Author Archives: Thandar

Is It Ready?

After Lord Cai and the others left, on the same evening, Yu Qingze went to the village chief’s house and informed them about the matter.

“Great news!” The village chief exclaimed, slapping his leg in excitement.

Usually, rural folks rarely had the chance to meet anyone of high status. Perhaps the most important official they would encounter in their lifetime was a county magistrate, and there were even some who had never seen a county magistrate. If it weren’t for the lord governor coming to find Yu Qingze, they wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet him. Not only did the lord governor come today, but he also spoke to them and asked about their lives. Moreover, the lord governor was Lord Cai, who was well-liked by the common people, which made them even more excited.

Now, suddenly, they were told that this threshing machine thing could be presented to the Emperor to see. This news excited them so much that they were almost beside themselves.

Dajian asked somewhat skeptically, “That’s right, Brother Yu, can it really be shown to the Emperor and receive praise from the current ruler?”

Yu Qingze replied, “That depends on the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works. According to Lord Cai’s estimate, the current ruler pays great attention to the lives of the common people, so there shouldn’t be any major issues with this kind of agricultural tool.”

Upon hearing this, the village chief, Dajian, and Dayong all chuckled. The Emperor…

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Village chief, in my opinion, most farmers can’t afford the threshing machine. If the wind valley cart is expensive, there might not be many buyers. It would take several households pooling their money to buy one. How about we submit the blueprints to Lord Cai?”

The village chief nodded and said, “You have the final say on this. Originally, you came up with these blueprints and drew them up. We are already very happy that you came to discuss it with us. Besides, this is a good thing. We wouldn’t be able to sell many of them even if we made them. Perhaps people from other places can afford to buy them. Threshing grain is such hard work, it would be nice if others could do it more easily.”

“Alright, I’ll reply to Lord Cai then.”

That evening, Yu Qingze went home and drew up the blueprints for the foot-operated threshing machine. He also made some adjustments to the original data based on Dajian’s input. After that, he drew up the rice bed, wind valley cart, and hand-pushed cart.

The next day at noon, after finishing his lunch, Yu Qingze went to the city. When he arrived, the governor hadn’t returned home for his meal yet, so he waited for a while until he finally saw Lord Cai.

Lord Cai and Master Sun were both delighted when they saw the blueprints. Master Sun took the blueprint of the wind valley cart and started studying it.

After explaining everything to them, Yu Qingze returned home. He still had to thresh the grain in the afternoon.

After finishing harvesting the rice, Yu Qingze and Grandpa Chang started sprouting the potatoes. Once the sprouts grew well, they would ask the villagers to cut the seed potatoes into small pieces and help plant them. However, they only had a small quantity of seed potatoes, so they could only plant them in their own fields for now.

Four days passed, and most of the employees’ rice had been harvested. The remaining small amount could be harvested by their own family members. Two of the vegetable-cutting employees asked other villagers who had finished their harvest to help with the final bit of rice. On the fifth day, they arrived at the store on time to work.

After harvesting the rice, the villagers started digging sweet potatoes and making sweet potato flour. When the temperature dropped a bit more, Yu Qingze said they could start making cured meat.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

In the past, winter used to be a leisurely season, but now it has become the busiest time of the year. However, everyone is happy because there is money to be made.

In the city, both the snack shop and restaurant have opened simultaneously, and everyone is busy following their routines.

After entering October, the temperature suddenly dropped, and the previously cool weather started feeling cold.

In the morning, when Chang Le was brushing his teeth, he felt a wave of nausea in his stomach. He frowned and pressed his stomach, wanting to drink some water to relieve the discomfort, but he couldn’t hold it back and vomited.

Poor Chang Le hadn’t eaten anything in the morning, so his stomach was empty. There was nothing much to vomit except for the acidic gastric juice.

“What’s wrong? Why are you vomiting? Is your stomach not feeling well?” Yu Qingze came out of the room and heard Chang Le vomiting, quickly approaching to pat his back.

Chang Le shook his head and handed the toothbrush to Yu Qingze, indicating that he should hold it. Then he bent over and vomited again, this time even yellow bile came out.

“Did you catch a cold these past couple of days? Or did you eat something bad?” Yu Qingze took the toothbrush and placed it on a nearby stool, continuing to pat Chang Le’s back.

After a while, Chang Le finished vomiting, drank some water to rinse his mouth, and raised his head. His eyes were red, with tears welling up in the corners, making him look pitiful. He didn’t know why he suddenly vomited; it didn’t seem like he caught a cold or ate something wrong.

Yu Qingze wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and said, “Come on, I’ll take you to see a doctor.”

Chang Le shook his head and gestured that it wasn’t necessary. He indicated that he just felt chest tightness and nausea earlier, but now he felt much better after vomiting.

Yu Qingze worriedly said, “Still, let’s go and get it checked.”

No need, I’m fine now. Chang Le gestured a few times, took a moment to relax, and then picked up the toothbrush from the stool to brush his teeth.

Seeing that he indeed seemed fine now, Yu Qingze went to freshen up as well but kept an eye on Chang Le, thinking that if it happened again, he would take him to Dr. Li’s place for a check-up.

Once both of them finished their morning routines, they closed the shop and went to a snack shop for breakfast.

Yu Qingze specifically served a bowl of plain congee for Chang Le and went to get some snacks for himself. However, before they could start eating, Chang Le covered his mouth and ran to the backyard.

Seeing this, Yu Qingze quickly put down his plate and followed after him.

Brother Chang was puzzled but followed them to the backyard as well.

When Yu Qingze arrived at the backyard, he saw Chang Le leaning against the corner of the wall, one hand supporting himself against the wall, and the other covering his stomach, dry heaving without actually vomiting.

Brother Chang asked, “What’s wrong with Brother Le?”

Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “I don’t know. He also vomited this morning, probably caught a cold. I’ll take him to see a doctor later.”

“Oh, make sure you remember to go,” Brother Chang reminded.

“Yeah, you go ahead and take care of things,” Yu Qingze said.

Brother Chang arrived at the kitchen door and happened to meet his mother.

Brother Chang’s mother stopped him and asked, “What happened? Is something wrong?”

Brother Chang replied, ” Brother Le vomited, but nothing came out. He dry heaved, and it looks uncomfortable. Boss Yu said he will take him to see a doctor later.”

“Vomited? Dry heaved?” Brother Chang’s mother was initially taken aback but then burst into laughter.

Brother Chang frowned and asked, “Mother, why are you so happy when Brother Le is sick?”

Brother Chang’s mother chuckled but didn’t say anything.

After Chang Le finished vomiting, Brother Chang’s mother made an excuse to take Chang Le to their room. Brother Chang followed suit and squeezed in as well.

Chang Le looked at the two of them with confusion and gestured, “What’s going on?”

Brother Chang shook his head and also looked at his mother.

Brother Chang’s mother asked, ” Brother Le, besides dry heaving, do you have any other symptoms?”

Chang Le gestured, indicating that he felt a little chest discomfort.

Brother Chang’s mother explained further.

Then, Brother Chang’s mother asked, “Have you recently caught a cold or eaten something unusual?”

Chang Le thought about it and realized that he had been eating the same as usual these past few days. As for catching a cold, the temperature had dropped, so he had been wearing more clothes and didn’t feel cold.

He shook his head.

Seeing this, Brother Chang’s mother smiled and then looked at the red birthmark on Chang Le’s forehead. He reached out and touched it, asking, “Have you felt any itching sensation on your birthmark recently?”

Chang Le touched his forehead and shook his head, indicating that he hadn’t felt any itching.

Brother Chang looked at the two of them with suspicion, and when he saw his mother touching Chang Le’s birthmark, a thought crossed his mind. He asked his mother in surprise, “Mother, are you suggesting that Brother Le is pregnant and has a baby?”

Brother Chang’s mother nodded and said, “That’s what I think. They’ve been married for over six months, so it’s possible. But his birthmark doesn’t itch.”

When a ger is pregnant, during the first three months when the fetus is not yet stable, the birthmark on the forehead may feel itchy. The more vibrant the red color of the birthmark, the itchier it becomes. After three months, when the fetus stabilizes, the itching subsides. This is a distinct characteristic during a ger’s pregnancy.

Upon hearing this, Chang Le was taken aback and instinctively looked down at his abdomen.

Is there a baby?

He couldn’t help but reach out and touch his abdomen, feeling flat and no different from before.

Is there a little baby inside here? A baby with my husband?

At the thought of this, Chang Le felt a wave of joy in his heart.

However, his birthmark was too faint, which makes it difficult to conceive, right? And his birthmark didn’t itch. It shouldn’t be, right?

He had never seen any a ger with a birthmark as dull as his. On the other hand, he knew someone whose birthmark was even darker, but they couldn’t conceive.

With these thoughts in mind, Chang Le’s hand that was touching his abdomen curled up slightly and quietly withdrew.

Brother Chang thought for a moment and also reached out to touch Chang Le’s birthmark, saying, ” Brother Le, maybe your birthmark’s color is still light, and it hasn’t fully manifested yet. Or maybe you just haven’t noticed it?”

Brother Chang’s mother, upon hearing this, also found it reasonable and said, “That’s also possible. When I was pregnant before, I didn’t feel my birthmark itching until after three months.”

“Yes, that’s possible,” Brother Chang agreed.

Upon hearing this, Chang Le’s heart skipped a beat, and a glimmer of hope emerged.

“We won’t figure anything out by speculating here. Let’s go see a doctor quickly. The doctor’s diagnosis will give us the answer,” Brother Chang’s mother suggested.

Brother Chang nodded and said, “Yes, yes, we shouldn’t guess randomly. Let Boss Yu take you to see the doctor.”

Saying that, Brother Chang turned to open the door, but Chang Le grabbed his arm.

“What’s wrong?” Brother Chang asked.

Chang Le gestured a few times to communicate.

Brother Chang looked surprised and said, “You want me to accompany you to see the doctor?”

Chang Le nodded and gestured, “Come with me, but don’t tell Brother Yu about this for now.”

Brother Chang held Chang Le’s hand and hesitated, “Are you worried?”

Chang Le’s eyes flickered, and he nodded gently.

He didn’t want Brother Yu to be disappointed. If he never knew about this, it would be fine. But if he found out, got excited, and later confirmed it wasn’t true, Brother Yu would definitely be disappointed. Going from hope to disappointment would also be hard for him to bear.

Brother Chang nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll accompany you.”

The three of them walked out the door.

Yu Qingze was waiting under the osmanthus tree, discussing something with Jiabao. When he saw them coming out, he quickly said, “Let’s go, we’re going to see the doctor.”

