After a male student transmigrated into the body of a widow,

Although Zheng Hao was young, he worked as fast as the adults. In one morning, before the other stalls had sold much of their goods, the cold dishes on his stall were sold out.

The county town was extremely hot and humid in June. Even on mornings without scorching sun, people would break out in a sweat after standing outside for just a short while. Gu Lin was greeting customers in front of the stall, talking non-stop until his throat was almost hoarse. He turned to look at Zheng Hao, who was busy packing up the stall. Although Zheng Hao didn't seem to be sweating much, his wheat-colored face was flushed from the heat.

Gu Lin was a little worried that the other person might suffer from heatstroke, so he said, "We'll go home after we're done cleaning up." Then, he went to a teahouse not far away and bought two canisters of perilla tea, saying, "Let's have some drinks to cool off."

Zheng Hao took it, but Gu Lin had already opened the bamboo tube and started drinking. The perilla drink had a slightly sweet taste, and Gu Lin had even spent a lot of money to have the teahouse add some ice. Drinking it icy cold, it seemed to dispel all the heat in his body.

Unlike Gu Lin, who had drunk various beverages in modern times, Zheng Hao was drinking a beverage for the first time. In ancient times, sugar was expensive and most people couldn't afford it, let alone drink a beverage made with added sugar. Zheng Hao felt the coolness in his mouth and his mind became much clearer.

After finishing the perilla drink, Gu Lin turned to look at Zheng Hao, who was taking sips every now and then and then stopping. Thinking that the other party would not be able to finish it all at once, he said, "You don't have to finish it right away. You can take it back to drink."

After hearing this, Zheng Hao had no intention of taking the drink back. He tossed the bamboo tube upwards, and the remaining icy drink went straight into his stomach. Zheng Hao felt refreshed all over and said, "Let's go."

He picked up the bamboo basket, and just as the two were about to head towards the county town gate, Chen Wu ran over from afar, his chubby face covered in anxiety and sweat. He stopped in front of them, looking relieved, and said, "Thank goodness, thank goodness you haven't left yet."

Chen Wu took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his face. His plump body trembled with each breath. Seeing how anxious he was, Gu Lin felt a little suspicious.

After wiping his sweat and putting away his handkerchief, Chen Wu put on a smile like that of Maitreya Buddha and said to Gu Lin, "I wonder if you would be interested in discussing a business deal with me?"

"Hmm?" Gu Lin was taken aback by the other party's words. He looked up at Chen Wu. Although the other party had a kind and friendly smile, Gu Lin was not fooled by his amiable appearance.

.

Fumanlou.

Gu Lin and Zheng Hao followed Chen Wu to Fumanlou Restaurant. Before going up to the private room on the second floor, Chen Wu turned around and reminded them, "The person you are discussing business with today is the young master of our restaurant."

When Chen Wu announced on the street that he wanted to discuss business with Gu Lin, Gu Lin had already guessed his intentions, but he hadn't expected the other party to be the owner of a famous restaurant in the county. Normally, Gu Lin wouldn't have come; someone like him who sells food values ​​his recipes most, so why would he sell a golden goose that can continuously generate profits to someone else?

But for Gu Lin, cold dishes were just one of the recipes he knew. He had many other delicious foods in his mind that were even better than cold dishes, so he wasn't worried about going hungry after selling the cold dish recipes.

Moreover, as far as he knew, some people in the county had already started imitating him by selling cold dishes. Although he was confident that his cold dishes were unique and irreplaceable, he knew that more and more people would be selling cold dishes in the county in the future, and it was inevitable that much of his business would be diverted to other places. Given this, he might as well sell the recipe for a good price early on. However, considering the other party's demand for a buyout, Gu Lin smiled.

Upon entering the private room, Gu Lin's first sight was a richly dressed man behind the table. Fang Jiyue looked up and his expression froze slightly when he saw that the man was a slender and handsome young man.

Gu Lin felt no discomfort at all. He was used to people's reactions. When he sold cold dishes, many customers would show the same expression, as if to say that a young man should not show his face in public without a man's company.

