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

At the dinner table, the two sides introduced themselves one by one. Old Wu, who had also experienced many ups and downs, gradually relaxed in front of these ancient people. He drank low-alcohol osmanthus wine with Zhu Zhishan, one cup after another, and the two chatted very warmly.

After drinking too much that night, Song Xiaoyi arranged for Old Wu to stay in the room next to his own. Because Old Wu was drunk, the treasure could not be displayed, so it was decided to postpone the matter.

The next day, the neighbor's rooster woke everyone up.

"How long has it been since I heard a rooster crow?" Old Wu pushed open the door, rubbed his sleepy eyes, shook his head to shake off the drowsiness, and saw that Song Xiaoyi was already standing outside brushing his teeth.

"You haven't heard? We live here, and it wakes us up every day. But do you know who lives next door?"

"Who?"

"It is Yan Jun, a friend of Tang Bohu as recorded in historical books."

"So Yan Jun lives in Taoye Ferry! No wonder."

"Old Wu, after breakfast I'll be taking them back to Suzhou. For the next few days, you'll be learning your family's Wu-style Xuanhe mounting technique from Sister Qiu. Sister Qiu says the tradition can't be broken. She's been pushing them to write quite a few calligraphy and paintings these past few days, enough for you to practice."

"Isn't this... a bit extravagant?"

"You need to take it easy. This will be the norm in the future. As long as they live, I can always squeeze enough money out of them."

"..."

The sorrow of parting is universal, throughout history. Xiao Shifu was in tears, and Miaolan was also reluctant to leave. Miaolan's eyes were filled with tears as she frequently stole glances at Song Xiaoyi, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes…

Considering that Miaolan, Xu Zhenqing, and Tang Bohu were not well-off, Song Xiaoyi prepared enough travel expenses for them, two ingots of silver for each person.

Song Xiaoyi then pulled Zhu Zhishan aside and gave him five ingots of silver. "Brother Zhishan, let's stop with the formalities. If you run out of money in Suzhou, just send someone back to me. You still need to keep a close eye on Brother Bohu's matter."

"I understand, brother."

Song Xiaoyi chatted with Xu Zhenqing for a while longer. This young man didn't talk much, but he was very efficient. He was trustworthy to handle things with him.

Finally, Song Xiaoyi walked up to Miaolan and suddenly didn't know what to say. The two stood facing each other for a while, then Song Xiaoyi sighed softly, broke the silence, took Miaolan's hand that was twisting the hem of her clothes, and gently placed two silver ingots in her hand. "Lan'er, go back and give this silver to your brother so he can study hard and try to participate in the autumn examination in Yingtian Prefecture next time."

"Um."

"If you're not happy in Suzhou, go find Brother Zhishan and ask him to send you to Taoye Ferry. Brother Xiaoyi has been saving your room at the Song residence."

"Um."

"Don't you have anything to say to Brother Xiao Yi?"

"Um."

"Okay, all we Miaolan can do is 'uh-huh'."

"You're so bad! Waaah~~"

Miaolan covered her face and sobbed, then turned and ran to the carriage.

"You should have kept her here. At least give her a hug."

"My lord! This is the Ming Dynasty."

"What's wrong with the Ming Dynasty? Can't girls in the Ming Dynasty hug?"

"..."

"Let her go back and see her brother first. At worst, we can bring her and her brother to Taoye Ferry together in a few days."

"That's going to be tough. Her brother is even more of a playboy than Brother Bohu, I'll have to find someone to take care of him!"

"He's your brother-in-law, after all. If you don't take care of him, who will?"

"Don't talk nonsense, it's not even close to happening."

"Tch, I saw it all, you touched her."

"Uncle Wu, it was just holding hands!"

"Don't forget, this is the Ming Dynasty!"

Song Xiaoyi rubbed his forehead and smiled wryly. He hadn't expected that Old Wu would apply what he had learned so quickly, and that the boomerang would soon pierce back into his own body.

