The peasant girl has a private space, and her husband is handsome.

After the restaurant became a hit, Gu Huai and his wife no longer looked worried or afraid of causing their sister's family to lose money, and they smiled every day.

Sugar Man Ding was also hired as a shop assistant.

That evening, Gu Huai and his wife were all smiles as they tallied up the mountain of broken silver and copper coins.

Qian is really amazing, bringing so many customers to the restaurant. Now, most of the teachers and students in the Imperial Academy eat here at noon, and many visitors from other places come here because of its reputation.

Gu Huai cried with joy: "Even wealthy families from Pengzhou City, a hundred miles away, are coming to our restaurant to eat. When I die, I won't have to feel ashamed when I see my ancestors."

Su Qianqian suggested, "Uncle, we could open a branch in the provincial capital. My cousin's cooking is quite good, and my cousin Ying's cooking is also quite good. We could hire a few more people, train them properly, and then we could start opening a branch."

The Li couple in the village are honest and can help with picking and washing vegetables. The Tie Niu brothers are also reliable. There are also honest and reliable people in the old tenement house where my uncle used to live.

Gu Huai actually wanted to open a branch store, and he thought it was right no matter what his niece said.

The reason why Gu's business is so booming is all thanks to his niece. If his niece says it can be done, then it definitely can.

"Qian, when are we going to open a branch in Pengcheng?"

"Once the chefs and staff are properly trained, we can open a branch."

Nowadays, Gu Ji Restaurant on Fuxing Street has a very stable business. During mealtimes, customers have to queue to get in.

"Uncle, we must also be prepared for unforeseen circumstances. Even dragon meat can become tiresome if eaten too often. If our restaurant wants to stay popular, we must constantly innovate our dishes and introduce a new creative dish every week. In addition, we must also keep innovating the layout of the restaurant's lobby."

"Okay, what Qian girl said makes a lot of sense." Although his sister and Su Bing weren't very bright, their child was really smart.

Gu Huai was literate, and he carefully wrote down everything Su Qianqian said.

The next day, Su Qianqian took out the orchids she had grown in her space and placed them in the restaurant lobby as decorations for the guests to enjoy.

I found this plant when I went into the mountains to find food in Lotus Village, and I planted it in my space. Now it has finally bloomed, and the flowers are particularly ethereal and beautiful.

It's a good time to bring out the good-looking things so everyone can appreciate them and increase the restaurant's popularity.

The restaurant's main customer base is currently scholars. Scholars in the Great Qi Dynasty like to be cultured and refined, and they especially love orchids, so orchids should be very popular.

\

At the entrance of Qingsong Academy, Lord Liang bid farewell to Master Zhang and the others once again.

"It's true, I really am leaving tomorrow. Even the Left Prime Minister has sent a letter urging me to go."

Lord Zhang: "Alright then, let's treat you to dinner at Gu's Restaurant today."

Before they even stepped into the restaurant, they were greeted by a rich floral fragrance.

Following the scent, I saw a pot of orchids placed in the lobby.

Lord Liang's eyes were practically glued to the orchid.

"This...this is actually the legendary Crystal Orchid."

The petals of the Crystal Cymbidium are quite special, looking as magical as crystal. At first glance, you might mistake it for a work of art carved from crystal, but it is actually a real flower.

Only the royal family of the Nanyue Kingdom possessed a pot of flowers. Five years ago, during the flowering season, the Nanyue Kingdom specially sent an envoy to bring the flowers over to show off, which is why Lord Liang was fortunate enough to see it once.

At that time, the Nanyue Kingdom even deliberately gifted a few seeds, mocking the Qi Dynasty for not being able to grow this flower.

Everyone knows that orchid seeds are the most difficult to germinate. At that time, in order to encourage capable people to grow this flower, the late emperor specially issued a proclamation: anyone who can grow this flower must be a skilled craftsman and can be employed by the Ministry of Works.

As a result, all five seeds were eventually lost.

Lord Liang never dreamed that he would see a second pot of flowers in this small restaurant, and that this flower was even better grown than the one in the Southern Yue Kingdom.

I heard that Cymbidium crystalum usually blooms in spring, but I didn't expect to see it bloom in late autumn.

Who on earth cultivated this flower? It's simply incredible!

