaty flavor, was easy to chew, and didn’t get stuck.

After just one bite, Wu Meihua took a liking to it.

Though she liked it, Wu Meihua didn’t say so, for fear that Guan Hongchi would spend money recklessly. Guan Hongchi, however, noticed and remembered that his mother loved this pork.

He thought to himself that when he returned the bowl later, he would ask Xia-ger how much the pork cost, buy some, and serve it to his mother for lunch mixed with cold cucumber salad.

At the Gu household.

Having delivered portions to the other two households, he certainly couldn’t shortchange his own family. Ji Rongxia served some to his parents and husband.

“I just finished breakfast, and ever since Xia-ger came over, my face has gotten a whole lot rounder,” said Yao Tianlan as she took a bite of the braised pork. “It’s so delicious! No wonder Tangjin loves this dish—it really tastes different from stewed meat.”

Gu Chuncai took a bite and praised, “Xia-ger made this so delicious on his very first try. I wouldn’t even know how to make this—he’s much better than I am.”

“It’s even better than what I used to eat in the provincial capital.” Gu Tangjin took just one bite and realized that even this imperfect braised pork was far more flavorful than anything he’d tasted before.

Ji Rongxia felt a bit embarrassed. This wasn’t exactly his first time making braised pork, after all. He wasn’t as skilled as Tangjin, and his parents claimed, and besides, the meat needed to marinate for a while to taste its best—freshly cooked braised pork usually tasted rather ordinary.

“Father, let’s sell this at the restaurant. With the marinade, it’s much easier to make,” Ji Rongxia suggested.

“Sounds good,” Gu Chuncai said. “You’ll be in charge of making the braised pork, Xia-ger. Any money earned from it will go to you. Oh, and Tangjin, bring me the ledger.”

Gu Tangjin thought his father was going to discuss how to sell the braised meat, so he brought over this year’s ledger. Seeing this, Yao Tianlan exchanged a glance with Gu Chuncai; he went to lock the back door first and then went upstairs.

Gu Chuncai walked to a well-lit spot with the ledger, flipped through it, and said, “After deducting the costs of vegetables, meat, oil, salt, and alcohol, our restaurant only makes about eight taels a month.”

“It’s just a meager living. With our family’s food, clothing, and daily expenses—and in past years, Tangjin had to study in the provincial capital—we could save at most three or four taels a month. We don’t have many relatives visiting our home. During festivals, it’s mostly my old friends who drop by, so that doesn’t cost much. The biggest expense is the holiday gifts for Tangjin’s teacher. Seven years ago, we spent twenty-three taels renovating the restaurant, and fifteen taels on three new iron pots…”

“This restaurant was registered under your mother’s name. Since the shop hasn’t earned more than four hundred taels in a single year under this dynasty’s laws, it doesn’t need to be registered as a commercial enterprise. If the shop were part of a daughter’s or ger’s dowry, the rules wouldn’t apply. Though our shop earns so little that we don’t need to worry about such things, when I was young, I wondered: ‘What if the restaurant starts making a lot of money someday?’ So I registered the shop under your mother’s name.”

“Who knew that all these years later, we’d still only be making eight taels a month. We haven’t made much progress.” At this point, Gu Chuncai couldn’t help but give a self-deprecating chuckle.

“When we’re gone, the restaurant will go to Xia-ger. Your mother and I have already drawn up a written agreement. Xia-ger, you don’t need to worry that we’ll change our minds later. That way, if you two end up making more money, you won’t have anything to fear.”

Gu Chuncai spoke earnestly.

When Ji Rongxia heard that his parents had even drawn up a written agreement, he was a bit anxious and wanted to say there was no need for such formalities. Gu Chuncai waved his hand to stop him: “Xia-ger, let me finish first.”

“Over the years, we’ve managed to save up two hundred and fifty-eight taels. Your mother and I need to set aside some money for our coffins, so we’ll keep fifty-eight taels. The remaining two hundred taels are all yours. From now on, you two can discuss and manage the restaurant together. Whether it’s adding new dishes or rearranging the restaurant’s layout, you two can decide on your own from now on—no need to ask us. From now on, we’ll be working for you. Keep all the money the restaurant earns, and the household will be under your management.”

Yao Tianlan opened an old box she’d brought down from upstairs. Inside was a pile of loose silver ingots and many wen—exactly two hundred taels. There was also a piece of paper inside—a promissory note Yao Tianlan had written the night before.

“Father, is my braised pork really that good? Are you just handing the restaurant over to me?” Ji Rongxia asked, puzzled.

Gu Chuncai couldn’t help but laugh. This child was usually very dependable, but sometimes he’d say such silly things. How could he possibly hand over the restaurant just because the braised meat tasted good?

“Father, is it because of what happened with the Liang family yesterday?” Gu Tangjin asked, looking up.

“Yes. Your father and I discussed it yesterday. Since you’re capable of handling things, we’re handing the restaurant over to you early. That way, your father and I can have a bit of a break,” Yao Tianlan said.

To be honest, the old couple had their own little plans as well.

They think Xia-ger is a wonderful person, but Tangjin is their biological son, so they can’t help but worry that Xia-ger might grow apart from Tangjin in the future. Besides, Tangjin doesn’t know how to cook, so who knows—he might end up at a disadvantage.

You can’t blame them for assuming the worst; at their age, having seen so many people, they simply can’t help but overthink things.

Although they didn’t witness yesterday’s incident themselves, they’d asked Ge Fulang and the others for the full story. Xia-ger was furious—according to Liu Dalang, he was so enraged he lost his senses for a moment, and if not for Tangjin holding him back, he would have gone after those kids.

Xia-ger is truly devoted to Tangjin.

So, as parents, they could finally rest easy. Plus, the two of them were definitely capable of handling things on their own.

Gu Chuncai and Yao Tianlan discussed handing the restaurant over to the two of them, while they would help the young couple with some work to save up a little pocket money.

“Xia-ger, Tangjin, from now on, this household and the restaurant are in your hands. Your father and I can finally rest easy and enjoy our retirement.” Yao Tianlan pushed the box toward Ji Rongxia.

Ji Rongxia could feel the weight of the silver and wen coins in the box.

He instinctively glanced at Gu Tangjin, who was looking back at him.

Ji Rongxia pursed his lips, turned, and said to Gu Chuncai and Yao Tianlan, “Then I’ll accept it. Tangjin and I will definitely run the restaurant well.” 

“Ah, good,” Yao Tianlan laughed.

As soon as Yao Tianlan finished speaking,

Ji Rongxia heard a familiar notification sound.

【Ding, a common eatery, has been detected. Can be bound.】

【Do you wish to bind it?】 

Ji Rongxia: “???”