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

The firecrackers crackled and popped.

After the firecrackers had died down, Gu Lin stood outside the hot pot restaurant and bowed to the group of diners in front of him, saying, "Today is the grand opening of Xingfu Restaurant. Anyone who spends 500 coins or more will receive a complimentary dish. We look forward to your patronage!"

"Mr. Gu, may we go in now?"

Among the crowd, one diners couldn't wait any longer and shouted to Gu Lin.

Gu Lin smiled and said, "Of course."

He slightly stepped aside to make way for the entrance, and the diners rushed in.

Zhao's wife and Yu'er were inside, so Gu Lin didn't go in immediately.

"Boss Gu."

Fang Jiyue and Wang Yue walked over one after the other.

Gu Lin addressed the two men as "Young Master Fang and Young Master Wang."

Half a month before the opening of Xingfu Restaurant, Gu Lin sent invitations to Manager Chen and several acquaintances, including Fang Jiyue.

When Gu Lin saw Fang Jiyue coming over, he was a little surprised because Fang Jiyue usually stayed in the prefectural city, so he thought that the other party would not come.

Fang Jiyue raised his lips slightly and smiled at Gu Lin, saying, "Something came up at Fu Man Lou, so I came in place of Manager Chen."

He raised his head slightly, looked at the plaque hanging high above Happiness Restaurant, and then lowered his gaze to Gu Lin's face, saying, "Boss Gu, you've made rapid progress from a cold dish stall to a restaurant."

Wang Yue said, "My father told me to learn from Boss Gu. I'm afraid no one in the county can compare to Boss Gu."

Most people look down on the young master. Regardless of whether Wang Yue's father asked him to consult Gu Lin, Wang Yue's words were an admission of Gu Lin's abilities.

Gu Lin modestly smiled and said, "Although my building has a name that sounds like a restaurant, it is just an ordinary eatery. How can it be compared with your Fumanlou and Ruyilou?"

“You two are truly from families with a long tradition of learning.”

As Gu Lin said this, Fang Jiyue raised an eyebrow.

He waved his hand, opened his folding fan, and said to Gu Lin in a seemingly serious but actually fake manner, "Speaking of family tradition, it reminds me of the pastries that Ruyilou has recently launched. They are novel and delicious. I have been to the county town many times before, but I have never seen Ruyilou make such pastries."

"It's as if it appeared out of thin air. Has Mr. Gu tried it?"

Gu Lin smiled slightly in response to Fang Jiyue's words.

He knew what the other person was saying; they were simply testing him.

He wasn't in a hurry to prove anything, because he did sell some pastry recipes to Ruyilou.

On that day, with Wang Yue's introduction, Gu Lin successfully bought the inn from Boss Ren, and the hot pot restaurant was able to open.

At that time, although Boss Ren was in a hurry to sell the inn, given its location, he had no trouble selling it. Wang Yue acted as a go-between for him and Boss Ren, and Gu Lin got a good shop for free, so he naturally owed the other party a favor.

He disliked owing favors, and thinking that Ruyilou was different from other restaurants because it was famous for its sweets and pastries, with many of its signs advertising pastries and desserts, he thought of the recipes for some of the desserts.

He wrote down the recipes for caramel pudding and mochi, and even brought some of the finished products made by Zhao's wife from home for Wang Yue. Unexpectedly, after reading the dessert recipes and tasting the desserts, Wang Yue was pleasantly surprised and excitedly asked if he had any other dessert recipes, saying he was willing to sincerely buy them.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Lin, considering the other party's good character and long-term support for Xingfuju, wrote down a few more prescriptions and then said to Wang Yue, "That's all."

Faced with the dessert recipes Gu Lin gave him, Wang Yue naturally felt that the more the better. Now that he heard that Gu Lin said there were no more, Wang Yue was a little disappointed, but after seeing seven or eight brand new dessert recipes, Wang Yue was overjoyed.

He kept his word and made the purchase with sincerity as mentioned earlier, and Gu Lin was very satisfied with the price offered by the other party.

Because he didn't intend to go into the dessert business, he directly agreed to Wang Yue's buyout.

Gu Lin could hold back, but Wang Yue couldn't. He understood the meaning behind Fang Jiyue's words and said, "Young Master Fang, what are you saying? How many recipes did Boss Gu sell to Fumanlou? Now you've only sold me a few dessert recipes to Ruyilou, and Young Master Fang is already making a fuss about it?"

Wang Yue said this jokingly, not seriously.

Fang Jiyue raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly, "Fu Man Lou and Boss Gu have always been the best partners. Boss Gu did not sell the recipe to Fu Man Lou, probably because he knew that sweets were not suitable for sale at Fu Man Lou."

"Since Boss Gu is so considerate of Fu Man Lou, I naturally want what's best for him and Fu Man Lou to do well. Why would I care about such things?"

Seeing Fang Jiyue and Wang Yue exchanging heated words, Gu Lin didn't let them continue. He said, "Why don't you two young masters go to Xingfu Restaurant first and chat while you eat hot pot?"

"Of course!"

"Why not!"

