Gu Chuncai and Yao Tianlan woke up late today. The two hurried down from the wooden house.

They saw Gu Tangjin and Ji Rongxia applying wood ash to fertilize the fields in the courtyard.

“Mom and Dad! I saved some crushed ice mountain for you, but it’s a bit too cold. Let it warm up a bit before you eat it.” Seeing them come down, Ji Rongxia excitedly ran to the kitchen, quickly grabbed the crushed ice mountain, and dashed back.

“Ice? How could there be ice?” Yao Tianlan felt as if she hadn’t fully woken up yet.

Ji Rongxia set the plate on the table in the courtyard: “Yeah, ice—store-bought ice! I used the goat’s milk Uncle Shi gave us to make the pastries.” It wasn’t until she was reminded that Yao Tianlan remembered they still had some goat’s milk.

Gu Tangjin brought out two cups of sweetened milk: “This is sweetened milk made from the leftover goat’s milk.”

“Right. Mom and Dad, have some of this sweet milk first, then eat the pastries. Otherwise, they’ll be too cold.” Ji Rongxia handed spoons to the two of them.

Yao Tianlan and Gu Chuncai exchanged a glance and sat down. Yao Tianlan held her spoon and gestured at the two of them: “Don’t you two have something to say? You even went so far as to buy such expensive ice.”

In their area, they could harvest river ice in winter and store it in ice cellars, then sell it in summer—but the price was exorbitant. Neither Gu Chuncai nor Yao Tianlan had ever bought ice in the summer.

“There is something we need to discuss,” Gu Tangjin said as he sat down and explained his thoughts.

He omitted the details of how exactly he had befriended Magistrate Wu, simply saying that the magistrate enjoyed their family’s vegetables and would certainly be happy to do business with them. If his parents found out he was scheming behind the magistrate’s back, they would likely be shocked.

Gu Tangjin considered himself naturally rebellious by nature, though he usually kept it hidden. Just as he showed no respect for a master who was unkind, he had never once considered sparing Juren Zhao from the bottom of his heart. Leading Magistrate Wu to find Old Su was merely a casual act on his part; he didn’t see anything wrong with it.

Yet such thoughts he could only reveal to Xia-ger.

Gu Tangjin smiled gently: “I think chili peppers are a good product; they should sell well. Mom and Dad are just helping us manage the workshop—I don’t know if they’d be willing.”

“The chili peppers actually grew?! Just a few days ago, they were barely anything—just a few small flowers—and now they’ve already borne fruit.” Yao Tianlan was initially surprised; it turned out chili peppers could actually be grown.

Then she said, “As for selling the chili peppers, if you’re too busy to handle it, we’ll just keep an eye on things for you.” 

“That sounds nice, but I think you just think we old folks can’t handle it anymore,” Gu Chuncai said with a laugh.

Ji Rongxia quickly interjected, “If you two don’t want to, then forget it.” After all, their wishes were the priority.

Gu Tangjin nodded and added, “It’s fine if Mom and Dad don’t want to do it; we can find someone else.” Gu Chuncai quickly shook his head. “I was just joking with you two. Why are you getting so worked up?”

“If there were work to do that was also easy, who wouldn’t like that? Your old man here isn’t someone who naturally loves hardship and toil. It’s just that I had no choice before. I’m worried that if you spend all your savings and don’t earn any money back, what will we do?”

It didn’t really matter where Gu Chuncai worked, as long as he wasn’t left with too much idle time. Today’s cleaning had made it clear to him that he certainly didn’t have the stamina he used to. It was only a small amount of work, yet it had left him so exhausted he could barely get out of bed.

Then there’s Xia-ger—he clearly gave it his all, yet now he’s full of energy, as if he hadn’t done any of that work this morning. And Tangjin—he even went out to the fields today. After a quick nap, he’s back to his usual self!

He knew full well that Tangjin’s plan to set up a workshop selling chili sauce and chili oil was genuine, but he suspected it was mostly so the two of them would have something to do in their old age—something that wouldn’t be too taxing.

His only worry was losing money!

