Dare to shirk responsibility? This adorable little one will tear down your military district!

"Alright! We must expand our business!" Lin Wanrou waved her hand and made the final decision.

The next morning, as soon as it was light, the Gu family's side courtyard in Nanluoguxiang was bustling with activity.

Gu Changfeng changed into his brand-new green military uniform, his shoulders slung straight, and strode to the garrison compound to report for duty.

Lin Wanrou put on the dark gray wool Lenin suit, black calfskin chunky-heeled shoes, and her hair was neatly combed. She slung her military green canvas bag containing money across her body.

Ya Ya, wearing a tactical vest, had her pockets stuffed with White Rabbit candies. She held Niu Dan's hand with her left hand and led the large wolfhound Hei Feng with her right. Niu Dan was still wearing his faded coarse cloth clothes, clutching a cast iron boning knife tightly to his chest, his eyes revealing the fierceness of a wolf cub. Jiang Guo, carrying a black abacus, led the way. Sun Shouzhen followed behind with his hands behind his back, gaiting in a square, measured manner.

The four people and one dog headed straight for Wangfujing Back Street.

The place was not far from the department store, a quiet oasis amidst the hustle and bustle. Jiang Guo stopped in front of a tall, vermilion-lacquered gatehouse. Although the paint was peeling, the two large white marble lions on the gatehouse still exuded the grandeur of its past.

"Aunt Lin, this is it." Jiang Guo pointed to the gate. "The former residence of a Grand Prince from the Qing Dynasty. It has three courtyards and a large back garden. Old Ma from the housing management office is waiting inside."

Lin Wanrou pushed open the door and stepped over the high threshold. The courtyard was very spacious, paved with blue bricks. The main house and the east and west wing rooms all had large carved windows and thick beams. Passing through the moon gate, she arrived at the backyard, where there was a rockery, a dried-up pond, and a large open space.

Old Ma, an official from the housing management office, walked out of the main building with his hands in his pockets.

Old Ma sized up Lin Wanrou's clothes, then looked at the family entourage. "Comrade Lin, right? Little Jiang spoke to me about it. This house has a solid foundation and occupies a large area. If you're really interested, it's a fixed price of 28,000 yuan in cash. No bargaining."

That price, in today's terms, could buy an entire street of bungalows in an ordinary alley.

Lin Wanrou mentally calculated for a moment, her hand unconsciously reaching for her canvas bag. Although she had earned quite a bit in the past few months, she was still far from 28,000 yuan.

Jiang Guo fiddled with the abacus for a moment: "Mr. Ma, this price is too high. This house is old and needs complete renovation; a lot of the wood has rotted. How about settling in gold bars?"

Old Ma held up his right hand, making an "eight" shape: "Gold bars are hard currency. Fifteen large, high-quality yellow croakers, direct transfer!"

Ya Ya chewed on her milk candy, her chubby little hand reaching directly into the pocket of her tactical vest. She secretly communicated with her two-hundred-square-meter personal space, and with a thought, touched the pile of captured gold bars.

"Splash!"

Ya Ya pulled hard and slapped her chubby hand three times on the broken octagonal table next to her.

Fifteen large, golden, heavy, ten-tael (approximately 300 grams) pure yellow croakers from the Republic of China era were neatly stacked on the table. The golden light made Old Ma slip.

"Is that enough?" Ya Ya raised her chin. "Hurry up and get the property transfer done for my mom. I'm in a rush to get home for some braised pork knuckle."

Old Ma had lived for over forty years and had never seen a five-and-a-half-year-old child throw a large yellow croaker like a brick. He swallowed hard, picked up a gold bar, and bit into it, leaving a clear tooth mark.

With Jiang Guo bringing up the names of the Beijing Garrison Commander-in-Chief Lei Zhentian, Old Ma didn't hesitate and immediately took out a large red inkpad to change the house and land deeds to Lin Wanrou's name.

After completing the formalities, Lao Ma left. With the gate closed, this three-courtyard mansion completely belonged to the Gu family.

Lin Wanrou stood in the middle of the main courtyard, letting out a long sigh. "The house has been bought. Jiang Guo, tell me, how should we set up this top-of-the-line private medicinal cuisine restaurant?"

Jiang Guo's mind raced. He walked to the steps of the main room and turned around.

