Although Zheng Hao was young, his speed at working was no slower than that of an adult. By the early morning, while the other small stalls had not sold much, the cold dishes at his stall were already sold out.
June in the county town was stiflingly hot. Even on mornings without a blazing sun, standing outside for just a little while would leave someone drenched in sweat. Gu Lin greeted customers in the front, talking continuously until his throat was nearly hoarse. He turned his head to look at Zheng Hao, who was busy packing up the stall. Although the boy did not look like he was sweating profusely, his wheat-toned face was flushed with heat.
Slightly worried that the boy might suffer from heatstroke, Gu Lin said, “We will go home as soon as we finish packing.” Afterward, he went to a nearby teahouse and bought two bamboo tubes of perilla drink. “Drink some of this to beat the heat.”
Zheng Hao took it. Gu Lin had already opened his bamboo tube and started drinking. The perilla drink had a hint of sweetness, and Gu Lin had even spent extra money to have the teahouse add ice cubes. Drinking it ice-cold seemed to dispel the heat throughout his entire body.
Unlike Gu Lin, who had tasted various beverages in the modern era, this was Zheng Hao’s first time drinking such a concoction. In ancient times, sugar was expensive and unaffordable for ordinary people, let alone drinking beverages specially prepared with added sugar. Feeling the chill in his mouth, Zheng Hao felt his mind clear up considerably.
After finishing the perilla drink, Gu Lin turned to look at Zheng Hao, who occasionally took a sip and then stopped, assuming the boy could not finish it all at once. “You do not have to finish it right away; you can take the rest back to drink.”
Hearing this, Zheng Hao had no intention of bringing the drink back. He flicked the bamboo tube upward, sending the remaining ice-cold drink straight down into his stomach. Feeling refreshed all over, Zheng Hao said, “Let us go.”
He picked up the bamboo basket. Just as the two of them were about to walk toward the city gate, Chen Wu came running from a distance, his chubby face filled with anxiety and sweat. He stopped right in front of them and said with a look of relief, “Good thing you have not left yet.”
Chen Wu pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his face, his rounded body trembling with every breath he took. Seeing Chen Wu looking so anxious, Gu Lin felt a wave of confusion.
After wiping his sweat and putting away the handkerchief, Chen Wu put on a smile resembling Maitreya Buddha and said to Gu Lin, “I wonder if the ge’er would be interested in discussing a business deal with me?”
“Hmm?” The man’s words caught Gu Lin off guard. He lifted his gaze to look at Chen Wu; although the man’s smile was benevolent and friendly, Gu Lin was not fooled by his amiable exterior.
Full House Restaurant
Gu Lin and Zheng Hao followed Chen Wu to Full House Restaurant. Before ascending the stairs to the second-floor private room, Chen Wu turned around to remind them, “The person discussing this business with you today is the young master of our restaurant.”
When Chen Wu had indicated on the street earlier that he wanted to talk business with Gu Lin, Gu Lin had already guessed his intention, but he had not expected the man to be the manager of a well-known restaurant in the county. Under normal circumstances, Gu Lin would not have come; people who sold food like him valued their recipes most of all, so why would anyone sell a golden goose capable of laying eggs continuously to someone else?
However, to Gu Lin, the cold dish recipe was merely a food formula he happened to know. His mind held many other delicacies far tastier than cold dishes, and he had no fear of starving after selling the recipe.
Moreover, as far as he knew, people in the county had already started imitating him and setting up their own cold dish stalls. While he was confident that his cold dishes were unique and irreplaceable, the number of people selling cold dishes in the county would inevitably grow, meaning his business would inevitably be split. Given that, he might as well sell the recipe for a good price early on. Still, considering the other party’s demand for a complete buyout, Gu Lin smiled inwardly.
Stepping into the private room, Gu Lin first caught sight of a lavishly dressed man sitting behind the desk. Fang Jiyue raised his head, his expression pausing briefly when he saw that the newcomer was a slender and beautiful ge’er.
