Chapter 98 (Part 1): The Culinary Tycoon

Stinky Snail Rice Noodle Soup Disliked by Others

In the afternoon, Yu Qingze went to Cai Mansion to discuss the matter of Scholar cake with the old master. When he arrived, he happened to run into the housekeeper who was about to go out.

Yu Qingze greeted him and casually asked, “Uncle An, are you going out?” The housekeeper of Cai Mansion was named Cai An.

Cai An, upon seeing Yu Qingze, nodded and smiled in response, “Yes, there is a banquet tomorrow. The old master asked me to deliver the invitation to the new county magistrate.”

“Oh, I see. We saw the new county magistrate this morning,” Yu Qingze remarked.

Cai An nodded and whispered, “We didn’t expect the new county magistrate to arrive today. The information we received indicated it would take another two or three days, so we planned to hold the banquet before his arrival. Who would have thought… sigh. By the way, you came to see the old master, right? He is at the pavilion near the pond. You can go there yourself.”

“Alright, thank you, Uncle An,” Yu Qingze nodded and stepped aside to let Cai An pass.

Yu Qingze found Old Master Cai at the pavilion by the pond in the backyard, who was looking at a list.

“Oh, Xiao Yu, you’re here. I was just about to find you,” Old Master Cai said when he saw Yu Qingze, putting down the list and inviting him to sit down.

Yu Qingze asked, “What can I do for you, Old Master?”

Old Master Cai sighed and said, “The new county magistrate arrived this morning, did you know?”

Yu Qingze nodded and said, “Yes, we saw him entering through the North City Gate. He looked quite impressive.”

Old Master Cai chuckled mysteriously and said, “Indeed, he appears impressive, but apart from that, he doesn’t have any other abilities.”

Yu Qingze raised an eyebrow and asked, “Old Master Cai, forgive me for asking something I shouldn’t, but do you know the background of this new county magistrate?”

“There’s nothing you shouldn’t ask. Since you’re in business, it’s good to know, so you don’t accidentally offend anyone,” Old Master Cai waved his hand and then whispered, “This person, surnamed Luo, is called Luo Mingda. He’s the third son of the Minister of Rites and around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old. He is notorious in the capital city as a spoiled and irresponsible playboy, proficient in all kinds of indulgences. His father is quite worried about him. He barely passed the provincial examination earlier this year and naturally failed the metropolitan examination. So, his father arranged for him to be sent here, probably hoping to temper him.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingze expressed surprise and said, “As far as I know, it’s rare for a juren to directly become a county magistrate, isn’t it?”

Old Master Cai nodded and said, “Yes, isn’t it because many positions were vacant around March? With the status of the Minister of Rites, arranging for someone is not a difficult task.”

Yu Qingze shook his head and sighed, “I see, it’s much more complicated inside than I thought.”

The officialdom is dark, and the trading of power and money for personal gain is always unavoidable. Even if you overthrow the old corrupt officials, new ones will constantly emerge. Moreover, the relationships inside are so complex that without a shrewd and astute mind, it’s truly difficult to survive in there.

That’s why someone like Jiabao, with his temperament, is really unsuitable for entering that officialdom. It’s good the way things are now. Although it may be simple and plain, living a genuine and happy life is precious.

Old Master Cai sighed and said, “Yes, actually, I don’t want Wei’er to pursue an official career anymore. He’s different from Chenxi. Chenxi has been by his father’s side since childhood, exposed to much and learned a lot, so he can handle things to some extent. Wei’er, due to his health condition, could only stay by our side since childhood, with limited exposure. He would suffer if he ventured out.”

Yu Qingze comforted him, saying, “Second Young Master is intelligent, and he surely has his own thoughts. Each generation has its own blessings. You, well, just relax and ease your mind.”

Old Master Cai helplessly said, “That’s all we can do, I guess. By the way, let me tell you, this young Lord Luo cannot eat seafood. If he eats it, his whole body turns red and itches. We need to remove the two seafood dishes we have here. Can you think of any other replacement?”

Yu Qingze raised an eyebrow and asked, “He has this condition of being unable to eat seafood?” Seafood allergy, huh?