Scholars have an innate, almost fanatical, love for orchids. Lord Liang, moved by this, immediately composed a poem: "The orchid is like a beautiful woman, unknown to anyone in the secluded valley; it is like a jade carving, loved by all..."

It was lunchtime, and a large group of students, hearing that Lord Liang was admiring a pot of orchids, flocked to watch.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that this orchid was truly unlike anything I had ever seen before; no amount of flowery language could adequately describe its beauty.

The petals are as transparent as crystal, refracting a dreamlike light.

Fang Cheng had never seen flowers as beautiful as crystal before, and thought they must be fake flowers carved from crystal. He wanted to touch them, but Lord Liang stopped him.

"Don't touch it! Absolutely don't touch it! This crystal cymbidium orchid is priceless. You can't afford to pay for it if you damage it. You scholar, you're truly reckless!"

Fang Cheng was completely bewildered. Priceless? Gu's Restaurant actually acquired something priceless? What incredible luck!

Lord Liang was very curious about the origin of this flower. "Miss Su, where did your restaurant get this Crystal Cymbidium orchid?"

"Oh, I found it in the mountains before."

Lord Liang pressed further, "What mountain?"

"Tiger Mountain".

The words "Tiger Mountain" infuriated Fang Cheng. So many people had entered and exited Tiger Mountain, and he had never heard of anyone finding anything valuable. Yet this girl had casually picked up an orchid in the mountain and found it to be priceless. It was infuriating!

Fang Cheng secretly resolved to go to Tiger Mountain to find a similar pot and bring it back to Lord Liang.

Lord Liang was no ordinary teacher; he had once served as a Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet. If it weren't for his return to his hometown to observe mourning for his parents, ordinary students like them would have had a luxury of even seeing Lord Liang once, let alone hearing him lecture.

Fang Cheng had been trying to become Lord Liang's apprentice for the past three years, but unfortunately, he had not been able to.

Seeing Lord Liang's almost fanatical love for the crystal orchid, Fang Cheng thought that if he gave Lord Liang a pot of the same orchid, he might become Lord Liang's personal disciple.

Lord Liang sat at the table closest to the Crystal Orchid while eating, constantly watching over and protecting it, forbidding anyone from touching it.

After finishing his meal, he gulped down a mouthful of tea before saying to Master Zhang and the others, "I still have many things to take care of at home, so I won't be going to the capital tomorrow."

Master Zhang and Master Xu looked at each other in bewilderment. Well, this meal had been a waste of their time. This was the third time they had held a farewell dinner for Lord Liang. Did Lord Liang still want to return to the capital to resume his post?

They said there were things to take care of at home, but they clearly couldn't bear to part with the Crystal Orchid.

They knew perfectly well that when Lord Liang first said he was going to the capital, he encountered Miss Su delivering tea to the academy, so he couldn't bear to part with the tea and didn't leave.

The second time was because I got addicted to eating at Gu's Restaurant and couldn't bear to leave its delicious food, so I delayed it for a few more days.

This third time was because he couldn't bear to part with the orchids in the restaurant.

Miss Su is truly skilled; she has managed to cultivate such a rare orchid so well.

Lord Liang: "Old Zhang, Old Xu, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll pay for this meal. You don't need to spend any money."

Lord Liang took out some silver and handed it to the restaurant waiter. After he finished eating, he moved his chair directly next to Crystal Orchid and stood guard.

Such a precious thing must not be bumped or damaged; someone must guard it.

Lord Liang neither went to the academy nor returned home in the afternoon, but stayed by the Crystal Orchid.

Even when the restaurant closed for the night, Lord Liang showed no sign of leaving.

Gu Huai sighed: Qian Ya was right. These literati really love orchids, even to the point of being obsessed.

But this Lord Liang seemed to have taken it too far; he was unwilling to leave even though it was late at night, and even said he wanted to spend the night with the orchid, but the restaurant had already closed.

Gu Huai was in a real bind. He had heard Master Zhang say that this Lord Liang was some kind of Grand Secretary in the imperial court before he returned to his hometown to observe mourning for his parents. Although he didn't know what kind of official he was, it sounded very prestigious, so he didn't dare to go up and chase him away.

We can only pin our hopes on our niece.

These days, Gu Huai has unknowingly developed a habit: he trusts his niece Su Qianqian to the extreme.

When others are in doubt, they consult the heavens; but when he is in doubt, he always consults his niece.

If even your niece can't solve the problem, then there's definitely no solution.