The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

Since its official opening, Xueyuelou has been like a dazzling pearl, attracting countless diners to come and enjoy its delicious food.

Although Xueyuelou is not located in the center of the capital, this has not affected its business at all.

On the contrary, a large number of guests flocked to the Xueyue Tower every day, often resulting in long queues at the entrance.

The main reason why Xueyuelou is so popular is its unforgettable dishes.

The dishes here are not only delicious, but also unique, making them unforgettable after just one bite.

Whether it's delicate pastries, tender meats, or various kinds of delicious seafood, every dish has been carefully prepared by the chefs, bringing out the full flavor of the ingredients.

More importantly, the dishes served at Xueyuelou are absolutely unavailable elsewhere.

This uniqueness makes Xueyuelou stand out among many restaurants, making it a gourmet paradise in the hearts of diners.

Shen Cao hasn't been able to find time to come to Xueyue Tower for half a month now.

This wasn't because she had lost interest in Xueyue Tower or had other more important things to deal with; rather, since the day it opened, almost every restaurant owner in the capital had come knocking on her door, as if by prior arrangement.

These shopkeepers were initially skeptical of Shen Cao's recipes. After all, in the catering industry, unique recipes are often regarded as a core competitive advantage and are not easily revealed to others.

However, Shen Cao did not feel embarrassed in the face of these skeptical shopkeepers.

She dealt with it in a clever and simple way—by selling the restaurant's signature dishes at Xueyuelou.

After one or two times, those who had doubts about Shen Cao's recipes finally decided to buy them after personally tasting the dishes at Xueyuelou.

Moreover, Shen Cao offered an additional service: each dish not only had a detailed recipe, but you could even pay her to teach you the specific steps.

In this way, Shen Cao made a fortune in a short period of time by using these recipes.

Her income was so substantial that even Shen Yu'an, who had been in charge of managing the Shen family's finances, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise when he looked at her cookbook sales ledger: "Tsk!" He was astonished to find that the money Shen Cao earned from selling cookbooks was almost equal to the entire Shen family's monthly income.

……

Time flies, summer has quietly departed, and autumn is just around the corner.

With only a month left until the autumn imperial examinations, Shen Chen became even more diligent and hardworking.

Half a month ago, he stopped going to the Shen residence for meals with Grand Tutor Zhou as before.

Nowadays, his three meals a day are either delivered by his younger sister Shen Cao or eaten directly at the Grand Tutor's mansion.

As the scientific expedition drew near, the atmosphere in the capital became increasingly tense.

As autumn approached, the city gradually welcomed students from all over who came to take the imperial examinations.

They gathered here with dreams and hopes, striving for the glory of passing the imperial examination.

Despite the tense atmosphere, Xueyue Tower's business remained exceptionally booming. The banquets in the backyard, in particular, were one after another, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

The back garden of Xueyue Tower is a beautiful place where students often gather in the pavilion to compete in poetry, paint, or make friends, showcasing their talents and charm.

Even the waiters in the restaurant, under the influence of this rich literary atmosphere, unknowingly learned many characters and could even recite a few lines of poetry.

The infectious power of this culture imbued the entire Xueyue Tower with a rich scholarly atmosphere.

Shen Cao specially ordered someone to build an exquisite platform in the very center of the garden. This platform was not only unique in shape, but also in a conspicuous location, making it easy for people to notice at a glance.

Behind the platform stood a huge shelf, on which a specific theme would be hung each day.

This theme was carefully chosen by Shen Cao, who hoped to inspire the creative ideas of the students attending the banquet.

Students can fully unleash their talents based on this theme, creating poems or couplets.

Whenever a student creates a brilliant sentence, these works are hung on a shelf with the author's signature written next to them.

In this way, other guests can learn about the author's name and talent while appreciating these works.

Every time people enter the backyard of Xueyue Tower, they can see a group of people holding wine glasses, gathered around the table, reciting aloud, savoring the wine in hushed tones, or having a lively discussion.

This place is filled with a rich cultural atmosphere, making one feel as if they are in a literary palace.

Within a few days, the shelf was filled with quite a few poems.

