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

Chapter 123 Returning to Songjia Village in Moling

Taking advantage of the renovation of Dongyuan, Song Xiaoyi returned to the modern capital and took the high-speed rail back to Jinling.

The temporary passage between the two realms in the house was not closed, so that Elder Wu and Elder Shan could regularly go to the Ming Dynasty to help Zhu You with his strategies.

Mr. Wu and Mr. Shan devised a win-win solution: each time they entered the courtyard house on Beichizi Street, they would fully charge their mobile phones and leave them in one place. Only one of them would go in at a time, while the other would stay in the courtyard to handle documents, look up information, or rest and have tea.

In case of emergency, one should immediately go to the Ming Dynasty and have a message relayed by a eunuch arranged by Zhu Youcheng at the Song residence, who would then notify another person to return. The round trip would take no more than half an hour.

Song Xiaoyi only came up with the renovation plan after seeing the East Garden; only by expanding it could the system upgrade be accelerated. When Song Xiaoyi asked Zhu Youcheng for the East Garden, he laid out his plan in detail, and Zhu Youcheng supported the plan.

However, who should be in charge of all seven districts? This is a question that needs careful consideration.

First, the "Western Region Cuisine Experience Zone" in the third area is the easiest to manage. This can be left to Wu Huai, who will select skilled personnel from within the Western Theater Command to be stationed there. Back at Taoye Ferry, Song Xiaoyi first called Wu Huai.

The matter of the Yongle Encyclopedia greatly shocked the higher-ups. After receiving secret instructions, renowned experts from all over the country arrived in the capital one after another and are secretly analyzing it in a completely closed environment. So far, they have only analyzed less than one-tenth of the contents. The Western Theater Command has already made a name for itself, but Song Xiaoyi only wanted a military merit record.

Although Wu Huai and his superiors had already guessed that Song Xiaoyi's side should have some connection with the Ming Dynasty, they still kept their promise and did not disturb him. Unexpectedly, Song Xiaoyi took the initiative to ask for help and requested the military region to send comrades to be stationed there!

What are you waiting for? This is a rare opportunity!

After Wu Huai reported to his superiors, the Western Theater Command quickly selected special talents, only saying that they were waiting for instructions to go to a highly secret location to carry out a special mission.

The second area, the "Song Family Cuisine" experience zone, is relatively easy to select participants for. We'll eventually have to make a trip to Moling Village to bring Zhu Zhishan and his group out. We'll also take the opportunity to communicate with the clan elder and have him select three more members of the Song family to come to the city to learn the craft and take over the Song family restaurant in Taoye Ferry.

Song Xiaoyi plans to bring the three brothers, Song Hao, Song Chen, and Song Xuan, to the capital to be in charge of cooking for the second district. Miao Lan will be the tentative choice for the head manager of the second district.

The heavy snow in Nanjing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, had stopped for a few days, but the weather was still very cold, and the business of Song's Restaurant in Taoye Ferry was as good as ever.

Since Song Xiaoyi couldn't help with this, he simply found a boat at Taoye Ferry Wharf that returned to Songjia Ferry in Moling and went directly back to Songjia Village in Moling.

"Boatman, it's so cold outside, why isn't the Qinhuai River frozen?"

"Young man, you don't understand, do you? The river doesn't freeze over. We boats agree on a time to go back and forth just to ensure the river doesn't freeze. Once the Qinhuai River freezes over, we who make a living on the water will suffer."

"I see. No wonder your crew was dissatisfied and insisted on setting sail."

"Sigh, things weren't this good in previous years. This year, a ferry crossing was built in Songjia Village, Moling, and everyone in Songjia Village is renovating their old houses. Those coal-fired stoves and coal-based businesses are booming!"

"How exactly does it become popular?"