Chang Le shook his head and gestured, “You go and take care of the restaurant’s breakfast. We can’t all leave. What if we have to wait for a long time? Someone needs to cook.”

Yu Qingze replied, “It’s still early now. We can come back after seeing the doctor. Besides, the restaurant is not as important as your health.”

Upon hearing this, Chang Le blushed.

Brother Chang’s mother and Brother Chang exchanged a glance, both with a hint of amusement in their eyes.

Chang Le gestured, “Just let Brother Chang accompany me. As for the snack shop, Jiabao can settle the bill first.”

Yu Qingze furrowed his brow.

Brother Chang also said, “Boss Yu, let me accompany Brother Le. It won’t delay both sides. I promise to take him to Dr. Li’s and bring him back safely!”

Yu Qingze looked at the two of them and nodded, saying, “Alright then. Whatever the doctor says, make sure to tell me everything when you come back.”

Chang Le nodded.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: Oh ho, the old vomiting + dry heaving = pregnancy lol

Lord Cai’s Purpose

A group of people walked across several ridges and arrived at the field where Chang Le and his group were located.

Yu Qingze introduced himself to Grandpa Chang, Jiabao, and the others, as they didn’t know the Deputy County Magistrate. Chang Le and the others stood up and bowed to the three adults.

Lord Cai quickly said, “No need for formalities. This isn’t the yamen (government office). Let’s continue with our work.”

Jiabao walked over and called out, “Yifu.”

“Yes,” Lord Cai happily responded, watching Jiabao working hard and wiping the sweat off his forehead. He asked, “Are you tired?”

Jiabao shook his head, smiled, and said, “Not really. Well then, yifu, I’ll go back to work. We need to finish harvesting this field in the morning.”

“Alright, go ahead,” Lord Cai replied.

Watching Jiabao competently cutting the crops now, Lord Cai sighed and said, “After not seeing him for a few months, he has become even more sensible.”

Yu Qingze smiled and replied, “Yes, now he is like the little accountant of the shop, capable and responsible.”

Lord Cai laughed heartily and then asked, “Do we have any extra sickles? Let’s also do some cutting.”

Yu Qingze raised an eyebrow in surprise and asked, “You want to join too?”

Lord Cai nodded and asked in return, “What’s wrong? Don’t think I can do it?”

“No, I’ll go get the sickles,” Yu Qingze touched his nose, walked over to the crops he had been cutting, took his own sickle, and then went to the manure bin at the edge of the field, taking two spare sickles with him.

Yu Qingze handed his used sickle to Lord Cai and said, “This one has been used, so it’s sharper.”

Lord Cai handed the sickle to Luo Mingda.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Luo Mingda was stunned for a moment and pointed at himself, saying, “Me?”

Lord Cai nodded and said, “Give it a try. You are the local official of Tongshan, so you should know how the people under your jurisdiction live and work. Experience it for yourself, come on.”

Saying that, Lord Cai didn’t give Luo Mingda a chance to refuse and forcefully handed the sickle to him.

Luo Mingda: …

“Sir, how about I do it instead? Lord Luo has never done this before…” The Deputy County Magistrate quickly spoke up.

“Don’t worry, here’s yours.” Lord Cai handed another sickle to the Deputy County Magistrate.

Deputy County Magistrate: …

“Alright, let’s get started,” Lord Cai took off his outer robe and handed it to his attendant. Then he rolled up his sleeves, preparing to join the action.

Seeing that the prefect was going to participate, Luo Mingda and the Deputy County Magistrate had no choice but to take off their outer robes as well. Following Lord Cai’s example, they rolled up their sleeves and walked up to the rice crops.

“Do you need me to demonstrate for you?” Yu Qingze asked.

“You demonstrate for them,” Lord Cai said as he squatted down directly and started cutting the crops on the side that Yu Qingze had already cut. His movements were quite skillful.

Seeing that Lord Cai was doing fine, Yu Qingze turned his attention to Luo Mingda and the Deputy County Magistrate.

Luo Mingda handed the sickle in his hand to Yu Qingze.

Yu Qingze smiled and accepted it, demonstrating to them while explaining.

Afterward, Luo Mingda frowned and squatted down, imitating Yu Qingze’s actions. He used his left hand to hold the stalks and exerted force with his right hand.

Swish—

On the first attempt, he didn’t cut it completely. He furrowed his brows and exerted more force, finally cutting it, but the force was too strong. He stumbled backward and almost ended up sitting on the ground.

However, when Luo Mingda looked at the cut stalk, he chuckled and then moved on to cut the next one…

Yu Qingze watched from the side and chuckled, speaking up to remind him, “Sir, you can place the sickle a bit lower.”

“Oh, like this?” Luo Mingda heard the suggestion and cut a stalk a bit closer to the ground.

“Yes, that’s better,” Yu Qingze confirmed.

Upon hearing that the three adults were going to cut the crops, Jiabao and Chang Hao secretly looked over and couldn’t help but laugh as they watched.

Yu Qingze walked over and lightly tapped each of them on the head, saying, “What are you looking at? Start cutting.”

The two of them rubbed their foreheads and laughed, then continued cutting.

While they weren’t paying attention, the other villagers in the nearby fields were curiously watching. It was quite rare to see the city officials come to the fields to cut crops.

Lord Cai’s two attendants held the clothes of the three officials and walked over to Jiabao and Chang Hao. They took the sickles from their hands and squatted down to start cutting.

Jiabao and Chang Hao watched the two attendants, who swiftly and skillfully cut the crops much faster than them. The two of them poured some water to drink and sat on the field ridge to rest.

It was still early, not yet noon. Yu Qingze thought about the issue of lunch. With six additional people, the food at home might not be enough.

He walked over and discussed with Grandpa Chang. They decided to buy a fish from the old man by the river and slaughter a chicken. Along with the vegetables they already had at home, it should be enough.

After cutting for about fifteen minutes, Lord Cai felt tired from squatting and stood up to stretch.

Yu Qingze walked over and said, “Sir, let me do it.”

Lord Cai handed the sickle to Yu Qingze and said, “Then you do it. I’m cutting too slowly.”

Yu Qingze took the sickle and whispered to Lord Cai as he cut, “Sir, aren’t you afraid that Young Master Luo will throw a tantrum?”

Lord Cai squatted down and sighed, also speaking in a low voice, “His father wrote to me, asking me to help manage him. Sigh, his nature isn’t bad, but he’s accustomed to indulging in leisure and never thinks about serious matters.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingze sighed as well and asked, “Did you bring him here specifically for him to experience it?”

Lord Cai shook his head and said, “No, that’s just a side benefit. I received a letter from Wei’er saying that when they came to visit before, Chang Hao told Luo Mingda that you had introduced several new crops and even a foot-operated threshing machine. I wanted to come and see. The people are living in hardship. If there’s any way to increase grain production and income, to let them have enough to eat, I’m willing to give it a try. Master Sun is someone I found in Yunzhou who has ideas in this field, so I brought him along.”

Hearing this, Yu Qingze said, “I see. When we return, I’ll take you to see. There’s something called potatoes that has already been grown in the northern region and has shown results. We can grow it here too. We’ve already grown it for one season. I was planning to grow it for another season and wait until we have more sweet potatoes. Then I’ll mobilize the villagers to grow it together. It’s especially filling, and it’s mainly harvested in the winter and spring seasons. By the time we finish harvesting, it will be time to plant them, which will nicely connect with the spring rice planting.”

Lord Cai happily exclaimed, “So that means we can plant an extra season in the field?”

“Yes,” Yu Qingze nodded and said, “The survival rate of this crop seems to be good. It can be used for cooking, steaming, or stewing, just like sweet potatoes. The taste is quite good. I’ll make it for you to taste at noon.”

“That’s fantastic!” Lord Cai stood up excitedly and said, “Keep cutting, and once we’re done, we’ll go back and take a look. I’ll go talk to Master Sun first.”

Saying that, he went to find Master Sun.

With the assistance of Lord Cai’s two attendants, the cutting of the crops became much faster.

Luo Mingda and the Deputy County Magistrate were not cutting quickly, but of course, Yu Qingze didn’t expect much from them. After about two quarters of an hour, Yu Qingze asked Jiabao and Chang Hao to take over the sickles from the two officials.

Luo Mingda stood up with dirty hands, especially his right hand that held the sickle, with mud on his knuckles. However, when he turned to look at the small patch of rice he had cut behind him, even though it was somewhat crooked and unevenly placed, he inexplicably felt a sense of accomplishment. What was going on?

He chuckled, lifted his arm, and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

“Sir, there is water in the ditch at the edge of the field. You can wash your hands there,” Yu Qingze reminded them.

Luo Mingda and the Deputy County Magistrate went to wash their hands.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: Part two will be password protected. Please find the pw below.

Mutant armor required Fu Yanzhou’s research expansion to be able to construct the “Armor Forging Room.” Shen Cheng then shifted her attention to medical supplies.

The base’s medical field was at Level 2, and each production could only yield enough ingredients for ten doses of medicine. Based on this rate, in two days, they could only store twenty doses of medicine at most.

However, when the base went into battle, twenty doses would be like a drop in the bucket. Considering the scale of the base’s operations now, they’d need at least three to four hundred doses of medicine!

Medicine…

Thinking about this, she suddenly remembered her skill “Thousand Lives.” As a natural druid attuned to nature, she could not only command life but also manipulate flora. This was a skill tailored perfectly for this situation!

Hehehe, perhaps the real purpose of “Thousand Lives” was to consume mana potions to activate the skill, fostering the growth of plants and yielding a wealth of ingredients for medicine?

With this thought in mind, Shen Cheng readily extended her subscription for Thousand Lives for another month.

At this moment, with ample resources on hand, there’s no need for penny-pinching. After topping up the in-game currency, Lanlan can continue using it.

Walking through the base with a staff in hand, Shen Cheng floated along the base’s path. As she passed by, those on the sides lowered their heads as a sign of respect for the owner of the base.

The feelings towards her and towards Lanlan were completely different.

If it was said that Lanlan was the stern base manager who was often closer to them, while Shen Cheng appeared frequently, each time she appeared with the Buffs that she brought with her, it was like clouds and mist that were untouchable to them.

So, when she walked by, those on the side lowered their heads.

Shen Cheng used to think that this was a privilege given to the “whales” in the game, but after understanding the true situation of this world, every time she saw this scene, she felt a bit uneasy: she was just having fun in a game! The respect from these people made her feel guilty.

Shen Cheng’s heart felt a bit sour. The steps of the game had become heavier: she carried the weight of the entire base on her back.

Finally, she arrived at the herb garden.