These poems, whether bold and unrestrained, delicate and subtle, fresh and natural, or profound and solemn, each showcase the students' talent and personality.

On several occasions, Shen Cao happened to pass by this place and saw the students participating so enthusiastically, which made him feel gratified.

So she specially instructed the kitchen to prepare some snacks to accompany the drinks and delivered them to the students, so that she could share the joy of literature with them.

Shen Cao's actions are, in fact, an investment.

She knew that these students were the pillars of the future, and if one of them could become the top scholar in the imperial examination, then the calligraphy on the shelf would become much more valuable.

As a result, Xueyue Tower became increasingly famous, attracting students from all over the city.

This place not only offers fine wines and delicious food, but also a rich cultural atmosphere, allowing people to enjoy the food while also experiencing the charm of literature.

Although autumn has quietly arrived, the lingering heat of late summer remains strong.

Every day around noon, Wanyue would appear on time and then enjoy a bowl of chilled Caijin Ganluo with great satisfaction.

"Sister, what are you writing?"

Shen Cao put down her pen, turned her gaze to Wan Yue, and said softly, "After autumn arrives, it's best to eat less cold food to avoid getting an upset stomach."

Wanyue smiled nonchalantly and retorted, "It's so hot today that it makes me feel irritable. Look, I'm sweating non-stop just sitting here."

Seeing this, Shen Cao could only smile helplessly.

“By the way, Wanyue, I have an idea. With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, there are a lot of students at Xueyue Tower lately. I was thinking, could we take this opportunity to hold a poetry gathering with the Mid-Autumn Festival as the theme?” Shen Cao said enthusiastically.

"Oh? That's a good idea." Wanyue's eyes lit up. "But wouldn't it be overcrowded?"

"Yes, so I'm considering how much to charge each person. If I charge too much, I'm afraid no one will want to come; if I charge too little, there will be too many people, and the venue may not be able to accommodate them all." Shen Cao frowned, clearly troubled.

“That is a problem,” Wanyue said thoughtfully. “Moreover, many of those students come from poor families. Wouldn’t it be a great pity if they couldn’t participate because they didn’t have the money?”

After a moment's thought, Shen Cao suddenly had a flash of inspiration and exclaimed excitedly, "I've got it! We can set up two ways to participate!" Her voice revealed a hint of confidence and decisiveness.

She then explained in detail: "Today we will spread the word that there are two ways to participate in the poetry gathering: one is to pay money, and the other is to gain entry by composing a poem."

She paused for a moment, then continued, “We can write poems on the theme of ‘Mid-Autumn Festival.’ Participants need to submit their poems the day before the poetry gathering begins. Then, we will select the talented ones and send them invitations.”

This idea caught Wanyue's eye, and she immediately agreed: "This method is fantastic! It can showcase everyone's talents and add to the fun of the poetry gathering."

Shen Cao smiled and nodded, then added, "Since we can write poems, if someone chooses to pay to participate, we might as well charge a higher fee."

Wanyue agreed, suggesting, "The prices of our dishes at Xueyuelou are not low, so why don't we charge one hundred taels of silver per person?"

Shen Cao thought about it for a moment and felt that the price seemed a bit low. After all, there were many wealthy people in the capital, and even if it was one hundred taels of silver per person, there would probably be many people willing to participate.

Therefore, she boldly suggested, "I think five hundred taels of silver would be more appropriate."

Upon hearing this, Wan Yue was somewhat surprised, but after careful consideration, she felt that the price was not unreasonable.

After all, the poetry gatherings at Xueyuelou are quite large, and many well-known literati and scholars participate. Such prices should be acceptable to those who are truly interested.

In the end, Wanyue nodded, indicating her agreement with Shen Cao's suggestion.

That very afternoon, the sun shone brightly, a gentle breeze blew, and the notice board at the entrance of Xueyue Tower was bustling with activity.

It turns out that a notice about a Mid-Autumn Festival poetry gathering had just been posted here.

This news was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples all around.

Poetry gatherings are undoubtedly a feast for students who love poetry. The Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering at Xueyue Tower is especially anticipated by them.

