Gu Tangjin took the small basket Ji Rongxia had prepared for him,  slung a hoe over his shoulder, and carried a shoulder pole and a wooden bucket to the fields.

Yesterday afternoon, Gu Tangjin had already plowed a small section of the paddy field. Lu Wulang had even come over to help for quite a while; unable to refuse, Gu Tangjin had given him ten wen as payment for his labor.

Today, Gu Tangjin could continue the work, plowing the entire field, applying river mud as fertilizer, and then flooding it. By the time he finished all that, it would be late.

Carrying the farming tools back and forth was too exhausting, so Gu Tangjin thought it over and decided to leave them at Lü Wulang’s house for the time being. Lü Wulang and his family had already built a mud-and-straw hut and were making do with it for now.

Since there were only the two of them, after hiring someone to build this mud-and-straw hut, they decided to save money by not hiring anyone else. Instead, the two of them were slowly building the other rooms themselves. It was the busy farming season, after all, and hiring a day laborer would cost several dozen wen.

Lü Xiaoshun really liked this scholar. Some scholars, relying on their education, didn’t like to work, but although Scholar Gu had a limp, he was still a man of letters—yet he didn’t hold back at all when working in the fields, and he spoke to Lü Xiaoshun in a gentle and kind manner. Lü Xiaoshun said, “Scholar Gu, you’re here.”

Yesterday, when he went to help out, Scholar Gu had even given him ten wen. It had made him feel too embarrassed to go back and help again, for fear that Scholar Gu might think he was after his money. Now, seeing Scholar Gu come here to store his tools, he knew the scholar hadn’t taken it to heart—it was just that he himself had overthought it.

“Leave the things here for now; I’ll come back for them this afternoon. If you need to use them, just make sure not to break anything,” Gu Tangjin said with a smile.

Sang Erqiao patted his chest and promised, “Don’t worry, Scholar Gu. We’ll keep a close eye on your things.” After saying goodbye to the two of them, Gu Tangjin finally headed home.

The first thing he did upon returning home was take a bath.

He didn’t mind the trouble or the effort; if he stood in the restaurant all grubby, the customers wouldn’t want to come eat. Yao Tianlan came over to bring him a change of clothes, and she took his dirty clothes with her to wash them.

Gu Tangjin came out of the shed to check on the soaking wheat and rice.

He observed the soaking process.

The variety, water temperature, and air temperature all affect germination.

The rice also needed frequent water changes; soaking it in running water would be even better, but since things were a bit rushed, Gu Tangjin hadn’t had time to set up a running water system. He could only change the water frequently, leaving it to soak day and night, and wrapping it in cloth to retain moisture.

Worried that the germination might fail, and since the little chef had given him quite a lot of rice seeds, Gu Tangjin used only about a third of them. Some of the wheat seeds required soaking, while others could be sown directly.

Therefore, Gu Tangjin soaked only a small portion of the seeds, leaving the rest to be sown directly without soaking, to observe whether there would be any difference between the two methods.

Summer isn’t the best time to plant wheat; autumn is the ideal season. Consequently, whether it was the soaked wheat seeds or the ones he planned to plant this time, Gu Tangjin didn’t use many—he simply wanted to see how these seeds would grow when planted in late summer.

There will be another planting in the fall.

Gu Tangjin had never farmed before. Although he’d read books on the subject, there’s a difference between reading about it and actually doing it, so for now, he could only figure things out bit by bit. He crouched on the ground, examining the wheat seeds, and then he noticed that they had already begun to sprout.

Gu Tangjin frowned, and Ji Rongxia suddenly appeared from behind him, crouching down beside him with a smile.

“Tangjin!”

Gu Tangjin jumped in surprise: “…Xia-ger.”

“Hahaha, I got you this time, didn’t I? Looks like you’re more focused on the wheat than on writing letters—you didn’t even notice me sneaking up on you.” Ji Rongxia looked up at the wheat. “What’s wrong? Is there a problem with this wheat?”

