Riding the wind of rebirth

At this moment, Tian Rui and Niu Er arrived. They were a little hesitant when they entered, but they breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Zhou Zhi and Niu Er: "Zhouzi, you're really here. This place is too luxurious!"

"The business on those floors downstairs is incredible," Tian Rui exclaimed. "Dozens of tables on each floor, and they're all packed!"

"The dishes look alright." Mingyi seemed quite nonchalant: "It's just that many of them are more about quantity over quality, and they lack refinement."

Zhou Zhi knew that Ming Yi was worldly-wise, and that he had made his fortune through his culinary skills.

For example, the Sichuan peppercorns that Mingyi uses are all sealed in several layers of bags and stored in the refrigerator. Every day, a portion is taken out, roasted, and ground into powder on the spot. Any leftovers are used for cooking in the evening, and the process is repeated the next day. She never finds it troublesome.

Therefore, the Sichuan peppercorn powder used in Mingyi noodles is always both fragrant and numbing.

Although he only runs a small noodle shop now, you can tell from the toppings and the simple vegetarian minced meat sauce he makes that Mingyi has skill and comes from within the system. He definitely has a set of rules and methods, and he is not a self-taught amateur.

"We need to increase sales volume in the main hall, so this is the only way." Zhou Zhi explained to Zhang Yuanfu, "Come, come, let me introduce you. This is Brother Fei and Brother Zhang. Brother Fei used to be the general manager of the Arts and Crafts Department Store, and Brother Zhang runs an antique shop in Songxianqiao. He is a well-known porcelain appraiser in the city. The two of them are now working together. The shop is located below the Arts and Crafts Department Store and is called Hanya Auction House."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Niu Er shook hands with the two men. "You two look just like Zhouzi, cultured people."

"Not at all, we're all just fellow江湖儿女 (people of the martial arts world)," Fei Guan said with a smile. "We ended up in a private room because of the braised pork knuckle. Do you have a business card, Brother Niu?"

"Yes, I do, but I won't need it for long." Niu Er quickly took out his business card and handed it over with both hands.

Fei Guan took the card and said, "Oh, Mr. Niu is the manager of the entertainment center!"

"Actually, the movie theater and the game arcade were set up by Zhouzi and one of his classmates from Guangdong. I just helped keep an eye on things." Niu Er laughed, "and I just helped out."

Fei Guan and Zhang Cheng also gave their business cards to Niu Er and Tian Rui.

Without exchanging business cards, Tian Rui explained, "Brother Fei, Brother Zhang, I haven't made my business cards yet. I'm in the catering business. I used to run a restaurant in Hongqi Village near Sichuan University, but it's going to be demolished now, so I might have to move to Yulin to start over."

"I understand," Zhang Cheng said. "The 'Yulin Chuan Chuan Xiang' signboard for the elbow was written for you, right? Don't worry, we've got it covered. It'll be done in a couple of days."

"You even wrote about braised pork knuckle?!" Tian Rui was overjoyed. "Thank you, Brother Zhang! Thank you, Brother Fei!"

“This is…” Fei Guan then looked at Ming Yi.

“This is a real free spirit,” Zhou Zhi laughed. “In Chengdu parlance, he’s called a ‘playboy.’ Brother Mingyi, he also runs a small noodle shop near Sichuan University. His cooking skills are excellent, but most people can’t get his food. It’s a private restaurant, and he usually only serves one or two tables.”

"Then we must have a taste of it sometime," Fei Guan said politely.

"I'm afraid it will be a long time before it's done," Mingyi said calmly. "My noodle shop is going to be demolished too. Once it leaves that little courtyard, the private little restaurant just won't have the same flavor."

Fei Guan was taken aback. It was rare to see someone speak like that on a first meeting; he clearly wasn't a sophisticated person.

Zhou Zhi quickly interrupted, "Ming is a picky person. He has to be particular about the atmosphere when opening a shop. His old restaurant was a small courtyard with green tiles, bamboo groves in front and behind, and the Fuhe River was right across the street. It was very beautiful."

"The atmosphere in this room is also quite nice. The items in the display case are all genuine. Some of them seem to be from Hanyazhai?" "Which ones?" Fei Guan was quite surprised. He had indeed helped get several of the porcelain pieces on display, but he couldn't quite remember which ones they were.