What's even more exciting is that this poetry gathering not only offers silver coins as prizes, but also calligraphy and paintings by Grand Tutor Zhou.

Grand Tutor Zhou is a leading figure in the literary world today. His calligraphy and paintings are priceless, and obtaining his works is something to be dreamed of.

The news spread like wildfire among all the students.

Those students from impoverished families were overjoyed to see that they could win an invitation by writing a poem.

Although they lived in poverty, their love for poetry remained undiminished.

They had long heard of the reputation of Xueyue Tower and had always longed for the opportunity to go inside and explore it.

So the students were all eager to try their hand at the poetry gathering, hoping to win an invitation to enter Xueyue Tower and experience its charm.

On this afternoon, the sun was shining brightly and the breeze was gentle.

After having dinner, Shen Chen, as usual, strolled to the courtyard, leisurely reciting chapters from the book while taking a leisurely walk to aid digestion.

Just as he was immersed in the ocean of knowledge, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure walking towards him.

Upon closer inspection, he realized it was his younger sister, Shen Cao. She was carrying an exquisite food box and walking towards him with a smile on her face.

"Brother, I made some snacks. If you get hungry while reading tonight, you can take them to eat." Shen Cao held up the food box in her hand and said to Shen Chen with a big smile.

Upon seeing this, Shen Chen quickly stepped forward, took the food box, and opened it to find a variety of exquisite pastries inside, their aroma so enticing that they made one's mouth water.

"Cao'er, what brings you here today?" Shen Chen asked curiously.

"I've come to bring you something!" Shen Cao winked playfully and replied.

Looking at the exquisite pastries in the food box, Shen Chen felt a warm feeling well up in his heart. He smiled and said, "You could have just asked Wan'er to bring them over when she came. Why did you have to make the trip yourself?"

He had heard that Xueyue Tower was doing exceptionally well lately, with customers flocking in every day and business booming.

Wan'er once told him that Shen Cao would go out to Xueyue Tower before dawn every day and would often not return home until after dark, dragging his tired body home.

"Big brother, I've missed you so much! Can't I come see you?" Shen Cao blinked her bright, lively eyes and smiled mischievously at Shen Chen like a cute little fox.

Shen Chen was amused by his sister's words and quickly replied, "Of course you can, big brother welcomes you anytime."

After saying that, Shen Chen gently patted Shen Cao's head, his eyes full of affection.

"Brother, although the scientific expedition is of great importance to you, you also need to take care of your health. Look how thin you've become." Shen Cao looked at Shen Chen with concern, picked up the teapot on the table, and poured him a cup of hot tea.

She poured herself another glass and took out a very exquisite invitation from her bosom, handing it to Shen Chen.

"Big brother, this is for you."

"Studying also requires a balance between work and rest. I see that other students don't spend all day cooped up in their studies."

“The most frequent visitors to my Snow Moon Pavilion these days are students who come to conduct scientific research. They compose poems and make friends in my garden every day.”

"So cool!"

Shen Chen gave a wry smile and remained silent, glancing down at the invitation. "What is this?"

"A poetry gathering was held at Xueyue Tower on the Mid-Autumn Festival. This is the invitation."

Shen Chen tried to refuse, as he really had no interest in participating in the poetry gathering.

"Brother, didn't I just say that there are many students in Xueyue Tower? If you want to participate in the imperial examination, you need to know a certain phrase."

"What did you say?" Shen Chen looked at Shen Cao in confusion.

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle. You also need to understand the level of the students who are taking the scientific expedition with you in order to know your own worth, right?"

Shen Cao raised an eyebrow at him. "So? Want to go?"

"I've met many talented students. Studying shouldn't be just about rote memorization. You can discuss and exchange ideas with like-minded people. Isn't that better than you staying cooped up in your study all by yourself?"

After listening to Shen Cao's words, Shen Chen suddenly realized that he had indeed hit a bottleneck in his studies recently.

Perhaps it would be better to communicate with the students.

He smiled and nodded at Shen Cao, "Okay, then I'll go take a look and meet some friends."