Niu Fugui’s face was flushed a deep crimson, and his smile was full of embarrassment.

“Aunt Yu said your mother and sister specifically gave you the main room so you could rest properly. It was really wrong of Nian-ger to come and disturb you. My wife and I are also at our wits’ end with this troublesome ger of ours. How about this: let him stay here for ten days a month. He won’t be staying for free—we’ll pay rent as if he were staying thirty-one days. And if things get too busy at your shop, feel free to put him to work!”

“It’d be better if you could free up another room. If that’s not possible—” Niu Fugui shot him a sidelong glance. “—there’s no need to let him sleep in your bed. He doesn’t deserve it! I’ve brought his bedding; have him sleep on the floor!”

Nian-ger nodded rapidly, like a chick pecking at grain: “I actually love sleeping on the floor. Brother Xiaoyu, please just take me in.” He held up his hands, his face a picture of sincerity: “I promise to be quiet and still—I’ll never disturb your sleep!”

“Quiet and still?” Yan Xiaoyu gave him a half-smile. “Do those words even apply to you?”

Nian-ger was speechless.

“It’s not really relevant,” said Niu Fugui, a hint of world-weariness in his eyes. “Well then, how about you take a piece of cloth every night and stuff it in his mouth?” 

Yan Xiaoyu chuckled. “That’s actually a good idea!”

The others couldn’t help but chuckle as well.

Nian-ger hung his head, looking sheepish. Aunt Sun covered her mouth and laughed, “Too bad Nian-ger isn’t a girl—otherwise, he’d be perfect to live with me.”

Nian-ger was usually chatty, but he was actually quite considerate. During the few days he stayed with Yan Xiaoyu, he was especially careful and hardly ever disturbed him. If he hadn’t been pestering him about marriage, Yan Xiaoyu actually quite enjoyed listening to him talk.

Taking it as a joke, Yan Xiaoyu agreed to the arrangement.

“I can’t free up any other rooms, but there’s a useless bamboo bed in the courtyard storage shed. I’ll move it into my room for Nian-ger to sleep on.” 

“Really?” Nian-ger’s eyes lit up. “Brother Xiaoyu, you’re so kind to me!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he was about to move the bed, but Niu Fugui grabbed him by the arm.

Niu Fugui repeatedly thanked Yan Xiaoyu, then scowled at Nian-ger, urging him to be sensible and not cause trouble for others, while also insisting he hand over the silver to Yan Xiaoyu.

Fifty coins a day—that adds up to five taels of silver a month, which is no small sum for villagers. Yan Xiaoyu didn’t want to accept it, but Niu Fugui insisted.

“He’s not just staying here—he’ll likely be eating your food as well. Fifty wen a day is already a bargain for him. Let him pay for it himself; don’t try to save him the trouble. If he can’t even afford that much, he shouldn’t even think about staying in the county as a matchmaker. He’d better just go back to minding his stall.”

Yan Xiaoyu’s heart skipped a beat as she pondered this.

Sure enough, later that evening, as the two lay in bed chatting, Nian-ger confirmed his suspicions.

“My parents said this path I’ve chosen is a difficult one. If I don’t listen to them and insist on pursuing it, then I’ll have to show them my true abilities. They said that the match between Brother Yan and Sister Yue was only arranged because of the face we all save for each other—it doesn’t count as my own skill. They’re giving me another six months. If I can successfully arrange five matches within that time and cover the rent for staying here, only then will they consider me capable of making a living in this line of work…”

Nian-ger lay on that small bamboo bed, clenching his fists to psych himself up: “Brother Xiaoyu, just watch—I’m definitely going to make it!”

“Alright, give it your all.”

Yan Xiaoyu felt a pang of emotion. Nian-ger hadn’t even married himself yet, yet he was determined to become a matchmaker—in today’s world, that was rather unorthodox.

Niu Fugui and Yu Chunying certainly wouldn’t approve either, but they were still willing to give him a chance. The couple’s affection for Nian-ger was evident.

But having traveled through time, he now had parents who supported him wholeheartedly—he no longer needed to envy others.

Nian-ger stayed at the Yuye Pavilion for ten days, sometimes going out and sometimes staying in to help out at the restaurant.

Yan Xiaoyu had no time to pay attention to the young man; he was busy running the business at Yuye Pavilion every day and occasionally had to guide He Qiuhua and Yan Xiaoyue in the kitchen.

He Qiuhua and Yan Xiaoyue were currently assisting Yan Xiaoyu in the kitchen, but he felt it was a waste of their talents for his mother and older sister to be doing such menial work. He wanted to see if he could train them properly; that way, He Qiuhua and her daughter would have a new skill to earn money, and he himself would have an easier time.

He Qiuhua had a natural talent for cooking. Over the past year, she had watched Yan Xiaoyu prepare meals every time, and she had actually made some progress. However, she lacked confidence and didn’t believe she could be a chef at a restaurant.

Teaching her was a breeze for Yan Xiaoyu; all he needed to do was offer plenty of encouragement and help her correct a few minor flaws. Yan Xiaoyue’s aptitude for cooking wasn’t as strong as He Qiuhua’s; she had her own unique style, so serving as head chef might prove a bit challenging.

She was quite content with her current life and didn’t mind that the tasks of tending the fire and chopping vegetables weren’t as glamorous as being a chef.

