There were strong winds and rough seas on the sea.

There were several people standing beside Pei Weixuan. The one standing on the left was Huo Ye, the captain of the black-armored guards.

Huo Ye looked at the boundless and rough sea and could not believe that they were actually out to sea. A few months ago, they were all hiding from each other.

Until he found the young prince, who led the black-armored guards and robbed two official ships.

He even sold the iron and coal mines on the government ships quietly without alerting the court and the soldiers, making a large sum of money.

The young prince also led the two official ships to a small island near the sea.

His Highness led them and once again robbed a government ship and sold iron and coal mines.

It seemed that the imperial court and Empress Dowager Fu in the palace had gone mad, and they dispatched many officers and soldiers, as well as soldiers stationed in the southwest, to suppress the bandits on both sides of the canal.

I thought it was a government ship that was robbed by those two groups of pirates.

Huo Ye also knew something about the two groups of pirates. One of them was very evil and did everything from burning, killing, and looting.

The young prince led them to subdue another wave of pirates.

Although this wave of pirates stole things, they did not kill anyone. What they stole were all goods from unjust merchants. There were also many old, weak and disabled people in the village. The village chief was a kind-hearted man with elderly parents and young children to take care of.

Because His Highness had led them to rob official ships twice, Empress Dowager Fu mobilized almost half of the soldiers guarding the border cities in the southwest.

This group of pirates were beaten so badly that they had no power to fight back and were surrounded. If the young prince hadn't led his men to attack and rescue them all, everyone in the village would have died.

His Highness subdued this wave of pirates and brought their families to the island, allowing them to live there for the time being.

However, this group of pirates did not know the identity of the young prince. They usually called him their master, so they did not know that he was the former fourth prince.

The black-armored guards are absolutely loyal and will never reveal your highness's identity to outsiders.

Later, the young prince took them to the island and converted several official ships into a large ship like this.

Originally they didn't know how to build a ship, but during the period, the little prince just watched the ship being dismantled and he understood everything. His Highness taught them how to modify it.

It is no exaggeration to call such a ship a giant ship.

Huo Ye also asked His Highness what the purpose of building this ship was.

His Highness told him, "Go to sea."

He asked in confusion, "Your Highness, why are you going out to sea?"

In their opinion, what else can one do at sea besides fishing?

Even if it is for fishing, using such a huge ship is a waste of resources. The fishing boats of ordinary fishermen on the coast are only a little bigger. One official ship can be equivalent to ten ordinary fishing boats.

Not to mention this giant ship.

His Highness said, "Go out to sea and look for other countries. Those places have what we need."

If it can be found, it will not only be a powerful weapon against Empress Dowager Fu, but will also benefit tens of thousands of people in the Dasheng Dynasty.

Huo Ye was stunned. "But Your Highness, isn't the other side of the sea also the sea? How can there be other countries?"

No one knows what is on the other side of the sea, but some travel notes say that the other side of the sea is still the sea, with no one living there. There is nothing on the sea except small islands. There may be some savages on the islands, but how could the population of an entire country be hidden on the islands?

His Highness did not tell him how there were people hiding on the small islands overseas.

But His Highness told him that he would definitely go out to sea this time.

So Huo Ye selected a group of people to follow His Highness out to sea.

The people who followed included Huo Ye and some other black-armored guards, and two of the previously subdued pirates. The pirates' boss was Chen Yi, who stayed on the island to look after his family. The one who followed was a sturdy bald man named Datou, who was good at martial arts. Datou said that he had a big head when he was a child, so his family called him Datou. Later, there was a famine and everyone in his family died. He almost starved to death, and was picked up by Chen Yi and brought back to the village.

The other one is a weak scholar in the village, who should be considered the village's military advisor, named Chen He.

It was picked up by Chen Yi at the riverside. When he found it, Chen He was only ten years old. He knew nothing when asked. It was not known whether he had forgotten his life experience or refused to tell.

Later, he was brought back to the village by Chen Yi and named Chen He.

Chen He and Datou stood on the other side of Pei Weixuan.

The sturdy big head looked at the scene of the sky full of rosy clouds in the distance and said in shock, "It's really, really beautiful."

Pei Weixuan stood on the deck, with a slender figure and eyebrows like ink painting, looking at the sunset in the distance.

The sea breeze made his clothes rustle and his hair flew wildly.

He had a calm expression, and even though it was his first time going out to sea, he did not show the slightest fear.

They had only been on the sea for two days.

In this way, they sailed for another half a month. Everyone was feeling a little bored, and a group of grown men practiced martial arts on the deck all day long.

Besides that, everyone lost some weight.

So a cook and a lot of dry bread were brought on board.