"Our boats make two round trips to Songjiadu every day, earning us half a month's worth of copper coins in previous years. You see over there? No one can sit there. I, an old man, transport materials from the city down to sell to Songjia Village, and then buy coal bases and stoves from Songjia Village to sell to people in the city—"

Song Xiaoyi never expected that a small coal-fired stove would revitalize Songjia Village and the surrounding villages in the Ming Dynasty, and now its influence has even spread to Nanjing City, with regular ferry services running between Songjia Ferry and Taoye Ferry Wharf at Jubaomen.

What other object, like this coal-fired stove, is almost obsolete in modern times but can still help the people of the Ming Dynasty?

Upon arriving at Songjia Village, the sight before Song Xiaoyi made him realize that the rumors were true.

The village had even arranged for snow removal, and the snow on the roads connecting each household had been cleared. The dock was bustling with activity, and two rows of houses had even been built along the short stretch of road from the dock to the village.

Let's take a closer look. Hey, they also sell Nanjing duck blood vermicelli soup and steamed buns!

Song Xiaoyi went home first, puzzled, and knocked on the door.

An impatient voice rang out, "This is a private residence; we do not entertain guests!"

"Brother Zhishan, it's me, Xiao Yi!"

"Xiao Yi?"

"It's Uncle! I'll go open the door!"

Xiao Qiuying excitedly opened the door, and Song Xiaoyi saw that Qiuying was still wearing an autumn shirt! "Why aren't you wearing more clothes? Aren't you cold?"

""

"Uncle! Shifu missed you so much!"

"You're kidding me, hurry up and go inside, it's cold outside." Song Xiaoyi remembered that there was a fireplace throughout the house, which was equivalent to underfloor heating. If the temperature wasn't high enough, there was a coal stove to supplement the heat, so it wasn't cold.

"Brother Xiao Yi, it really is you! Come, let me introduce you. This is Zhou Chen, Zhou Shunqing, who is Shifu's painting teacher."

"It's Mr. Higashimura. I'm very pleased."

95

With this "wutong tree," it really does attract golden phoenixes. Before leaving Songjia Village, I only mentioned it to Zhu Zhishan, but I didn't expect him to actually trick Zhou Chen into coming.

The room is warm as spring. Several people take turns adding coal to the fireplace to keep it warm. The fireplace itself is a modern design that can automatically expel carbon monoxide produced by incomplete combustion. Therefore, as long as the flue is not blocked, there is no risk of poisoning indoors.

Here, Zhu Zhishan was the head of the household, keeping Zhang Mengjin completely under his control. Initially, there were no brothels in the village, and responding to Nanjing, the capital of Sichuan, was inconvenient, so Zhang Mengjin abandoned his frivolous thoughts and began to diligently study.

During Song Xiaoyi's absence, Wen Zhengming received another letter from Wen Lin, forwarded by a member of the Song clan from Taoye Ferry. He quickly overcame the shadow of failing the imperial examination and looked at Song Xiaoyi with a smile.

Song Xiaoyi and Wen Zhengming didn't talk much, and it was unclear what to say, but they were friends from the beginning, having frequented Song's Restaurant and the Song residence at Taoye Ferry. So, Song Xiaoyi simply stepped forward and gave Wen Zhengming a hug. "Brother Wenbi, you've lost quite a bit of weight. It seems the food in Song Family Village isn't to your liking?"

"That's true—"

Wen Zhengming was moved by Song Xiaoyi's hug and said two things, but he didn't know what to say next.

Zhu Zhishan continued, "At first, the food prepared by the village cook was not as good as what Brother Xiao Yi eats at his restaurant, but later Sister Yunqiu had the village boat bring back instant noodles, steamed buns, and duck blood vermicelli soup, so now there is not much difference."

"No wonder there are shops selling steamed buns and duck blood vermicelli soup over there when I came from the dock."

"That's the shop of the clan chief's youngest son. Since you weren't here, the clan chief consulted me, and I thought that my brother Xiao Yi was not a mercenary, so I agreed to the clan chief's request."