Chapter 13

Duan Changjin was deeply moved, his eyes reddening as he replied, "With those words from you, sir, I have no regrets."

After Liu Zishi had been measured, Rong Xi made an agreement with the clothing shopkeeper. The group left together, leaving the shopkeeper regretting bitterly that, had he known Lord Hu would interfere, he would not have driven away customers with such low prices.

Duan Changjin led the three of them to Gourmet Pavilion. Duan Zhang held a tray as she welcomed the guests. Though her face was haggard, she forced a smile.

"Brother Duan, Xuan Shi acted deliberately just now. Please forgive me." Hu Yulin bowed in apology. As Duan Changjin stared in stunned confusion, he said solemnly, "Buying clothes was a pretense; joining forces was the truth."

Rong Xi had already understood his meaning. When he lifted his eyes, his gaze met Hu Yulin's.

"Eldest Brother, do not blame me. I was too eager to make arrangements just now and did not have time to ask you first." Hu Yulin's face was full of apology. The idea had indeed struck him suddenly, and he had not had time to explain.

Rong Xi smiled. "It is no matter. Brother Xuan Shi harbors lofty ambitions. It is my good fortune to offer what little help I can."

Neither Jiang Weiping nor Duan Changjin understood what the two meant.

Hu Yulin was deeply grateful. He bent over in a deep bow. "Eldest Brother is most generous. Xuan Shi cannot thank you enough."

"Lord Hu, may I ask what venture you wish to undertake together?" Duan Changjin was also a merchant and had vaguely sensed something.

Hu Yulin curled his lips into a smile. "Everyone knows Gourmet Pavilion can no longer stay afloat. Forgive my bluntness, but Xuan Shi has a way to keep Brother Duan from being reduced to selling clothes."

Duan Changjin was still bewildered, but Jiang Weiping understood at once.

Gourmet Pavilion had been in business for several decades.

Duan Changjin was its third-generation proprietor. He lacked talent and was not skilled at cooking, so his father had no choice but to take on an apprentice.

The apprentice possessed considerable talent and mastered the Duan Clan recipes completely, serving as Gourmet Pavilion's head chef.

It had been ten years since Duan Changjin inherited Gourmet Pavilion. The apprentice had always worked diligently, drawing customers to the restaurant through his cooking.

Yet no one had expected that people's hearts could change so easily. Unwilling to remain beneath another, the apprentice's ambitions grew. Once he had saved enough money, he opened another restaurant in the city.

Duan Changjin later recruited cooks, but none could match the apprentice's culinary skills. Gourmet Pavilion's business gradually declined until it faced closure.

Misfortunes never came alone. The ancestral business was crumbling, and his elderly mother fell gravely ill. Even exhausting the family fortune could not save her.

After his mother's death, little of his property remained. He could only sell off household belongings and scrape by.

The restaurant was among the things he intended to sell.

Yet before a buyer arrived, he was met by benefactors.

"Wenxiu is overwhelmed by your words, sir," Duan Changjin said, his eyes still dazed as he bowed. "But your business differs greatly from mine. How could we possibly join forces?"

Hu Yulin laughed openly. "If Brother Wenxiu trusts me, Gourmet Pavilion may take thirty percent of the profits. I will invest the funds and receive thirty percent as well, while Eldest Brother will receive forty percent."

This was not to overlook Jiang Weiping.

If Gourmet Pavilion became famous and the Thin Cauldron became known to all, Master Jiang's name would naturally spread as well. More people would seek him out to make utensils, and profits would come without needing to be asked for.

"And this gentleman?" Duan Changjin asked blankly, turning his gaze toward Rong Xi.

Rong Xi smiled gently. "My name is Rong Xi, courtesy name Xingyi."

"Greetings, Lord Rong." Duan Changjin looked ashamed. "May I ask the two gentlemen to clear up Wenxiu's confusion?"

Hu Yulin sighed. "Words alone prove nothing; seeing is believing. If Brother Wenxiu is not in a hurry to sell Gourmet Pavilion, could you wait a few days?"

After speaking, he placed money on the table. "This is a token of Xuan Shi's sincerity, lent to Brother Wenxiu. Over the next few days, Brother Wenxiu should settle his mind and wait calmly to reopen the ancestral business."

"This absolutely cannot be!" Duan Changjin's eyes abruptly turned red as he repeatedly tried to refuse.

During this period, he had sought loans from former relatives and friends to ease his urgent predicament, only to receive countless cold looks and indifferent refusals. He had never expected such generous treatment from Lord Hu today, and he was deeply moved.

"Once Gourmet Pavilion begins making profits, it can be deducted from Brother Wenxiu's share," Hu Yulin said with an easy smile. "Brother Wenxiu, please do not stand on ceremony."

Coal and charcoal were merely one of the countless needs of ordinary people. Hu Yulin had no desire to spend generation after generation doing nothing but selling charcoal.

Food was the people's first necessity; that truth had never changed.

Author's note:

Please leave lots of comments! It feels like I'm playing solo, hahaha.

Happy Girls' Day to all of you! Eat well, drink well, and have fun!

Chapter 13

With the new venture about to begin, the three made plans together after returning to the Hu Residence.

Hu Yulin would provide the funds and help Duan Changjin restore Gourmet Pavilion. Jiang Weiping would forge the Thin Cauldron. Rong Xi would write the recipes down for the cooks to study.

"However, it seems there is no cook capable of taking on this task." Hu Yulin's brows were tightly furrowed, his expression gloomy.

They absolutely could not have Rong Xi personally take up the ladle at Gourmet Pavilion.

There were not many skilled cooks in Mengshan County. They were either employed by major Tazi establishments or served wealthy families. Gourmet Pavilion's business was poor, so even if they recruited people, they would not find anyone with exceptional skills.

Moreover, other than Rong Xi, no one understood the techniques of pan-frying and stir-frying. Learning them would take time as well.

"If we recruit someone with a high salary, it should be possible," Jiang Weiping suggested.

Hu Yulin stared thoughtfully for a moment before finally shaking his head. "Eldest Brother's peerless cooking techniques must be handled carefully. If we bring someone in with a high salary, and they learn Eldest Brother's methods only to be lured away by someone else offering even more, would we not suffer a tremendous loss?"

"That is true." Jiang Weiping nodded in agreement.

But there was no solution either way. They could not simply waste time here, could they?

"Shouyuan." Hu Yulin seemed to recall something, and his eyes lit up. "If I remember correctly, Miss Jiang has always been quite skilled with her hands and often comes up with novel ideas in the kitchen. Though her methods differ from Eldest Brother's, Miss Jiang is diligent and clever. If Eldest Brother teaches her personally, even if she cannot grasp everything, she should learn seventy or eighty percent."

Jiang Weiping was just about to refuse when Hu Yulin cut him off.

"I have seen that Miss Jiang has always had her own mind. Shouyuan should ask her opinion first." His expression was grave. "Besides, if you marry someday, given Miss Jiang's temperament, she will surely wish to leave and establish her own household. It would be better to use this opportunity to give her something to rely on. If she meets a good man, she will also have the confidence to discuss marriage."

It had to be said that Hu Yulin's words tugged at Jiang Weiping's heartstrings.

He did not mind supporting his younger sister for the rest of his life, but she was proud and unwilling to rely on others. She wanted even more to stand on her own.

"I will ask her once I return home. If she agrees, I will trouble Eldest Brother tomorrow," Jiang Weiping said to Hu Yulin and Rong Xi.