All day long, they either eat bread as hard as stones, or have this cook cook for them. But the cook was also a temporary recruit from the black-armored guards, and the food they cook tasted terrible, it was just cooked. After eating like this for more than half a month, they naturally couldn't stand it.

Even Huo Ye, who had been eating like this for more than half a month, couldn't help licking the corners of his lips. He especially missed the soy sauce biscuits and dried pork that the prince brought when he went to the bamboo forest in Yuanbao Town to look for them. They were so delicious that he still remembered the taste.

That was done by Xu Qinyu.

Her Highness also said that she wanted to open a restaurant or a hotel in the future.

He hoped that by the time they returned, Miss Xu's restaurant would have been open, and then he could have a good meal.

Every morning when he wakes up and every evening when the sun sets, Pei Weixuan would go to the deck to observe the wind and weather.

When Pei Weixuan woke up that morning, he looked at the gentle waves in the distance, the wind, and the weather in the sky. After watching, his brows wrinkled slightly.

When the sun set, he observed the wind and weather conditions, and finally said, "If we encounter another island, we need to stop there and rest for a few days."

Huo Ye asked, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Pei Weixuan said: "In three days, there will be extremely strong winds and heavy rain."

Huo Ye naturally knew how dangerous it was when there were heavy rains and big waves on the sea. Fishermen who lived by the sea and fished were most afraid of this kind of weather. He immediately said, "Okay, we'll stop when we see an island again."

Even such a huge ship is just like a small boat in this boundless sea and will be blown to pieces in an instant.

We were lucky enough to come across a small island after walking for another two days.

The next day, a rainstorm came and the sea in the distance was raging and fierce, like a giant beast devouring the world.

Everyone's faces turned pale. If they continued to sail on the sea in such weather, there would be no way to survive.

Fortunately, Your Highness knows how to read the weather, otherwise going out to sea would be a life-threatening experience.

Huo Ye couldn't help but worry. His Highness had never made it clear what he wanted to do during this voyage. He only said that there were other countries overseas where His Highness had what he wanted. He didn't know what it was. Could it be a weapon that could resist the imperial court's 100,000-strong army? But what kind of weapon could resist the imperial court's 100,000-strong army?

A few days later, everyone returned to the ship and continued their voyage.

No one knew what they would encounter on this voyage, or whether they could come back alive, but they were all willing to follow Pei Weixuan on this journey.

…

Half a month later, Xu's restaurant's panpan breakfast and evening meals were packed with people, and many people were even willing to share a table just to have a taste of the breakfast and evening meals made by Xu Qinyu.

Xu's Restaurant can now earn a few more taels a day because more customers are ordering grilled lamb chops.

Now Xu Qinyu no longer has to grill on the iron mesh and charcoal fire herself. She asked someone to build an "oven".

It is actually a bread kiln. The principle is similar to that of an oven, and it can bake a lot of things.

It can also be called a kiln.

After Xu Qinyu finished drawing the picture, she specially found a master who built stoves to help her build it.

After it is built, wait for it to dry, then burn it thoroughly in the kiln to set its shape before it can be used.

This thing is just like a modern oven. It can save a lot of time. In addition to roasting lamb chops, it can also roast chicken and duck, and bake all kinds of bread, cakes, egg tarts, candied fruits, etc.

Pay attention to the heat, and on weekdays I can also help her dry various ingredients and dry wild mushrooms, and let Chengge grind them into powder for seasoning. It's so convenient.

Roasted lamb chops can also be roasted in one kiln after another. When roasting, pay attention to the heat and turn them over, so that they are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Although grilled lamb chops are expensive, many people like to eat them. About ten portions are sold at dusk every day. Many of them are bought by wealthy businessmen who specially send their servants to buy them.

However, this thing can cause internal heat, so Xu Qinyu specially cooked mung bean soup every day and gave it to diners who ordered grilled lamb chops. If other diners wanted to drink mung bean soup, they had to pay four cents a bowl.

There is also another signature dish of the restaurant, the butter noodles or butter rice.

Not many people bought this at first, but some people who could afford it wondered why a bowl of mixed noodles and rice cost two hundred coins, so they ordered one to try.

Looking at a small bowl full of golden and shiny paste with an overwhelming aroma, pour it on the rice and noodles and mix them. It is simply amazing when you take a bite. It is not only fresh and fragrant, but also has a crispy and glutinous texture, with a hint of sweetness and the sourness of balsamic vinegar. The taste is distinct, but it mixes layer by layer in the mouth to create different flavors.

You'll be addicted after just one try.

So not many people bought it at the beginning, but after half a month, the reputation of the butter noodles and rice had spread.