There were already a few ordinary people busy in the herb garden, weeding, catching bugs, fertilizing, and taking care of the plants. When they saw Shen Cheng holding the staff and walking by, the fairytale-like woman with an aura Buff lifted the staff in her hand and waved it gently in the herb garden. Wherever her fingers passed, the small seedlings that were lying quietly in the soil suddenly grew as if they were given some kind of growth potion!

In just a few seconds, they had grown enough to be harvested!

Drawing a circle with her staff, as the staff emitted a faint light, the surrounding herbs fully ripened.

But it didn’t stop there. With graceful steps, she continued to walk, her intentions shimmering. Gradually, she disappeared into the sea of herbs.

When she completed a full circle and returned, the entire herb garden had fully matured.

Closing her eyes, the woman gently exhaled. The herbs in the ground flew up and neatly piled into a small mountain next to the field.

“God…” Was this divine-type ability or wood-type ability?

Everyone was left stunned.

Was this a self-planting growth-enhancement cheat? Or a self-harvesting machine?

With such an ability, what did they need them for?

While they were lost in thought, the woman took a breath, took out a blue bottle from her pocket, and unscrewed the cap to drink from it.

Perhaps because the skill consumption was substantial, beads of sweat had formed on her forehead, but she didn’t stop there. She walked again, took another sip of the potion, and then proceeded to use her ability again.

In front of the screen, Shen Cheng muttered that this wave of processes was quite monotonous.

The thing was, she had bought a cheap blue potion from the in-game store that only cost 50G, which was considered quite expensive in the present situation. Then, she completed the process of walking, using her ability, swiping the screen with her fingers, and harvesting all the herbs, piling them up in a corner.

What was more tedious was that due to the large quantity of healing herbs required, this procedure took a total of 40 rounds to complete. Even if it was highly mechanized, it still took several minutes!

Rounding up, she has been engaged in this rather monotonous “liver production” for nearly an hour! But as she watched the increasing pile of raw materials by her side, there’s contentment in her heart.

An hour plus spending fifty bucks resulted in 400 doses of potion ingredients—this is still considered a gain.

Shen Cheng looked at the little helpers from the base carrying the raw materials to the nearby equipment, watching as the herbs transformed into bottles of elixir, slowly filling up the base’s storage.

The base’s medical reserves were gradually growing larger, and it was becoming a state where the amount exchanged was more or less equal to the amount consumed.

【Base Elixir Reserves: Completed】

Shen Cheng didn’t realize that her several hours of loading elixirs for the base had actually boosted the morale of the people inside. As the battle approached and rumors about the impending zombie transformation spread throughout the base, the residents, who had been worried before, relaxed to some extent after seeing the well-supplemented elixirs. They understood its effects and felt a bit more at ease.

With elixirs that could even safeguard lives, as long as there was an ample supply of these elixirs, the survival rate of base members would increase.

Without the immediate risk of death, when they faced the zombies in battle, they wouldn’t be as timid and fearful.

What Shen Cheng didn’t realize was that the matter of the elixirs had already spread throughout the base.

Of course, there were also some whispers behind her back. Some muttered, “Since that person can mature all the herbs with a wave of her hand, why do we have to work hard to take care of them?” But those who said such things were swiftly scorned. Even though that person could mature the herbs with a wave of her hand, it was clear that she did so without any loss. Didn’t they see her drinking potions directly that day?

She was enduring consumption to help store medicine for the base, for their lives and health. If this wasn’t care for them, then what was? Rather than busy themselves with idle chatter, why not busy themselves with working?

Moreover, the ones usually working in the herb field were girls. This was considered a special and relatively safe job. If, as they said, someone was doing everything herself, it would be like shutting off all other paths.

This kind of talk was immediately suppressed, and there were some private discussions going on. These eyes that were quick to find fault could be compared to wolves among friends. The people in the base now cherished their lives, which were stable and had prospects. They would only think of the hardships in the wasteland and the struggle to survive when they were driven to the base.

What initially started as a habitual sarcastic remark quickly revealed its severe consequences.

Shen Cheng didn’t know that her act of helping to prepare herbs had actually established a solid vein of goodwill within the base. People who managed to exchange for the healing elixirs and saved their lives remembered her favor.

After finishing up, piling up all the elixirs in the storage, Shen Cheng realized that Lanlan was standing outside, quietly observing her busyness. It seemed that Lanlan had been waiting outside for a while.

Although there was no urging, it seemed that in any case, patience was not something in abundance. And even more importantly, watching as the people in the base respected and greeted her everywhere she went, just looking at this scene warmed Li Weilan’s heart.

It was as if they were both striving for the sake of the base, as if they had never been separated in two worlds.

Or perhaps, if he closed his eyes and fantasized, she would suddenly appear here, standing by his side.

So, looking through the glass, it felt like opening the window slightly, and this dream would awaken.

He would never be tired of watching her.

“Lanlan, you can go do something else. No need to watch me.” Shen Cheng restrained herself from saying: After all, Lanlan’s daily affairs were quite busy! As the practical leader of the base, he had countless things to take care of, from resources to assignments, requiring a great deal of attention. Sometimes, seeing simple task bars refresh in the game, the actual coordination required much more time.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Many times, she saw Lanlan still busy in his simple quarters, and back then, she thought it was just a game. She only felt that cub was working hard, but she didn’t think too much of it. Now, when she remembered the words “waiting every day in the game,” she would be shaken. It was like causing ripples on the surface of a pond, stirring up profound emotions. Because even though Lanlan was already so busy, he had never ignored her existence.

That’s right, when she was busy with real-world matters, Cub was actually waiting for her in the game? Or perhaps, he has been waiting here for quite a few times?

Thinking about it, Shen Cheng felt like her heart was being tugged.

Initially, it was an uncomplicated situation, but the more she thought about it, the more it seemed a bit unfair to Cub.

However, Li Weilan hadn’t thought so much—Shen Cheng in the game wasn’t a god, lacking any divine aura. There were no indicators, at most one could infer her thoughts and emotions from her speech tone. At this moment, her tone carried a hint of mild irritation, but Li Weilan didn’t dwell on it, he just smiled and said, “But it’s also helping us amass so many medicines. It’s nice to have someone to accompany you when you’re busy.”

“Ah, Lanlan!”

Shen Cheng sighed sincerely, yet a faint sweetness welled up in her heart.

Shen Cheng remembered that one of the game’s task bars was about storing fuel. She glanced at Li Weilan, who was conveniently nearby, and since she trusted her judgment, she read out the task requirements and asked, “What’s the purpose of storing fuel?”

The base currently relied on pure energy generation—whether it was converting thunder and lightning-based abilities into electricity or utilizing the kinetic energy from the hamsters running in circles, all of it required fuel.

Even the vehicles used in the base directly relied on electricity conversion.

Moreover, if the base used fossil fuels, Shen Cheng would have to question how the issue of carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide accumulation and ventilation would be handled. After all, the base was an entirely sealed environment. If there was too much carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide, would the base’s inherent ventilation system be sufficient to deal with it?

Precisely because she didn’t know the purpose of storing fuel, Shen Cheng looked at the “Energy Supply” building in the construction list and had no idea how to approach it.

After hearing the task requirements, Li Weilan said, “This fuel should be for a kind of weapon.”

Currently, there were only two types of ability users in the base, and their levels were considered high. The Wall was a kind of continuous weakening ability against the zombie horde. With a substantial amount of fuel, the zombies in the path could be incinerated to half health.

Hearing this, Shen Cheng understood. Looking at the “Weapon” section, indeed, there were additional options to craft weapons: Flame thrower.

【Flame thrower: A hand-held large-scale weapon. Wondering why the zombies lose half their health when they charge at you? Look at your hands, which are holding this flamethrower. The only flaw: it consumes a lot of fuel. Unless you have a mine at home, it’s recommended.】

🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

Like-minded People?

After a bumpy ride for about twenty minutes, the deputy county magistrate lifted the curtain and looked outside; they were still on the official road.

“Sir, did Lord Cai mention which village we’re going to?” the deputy county magistrate asked.

“He didn’t say,” Luo Mingda barely lifted his eyelids, showing obvious disinterest. Rural villages were mostly thatched houses, and once you entered, it was pitch-black like night during the day. He knew they were all pretty much the same, so there was nothing exciting to see.

The deputy county magistrate looked outside and said, “The villages on the western side of the city, the ones closer to the city, have better conditions and a slightly better standard of living for the villagers. The farther you go, the poorer it gets.”

Luo Mingda slightly opened his eyes and looked at the county magistrate. He asked, “How many decent villages have we passed by now?”

The deputy county magistrate nodded and said, “Based on the carriage’s route, it doesn’t seem like we’re heading into any village. I don’t know where Lord Cai wants to go.”

Luo Mingda closed his eyes again and said, “We’ll find out when we arrive. It’s not up to us to decide. Just go along with it.” In these matters, it was always the higher-ups who decided where to go.

The deputy county magistrate continued to look outside. After a while, he said, “We’re turning into a village road.”

Luo Mingda clearly felt that the road became more bumpy and frowned, asking, “Which village are we heading to?”

The county magistrate replied, “There are several villages in this area. The first one is called Niutou Village.”

“Oh,” Luo Mingda responded, thinking to himself that the name of the village was quite common.

After a while, the carriage came to a stop.

The deputy county magistrate saw Lord Cai and his group getting off in front and quickly said, “We’ve arrived. It’s Niutou Village.”

Luo Mingda opened his eyes.

The coachman outside opened the carriage door curtain and reminded them, “Gentlemen, we’ve arrived.”

Luo Mingda and the deputy county magistrate got off the carriage and were greeted by the sight of a newly built house made of blue bricks and tiles. This surprised Luo Mingda.

Luo Mingda blinked and said to the deputy county magistrate, “Are there such good houses in this village?”

The deputy county magistrate glanced at the house and then looked at the other houses in the village. He said, “This should be the house of Yu Qingze. He runs a shop in the city and earns a lot of money.”

“You said who?” Luo Mingda widened his eyes, thinking he misheard, and even rubbed his ears before asking again.

“It’s Yu Qingze, the owner of that restaurant you really like, Yu’s Delicious Delights, and House of Prosperity,” the deputy county magistrate answered.

“This is his house? He lives in the countryside?” Luo Mingda asked in astonishment.

The deputy county magistrate nodded and replied, “Yes, his registered residence is in Niutou Village.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier that he’s in Niutou Village?” Luo Mingda furrowed his brow. He didn’t expect Yu Qingze to live in the village. Since Yu Qingze is the sworn brother of the adopted son of the Cai family, Luo Mingda assumed he lived in the city. Why would the Cai family let their adopted son live in a village?

