A dowry is not only a gift from parents to their daughter, filled with the reluctance of parents and relatives to part with her, but also a testament to the marriage and a demonstration of their wealth.
Married women who own their own property after marriage hold a certain status in the family. A dowry, as the bride's private property, belongs to the woman's family for a long period. The size of the dowry reflects the woman's wealth, family background, and social standing; the amount of property she owns influences her status within her husband's family.
Of course! This is mainly a problem only found in large families. In Qin Qiong's family, he is the eldest son, so such status is irrelevant. However, he won't touch his wife's dowry.
"Oh!" Upon hearing that it was Aunt Zheng's dowry, Qin Mu said nothing more.
"Why are you saying all this? We're all family. Mu'er can take it if she wants," Aunt Zheng said, glaring at Qin Qiong.
After being glared at by his wife, Qin Qiong smiled, touched his nose, and said nothing.
"I'll have Uncle Fu come back tomorrow to hand over the reins to you. You can do whatever you want," Aunt Zheng said to Qin Mu with a gentle smile.
"I was thinking of opening a restaurant, and I happened to hear that my family owns one. I went to take a look yesterday, and although the business there is alright, the quality is much lower," Qin Mu explained.
"Open a restaurant? There are so many restaurants in Chang'an, what do you want to do with one? You'd be better off spending that time reading books and practicing martial arts. If you need money, just tell me; your father has some savings." Qin Qiong frowned, slightly displeased. Qin Mu had shown exceptional talent, and he didn't want to let trivial matters interfere with it.
Hearing Qin Qiong's concerned words, Qin Mu nodded slightly and said, "Father, don't worry, it won't interfere with my cultivation. I just thought the restaurant business was profitable, so I wanted to get involved. Once everything is arranged, I'll leave it to others."
"Making money isn't that easy. If it were, everyone would be opening restaurants," Qin Qiong said.
“I know, I have a way to make delicious food that others don’t know, and the Yuchi family will send people to hunt wild beasts,” Qin Mu explained.
"Wealth is but an external thing; don't let it cloud your mind. It's better to focus more on your cultivation. My salary is enough for you and your siblings to live on for a lifetime. Of course, you are a sensible child, so I won't say more." Qin Qiong knew that Qin Mu understood the importance of things, so his expression softened and he gently reminded him.
“Mu’er, don’t listen to your father. He’s just a boring person. Do what you want to do. If you don’t do things you like when you’re young, you won’t have time to do them later,” Aunt Zheng retorted.
"Thank you, Auntie, I know. Once Brother Baolin makes what I asked for, you'll taste it and you'll see," Qin Mu said with a smile.
"Yes, it's good that you understand. We won't disturb you here." Qin Qiong nodded, and then left with Aunt Zheng.
"Brother, are you alright?" As soon as Qin Qiong left, Yuchi Baolin watched his departing figure and asked somewhat guiltily.
"Nothing's wrong, what's the matter?" Qin Mu looked up at him, puzzled.
"He's worried that Uncle Qin will find out about your trip to the Rouge Pavilion. If Dad finds out he took you there, he'll definitely give you a beating," Yuchi Baoqing explained.
“My dad already knows!” Qin Mu blinked and said.
"Oh no! Oh no!" Yuchi Baolin exclaimed in alarm.
"What's wrong? Did you steal your father's money again and go to the brothel?" Cheng Huaimo walked over and asked curiously.
"Pah! You're the one who stole your father's money! I have a salary!" Yuchi Baolin said angrily.
"Hehe, this isn't the first time, what are you afraid of?" Having known Yuchi Baolin since childhood, she naturally saw his guilty conscience and laughed with delight.
"I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going to make the pot!" Yuchi Baolin said, taking out the blueprints Qin Mu had given him. After saying that, he added, "Second brother, you stay here, I'll come over as soon as I'm done."
Qin Mu watched with some confusion as Yuchi Baolin hurriedly left. He had just said he wasn't in a hurry and would leave after finishing his meal, but now he was rushing off again.
"He was worried that my father would come to kill us," Yuchi Baoqing revealed the answer.
"Did you guys really cause trouble yesterday?" Cheng Huaimo asked curiously.
"Brother Cheng, we decided to open a restaurant yesterday. I wonder if you'd be interested in joining us?" Qin Mu asked.
"Open a restaurant?"
"Yes, it's right outside the East Market. My family used to have an inn there, but I plan to demolish it and rebuild it."
“There are two fairly large restaurants in the East Market, and the nearby Kangfang is also a place where you can eat and drink. But the location isn’t very good, is it?” Cheng Huaimo asked after thinking for a moment.