“This wheat is sprouting a bit too quickly. I’ll go sow the seeds this afternoon.” As Gu Tangjin spoke, he glanced around. He saw that his parents had deliberately kept their distance, seemingly not wanting to disturb the young couple’s rare moment of intimacy.

Gu Tangjin couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth curl upward. He turned his head and whispered to Ji Rongxia, “Could you ask about the yield of this wheat for me?” Ji Rongxia blinked, “Oh, right. I completely forgot to ask that.”

The Culinary God System replied, “Rest assured, Host. The yield for this batch of wheat is about 300 jin per mu. This variety is characterized by its strong resistance to frost and drought, and the flour milled from it has a rich, aromatic wheat flavor.”

“Little Chef, you’ve even thought ahead of me and Tangjin—impressive!” Ji Rongxia didn’t hesitate to praise the Little Chef.

The Culinary God System puffed out its nonexistent chest, and the data stream bounced merrily: “Of course! I am, after all, a high-tech system created by the Supreme God.”

Ji Rongxia rested her chin in her hand and said, “Tangjin, don’t worry. This one-mu plot can yield up to 300 jin at most. You don’t have to work too hard on it—just aim for a little over 200 jin. The little chef said this variety is pretty resistant to both frost and drought.”

Gu Tangjin was taken aback. Even though the little chef had demonstrated his abilities many times, he still couldn’t help but marvel.

“What’s wrong?” Ji Rongxia asked.

Gu Tangjin shook his head slightly. “These seeds are too precious. It’s a bit of a waste to just soak them like this. Wheat can be planted directly, and it’s actually better to plant it in the fall. I only soaked them to see how they’d grow and record the results on paper. It would be a real shame if they didn’t sprout.”

These are cold- and drought-resistant seeds, after all.

“It would be a waste if they didn’t sprout, but if they do, it’s not a waste at all. Isn’t that exactly what they’re meant for? Even if they fail, it’s still far better than keeping them hidden away,” Ji Rongxia said matter-of-factly.

Gu Tangjin pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded. “Xia-ger is right. I was thinking the wrong way.” 

“Look, the rice seeds have already turned white from soaking; they’re ready to sprout.”

He stood up and said, “I’ll go find a basket to rinse the seeds and drain them.” 

Ji Rongxia stood up as well: “What can I do? Let me help you!”

“Aren’t you going to cook?” Gu Tangjin asked.

“Everything’s already prepared. I’ll just cook it fresh when we open for business. I was getting bored staying in the kitchen all the time, so I came out,” Ji Rongxia said, stretching his arms wide.

“Then help me find some clean burlap sacks and get them wet,” Gu Tangjin said. Ji Rongxia nodded. “Okay, I’ll go right away.”

Gu Tangjin scooped out the rice seeds, rinsed them gently under running water, then placed them in the damp burlap sacks to set them inside the house for germination. After scooping out the wheat, she placed it in a basket; she would be able to go out to the fields to sow the seeds this afternoon.

Gu Tangjin also took a look at the taro and saw that the sprouts were growing well, so he decided to plant the taro today as well.

“Aren’t you working yourself too hard?” Ji Rongxia asked as he helped him tidy up.

Working in the fields looked far more tiring than cooking.

“It’s not too bad. I enjoy doing this.” Gu Tangjin was a bit tired physically, but doing this work brought him a sense of comfort; he was eager to see what the seeds would look like when they sprouted.

It was similar to the feeling he got when reading a good book.

Ji Rongxia didn’t quite understand, but since he didn’t find cooking to be a chore either, he began to see his point.

“Xia, it’s getting late. Shall we open up?” Gu Chuncai asked.

He didn’t want to disturb the young couple, but it was already the fourth hour of the noon hour, and it was time to open the shop and do business.

“Alright, Dad!” Ji Rongxia replied, then hurried off to the kitchen.

Gu Tangjin also went to the front of the restaurant. He took out the ledger while Yao Tianlan opened the shop door. As soon as she opened it, Yao Tianlan noticed quite a few people standing outside.

“Why did you open a bit late today?”

“First, a plate of Koushui chicken and two steamed buns.”

