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

The following days passed smoothly, and before they knew it, it was August 9th, the start of the Ming Dynasty's triennial autumn imperial examination.

At the Song Mansion in the Ming Dynasty, Song Xiaoyi prepared a sumptuous and clean breakfast early in the morning, and prepared a food box for each of Tang Bohu, Wen Zhengming and Gu Qian who were about to enter the examination hall. Even the drinking water was modern purified water poured into cups.

"May my three esteemed brothers enjoy great success in their writing and may their words flow like a divine inspiration!"

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the results for these three in this year's Yingtian Prefecture Autumn Examination are basically set. Tang Bohu goes without saying, and Gu Qian passing the provincial examination is also no problem. He's practically a nobody, low-key yet capable. His name is already established, and he'll likely become an imperial censor in the future. If he does well now, he'll be a potential asset in the future.

But Song Xiaoyi couldn't quite figure out Wen Bi's abilities. Given Wen Bi's level, he should have been able to pass the imperial examinations without much trouble, let alone be in the top three. But it was really strange that he failed to pass the examinations year after year.

Song Xiaoyi suspected that this was largely due to his father offending too many people in the Jiangnan officialdom. In this era of conformity, Wenlin was unconventional and disliked.

Although it's still summer here in modern times in August, it's already close to the Mid-Autumn Festival here in the Ming Dynasty, and many local crabs have come to Taoye Ferry after the house collapsed.

At this time, there was no such thing as farmed crabs, and although the crabs in front of me looked dirty, they were really big. Most importantly, they were cheap, only two coins each.

Song Xiaoyi first bought a basket, washed it clean, and added scallions, ginger, garlic, light soy sauce, chili oil, orange juice, and perilla leaves to remove the fishy smell. In one go, he made Songfu Fried Crab, Songfu Agate Crab, Songfu Hibiscus Crab, Songfu Roasted Crab, and a modern version of Steamed Crab.

Songfu Fried Crab is actually similar to the modern spicy crab recipe. Song Xiaoyi considered the dietary habits of people in the Ming Dynasty, especially since Zhu Zhishan and Zhang Miaolan were from Suzhou and could not eat spicy food, and Song Yunqiu and Xiao Qiuying could not eat spicy food either. So he made some slight modifications and added some sweet and spicy sauce.

"Brother Zhishan, Sister Qiu, there are exactly five of you. Five different methods of preparation. Each of you can eat one, rinse your mouth and wash your hands after you finish before moving on to the next method. Finally, give me a rating for each one, from one to five points. I'll see which method is more suitable to introduce later."

Song Xiaoyi tasted each method himself. The wild crabs had a strong earthy smell, which was difficult to mask even with the addition of a lot of scallions, ginger and perilla.

If you want to bring wild crabs from the Ming Dynasty to modern times for modern people to eat, there is only one way: just like the modern crab farmers around Yangcheng Lake and Gucheng Lake, find a clean lake, demarcate a section of water in the lake, and use crab nets and baskets to wash the wild crabs in the lake for one or two weeks.

Song Xiaoyi decided to entrust this task to the Song clan members in Moling.

Song Hao told Song Xiaoyi that there was a ready-made lake next to Songjia Village in Moling that was connected to the Qinhuai River, which was perfect for giving crabs a bath.

Song Xiaoyi personally rode his bicycle to Songjia Village in Moling. After inspecting the site, he was very satisfied with the clear lake water, just as Song Hao had said. He then discussed the renovation with the old clan chief.

"I hope to make full use of all the villagers and their tenants. First, we will build several drinking troughs extending into the lotus lake, with crab baskets and nets placed on three sides of the troughs. In addition, we will assign some people to collect water hyacinths and clean aquatic plants to feed the crabs."

The clan chief stroked his beard, looking puzzled: "Little Yi, these crabs... you can easily catch plenty in the river, they're fishy and have almost no meat, nobody wants them even for two coins each, why bother with all this trouble?"