The deputy county magistrate felt wronged and said, “I thought you knew.” He couldn’t understand how Luo Mingda didn’t know when he frequently dined at Yu Qingze’s restaurant but came to ask about something he rarely visited.

Luo Mingda: …

“Hey, Lord Luo, Deputy County Magistrate, come over here, let’s go to the fields,” Lord Cai called out after standing for a while and noticing them whispering to each other.

Luo Mingda and the county magistrate walked over. They joined Lord Cai and headed towards the village together. deputy

Knowing that this was Yu Qingze’s village, Luo Mingda’s mood improved significantly. The frustration he felt earlier upon hearing about their visit to the village completely disappeared.

He speculated that considering Lord Cai’s relationship with Yu Qingze, they had come all the way to the village, so they should at least be treated to a meal for lunch, right?

With his improved mood, Luo Mingda began to think about other things. He walked up to Lord Cai and asked, “Sir, you’re so busy. Why did you decide to come and see the autumn harvest?”

With so many counties under the jurisdiction of the prefecture, why did they come to Tongshan? And among the many villages in Tongshan, why did they specifically come to Niutou Village, where Yu Qingze resided?

In fact, Lord Cai also took the opportunity to taste Yu Qingze’s culinary skills, didn’t he?

After pondering for a while, Luo Mingda came up with a seemingly logical conclusion.

“One is to observe the autumn harvest, and the other… well, it’s for something else. You’ll find out soon enough,” Lord Cai calmly replied.

Sure enough! Luo Mingda glanced at Lord Cai and thought to himself, “I didn’t expect Lord Cai to be one of us!”

At this moment, the villagers in the village were busy in the fields. Occasionally, someone would carry a load of grain back home, moving hurriedly.

A group of four or five-year-old children were playing outside. When they saw a group of people who clearly looked like city dwellers approaching, they curiously stopped and watched. But as soon as the group approached, the children immediately ran off.

At that moment, a man carrying a load of grain walked over. He didn’t recognize the group and could tell from their attire that they were not from the village.

He stopped and asked, “Honored guests, what brings you to Niutou Village?”

Lord Cai, upon hearing the question, smiled and replied, “Fellow villager, we are here to find Yu Qingze. His house is locked, and he’s probably busy in the fields. Could you please direct us to the fields?”

Upon hearing that they were looking for Yu Qingze, the man immediately understood. After all, there were no other people in the village who could be sought after by such visitors.

“Ah, so you’re here to find Aze,” the man said, turning around and pointing. “Just follow this road straight ahead, go to the side of the small creek, cross the creek, and take the road next to the big tree. Keep going straight, and you’ll reach the fields.”

“Oh, thank you,” Lord Cai smiled and thanked him.

The group quickly followed the directions given by the man and left the village. After crossing the small creek, the scenery ahead suddenly opened up. They were greeted by a vast expanse of neatly cultivated paddy fields, with golden rice swaying in the wind, creating a ripple-like effect.

Lord Cai took a deep breath and said, “Harvest time always brings excitement.”

Beside him was his attendant named Sun, whom Lord Cai respectfully addressed as Master Sun.

Master Sun chimed in, “Indeed, especially during the autumn harvest. Whether the people can have a good winter depends on this harvest.”

Lord Cai nodded in agreement.

Luo Mingda looked at the deputy county magistrate with confusion in his eyes.

The deputy county magistrate had been getting along with Luo Mingda for several months now, so he understood that Luo Mingda had questions.

He took a step forward and whispered an explanation in Luo Mingda’s ear, “After the autumn harvest, they have to wait until the summer harvest in June or July of the following year to reap again. It’s a long time, and they also have to pay taxes. The success or failure of the autumn harvest directly affects whether the villagers will have enough food to get through the winter and sustain themselves until the next summer harvest.”

“Oh…” Luo Mingda nodded, indicating that he understood. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “If the harvest is not good, will many people go hungry in the spring next year?”

The deputy county magistrate nodded.

Young Master Luo had never thought about these issues before. Even during times of war and turmoil, his family never experienced hunger. In his eyes, food was simply a matter of whether it tasted good or not, and the concept of scarcity or lack of food never crossed his mind.

Seeing the deputy county magistrate’s nod, he pondered.

He knew that the Ministry of Personnel assessed the performance of officials based on how well they governed the lives of the people under their jurisdiction, including whether there were many deaths from starvation. These were all aspects of the assessment.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Lord Cai glanced at Luo Mingda, smiled, and said, “Let’s go, let’s go take a look.”

The group of them walked along the dirt road into the fields.

The villagers, seeing a group of people coming to the fields, watched them curiously, wanting to see who they were looking for.

Yu Qingze and the others were cutting the crops in a field closer to the foot of the mountain that morning. They were all squatting down, their bodies obscured by the rice stalks, making them difficult to spot.

After walking a considerable distance without finding Yu Qingze and the others, Lord Cai asked a man they met on the way.

Upon hearing the question, the man first pointed them in the right direction, but there was no one to be seen in that direction. So, he raised his voice and shouted, “Aze! Aze! Yu Qingze, people from the city are looking for you!”

Then, Lord Cai and the others saw that several dozen heads suddenly appeared among the golden rice stalks, all looking in their direction, and a few people stood up.

In the rice fields at the foot of the mountain, upon hearing the man’s voice, Yu Qingze and the others stood up and looked towards the road.

“Who is it?” Chang Hao shielded his eyes with his hand to block the sun as he looked in that direction.

The others were also looking.

“It seems like it’s my adoptive father and the county magistrate,” Jiabao squinted his eyes and observed before saying.

Upon hearing that it was Lord Cai and the county magistrate, Yu Qingze and the others were somewhat surprised.

Why did they come?

“I’ll go take a look. You guys continue cutting,” Yu Qingze said. They needed to finish cutting this field in the morning so they could use the threshing machine in the afternoon.

Yu Qingze stuck his sickle into the mud and walked towards the road.

On the other side, Lord Cai and his group were also walking towards them.

After walking on the dirt road, Lord Cai didn’t wait for his attendants to come and assist him. He went straight up onto the field ridge.

Luo Mingda frowned as he looked at the narrow field ridge. Why did they have to go down? Wouldn’t it be better to wait here for Yu Qingze to come?

Master Sun, the deputy county magistrate, and the two attendants were waiting for Luo Mingda to go first. Seeing that he didn’t move, the deputy county magistrate reminded him, “Sir? Should I go down first?”

Luo Mingda nodded.

The deputy county magistrate went down first, then reached out his arm to give Luo Mingda a helping hand.

Luo Mingda looked at Lord Cai, who had turned back, and had to lift his robe, grabbing onto the deputy county magistrate’s arm, and jumped down.

The two groups converged in an empty field.

Upon seeing the two officials, Yu Qingze bowed and asked, “Why have the two officials come into the village?”

Lord Cai smiled and said, “Well, it’s harvest season, so we came to see how everyone’s harvest is.”

Yu Qingze looked at the fields and replied, “It’s been okay this year. We haven’t encountered any natural disasters or major pest infestations. Everyone says it’s acceptable.”

In fact, in Yu Qingze’s eyes, the rice yield per mu here was really low, probably only around three to four hundred kilograms per mu. Unlike in his previous life, where he had hybrid rice developed by the team led by *Grandpa Yuan Longping, which could achieve yields of seven to eight hundred kilograms per mu, and the super hybrid rice even set a record of one thousand kilograms per mu. It could be said that with just one Grandpa Yuan Longping, over a billion people were fed!

(T/N: Grandpa Yuan Longping refers to a renowned Chinese scientist and agronomist known as the “Father of Hybrid Rice.”)

Upon hearing this, Lord Cai nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, “That’s good, that’s good.”

“Sir, the fields are dirty and messy. Let’s go back home to talk,” Yu Qingze said quickly as he saw Luo Mingda repeatedly rubbing the mud off his shoe soles on the straw.

Lord Cai followed his gaze and said, “No need. I brought Lord Luo here to experience the rural life. Lord Luo, Lord Luo…”

Luo Mingda was busy rubbing the mud off his shoes when he heard Lord Cai calling him. He suddenly looked up and asked, “What’s the matter, sir?”

“Stop rubbing, won’t you need to do it again later?” Lord Cai chuckled, shaking his head, and said.

That makes sense. Luo Mingda looked at his shoes with a conflicted expression, then rubbed them a few more times before walking over to Lord Cai’s side and asking, “Why are they harvesting the crops when the fields are still wet?”

Yu Qingze stepped on the field beneath his feet and smiled, “The villagers are used to a little mud. It’s not a big deal.” The field was only about 70-80% dry, so stepping on it would still bring up some mud. For someone like Luo Mingda, it was indeed quite dirty.

“It’s fine,” Lord Cai waved his hand and looked at Luo Mingda. He said, “Lord Luo, how about we go and help Aze and the others?”

“Huh?” Luo Mingda was bewildered, but since the governor had suggested it, he could only nod and say, “Oh, okay.”

Lord Cai suppressed a smile and said to Yu Qingze, “Let’s go, let’s go see your field.”

Yu Qingze understood why Lord Cai had brought Luo Mingda along. He nodded and took the lead, walking ahead.

Luo Mingda struggled to hold up his clothes and followed cautiously behind.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Author’s Note:

Luo Mingda: So, Lord Cai, we’re in the same boat, huh?

Lord Cai: …Which boat?

Luo Mingda: We’re both willing to go the extra mile for a delicious meal!

Lord Cai helplessly shook his head: …This silly child doesn’t really understand the deeper meaning behind it all.

Thandar: What is the deeper meaning behind it all? I don’t understand either.

Visit from Lord Cai

In the kitchen, Yu Qingze brought out the steamed fresh fish, while Chang Le finished three servings of Fish-flavored Eggplant.

“Serve the steamed fresh fish to Table 5 and Table 9! Serve the Fish-flavored Eggplant to Table 10, Table 11, and Autumn Chrysanthemum Pavilion!” Yu Qingze called out as he placed the two dishes in the serving area. Immediately, a waiter came in and took the dishes out.

“Brother Le, next I’ll make Sautéed Clams, and you make Spicy and Sour Chicken Offal. There are four tables for the Spicy and Sour Chicken Offal, so make four portions,” Yu Qingze looked at the menu hanging above their heads and said to Chang Le. They both used large woks for cooking, allowing them to prepare multiple servings at once, saving time.

Chang Le nodded and turned to wash the wok, filled it with water, and started heating the oil.

Yu Qingze looked at the orders for the clams and called over the waiter who was waiting at the entrance. He said to him, “Go and call Xiao Cong from the second floor, I need to see him.”

