As the banquet was about to begin, guests began to arrive one after another.

As the owner of Fumanlou, Xu Genshan naturally greeted them at the door. Since everyone knew each other, there was no need for much small talk before the waiter led them upstairs.

Song Kangcheng was the last to arrive, accompanied by the county magistrate, Xie Ming, Xu Genshu, and others.

Xu Genshan was surprised to find that Xu Yi was also among the entourage. After thinking about it, he realized that Yi'er had not mentioned attending the banquet with the governor yesterday.

But then I thought about it again. Although Xu Yi was a military officer, he was still an official. Look at the people standing behind Song Kangcheng, they all had some kind of official position.

"This humble subject greets Your Excellency the Governor and Your Excellency the County Magistrate." Xu Genshan composed himself, put on a smile, and went to greet them.

I thought Song Kangcheng had forgotten me, but I didn't expect him to still remember.

"Are you Man'er's father?"

Judging from his tone, he seemed to have benefited greatly from the situation.

"In reply to your question, sir, this humble one is indeed so." Xu Genshan recalled that Song Kangcheng had been quite fond of his daughter even when he was still in Lanzhen.

His daughter is so lovable. Xie Ming had previously said, both openly and subtly, that he wanted to have a daughter as cute as Man'er.

Hey, if you can't find it, let others be envious.

Song Kangcheng looked up and glanced around. "Not bad, not bad at all. From a small restaurant to a grand hotel, it's only been a few years."

During his time back in Lanzhen, he heard a lot about the Xu family from Xu Genshu and Xie Ming.

"Fu Man Lou." Song Kangcheng's gaze fell on the plaque. "Your Xu family really dotes on your daughter. Even the restaurant is named after her."

Perhaps because he had also seen that little girl for a while, Song Kangcheng felt a sense of relief.

The Xu family is truly the first to treat an adopted daughter this way.

He only had two sons and no daughters. If it were back then, well, let bygones be bygones. A fleeting look of sorrow crossed Song Kangcheng's face.

When his daughter was mentioned, Xu Genshan's smile became more affectionate. "She's our only daughter, so we have to spoil her a bit, which means she's a little too pampered."

Fortunately, that girl is a bit reckless, but she's been behaving herself lately and hasn't caused any trouble, which has given her old father a few days of peace and quiet.

Song Kangcheng smiled knowingly. That girl has been loved by everyone since she was a child, so she should be spoiled. Given the current situation of the Xu family, it doesn't matter if she is spoiled.

Of course, he wouldn't say these things aloud, otherwise, given his status, even the county magistrate would probably go out of his way to curry favor with Fu Man'er.

These are things adults should do; that innocent and lively little girl should be carefree.

"My lords, everything is ready inside. Please come in." Xu Genshan bowed and gestured for them to enter.

The county magistrate echoed, "Lord Song, please come in."

Since the governor wasn't leaving, they didn't dare go in. Didn't they see that all the wealthy gentry and local gentry waiting inside had come out to wait for them?

"No rush, no rush." ​​Song Kangcheng's gaze was still fixed on the plaque.

Everyone was surprised and wondered what was wrong with Lord Song. He seemed quite happy, so could there be something else going on?

"This restaurant looks quite nice, but the calligraphy is just awful. I'll have someone bring me paper and pen and write a piece to hang up." Xu Genshan and the others never expected that the governor's purpose in staying here was actually this.

"Yes, I'll have someone bring it over right away." Xu Genshan turned around and hurriedly instructed the waiter to prepare the things.

He glanced up casually and saw the envy, shock, and some ambiguous looks on everyone's faces.

It's quite an honor to have the governor personally inscribe something, so it's not surprising that everyone had such expressions.

However, Xu Genshu's next words still shocked him.

"Your Excellency, a word from the Governor is worth a thousand pieces of gold. It is a great honor for us to have you personally inscribe this message for our restaurant today."

What? A single word is worth a thousand pieces of gold? These four words echoed in Xu Genshan's mind.

A table, along with writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, were quickly presented. Song Kangcheng stood in the middle, while the others gathered around.

While still in a daze, Xu Genshan was unknowingly pushed outside, along with Xu Yi, who didn't like to join in the fun.

He's tall, so you can see him even without having to squeeze through.

