Chapter 72: After Reading Su Yunting’s Letter

After finishing Su Yunting’s letter to his wife, the Prince of Chang still held some suspicion toward him, but in his heart he felt much more at ease.

The two convoys continued traveling together. This time, during a rest stop, the prince himself sought out Su Yunting for conversation.

The two of them got along even better than before.

As their rest was about to end, Su Yunting suddenly said to the prince, “From here on, I will no longer travel with Brother Wang. Please go ahead first, let us meet again in the capital.”

The prince grew concerned for him, “Now is just the right time to hasten toward the capital. Unless it is a matter of great urgency, it is best not to delay!”

Su Yunting replied, “Thank you for your advice, Brother Wang. It is nothing urgent; it’s just that I must be slightly delayed.”

The prince frowned, “What do you mean, Su Yunting? Could it be you wish to deliberately avoid me?”

Su Yunting hesitated, about to speak yet stopping.

The prince grew irritated, “If you don’t wish to travel with me, Young Master Su, you could just say so directly. I am not one to shamelessly impose myself!”

Su Yunting sighed, “It is precisely because I feel as though I have known Brother Wang forever, and because I regard you as close kin, that I have decided not to travel together with you.”

Hearing this, the knot in the prince’s heart finally loosened. “If you are troubled by something, just tell your elder brother. I will resolve it with you.”

This was exactly what Su Yunting had hoped for when he suggested parting ways. Now that the prince had offered help, Su Yunting explained what he had seen: the unreasonable dam construction, and the issue involving Clan Leader Zhang.

Su Yunting said, “If Clan Leader Zhang takes action today, it will naturally touch on some people’s vested interests. If they dig into the reason, it won’t be difficult to discover that it was me who noticed the problem. Anyone who could influence the quality of such projects must wield considerable power. If they want revenge, the road ahead may no longer be safe.”

After hearing this, most of the prince’s suspicions about Su Yunting faded.

Even if it had been someone else caught in such a situation, he would not have ignored it much less Su Yunting.

The prince said,  “You may rest assured and travel with me. The guards at your elder brother’s side can still protect your safety.”

Su Yunting answered, “I only fear that I might drag Brother Wang into trouble.”

The prince laughed heartily, “Do not worry. My home is in the capital so I have some connections there.”

It was precisely because Su Yunting was traveling with the prince that he had not bothered with disguises or splitting his entourage. Having the prince as his companion gave him confidence.

Now that the other had revealed a little of his background, Su Yunting felt relieved and glad, “Since elder brother already has matters well in hand, your foolish younger brother can rest easy.”

By successfully leaning on the Prince of Chang, Su Yunting felt less anxious about the journey ahead.

—–

Meanwhile, with Qiu Yurou…

Back when Young Master Xu had first tasted Ping’an’s cooking, he had immediately proposed a partnership.

Ping’an summoned Qiu Yurou, and Young Master Xu told her that he would provide the capital and management, while Qiu Yurou provided the culinary skill. They would open a restaurant together, splitting the profits sixty–forty; he would take sixty percent, she forty.

The idea of opening a restaurant truly tempted Qiu Yurou. If she relied only on the funds and staff from her small eatery, it would take at least two or three more years before she could afford to open a proper restaurant.

As for the Xu family, Qiu Yurou knew them well. They had been merchants for generations, managed their business well, and had a fine reputation.

To cooperate with such a household did not worry her; especially since Su Yunting would enter officialdom next year. With her husband’s position rising, she feared even less about partnering with others.

However, the very core of a restaurant was its cooking technique. Qiu Yurou would not agree to his proposed division of profits. In her mind, it should be fifty–fifty. But since Su Yunting was likely to pass the metropolitan exams next year, she raised her share even further, proposing that she take sixty percent, while he take forty.

Faced with this unexpected demand, Young Master Xu looked incredulous. But Qiu Yurou added calmly, “Perhaps Young Master Xu has not yet inquired carefully; my husband is this year’s jièyuan (top scholar) of the prefecture.”

Hearing this, Young Master Xu was first stunned and then overjoyed.

A prefectural jièyuan, even if he performed poorly in the metropolitan exams, he was certain to place at least in the second tier of jinshi.

The Xu clan, being merchants, inevitably dealt with officials. The prosperity of their family business depended every year on sending large “gifts” upward.

For years, the clan had invested heavily in educating its sons, hoping to elevate the family’s social standing. With a higher pedigree, the amount of “tribute” required would be much reduced.