Gu Lin felt no discomfort at this. He was long accustomed to such reactions from people. Whenever he sold cold dishes, many customers wore similar expressions, as if wondering how a ge’er could casually show his face in public without a man accompanying him.
Fang Jiyue clearly harbored similar thoughts. He had not expected the owner of the cold dish recipe to be a ge’er. Generally speaking, such recipes were handed down through generations only to male heirs; why was the visitor a ge’er?
Chen Wu interrupted Fang Jiyue’s train of thought and introduced them to Gu Lin, “Boss Gu, this is the young master of our restaurant.”
Before coming to Full House Restaurant, Chen Wu had already exchanged names with Gu Lin. But out of propriety since Gu Lin was a ge’er, Chen Wu addressed him as Boss Gu after learning his name.
Turning to Fang Jiyue, he added, “Young Master, this is the cold dish vendor I told you about.”
Despite his numerous doubts, Fang Jiyue, who had spent years doing business outside, quickly recovered his composure. He stood up and said, “I am Fang Jiyue. Forgive me for presumptuously inviting Boss Gu here; I hope you will not take offense.”
Having run a business for a few days, Gu Lin had also learned how to speak politely. “Young Master Fang exaggerates.”
Fang Jiyue flicked his folding fan open with a smile. “I have already prepared a banquet. I hope Boss Gu will grant me this small favor.”
Although Gu Lin had never done business before, he knew that many important business matters were negotiated across dining tables. He had made preparations accordingly before coming. “I am traveling alone and do not drink alcohol.”
Fang Jiyue raised an eyebrow. “Naturally. It would not look well for Boss Gu to get drunk outside since you are a ge’er. I have specifically prepared some non-alcoholic beverages instead.”
Seeing that the other person had no intention of forcing him to drink, Gu Lin relaxed slightly. He followed Fang Jiyue around the screen in the private room to the back area, where various fragrant and colorful dishes were already laid out on the table.
Fang Jiyue took his seat first and invited Gu Lin and the others to join.
Thus, the three of them took their seats in order.
Although they were here to talk business, Fang Jiyue showed no sign of impatience. He had no intention of discussing business while eating, and instead said to the ge’er before him, “Boss Gu, please try the dishes at our Full House Restaurant and see how they taste.”
To be fair, from their initial meeting until now, Fang Jiyue’s generous and open-minded demeanor had earned him a favorable impression from Gu Lin. “Thank you for your hospitality, Young Master Fang.”
When dining with others outside, Gu Lin was never overly prudish. His motto was always to eat his fill while observing basic etiquette, rather than shrinking back in fear of being laughed at.
Adhering to this principle during today’s banquet, Gu Lin not only served himself dishes but also picked food from distant plates for Zheng Hao, whose arms were somewhat too short to reach them. Taking a bite of the crispy roast chicken, the young ge’er’s mouth was stuffed full with large chunks of chicken meat, making him look like a greedy little squirrel with round, puffed-up cheeks.
Fang Jiyue was dumbfounded watching Gu Lin’s hearty eating style. In the Fang household, women and ge’ers placed extreme importance on etiquette and rules; during meals, they practically chewed every bite three or four times and never reached across the table for distant dishes. Gu Lin’s behavior completely shattered his decade-long impression of ge’ers as rigid followers of rules. Yet, watching the young ge’er dine with such genuine relish and innocent charm, Fang Jiyue found it impossible to generate any aversion toward him. In fact, he felt that this ge’er was refreshingly natural and unpretentious.
Unaware of the other person’s bizarre train of thought, Gu Lin finished his final mouthful of rice, felt full, and put down his chopsticks. Zheng Hao ate at a similarly fast pace, finishing both his rice and the dishes Gu Lin had picked for him. Seeing this, Fang Jiyue set down his chopsticks and asked, “How did Boss Gu find the meal?”
Gu Lin smiled and praised, “As expected of Full House Restaurant, every dish has its own unique flavor and leaves a lasting impression.”
Although it was slightly exaggerated, the food on the table truly tasted good, especially the winter melon and barley soup, which caught Gu Lin completely off guard. He had not expected to find such southern-style stewed soup in the north.