Fang Jiyue clearly had a similar thought. He couldn't believe that the person who possessed the cold dish recipe was a boy. Generally speaking, such recipes are passed down from generation to generation and only passed on to men. How could the person who came from there be a boy?

Chen Wu interrupted Fang Jiyue's thoughts and said to Gu Lin, "Boss Gu, this is the young master of our Fumanlou."

Before arriving at Laifu Manlou, Chen Wu had already exchanged names with Gu Lin. However, since Gu Lin was a male, Chen Wu called him Boss Gu after learning his name to avoid suspicion.

He then said to Fang Jiyue, "Young master, this is the owner of the cold dish shop I told you about."

Despite his many questions, Fang Jiyue, having been a businessman for many years, quickly recovered and stood up, saying, "I am Fang Jiyue. I have taken the liberty of inviting Mr. Gu here. I hope Mr. Gu will not take offense."

After doing business for a few days, Gu Lin also learned to speak politely: "Young Master Fang, you flatter me."

Fang Jiyue raised his folding fan and said with a smile, "I have already prepared a banquet. I hope Mr. Gu will do me the honor."

Although Gu Lin had never done business before, he knew that many important business deals were made over drinks and meals. Before coming, he made the necessary preparations and said, "I am traveling alone and do not drink alcohol."

Fang Jiyue raised an eyebrow and said, "Of course, it's not good for Boss Gu to get drunk outside, so I specially prepared some drinks that won't make him drunk."

Seeing that the other party did not force him to drink, Gu Lin breathed a sigh of relief and followed Fang Jiyue around the screen in the private room to the back. There, he saw that the table was already full of various dishes that looked and smelled delicious.

Fang Jiyue took his seat first, and then invited Gu Lin and the others to sit down.

So, Gu Lin and the other two took their seats in turn.

Although they were supposed to be discussing business, Fang Jiyue showed no sign of being in a hurry. He had no intention of discussing business while eating, and said to the waiter in front of him, "Boss Gu, how about trying the dishes at our Fumanlou restaurant?"

It has to be said that from the moment they first met until now, Fang Jiyue's generous and straightforward manner has earned Gu Lin's favor: "Thank you for your hospitality, Young Master Fang."

When dining out with others, Gu Lin is not overly polite. His principle has always been to eat his fill while adhering to basic etiquette, so that he doesn't hesitate to eat for fear of being laughed at.

Facing today's banquet, Gu Lin also followed this principle. He not only served himself food, but also served Zheng Hao, who had short arms, food that was hard for the latter to reach. After taking a bite of the fragrant roasted chicken, the young man's mouth was stuffed full of large pieces of chicken, like a greedy little squirrel, his cheeks bulging out.

Fang Jiyue, standing to the side, was stunned by Gu Lin's "bold" eating habits. In the Fang family, the young men and women were extremely particular about etiquette and manners. When eating, they would try to eat three or four bites of rice at a time, and they would never reach across the dishes in front of them to pick up dishes further away. Gu Lin's behavior greatly shattered his impression of the young men and women as well-behaved and obedient as he had for more than ten years. However, looking at the young man in front of him eating slowly and enjoying his meal with a charming and innocent manner, Fang Jiyue found it difficult to feel any ill will towards him. In fact, he thought that the young man in front of him was quite straightforward and unpretentious.

Unaware of the strange thought process in the other person's mind, Gu Lin felt full after finishing the last bite of his meal and put down his chopsticks. Zheng Hao also ate quickly, finishing all the rice in his bowl and the dishes that Gu Lin had put on his plate. Seeing this, Fang Jiyue put down his chopsticks and asked, "How was the meal, Boss Gu?"

Gu Lin smiled and praised, "As expected of Fu Man Lou, every dish has its own unique flavor that makes it unforgettable."

Although it was somewhat exaggerated, the food on the table did taste quite good, especially the winter melon and barley soup, which was a pleasant surprise to Gu Lin. He never expected to be able to drink such a southern-style stew in the north.