"Brother Cheng is truly familiar with Chang'an," Qin Mu exclaimed.
“Brother Cheng works in the city guards and is most familiar with Chang’an,” Yuchi Baoqing introduced.
"A sinecure, a sinecure, it's just patrolling the streets."
“Brother Cheng, you’re right. The competition for this location is indeed fierce, especially in Pingkangfang, which is where ordinary people spend their money. But our place is different; our hotel mainly focuses on food,” Qin Mu explained.
"Could it be that you, brother, know how to cook?" Cheng Huaimo asked.
"It's no worse than Deyuelou!" Qin Mu said confidently.
"Really?" Cheng Huaimo asked in shock. He had just thought that Qin Mu was just inexperienced and a little blindly confident, but that he was no worse than Deyuelou, so this was quite unexpected.
"I can guarantee that."
"If it's really no worse than Deyuelou, and with our wine, then business will definitely be good," Cheng Huaimo nodded.
"Brother Cheng has hit the nail on the head. Fine wine and delicious food are the two major features of our hotel."
"Alright! I've made up my mind. Count me in. How much do you want, brother?" Cheng Huaimo said, patting his chest.
"Brother Cheng, you should wait until you've tried it before making a decision, so you don't regret it later."
"It's alright, I trust my brother," Cheng Huaimo said confidently.
It must be said that although Qin Mu could tell that he was being a bit fake, he was being faked very convincingly, and coupled with his honest and simple appearance, he was quite believable. Crucially, he also spoke pleasantly, showing that Cheng Huaimo wasn't as rude and brainless as he appeared.
"Dongmei, take a few servants and go buy me some things," Qin Mu ordered loudly.
"Young Master, what would you like to buy?" Dongmei asked as she trotted up to Qin Mu.
"Buy some meat, and then go to the pharmacy for saltpeter and sulfur," Qin Mu said, handing a handful of gold coins to Dongmei. It wasn't that he didn't want copper coins; he had those too, but they were from the Qin Dynasty and earlier, so they were useless. Besides, those other things had higher collectible value, so he might as well keep them.
"Yes, young master!" Dongmei replied and immediately left the courtyard.
Feeling the dwindling amount of gold coins in the Heavenly Mystery Tower, Qin Mu sighed inwardly, realizing he needed to work harder to earn money, otherwise he wouldn't have any money to buy anything.
This time, the task was rather complicated, so Qin Mu simply went to the kitchen. However, he was somewhat disappointed; although the kitchen was large, the countertops and other items were rather cluttered, which made him uncomfortable.
Fortunately, there were still quite a few carpenters in the yard, so we asked them to hurry up and produce some things.
After waiting for an hour, it was almost noon when not only did Yuchi Baolin return, but Dongmei and the others also came back with a lot of things.
"Grind these into powder for me, the finer the better, and also these charcoal." Looking at the two large bags of saltpeter and sulfur, Qin Mu thought of another world again and gave the order with some sadness.
Although she didn't understand why Qin Mu suddenly seemed a bit down, Dongmei still arranged for the servants to get things done.
Qin Mu had already had someone bring him what he needed from the kitchen, and after sending everyone out, he busied himself in his room. Although the space was only temporarily vacated, it didn't matter since there was no stove.
Hearing that Qin Mu was going to cook something delicious, Qin Huaiyu and the others who were studying upstairs couldn't concentrate on their studies and all came downstairs. Qin Yuling, in particular, couldn't sit still, and Qin Yuxin naturally followed her younger sister.
The aroma of bone broth wafted from the side, making everyone's mouths water, but Qin Mu hadn't come out yet, so they could only wait anxiously.
When the door finally opened, everyone looked over.
"Big brother! I'm hungry!" As soon as she saw Qin Mu, Qin Yuling immediately ran over and hugged his leg, tilting her head up and acting coquettishly.
"Okay! Let's eat right away!" Qin Mu patted her head and said with a smile before calling to the people in the courtyard.
"Come in, everyone! Qin Yong, you guys put out the fire and cool it down over there."
"They're here!" As Qin Mu spoke, everyone rushed in.
Various meats, fish fillets, and vegetables were laid out there, with a stove and pot steaming in the middle of the table.
"Oh, it's just sweet soup! I thought it was something special!" Cheng Huaimo said with some disappointment.
"Hehe, what I eat is different from what you usually eat," Qin Mu said with a smile.
"What's different?" Cheng Huaimo asked, looking at the boiling water in the pot.
