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

The blow of failing the imperial examination finally made Zhang Mengjin realize the truth.

Faced with a hundred taels of silver, Zhang Mengjin did not have any intention of squandering it. He took Miaolan to visit his teacher Zhu Zhishan and said, "This disciple wishes to take my elderly mother to Taoye Ferry in Yingtian Prefecture to seek refuge with Song Xiaoyi."

"Excellent! Brother Xiao Yi is a good man, and his medical skills are superb. Perhaps he can cure your mother's illness."

Zhu Zhishan was pondering how to complete the task entrusted to him by Song Xiaoyi when his apprentice came to him on his own initiative. He was secretly delighted, thinking that this task would be much easier!

"There's no time to lose. Go back and pack your things. The repairs to the old house will be put on hold for now. I'll prepare a carriage for you to set off tomorrow morning!"

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Tang Bohu received an invitation from Wang Ao at home and went on a trip to Xishan in Taihu Lake.

Upon hearing the news, Zhu Zhishan stroked his beard and pondered for a moment. He thought to himself that his identity was too sensitive to go along, so he found Xu Zhenqing, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Changgu, you have always been open-minded and unrestrained. Why don't you go to Xishan with Bohu? That villain is treacherous. If he tries to sneak in, it will be good to have you by his side to protect him."

The "villains" that Zhu Zhishan and Xu Zhenqing mentioned refer to Xu Jing, as well as people with impure intentions like Xu Jing.

The next morning, Xu Zhenqing and Tang Bohu went to the shore of Taihu Lake, boarded a boat, and left the shore.

Xu Jing, who rushed from Yixing, knocked on the door of the Tang residence, only to find no one there.

"Enough, enough. Things don't happen more than three times. If I miss it all three times, then we're destined to be apart..."

......

Meanwhile, as the vast expanse of Taihu Lake stretched out in mist, a blue-awning horse-drawn carriage rumbled along the official road outside Suzhou...

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After traveling for many days, Song Xiaoyi returned to Taoye Ferry after preparing his luggage.

On the first floor of the restaurant, Song Xiaoyi spotted Miaolan at a glance, his joy overflowing. He didn't notice the person beside her, quickly stepped forward, and grasped her hand as if reuniting with an old friend. "Lan'er! You're back so soon?"

Miao Lan's ears turned slightly red. She lowered her head and gently withdrew her hand, her fingertips unconsciously twisting the sash of her clothes. In a voice that could be heard only by herself, she said, "Brother... is here."

"Ah? Brother?" Only then did Song Xiaoyi notice a strangely dressed scholar standing behind Miaolan. He wore a patchwork robe, had a wine gourd hanging from his waist, and looked neither like a monk nor a Taoist. He was quite handsome, but his expression was slightly gloomy, with a hint of displeasure. "This is... Brother Mengjin?"

"Brother Xiao Yi, it is indeed I."

"Mengjin heard from his master and Brother Bohu that Brother Xiaoyi is not only skilled in cooking, but also extremely proficient in medicine?"

"Hey, Brother Mengjin, you've hit the nail on the head. I do indeed know a little about traditional Chinese medicine. Who in your family needs treatment?"

Miao Lan spoke up first, "Brother Xiao Yi, she is my mother."

"If I had known earlier that my aunt was unwell, I should have gone to Suzhou with you."

"It's not too late now, we've already brought Mother along."

"They've already been brought over? Where are they? Why not go straight home? Or are they staying in a hotel?"

"Brother Xiao Yi, we arrived the day before yesterday. Sister Qiu said you went on a long trip and haven't come back yet, so we've already moved into the Song residence." Miao Lan was a little embarrassed, her slender fingers unconsciously rubbing the hem of her clothes.

"There's no time to lose, let's get home quickly." Song Xiaoyi grabbed Miaolan's wrist and ran towards the ferry, leaving Zhang Mengjin no choice but to hurry after her.

On the boat home, Miaolan described her mother's illness in detail. Song Xiaoyi initially thought it was some kind of terminal illness, but when they arrived at the house and she took her mother's pulse, she realized it was just a common asthma that often occurs in autumn and winter.