“Young man, two plates of fish-flavored shredded pork, wrapped up to go.”

“Mr. Gu, one serving of each dish to go.”

Seeing so many people, Yao Tianlan smiled so widely her teeth were barely visible.

“Ten pan-fried buns, please.” Lin Dongshan finally managed to squeeze his way to the front of the line. He said to Gu Tangjin, “And two more pieces of crumbly pancake.”

He was really craving those two things.

“Alright.” Gu Tangjin nodded slightly. “Ten pan-fried buns for twenty wen, two crumbly pancakes for eight wen—that’s twenty-eight wen in total.”

Lin Dongshan readily pulled out twenty-eight wen.

Among the many people who were spending over a hundred wen at a time, his twenty-eight wen really stood out.

Only then did many people notice that the menu had changed again, now featuring sweet and sour pork, crumbly pancakes, and pan-fried buns. The sweet and sour pork cost 140 wen, while the crumbly pancakes were only 4 wen each, and the pan-fried buns were just 2 wen apiece.

This led to a surge in orders for pan-fried buns and crumbly pancakes, as well as a few people eager to try the sweet and sour pork for the first time.

As for this sweet and sour pork, the pork slices need to be cut a bit thicker.

The meat provided by the system is tender enough and requires no additional preparation, but the meat from their own restaurant isn’t quite as good—you’ll need to add a little starch and mix it in gently to make it more tender.

Season the meat with a pinch of salt, then mix in oil and water. Finally, add potato starch and slowly coat the meat with the mixture.

Fry the meat in hot oil—it smells wonderful.

All the meat slices in their kitchen are prepared in advance like this, and the radish, scallions, ginger, and garlic are also pre-chopped.

Ji Rongxia had also prepared a generous amount of sweet-and-sour sauce well in advance, made with vinegar, salt, sugar, soy sauce, and MSG provided by the junior chef.

When an order for pot-roasted pork comes in, briefly refry the meat slices. Then, heat oil in a wok, add the scallions, ginger, and garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant. Once the aroma is released, remove the aromatics, add the meat slices and shredded carrots, and stir-fry. Finally, add the sweet-and-sour sauce, toss a few times, and it’s ready to serve.

Golden, crispy, and deliciously sweet and sour.

Just looking at it is enough to make your mouth water. The restaurant quickly filled up with customers.

Anyone else wanting to eat there would find no room to sit.

Seeing this, Gu Tangjin thought he could take a cue from the big restaurants and make some wooden signs with numbers on them. When the shop was full, he could hand out the signs and have people line up to be seated.

In the past, even when the restaurant was busy, it had never been this hectic—something Gu Tangjin hadn’t anticipated earlier. Now, Gu Tangjin could only tear a piece of paper from a folded sheet.

He wrote numbers on the slips and handed them to the customers waiting in line, asking them to wait a moment.

He also had to keep track of how much food was left; if they ran out of dishes, there would be no point in handing out the slips.

By the time Wu Baoquan arrived for his meal, the restaurant was already packed. Wu Baoquan looked around but couldn’t find a single empty stool.

There were still quite a few people standing and waiting.

Wu Baoquan sighed; he’d thought he’d arrived quite early!

“Mr. Gu, do you have any new dishes?” Wu Baoquan took a closer look and realized there were indeed new items on the menu; the slight annoyance he’d felt due to the crowd vanished instantly.

“Yes, today’s menu includes Pot-Roasted Pork, pan-fried buns, and crumbly pancakes.”

Wu Baoquan quickly said, “Give me two portions of the most expensive dish, six shrimp and pork patties, ten pan-fried buns, and four crumbly pancakes. If I can’t finish them, wrap the leftovers in a paper basket for me to take home.”

Gu Tangjin nodded. “Alright, that comes to a total of 1.452 wen. You’ll have to wait a bit, though. Here’s a slip of paper for you, sir. It says ‘Eight,’ which means there are seven people ahead of you.”

As he spoke, he wrote another slip for Zhu Pengyi and handed it to him.