Fang Jiyue smiled. “We introduced many new dishes developed by our restaurant today. To earn a word of praise from Boss Gu means we will have no trouble selling them in the future.”
Suddenly elevated by someone else’s flattery, Gu Lin paused internally and raised his guard, anticipating the other person’s next move.
Sure enough, Fang Jiyue shifted the topic. “Boss Gu must already know why I invited you to Full House Restaurant.”
“Ever since its establishment, Full House Restaurant has been dedicated to letting people everywhere taste all kinds of delicacies. The cold dishes Boss Gu sells are exceptionally delicious, and I want more people to be able to enjoy them.”
Looking at Gu Lin, his expression grew serious and earnest, completely devoid of jest. “I would like to buy the cold dish recipe from Boss Gu. I will not shortchange you; if Boss Gu is willing to part with it, Full House Restaurant is willing to pay three hundred taels for the recipe.”
With that, Fang Jiyue observed the ge’er’s facial expressions, only to find no trace of excitement or joy.
Gu Lin had long since gained a clear understanding of how large a sum three hundred taels was after coming to this world, yet he remained unmoved. “If I am not mistaken, once I sell the recipe, I will no longer be allowed to sell cold dishes.”
Fang Jiyue nodded. “Naturally.”
Seeing this, the young ge’er showed no anger. Instead, he smiled slightly. “Then I am afraid I cannot sell the cold dish recipe.”
“Why?” Fang Jiyue frowned. He considered offering three hundred taels for a snack recipe to be more than fair.
He looked at Gu Lin with a flicker of suspicion in his eyes. Could this ge’er be trying to drive up the price?
Noticing the other person’s thought process, Gu Lin shook his head slightly. “To Young Master Fang and Full House Restaurant, a cold dish recipe is merely icing on the cake. But to a widow and an orphan like us, it is a life-saving straw.”
Hearing this, Fang Jiyue had not expected the ge’er before him to be a widow. His gaze drifted to the young boy nearby, and recalling what he had just said, a sudden sense of undeserved guilt welled up inside him, as if he had just been bullying an orphan and a widow.
Shaking his head to clear away the messy thoughts, Fang Jiyue said, “What you say makes sense. Three hundred taels was a bit low. How about six hundred taels?”
Though phrased as a rhetorical question, it carried a tone of finality; clearly, he believed that faced with a massive fortune of six hundred taels, the ge’er before him would not refuse again.
Six hundred taels was indeed a substantial amount. Provided one did not gamble or visit brothels, it was enough to ensure Gu Lin and Zheng Hao lived free of financial worries in the county town.
Yet Gu Lin remained unswayed by the offer. “A complete buyout of the cold dish recipe is out of the question.”
At the young ge’er’s words, Fang Jiyue’s brows furrowed deeply as he pondered how to persuade him to sell.
Without paying attention to what the other person was thinking, Gu Lin continued, “Perhaps Young Master Fang would like to hear my proposal. I have a win-win solution.”
Fang Jiyue looked up, raised an eyebrow, and remained noncommittal.
Gu Lin did not mind the other person’s slightly condescending attitude. “I can sell the recipe to Full House Restaurant, but with a time limit, specifically thirty years. For the first thirty years, thirty percent of the profits from the cold dishes sold by Full House Restaurant will go to me, and during this period, both Full House Restaurant and I will be allowed to sell cold dishes. After thirty years, the recipe will entirely belong to Full House Restaurant. How does that sound?”
This was an idea Gu Lin had harbored for a while. While he wanted to sell the recipe, he never intended to sell it cheap.
Upon hearing Gu Lin’s terms, the corners of Fang Jiyue’s mouth curled into a smile. Shedding his previous open and generous demeanor, he looked exceptionally frivolous and unserious. “Listening to this, it sounds like my Full House Restaurant spends money to buy a recipe only to get zero benefits, while our restaurant’s business will even be affected.”
Lifting his eyes, he looked at Gu Lin with a half-smile. “Boss Gu, there is no such bargain in this world.”