Under the shade of the trees in the courtyard, Zhao Hao and Fan Datong were drinking tea and talking.

"What about the Da Baoen Temple?" Zhao Hao poured a cup of tea for Fan Datong for the first time, which made old Fan flattered and he quickly took it with both hands.

"I went there, and Master Xuelang even invited me to have tea. I didn't expect that monk's abode was so luxurious. The only difference was that there was a painting of a beauty by Tang Bohu hanging on the wall, which easily distracted people."

Fan Datong recalled with sighs what he had seen and heard at Xuelang's place, wishing he could take his place.

"What did he say in response?" Zhao Hao looked at Fan Datong anxiously. Xuelang's reply was much more important than Ma Xianglan's.

"The master read your letter and said, 'It's tacky, too tacky.'" Mr. Fan spoke in Xuelang's tone, shaking his head, making Zhao Hao want to strangle him to death.

"So he just doesn't want to help?" Zhao Hao's heart sank. How could something that was so sure to succeed fail? Could it be that the monk didn't really love me?

"No, he said he would go all out and invite the most famous gourmets in Nanjing to come and serve your delicious food." Fan Datong smiled and said, "Because he wants to help you get rid of the troubles of poverty as soon as possible so that you can concentrate on writing poetry."

"Uh, okay..." Zhao Hao nodded, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. This monk, just helping someone, made people so unhappy.

"He asked you to tell him in advance when Wei Ji Xian will open so that he can have time to invite customers." Fan Datong added, "You only need to tell him one day in advance. He said that as long as he gives a heads up, others will show their appreciation."

Zhao Hao threw the almanac in his hand into Fan Datong's arms and said, "Then we'll put up the sign tomorrow and open the day after tomorrow!"

"So fast?" Fan Datong and Qiaoqiao were both surprised.

"Since everything is ready, why wait until the New Year?" Zhao Hao raised his eyebrows, his face clear and calm.

~~

After breakfast the next day, Fang De came to invite Zhao Hao to hang a plaque for the restaurant.

Although the store will officially open tomorrow, listing is a big event and the owner naturally cannot be absent.

Zhao Hao readily agreed, and with the help of Qiaoqiao, he put on a pair of thin Chenqiao satin shoes, a brand new light blue lake silk summer robe, tied with an indigo brocade belt, hung a white jade pendant around his waist, and finally put on a newly tied black silk net scarf.

The net scarf is a symbol of a man's adulthood. Zhao Hao put it on in advance just to appear mature in front of the people below him.

After he finished dressing, he looked at himself in the slightly blurry bronze mirror for a long while, but he still couldn't see his handsome appearance clearly. He couldn't help but miss the silver-faced bronze mirror in the Minister's mansion that showed every detail...

"Okay, stop being so conceited," Qiaoqiao smiled, covering her mouth with her hands, "Hurry over, everyone is waiting for you!"

"Okay." Zhao Hao took the gold-sprinkled fan handed to him by Qiaoqiao, opened it and shook it, but felt that he was pretending too much, so he threw it back to her and went out empty-handed.

~~

When he got to the front, the restaurant was already full of people inside and outside.

In addition to the shopkeeper Fang and his wife, the Gao father and son, the Yu Jiachang father and son, the elder brother Zhao Jin, the Wu Yu couple, there were also two hired chefs, four kitchen helpers, and four waiters, all of whom were waiting for the arrival of the owner at the restaurant door.

Neighbors also came to watch the fun, and when they saw Zhao Hao, they kept congratulating him. It looked like today was the day for the opening of the business.

"The boss is here, set off the firecrackers!" Yu Peng shouted loudly.

Then a strong man lit up the ground with red firecrackers. There was a crackling sound, smoke billowing, and red crumbs all over the ground, which was very festive.

The couplets on the restaurant's pillars had already been hung, but they were covered with red silk, so the content was unknown. Once the plaque was hung, the restaurant would be ready and just waiting to open.