“Don’t worry, Mom and Dad. Even if we do lose money, I’m still making a decent amount of silver every day. Oh, right—Tangjin, go get the ledger and show it to Mom and Dad.” Ji Rongxia turned to Gu Tangjin.

Gu Tangjin got up and went into the room to fetch the ledger.

Gu Tangjin said, “These past few days, our restaurant has been making nearly ten guan a day. Even if we do lose money, it won’t be a big deal.”

Gu Chuncai and Yao Tianlan hadn’t actually looked at the accounts for the past few days. Though they had a rough idea of the situation, seeing the numbers in black and white was a whole different matter.

“That much? Oh my, my eyes are spinning just looking at this.” Yao Tianlan instantly felt more confident.

Although Yao Tianlan was happy, she was a bit worried about the restaurant’s operations: “We’re about to get busy with the chili business. Will you two be able to handle everything here at the restaurant?”

“We were thinking of hiring two helpers,” said Gu Tangjin. “The chili peppers aren’t ripe yet; there’s still some time left. Besides, I still need to discuss the specifics with Magistrate Wu, so there’s no rush.”

Yao Tianlan looked at Gu Chuncai, signaling for him to make a decision.

Gu Chuncai gritted his teeth and said, “Since you have a plan in mind, your mother and I will take a gamble on it. If it works out, great; if not, we’re not afraid.” Though he said this, both Yao Tianlan and Gu Chuncai felt a bit uneasy inside.

Could such a major undertaking really be settled with just a few words?

Yao Tianlan now felt like she wanted to treat the chili plants in the yard like sacred offerings. They were almost ripe—she couldn’t bear the thought of them dying while they were tending to them.

If they died, the chili sauce workshop would be finished!!!

Ji Rongxia smiled and said, “Well then, Mom and Dad, you should hurry up and eat this crushed ice mountain. It’s starting to melt, and ice is a precious commodity.” As soon as Yao Tianlan heard this, she snapped out of her daze and picked up a spoon to scoop some crushed ice mountain.

The syrup was sweet as honey, the butter had a rich milky flavor, and beneath it lay ice-cold shaved ice. It was perfect for the sweltering heat—it felt as though the coolness was spreading from her mouth throughout her entire body.

“It’s true that ice is expensive—this is delicious. I don’t even feel hot anymore.” Yao Tianlan’s inner restlessness had eased considerably. She took another sip of the milk-sugar drink; it was truly sweet and creamy, with hardly any gamey taste.

She had never found goat’s milk so delicious before!

Gu Chuncai didn’t say a word, but he ate several spoonfuls of the crushed ice mountain treats in a row.

Ji Rongxia thought to himself that if his parents liked it, he could make more. Why not dig a cellar in the winter and store some ice? That would also help cover up the fact that he often had a use for ice.

Just as he was thinking this, Gu Tangjin suddenly grabbed his hand.

“What are you thinking about?” Gu Tangjin asked. Judging by Xia-ger’s expression just now, he didn’t seem to be talking to the little chef—it looked more like he was hatching some mischievous scheme.

Ji Rongxia smiled and said, “I was thinking about digging a cellar to store some ice for the winter. That way, we can make sweets in the summer without worrying about them spoiling. It’s just a bit expensive. If Mom and Dad can help us earn some silver this year, we’ll dig an ice cellar this winter! Mom and Dad, whether we get to eat ice often next year depends on you.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Chuncai’s back straightened involuntarily. He thought to himself, “That’s right—if we can really make some money, we’ll be able to use it to subsidize the restaurant!”

“Your mother and I will certainly do our best. And if things get too busy later on, we can always ask your father-in-law and his family to lend a hand,” Gu Chuncai said.

Yao Tianlan thought to herself, “It’s not even a done deal yet, and you’re already getting ahead of yourself—your mind is wandering further and further into the future.” Still, she couldn’t help but feel a warm glow of hope in her heart.

Both of them were a little worried that Tangjin and Xia-ger might not need them in the future, or that the children might look down on them, but now they felt more hopeful. After all, they had to earn enough to buy an ice cellar, didn’t they?

