Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 293 - 129: Hidden Dragons and Crouching Tigers
"Young Master! But the room next door is a superior room! It costs over a hundred taels of silver for more than a month! Let’s just forget it; Ming Mo and I can squeeze here!" Ming Yan thought about the hundred taels of silver and felt very reluctant.
However, Ming Mo knew that the young master was not used to sharing a room with others. But the room next door was too expensive, and the middle and lower rooms were on the lower floor. If the young master needed something, it would certainly be inconvenient.
"Go and ask about it! During this period, I will have tasks for you to do; you’re always going in and out, which will affect my reading." Gu Chengyu knew that if he didn’t say this, Ming Mo and the others would definitely be reluctant to spend the silver coin.
At this moment, Gu Chengyu did not know that downstairs, because of the couplets he wrote, people were buzzing with excitement.
"Tsk tsk! He is indeed someone praised by the Holy Emperor! This couplet is so skillfully matched!" Since it was decided to frame it, Manager Wan of the inn was not stingy in letting everyone appreciate it. After all, it was beneficial to Qunying Building, wasn’t it?
"We were indeed short-sighted before, not realizing he was a little scholar! Huh? I say, doesn’t this mean he has overshadowed the Three Great Scholars of Jiangnan? Who will the top scorer of this Autumn Examination be? That’s hard to say!"
Upon hearing this, a candidate nearby shook his head, "Who knows about that? I think that Min Feng and Huang Junheng are also good. Besides, being good at poetry and couplets is useless! The Provincial Examination tests more than just those."
"It’s not just that he’s good at poetry! I think this time there will certainly be a fierce competition; don’t forget, the person from Boshan Academy will also participate this year, right?"
"Ah! What bad luck! It seems our hopes of achieving a good rank this year are slim; this Autumn Examination is truly full of hidden talents!" a student wailed.
"Who are you talking about?" someone who had long been puzzled asked.
"Who else could it be? It’s Manager Fu Ming’s nephew, Fu Yanshan! I heard he is also a prodigy! He became a scholar at thirteen and is likely to participate this year!"
"Gu Chengyu, who just went upstairs, I heard he became a scholar at eight!"
"That person...ahem! We can’t compare to him. Since there are so many famous scholars this year, I have to work even harder. I’m not aiming for a good rank; I just hope to pass the examination for a scholar!"
"Right, right, right! Before the exam, I’ll visit Huazhen Temple and offer incense to the Bodhisattva, praying for divine help so I can pass this time. This is my third attempt this year!"
Ming Mo and Ming Yan hung up Gu Chengyu’s everyday clothes on the wooden rack and took out all the things from the rattan box, arranging them neatly. These were all commonly used by Gu Chengyu.
On the other hand, Gu Chengyu opened the window in front of him and looked outside. Qunying Building was located in a bustling area, and outside the window was the busy street. The room’s soundproofing was quite good; if the window was not opened, the noise outside would be much quieter.
Gu Chengyu watched the intertwined flow of people outside, listening to the vendors calling out to passersby and the children playing among the crowd. The pedestrians who were bumped into did not seem annoyed, appearing quite tolerant. It seemed this was South Street, where there were more vendors, and the goods in the shops were affordably priced.
Looking a little ahead, there should be the residential area of common people. One small courtyard after another, all connected, with square courtyards; from afar, they looked like matchboxes. Those courtyards were truly small, and it was estimated that a household had only one or two rooms. In the capital, where land was extremely valuable, it was evident that Qunying Building was quite extravagant, having three rooms in just one superior room.
They had previously passed by those inns; Gu Chengyu observed that most of the other inns also had small storefronts. It seemed that to do business in the capital and to expand, without connections, it was impossible. Qunying Building must have strong backing to achieve such scale.
As Gu Chengyu was lost in thought, Ming Mo’s voice sounded, "Young Master! It’s almost 7:45 PM; didn’t you make an appointment with Mr. Sun and the others? Let’s go!"
"Yes! By the way, I told Steward Yu to bring along Gu Wanqian to the capital in the next few days. When Xiao Sanzi arrives tomorrow, let him take you around the capital to familiarize yourselves with the area; when passing by restaurants, pay attention to which ones have good business! Then go to the brokerage and see if there are any suitable shops; I want to buy some, and that’s your task for the next few days."
Gu Wanqian had been working with Yu Tuanzi since last year, and Gu Chengyu felt that if he was properly cultivated, he would be quite capable as he grew older.
"Yes!" Ming Mo and Ming Yan knew that the young master was skilled in martial arts and did not need their concern; they only had to complete the tasks assigned by him.
Gu Chengyu called Sun Xian and the others together and went downstairs, following the waiter to a private room on the second floor. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
After Gu Chengyu and the others sat down, the waiter couldn’t wait to report the names of the dishes. Gu Chengyu and the others, hearing a string of dish names, didn’t know what to order. Gu Chengyu thought to himself that fortunately his family’s restaurant had a menu; otherwise, even if the waiter’s mouth grew tired from talking, the guests wouldn’t remember.
"Bring up a few of your signature dishes, seven or eight will do!" Earlier, the waiter mentioned there were about ten signature dishes. Including Ming Mo and Ming Yan, there were five of them. Although it seemed a lot, they could finish it. Since they planned to open a restaurant, they had to investigate others, right?
"Okay! Gentlemen, please wait a moment; I’ll notify the kitchen to serve the dishes!" The waiter happily poured tea for Gu Chengyu and the others before retreating.
After the waiter left, Ye Zhiqiu said to Gu Chengyu, "Chengyu! Why eat here? We could find a small shop outside, and it would be the same. It’s definitely very expensive here. Besides, with so many dishes, can we finish them all?"
Ye Zhiqiu sometimes felt that Gu Chengyu was a bit extravagant, but then thought if he could earn silver like Gu Chengyu, he probably wouldn’t care about this small amount of silver either.
Sun Xian responded with a hearty laugh; he believed he understood Gu Chengyu fairly well. Gu Chengyu was not someone who squandered resources; there must be some idea in his mind.
"Don’t worry about his pocket; he obviously has his reasons for doing this. Just focus on eating!"
Gu Chengyu, hearing this, gave Sun Xian a thumbs-up, "Brother Sun is absolutely right! Brother Ye, don’t be polite, just eat to your heart’s content."
Discussing the plan to open a restaurant here in someone else’s private room wasn’t appropriate, and, besides, they hadn’t even found a suitable shop yet. It was too early to talk about it!
"Why don’t you sit too? There are no outsiders here, and eating separately is inconvenient." Gu Chengyu said to Ming Mo and Ming Yan, feeling that Sun Xian and the others weren’t outsiders, so it wouldn’t matter just this once.
"That won’t do!" Ming Mo refused immediately. How could he eat at the same table as the young master?
"That’s not appropriate; I’ll wait until the young masters finish before eating!" Ming Yan, having been warned by Ming Mo, dared not overstep.
Gu Chengyu called them once more; seeing their firm refusal, he had to let it go. Actually, there were just too many dishes, and he wanted to break the rule just this once to save them from ordering separately!