But Yan Xiaoyu still felt that her energy was somewhat wasted working as a kitchen assistant, so she planned to help her explore other possibilities.

Although her cooking skills still lacked a bit of finesse, Yan Xiaoyue was quite adept at chopping vegetables and tending the stove, and she was a great help to Yan Xiaoyu. If it weren’t for Yan Xiaoyue and He Qiuhua, Yan Xiaoyu, as the sole head chef of the restaurant, certainly wouldn’t be able to work so easily.

After a month of word spreading, the reputation of Yuye Pavilion had reached even further afield. Now, not only students from the county school and their families, but also many food connoisseurs traveled from far and wide to sample Yan Xiaoyu’s culinary skills.

When Yan Xiaoyu was in the mood, he would create some new dishes, and the customers were so enthusiastic that they often ran out of stock. Recently, he had Yan Xingmao bring over some fresh edamame and used them to create several new dishes.

Delicate and fragrant edamame soy milk, edamame tofu pudding, spicy and savory braised edamame, and fresh and flavorful edamame with shrimp…

Braised edamame is a common bar snack sold at restaurants all over, but the taste is worlds apart from Yan Xiaoyu’s version.

This was a dish Yan Xiaoyu had originally tested at the town market and refined through several adjustments. He simmered the edamame with a generous blend of spices; when the lid was lifted, a rich, heady aroma wafted out, drifting straight from the kitchen to the dining area.

Yan Shaocheng couldn’t resist; he snatched a small plate before the customers could get their hands on it, and after tasting it, he couldn’t help but applaud in admiration.

The flavor was both numbing and spicy; diners who couldn’t handle heat were gasping from the heat, yet they couldn’t bear to spit it out—it was simply irresistible.

If the braised edamame won over diners with its unique flavor, the soy milk and tofu pudding made from the same beans became popular snacks at Yuye Pavilion thanks to their appearance.

The pale green soy milk and tofu pudding were far more intriguing than their white counterparts; just looking at them made one want to try them. The taste was incredibly refreshing; the slightly tart aroma of the beans and a subtle sweetness spread across the palate, leaving an endless aftertaste with every sip…

These two snacks were selling so well that the two tofu-makers were completely worn out, and Yan Shaocheng even had to temporarily pull staff from the front of the house to help out. During those days, many diners strongly urged Yuye Pavilion to start serving breakfast.

What a delight it would be to start the day with a bowl of sweet, fresh edamame soy milk and a steaming bowl of pale green edamame tofu pudding! If Yuye Pavilion could also offer chicken-shredded noodles and chicken-broth tofu were also available, giving them a few more options, that would be even better!

The customers had even laid out the plan for them, but after thinking it over, Yan Shaocheng and Yan Xiaoyu decided against it.

With lunch and dinner service already keeping the shop quite busy, adding breakfast would require a lot of extra effort.

Besides, edamame tofu pudding and edamame soy milk aren’t that different from regular soy milk and tofu pudding—most people just enjoy them for the novelty. If they were served every day, they probably wouldn’t love it as much.

Besides, these items are easy to copy; sooner or later, others will catch on, and then it’ll be hard to make a profit.

If they were to serve cold noodles with shredded chicken and other dishes, Yan Xiaoyu or He Qiuhua would have to take charge. The two of them had already gone to bed late; if they had to prepare breakfast as well, it would be far too exhausting.

Although Yan Xiaoyu loves money, he doesn’t want to put the cart before the horse and wear himself and his mother out.

Yan Xiaoyu and Yan Shaocheng turned them down, but the customers at Yuye Pavilion hadn’t even had time to feel disappointed for a few days before they noticed that the Qian Tofu Shop diagonally across the street had also started selling edamame soy milk and tofu pudding.

When customers came to complain, Yan Xiaoyu thanked them but didn’t give it much thought.

If they dared to bring it out, they must have been prepared for others to copy it. If people could figure it out, that was a testament to their own skill.

Qian’s Tofu Shop now had a pretty young woman with an unfamiliar face tending the shop; Qian Hong appeared occasionally, but Yan Yongfang hadn’t been seen in quite some time—she was likely still in her postpartum confinement.

Qian Hong wasn’t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed—wasn’t it Yan Yongfang who had come up with the edamame soy milk and edamame tofu pudding in the first place?

Qian’s Tofu Shop had previously seen little foot traffic, but thanks to these two new dishes, it was bustling for a few days. Just as Yan Xiaoyu had predicted, however, once the customers grew tired of them, business slowed down again.

Yan Shaocheng, however, seized the opportunity and sold quite a few of his newly developed edamame tofu products. He continued to supply the county’s restaurants, and following the precedent set by the dishes at Yuye Pavilion, sales were actually quite good.

Yan Xiaoyu and Yan Shaocheng managed to make a tidy profit in the process.

That day, Nian-ger didn’t go out; he was working as a waiter at the restaurant. As he stepped outside to see off a customer, he spotted two people standing by Qian’s Tofu Shop—one was Yan Yonghe, and the other, a young woman.

The two spoke to each other in such an intimate manner that Nian-ger’s innate matchmaking instincts kicked in, and he couldn’t help but sigh. “Ah, it’s a shame Scholar Yan isn’t a decent fellow; otherwise, I’d be knocking on their door right now to offer my services as a matchmaker. That would have been another business opportunity.”