"As the saying goes, when the autumn wind blows, the crabs get itchy. These crabs, if they are raised in the lake for half a month, will have their muddy smell basically removed. I use our Song family's secret method to make them, and I can sell them to scholars in the city for a little extra money."

"Chief, or how about this: whether you buy the crabs directly or send your clansmen or tenants to catch them, as long as they are successfully deodorized in this lotus lake, I'll pay five coins each for female crabs weighing three ounces and male crabs weighing four ounces. I'll buy as many as you have."

Upon hearing this, the clan chief's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward slightly. "Really?"

"I take Xiao Yi's words to heart and would never lie to the clan leader." With that, Song Xiao Yi took out a silver ingot from the box he carried with him and gently placed it on the table in front of the clan leader. "This silver ingot is hereby considered as a deposit."

"But I'm very clear with my relatives; I won't accept crabs that don't meet the weight standards. However, Xiao Yi suggests that smaller crabs can be kept in crab baskets with aquatic plants for a while, and they will grow bigger."

"Hehe, you don't need to remind me, Xiao Yi. As far as I know, some villagers in the next village know the techniques for raising crabs."

"That would be wonderful, of course."

After the crab matter was settled, Song Xiaoyi's second proposal was to build a small wharf on the edge of Songjia Village in Moling on the Qinhuai River to facilitate the transportation of supplies in the future.

"There's Qianjiadu just across the street from the village. Is it really necessary for us to build another ferry terminal here?"

"It's necessary. Qianjiadu is too far away, and it's really inconvenient for me to transport supplies."

The clan chief frowned slightly and said slowly, "Building a ferry crossing is no small matter. It requires the village head to apply to the county government, and after the county magistrate approves it, it also needs to be reported and approved by the River and Lake Management Office, the Patrol and Inspection Office, and the Tax Office. It requires navigating through layers of bureaucracy, and it's time-consuming and labor-intensive..."

Song Xiaoyi waved his hand confidently and said, "The clan leader need not worry about this. All the procedures and formalities will be handled by the brothers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I, Xiaoyi, will bear all the expenses."

"..."

"From now on, this Songjia Village ferry crossing will naturally be under the management of our Song family."

The clan chief glanced at Song Xiaoyi and thought to himself, "You've already thought it through. Since you have the Embroidered Uniform Guard backing you up, you can make your own decision. Why bother informing this old man?"

"All funds for the construction of the ferry crossing were entrusted to the clan chief for management, including the recruitment and allocation of craftsmen and workers."

Song Xiaoyi took out five silver ingots from his personal box and neatly placed them in front of the clan leader, their silvery light dazzling.

"The construction is entirely at the discretion of the clan chief. These five ingots of silver are the deposit for starting construction."

Song Xiaoyi's attitude was very clear: he would hand over all financial and personnel appointment and dismissal powers to the clan chief for decision-making, which was a real benefit in the Ming Dynasty.

The Song clan patriarch alone made all the decisions regarding who to employ, who not to employ, and who was responsible for what, in the surrounding villages, regardless of their relationship to the clan. What does that mean? It means he held absolute power!

As we all know, infrastructure projects have always been lucrative; I'll give it to you.

"The third thing is that my ancestral home needs to be renovated, according to the strictest regulations, using the best bricks, wood and all other materials."

"I'm not afraid of spending money; all I want is a house that's been renovated."

After Song Xiaoyi finished speaking, he took out five ingots of silver from the box he carried with him.

As we all know, there's always been a lot of money to be made in the renovation business, so I'll give it to you too.

"This is the deposit for starting the project. If it's not enough, have the brothers in the clan who deliver vegetables to the city come to me. If I'm not here, find Song Hao, and he'll ask my sister to make arrangements."

The clan chief looked at the pile of silver on the table, his Adam's apple bobbing. His tense expression, which had been caused by Song Xiaoyi's attitude, softened, and his displeasure vanished.