Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

"The president has to treat us to a good meal! That's the only way to make it up to us." The young woman, Liu Huimin, waved her small fist.

"No problem!" Liu Xingmo readily agreed, adding, "But eating is also work. Remember how the food tastes and write a report when you get back."

"Huh? I have to write again? I'm so sleepy I just want to sleep," Xu Wenting complained.

"You guys, use your brains!" Liu Xingmo tapped his finger on his desk. "Don't always think about creating big news. A well-written food column can be entertaining and profitable!"

Liu Zhili scratched his head: "Readers pay money to buy newspapers just to see us eating delicious food? Is that really going to work?"

"No, no! The money we earn comes from the businesses, not the readers," Liu Xingmo explained carefully. "The newspapers advertise the shops, and the shops get customers and earn more money, so they should rightfully pay us. That's called 'GG'!"

Liu Huimin's eyes lit up: "GG, GG... spreading the word widely just means making money from publicity and support. But our newspaper can reach most people in the village, so we can make a lot of money from their support!"

"But we must be careful not to let the GG section take up the main body of the newspaper. This is of utmost importance!" Liu Xingmo held up three fingers. "Each issue of the Black Dragon Weekly is three pages long. Next issue, I'm going to add half a page for the food section. But the price will remain the same."

Liu Huimin's weariness vanished instantly, and she jumped excitedly on the ground: "Besides delicious food, we can make so many more things! Like perfume! Like clothes! Like movies!"

"That's right. But I want to reiterate, GG must not take up the main text, that's our bottom line!" Liu Xingmo looked around at the three employees, his face serious.

Liu Zhili and Xu Wenting didn't understand, but they still nodded in agreement.

Liu Huimin casually put her arm around her boss's shoulder: "President, you're so smart! Once this old man retires, you'll definitely become the director, oversee several schools, and eventually secure a place in the family!"

Liu Xingmo brushed the hand off his shoulder: "Keep your voice down! The old monkey has very sharp ears. Don't let your nonsense implicate me."

Liu Huimin stuck out her tongue: "What are you afraid of? The old man's eyesight and hearing have been failing for a long time."

……

The four tidied up the office, took their paper and pens, and went out.

Passing through rows of cylindrical buildings, the destination was the old canteen I frequented.

For your first collaboration, don't choose something too high-end; established shops with good food are the best choice. This makes communication easier and the results are more noticeable.

It was getting late, and the streetlights were just coming on.

The old canteen is nestled among the houses of varying sizes and spans a river.

This building is quite unique; it is a section of round log lying horizontally on the ground, with the middle section suspended over the river and the sides buried in the soil.

The log was hollowed out, and a row of windows was cut into the bark along the side, emitting a warm orange light.

The river reflects the lights under the night sky, and the dark water ripples with a broken tenderness.

It serves as both a canteen and a covered bridge.

The four entered through the west gate, and were greeted by the fumes and flames, as well as the bustling noise of the customers.

Find an empty table by the window, sit down, and skillfully order your food.

Before long, the steaming hot meal was served on the table.

The dishes on this table had a real sense of sincerity, with earthenware bowls and rough porcelain plates piled high.

Autumn chives, carrying the scent of earth, are fragrant, crisp, and tender when stir-fried; braised roe deer meat is simmered over firewood for half a day until it melts in your mouth; pheasant wings, chopped into small pieces, are stewed with dried shiitake mushroom caps, resulting in firm, tender chicken meat and a broth so delicious you could soak three bowls of rice in it…

The rice itself is also carefully prepared. The hulled rice grains are about the size of a thumb, snow-white and glossy, like mutton fat jade. When you pick up a grain with your chopsticks, the fragrant aroma of the rice wafts straight into your nose.

While brainstorming copywriting ideas for a romantic relationship, Liu Xingmo ate a large bowl of rice.

In this world, refined grains like rice and noodles aren't eaten every day; various fruits are the daily staples.

When the dead of winter arrives and no more fruit is produced in the mountains and forests, people will take out their savings from the past year to buy a bag of rice or wheat in preparation for the New Year.

Of course, this doesn't apply when dining out. Since you've come all this way to spend money on a meal, you should naturally eat something nicer. Even ordinary restaurants will keep some rice on hand to treat their distinguished guests.

Liu Xingmo finished a bowl of rice, but was only 60% full.

While he was still a little hungry and the food smelled delicious, he put down his chopsticks and took out paper and pen.

The heavy solid wood dining table has years of black oil seeping into the cracks of the wood.

Liu Xingmo didn't care about anything else and started writing furiously in the noisy and dirty environment.

In the spacious covered canteen, diners vented their day's frustrations and exhaustion. At a table in the corner, a young man's eyes were fixed on paper and pen; his hand, with its prominent veins, moved so fast it was almost a blur.

His focus was extraordinary; few in the entire Black Dragon Stronghold could match it. Only those who had endured the brutal examinations of their past lives could cultivate such an exceptional will.

The three of them, including Liu Huimin, wisely quieted down and began to savor their food.

Time passed second by second.

Liu Xingmo suddenly looked up, capped the pen, and slammed it on the dining table.

He picked up the manuscript, which he had written in one go, glanced at it, and nodded in satisfaction.

He clutched the greasy, soup-stained toilet paper and headed straight for the back room, where the restaurant staff were located.

The three people left at the table were somewhat uneasy. After all, it concerned their income and even their future achievements, so it was impossible not to be nervous.

Xu Wenting rested her chin on her hand and said, "I remember the cafeteria owner is a rather rough-around-the-edges farmer. Do you think the president's request for negotiation will go smoothly?"

"What are you talking about? That's the editor-in-chief! He saved the old man's half-dead newspaper when he was only ten!" Liu Huimin sighed, picked up her bowl and chopsticks, and began to eat heartily again, mumbling, "We'll just wait here until the editor-in-chief settles everything and the money is in his pocket!"

"The president is naturally sensible and will definitely be able to carry out the GG project smoothly. However, there might be some twists and turns."

Liu Zhili poured himself a glass of wine, took a small sip, and slowly said:

"If you ask me, the canteen owner will probably have a hard time accepting it right away, after all, this is the first time in the village that a newspaper has been shut down. But the editor-in-chief can make an agreement with him."

"What agreement?" Xu Wenting asked.

"Next week, we'll get a free GG (Golden Goblet) and make a name for ourselves. Once that's done, the boss will realize its value and pay us obediently." Liu Zhili stroked her chin.

"Pah! Any adult could figure that out, why would you need to analyze it, brother?" Liu Huimin tapped the porcelain plate in the center of the table with her chopsticks. "Keep this food for now, don't touch it! The president isn't full yet."

Liu Zhili covered her face and sighed, "Alas... daughters grow up and leave home!"

Liu Huimin kicked the person diagonally opposite her: "Brother! What did you say?"

"Don't you understand what I'm saying?" Liu Zhili winked.

"I'm ignoring you!" Liu Huimin buried her head in her food and ate heartily.

"Do you think the president might have a girlfriend?" Xu Wenting said quietly.