"This is called a 'Mandarin Duck Hot Pot.' One side is a clear broth made with chicken soup; the other side is a spicy broth made entirely with mutton fat and simmered with various spices. It's definitely different from anything I've had before," Qin Mu said confidently. He knew about "Gulu Geng" (a type of soup), which was just vegetables cooked in broth; it was far inferior to a broth made specifically with mutton fat.
He originally wanted to make a hot pot entirely with beef tallow, but nowadays cattle can't be slaughtered casually; even if they die of old age or disease, it has to be reported to the authorities. Therefore, he could only use mutton tallow instead.
The mustard seeds were originally only used for medicinal purposes, but Qin Mu had them ground into powder to replace chili peppers. Each person had a small dish of it, and they ate it with beaming smiles. The mustard wasn't as spicy as chili peppers; the flavor was more moderate. However, it still made everyone, who were eating something so spicy for the first time, stick out their tongues and exhale, yet they found it incredibly satisfying.
Seeing that everyone was still eating, Qin Mu smiled slightly, feeling even more confident. He then got up, fiddled around for a bit, and had Dongmei place a large bowl of something white and emitting cold air in front of each person.
Qin Mu looked at the fruit salad with ice in front of him, a look of disappointment flashing in his eyes. The scene of not being able to light the gunpowder in the room earlier resurfaced in his mind.
Saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal ground into powder, mixed together, became gunpowder. He was absolutely certain he remembered the proportions correctly, but it just wouldn't ignite. Qin Mu guessed that this was a limitation imposed by the laws of nature, rendering firearms unusable. This shattered any ideas that had just arisen within him.
However, saltpeter can also be used to make ice. Grapes, peaches, and plums—three seasonal fruits—are placed beneath the ice in a large bowl. The ice floats on top of the milky white goat's milk, creating a pleasing sight.
"Haha! I didn't expect you to have ice at your place, brother. This is so refreshing!" Cheng Huaimo took a big gulp and laughed loudly.
Qin Huaidao and the others didn't say anything; their eyes lit up, and they ate with great relish.
"Eat slowly, no one will take it from you." Qin Mu said gently, patting his younger sister's head.
"Mmm!" Qin Yuling, with a piece of pear in her mouth, nodded her head twice and answered indistinctly, just like a greedy squirrel.
"How was it? How did it taste?" Qin Mu asked with a smile after everyone had finished eating the fruit salad and were showing their enjoyment.
"That's great! But if we can make this sweet and sour soup, others can too, right? Even if the taste isn't as good at first, we can gradually figure it out," Cheng Huaimo asked.
“That’s true, but what about our fine wine and fruit? Even if they have those, they probably don’t have much.” Qin Mu asked.
"You mean this ice can be supplied indefinitely? Do you have that much?" Yuchi Baolin asked.
"This is our secret, so remember not to tell anyone. I made this ice myself; there's no need to store it in a cellar during winter," Qin Mu said with a smile.
"Ah! You can make ice? Is it made with a magic array? That must be too expensive!" Cheng Huaimo asked in surprise.
"The cost isn't high. Just know that I can mass-produce them," Qin Mu said with a smile.
Whether it's a magic array or a formation, both require energy to operate. If it doesn't rely on people, then it relies on objects. The most convenient is, of course, beast cores, but with daily use, the consumption of beast cores can't keep up with the recovery, making the cost too high. This was Cheng Huaimo's point. However, Qin Mu wasn't worried about this aspect; making ice from saltpeter was extremely inexpensive.
"Alright! If we can really produce ice in large quantities, this restaurant will be a hit. It's settled then. Brother, just let me know what you need." Cheng Huaimo said excitedly. With fine wine and ice, the restaurant's business was guaranteed.
“Not bad, not bad. Although I don’t have money, I can still contribute my labor,” Yuchi Baolin continued.
"Well, first of all, there's the manpower issue. Brother Baolin, you need to get the hunting team together as soon as possible; Brother Cheng, you need to recruit craftsmen, I need to demolish the inn and rebuild it. Also, we need to make dozens of these hot pots. As for the blueprints, I'll get them ready today," Qin Mu assigned.
"No problem."
“These are minor matters, but you need to speed things up, brother, otherwise the ice won’t be as appealing after summer,” Cheng Huaimo reminded him.
“That’s right, so I need a lot of craftsmen and bricks, and I need to order them in advance.”
"Leave these to me. I know some brick and tile workshops, and I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the price and quantity."
"That's fine then. The rest is about money. I wonder how much you can come up with?"
"I'll try my best! Could you give me some ice later?" Cheng Huaimo said through gritted teeth.
Qin Mu guessed that he wanted to take it back to persuade his family, so he immediately nodded and agreed, "No problem, I'll prepare it for you later."
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