Chapter 13

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

After Liu Zishi finished taking measurements, Rong Xi made an agreement with the clothing shopkeeper. The group then left together, leaving the shopkeeper steeped in regret. Had he known Young Master Hu would stick his foot in, he would never have driven customers away at such a low price.

Duan Changjin led the three of them to Gourmet Pavilion. Duan Zhang held a tray as she received 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 false. Seeking a joint venture was true."

Rong Xi, standing beside them, had already understood his meaning. When he raised 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 truly struck him in a flash, leaving him no time to explain.

Rong Xi smiled. "It is no matter. Brother Xuan Shi harbors the ambitions of a swan soaring among the clouds. That Xi may offer even a small measure of help is Xi's good fortune."

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

Hu Yulin was deeply grateful. He bent into a long bow. "Eldest Brother is so generous. Xuan Shi cannot thank you enough."

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

Hu Yulin curved his lips in a smile. "Everyone knows Gourmet Pavilion can no longer hold on. Forgive my bluntness, but Xuan Shi has a method that will keep Brother Duan from being forced into 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 Gourmet Pavilion with his cooking.

Yet who could have expected that people's hearts changed so easily? Unwilling to remain beneath another, the apprentice's ambitions gradually grew. After saving enough money, he opened another restaurant in the city.

Duan Changjin later recruited chefs, but none surpassed the apprentice in culinary skill. Gourmet Pavilion's business gradually dwindled, and it faced closure.

When the roof leaked, rain poured through the entire night. The ancestral foundation had been ruined, and his elderly mother had fallen gravely ill. Even emptying the family coffers had been of no use.

After his mother passed away, he had almost nothing left. He could only sell off household belongings and scrape by.

The restaurant was also among the things he intended to sell.

But before a buyer arrived, a benefactor did.

"Young Master, Wenxiu is overwhelmed by your favor," Duan Changjin said. Though his eyes were dazed, he still bowed. "But what you operate is entirely different from Wenxiu's business. How could we speak of joining hands?"

Hu Yulin laughed brightly. "If Brother Wenxiu trusts me, then let Gourmet Pavilion's profits be divided thus: three parts to Brother Wenxiu, three parts to me for supplying the capital, and four parts to Eldest Brother."

It was not that he had overlooked Jiang Weiping.

If Gourmet Pavilion became famous, Thin Cauldron would become known as well. Master Jiang's name would naturally spread far and wide, and even more people would seek him out to forge tools. Profit would come without needing to be invited.

"And this gentleman?" Duan Changjin asked, still utterly bewildered as he turned his gaze toward Rong Xi.

Rong Xi smiled warmly. "I am Rong Xi, courtesy name Xingyi."

"Greetings, Young Master Rong." Duan Changjin looked ashamed. "Could I ask the two young masters to clear Wenxiu's confusion?"

Hu Yulin sighed. "Words alone carry no proof; 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 Xuan Shi's token of sincerity, lent to Brother Wenxiu. In these next few days, Brother Wenxiu should settle your heart and wait quietly to reopen your ancestral enterprise."

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

During this time, he had sought loans from former friends and relatives to ease his urgent plight, only to receive countless cold faces and contemptuous stares. He had never expected to be treated so generously by a young master of the Hu Clan today, and he was deeply moved.

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

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

The people regarded food as heaven. That truth had never changed since ancient times.

Leave more comments! It feels like I'm playing a solo game, hahaha.

Happy Girls' Day, everyone! Eat well, drink well, and have fun!

Because a new venture was about to begin, the three discussed their 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 Thin Cauldron. Rong Xi would write the recipes onto paper for the cooks to study.

"It is only that there seems to be no chef capable of taking on this task." Hu Yulin's brows were tightly furrowed, his expression dim.

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 all employed by the major restaurants or served wealthy households. Gourmet Pavilion's business was bleak, so even if it recruited people, none with exceptional skill would come.

What was more, apart from Rong Xi, no one understood the methods of pan-frying and stir-frying. Learning them would take time as well.

"If we recruit them with a high price, it should work," Jiang Weiping suggested.

Hu Yulin focused his gaze and pondered for a moment before finally shaking his head. "Eldest Brother's peerless cooking methods must be handled with caution. If someone can be lured here by high pay, then after learning Eldest Brother's methods, what if another person poaches them with an even higher price? Would we not suffer enormous losses?"

"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, his eyes lighting up. "If I remember correctly, Lady Jiang has always been exceptionally skillful with her hands and often comes up with novel ideas in the kitchen. Though her methods differ from Eldest Brother's, Lady Jiang is diligent and clever. If Eldest Brother personally teaches her, even if she cannot grasp all of it, she should learn seventy or eighty percent."

Jiang Weiping was about to refuse when Hu Yulin interrupted him.

"I have seen that Lady Jiang has always had her own ideas. Shouyuan should ask for her opinion first." His expression was utterly solemn. "And if you marry someday, given Lady Jiang's nature, she will surely wish to leave and establish her own household. Rather than that, it would be better to use this opportunity to give her something to rely on. If she meets a fine man, she will also have the confidence to discuss marriage."

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

He would not mind supporting his younger sister for a lifetime, but she had pride in her heart. She did not wish to depend on others and wanted even more to stand on her own feet.

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