Gu Tangjin saw that his parents were clearly much happier and gave Ji Rongxia an approving look.

Ji Rongxia let his gaze linger on him without a care. Leaning his chin on his hand, he smiled and gently nudged his ankle with his foot.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Le Jincheng, the Guan Residence.

Wu Baoquan hadn’t expected Su Hanwei to be the first to arrive at the Guan residence. He rose to greet him.

Su Hanwei bowed to him and said, “You must be Magistrate Wu?”

Wu Baoquan replied with great respect, “That is indeed I.”

Although Su Hanwei held no official title, he still deserved the proper respect.

Su Hanwei was dressed in a set of clothes washed until they were almost white. His hair was streaked with gray, and he was tall and slender with a vigorous demeanor. Although he was slightly younger than Guan Feibai, upon closer calculation, he was about the same age as Wu Baoquan. Yet Su Hanwei possessed an air of an elder, making one instinctively view him as a stern senior figure.

“You have a letter from Scholar Gu in your possession. I have already read it. Simply let me know when you plan to depart.” Su Hanwei’s words were direct, and his face showed no trace of a smile.

He seemed rather unapproachable.

Wu Baoquan, however, didn’t seem to mind at all. After all, capable people aren’t all as easygoing as Guan Feibai. A bit of a quirky temperament is actually preferable; if someone were to be too accommodating in every way, that would be truly intimidating.

“Old Su, why not rest here for a few days? We still need to wait for Scholar Jia. Once we’re all set, we can set out.” Guan Feibai invited the two to sit down and said with a smile.

Su Hanwei nodded slightly but said nothing.

Seeing this, Wu Baoquan continued, “I was previously the magistrate of Shouwu County in the Northern Frontier. Having just arrived in your esteemed region, I know little of Lejin Prefecture. I wonder if Elder Su might offer some guidance.”

Upon hearing this, Su Hanwei did not ask for further details but instead proceeded to explain the hydrology, geography, social affairs, and economy of Yuejin Prefecture in meticulous detail.

Wu Baoquan had originally intended merely to make small talk with Su Hanwei, but now he listened with rapt attention.

Gu Tangjin was indeed a man of honor; when someone like that recommended him, he did so without hesitation.

“Your Excellency, I am willing to serve as your advisor. However, many have sought my services over the years—even the Prefect of Lejin Prefecture has invited me—yet I have never accepted anyone else’s offer. If you hire me, things may not remain peaceful from here on out.” Su Hanwei laid out the harsh truth upfront.

If others couldn’t secure his services, yet Wu Baoquan could, how could those who knew Su Hanwei not be curious? How could they not pay close attention?

Gu Tangjin was meticulous in his work, and since he was just a lame scholar, people who didn’t know the full story wouldn’t pay him any mind—but for Magistrate Wu, it was a different story.

“I’d be more than happy to. If I could make a name for myself in front of our superiors, wouldn’t that be a good thing?” Wu Baoquan said with a hearty laugh. Now that he had made up his mind, he had nothing to fear!

Upon hearing this, Su Hanwei finally smiled. “Then I can rest easy.” With this tacit understanding reached, the group’s conversation flowed even more smoothly as they chatted about everything under the sun.

Jia Qian didn’t arrive until late afternoon.

“My apologies. I was out fishing and couldn’t make it earlier. Please forgive my tardiness.”

Jia Qian looked somewhat travel-worn. He was burly and stocky, with skin tanned dark by the sun; he didn’t look much like a scholar.

Wu Baoquan, however, greeted him warmly: “Please take a seat, Scholar Jia. We were just discussing the irrigation systems in Qingchi County—I’d love to hear your thoughts.”

Hearing this, Jia Qian relaxed a little; if they were asking about this, he had plenty to say.

“The greatest challenge with Qingchi County’s soil and water is that the soil is too fine-grained and easily washed into the river, causing silt to accumulate downstream and obstructing flood discharge. Moreover, Qingchi County receives heavy rainfall and has a long flood season, which is why the lower reaches of the county frequently suffer from flooding. The advantage of Qingchi County is its location upstream of the Qingchi River, while Lejin Prefectural City lies downstream. The city was originally built here because of the flat terrain and abundant fertile farmland. To manage flooding, the prefectural city undertook massive construction projects. The previous dynasty built a reservoir to store water and release floodwaters, and our current dynasty has already renovated the reservoir twice. Therefore, the water management conditions in Qingchi County can truly be described as excellent.”