“Okay, Boss Yu,” the waiter nodded and went upstairs.

After a while, Xiao Cong came down. “Boss, you called for me?”

Yu Qingze saw Xiao Cong coming down. He said, “Xiao Cong, I remember that Lord Luo cannot eat seafood, and clams are from the sea. Please go and confirm with the customers.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Cong replied, “Boss, Jiabao already told me about this. I confirmed it when they placed the order. It’s for Madam Luo and his two children, not for Lord Luo.”

“Is that so? Very well, both you and Jiabao did a good job. Remember this incident and in the future, if Lord Luo comes, make sure to keep this in mind. We must never let him consume seafood,” Yu Qingze said, surprised by the attention to detail from Jiabao and Xiao Cong. He felt pleased with them.

Receiving praise from the boss, Xiao Cong smiled and nodded, saying, “Okay, I’ll remember. I’ll also inform Brother Qing.” Brother Qing, like Xiao Cong, was responsible for the second floor.

“Good, tomorrow morning I’ll emphasize it again to everyone. Now, go and attend to your tasks,” Yu Qingze said.

“Yes,” Xiao Cong replied and went back to work.

After Xiao Cong left, Xiao Shu came in to serve the dishes. Yu Qingze took the opportunity to ask about the situation outside.

Xiao Shu smiled and answered, “It’s going well. The customers are praising the food, but some of those who haven’t received their dishes yet are getting impatient. There was a little boy who had three bowls of rice and still wanted more, but his father didn’t allow it. The boy started crying, and it took some effort to calm him down. I was worried he might overeat and have problems.”

The people in the kitchen all laughed when they heard that. Da Song, who was chopping vegetables, chuckled and said, “The first time I ate the boss’s food, I couldn’t stop, let alone kids.”

Qiu Shu, busy tending to the fire, teasingly remarked to Da Song, “You little rascal, eating me out of house and home. When you were fourteen or fifteen, your father used to say that all the family’s food was consumed by you.”

Everyone laughed.

Xiao Shu picked up a freshly cooked stew and said, “That’s right, he even sneaked into his family’s field to dig up sweet potatoes to munch on. His mother scolded him for a good while when she found out.”

Da Song jokingly scolded, “Xiao Shu, you’re no better than me. Weren’t you digging them up with me? You were so smart, only digging up mine. You didn’t think of taking me to dig up yours!”

“If I took you to dig up mine, wouldn’t it be my mother scolding me?” Xiao Shu replied, then carried the dishes out.

Everyone burst into laughter once again. Yu Qingze and Chang Le couldn’t help but laugh when they heard the banter.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

It wasn’t until the second half of the hour of Wei (1 p.m. to 3 p.m.) that the number of customers in Yu’s House of Prosperity restaurant began to decrease, and everyone finally got a little rest.

Yu Qingze gathered everyone for a small meeting to hear about the issues they encountered during lunchtime.

This was an old tradition in snack shops. Xiao Shu, Brother Qing, and Xiao Hai were already accustomed to it and took the lead in sharing their experiences. Upon hearing this, the others also began to speak up.

The main issue they faced was how to handle various customer requests. Currently, they were not able to handle them flexibly, and this was where the difference between experienced and inexperienced staff became apparent.

Although Xiao Shu, Brother Qing, and Xiao Hai had some experience dealing with customers in the snack shop, the operating model there was different. Customers would order and receive their items directly, making it simple. So, when it came to serving tables in the restaurant, they were still relatively new to it. However, their frequent interactions with customers in the snack shop made them less prone to nervousness when facing customers in the restaurant.

On the other hand, experienced staff like Xiao Cong, Da Hui, and Da Lin were more adept at handling such situations, and thus encountered fewer problems.

Yu Qingze asked them to share their methods and demonstrated them to the others.

Xiao Cong generously explained how he would respond to customers, and Da Lin also shared a few sentences. Da Hui touched his head and said, “It’s probably similar to what Xiao Cong and Da Lin said.”

Xiao Shu and the others listened and gained some experience, which made the dinner rush much smoother.

At the end of the first day of business, everyone cleaned up the restaurant and left. Xiao Cong and the others went home, and the employees from the village went back to their rented houses to wash up and sleep. Jiabao also went with them to stay overnight.

The restaurant had only two rooms. Yu Qingze and Chang Le stayed in one, while the other room was used to store many ingredients, which had an unpleasant smell. So, Yu Qingze let Jiabao stay there as well.

On the second day of opening, Grandpa Chang came over to fetch water and brought a small basket of potatoes for them.

“Aze, these potatoes were this big nearly half a month ago, and now they’re still about the same size. It seems like they’re not growing anymore, and the leaves are starting to turn yellow,” Grandpa Chang frowned as he held a potato and spoke to Yu Qingze.

Yu Qingze took one and examined it. It seemed smaller than when Da He brought them back from the river. He recalled that in his previous life, potatoes were mostly harvested in winter and spring. He said, “It might be because the temperature was too high before. Should we dig them up if the leaves are turning yellow?”

Grandpa Chang nodded. “Yes, we should dig them up, or else they’ll spoil. Look at this one. It was eaten by insects. I checked, and some of them are not covered by mud, and the skin has turned green.”

“Yes, potatoes that are exposed to the ground tend to turn green. Grandpa, let’s dig them all up. We can plant them again in a couple of months,” Yu Qingze said.

Grandpa Chang replied, “Alright.”

During lunch that day, Yu Qingze made the potatoes into a spicy and sour shredded potato dish for everyone to taste.

Another day passed, and Grandpa Chang dug up all the potatoes. He came to the city again and said, “There are three baskets in total. I’ve stored them in the empty room to keep them cool. In a few days, it will be time for harvesting. You won’t go back, will you?”

With the restaurant just opening and business doing well, it wasn’t feasible for them to go back home.

“We’ll go back. If we don’t, how will you manage everything on your own?” Yu Qingze replied.

Grandpa Chang said, “We can hire help for the harvest. Besides, there’s no need for us to plant rice seedlings anymore. A delay of a couple of days won’t make much difference. The restaurant is doing great, and the money we earn in two or three days exceeds the value of all the grain.”

Yu Qingze pondered for a moment and said, “Then could you go and ask the village chief for help? I also need to ask the other staff in the restaurant. If most of them want to go back for the harvest, the restaurant won’t be able to handle the workload.”

There were already around twenty employees from the village helping out at the snack shop and the restaurant, with nearly half of the households in the village providing labor to Yu Qingze.

Taking advantage of the absence of customers, Yu Qingze asked them. Three of the employees were planning to go back, and two others had younger siblings who couldn’t help much, so they also needed to return home. The rest of the employees were undecided.

Out of the five who planned to leave, one was responsible for cooking, and the other two were in charge of vegetable preparation. Without them in the kitchen, it would be overwhelming for the remaining staff. Yu Qingze decided to close the restaurant for four days during the harvest.

By the second day of opening, Yu’s House of Prosperity’s reputation had already spread.

Initially, Yu’s Delicious Delights’ reputation in Tongshan City was already quite prominent, and now with another restaurant, Yu’s brand had become synonymous with gourmet food in Tongshan City.

The restaurant’s business was thriving day by day, and the number of customers kept increasing. Sometimes people had to wait for twenty to thirty minutes, or even half an hour, to get a table.

Yu Qingze hurriedly ordered a batch of chairs to be placed under the eaves outside for waiting customers. He also prepared small wooden cards for Jiabao to distribute according to the order of arrival, to avoid any confusion or disputes.

On September 23rd, Yu’s House of Prosperity closed for four days for the autumn harvest.

Some customers who specifically came to eat saw the closure notice and shook their heads with regret. Yu’s restaurant was great in every aspect, except for the fact that they had to close for a few days during the summer and autumn harvests. However, these loyal customers had become accustomed to it and were willing to wait.

During lunchtime, Luo Mingda returned from the county government office. When he looked at the dishes on the table, he felt that something was amiss. The appearance and aroma of the food seemed off.

“Why isn’t it the food from Yu’s today?” he asked in a harsh and unhappy tone.

Madam Luo served him a bowl of rice and replied, “Yu’s House of Prosperity has closed for four days for the harvest.”

“What? Closed again? And for four days?” Luo Mingda frowned. “What about the snack shop?”

“That’s closed for four days as well,” Madam Luo answered.

Luo Mingda: …

He frowned and sat down, taking the rice from Madam Luo’s hand. He looked at the dishes made by their own cook on the table and hesitated to pick up the chopsticks placed in front of him.

“Don’t you like it?” Madam Luo asked, observing his expression.

Luo Mingda shook his head and finally picked up the chopsticks. He leisurely picked up a piece of twice-cooked pork.

This dish of twice-cooked pork was made by their cook imitating the one from Yu’s House of Prosperity. It looked somewhat similar, but the taste was miles apart.

It had a greasy flavor that made his mouth feel oily.

Luo Mingda didn’t like fatty meat; it was too greasy. He had enjoyed the dish at Yu’s House of Prosperity before because it wasn’t greasy, but now…

He furrowed his brow instantly, struggling to swallow it down. He quickly took a sip of tea to alleviate the sensation.

Seeing his reaction, Madam Luo said, “Why don’t you eat some vegetables?” He picked up a piece of greens and placed it in Luo Mingda’s bowl.

Luo Mingda looked at the greens in his bowl with a bitter expression and forced himself to eat them. Why did the dishes prepared by their own cook taste so awful after eating at Yu’s for the past few days?!

“… There’s still a bit of leftover spicy chicken giblets from Yu’s last night. Should I heat it up for you?” Unable to bear seeing him suffer while eating, Madam Luo suggested.

Luo Mingda quickly nodded and said, “Yes, please, hurry.”

“Leftovers?” Madam Luo reminded him. Luo Mingda had always been brought up in a privileged manner and never ate leftovers. Every meal had to be freshly prepared. Even during the years of war, when his family wasn’t heavily affected, he never had to eat leftovers. They might have had simpler meals, but everything was freshly cooked.

Hearing this, Luo Mingda furrowed his brow and looked at the dishes on the table, then turned to his wife with a pitiful expression.

“… Alright, let’s wait. I’ll ask Ming Shu to heat it up,” Madam Luo said, walking to the door to instruct the servant.

Luo Mingda quickly nodded, set down his chopsticks, and waited.

“Wife, is there any of that eggplant casserole from yesterday left?” Luo Mingda asked.

A little boy of four or five years old next to Madam Luo replied, “Father, it’s all gone. I ate it this morning.”

Luo Mingda: “…Oh.”