After seeing you off for a thousand miles, we must part ways eventually. Song Xiaoyi forced back her sorrow and watched the three carriages drive away before pulling Old Wu and Sister Qiu back to Taoye Ferry.

Fortunately, Song Hao and Song Tianmin are very talented and can learn all kinds of dishes quickly. Song Xiaoyi set the last spot in the kitchen as Song Tianmin. The two brothers have a clear division of labor: Song Hao is in charge of "Song's Restaurant" and mainly sells breakfast; Song Tianmin is in charge of "Song's Family Restaurant" and serves lunch.

Song Yunqiu taught Wu Lao the art of mounting at home, and the two of them were responsible for mounting all the works of the talented men during this period.

On the third day, Old Wu's phone rang. Song Xiaoyi saw that it was a number from Shanghai and went back to the Song Mansion in Daming to call Old Wu.

The two hurriedly returned to the modern world. As they boarded the boat to cross the river, Song Xiaoyi said, "Old Wu, it must be because your friends in Shanghai heard that you went to Shanghai. It's very strange that you went to Shanghai but didn't visit your old friends. Anyone with a keen eye can find out that you didn't stay at the hotel you booked in Shanghai, and you mysteriously disappeared. So, this is not a long-term solution."

Old Wu had already thought of this. His identity was now the biggest obstacle. It just so happened that it was National Day. Normally, his family would have told Wu Fei to follow him around every day. If they couldn't reach him by phone twice, they would immediately call the police.

"Or how about this, you go back first and talk to your family. Tell them you're coming to Taoye Ferry in Jinling for a vacation, and you can stay in my modern Song Mansion."

"I can't stay here. I have many old friends and students in Jinling. If I stay here, people will keep coming to visit every day, which will be extremely annoying."

"This is really a headache."

"Let me go back and think about it; I'm sure I can come up with a suitable solution."

"That's all we can do for now."

"Oh, right, you said you'd show me something even better than Mei Zi Qing the other day, you haven't forgotten, have you?"

"I haven't forgotten. The item is in the modern building, in the attic storage room."

Why put it in the attic storage room?

"Let's go ashore. You'll understand when you see it. That thing can't be brought to the Ming Dynasty. It's too dangerous. Since that incident, the Song Mansion in modern times has become a popular tourist destination, which is even less safe. I don't dare to leave anything in the Song Mansion in the Ming Dynasty now."

Back in the present, Mr. Wu first checked his phone. There were three missed calls: two from Shanghai and one from Nanjing—all from old friends. Mr. Wu returned the call from Shanghai, made an excuse that he wanted to take a stroll alone, and so he ended up in Nanjing.

The call from Nanjing was made by a student, but Mr. Wu didn't answer. After hanging up the phone in Shanghai, he couldn't wait to see the "treasure" that Song Xiaoyi had brought down.

What Song Xiaoyi took out were three pieces of yellow-glazed porcelain that he had been hiding. These three pieces of yellow-glazed porcelain, along with the two sets of twelve zodiac cups, had all been "aged" by the Song family on both sides.

"A yellow-glazed plate with a dragon design, featuring a five-clawed golden dragon, made during the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty. It is clearly a product of the imperial kiln."

"A yellow-glazed monk's cap-shaped ewer, made during the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty, is another exquisite piece from the imperial kiln."

"A yellow-glazed wine pot with dragon and phoenix design, made during the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty, and it was even made in the imperial kiln! In the Ming Dynasty, only the royal family could use yellow."

"No wonder you dare not expand to the Ming Dynasty. Every single piece of these imperial porcelain pieces has a detailed record. The person who sold it to you must have stolen it, right? If they get caught, they'll be in deep trouble, if not dead."

"I suppose so, but that guy is quite capable. His family runs at least a few private kilns, and they also have members working at the imperial kilns. Please give me your estimate, sir. I need cash to exchange for silver ingots; I'm running out of funds for my construction projects in the Ming Dynasty."