But doing this is troublesome, as people need to remove the crab meat and crab roe.

Cheng Ge'er is also very busy. There is no one in the restaurant who is not busy, so it takes several days to make some of the butter, and it is basically booked before it is even made.

It had only been open for half a month, but Xu Qinyu was already exhausted. She pinched her waist, which had been thin to begin with, and now seemed even thinner. She must have lost some weight due to being tired.

Every time Mrs. Wen saw this, she felt distressed, but she couldn't say anything to persuade them, so she just took on all the work she could do in the restaurant.

The work of making bags was completely left to Ning Jie'er, who only focused on helping Yu Niang every day.

Fortunately, Cheng Ge'er's sister Tao Jie'er has been looking for Ning Jie'er to play recently. Tao Jie'er is also good at needlework, and now Ning Jie'er is taking Tao Jie'er to make bags together.

There is also Gui at home, and she can do the housework while taking care of the two children.

When Gui was working, she asked Heiyu to keep an eye on Fengger and Yuanjieer. Whenever Heiyu saw the two of them going to the well or the gate, he would bark at Gui. He was also a good watcher of the house and the children.

Because she was too tired, Xu Qinyu planned to take one day off every half a month, otherwise her body would not be able to bear it. She made money to live a better life and could not let herself be exhausted.

So during breakfast and dinner, Xu Qinyu asked Chen and the others to tell the diners when they served the dishes that the restaurant would be closed the next day and everyone in the restaurant would have a day off.

Although the diners were somewhat reluctant, they all expressed their understanding.

Since it is a break, naturally we will not continue to make fish balls and fish heads.

The next day, Xu Qinyu took a good rest. She did not do any work the whole day and did not have to cook. Wen did it for her.

Except for going out to eat during the morning and evening hours, Xu Qinyu just lay in bed and slept all day. She felt so comfortable that she completely relaxed.

…

The reputation of Xu's Restaurant also spread to the Wen family.

The Wen family separated the third branch some time ago, and Old Lady Wen immediately sent someone to buy six servants.

It is definitely not possible to have a large number of slaves like in the past who would provide everything for you. These slaves were only responsible for sweeping, washing clothes and cooking in the house.

After all, if there are too many slaves, it will cost a lot of money, so money has to be spent sparingly.

When selecting slaves in the pawnshop, the Wen family specifically asked for those who could cook.

The servant who could cook was a man in his thirties. It was said that he was the cook of an official's family, but he was sold after his family was ransacked.

That's why it was bought back by the Wen family.

After buying it back, the Wen family asked this man to cook a meal. It was indeed better than the one cooked by Aunt Bai and Madam Meng, but that was also because the food cooked by Aunt Bai and Madam Meng was too unpalatable.

Compared with the chefs in Donglai Ju, the servants were not even as good as the assistant cooks, let alone being the head chefs of a restaurant.

Wen Lingling had originally expected this servant to have great skills, but in the end she was extremely disappointed.

She wanted to find a famous chef before planning to open a restaurant.

If we don’t find a famous chef, even if we open a restaurant, the food won’t be as good as Donglaiju and the business will naturally be a loss.

She is still very sober.

But it is not so easy to find a famous chef. The best meal she had eaten in Yuanbao Town was at Donglai Ju. She even tried to poach the chef, thinking that if she could pay him higher wages than Donglai Ju, the chef would definitely be willing to follow her to the new wine house. However, as soon as she said that, the chef turned around and left with a sullen face.

She was so angry.

So she kept looking for other famous chefs.

It's not that she has to open a restaurant, but among the necessities of life, food comes first and food is the most important thing for people. She has never been exposed to other businesses and naturally cannot do other businesses without connections. But she doesn't need to do that for opening a restaurant. As long as she can find a chef, she can open one. Restaurants are also very profitable, and it can be said that they make more money than many other businesses.

Because when she was in the capital, she knew the eldest daughter of the owner of the largest restaurant in the capital, Jixianglou, and knew that Jixianglou could earn at least ten thousand taels of silver every month.

But that was also because Jixianglou was extremely large, with eight or nine shops in size and six floors. It was a booming business and the seats were always full every day.

That's why she wanted to open a restaurant.

Since the food cooked by the servant at home was mediocre, she didn't expect him to be the chef for her restaurant.

The taste was average, the food at Donglaiju was still better, so Wen Lingling often went to Donglaiju for breakfast and dinner.

But I don’t go there every day, just every few days.

When she went to Donglaiju for dinner recently, she kept hearing people talking about Xu's Restaurant.

When she came to have breakfast today, she heard the diners next to her talking about Xu's Restaurant.