Ch 54: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

On the day of the grand opening, it happened to be the academy’s and the yamen’s day off—exactly the date Jiang Ji had chosen.

After breakfast, the whole Jiang family changed into new clothes, dressed neatly, locked up the house, and set off.

At the gate, the village chief and his wife, several clan elders, Uncle Tu Gen’s family, and a few other close relatives and neighbors were waiting for them, all dressed in their best attire. Jiang Ji had invited them to come watch the restaurant’s opening.

“Let’s go,” Jiang Ji said with a wave, and the group headed together toward the city.

The announcement of the restaurant’s official opening at mid-morning had been posted three days earlier. Jiang Ji had also sent out invitations—mostly to villagers, a few county officials and clerks, the heads of the Lin, Sun, Zhang, and Tian families, several constables who had helped them before, and Manager Sun from the tailoring shop.

When they arrived, it was not yet mid-morning. A red carpet had been laid across the entrance, red flowers were arranged on both sides, and a red silk cloth covered the plaque above the door.

Manager Lü and all the staff were already in place. Except for him, everyone wore matching deep-blue uniforms with the words “Jiang Ji Dining Hall” embroidered at the cuffs—so that customers could easily identify the waiters at a glance.

As Jiang Ji led the group inside, Shi Xiaoshan and the waiters stood lined up on both sides, bowing slightly as they greeted,

“Welcome to Jiang Ji Dining Hall.”

The village chief and the others froze for a moment, surprised to recognize three familiar faces among the waiters—young men from their own village.

Tao’er and Dazhu spotted their older brother Xiao An. Dazhu tugged excitedly at Aunt Xiufang’s sleeve. “Mother, look, it’s big brother!”

After being hired, Xiao An and two other villagers who lived far away stayed at Jiang Ji’s city residence since it was too late to return home after their shifts.

Only now did the villagers realize that Jiang Ji’s family also owned a three-courtyard residence in the city.

“I see him—don’t distract him while he’s working,” Aunt Xiufang said, already spotting her son. Seeing his disciplined, well-trained posture, she called out as she passed, “Work hard, alright?”

Xiao An, two years younger than Jiang Ji, smiled and nodded.

Jiang Ji showed the group around the first floor, then brought them upstairs to a large private room reserved for special guests—it could hold two tables.

Waiters brought out tea, melon seeds, and pastries while everyone chatted.

After about half an hour, the invited guests began to arrive.

Manager Sun from the clothing shop came, and Jiang Ji led her to the private room where the village group was. He had Zhao Ru personally receive her.

Aunt Xiufang knew her as well, and soon the three women were sitting together, chatting lively.

Manager Sun had been personally invited by Zhao Ru. Translated on Hololo novels. When she found out that this new restaurant was run by Zhao Ru’s family—and that the widely talked-about Jiang Ji who had sold crop seeds in the county was actually Zhao Ru’s son—she was stunned.

“I was truly surprised,” Manager Sun said with a smile. “I didn’t expect it was all your family’s work. Congratulations!”

Zhao Ru smiled. “Thank you, Manager Sun.”

Manager Sun said curiously, “Now that your family’s doing well, you’re still making clothes for our shop? You really can’t stay idle.”

“I sew when I have free time,” Zhao Ru replied. “By the way, Manager Sun, how are the clothes selling in the provincial capital?”

“They sell very well. Some other shops have started making similar styles, but none match the designs you made for me,” Manager Sun said, nodding. Then she added in a lower voice, “They’re even being sold in the capital now.”

Zhao Ru and Aunt Xiufang were both amazed. Aunt Xiufang asked, “In the capital? They must be even more expensive there, right?”

Manager Sun nodded. “Of course. The ladies in the capital are very particular. They want only the finest fabrics, many of which we can’t even get here. The materials are supplied directly by the capital’s embroiderers—we can only send them the samples.”

Both women were in awe.

Downstairs, the heads of the four major families arrived one after another, bringing congratulatory gifts. Jiang Ji greeted them and led them to another private room.

Master Lin laughed heartily and congratulated him. “Brother Jiang, congratulations on your grand opening! May your business flourish!”

“Thank you! I’ll gladly take your kind words,” Jiang Ji said with a smile and a respectful bow. “Masters Sun and Zhang are already here—they’re upstairs in the private room.”

“They’ve arrived? Good, I’ll go join them,” said Master Lin, heading upstairs cheerfully.

Just then, Master Tian arrived. “Master Lin, Brother Jiang.”

Both men turned. Jiang Ji smiled. “Master Tian, welcome.”