Gu Lin led the two inside. The first floor was the lobby, and the second floor was the private rooms. Gu Lin led them to the private room on the second floor.

After the three sat down, Gu Lin said to the two people opposite him, "The hot pot in the restaurant has three flavors, either spicy or mild. I wonder which one the two young masters would like to eat?"

Fang Jiyue raised an eyebrow and said, "Mr. Gu, why don't you introduce him to us?"

Wang Yue also said, "Although I had heard Boss Gu talk about hot pot before at Xingfuju, I didn't know much about it. Please tell me more about it, Boss Gu."

Gu Lin replied, “The hot pot here is somewhat similar to the antique soup you usually eat, but unlike the former which is light, the hot pot has several different flavors of soup base.”

Just like making mala tang (a type of spicy hot pot), Gu Lin was worried that some people would like spicy food while others couldn't, so he prepared several different soup bases in advance.

He told Fang Jiyue and Wang Yue, "The hot pot broth in the building comes in three varieties: spicy red oil, pork tripe, mushroom and chicken soup, and rich tomato. As for the vegetables, they are freshly picked every day, and whatever is in season is served. The meat is also freshly slaughtered pork, lamb, chicken and duck."

After listening to Gu Lin's words, Wang Yue said, "The soup base is interesting, but is the meat just cut into pieces to eat? If so, there's no difference between hot pot and antique soup."

Fang Jiyue remained silent, shaking the fan in his hand. Unlike Wang Yue, he had witnessed Gu Lin's unusual behavior before, so he was waiting to see if the other party had any further moves.

As expected, Gu Lin shook his head at Wang Yue and said, "If that's really all there is to it, I wouldn't dare open this Happiness Building."

Wang Yue was a little puzzled. At this moment, Yu Ge'er's husband, Chen Xiaoliu, came up with a tray of dishes.

As the other party placed the dishes on the table and was about to leave, Gu Lin said, "Sixth Brother, bring up three hot pot bases directly later."

The other party responded with an "okay" and left the private room.

Then, Gu Lin turned around and pointed to the meatballs and braised dishes on the table, saying to Wang Yue and Fang Jiyue, "The meat in the hot pot is not only fresh meat cut into chunks and slices, but also freshly made meatballs, fried meat chunks, and braised liver."

As Gu Lin finished speaking, Fang Jiyue, who had just finished looking at the dishes on the table, paused in the motion of waving his fan. Even Wang Yue was speechless for a moment, and they all looked up at each other at the same time.

They were clearly confused by the dishes Gu Lin mentioned.

First of all, they could understand that freshly cut meat chunks and slices could be used in hot pot, but how could fried meat, meatballs and braised dishes be cooked in a pot?

The thought of crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside fried meat turning into a mushy mess after being boiled, and the savory-smelling braised meat being rinsed in water, made Fang Jiyue and Wang Yue frown.

Seeing Fang Jiyue and Wang Yue's expressions of disbelief, Gu Lin chuckled inwardly, but calmly said, "It's too superficial to just talk about it; you'll know once you've tasted it."

A short while later, Chen Xiaoliu brought up the hot pot stove.

Just now, when Fang Jiyue and Wang Yue heard Gu Lin order three soup bases, they thought the waiter would bring up three pots, but unexpectedly, the waiter only brought up one iron pot.

Fang Jiyue and Wang Yue looked over and saw that the pot was divided into three compartments by iron plates, each compartment filled with a different soup base.

Next, two women came in from outside, carrying trays, and placed the dishes on the table.

After Chen Xiaoliu and the two women left, Fang Jiyue and Wang Yue's eyes fell on the two extra bowls of meatballs on the table.

This item is small and round, slightly white and smooth; I wonder what it tastes like.

Seeing where their gazes fell, Gu Lin realized he hadn't explained the meatballs in detail earlier, and said, "The meatballs are tender, crisp, and bouncy, and are fresh, fragrant, and juicy. You two young masters are welcome to try them."

Wang Yue picked up his chopsticks first; he had never seen such round and cute food before.

Gu Lin explained to them how to eat the meatballs: "The meatballs are freshly made this morning, so they're already cooked. Just put them in a pot and boil them once."

Wang Yue picked up a meatball and placed it in front of the stove, but hesitated when he saw the three different soup bases in front of him.

Gu Lin said, "If you like strong flavors, put it in the spicy red oil broth; if you like fresh and fragrant flavors, put it in the pork tripe, mushroom, and chicken broth; if you like sweet and sour flavors, put it in the rich tomato broth."

After listening to Gu Lin's suggestion, Wang Yue put the meatballs into the pork tripe, mushroom, and chicken soup. When the hot pot was served, the soup was already boiling hot, so the meatballs floated to the surface shortly after being put in.

Wang Yue picked up a meatball and put it in his mouth. He chewed it, his initial hesitant expression pausing before relaxing. He chewed quickly up and down with his mouth and finally swallowed the meatball.

Wang Yue looked up, his face full of joy and satisfaction, and said to Gu Lin, "Boss Gu, these meatballs are absolutely delicious."

