Three years later, in the capital, at Delicious Restaurant.
A nobleman in blue, with a leather briefcase tucked under his arm, strode in.
The boy shook the towel and shouted.
The shopkeeper, who was about sixty years old, was calculating on an abacus at the counter. He looked up lazily when he heard the shout.
As soon as the boss saw the person coming, his mouth suddenly widened and he turned around and rushed out from the counter.
"Hey! Young Marquis, you're here!"
"Boss Li, how is business lately?" Fang Chenyu leaned against the counter and casually threw the briefcase in his hand on it.
"Okay, it's all right!" Boss Li agreed repeatedly, laughing uncontrollably. "You haven't been here for over a month, right? Are the dishes still the same as before?"
"The old three, add one more dish today, I'll treat you."
"Who is it?" Boss Li stretched his head and asked curiously.
"My father."
"Oh! The Marquis is here too!" Boss Li was overjoyed, and turned around and yelled towards the hall, "Xiao Wu! Xiao Wu! Hurry up and prepare the best ingredients for me..."
"Stop, stop, stop." Fang Chenyu looked helpless and raised his hand to stop. "I said just add one dish, it's ordinary, no need to mobilize so many people."
"Young Marquis, how dare I neglect the Marquis in person? I will treat you to the feast today! Please wait and don't worry about it."
"Okay, my dad and I can't eat that much. If you prepare a table full of food, we two can't finish it. Don't blame me for not reminding you when my dad scolds you." Fang Chenyu said leisurely.
Boss Li's expression was a little stiff: "That's not the matter. The Marquis finally came to my little shop...then add another dish, what is it?"
"Let's fry some kidneys. He has loved eating kidneys in the past two years." After saying this, Fang Chenyu picked up his briefcase and walked upstairs.
When he reached the staircase, he stopped and turned around and said, "By the way, is there no one in that private room where I used to sit?"
"No one! I'll take you upstairs!" Boss Li quickly followed and guided Fang Chenyu upstairs.
After a while, he returned to the restaurant entrance, looking forward to it.
Ten minutes later, a man in a plain robe and a pair of exaggerated sunglasses gradually approached.
Sunglasses are not uncommon in the capital, but the man's gait and demeanor make him seem out of place with his surroundings.
It looked even weirder with the clothes he was wearing.
Boss Li squinted his eyes and watched for a long time. Seeing the person walking towards the Delicious Food House, he couldn't help but feel nervous and responded decisively.
"Hou..."
"Hey, keep a low profile. You've brought all these people here to make a fuss and now you're not letting me eat?" Fang Zheng raised his sunglasses slightly. "My son is here?"
"Hey, we're here." Boss Li's voice was slightly trembling as he quickly led Fang Zheng into the restaurant.
As he walked, he began to chatter in a hurried tone: "My Lord, it is such an honor for us to have you come to our little shop. I remember the last time you came here to eat was more than a year ago, and I was..."
"That's enough. Are you going to remember this for the rest of your life?" Zhengyi rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. "Just cook the dishes my son ordered. If he makes too much and can't eat them, add a plate of pickles."
"Yes, it's all up to you." The wrinkles on Boss Li's face became deeper.
Fang Zheng said, "I heard that your shop is doing very well and many high-ranking officials in Beijing eat here. Is that true?"
"Yes, it's all thanks to the young marquis and me who patronize the business, otherwise there wouldn't be so much..."
"I heard that Wei Qing from the Ministry of Revenue often comes to your place for dinner. He doesn't pay for his meals, right?"
"No! Absolutely not! Lord Wei comes here often, but it's not that he doesn't pay. He just keeps the money on account!" Boss Li shook his head frantically.
"It's on account..." Fang Zheng smiled and walked up the stairs.
Boss Li picked up his arm and supported him.
Fang Zheng shook his hand and flung it away, impatiently saying, "Am I old enough to need someone to support me? Go and do your own thing!"
"Yes... yes..." Boss Li laughed dryly, watched Fang Zhengyi's back disappear on the second floor, and then hurriedly ran to the kitchen.
The door of the private room on the second floor was open.
Fang Zheng looked at them one by one, and only strode into the house when he saw Fang Chenyu sitting at the table fiddling with his bracelet out of boredom.
When Fang Zheng appeared, Fang Chenyu quickly sat up straight: "Dad, you're here."
"Well... I just got off duty. I haven't seen you in more than a month. Did you go out to fool around?" Fang Zhengyi asked.
He took off his sunglasses and threw them on the table.
Fang Chenyu smiled innocently: "How can that be possible? Ever since I went to Qing with you last time..."
"Huh~?!" Fang Zheng glared.
Fang Chenyu stopped talking decisively, paused for a moment and continued: "Dad, you said that we haven't seen each other for such a long time. I finally came to you to report my work, why did you choose such a small restaurant?"
"Don't you eat here often?"
"I come here often, there are bigger restaurants that are better than this one."
"Your factory isn't doing very well, and you haven't made much money for me, yet you still want to eat out?" Fang Zheng glanced at him. "Besides your business, I came here to take care of other things. No need to ask, you'll know in a moment."
Fang Chenyu nodded and said no more.
Soon, four dishes, two bowls of rice, a pot of wine and a plate of pickles were served.
The servant was standing in the room with a smile on his face.
Fang Zheng touched his sleeves and took out a five-yuan note and handed it to the waiter: "No need to wait here, go out. Also, take away the wine and replace it with water."
The servant nodded in agreement and went out with the wine jug.
Fang Chenyu sighed: "What's wrong, Dad? You don't even drink when we meet. I remember you used to drink, how come you gave up in the past few years?"
"Dad is now hoping to live two more years, for he is afraid that he will not be able to finish his work. You should stop drinking." Fang Zheng said calmly, "Life is too short, and there are too many things to do. You will understand in the future. Let's eat."
Fang Chenyu lowered his head and sighed, not daring to respond.
The father and son chatted while eating.
"Tell me about how the factory is going," Fang Zheng said.
Fang Chenyu put down his chopsticks and became interested: "Dad, the sales volume of the brush factory I opened has not changed much in the past month. And I think that brushes are too troublesome, so I want to change direction."
"Change direction?"
Fang Chenyu picked up the briefcase, rummaged around in it, and took out a small flat wooden box.
He opened the wooden box, revealed the contents, and pushed them toward Fang Zhengyi.
"Dad, this is something new that my pen factory has developed. Take a look."
Fang Zheng took out the things in the wooden box and looked at them carefully. He couldn't help but smile after taking a look: "Chalk?"
"Yes, it's chalk!" Fang Chenyu said excitedly, "But it's not ordinary chalk, look under the box."
Fang Zheng lowered his head, flipped the box over briefly, and pulled out a small black piece from the bottom.
After a brief thought, he picked up the chalk and wrote two words on the black piece.
"Dad, please try this again." Fang Chenyu handed over another handkerchief.
Fang Zheng picked up the water cup, poured some water into it, wet his handkerchief and wiped the small black board.
The traces of powder disappeared, leaving only a light grayish-white layer.
......
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