Fang Jiyue smiled and said, "Today we served many new dishes developed by the restaurant. If we can get praise from Boss Gu, we won't have to worry about selling them in the future."

Suddenly being praised so highly, Gu Lin paused, becoming more alert and anticipating the other person's next move.

Sure enough, Fang Jiyue changed the subject and said, "I presume Boss Gu knows why I invited you to Fumanlou."

"Since its establishment, Fumanlou has been committed to letting people all over the world taste all kinds of delicious food. The cold dishes sold by Boss Gu are very delicious. I want more people to be able to eat them."

He looked at Gu Lin with a serious expression, without a trace of joking: "I want to buy the cold dish recipe from Boss Gu. I will not let Boss Gu suffer a loss. If Boss Gu is willing to part with it, Fu Man Lou can offer three hundred taels to buy the recipe."

After speaking, Fang Jiyue observed the changes in the young man's expression, but saw that the other party showed no excitement or joy.

Three hundred taels is a huge sum of money, and Gu Lin had already come to know this when he came to this world, but he remained unmoved and said: "If I am not mistaken, I will not be able to sell cold dishes after the recipe is sold."

Fang Jiyue nodded and said, "Of course."

The young man was not angry at this. He smiled slightly and said, "Then I'm sorry I can't sell the cold dish recipe."

"Why?" Fang Jiyue frowned. He thought that spending three hundred taels to buy a snack recipe was already the most reasonable thing in the world.

He glanced at Gu Lin, a hint of suspicion in his eyes. Could it be that this young man wanted to raise the price?

Seeing the other party's thoughts, Gu Lin shook his head slightly and said, "For Young Master Fang and Fumanlou, a cold dish recipe is just icing on the cake, but for us orphans and widows, it is a lifeline."

Upon hearing this, Fang Jiyue was surprised to find that the young man in front of him was actually a widow. His gaze fell on the boy beside him, and thinking about what he had just said, Fang Jiyue felt a sense of guilt for some reason, as if he had really bullied a pair of orphans and widows.

Shaking his head to clear his mind of the jumbled thoughts, Fang Jiyue said, "You're right. Three hundred taels is a bit too little. How about I offer six hundred taels?"

Although the statement was rhetorical, it was written in a declarative tone, clearly indicating that he believed the young man in front of him would not refuse the huge sum of six hundred taels.

Six hundred taels is indeed a lot. As long as they don't gamble or visit prostitutes, it's enough for Gu Lin and Zheng Hao to live comfortably in the county town.

But Gu Lin was still not swayed and followed the other party's idea: "It's impossible for me to completely sell out the cold dish recipe."

As soon as the young man finished speaking, Fang Jiyue frowned deeply, as if he was thinking about how to persuade the young man in front of him to sell the cold dish recipe.

Regardless of what the other party was thinking, Gu Lin said, "Young Master Fang, why don't you listen to my thoughts? I have a solution that satisfies both sides."

Fang Jiyue looked up, raised an eyebrow, and remained noncommittal.

Gu Lin, unperturbed by the other party's slightly dismissive attitude, said, "I can sell the recipe to Fu Man Lou, but there's a time limit of thirty years. For the first thirty years, I will receive 30% of the profits from Fu Man Lou's cold dishes, and both Fu Man Lou and I can sell cold dishes during this period. After thirty years, the cold dish recipe will belong entirely to Fu Man Lou. How about it?"

This was an idea Gu Lin had long ago. Although he wanted to sell the cold dish recipe, he never thought of selling it cheaply.

Upon hearing Gu Lin's words, Fang Jiyue's lips curled into a smile, his previous generosity and cheerfulness replaced by a frivolous and unserious demeanor: "So it seems that after Fumanlou spent money to buy the recipe, not only will it not gain any benefit, but the restaurant's business will also be affected."

He looked up at Gu Lin with a half-smile and said, "Mr. Gu, there's no such thing as a free lunch."