Old Master Cai nodded and said, “Yes, I heard that he’s going to be the magistrate of Tongshan County, and Chenxi collected the information and sent it back to us. So, we can’t serve seafood. If he eats it and something goes wrong, it would be troublesome for us. Ah, now we have an ancestor to take care of.”

After a while, realizing that he had misspoken, Old Master Cai hurriedly said, “Just listen and forget about it.”

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Of course, that’s natural. So, what does he like to eat?”

“Things he likes… let me see,” Old Master Cai took out a letter from his pocket, opened it, glanced at it, and then said, “He likes goose and beef, and he also likes bananas.”

Yu Qingze asked again, “Can he handle spicy food?”

Old Master Cai answered, “It seems like he can handle a little bit.”

“Can we get beef at the market tomorrow?”

Old Master Cai shook his head and said, “No, Uncle Fu went to inquire and said there is none available.”

Yu Qingze thought for a moment and then said, “Alright, let’s make Wu Bei Goose, and also make a stewed goose with wild mushrooms. It can be both meat and soup. Finally, let’s add a caramelized banana as a dessert after the meal.”

“Alright, you can make the decision on that.” Old Master Cai fully trusted Yu Qingze’s judgment when it came to food. Whatever he suggested, Old Master Cai would go along with it.

After discussing the food, Yu Qingze remembered the purpose of his visit. He continued, “Old Master Cai, I came to talk about a dessert. Originally, it would have been very fitting, but now if we invite the county magistrate, I’m afraid it might not be suitable anymore.”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Old Master Cai curiously asked, “What kind of dessert?”

Yu Qingze replied, “Scholar cake.”

“Scholar Cake? There’s such a pastry? That would indeed be quite fitting.” Old Master Cai glanced at Yu Qingze and asked, “Are you worried that Lord Luo might misunderstand?”

Yu Qingze nodded, “I’m concerned that it might offend him or be seen as a show of disrespect if he misinterprets it.”

Lord Luo, the county magistrate, had recently obtained the title of a low-ranking scholar. Now that he had taken office, if he were to attend the celebration banquet of the Cai family’s eldest son, who was the top scholar in the provincial examination, he might perceive it as a provocation or a display of dominance, which would be unfavorable.

Old Master Cai pondered for a moment and said, “Our banquet was originally arranged to celebrate Xi’er’s achievement as the top scholar. It’s alright. Let’s see what Cai An says when he returns. If they say the county magistrate will come, it means they don’t mind. If they don’t come, then we won’t worry about it. Let’s proceed with the plan.”

With Old Master Cai’s agreement, Yu Qingze felt relieved. He double-checked the menu and the number of guests with Old Master Cai, exchanged a few more words, and then left.

After returning home from the Cai residence in the afternoon, Jiabao informed him that Boss Liu had an urgent matter and asked him to come over.

So, Yu Qingze hurriedly went to Liu’s Noodle House’s shop.

Just as he reached the entrance of Liu’s Noodle House’s shop, Yu Qingze caught a whiff of the distinctive aroma of Snail rice noodle soup. It was difficult to describe, with a sour and tangy scent, subtly mixed with a hint of fishiness. But as Yu Qingze smelled the fragrance, his mouth began to salivate.

Snail rice noodle soup was a dish that people who didn’t understand its deliciousness would find repulsive, while those who knew its wonderful taste would eagerly drink every drop of its broth.

Speaking of which, it’s been a long time since he had Snail rice noodle soup! He missed it so much! Yu Qingze swallowed his saliva and felt hungry.

“Huh? What’s that smell? It’s so stinky!” A boy covered his nose and quickly ran past Yu Qingze.

“It’s so stinky, let’s get out of here!”

“Ugh, where is that awful smell coming from!”

…

Yu Qingze: …

Entering the shop, Boss Liu saw him as if he had encountered a living Buddha and exclaimed, “Young man, you’re here! I’ve been looking for you!”

“What’s the matter?” Yu Qingze already had a faint suspicion.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: What? Did Boss Wang come back?