In the Ming Dynasty 1498, my restaurant connects two worlds.

Xiao Shifu was already waiting on the side, holding the inkpad, but his eyes were fixed on the cursive script that was still wet with ink. "Master, hurry up and use the seal. A seal that is applied in one go will add more wildness. Seal the seal of Daoist Zhishan in red ink."

"You child, you're even more of a lifesaver than Brother Xiao Yi!" Zhu Zhishan complained, but his hands were quite honest. He skillfully took out several seals from his inner pocket and dipped them in ink to stamp them.

"Nine Poems on Leaving the Frontier" is finished; the remaining revisions will have to be completed tomorrow.

Song Yunqiu and Xiao Qiuying arranged the cursive script Xuan paper in order and pulled Zhu Zhishan back to the table.

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The next morning, as expected, Song Xiaoyi, still hungover, was once again awakened by the rooster next door.

"One day I'm going to eat roasted rooster!"

Upon waking up, Song Xiaoyi immediately checked the last two poems of the cursive script "Nine Poems on Leaving the Frontier," which Zhu Zhishan had completed the previous day in a state of "harmony between man and nature."

"It's alright, it's alright. Although I can't understand it, it's obviously a masterpiece. Writing while drunk really makes a difference."

So today, let them learn from each other's poetry and prose, Tang Bohu can add a few strokes to the frontier scenery, and let Qiu Jie and Miao Lan work together to mount two scrolls. These are two money-making bombs. Whenever we need money, we can release one of them.

Everyone got up one after another, washed up, and rowed back to the other side for breakfast. Song Xiaoyi saw Mu Bin waiting at the door from afar. This big shot, who was like a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had almost exhausted himself to the point of being a dog in order to help the widows and orphans of his colleagues make a living.

"Brother Mu, what could possibly be so important that you had to come all this way in person? You could have just sent someone in a blue vest to deliver the message."

"Brother, come with me quickly. Your household registration is done. I'll take you to Moling Village today."

"Brother Mou, wait a moment, I brought some food."

Song Xiaoyi straightened his clothes, called his sister over and gave her a few instructions. He went upstairs and took out a bottle each of osmanthus wine, plum wine, and Brave the World from the freezer and put them into a wine box. He also took out a portion of Song's Hand-Pounded Meat and carefully placed it at the bottom, wrapped the outer ring with ice, and went downstairs.

This is a gift for the elders of the Song clan.

In the Ming Dynasty, which placed great importance on household registration and clan, those without household registration were like duckweed, and it would be inconvenient to buy land and establish themselves in the future.

As for clan, Song Xiaoyi was actually somewhat resistant to it. After all, ancient emperors would often "exterminate nine generations of their family," and if you were living a good life, you might be implicated by some distant relative and be beheaded without any reason.

In Moling Village, south of Yingtian Prefecture, fifty li from Taoye Ferry, Song Xiaoyi found a carriage. The two of them rode together in the carriage and left the city, with two riders coming out to escort them.

Seeing that Song Xiaoyi had noticed the two riders outside, Mu Bin comforted him, "Brother Xiaoyi, don't worry. The journey is a bit long and the terrain is not safe. We are grateful for your help and are volunteering to follow you as guards."

"Since we're brothers, we can't treat him poorly. Let me introduce him when we get there, so I can say hello."

The carriage traveled south along the official road. Song Xiaoyi lifted the curtain and looked at this familiar yet unfamiliar land. Along the way, the rice paddies rippled and cicadas chirped. Occasionally, he would see farmers holding hoes and looking up. Seeing that they were dressed in the uniforms of the Imperial Guards, he would give them a wide berth.

Song Xiaoyi felt a mix of emotions. "It won't be easy to change the image of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the eyes of the people."

Mu Bin didn't respond. Seeing that Song Xiaoyi was a little nervous, he said, "Brother, there's no need to be too nervous. Although the Song family of Moling is not a prominent family, it is a genuine branch of the Song family of Huating. The family has produced scholars who passed the imperial examinations. The current head of the third branch of the Song family, Song Jingfeng, is a reasonable old scholar."