“Congratulations, Brother Jiang—may your business prosper,” Master Tian said with a clasped salute.

“Thank you, Master Tian.” Jiang Ji returned the gesture.

Master Tian’s servant handed the congratulatory gift to Manager Lü. Glancing around the restaurant’s interior—orderly and refined—Master Tian nodded approvingly. “Not bad at all. I saw this place being renovated before and wondered who the new owner might be. Didn’t expect it to be you. You really kept this under wraps.”

Jiang Ji smiled. “You flatter me, Master Tian. It’s my first time running a shop; I didn’t know much, so Manager Lü handled most of the arrangements. I haven’t been here often.”

Master Tian gave him a long look and smiled meaningfully. Master Lin, noticing the subtle tension, laughed and said, “The heads of the Zhang and Sun families are already here. Shall we go up?”

“Yes, yes—Master Tian, Master Lin, please, this way to the private room upstairs.”

Jiang Ji led them to the room where Masters Zhang and Sun were already seated. They chatted for a while until Jiang Yan came in. “Master Chen, Master Xu, and the deputy magistrate have arrived.”

“The officials came too?” Master Lin stood up with a laugh. “Then we must greet them properly.”

“Of course,” Master Sun agreed, also rising.

Hearing this, Master Tian glanced at Jiang Ji, smiling with a tone of hidden meaning. “It’s not easy to have the county officials attend. Brother Jiang certainly has influence.”

Back when his own restaurant, Xiang Man Lou, opened, Master Tian had invited Master Xu—but Xu never came.

“Hahaha, it’s only because I purposely chose a rest day for the opening,” Jiang Ji said cheerfully. “The officials happened to be free, and this way it doesn’t violate any rules.”

Master Tian paused at that. He recalled that Xiang Man Lou had opened on a so-called “lucky day,” not an official rest day. Master Xu had sent a gift—but hadn’t shown up himself.

Master Tian: “…”

Still, he knew full well that Xu’s absence hadn’t just been about propriety. Clearly, this so-called “villager” Jiang Ji had a clever way of doing things.

Master Lin chuckled. “Come on, let’s go meet the officials.”

The group went next door to the private room where the magistrates were waiting. After exchanging greetings and chatting briefly, the auspicious time arrived.

Jiang Ji stood and said, “Honored sirs, masters, it’s time for the unveiling. Would you prefer to watch from here or come downstairs?”

Master Xu replied, “We’ll watch from here.”

“Very well. Please make yourselves comfortable; I’ll have the waiter come in and take your orders while you watch.” Jiang Ji knew their rules and didn’t press them further.

“Understood. Go handle your business,” said Master Xu.

Jiang Ji sent a waiter to introduce the menu and take their orders, then escorted the other guests downstairs for the ceremony. The officials remained upstairs, observing discreetly.

Downstairs, the sound of firecrackers burst through the air, joined by the beat of drums and gongs. Two lions—one red, one gold—leapt out from both sides of the street, bounding and twirling in front of the restaurant entrance, their movements lively and precise, drawing a crowd of onlookers.

After a while, the two lions stopped before Jiang Ji, signaling the eye-dotting ritual.

Shi Xiaoshan stepped forward, holding a dish of cinnabar and a brush. Manager Lü loudly called out auspicious phrases. Jiang Ji and the village chief each dipped the brush in red and dotted the lions’ eyes, then tucked a red envelope into each lion’s mouth.

As soon as the envelopes disappeared, the lions seemed to come alive—dancing and prancing even more vigorously than before, earning cheers and applause from the crowd.

During the performance, a table and stool had been set up at the entrance as a platform for the “plucking of the greens.”

As the drums quickened, the two lions circled and competed, leaping onto the stools, then onto the table. After a brief struggle, the red lion bit down on the hanging lettuce and red envelope—successfully completing the ritual.

“Good!”

The crowd burst into applause and cheers.

The red lion then shook its head proudly and trotted over to Jiang Ji, “spitting out” the lettuce and red packet into his arms. Smiling broadly, Jiang Ji accepted them and rewarded the lion with another red envelope.

With the lion dance complete, it was time to unveil the signboard.

“Unveiling the sign—may fortune flow endlessly!” Manager Lü proclaimed.

Jiang Ji pulled down the red cloth, revealing the plaque that read “Jiang Ji Dining Hall.”

“Jiang Ji Dining Hall—what a fine name!”

“And those characters—so bold and powerful!”

The calligraphy, written by Jiang Yan, was indeed exceptional.