The next day, as soon as Luo Mingda sat down at the county yamen, he saw the governor, Lord Cai, accompanied by his aides and two attendants, coming in.

“Lord Cai? How come you have time to come down?” Luo Mingda stood up to greet him.

Lord Cai smiled and said, “Good news. Change into lighter clothes and call the deputy county magistrate. We’re going to visit the villages nearby.”

Luo Mingda asked, “Ah? Go to the villages?”

Lord Cai replied, “Yes, to see the autumn harvest situation. Hurry up!”

Luo Mingda: “…Oh.”

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Grand Opening of the Restaurant

Two days after posting the job advertisement, several experienced waiters came one after another. Yu Qingze interviewed each of them in the backyard and selected one.

That morning, when Boss Qin came to have some dim sum, he saw Yu Qingze hiring waiters and recommended someone to him. It was Xiao Cong, a former waiter at his teahouse.

“Xiao Cong is a smart and diligent boy with a strong sense of loyalty. He only has an elderly parent at home. I felt sorry for him before, so I let him work as a waiter at my teahouse. He was only ten years old at that time and has been working there for seven years. Now he’s seventeen. In the past two years, my teahouse hasn’t been doing well, and the other waiters left after losing their tips, but he stayed. He said he would work for me for as long as my teahouse remains open.”

Yu Qingze had some recollection of the waiter he saw at the teahouse that day and asked, “What is he doing now?”

Boss Qin replied, “There haven’t been many restaurants in the city hiring waiters recently, so he started selling hawthorn candy gourds on his own.”

If Boss Qin gave such a recommendation, the person must be reliable. Yu Qingze said, “Could you please ask him if he is willing to come and work here?”

Boss Qin exclaimed with surprise, “You agreed?”

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “You recommended him, so he must be good.”

“In that case, I’ll go and ask him right away.”

It didn’t take long for Xiao Cong to arrive.

“Boss Yu, I heard that you are hiring waiters here. I’ve been working as a waiter at a teahouse for seven years. Could you take a look and see if I’m suitable?” Xiao Cong entered and saw Yu Qingze without any hesitation. He didn’t mention that he was recommended by Boss Qin, and he directly spoke with a smile.

Yu Qingze nodded inwardly and said, “I’ve seen you at the teahouse. I heard that you’re selling hawthorn candy gourds now?”

“Boss Yu has a good memory. It’s hard to find opportunities in the city recently, so I’m just making a living by selling hawthorn candy gourds.”

“I heard that you’ve been working as a waiter at the teahouse since you were ten?”

“Yes, I was young back then and didn’t know anything. It was Boss Qin’s kindness that gave me a job. Boss Yu, I heard that you’re opening a new restaurant? I haven’t worked at a restaurant before, but I have a good memory and learn quickly. I don’t know if I meet your requirements?”

“That’s not a problem. Have you encountered many troublemaking customers?”

“Quite a few. Most of the teahouse customers are elderly people, idle young masters, and some businesspeople discussing matters. Some customers have short tempers and can get into arguments with their companions. I’ve even witnessed several fights…”

Yu Qingze chatted with Xiao Cong for a while and then decided to keep him. Xiao Cong was clever, quick to react, and had experience in handling unruly customers. The customers he had served before were from affluent families, so Yu Qingze assigned him to work as a waiter in the private rooms on the second floor.

Over the next two days, Yu Qingze met several more candidates and finally chose the older ger, Da Hui, to stay.

With the team assembled, Yu Qingze immediately rented a four-room house based on the number of villagers needing accommodation. He then placed the bunk beds that they had previously arranged with the village chief inside, and they could move in right away.

Afterward, he gathered all the employees and conducted training for them in the backyard of the snack shop.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

A total of thirteen people, including three villagers, were exchanged with the snack shop. Xiao Shu, Brother Qing, and Xiao Hai were transferred over.

Yu Qingze hung a large wooden board on the osmanthus tree, on which he wrote the menu for the opening. There were a total of thirty dishes, including six cold dishes, fifteen hot dishes, three soups, three main courses, and three desserts.

These were the dishes he selected after combining the cooking skills of Chang Le and Jiabao. They would need someone to handle the cash register at the counter, and at least two people to cook in order to ensure the speed of serving. All three of them had learned both cooking and cashier duties, so they could take turns resting at the counter when they got tired from cooking.

Yu Qingze required all the employees to memorize the names and features of each dish, the main ingredients, whether it was salty or sweet, spicy or not, and approximately how long it would take to prepare.

He also asked the two uncles responsible for cleaning and washing dishes to try their best to remember. He told them that if they did well, they might be transferred to the front to work as waiters.

There was a difference in monthly wages between waiters and those responsible for cleaning and washing dishes. The two uncles in charge of cleaning and dishwashing were quite enthusiastic and listened carefully to Yu Qingze’s explanations.

Every day, he would describe the characteristics of four dishes and even show them the actual dishes to help them memorize.

After finishing the menu, he began to train them in some knowledge required by hotel waiters in his previous life. For example, taking orders—reminding the staff to inquire about the customers’ preferences, guiding them to choose dishes with shorter preparation times if they order dishes that take a long time to make, coordinating hot and cold dishes, and paying attention to the timing to avoid keeping customers waiting at empty tables.

Yu Qingze trained them on everything he knew and could think of, conducting practical exercises to ensure that everyone had a basic understanding.

After completing the training for the entire team, Yu Qingze provided special training to two recruits specifically hired for washing and cutting vegetables. These were honest young men whom he planned to groom as future chefs, if all went well.

After more than twenty days of training, the employees had passed the basic requirements, and the renovation of the new establishment was also completed.

Yu Qingze led the team to clean the new premises, arrange the tables and chairs neatly, ensure that all utensils were in place, decorate with some potted plants, tidy up the interior, hang the signboard, and cover it with a red cloth. With everything in order, they selected an auspicious day and prepared to open.

On the 15th day of the ninth month, at the hour of snake (between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM), Yu Qingze’s first restaurant, Yu’s House of Prosperity, officially opened.

As usual, Yu Qingze invited a lion dance troupe to perform, and he also invited the Cai and Zhao families, as well as Madam Zhao, to attend the opening. Many loyal customers of the snack shop also came to join the celebration, along with passersby, making the opening ceremony lively and bustling.

To celebrate the opening, there was a three-day period during which customers could enjoy a 20% discount on their meals.

After the conclusion of the opening ceremony, around noon, some customers decided to sit inside the restaurant, enjoying tea and chatting.

They were attracted by the reputation of Yu’s brand and Yu Qingze’s culinary skills.

The people from the Cai and Zhao families gathered at a large private room and sat together. Some of them had tasted Yu Qingze’s dishes at the gratitude banquet held at the Cai residence. Upon hearing about the opening of his restaurant, they brought their families to dine there, indirectly giving face to the Cai family.

Yu Qingze and Chang Le went into the kitchen to start their work after the customers had placed their orders.

In terms of ordering, Yu Qingze didn’t follow the old-fashioned method prevalent in Tongshan City, where the menu was solely reliant on the memory of the waitstaff and chefs.

He numbered each dish on the menu and displayed it on the wall behind the counter and in the kitchen. He also bought some inexpensive paper and cut it into small pieces.

After customers finished ordering, the waitstaff would inform Jiabao at the counter. Jiabao would write down the table number and the corresponding dish number on a small piece of paper and pass it to the kitchen through the waitstaff. Yu Qingze and Chang Le would then refer to the menu while preparing the dishes, avoiding confusion or mistakes caused by relying solely on memory.

Each dish was presented one by one, and when the customers took their first bite, they were once again amazed.

The flavors were extraordinary!

They were already familiar with the several cold dishes and steamed dishes in the snack shop, but now they tasted the stir-fried dishes and found that the flavors seemed even better than those of the snack shop’s dishes.

There were also many unfamiliar dish names. Dishes like “Fish Head with Chopped Chili,” “Fish-Flavored Eggplant,” “Boiled Sliced Pork,” “Ants Climbing a Tree” – they had never heard of these before!

And most importantly, they were all incredibly delicious!

Look at this Twice-Cooked Pork. It glistened with oil, had a rich meaty aroma, and the meat itself was fatty but not greasy. The slightly spicy flavor also had a hint of sweetness.

Now try this Braised Lion’s Head Meatball. The fragrance wafted up, and with one bite, it revealed a fresh and savory taste. The broth was full-bodied, and the vibrant green vegetables on the side absorbed any excess oil, making it not the least bit greasy, only fragrant!

The customers who were already enjoying their meals couldn’t stop praising the food, while the customers who were still waiting for their dishes could only long for the tantalizing aroma and listen to the compliments of others.

At noon, a few esteemed guests arrived at the restaurant – Luo Mingda and his family.

The staff at the entrance didn’t recognize Luo Mingda, but when Jiabao saw him, he quickly went up to greet him.

“Lord Luo, Madam Luo, young master, welcome.”

Luo Mingda had met Jiabao before, and he immediately smiled and said, “I heard about Boss Yu’s restaurant opening, so I came to taste it. Do you have a private room available?”

“There happens to be one vacant upstairs. Lord Luo, please follow me upstairs.” Jiabao led them upstairs, made arrangements, instructed the waiters to serve them well, and then quickly went to the kitchen to inform Yu Qingze that County Magistrate Luo’s family had arrived and were in the Ink Plum Pavilion upstairs.

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingze raised an eyebrow, not too surprised. For the past few months, Luo Mingda’s servants would come to the shop every day to buy takeout dim sum. Their demands for food were exceptionally refined.

“Alright, make sure the staff on the second floor takes good care of them,” Yu Qingze replied.

“I’ve taken care of it. Should I inform the people from the Cai and Zhao families?”

“Just quietly mention it to Master Luo, remind him, and he’ll know what to do.”

“Alright, then, Big Brother, I’ll go now.”

“Good.”

Meanwhile, in the Xiang Man Yuan, half a street away, Shi Sheng poured a cup of tea for Jia Xiaoren and said, “Husband, Yu’s new restaurant opened today, and it’s quite lively. I sent someone to take a look, and it’s completely full. I heard that County Magistrate Luo’s family also went.”

Jia Xiaoren took a sip of tea, set down the teacup, pulled Shi Sheng into his lap, pinched his waist, and playfully lifted his chin, saying, “What’s wrong, my dear? Are you anxious?”

Shi Sheng hugged Jia Xiaoren’s neck and tenderly replied, “I’m not anxious at all. I trust you, my husband. I’m just a little worried about whether it will affect our restaurant’s business.”