"Those plates from the Kangxi and Guangxu periods are even part of a series. The old Kangxi plates have plum blossom and double happiness patterns, while the young Kangxi plates have lotus and bird patterns. I remember they were all displayed on your counter."

"With your memory, no wonder you're such a good student." Zhang Cheng gave you a thumbs up. "It was before the New Year, wasn't it? You just glanced at it when you came over, and you remembered it all!"

"That's right. Those four plates all came from the counter. The two elderly people and two children were there. The items weren't big, but they were all from the imperial kiln. They were all chosen with a floral pattern in the center and a decorative border around the edge. The style was quite consistent."

"Besides the four plates, there are many other miscellaneous items from Hanya, but you may not have noticed. This fish-shaped chopstick rest, the ivory chopsticks inlaid with silver and the bamboo chopstick holder are all from Hanya."

Most of the artifacts on display here are related to food and beverage. Mai Xiaomiao asked, "Huh, how do you tell this apart from a pen holder?"

"Actually, they're all the same. Many calligraphy enthusiasts use pen holders that are actually old chopstick holders they find in the antique market. The cleaning of old chopstick holders depends on the situation. Since many people use them, the patina is actually more beautiful than that of pen holders," Zhou Zhi said. "The two are similar in function, but the chopstick holder is more distinctive because its carving is based on the opera 'The Yellow Millet Dream'."

"The story of the Yellow Millet Dream comes from the Pillow Book. It tells of a scholar named Lu Sheng who met a Taoist priest named Lü Weng at an inn in Handan. Lu Sheng lamented his poverty. At that time, the inn was cooking millet porridge, so the Taoist priest lent Lu Sheng a pillow to sleep on. After Lu Sheng fell asleep, he dreamed of enjoying all kinds of wealth and glory. When he finally woke up, the innkeeper's millet porridge was not even cooked. Lu Sheng then realized the meaning of life's gains and losses, life and death, and left after thanking him."

"However, later generations used the metaphor of 'The Dream of Yellow Millet' to refer to unrealistic and illusory dreams and desires, which goes against the purpose of a pen holder. Everyone studies hard in the study with a clear purpose, so this 'The Dream of Yellow Millet' is somewhat satirical. However, it is quite suitable as a chopstick holder, since it is related to food."

"So this thing can only be a chopstick holder."

"Oh, right, there are two lines of poetry here, which read, 'What is the value of worldly affairs? Better to lie down and have a good meal.' This fits perfectly with the theme of 'The Yellow Millet Dream' and the catering industry, further indicating that this is a chopstick holder."

"These two lines seem familiar, where have I heard them before?" Zhang Cheng frowned and pondered.

"This is Wang Wei's poem, 'Drinking Wine with Pei Di.' I'll read it aloud, and you'll know you've definitely heard it before, Brother Cheng," Zhou Zhi said with a smile. "Drinking wine with you, my lord, I find solace in your company, for human relationships are as fickle as waves..."

"So that's the poem!" Zhang Cheng slapped his thigh: "White-haired friends still draw their swords, while the rich and powerful laugh at each other's newfound wealth! Uh... what were the last two lines again?"

"The grass is all wet with fine rain, and the flower branches seem to sway in the cold spring breeze." After saying this, Zhou Zhi pointed to the pen holder: "What is the value of worldly affairs? It is better to lie down and have a good meal."

"Haha, that's interesting!" Fei Guan laughed as well: "I have indeed read this poem, but just by extracting the last line and engraving it here, I can't recall it for the time being."

“Yes, the line that everyone is most familiar with from this poem is ‘Even old friends with white hair still hold their swords, while those who have long since achieved high positions laugh and adjust their hats.’” Zhou Zhi nodded.

"What are you guys talking about?" Liu Yushu walked in as she spoke: "Old Fei, you're still discussing poetry here? Aren't you afraid Zhouzi will laugh at you?!"

"Sister Liu," Zhou Zhi greeted Liu Yushu with Mai Xiaomiao, "Congratulations on your promotion."

"Don't make fun of your Sister Liu. I got my position thanks to everyone's help."

Due to her outstanding performance, Liu Yushu has now been promoted to the position of Director of the Corporate Banking Department at the provincial branch. (End of Chapter)