The meatballs are crisp, tender, and bouncy. With a slight bite, the juices burst out. Because they have been simmered in the mushroom and chicken soup for a while, the meatballs are soaked in the savory flavor of the soup, making them taste fresh, salty, and fragrant.

He won over Wang Yue in an instant.

Gu Lin smiled. The meatballs that Wang Yue ate were made by Brother Zhao and Chen Xiaoliu pounding them for a long time early in the morning, and then seasoned by Sister Zhao. How could they not be delicious!

Seeing this, Fang Jiyue raised an eyebrow, picked up a meatball, cooked it, and started eating.

After swallowing the meatball, Fang Jiyue looked up at Gu Lin and said, "When it comes to food, ordinary people can hardly compare to Boss Gu."

Wang Yue also said, "Given time, Boss Gu's Happiness Building will definitely be able to gain a foothold in the county town."

Fang Jiyue and Wang Yue are clearly the young owners of Fumanlou and Ruyilou respectively, so why don't they have any intention of being wary of or suppressing Gu Lin's restaurant?

Why is this?

First of all, Fang Jiyue's vision was never focused on the county town; his main base was in the prefectural city, or even further to the capital. No matter how good the Fumanlou restaurant business was in the county town, it could only bring him a small amount of wealth.

He never took Fumanlou Restaurant in the county town seriously. If it weren't for Gu Lin, who had many novel food ideas, Fang Jiyue would only come here once a year at most.

The benefits brought by Gu Lin far exceeded the profits of Fumanlou Restaurant in the county town, and Fang Jiyue was not a petty person. Therefore, he not only did not suppress Gu Lin, but even came personally to offer his congratulations.

What if Gu Lin opens a restaurant in the city someday?

Fang Jiyue smiled slightly, his eyes showing indifference.

The Fang family's business was accumulated by three generations of the Fang family, and there were also important figures from the main family in the capital behind it. The fact that Fumanlou could spread to various prefectures was not something that could be surpassed by the ability of just one person.

Fang Jiyue didn't care, so why wasn't Wang Yue, the young master of Ruyi Tower, worried at all that Gu Lin would steal their business?

Ruyilou is not as large and successful as Fumanlou, which has branches all over the Qian Dynasty.

Wang Yue had such a broad mind because Ruyilou was not a legitimate food business.

Although Ruyilou does sell regular meals, it mainly sells desserts and pastries. They couldn't compete with Fumanlou before, so what difference does it make if they have another Xingfulou?

Gu Lin cupped his hands slightly and said modestly, "You two are too kind."

The hot pot was so delicious that the three of them stopped talking and focused all their attention on it.

In the end, Fang Jiyue and Wang Yue were both stuffed, but they still felt they hadn't had enough meatballs.

However, Gu Lin did not disappoint them. When they left Xingfu Restaurant, he had someone pack meatballs in advance and gave them to Fang Jiyue and Wang Yue, saying, "This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please take them back and have a taste."

Fang Jiyue and Wang Yue brought congratulatory gifts when they arrived. Although Gu Lin's return gift was not expensive, it suited their tastes perfectly.

Both of them left with smiles on their faces.

County government.

Watching his daughter rush past him, Magistrate Ye stroked his beard and asked a servant beside him, "What is Miss rushing off to?"

The servant bowed and replied, "Reporting to Master, Miss has arranged to dine with her friend at Happiness Restaurant."

“Xingfu Lou?” Magistrate Ye couldn’t recall that there was such a restaurant in the county. The sensible yamen runner beside him said, “Xingfu Lou is a restaurant that opened recently. Your Excellency should have heard of their hot pot.”

After hearing what the constable said, Magistrate Ye had some recollection of it.

Although he had never been to Xingfu Lou, all the women in his family had, and they all came back praising how delicious the hot pot there was.

He was very curious at the time, and became even more interested after tasting the meatballs his wife and daughter brought back.

He paused, then asked Li Xiaoli beside him, "What is the relationship between Xingfu Building... and Xingfu Residence?"

After dealing with Chen Xiaoli last time, Li Xiaoli gained favor with Magistrate Ye, and Magistrate Ye began to give Li Xiaoli important positions.

Li Xiaoli said, "Sir, the owner of Xingfulou and Xingfuju is the same person. That person is none other than Gu Lin, the young master who argued with Chen Xiaoli in court last time."

Although he couldn't remember who Gu Lin was, Magistrate Ye remembered the monthly taxes and tributes from Xingfu Residence.

He instructed Li Xiaoli, "If they are law-abiding citizens, the government should protect them well."

Having understood Magistrate Ye's meaning, Li Xiaoli bowed and said, "Yes."

Following Xingfuju, Xingfulou quickly gained fame among the wealthy class in the county.

Because of its novel and delicious meatballs and unique way of eating the antique soup, many young ladies and wives are happy to try it.

Not only women, but many men also like to socialize at Xingfulou.

They discovered that things that were originally difficult to discuss became easier to talk about after inviting each other to a hot pot dinner at Xingfulou Restaurant, and their relationship was even strengthened.

Looking at the account book in his hand and counting the money that Happiness Restaurant had earned recently, Gu Lin smiled and his eyes narrowed.