Jia Xiaoren smiled and gave him a kiss on the lips, saying, “Don’t worry. When a new restaurant opens, it’s always lively for a while. Besides, he has connections with the Cai Residence and Zhao Residence, so the business won’t be bad. But anyone who dares to compete with me for business will have to go home and grow sweet potatoes.”

“I trust you, my husband. You’re the best,” Shi Sheng chuckled softly, kissed Jia Xiaoren’s face, and then nestled on his shoulder, his eyes immediately turning cold.

Yu Qingze, Chang Le, and that waiter, he wouldn’t let any of them go.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Author’s Note: Shi Sheng is Jia Xiaoren’s concubine.

As for how they got together, there’s a story behind it.

The story is not over yet. He still has a role to play in driving the plot.

In any case, he will have his own ending.

Thandar: Thank you, author. I thought he was the main wife. On the side note, who would marry him as a main wife with his reputation of stealing someone else’s fiance in public.

Rarity Commands Value

Seeing those red fruits, Yu Qingze immediately walked over, squatted down, and leaned in to smell. The leaves of the tomato plant had a pungent smell, and he picked up a cluster of four small tomatoes the size of a child’s fist and took a sniff. Immediately, he detected that delightful aroma.

“Dahe, did you just say that you’re giving this to us…to repel mosquitoes?” Yu Qingze asked, feeling a bit lost for words.

Dahe nodded and said, “This thing is really effective in repelling mosquitoes. Just place a pot of it in the room, and the number of mosquitoes will be greatly reduced. We heard about it from the doctor who treats the boss, and then we bought some to put in the cabins. Indeed, the mosquitoes decreased. Later, each of us bought a pot to bring back home. There are too many mosquitoes in the summer, and it’s hard to sleep at night. Moreover, these fruits are red and quite attractive, but nobody dares to eat them for fear of toxicity. Local people treat them as ornamental plants.”

Yu Qingze:… Well, it used to be considered as an ornamental plant since nobody dared to eat it. However, I didn’t expect it to be developed into a mosquito-repellent plant.

“You said each of you bought a pot? You and the other crew members?” Yu Qingze asked anxiously.

Dahe nodded and said, “Yes, that’s right. Is something the matter?”

“I want to buy all of them,” Yu Qingze’s eyes lit up, and he asked Dahe, “How many crew members do you have in total?”

Dahe paused for a moment, scratched his head, and said, “There are over ten of us. But, Brother Yu, why do you want to buy so many? Are you planning to use them in your shop to repel mosquitoes? Don’t you close the shop at night?”

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Dahe, these fruits can be eaten. I want to buy all the ones you brought back, preserve the seeds, and then grow them ourselves.”

Dahe was shocked and stammered, “This can be eaten? It’s so red, aren’t you afraid it’s toxic?” The fruits are so bright red, and the smell of the leaves is unpleasant. Even mosquitoes don’t come near them. Are you sure they can be eaten?

Yu Qingze shook his head and reached out to pluck the ripest tomato, washed it clean, and was about to take a bite. Upon seeing this, Chang Le rushed over and grabbed Yu Qingze’s wrist.

“What’s wrong? Do you want to eat it?” Yu Qingze asked.

Chang Le shook his head and gestured, indicating that nobody has ever eaten it, so he shouldn’t eat it either.

Yu Qingze’s heart warmed, and he found an excuse, saying, “Don’t worry, my master has eaten it before. He let me taste it.”

Chang Le was still very worried.

Yu Qingze held Chang Le’s hand and said, “Trust me, everything will be fine.”

Seeing the calm and confident look in Yu Qingze’s eyes, Chang Le couldn’t help but nod. They used to say that jelly fungus was toxic and inedible, but Yu Qingze proved that it can be eaten. Perhaps, this fruit is just another case of their lack of knowledge?

After Chang Le nodded, Yu Qingze took a bite. Today is truly a good day—they had the durian, and now they can eat the tomatoes and guava.

Dahe watched the two of them, silently sighing in his heart, but a smile couldn’t help but appear on his face.

Compared to Yu Qingze, he falls short in every aspect. No wonder Chang Le likes him.

He heard that they are about to open a restaurant soon. If the snack shop is doing so well, the restaurant business will surely thrive too.

During these two visits, seeing the ever-growing smile on Chang Le’s face day by day, Dahe finally had to admit in his heart that Chang Le made the right choice marrying Yu Qingze. Being with him brings a hundredfold happiness compared to being with himself.

When he calmly acknowledged this fact, Dahe felt a weight in his heart loosen a bit. It felt like he could breathe again, and he felt a little lighter.

After eating a few bites, Yu Qingze looked at Chang Le’s worried expression and simply held the tomato to his mouth, saying, “Or else, you should also taste it? If it’s poisonous, we’ll both get poisoned together.”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Chang Le glared at him and then took a fierce bite of his hand!

“How is it?” Yu Qingze asked, wiping the drop of tomato juice from the corner of Chang Le’s mouth with his hand. He bit too hard!

Chang Le tasted it and nodded in astonishment. It had a refreshing, sweet and sour taste.

The two of them ate the tomato, taking turns with each bite. After a while, they didn’t experience any adverse reactions, and Dahe breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s really edible.”

Yu Qingze nodded and said, “It’s edible. So, Dahe, can you please help me? Find out how much they bought it for and I’ll buy it from them at double the price. Do you think they would sell it to me?”

Dahe shook his head and said, “I’m not sure about that. I’ll go and ask.”

“Okay, thank you for your help. If they refuse to sell, see if you can at least bring back the ripe fruits. And don’t tell them it’s edible for now. If they all eat it, there won’t be any seeds left.”

“Okay, I’ll remember.”

Yu Qingze expressed his gratitude and then placed the pot of tomatoes in a sunny spot. The remaining tomatoes couldn’t be eaten for now as they needed to be saved for the seeds.

It was still not yet August, and in his memory, tomatoes were also grown outdoors in autumn. Tongshan City had a favorable climate, with relatively high temperatures at the moment, and the winter here was not long or very cold. It should be possible to cultivate a crop.

With the matter settled, Yu Qingze remembered that Dahe mentioned bringing back vegetable seeds. He quickly asked, “Dahe, what kind of vegetables are the seeds you mentioned?”

Dahe walked over to the wall, took his bag from the chair, and pulled out a large cloth bag from inside. He opened it, revealing three small packets of seeds.

“The one in the green cloth bag is cauliflower. The one in the white cloth bag is called Dutch beans?”

“Dutch beans?”

“Yes, Dutch beans. And this one in the floral cloth bag is called cabbage. It’s said to be rolled up like a ball, similar to Chinese cabbage, with the leaves rolled in the middle.”

“Yeah, cauliflower, Dutch beans, and cabbage. Dahe, this is fantastic! We’ll have more vegetables to eat from now on!” Yu Qingze said happily, patting Dahe on the shoulder.

These three vegetables are all suitable for autumn and winter seasons. It should be about time to sow the seeds and raise seedlings. Dahe’s return was really timely! They wouldn’t have to rely solely on radishes, cabbage, and pickled vegetables during the winter.

After organizing the seeds, Yu Qingze started thinking about how to sell the boxes of fruit.

He asked Dahe about the prices they bought the guava and durian for. Since they directly picked them from people’s homes and bought a large quantity, they got a cheaper price. They bought the guava for four wen per jin and the durian for thirteen wen per jin.

He informed Dahe that starting tomorrow, the guava would be priced at twelve wen per jin, while the durian with shell would be forty wen per jin and the flesh alone would be eighty wen per jin.

Dahe was astonished. It seemed so expensive!

Yu Qingze nodded and said, “Rare things are valuable. We brought them all the way from the south, so they’re naturally a bit more expensive.”

He sent someone to deliver letters to the Zhao and Cai families, inviting the young masters from both households to come and taste two fresh fruits they obtained from the south tomorrow morning.

Then he gathered Brother Chang and another employee and briefed them on selling the fruits the next morning.

After closing the stall in the evening, Yu Qingze gave each of his employees a guava for them to taste, while the durian had to be shared with spoons due to the limited quantity.

That night, he asked Brother Chang to accompany Chang Le to guard the shop, while he took two durians and some guavas back home to let Grandpa Chang and Chang Hao taste them. He also brought back the three packets of vegetable seeds to give to Grandpa Chang for planting.

The next morning, Brother Chang and the others set up a table in front of the shop and started banging a gong while shouting.

On the table, a guava was cut into small pieces. A durian was also opened, and many spoons were provided for people to try.

Old Master Cai and Old Master Zhao arrived as well. Yu Qingze personally entertained them in the backyard, inviting them to taste the fruits and explaining the benefits of these two fruits. Finally, he gave each of them two durians and seven or eight guavas, which were packed in backpacks and baskets respectively.

At the beginning, there were more people trying the fruits than buying them, especially for the durian, which was indeed quite expensive, so some were hesitant to purchase.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: Part 2 is password protected. The pw is below.

Step by step, getting closer

Boss Qin indeed cleared the shop and vacated it on time.

On the morning when Yu Qingze received the shop, he took Chang Le to see the new storefront.

The single-floor area of the new shop was similar in size to the current snack shop, and the second floor, which used to be divided into private rooms when it was a teahouse, had been cleared by Boss Qin because Yu Qingze mentioned that he wanted to renovate it. Now, the entire second floor was empty, just like the first floor.

“Brother Le, look, I want the first floor to be like the snack shop, with scattered tables. And for the second floor, I’ll create a few private rooms. Oh, private rooms are like the previous private compartments. That way, when people want to discuss business or have private conversations, there will be a more secluded space. What do you think?” Yu Qingze held Chang Le’s hand and shared his vision in the empty hall on the second floor.

Chang Le looked at the spacious area and gestured, “Can we afford to have multiple private rooms? Will it be cost-effective?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll definitely earn a good amount from the private rooms. Just think about it, who usually uses private rooms?” Yu Qingze guided Chang Le to think about it.

Chang Le thought for a moment and gestured, “People from wealthy households who don’t like sitting in the main hall with others, people discussing business matters, and those who invite guests for meals, right?”

Yu Qingze nodded, playfully flicked Chang Le’s nose, and said with a smile, “My wife is getting smarter and smarter!”

Chang Le grinned. He liked it when Yu Qingze praised him like this.

Due to his limited knowledge, Chang Le had been diligently trying to keep up with Yu Qingze’s pace. He learned arithmetic, literacy, and adopted Yu Qingze’s perspective and methods of problem-solving.

Moreover, every time there was a matter related to the business of the shop, Yu Qingze would discuss it with him. Chang Le could sense that Yu Qingze was intentionally teaching him.

This made Chang Le very happy. He was willing and eager to learn.