Su Hanwei nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.

“Excellent! Scholar Jia, your account is almost identical to what Old Su told us.” Wu Baoquan clapped his hands in delight. How on earth did the young Gu Tangjin come to know all these people?

It’s truly a mystery!

Speaking of Scholar Gu, Wu Baoquan was reminded of the Gu family’s restaurant. Xia-ger’s cooking really is superb.

He’d treat himself to a big meal when he got back—after all, no food outside the home could compare to what Xia-ger cooked!

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Qingchi County, Wuqu Alley.

A gaunt man dragged a girl of twelve or thirteen into the eatery.

“Brother, stop pulling my hand! You’re so dramatic. I just said I wanted to try it—I didn’t say I was actually going to eat it! Besides, the restaurant’s probably out of food at this hour!”

“How will we know if there’s anything left unless we come in and check? Besides, if we want to eat, we eat—your big brother here has the silver.” The man said cheerfully.

“We’re out of food. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow.” Gu Tangjin was quickly tallying up the day’s accounts. He heard voices in the distance but didn’t look up as he replied.

“Tangjin, can’t you be a little flexible? How about I trade you some cloth from the Northern Frontier?” Diao Kaipeng smiled politely. Diao Qiuyun gave Diao Kaipeng a kick: “Brother, don’t make things difficult for Brother Gu!”

Upon hearing this, Gu Tangjin slowly raised his head, just in time to see Diao Kaipeng—whom he hadn’t seen in years—standing before him, holding Diao Qiuyun’s hand. A gleam flashed in Gu Tangjin’s eyes.

It was the gleam of a hunter spotting its prey.

This was the very hope for recharging the little chef. Before they’d even had a chance to find him, he’d actually walked right into their trap?

Seeing Gu Tangjin staring at him, Diao Kaipeng ran a hand over his face—now rough beyond recognition—and said, “Tangjin, it’s only been a little over two years. Don’t tell me you don’t recognize me?”

Gu Tangjin laughed. “How could I not recognize you? But the food at the restaurant really is all gone.”

“Brother, I told you—coming at a time like this, the food’s long gone,” Diao Qiuyun said, her face flushing crimson with embarrassment.

Gu Tangjin said warmly, “But we haven’t had dinner yet. If you don’t mind, Brother Diao and Xiaoyun, please stay for a meal. We can catch up.”

Since they hadn’t eaten properly at noon, Xia-ger had put a lot of dishes on the table for them to enjoy a hearty meal that evening. Diao Kaipeng thought to himself, “It’s been years since I last saw Scholar Gu—how has he become so easygoing?”

He actually wanted to invite him to dinner?

In the past, he’d always been polite and courteous, but certainly never this friendly. Diao Kaipeng, being a shrewd man, suddenly grew a bit wary.

“Alright,” Diao Kaipeng replied.

Although he was on his guard, he still needed to eat, and besides, he wanted to see what Gu Tangjin was up to. Diao Qiuyun’s head was practically down to her chest.

Why on earth were they going to crash a meal?!

Gu Tangjin wasn’t about to let the two of them slip away. He said deliberately, “Brother Diao, my husband thinks those little stones you picked up are quite beautiful. I’ve been meaning to thank you. Today, you really must try Xia-ger’s cooking. His skills are no worse than those of the little chefs at the big restaurants out there.”

Diao Kaipeng wore a smile on his face, but his suspicions deepened. Something’s wrong—very wrong!!!

Since when has Scholar Gu been so warm and hospitable?

“Little stones.”

“Little Chef.”

The Culinary God System detected the keywords and immediately snapped out of its semi-dormant state: “Host, host! Your partner is calling us—Mr. Diao is back! Hurry up, let’s prepare a feast! We’ve got to keep him happy!”

“Huh? Who’s here?”

