Chapter 35: Studying the Recipes

With Su Hehua’s support, Gu Qingbai also joined the table, but he could only eat the plain, lightly salted broth prepared especially for him. Gu Tingzhi glanced repeatedly at the food and hurriedly stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth, thinking, “Second brother’s meal doesn’t look appetizing at all.”

After everyone finished eating, Gu Qingbai stopped Zhou Shi and the others who were about to wash the dishes in the kitchen.

“Mother, please sit down. I have something to discuss.”

Zhou Shi and the others sat back down, guessing he wanted to talk about yesterday’s matter.

“Hehua, go close the courtyard gate,” Gu Qingbai instructed cautiously.

Seeing his seriousness, Su Hehua quickly got up and shut the gate.

Only then did Gu Qingbai carefully take out the silver notes he had hidden on him and handed them to Gu Lizong.

Gu Lizong had mentally prepared himself; having sold emperor crabs before, he was no longer as surprised by silver notes as before. Yet, when he saw the amount clearly, his hand trembled involuntarily.

“Qingbai, this… this… so much silver from the sale?”

Gu Qingbai nodded. “Two black bears sold for 320 taels, and the lingzhi mushrooms and old ginseng fetched 100 taels.”

Yesterday, Gu Qingbai had been injured, so nobody had the chance to inquire about the black bears.

Now, with this sum in hand, everyone was stunned—it was 400 taels in silver notes plus 20 taels in silver coins! They had never seen such a fortune in their lives.

With this money, they no longer had to worry about sustaining a food business in town. At this amount, they could even afford to rent a modest restaurant.

That evening, the entire Gu family moved into town and discussed their plans at length.

Finally, Gu Lizong made the decision: after the Lantern Festival, they would relocate. With the silver they had, they could rent a smaller-sized restaurant and a one-courtyard residence. Since they had no children yet, once Lin Huiniang’s child was born, and with Su Hehua and Zhen Mier having a few children in time, the space would comfortably accommodate everyone. Living in town as a family would be no problem.

Food is the foundation of the people; across dynasties, regardless of nobility or commoners, eating remains the most vital concern.

---

Currently, the town had three major restaurants led by Wen Yue Lou, all well-regarded but expensive, catering mostly to the wealthier families. The rest were smaller eateries, few of which maintained cleanliness and deliciousness.

If the Gu family opened a restaurant in town, they could learn from the management style of Wen Yue Lou. The women in the Gu family were excellent cooks, especially Zhen Mier, who had loved experimenting with dishes since childhood. Though their family had been poor with limited ingredients before, her cooking was always better than that of Zhou Shi, Zhao Shi, and the others. As the family’s meals improved, the difference became more apparent.

Under her touch, no ingredient was unpalatable; even the casually arranged plates looked more appealing. Whenever dishes appeared, Gu Tingzhi could quickly identify which were hers and would be the first to dig in.

If they managed to open the restaurant, they could also contract local farmers to supply vegetables, which would be much cheaper than buying from the town market.

Meeting these conditions, business would surely flourish.

But no matter how confident, they had to wait until after the New Year. After all, everyone can theorize, but only actual practice would reveal if they could truly run the restaurant well.

In the meantime, Zhen Mier and Zhou Shi’s group devoted themselves to learning new recipes, testing each dish with the family, and refining them again and again.

To this end, Gu Qingsong made a special trip into town to buy various ingredients and brought back several cookbooks.

Zhen Mier was literate. Zhen Jin, in his youth, had studied for a few years and, before succumbing to his gambling addiction, enjoyed teaching his three children to read. But as he aged and became more reckless, those harmonious scenes faded.

Gu Qinghe could also read and write. From the age of six, her third brother had her practice calligraphy and reading, but inconsistently, so her skills were limited.

Zhou Shi, Lin Huiniang, and Su Hehua were illiterate. Zhen Mier took it upon herself to explain the recipes to them, and the women repeatedly practiced the dishes.

Surprisingly, Gu Qinghe showed remarkable talent in making pastries, able to replicate them after just one lesson. After the family tasted and gave feedback, she could tailor the recipes to each person’s preferences, creating new varieties.

This was wonderful! The family unanimously decided that once the restaurant opened, she would be in charge of pastries for the patrons.

Zhen Mier, meanwhile, took charge of the savory dishes, diligently researching various recipes and preparing excellent meals.

Su Hehua assisted her.

After all this practice, the family members had gained quite a bit of weight.

As for Lin Huiniang, her cooking skills were not as strong, and being pregnant, she would soon show. She could no longer tolerate strong cooking smells or strenuous work. After the child’s birth, she would need to care for the baby and have little time or energy for the restaurant, so she could only help occasionally.

---

Gu Lizong took charge of bookkeeping and collecting payments, Gu Qingbai managed the restaurant’s operations, and Gu Qingsong handled ingredient procurement.

Zhou Shi was responsible for caring for the household, overseeing daily life, with Lin Huiniang assisting when possible.

With arrangements in place, the New Year finally arrived.

During this time, Wu Xingzhi visited again to examine Gu Qingbai, who had nearly fully recovered, no longer needing medication. Everything was progressing well.

On this day, every household was adorned with lanterns and red banners, bustling with festive joy; people pasted couplets, hung lanterns, bought firecrackers, and prepared New Year’s gifts.

Many traveling peddlers came to the village, carrying sweets and snacks by horse or ox cart, moving from village to village. Wherever they stopped, adults and children gathered in crowds, creating a lively scene.

This year marked the most prosperous New Year the Gu family had ever experienced. Everyone had new clothes, and the household was stocked with abundant food and supplies, filling the cellar to the point of hardly having space to step.

Early in the morning, after breakfast, everyone began their chores. Zhou Shi led her three daughters-in-law and daughter to thoroughly clean the entire house, inside and out, including the pigsty and chicken coop.

Once the house was spotless, they took down the bedding from their rooms, washed everything, and replaced it with fresh linens.

Inside one room, Gu Tingzhi followed Zhen Mier, helping her straighten a quilt and shake out the bedding. In his momentary distraction, a white rabbit scurried under the bed.

“Yibai, come out now,” he bent down and called under the bed.

But Yibai, busy with some mischief, rustled about but refused to emerge.

Gu Tingzhi rolled up his sleeves, prepared to crawl under himself, when Yibai finally crawled out slowly, its fur covered in a layer of dust.

“Stop crawling around willy-nilly; you’re filthy!” Gu Tingzhi scolded, poking its head disdainfully before pushing it back into its shell. Underneath, a bundle of something hidden beneath the shell was revealed.