Zhao Hao covered his ears and watched Gao Wu and Wu Yu climb the ladder and hang the plaque covered with bright red satin steadily on the lintel of the restaurant.

Amidst applause and cheers, Zhao Hao invited neighbors to visit the store.

The restaurant, which was converted from a blacksmith shop, no longer had any traces of ironwork. The cement floor, which was originally covered with thick coal dust, was replaced with red pine wood floors that had just been painted with tung oil. The walls were also freshly painted and hung with various calligraphy and paintings.

There are only six rosewood octagonal tables in the lobby. The distance between the tables is very spacious. Each table is equipped with eight comfortable armchairs, which can accommodate two people walking side by side.

In the end, Manager Fang followed Zhao Jin's advice and moved the counter back three feet. After removing three tables, the lobby looked very spacious. He could also set up a wooden platform about a foot high at the corner of the counter as a place for the musician to perform.

Behind the wide counter made of wenge wood, there is a wine rack suspended in the air, which is like a display case. It is filled with a wide variety of fine wines, which will arouse people's desire for wine as soon as they come in.

The residents of Caijia Lane had never been to such an elegant and sophisticated restaurant before, and for a moment they were a little hesitant, fearing that they might break or dirty anything.

"Everyone, just be at your own pace." Zhao Hao greeted everyone upstairs with a cheerful look on his face, "I hope you guys can give me more suggestions."

As if he would listen...

The stairs leading upstairs were spotlessly clean. Upstairs were four separate private rooms, named 'Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter'.

Before Zhao Hao could open his mouth to show off, he heard a loud and cursing noise coming from the entrance of the restaurant.

Then, I heard a few hoarse voices shouting downstairs: "Get out of the way! The police are here to do their job!"

"You dare to stop the officer, are you planning to rebel?!"

The neighbors all looked at Zhao Hao, but Zhao Hao smiled nonchalantly and said, "It's just a small matter. The shopkeeper will take care of it. Let's continue."

As he said that, he took people upstairs to show off the differences between his four private rooms...

~~

Downstairs in the hotel, the atmosphere was already very tense.

Li Jiutian, an official from Shangyuan County, brought eight or nine unemployed servants and tried to break into the store.

Gao Wu and a few other men blocked the door and prevented them from going in to cause trouble.

"Gao Wu, don't be shameless. You are just a commoner now. How dare you stop the county from doing its job?"

Li Jiutian looked at Gao Wu with his nose turned up and snorted disdainfully: "If you don't get out of the way, I'll lock you up in the detention room!"

Gao Wu sneered and picked up the wenge wood bolt.

"Go ahead and hit me if you dare." Li Jiutian pointed at the square flat cap on his head. "If I hit you, not only will you not be able to run your crappy store, but you will also have to spend the rest of your life in jail!"

Gao Wu gritted his teeth, but ultimately did not swing the stick.

"You don't dare to fight, right?" Li Jiutian said with a smug look on his face, "If you don't dare to fight, then get out of the way!"

"Li Jiutian, you are deliberately trying to cause trouble, aren't you?" Yu Jiachang stepped forward with a bad face and said to Li Jiutian, "The money for the stall has been paid, and I have also reported it to the Sixth House. What else do you want?"

"Is it enough to report to the Sixth Office?" Li Jiutian picked his ears, blew away the earwax on his little finger, and sneered, "How come we didn't see a penny of the money we gave as a gift to the officials of the Third Class?"

"That's right. We don't have a penny in salary. We live on this little tribute." The white servants holding water and fire sticks also shouted, "If we let us starve, you will starve too!"

"Okay, okay." Today was a happy day, and Shopkeeper Fang didn't want to argue any more, so he quickly took out five taels of silver and presented it to Li Jiutian. "Please take good care of me in the future..."

Li Jiutian took the silver and weighed it. Suddenly his face darkened and he cursed, "You are sending away beggars!"

In fact, five taels of silver is already a lot. Generally, when a store like this opens, people would give two or three taels of silver at most, and that's it.

But today Li Jiutian is not here just to ask for money!