Ji Rongxia realized: “Oh right, you can hear sounds within thirty feet. Did you hear Tangjin calling you?” 

“Yes, Diao Qiuyun’s older brother is back!” the Culinary God System hurriedly said.

His eyes lit up: “Oh ho, walking right into the trap? Don’t worry, little chef, I’ll definitely handle this beautifully.” However, he didn’t start cooking; instead, he went into the house.

He took out the stones he’d bought from Diao Qiuyun, picked out a few nice-looking ones, and put them in his pocket.

He had to carry them with him to show how much he liked them—that way, he’d have the perfect opening to bring it up later!!!

Of course, the food couldn’t be neglected—he had to prepare something special. He was already so happy over such a small thing.

“Why are you so happy?” Yao Tianlan was waiting to serve the last few dishes to the final table of diners. Seeing him bouncing around and having gone into the back room, she asked in puzzlement.

Ji Rongxia said with a smile, “It’s time for dinner! I only had a little something for lunch, and I’m already hungry. Let’s have something nice today! I still have some steamed wheat gluten left over—make that too!”

Gu Chuncai and Yao Tianlan exchanged a glance, thinking to themselves, “That Xia boy is such a live wire.”

Yao Tianlan carried the last few plates of food to the dining hall. She saw two people still standing there. There was no food left—why were they still standing here? Didn’t her son say they weren’t allowed to wait?

She looked again and realized it was Diao Kaipeng. She smiled and said, “When did you get back? Quick, Tangjin, take them to the back to sit down first. I’ll clean up this side.”

Diao Kaipeng chuckled, “Oh, Auntie, let me help you clean up. I just got back at noon and was taking a nap when I heard my parents and Xiaoyun raving about how delicious your food is. It literally woke me up with hunger pangs, so I brought some people over. I tried to get my parents to come with me, but they weren’t up for it.”

The Diao family, however, didn’t dare come over. With a single dish costing over a hundred wen, they found it expensive just to talk about, let alone actually visit. So Diao Kaipeng had no choice but to drag his little sister along!

Without a moment’s hesitation, Diao Kaipeng told Xiaoyun to wait while he went to help Yao Tianlan clear the table.

Who knows what kind of experiences Diao Kaipeng had encountered on his trading journeys, but he was incredibly nimble at wiping tables, serving tea, and pouring water—as if he’d actually worked as a shop assistant before. Yao Tianlan beamed from ear to ear as she joined Diao Kaipeng in the cleanup, the two of them looking very close and affectionate.

Gu Tangjin closed his ledger and limped out from behind the counter.

Diao Kaipeng caught a glimpse of his gait out of the corner of his eye and suddenly turned to look closely.

He could hardly believe what he was seeing. Scholar Gu had always walked with such grace and elegance—how could this be?

“My brother just got back and doesn’t know yet…” Diao Qiuyun whispered nervously.

As soon as she finished speaking, she shot her brother a fierce glare. What are you looking at?!

Her brother had run off too quickly. Everyone knew that Gu Xiucai had been limping for two years—and Diao Qiuyun had completely forgotten to mention it to Diao Kaipeng!!!

Diao Kaipeng quickly averted his gaze. With his little sister glaring at him so fiercely, it seemed Gu Tangjin’s limp wasn’t an accident—he must have been seriously injured.

Seeing this, a dark gleam flashed in Gu Tangjin’s eyes as his thoughts raced. He spoke gently to Diao Qiuyun: “It’s fine. Qiuyun, come with me to the backyard first. Let your brother do some work; I need a rest too.”

Diao Qiuyun breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and nodded repeatedly. “Right, Brother Gu, don’t hold back with him. He’s got all this energy with nowhere to put it—he loves to work.” Gu Tangjin even smiled at Diao Kaipeng and said, “Brother Diao, you don’t know this, but my leg was broken by a bunch of bandits two years ago. I still have a bit of a limp. But it’s much better now—you don’t need to worry.”

Diao Kaipeng: “……”

I’m such an idiot!!!

Why did I think Gu Tangjin had some ulterior motive? Maybe he’s just changed!!!