Amid the applause, Jiang Ji stepped forward and addressed the crowd with a smile. “Good people of the town and honored guests—today, our Jiang Ji Dining Hall opens for business! For the first three days, everything is twenty percent off. Everyone’s welcome to come and try our food!”

The audience applauded again. Jiang Ji continued, “All our dishes are new creations, ones you’ve never tasted before! Don’t miss this chance. Let me first show you ten of them.”

Someone in the crowd murmured, “Huh, what kind of opening is this? He’s introducing dishes now?”

“Maybe he’s afraid no one will try them.”

“Well, Xiang Man Lou is just down the street. If he doesn’t do something fresh, he’ll never compete with them.”

Jiang Ji heard the whispers but paid them no mind. Smiling, he called out, “First dish—Sliced Pork in Chili Broth! Second dish—Poached Fish in Chili Broth!”

Then, a waiter brought out a tall scroll painting depicting the two dishes in vivid, mouthwatering detail, with the names written beside them. The painting—done by Jiang Yan—served both as advertising and as future wall décor once the ceremony ended.

Two other waiters carried the actual dishes, parading them around before the cheering crowd.

“Boiled sliced pork?”

“Boiled fish?”

“What’s that red stuff floating on top of the soup? I’ve never seen it before.”

“Me neither, but it smells amazing.”

Jiang Ji explained, “That red on top is chili pepper—it’s not something grown around here.”

“Not grown here?”

“Then… is it even edible?”

“It looks really appetizing though.”

The waiters placed the two dishes on the front table, while the scroll painting of them was hung behind the counter on the wall.

Jiang Ji continued introducing more dishes. “The third dish: Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish. The fourth: Roast Duck.”

The waiters brought up two more plates and another painting.

“That fish looks beautiful.”

“Roast duck? Why are there so many little dishes with it—cucumber, that looks like dough sheets, and scallions too?”

“How do you even eat this?”

“This roast duck doesn’t look dry at all—it’s still tender inside.”

“If it’s not roasted through, then how’s it made?”

“How should I know?”

The crowd murmured in fascination as they studied the unfamiliar dishes.

From upstairs, at the window, Master Lin smiled. “Brother Jiang really knows how to surprise people.”

Master Tian, however, frowned as he gazed down at the first few dishes being served.

Chili peppers?

Indeed, those didn’t exist locally. Was this the secret behind Jiang Ji’s restaurant?

But from what he’d heard, not many villagers were growing them yet—and they weren’t even ready for harvest. Where did Jiang Ji get his supply?

Had he bought them earlier from that traveling merchant?

He wondered what those chilies tasted like. If the flavor was good, Jiang Ji’s restaurant might actually steal quite a bit of business from his own.

But once Jiang Ji ran out of chilies—then what?

Hmm. No need to panic yet. Chilies might be novel, but they’re scarce. And who knows if the taste will even catch on?

No point losing composure now.

Master Tian calmly continued watching the lively scene below.

Soon, ten dishes were laid out. Jiang Ji announced, “This entire table is free for everyone to sample! The roast duck should be eaten with the sauce, wrapped in the thin dough with cucumber slices. Come try it—but no pushing!”

The moment people heard “free tasting,” those standing closest rushed forward, quick as lightning, grabbing chopsticks and reaching for the nearest dish—Sliced Pork in Chili Broth.

The first man to taste it chewed once, his face tightening at the strong flavor. But after another bite or two, his eyes suddenly lit up.

“Heavens—what is this flavor? It’s delicious!”

“Ssss—this taste! Is this that thing the shopkeeper mentioned?”

“This meat is tender and fiery—so good! Waiter! Save me a table! I’m going home to get my family!”

“Hey, don’t hog the front! Let us try too!”

“Ow! Who stepped on my foot!”

“Good lord, this roast duck—crispy skin, tender meat! How do they make it like this? It’s incredible! Waiter, how much for a roast duck?”

“Xiao Gui, quick! I’ll go grab a table inside—run home and tell Father and everyone to come here for lunch! If they miss this, they’ll regret it!”

Jiang Ji smiled as he reminded them, “Don’t push! Once you’ve tried it, let others taste too. If you didn’t get any, come inside for a full meal—everything’s twenty percent off! Only for three days!”

“Waiter! Save me a table—hurry, six people! Here’s a deposit—I’m Liu Dahu from Willow Alley, I’ll be back soon!”

“Me! Eight people! I’m Fu Dongming from East Street! Here’s a deposit too—save my table, I’ll be right back!”

“I want a private room!”

The moment people tasted the food and liked it, they didn’t even step inside before grabbing the waiters’ hands, trying to pay deposits to reserve tables.