Unfortunately, none of their own sons were cut out for scholarly study. At best, one might scrape by as a xiucai. Anything higher was near impossible.

They had even tried to sponsor promising poor students, but truly outstanding talent was never so easy for a single merchant household to encounter.

Therefore, when Young Master Xu learned that Qiu Yurou’s husband was this year’s prefectural jièyuan, he immediately agreed to her proposed division of profits.

The two signed a contract, clearly writing out their shares, and then turned to business details.

The overall management of the restaurant would fall under Young Master Xu.

But for the kitchen staff, he had no right to interfere. Even the selection of ingredients had to be approved by the kitchen.

Once the contract was signed, Qiu Yurou returned to her hometown for a trip.

Although Young Master Xu had lost out somewhat in the internal struggle within his clan, his branch still had ample assets. His ambitions were not limited to opening just one or two restaurants.

Qiu Yurou thus had to ensure that, when he opened branches, there would be enough kitchen staff ready.

On this return to her village, Qiu Yurou made it clear: she would recruit regardless of gender, not only from Sujia Village but also from her own natal village, Qianqiao.

She entrusted the recruiting in Sujia Village to Su Huai, and in her natal village to her third uncle and the clan leader.

This time, Qiu Yurou planned to take in twenty apprentices. Since they would go directly into the restaurant kitchen, they had to be at least fifteen years old.

Twenty people: ten from each village. She did not require skill, only good character.

Among twenty, there would surely be one or two with culinary talent. As for the rest, the clever ones could handle kitchen chores and food preparation.

Even if the restaurants did not yet need so many people, her workshop could still make use of them.

She decided that wherever Young Master Xu opened a restaurant, she would also open a workshop in the same place.

Since the business would soon grow too large for her to manage personally, she also brought along Da-fei and Ersheng to the county, together with the twenty apprentices.

Da-fei and Ping’an would oversee the restaurant kitchens. Ersheng and her second apprentice, Su Chao, would manage the workshop.

Although she had recruited twenty people this time, still not a single girl had come. Thus, one of the two courtyards she had rented in advance for housing apprentices remained empty.

The villagers still forbade their daughters from leaving home. Qiu Yurou was not anxious as once demand grew, they would eventually allow girls to join.

While Young Master Xu oversaw renovation and publicity for the restaurant, Qiu Yurou and Ping’an focused on selecting promising apprentices at the eatery.

This time they were lucky: out of the twenty, they identified three with talent and one of them exceptionally gifted.

Together with the one she had previously chosen, Qiu Yurou accepted all four as her disciples.

Soon, people in the county noticed that the eatery had changed its business model.

Customers no longer ordered freely from the kitchen. Instead, the kitchen prepared a dozen or so dishes in advance, and customers chose from those.

Though the flavor could not compare with made-to-order cooking, it was still superior to other establishments and the prices were cheaper.

So at every mealtime, the eatery grew even more crowded than before.

Each of the ten-plus dishes filled a large pot, so at first glance it looked like typical “canteen-style” food. But in reality, every single portion was cooked individually in the back kitchen.

The four new apprentices were taught knife skills by Ping’an, because his standards for cutting were precise and strict.

When it came to cooking, Qiu Yurou first demonstrated each dish herself. The apprentices used public chopsticks to take a bite from their plates and taste it, then started cooking their own version based on her example.

Afterward, Qiu Yurou would sample their results; just a small bite of each, again with public chopsticks.

With four apprentices, more than ten dishes, and each dish being practiced more than once, she joked to herself that if she tasted everything fully, she’d probably burst!

After half a month of teaching like this, Young Master Xu’s restaurant renovation was finally completed. Ping’an was the head chef, and the other four apprentices became his assistants.

The restaurant opened to booming business. Even two weeks later, its sales were still holding strong; a proof that the establishment had truly taken off.

They held a small celebration together, and during that time, Qiu Yurou heard Young Master Xu mention his next plan that is to open a restaurant in the capital.

Qiu Yurou frowned slightly.

“Don’t you think your expansion plans are moving a bit too fast?”

Young Master Xu replied confidently, “Madam Su, if I were doing business alone, then yes, heading straight for the capital would be too hasty. But this restaurant is our joint venture! With Master Su’s abilities, he’s sure to place in the second tier of the imperial examination next spring. The day the results are posted will be the perfect time for our grand opening in the capital!”

She couldn’t deny that his reasoning was tempting.

