Opening a Restaurant Together

Xiao Mingshu sat to the side like a lady. After all, she was a lady from a royal family, and she couldn't very well eat like those two men in front of outsiders.

I could only hold back and take small bites, but I felt that the food tasted better than the dishes made by my Madam Liu, at home, and even better than the food made at Returning Geese Tower.

Huan'er was in a terrible situation; she didn't even have a seat and had to stand behind Xiao Mingshu to serve her.

The aroma of the eight dishes kept wafting into her nose, and the little girl's eyes widened as she stared at the food on the table, secretly drooling. She was so hungry.

Xiao Mingshu caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of her eye, and feeling embarrassed, she reached out and secretly pinched Huan'er's little bottom.

Huan'er frowned, quickly lowered her head, and dared not look again.

Shen Jingchuan saw this scene, chuckled to himself, and didn't expose it. He slowly picked up a piece of food and ate with the two of them.

The two people at the table didn't have time to say much; they just chatted briefly before their chopsticks kept going.

Wang Cheng'an was in a better position; after all, he had lived to a ripe old age and had seen all sorts of things, so he ate with relative ease.

Accountant Wu was a different story; he was completely useless, his chopsticks flying up and down, his mouth stuffed full, and he couldn't even speak coherently.

Wang Cheng'an shook his head helplessly, smiled at Shen Jingchuan, and raised his wine glass:

"Young Friend Shen, thank you for your hospitality today. And your dishes, just as you said, are indeed excellent. Come, let me toast you."

Shen Jingchuan quickly picked up the cup and waved his hands repeatedly:

"Oh, senior, why are you toasting me first? I haven't even toasted you yet; I should be the one toasting you."

As he spoke, he turned to the side, not daring to face Wang Cheng'an directly, and downed the wine in one gulp. This was the proper etiquette of a junior towards an elder.

He put down his cup and ate a few more bites. Shen Jingchuan wasn't in a hurry; he just leisurely kept him company, looking completely confident.

Xiao Mingshu remained tense almost the entire time, but she still ate quite a bit, trying every dish.

It's so delicious! I'll definitely have to ask my bratty little brother to cook me a whole meal again sometime.

Having eaten his fill, Wang Cheng'an put down his chopsticks, picked up a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, leaned back, and finally adopted the air of someone in charge.

"Young Friend Shen," he said slowly, "You invited me here today, surely not just to treat me to a meal?"

Shen Jingchuan put down his chopsticks and smiled:

"Senior, you truly have keen insight; nothing escapes your notice. To be honest, I do have something I'd like to discuss with you."

"You said..."

"I'm thinking of opening a restaurant in our Spirit Creek Market."

Shen Jingchuan pointed to the dishes on the table:

"We only sell these kinds of dishes. These eight dishes today are just a part of it; we could easily make dozens of dishes like these. We use only the most common ingredients: chicken, duck, fish, and meat."

Of course, if customers request it, we can add some spirit beasts or spirit fish as ingredients; the price will be charged separately. What do you think of this business?

Wang Cheng'an's eyes lit up, and he immediately nodded:

"Needless to say? It'll definitely be good! Just based on the taste, the business is bound to be booming. I'll definitely be a patron in the future."

He paused, looking at Shen Jingchuan:

"But what do you mean? Do you want to rent a shop? Or...?"

He didn't continue, but smiled:

"Any other ideas? If you just want to rent a restaurant space, that's no problem, I'll have him help you with that later." He pointed to Accountant Wu was still engrossed in eating beside him.

Shen Jingchuan shook his head repeatedly:

"No, no, no, you misunderstand, senior. I don't just want to rent a shop."

"Oh?" Wang Cheng'an became interested and leaned forward slightly. "So what do you mean?"

"I was thinking," Shen Jingchuan said seriously, "That we could cooperate in opening this restaurant together."

Wang Cheng'an was slightly taken aback, then smiled:

"Cooperate with me?"

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly asked:

"Why? Why should you cooperate with me?"

Shen Jingchuan didn't beat around the bush and said frankly:

"To be honest, our Shen Household has a rule in business: no matter where we open a restaurant, we always try to cooperate with the local..."

Shen Jingchuan stopped mid-sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Who was Wang Cheng'an? A seasoned veteran, he understood the nuances of words and situations perfectly. He immediately nodded and smiled.

"It seems your Shen Household really has a unique way of doing business."

"Not at all," Shen Jingchuan cupped his hands in greeting. "These are all rules passed down from our ancestors; I was just following them."

Wang Cheng'an held his teacup, pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up and stared at Shen Jingchuan:

"Now that you say that, I'm even more convinced. Your Shen Household is definitely not an ordinary Lineage, is it? However..." He frowned, searching his memory:

"It seems we've never heard of a Shen Household in our Great Qian Kingdom?"

"You don't need to think about it." Shen Jingchuan smiled. "It's not from our Great Qian Kingdom, it's very far away."

"Oh—" Wang Cheng'an suddenly realized, nodding, "No wonder, no wonder."

He didn't ask any further questions. There are countless Aristocratic Clan Lineage in the cultivation world, some of which are hidden deep in the mountains and forests, never showing themselves for hundreds of years. No one can say for sure. Since this young man was unwilling to elaborate, there was no need for him to pry.

"Alright." Wang Cheng'an put down his teacup, leaned forward, and said, "Tell me about your Shen Household's terms of service. How does this restaurant partnership work? I'm interested."

Shen Jingchuan wasn't in a hurry either:

"To be honest, the reason this dish tastes this way is entirely due to the unique seasoning recipe of our Shen Household. This kind of seasoning doesn't exist anywhere else in the entire Great Qian Kingdom."

Wang Cheng'an's eyes lit up. "You mean, this flavor is unique?"

"Of course," Shen Jingchuan countered, "Have you ever tasted this before?"

Wang Cheng'an thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Let alone the Great Qian Kingdom, I traveled all over the country when I was young, and I've been to many countries, but I've never tasted this flavor before."

"That's right."

Shen Jingchuan nodded:

"So far, we've only opened one Returning Geese Tower in Yuxi Prefecture; we haven't opened a second one. But that's in the mortal realm. If this Spirit Creek Market opens, it will be the first one in the cultivation world."

Wang Cheng'an's interest grew even stronger, and he slapped his thigh. "Great! Tell me quickly, how should the terms of the cooperation be drafted?"

Shen Jingchuan said slowly:

"Generally speaking, the partner provides the venue and personnel—like chefs and waiters—they are all hired by the partner. Our Shen Household is responsible for technical training and providing the seasonings. Of course, the cost of the seasonings is included in the restaurant's operating and purchasing expenses; you understand."

"That's natural." Wang Cheng'an nodded.

"The rest," Shen Jingchuan looked at Wang Cheng'an, "Such as how much capital each party contributes and what shares they hold, that's up to you. It's your decision."

Wang Cheng'an chuckled inwardly—this little rascal knows how to handle people, he's managed to get the ball back to him again.

He held his teacup, his mind racing. This seasoning recipe was someone else's exclusive property. If he really pushed them too far, they could just pack up and leave, opening another shop in another market, and he wouldn't get a single penny in return.

But he also knew that once the restaurant opened, with its delicious food, it would definitely be a business that made a fortune every day.

After thinking for a moment, he put down his teacup and said:

"Alright then, Young Friend Shen. The location will be provided by our Spirit Creek Market. But you need to understand one thing—you're not working with me; I'm just the manager here."

He pointed upwards, the meaning of which was self-evident:

"I am not the owner of Spirit Creek Market. Therefore, our cooperation with you is in the name of Spirit Creek Market. This place is provided by Spirit Creek Market."