Shi Xiaoshan quickly instructed Xiao An and the others to bring out table markers. Each guest received one. “Dear guests, no deposit needed! Just bring the table tag back within half an hour—after that, we can’t hold it.”

“Got it, got it! Won’t even take fifteen minutes—we’ll be right back!”

The entrance grew packed with people, everyone eager to taste the new dishes. But with only ten plates, they were gone in moments.

The crowd left licking their lips, clearly wanting more. Many sent their servants running home to gather friends and family, while others grabbed a table tag and sprinted home themselves.

It wasn’t even noon yet, and already more than half of the thirty-eight tables on the first floor were reserved.

From upstairs, Lord Chen watched the commotion and shook his head with a smile. “This Jiang Ji—he’s not afraid to take risks.”

Magistrate Xu stroked his beard. “He’s certainly bold.”

Master Lin chimed in, “Honored sirs, Brother Jiang’s restaurant looks packed already. Seats may run short—why don’t we share a table?”

Originally, Jiang Ji had set aside two separate private rooms for the officials so they wouldn’t be disturbed.

Lord Chen nodded. “Alright. One table will do—no need to take up two rooms.”

“Agreed.”

Master Lin went to the door and informed the upstairs waiter, who immediately nodded and went down to tell Jiang Ji.

Meanwhile, in another private room, the village chief and the others had been watching the scene below in astonishment.

“My heavens, they’re fiercer than us country folk!”

“One guy’s shoe came off while fighting for a bite—nearly killed me laughing.”

“Another one dropped food all over his clothes!”

“The food must really be that good—no one would act like that otherwise.”

“I heard from Xiao An that it really is delicious.”

“Looks like nearly every table downstairs is booked.”

“Business is booming.”

At the doorway, Xiao An and the others were cleaning up the messy tables and dishes, while Jiang Ji looked at the chaos, half laughing and half sighing.

Jiang Yan stood beside him with a smile. “Very effective.”

“Yeah.” Jiang Ji glanced at the first floor—already more than half full, and the rest of the tables were all reserved. He nodded in satisfaction. “The seating rate’s looking good.”

Manager Lü came over to report, “Sir, the second floor’s fully booked too.”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Alright, Manager Lü, I’ll leave things here to you. I’m going to check the kitchen.”

“Don’t worry, sir,” said Manager Lü with a broad grin.

He truly hadn’t expected the opening to go so smoothly. He’d been anxious about drawing customers, but it turned out he’d worried for nothing. Just the first ten dishes had drawn a crowd—and there were still more than a dozen others on the menu.

Jiang Ji looked toward Jiang Yan. “Why don’t you go greet the officials?”

“Sure,” Jiang Yan agreed.

Jiang Ji headed to the kitchen. Han Qingshan was leading everyone there in a flurry of activity—washing vegetables, chopping, stir-frying—the place was bustling with energy.

There weren’t any dishes to wash yet, and two of the aunts were helping outside with cleaning vegetables. Even Xiang’er and Xiao Yi were lending a hand at the washbasin.

Han Qingshan’s team was focusing on dishes for the invited guests upstairs. Other customers had only just begun ordering—most were waiting for their families to arrive, giving the kitchen a brief moment to catch up.

Jiang Ji said, “Uncle Han, everyone—the tables are all reserved now. Guests will be coming in fast. We’ll have to work hard today!”

“Full house already?” Ding Xiaojun said in disbelief. “That fast?”

Everyone turned to look at Jiang Ji.

He laughed. “That’s right—full house. In about half an hour, they’ll all start arriving. Time to get busy.”

Han Qingshan smiled and shouted, “A full house is a good thing! Everyone, let’s keep it up!”

“Got it!” came the cheerful responses.

Seeing their enthusiasm, Jiang Ji went next door to the roasting room.

There were six duck ovens in total, each manned by someone he’d personally trained.

The ducks had been delivered already plucked that morning, and the team had prepared them early. Now the roaster just had to watch the heat, flip them as needed, and keep new ones going in.

Since they didn’t know how many would sell, Jiang Ji had prepared only thirty roast ducks for the day.

“How long have these been roasting?”

“The first batch’s been in for a quarter hour; these were just put in.”

“Alright.” Jiang Ji checked each oven carefully, reminding them, “Watch the temperature.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got the timing down.”

“Good.”

Before long, the customers began arriving. Jiang Ji stayed downstairs a bit, observing the flow.

Most of the guests were brought by others—people who hadn’t seen or tasted the dishes themselves and were skeptical of their friends’ praise.