"Aunt Lin, this place is big enough. This time we're going all out." Jiang Guo said methodically, "We'll open up the main house in the front yard and turn it into a waiting hall. Ya Ya has some top-quality antique huanghuali furniture that she bought, so we'll bring it all out and put it up. We'll hang calligraphy and paintings on the walls. We need to make those dignitaries feel important as soon as they walk in."

"The three main rooms in this courtyard have been converted into three private booths, separated by screens made of rosewood. At most, we only accommodate three groups of guests a day. We won't accept fewer than that, nor will we accept more. They'll have to beg us to give them a number."

Lin Wanrou nodded in agreement.

Jiang Guo continued, "The menu needs to be changed too. We have top-quality Cistanche deserticola and some purple-gold Polygonum multiflorum that Ya Ya got. These miraculous herbs can't be boiled in soup whole. We'll slice them and use them with the finest delicacies from the mountains and seas to make a medicinal soup base. The starting price for a table is set at 800 yuan! No food coupons needed, cash or special supply vouchers only."

A table cost 800 yuan, which at the time was equivalent to two years' wages for an average worker.

Sun Shouzhen stroked his beard and stepped forward: "Even medical treatment has its rules. This old man doesn't go to the main hall. I'll just build a pavilion next to the rockery in the back garden. I don't treat ordinary headaches and fevers; I specialize in treating the fatal hidden injuries and long-standing debts of those old leaders and high-ranking officials. The consultation fee is separate; it's fifty yuan per prescription. Without my appointment, no one can get through."

The old man's inherent arrogance as a royal physician was fully revealed.

Lin Wanrou looked around the open space in the backyard. The soil in the backyard was fertile and rarely saw strong sunlight.

"This large plot of land in the backyard can't be left empty," Lin Wanrou instructed. "Ya Ya, plant all your rare medicinal herb seedlings in this plot of land in the backyard. Keep this moon gate locked at all times, and no unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter. Niu Dan, you and Hei Feng will sleep in the back room in the backyard at night. If anyone dares to climb over the wall to steal herbs, you'll have to deal with them."

Niu Dan raised the cast iron boning knife in his hand and slashed it forcefully across the blue brick wall, sending sparks flying. "If a thief breaks in, I'll chop off his hand."

Ya Ya clapped her hands with delight: "I'll plant thorny, mutant vines all over the yard and climb all over the walls. This house will be our safe haven for making big money!"

Without further ado, Lin Wanrou set out the procedures and immediately began assigning tasks.

Niu Dan rode his tricycle to the south of the city to find the best bricklayers and carpenters. Lin Wanrou went to the lumber mill to order the materials. Jiang Guo was in charge of purchasing tung oil and lacquer for painting the walls.

Within three days, more than a dozen experienced craftsmen entered the courtyard and began working with a clanging and banging.

Demolishing walls, laying floor tiles, and repairing leaks in the roof. Taking advantage of the quiet of the night, Ya Ya moved all the sets of huanghuali armchairs, zitan canopy beds, and blue-and-white porcelain vases that she had emptied from the spy's lair in her personal space to the side room in the front yard, just waiting to place them in the main hall after the hard decoration was finished.

Niu Dan loosened the soil in the back garden, and Ya Ya poured in half a bucket of highly concentrated spiritual spring water, transplanting all the century-old ginseng seedlings and Cistanche deserticola roots that hadn't yet grown in the space. Overnight, the back garden was filled with the fragrance of herbs.

Days passed, and the restaurant's facade began to take shape. The two large red doors were repainted, and the brass door knockers were polished to a shine. Lin Wanrou commissioned a famous calligrapher from the capital to write four large characters, "Royal Cuisine with Gentle Heart," which were then made into a large solid wood plaque with gold lettering on a black background.

With the renovation nearing completion, the screen for the private room will soon be in place.

On the morning of the fourth day, the sky was overcast and a cold wind was blowing.

Niu Dan was feeding Hei Feng bones in the backyard, while Lin Wanrou was checking the bricklayers' wages in the main house. Ya Ya was sitting in a grand chair, cracking sunflower seeds.

Suddenly, a series of noisy footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate, accompanied by heavy banging on the door. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" The wooden door was pounded on with a deafening sound.

Immediately afterwards, a series of harsh curses pierced through the door.

"All you peasants working inside, stop right there! The homeowner's here, come out and talk to me!"