"Brother Xiao Yi, what illness does my mother have? Can it be cured?"

"It's a minor ailment, just a case of wind-cold affecting the lungs. I can really treat it. I'll give her some medicine to control it first, and then I'll give you a prescription. Take it to a reliable pharmacy in the city and get the medicine."

"Can it be cured?"

"able."

"Can it be completely cured?"

"able."

"You're not lying to me?"

Song Xiaoyi scoffed, "Why would I lie to you? Do you think I'm after your calligraphy and painting? In terms of brushwork, your master, Mr. Zhishan, is far superior to you, even Xu Changgu is better! In terms of painting, Brother Bohu is a natural genius, and at the very least, Brother Wenbi is no worse than you!"

"Why would I lie to you? Now that you're here, settle down, study hard, and try to get the top score in the Nanjing provincial examination next time!"

"this……"

Zhang Mengjin was stunned by Song Xiaoyi's harsh reprimand. He snapped his folding fan shut, his throat bobbing but he couldn't speak. The wit and cleverness he used to display when arguing with Du Yuanjing were nowhere to be seen.

Seeing this, Miaolan quietly tugged at her brother's sleeve and said softly, "Brother, Xiao Yi is doing this for your own good. The atmosphere of the examination hall is conducive to cultivating one's character. Why don't you settle down here and study hard for the exam?"

"See, Miaolan has already said so. You should adjust things later, let your brother stay in Bohu's room, that room will be exclusively for the top scholar from now on!"

"Meng Jin, this time you'll listen to Lan'er and this young man, Brother Xiao Yi, okay?"

"I understand, Mother!"

Song Xiaoyi was just about to take this opportunity to publicly enlighten Zhang Mengjin when he saw his mother nearby. He seized the opportunity to give him a stern lecture, which indeed left Zhang Mengjin speechless, achieving maximum effect. Otherwise, in this glamorous world of Confucius Temple, Zhang Mengjin would continue to degenerate sooner or later, and he didn't have the time to keep an eye on him all the time.

Song Xiaoyi walked around the room, took out the appropriate Chinese medicine from his spatial storage, poured a small cup of the oral medicine for Miaolan's mother to drink, and then, after some subtle concealment, wrote down a Chinese medicine prescription, telling Miaolan to go and get the medicine and brew it when she had time.

Although Song Xiaoyi belittled Zhang Mengjin to his face, Zhang's painting skills were actually very high.

However, Zhang Ling (Zhang Mengjin) died young in history, and few of his works survive.

Now that he has been fooled by Song Xiaoyi, he will definitely need to take care of his health regularly. Miaolan will also urge her brother to paint a picture every ten days to prevent his skills from becoming rusty.

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Modern times, after the holiday.

Song Xiaoyi still has a lot of things to deal with.

The simplest thing to do was to call Director Teng and ask for a formal position for Zhu'er, so that Zhu'er could work at the Jinling Museum with peace of mind, where there would be endless cultural relics to repair every day, and she wouldn't have the extra energy to bother him.

The second thing was that the cold storage on the second floor of Taoye Ferry was full, so we went to Yuhua Noodle Factory to communicate with Uncle Cao and adjust the production structure, combining fresh vegetables from the west to make pre-cooked dishes.

The third thing was to prepare for the trip to Beijing in the spring of the following year. I called Mr. Wu and asked him to use his connections to find a courtyard house in Beijing that was built before the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty.

"A courtyard house before the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty? Is there anything special about it?" Old Wu asked after answering the phone. "Courtyard houses in Beijing are not cheap, and often there are no available ones even if they are priced high."

"So, it's definitely impossible for me to come to you with my abilities," Song Xiaoyi reminded him. "Think about my family's Song residence. Once this house in the capital is settled, it will be convenient for you to go there in the future."

"I see! I understand now!"

"Mr. Wu, there's one more thing. Could you tell me which of your friends like to eat crabs? Crabs from Daming are now on the market here, all wild and large..."