“I say, Scholar Gu, your eatery is a bit small. Don’t you want to expand it?” Wu Baoquan sighed as he took the slip of paper.

Gu Tangjin shook his head: “That’ll take a while. We’ll have to save up enough silver first. In a few days, we’ll add two small tables.”

If they wanted to expand the restaurant, they couldn’t touch the buildings on either side. After all, they certainly couldn’t buy the Liu and Guan families’ shops to make room. At most, they could renovate the second floor and build a new house in the courtyard to live in, but that would make living conditions far too cramped.

If they were to find a new place to live and use this one solely as a restaurant in the future, it would be too much of a hassle.

Besides, right now it was just Xia-ger and his father working in the kitchen, while up front it was just him and his mother. If the restaurant were too big, they wouldn’t be able to handle it all—the current setup was just fine.

“Well, I suppose that’s fine,” Wu Baoquan said to himself. It would be nice to expand the restaurant a bit—even just adding a couple more tables.

“By the way, thank you, Scholar Gu. You really have an eye for talent. Once this is settled, I’ll be sure to reward you handsomely.” Wu Baoquan had checked them out carefully—every single person Gu Tangjin had recommended to him was indeed capable.

I wonder where he knows so many people from.

If he could hire them all as his advisors, his retirement years would be much more comfortable.

“No problem. Just come over for a meal more often, Magistrate Wu—that’ll be my thanks,” Gu Tangjin said.

County Magistrate Wu spent several taels of silver every time he visited; Gu Tangjin truly didn’t need any further “generous reward” from him. Wu Baoquan smiled and said, “That won’t do.”

Just as they were speaking, someone recognized Magistrate Wu and quickly finished their meal to make room for him.

Wu Baoquan waved his hand, gesturing for the people waiting in line ahead of him to go ahead and eat. He would just wait a little longer.

Seeing that Gu Tangjin was busy, Wu Baoquan didn’t disturb him further but went to wait off to the side with Zhu Pengyi.

Seeing that Wu Baoquan was obediently following the rules, those who had wanted to reserve seats early gave up on the idea.

Wu Baoquan stood to the side watching others eat, which only made him hungrier.

He pulled a wax-paper wrapper from his coat pocket; inside were the leftover taro paste cakes and yam cakes from that morning. He picked up a taro cake and took a bite.

Since Ji Rongxia hadn’t borrowed molds from the Liu Family Pastry Shop when he made these taro cakes this time, they hadn’t been pressed into any fancy shapes—just simple little cakes. But with one bite, the soft, chewy crust gave way to sweet, creamy taro filling.

After taking a bite, Wu Baoquan’s anxious anticipation eased considerably.

He thought for a moment, then reluctantly shared a piece of yam cake with Zhu Pengyi.

Wu Baoquan said, “Just have a little taste.”

There were only three left in total! He’d have to eat them sparingly.

Seeing how heartbroken his master looked, Zhu Pengyi took a big bite of the yam cake without batting an eye.

Mmm, it really is delicious! 

Wu Baoquan: “……” He felt even more heartbroken!

It took forever for Wu Baoquan and Zhu Pengyi to finally get a seat, and they even had to share a table with strangers.

Wu Baoquan had originally worried that someone might try to strike up a conversation with him, distracting him from his meal. But upon closer inspection, everyone at the table was too busy eating to notice; a few people hadn’t even realized that the new diners were Wu Baoquan and Zhu Pengyi.

Wu Baoquan let out a long sigh: “We really should come earlier next time.”

Zhu Pengyi nodded in agreement: “You’re absolutely right.”

The restaurant was doing such brisk business—so many people had come to see the commotion and try the new dishes. He wondered if the crowds would thin out once the novelty wore off in a few days.

The food arrived quickly.

Wu Baoquan took a bite of the sweet-and-sour, crispy pork, and his mood instantly lifted.

He loved this dish—not only could he eat a whole slice in one bite, but it was sweet and sour, perfectly fried to be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. With every chew, he could hear the crispy crust crackling in his mouth!

It was so fragrant it was almost intoxicating!!!