“Third Brother, is it really as good as you said?”

“Of course! You think I’d drag you here for nothing? Didn’t you see the crowd outside? First day open and it’s packed! The waiter at the door said all seats are full—only table turnovers left. Lucky I reserved earlier, or we’d be waiting for someone else to finish eating!”

“If it’s not good, you’re dead meat, I’m telling you.”

“Relax—it’s amazing!”

That was the general tone of most conversations.

Upstairs, three of the private rooms Jiang Ji had reserved for guests—the one for the county officials, two for the villagers, and one for the constables—had already started receiving food.

Everyone stared in astonishment at the dishes being laid out.

Master Lin sighed. “I must say, I’ve never seen dishes like these in my life.”

Magistrate Xu said, “I’ve been to Jiang Ji’s house a few times and eaten with him, but even then, I’ve only seen two or three of these.”

Master Zhang looked toward Master Tian. “Seems like you’ll have some competition, Master Tian.”

All eyes turned to him. Master Tian paused, then smiled faintly. “Competition? Hardly—I love good food. The better it tastes, the happier I am. Let’s all try it, shall we? Lord Chen, please.”

Lord Chen laughed, picking up his chopsticks. “Come, everyone—let’s eat.”

Once he’d started, the others followed suit.

“This… this chili flavor—it’s incredible.”

“These dishes really do taste amazing.”

“Not bad at all.”

“This roast duck is exquisite. Try it.”

Master Tian sampled each dish one by one. With every bite, his expression tightened slightly. By the time he’d finished all twelve dishes, he could no longer smile.

He already understood—Jiang Ji Dining Hall was destined to take the city by storm.

Xiang Man Lou didn’t stand a chance.

Unless… they managed to get chili peppers too.

But even without them, Jiang Ji’s food simply tasted better than Xiang Man Lou’s.

Take the roast duck, for example. Xiang Man Lou had roast duck as well—but theirs couldn’t compare at all.

He examined a slice closely: the skin golden and glossy, the meat inside still full of juice, crisp on the outside yet tender and fragrant within.

Completely different from theirs—their skin turned charred, their meat dry and tough, never this crisp or juicy.

How had they made such perfectly roasted duck?

They’d need to find out who Jiang Ji’s head chef was, Master Tian thought grimly.

At the table, everyone else was focused on savoring the food.

Master Zhang, sitting diagonally across from Master Tian, caught the change in his expression and smiled faintly.

He had originally thought that Jiang Ji’s massive cotton purchases would first affect the Zhang family’s business. Unexpectedly, the first to take a hit would be the Tian family.

And judging by the quality of this meal, Xiang Man Lou really couldn’t compete.

He just wondered what Jiang Ji planned to do with all that cotton he’d been collecting.

Everyone at the table knew Master Tian was probably feeling quite conflicted, so no one brought it up. They simply chatted idly about other topics instead.

The truth was clear—the food really was good. Flavor couldn’t be faked.

Downstairs in the main hall, as more dishes were served, all the earlier doubts quickly vanished, replaced entirely by praise.

“This thing called chili—who’d have thought adding just a little could make food taste this amazing? Where can you even buy it?”

“You can’t. It’s not sold anywhere else—only here.”

“My heavens, these ribs smell incredible!”

“What’s this fish called again? Grilled fish? Whatever it is, it tastes amazing.”

“Er Lang, stop eating so much rice—eat more of the dishes.”

“But the food goes so well with rice! I can’t help it!”

“This roast duck is way better than Xiang Man Lou’s.”

“Every single dish here is better than Xiang Man Lou’s!”

“Third Brother, you did good bringing us here today!”

“Tomorrow we’re coming back! I want to try everything on the menu!”

“Let’s come again tonight too.”

The kitchen was in full chaos from how busy it was. After greeting the guests upstairs, Jiang Ji hurriedly grabbed a quick bite himself before rushing into the kitchen to help.

Seeing him, Han Qingshan quickly said, “Sir, let us handle it. You should go tend to the guests.”

“It’s fine. They’re still eating—they won’t need me yet. You all take turns to eat, though; we’ve still got plenty of customers waiting outside. It’s going to be a long day.”

Rolling up his sleeves, Jiang Ji jumped in and started stir-frying himself. He didn’t stop until Jiang Yan came to tell him that the officials had finished eating. Then he washed his hands and went out to see them off.

The dining hall was full, every table of customers eating happily. Outside the entrance, many more people sat waiting under the eaves for a seat to open.

On its very first day, Jiang Ji Dining Hall had become an overnight sensation.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