He wanted to step closer to his husband step by step, hoping that when his husband came up with fresh ideas, he could immediately grasp his intentions. He didn’t want to be like someone talking to a wall, unable to understand what was being conveyed.

He wanted to have a deep connection with his husband, where their hearts were in harmony.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

From a street food stall to a small eatery, Chang Le felt that he had changed a lot in this whole year. His horizons had broadened, and his mind had become more flexible. Now, when he occasionally made suggestions, Yu Qingze would also consider them. This made him extremely happy and more proactive in thinking about matters related to the shop.

“So, you see, these wealthy households, business negotiators, and people who can afford to host gatherings, don’t they all hope for a separate space?” Yu Qingze continued.

Chang Le nodded. If he wanted to discuss business with someone, he certainly wouldn’t want others to overhear.

Yu Qingze continued to explain the reasoning to Chang Le, “Moreover, these people are usually more willing to spend money. You see, when we eat out, just the two of us, we might order a couple of dishes priced at twenty or thirty copper coins each, or maybe even forty coins.”

“But these people, the wealthy households with money, they have higher food requirements and prefer more delicate and exotic dishes. And for business negotiations or hosting guests, they need to create a grand atmosphere. So, they might order dishes priced at eighty, ninety, or even two hundred copper coins per serving. If you calculate it, just the price of one dish could cover the cost of a whole meal at a regular table on the first floor. Can you imagine?” Yu Qingze explained.

Chang Le instantly brightened up, realizing that there was more to consider.

He immediately gestured and said, “I understand!”

Seeing that Chang Le understood, Yu Qingze smiled and said, “So, private rooms are a must!”

Chang Le nodded enthusiastically, fully agreeing.

Then, Yu Qingze walked around the hall, gesturing and saying, “For the large private rooms, we can have big tables seating ten to twelve people, and for the small private rooms, we can have small tables seating four to six people. If we design it well, we can probably have four large private rooms, two small private rooms, and in between, we can create a resting area.”

The two of them spent the whole morning inside, discussing and planning. Yu Qingze took out the small notebook where he had recorded everything when they first opened the street food stall. He noted down all the tasks and started preparing for them one by one.

There were many things to take care of, such as renovating the shop, ordering tables and chairs, recruiting and training staff, designing the menu, and setting prices.

This time, Yu Qingze didn’t handle everything on his own. He took Chang Le with him. In the street food stall, Tie Zhu and Erniu had been practicing for over two months and were now able to work well with Chang Le’s guidance to manage the kitchen. This allowed Chang Le to free up his hands for other tasks.

A few days later, as they returned to the street food stall from outside, Brother Chang said that Dahe had returned and brought several boxes with him.

Yu Qingze’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he hurriedly ran to the backyard. There, he saw a pile of around ten boxes under the eaves, but he didn’t see Dahe.

He ran back to the hall and asked Brother Chang, “Where’s Dahe? Why isn’t he here?”

Brother Chang was still talking to Chang Le and turned his head to answer, “He said there are still things to move, so he went to do that.”

Yu Qingze returned to the backyard and paced around the boxes. He really wanted to open them and see what was inside. But since Dahe hadn’t returned yet, it wouldn’t be right to open them without him. He was getting anxious.

As he continued pacing, he suddenly caught a whiff of a distinctive smell. It was pungent and smelled like rotten onions.

Could it be… durian? Yu Qingze approached the boxes and took a sniff. The box at the bottom indeed emitted the aroma of durian.

Yu Qingze was pleasantly surprised. He never expected that Dahe would bring back durian!

After about fifteen minutes, Dahe returned. He had a box on his shoulder and a sack in his hand. It didn’t look very heavy.

“Dahe! You’re back! Come, have some water, and tell me what you brought back!” Yu Qingze saw Dahe and quickly helped him unload the heavy box from his shoulder.

“Boss Yu, Brother Le,” Dahe greeted them, placing the sack down. He took the water that Chang Le handed to him and drank it with big gulps.

After finishing the water, Dahe began untying the ropes on the boxes and said, “I brought back several things from the southern region this time. There are two types of fruits, one type of vegetable, and three types of vegetable seeds.”

Yu Qingze also started to help with the unpacking.

“Are all these boxes for me? Did you buy anything for yourself?” Yu Qingze asked.

Dahe nodded and pointed to the two boxes on the edge, saying, “I brought two boxes for myself.”

“Did you go far this time? It seems like it took a long time,” Yu Qingze inquired.

“We went a bit further this time, and it took longer because the boss fell ill after arriving there. We had to stay for ten days due to the delay. That’s why it took me more time to find these things,” Dahe explained.

“I see.”

“This one resembles winter melon, but it’s much smaller. The locals call it ‘xiaodonggua’ or small winter melon. I haven’t seen it around here, and the locals say it can last a long time without spoiling, so I brought some back,” Dahe opened one of his boxes, and inside the dried straw, there lay a whole box of deep green small winter melons.

They were bottle gourds. Yu Qingze opened his own box, and it also contained bottle gourds. He nodded and said, “These can be stored for a long time, and they should be good for planting too.”

The two of them continued unpacking.

As soon as Yu Qingze opened the box in front of him, he smelled a refreshing fragrance. Wrapped in the straw, the box was filled with fist-sized guavas. Some were still green, while others had turned yellow-green due to overripening during transport.

“These are called Jishiguo. The locals say they can be stored for a month. When picked, they’re still unripe, but they may have become like this due to the long journey,” Dahe explained on the side.

“Jishiguo sounds quite unpleasant,” Yu Qingze smiled and picked up a slightly faded yellow guava to smell it. Surprisingly, it did have a hint of a scent resembling chicken droppings. He turned to Chang Le and called out, “Brother Le, bring two baskets here. We need to separate the ripe ones.”

(T/N: Jishiguo “鸡屎果” literally translates to “chicken poop fruit.”)

Chang Le went to fetch them as instructed.

Dahe chuckled, “Because some of the locals feel that the scent resembles chicken droppings.”

Once Chang Le arrived, Yu Qingze asked him to separate the ripe guavas from the others.

There were two boxes of guavas.

The remaining four boxes were much larger. As soon as they were opened, Yu Qingze’s eyes lit up.

Indeed, they were durians!

The moment the boxes were opened, the distinctive and pungent smell of durians filled the air.

Chang Le, sensitive to the smell, immediately covered his nose.

“What are these called again?” Dahe furrowed his brow, trying to recall.

“…Durians,” Yu Qingze added with shining eyes.

“Exactly! That’s the name! It smells bad, but it tastes delicious,” Dahe looked at the ripe durians in the box and said, “They were picked when they were still green. Now that they have turned yellow, I wonder if they have gone bad.”

“These don’t stay fresh for long. We’ll know once we try,” Yu Qingze went to the kitchen and fetched a knife. He also grabbed a wooden board to place it on, then picked up an opened durian.

As soon as it was opened, the smell became even stronger, and Chang Le immediately pinched his nose and ran to the kitchen.

Yu Qingze held it up and took a whiff, pleasantly surprised. “It’s not spoiled yet. I think it was just opened. But we should eat it quickly; otherwise, it will spoil in less than two days!”

Yu Qingze went to the kitchen and saw Chang Le. He smiled and said, “Those things are really delicious. Shall we go out and give them a try?”

Chang Le vigorously shook his head. His nose was extremely sensitive, especially to odors, and the smell was so strong that it reached the kitchen.

“Hmm, what’s that smell? It’s stinky. Brother Le, did something go bad?” Brother Chang’s mother suddenly turned around and asked.

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Uncle Mo, no, it’s a fruit that Dahe brought back. Come out and try it; it’s delicious.”

Uncle Mo looked skeptical and said, “Aren’t fruits supposed to smell good? There are fruits that smell bad?”

Yu Qingze nodded and replied, “It just smells bad, but you’ll know once you try it.”

“Is that so? Let me have a look.” Curious, Brother Chang’s mother went to the backyard.

Yu Qingze then turned to Chang Le and said, “Don’t you believe me again?” He looked a bit disappointed.

Chang Le: …

“Wasn’t the snail noodles delicious last time?” Yu Qingze asked.

Chang Le nodded apologetically.

Yu Qingze stopped talking and silently extended his hand towards Chang Le.

Chang Le looked at him and after a while, he finally placed his hand in Yu Qingze’s hand.

Outside, Dahe and Uncle Mo had already taken a piece each and started eating.

“So, Uncle Mo, how is it?” Yu Qingze asked with a smile.

Uncle Mo wrinkled his brow and said, “It doesn’t smell bad when eating it. The taste is hard to describe, it’s like overripe pumpkin?”

Dahe laughed and said, “Many locals say the same. Some people love it and find it especially delicious, like me.”

Uncle Mo smiled and replied, “Everyone has different tastes.”

Yu Qingze led Chang Le to wash his hands and then separated a piece from the fruit and handed it to him.

Chang Le gathered his courage, accepted it, and took a bite with his eyes closed.

The texture was soft and smooth, sweet, and melted in his mouth, accompanied by a unique fragrance.

Yu Qingze had been observing Chang Le’s expression the whole time. As soon as he took a bite, Chang Le’s eyes opened wide in astonishment, and he curiously looked at the yellow flesh in his hand. His eyes were filled with amazement.

“Delicious, isn’t it?” Yu Qingze asked.

Chang Le nodded and gestured with his hand, indicating that it was fragrant and sweet.

“I knew you would like it!” Yu Qingze thought to himself, even though Chang Le never believed him. But Chang Le’s taste was quite similar to his own!

After finishing one piece, Chang Le took another.

Yu Qingze reminded him, “You can only eat up to two pieces. Eating too much of this can cause excessive heat in the body.”

Chang Le nodded in response to the advice.

The durian was quite large, with plenty of flesh inside. It was divided among them, and they finished eating it.

Although there were four boxes of durian, each box could only hold about eight or nine fruits. In total, it wasn’t a large quantity.

Among the boxes, one contained guava and the other contained durian, both belonging to Dahe.

After finishing the durian and washing his hands, Dahe noticed a sack nearby. He picked it up and said to Yu Qingze, “Brother Yu, this thing is for you to repel mosquitoes. Summer is coming, so if you place this in your room, there will be fewer mosquitoes.”

“What is it? Mosquito-repellent grass?” Yu Qingze curiously asked.

“No,” Dahe opened the sack, revealing a large potted plant inside, and said, “It’s tomato.”

It was a potted plant with green leaves hanging down, bearing many round green and red fruits.

Yu Qingze:…Tomato!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: I’ve only had Durian one time before. No matter how delicious people claimed it to be, the smell was just too overwhelming, and I didn’t feel like the taste was all that. Sorry but no.