"Everything has been arranged here. Just say that you are a member of a collateral branch of the Song family who was scattered in the far west of the Western Regions and was separated from your family due to war. Now you are returning to your homeland to find your roots."

"Brother Mou's idea is indeed very thorough," Song Xiaoyi nodded. "However... if they ask about our parents' names..."

"Your grandfather's name was Song Huaiyuan, your father was Song Shen, and your mother was Shen. I pieced these names together from the secret files of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and old military records, which is consistent with what you said before."

"!!!" Song Xiaoyi only heard the first half of the sentence. What a coincidence! His grandfather's name was Song Huaiyuan, his father's name was Song Shen, and his mother's name was Shen Xiang. They were all the same!

Seeing Song Xiaoyi's stunned expression, Mu Bin assumed that Song Xiaoyi was amazed by his arrangement and continued smugly, "What's even more ingenious is that ten years ago, a Song family caravan was indeed robbed by the Oirats on its way back from the Pamir Mountains, and its fate is unknown. Therefore, your identity is flawless."

"Once you enter the village, members of the Song clan will lead you to the ancestral hall. Just say what I just told you. If they ask you something you don't know, just say you can't remember it."

Two hours later, the carriage arrived at a village with blue tiles and white walls.

The stone tablet at the village entrance is inscribed with the four characters "Moling Song Family", which are vigorous and simple.

Members of the clan were already waiting at the village entrance, leading Song Xiaoyi to the ancestral hall.

According to the rules, Mu Bin and the Imperial Guards could not force their way into the Song Clan Ancestral Hall; Song Xiaoyi would have to rely on his own resourcefulness.

The ancestral hall was filled with the smoke of incense, and in the center were the ancestral tablets of the Song family, just like the layout of the Song family ancestral hall when I was a child.

An elderly man with white hair and beard sat in the main seat of the ancestral hall; he must be the clan head.

The patriarch of the third branch of the Song family sized up Song Xiaoyi before slowly speaking, "Since you claim to be a descendant of Huaiyuan, are you aware of the Song family precepts?"

"I actually know that!" Song Xiaoyi took a deep breath, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Honesty and kindness are the foundation of a lasting family tradition, while poetry and books ensure its continued prosperity."

A hint of surprise flashed in the old clan chief's eyes. The Song family was not a prominent family, and their family precepts were rarely mentioned. The third branch of the Moling family was even more depleted.

In this perilous situation, the Imperial Guards approached them, requesting assistance in registering a branch of the family. They initially thought it was just adding a fake collateral branch. Although they had no choice, the old clan chief was unwilling to give up and wanted to try to find out if they could find any clues. Was it to seize the house? Or to seek refuge? Or to hide their identity?

I never expected this young man to know the Song family's ancestral precepts!

The old clan chief continued, "When Huaiyuan left his hometown for the west, he left a letter saying that if any of his descendants returned, they would bring back his ancestor's skills. Do you have any?"

"The ancestral craftsmanship? Is the clan chief referring to culinary skills?"

Indeed.

"Does Songfu's Hand-Pulled Meat count?"

"You really know how to make Song's Hand-Pulled Pork?!"

It really is fate. Song Xiaoyi did not reply directly, but put the wine box he was carrying on the ground, opened the mechanism, took out three kinds of wine and Song family hand-pulled meat in turn, and respectfully placed them in the center of the offering table. He put the wine box aside, and according to the Song family's ancestral worship ritual in his memory, he took incense, lit incense, and kowtowed.

The old clan chief was increasingly amazed as he looked!

What a surprise!

The old clan chief and Song Xiaoyi thought of this almost simultaneously.

The old clan chief hadn't expected that even though he hadn't asked the questions in the order requested by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the other party still answered them all. This child knew the family precepts, was skilled in his mother's cooking, and understood the Song clan's ancestral worship rituals. Shouldn't he be a member of my Song clan? What's wrong with allowing him to be registered in the clan?

With a wave of his hand, the patriarch began the registration ceremony. He read out the supplementary documents to the genealogy, and Song Xiaoyi was officially registered in the "Huating Song Clan Genealogy • Moling Branch • Third Branch Collateral Line" under the name "Song Yi", listed as the direct grandson of Huaiyuan Gong.