"Yi'er, what did your uncle mean by saying 'a word is worth a thousand pieces of gold'?" Xu Genshan asked his son quietly.

"Lord Song studied under the great calligrapher Yu Cong. Even the late emperor thought Yu Cong's calligraphy was excellent, and the current emperor believes Lord Song's calligraphy is no less impressive than Yu Cong's."

"His calligraphy has reached the point where it's worth a thousand pieces of gold per character in the capital. Many high-ranking officials and nobles rush to request his calligraphy, but Lord Song never readily grants it to them."

Xu Yi had no expertise in calligraphy; he had only heard his uncle mention it.

Xu Genshan suddenly understood the meaning behind those ambiguous glances. He looked up at his restaurant and silently counted in his mind: Fu Man Lou, three words, that's three thousand gold pieces.

Good heavens, he just stumbled upon three thousand pieces of gold for free!

If it were Fu Man'er at this moment, her thoughts would be different. Every word is worth a thousand pieces of gold, and she would immediately change the name of the restaurant.

If we change it to "self-reliant," we can get a few thousand more gold coins.

"Great! Great! Beautiful calligraphy!"

"Lord Song has truly broadened our horizons."

"It is truly an honor to see Lord Song's original calligraphy today."

Cheers erupted from the crowd. Xu Genshan squeezed in to take a look. The characters—forgive him for being just a literate but rough-around-the-edges man—he could only feel that they were written in a flamboyant and elegant style, something no one else could write.

"Beautiful, beautiful! Lord Song's calligraphy is a thousand times better than my previous one." He couldn't find anything to describe it; he just thought it was beautiful.

Song Kangcheng put the pen on the shelf and smiled contentedly. He was very satisfied with the three characters he had written.

Having finished writing, Xu Genshan dared not let anyone stand outside any longer and quickly ushered them inside.

As for the calligraphy, Xu Genshan had it framed and hung up at the entrance.

It would be a waste to use ordinary wood for words that are worth a thousand pieces of gold. After today, he will find the finest wood to make the plaque.

Hire two more people to watch over this plaque all day long—no, it's not a plaque, it's three thousand gold pieces.

As soon as Song Kangcheng went upstairs, he knew that this banquet had been carefully prepared, and some of his preferences were no secret.

It's only natural that the magistrate would want to curry favor with the officials, so the arrangements were made according to their preferences.

"Lord Song, please take a seat of honor." After Song Kangcheng sat down at the head of the table, everyone else followed suit.

Xu Genshan waved his hand, and the waiters carrying trays of dishes filed in, first serving appetizers, then side dishes, and finally the main courses.

Everyone present was used to eating rich and delicious food, and had even eaten plenty of delicacies. Liu Fang made some adjustments when she received the menu.

The meal was a mix of meat and vegetables. Several of the more greasy dishes were removed and replaced with refreshing vegetarian options. Now that we're in the lean season, it's nice to have some refreshing vegetarian dishes.

Sometimes, the simplest cooking methods bring out the best flavor of the ingredients.

In addition, Liu Fang is very skilled at plating, using some inconspicuous little things to garnish the dish, making it look exquisite and delicious.

Song Kangcheng picked up his chopsticks first, saying, "I haven't tasted this tricolor crystal since leaving Lanzhen. It still tastes just like it did back then."

"Could it be that your wife did it?" Song Kangcheng asked Xu Genshan.

"In reply to your question, sir, it was indeed made by my wife. This dish was not actually on the menu given by the magistrate."

However, as a chef, Liu Fang remembered most of the customers' preferences, so she specially added this dish.

Sure enough, Song Kangcheng praised the food highly, saying, "Your wife's cooking skills have improved a lot."

"You flatter me, Lord Song. My wife will be very pleased to know." Today's banquet was hosted by the county magistrate, and Xu Genshan couldn't overstep his bounds.

After exchanging a few words, the conversation shifted to the county magistrate, lest they offend him over a little food.

Clearly, this action pleased the county magistrate greatly.

Xu Genshan then took a moment to look around, and when he saw the empty seat at the opposite table, he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Given Master Chu's temperament, today is not the perfect time to come and watch the excitement, so why hasn't he arrived yet?

Just then, the servant whispered in his ear, "Master Chu has arrived."