Courtyard House: Purchasing Agents' Comeback from the Great Famine

Back at Villa No. 6, we happened to run into Ninth Master and the others having dinner.

When Ninth Master saw Wang Feng, the group immediately stood up.

"Cuilan, quickly get a set of bowls and chopsticks for Young Master Wang."

"Young Master Wang, I thought you weren't coming back for lunch. We waited until 12:30, then we stopped waiting for you."

Wang Feng gestured with his hand: "No need for bowls and chopsticks, I already ate at my father-in-law's."

"Please sit down and continue eating, Ninth Master. My father-in-law's chef has a cousin who, according to Aunt Zhang, cooks even better than her. This afternoon, she might bring her two sons over. Ask them first if they can do us a favor. If they are both courageous, keep them here and have her cook a few dishes for us to try."

After a pause, Wang Feng continued, "If her two sons are cowards, there's no need to let their mother taste the dishes; just send them all away. Our chefs here must be absolutely safe and reliable, otherwise, big problems can easily arise."

"Don't worry, Mr. Wang, I will definitely keep a close eye on things."

Wang Feng nodded: "As for the compensation, just follow my father-in-law's standards, and then slightly higher."

"clear."

Once everything was arranged, Wang Feng went back to his room. With him around, everyone felt a bit uneasy during the meal.

After taking a one-hour nap in his room at noon, Wang Feng gave some instructions to Ninth Master, then left Repulse Bay, hailed a taxi, and went out.

He was too rushed during his last visit to Hong Kong Island and didn't have a chance to explore properly. Now that he has time, he wants to take a good look at Hong Kong Island in this era.

Wang Feng's first stop was Causeway Bay, his second stop was Mong Kok, his third stop was Paterson Street, and his last stop was the Foreign Goods Building.

He went to four places in one afternoon and bought a lot of things, including clothes and shoes for himself and clothes and shoes suitable for Beijing. These were all for his three wives, Qin Jingru and Qin Jingru.

He bought a whole bunch of things, but he found a remote and deserted place and stored them all in his spatial storage.

By the time he hailed a taxi and returned to Villa No. 6, it was already 6:30 p.m.

It doesn't get dark here until 7 p.m., which is about half an hour later than in Beijing.

"Young Master Wang, you're back."

Standing at the villa entrance, Ninth Master saw Wang Feng return and quickly came over to greet him.

Wang Feng nodded in response: "Did Aunt Zhang's cousin and her two sons come over this afternoon?"

"They're here. Aunt Zhang's cousin is called Lin Qiu, and everyone calls her Aunt Lin. I've also asked about her two sons. They used to be idle street urchins who were always getting into fights."

After a pause, Ninth Master continued, "I've examined the two brothers' bodies. They have quite a few scars, which shows they're tough and willing to fight. Both brothers are willing to work for us. This afternoon, I had Aunt Lin cook a few dishes for us to try. They're a little better than Aunt Zhang's cooking. Tonight, I had Aunt Lin cook a few dishes, and we're just waiting for you to come back for dinner."

Upon hearing this, Wang Feng was very satisfied. He trusted Ninth Master's abilities; he was calm and experienced.

As they entered the villa, the group of people quickly greeted him.

"Young Master Wang."

Wang Feng saw that everyone had arrived, except for a middle-aged woman in her forties. He looked at the eight dishes laid out on the table: braised pork, stir-fried mutton with scallions, braised lion's head meatballs, braised crucian carp, Kung Pao chicken, pork stew with vermicelli, and two vegetarian dishes: romaine lettuce and hot and sour cabbage.

"Hello, Young Master Wang." Aunt Lin greeted Wang Feng respectfully.

"Aunt Lin, from now on we're family, so just relax and make yourself at home."

Wang Feng's attitude was very amiable, and seeing this, Aunt Lin's impression of Wang Feng improved considerably.

Originally, she was reluctant to work as a cook for such a wealthy family, feeling somewhat like she was living under someone else's roof. But she had no choice; her family was almost starving, her two sons were both troublesome, her husband had died young, and the restaurant business was failing. If she didn't come, her family would starve.

Seeing that Young Master Wang was treating her very well and didn't seem to regard her as a servant, she breathed a long sigh of relief.

She was afraid of encountering a harsh master who didn't treat cooks or nannies like human beings. If she were that kind of person, she would rather go back to her old job of setting up a street stall than stay in such a house and suffer mistreatment.

Looking at the eight dishes that looked and smelled delicious, Wang Feng nodded in satisfaction, then gestured to the crowd:

"Let's all sit down and eat together."

"Thank you, Young Master Wang."

Ninth Master and the others all sat down to eat, but Aunt Lin did not sit down and instead went to the kitchen.

"Aunt Lin, where are you going? Sit down and eat with us," Wang Feng said.

Aunt Lin turned around and smiled, "Young Master Wang, you all eat. I'll eat in the kitchen. My cousin eats in the kitchen at Master Lou's place."

"Young Master Wang, let Aunt Lin eat in the kitchen. Many chefs in Beijing follow this rule; they usually don't serve food at the table," Ninth Master said, trying to smooth things over.

Upon hearing this, Wang Feng nodded: "Alright, let's eat."

As he spoke, he picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in his mouth. It was tender and juicy, rich but not greasy.

I picked up another piece of stir-fried mutton with scallions. It didn't have any gamey smell at all. Instead, it had a refreshing aroma that burst in my mouth. The Kung Pao Chicken and braised lion's head meatballs were also very good. They were indeed better than Aunt Zhang's cooking.

Wang Feng ate five large bowls of rice and a lot of vegetables during this meal, which startled Ninth Master and the others.

This was the first time they had ever eaten such delicious food, and they were all stuffed tonight. However, they could only eat three bowls of rice at most before they couldn't eat anymore, since they had eaten quite a lot of other dishes.

But their young master Wang eats twice as much as they do; most people couldn't eat that much.

However, none of them said anything, and they certainly didn't dare to laugh at Wang Feng.

Seeing everyone burping, Wang Feng smiled slightly. He was quite satisfied with the meal. Although Aunt Lin's cooking skills couldn't compare to Qin Jingru's, they were still a step above He Daqing's.

"Ninth Master, come to the study. I have something to tell you."

"Yes, Young Master Wang."

The two entered the study, and Wang Feng said directly, "My father-in-law has hired a private tutor to teach them Cantonese. The lessons start as soon as it gets dark. You should go and learn some too. It will be very inconvenient to get things done here if you don't know Cantonese."

Upon hearing this, Ninth Master waved his hand and laughed, "Young Master Wang, I arranged for a private tutor to come and teach at seven o'clock every evening this morning. He should be here soon."

Hearing Ninth Master's words, Wang Feng was very pleased. He had forgotten to give instructions about this matter yesterday, but he did not expect that Ninth Master had thought of it long ago and had handled the matter on his own. It seems that it should not be a problem for him to take charge on his own in Hong Kong.