He continued, “There are countless officials in the capital. Even a top scorer in the exams will only start as a sixth- or seventh-rank official after the initial glory fades. Madam Su, opportunities like this don’t wait. If we miss this one, we won’t have another chance to establish ourselves in the capital for at least ten years!”

Qiu Yurou understood exactly what he meant; he wanted to seize the momentum of the imperial examinations and ride the wave of fame to open their restaurant.

If they couldn’t capitalize on it now, they’d have to wait until Su Yunting had climbed higher in rank and built a network of influence before trying again.

Opening a restaurant in the capital now was an opportunity. Miss it, and it would take true power and connections to get in later.

Even though his reasoning made perfect sense and even though she was tempted, Qiu Yurou didn’t give an immediate answer.

“Something this important, I’ll need to discuss it carefully at home first.”

Young Master Xu urged, “Do decide soon!”

She smiled. “You’ll have my answer tomorrow.”

With that promise, he finally stopped pressing her.

—–

The imperial exam season truly was a fleeting chance, one that wouldn’t come again. Qiu Yurou didn’t delay. That very evening, she gathered Da-fei, Ersheng, the two apprentices, and even her younger siblings at home to discuss whether they should move the restaurant’s operations to the capital.

There were eight of them in total, and except for Da-fei, who was already in his twenties; all the others were still teenagers.

At first, everyone fell silent when they heard the topic. Then their hearts started racing with excitement.

One after another, they all expressed their eagerness to go to the capital.

Qiu Yurou said seriously, “It truly is a rare opportunity. But remember our success depends entirely on whether Yunting earns a place on next year’s spring examination list.”

After she said this, she noticed something amusing; the others seemed even more confident in Su Yunting than she was, and she knew he’d been a top scholar in his previous life!

Qiu Yurou: “…”

Their confidence was overflowing, so she had to add one more rule, “We all have faith in Yunting, but until the exams are over, no one is to tell him about this plan. We can’t risk adding to his pressure.”

Since everyone’s future was tied to Su Yunting’s success, no one disagreed.

Once that was settled, they moved on to practical concerns, mainly, a lack of manpower.

After the restaurant opened, Ping’an led the kitchen with four assistants. From the dozen or so people Qiu Yurou had previously recruited but not taken as apprentices, she’d selected four promising and hardworking ones to train gradually.

But if they went to the capital, Ping’an and his four assistants would have to go too, leaving the Mingshun County restaurant understaffed.

They discussed it long into the night and came up with two parallel plans: 1) Quickly train a new head chef. 2) Recruit new workers.

For recruitment, Da-fei would return to their hometown to handle it. This time, they wouldn’t limit themselves to just two villages. Anyone from nearby villages or extended relatives, so long as their character was decent could be considered.

As for training a new head chef, the restaurant would need to cooperate.

The four apprentices working under Ping’an were already skilled at cold dishes and vegetarian food; their only weak point was in preparing the grand dishes.

So Qiu Yurou and Young Master Xu decided to introduce a daily special entry, each offered at 30% of its regular price. That way, the restaurant wouldn’t lose money, and the apprentices would have the chance to practice cooking major dishes.

Knowing the back kitchen was short-handed, Young Master Xu wholeheartedly supported Qiu Yurou’s training plan.

After finalizing the restaurant arrangements, Qiu Yurou reminded him again, “Not a word about the capital plan until after the spring exams. If Yunting hears of it, it could affect his performance.”

Young Master Xu understood the importance and promised solemnly. After all, whether their business could save ten years of growth depended entirely on Su Yunting’s success.

Once he reassured her, Qiu Yurou relaxed.

Young Master Xu left to scout suitable locations in the capital, while Qiu Yurou threw herself into training her apprentices.

Life became busy but fulfilling.

Then one day, Qiu Yurou received a letter from Su Yunting.

The first half of the letter was full of his affection and longing for her. Reading it made her heart ache sweetly because she missed him just as much.

Further down, he wrote that he was inspecting a dam construction project, planning to visit the workers to observe how the embankment was being built.

He hadn’t explained his real reason in detail, but Qiu Yurou knew that dam was likely the true purpose behind his southern trip.

That night, she had a vivid dream.

In it, a quiet post station was surrounded in the dead of night. A group of men gathered outside, torches in hand. Then….

Flaming arrows flew through the darkness, piercing the windows and setting the station ablaze.

Qiu Yurou jerked awake, heart pounding in terror…