Chapter 217: The Food Pavilion (Part Five)
Chapter 217: The Food Pavilion (Part Five)
The Qian family had backed off, not causing any trouble for several days.
Mo Hua relished the peace and quiet, resuming his own affairs.
With the alchemy and pill shops already constructed, he turned his attention to another matter he had been contemplating.
One afternoon, An Xiaofu came by again for a meal.
Drinking and feasting as usual, he chatted away with the others.
Perhaps inheriting his mother's talent, An Xiaofu had a knack for both listening to and spreading gossip.
When he listened, others loved to speak, and when he spoke, others loved to listen.
Mo Hua waved him over.
An Xiaofu paused slightly, his face lighting up with joy as he hurried over.
But when he reached Mo Hua's table, he was perplexed to see it empty of food. "No food?" he asked, confusion furrowing his brow.
Mo Hua sighed inwardly. It seemed An Xiaofu had thought he was being called over for a treat.
"Have you decided what you want to do yet?" Mo Hua asked directly.
An Xiaofu sighed. "Not yet..."
"Do you want to open a food pavilion?" Mo Hua suggested.
"A food pavilion?" An Xiaofu paused. "Our family already has one..."
"It will be different."
An Xiaofu frowned, thinking hard but unable to pinpoint the potential difference. "Aren't all food pavilions more or less the same?"
"The one you'll open will be your own," Mo Hua explained.
"My own?"
An Xiaofu still didn't quite understand.
"Do you enjoy eating here?" Mo Hua asked.
An Xiaofu nodded.
"Do you like listening to stories?"
"Yes."
"And do you like eating the demon beast meat served here?"
An Xiaofu nodded even more vigorously.
"Do you understand now?" Mo Hua asked.
An Xiaofu's eyes gradually lit up as he grasped the idea, but he still had his doubts. "But I don't have anything..."
"What do you need to open a food pavilion?"
An Xiaofu ticked off the items on his fingers. "Spirit stones, a small building, chefs, recipes, stoves, and staff..."
"I can take care of the stoves. You can ask your mother for the recipes. As for spirit stones, a venue, and staff, you can ask your grandfather."
"My grandfather?" An Xiaofu's voice trembled slightly. "He won't agree..."
"How do you know if you don't ask?" Mo Hua countered.
"But..."
"Do you want to open this food pavilion or not?" Mo Hua asked.
An Xiaofu tried to imagine the scenario as Mo Hua had described it, and he nodded seriously. "Yes, I do!"
"If you want to do something, you must work hard for it," Mo Hua encouraged.
An Xiaofu thought of his grandfather and felt a twinge of fear.
"The more you fear something, the less likely you are to face it," Mo Hua said. "And the less you face it, the more you'll fear it."
An Xiaofu stammered, unsure how to respond.
"Will your grandfather hit you?" Mo Hua asked.
"Usually not. It's my father who hits me..."
"Are you afraid of your father scolding you?"
An Xiaofu nodded.
"Then pretend your grandfather has already scolded and hit you. After that, go and speak to him."
An Xiaofu was taken aback.
"He would have scolded and hit you anyway. What else is there to fear?" Mo Hua reasoned.
An Xiaofu's eyes widened as he understood, and his fear diminished. "That makes sense..."
Mo Hua patted his shoulder. "If you don't work hard for what you want now, you'll regret it later."
An Xiaofu felt a surge of courage and nodded resolutely.
However, this courage dissipated as soon as he returned home.
Thinking of his grandfather and father, he felt a primal fear.
He couldn't pinpoint what exactly he was afraid of, but the feeling was overwhelming.
An Xiaofu lost his appetite and couldn't sleep that night. He wanted to visit Mo Hua's eatery to play, but he felt guilty and embarrassed about backing out, so he refrained.
Mo Hua had encouraged him, but he had lost his nerve, and An Xiaofu felt ashamed.
His mother noticed his unusual behavior and became concerned. "I told you to eat less, not to stop eating altogether."
"Mother, it's not that..." An Xiaofu whispered.
"You've been distracted these past few days. Is something troubling you?" she asked.
An Xiaofu couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.
Unable to guess what was bothering her son, she said, "Eat first. You'll have the strength to think once you're full."
With a determined expression, An Xiaofu said to his mother, "I'm off."
His mother looked at him, puzzled by his strange behavior. What was going on with this child?
An Xiaofu, with a look of resignation, walked down the long corridor until he finally reached his grandfather's study.
This journey had drained him of almost all his energy.
An Xiaofu stood there for a long while, gathering his courage. Finally, he gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and stepped over the study's threshold.
His grandfather, An Laoyazi, had known that his grandson was coming.
When he was younger and carefree, An Xiaofu often came to play by himself.
But ever since he turned seven or eight, he never proactively came close to the study again.
Perhaps he had grown up and become more sensible, or perhaps he had learned to read people's expressions.
Children may seem young and innocent, but their minds are incredibly perceptive, almost instinctual, and they may not even be aware of this sharpness themselves.
This time, for reasons unknown, he had come by himself again.
However, his valiant expression made it seem as though he was marching towards an execution ground...
An Laoyazi's feelings were mixed as he watched his grandson.
"I may be his grandfather, but I'll only scold him a little. I won't eat him. Is there any need to be this afraid of me...?"
Mustering his courage, An Xiaofu finally stood before his grandfather.
"Xiaofu, is there something you need?" An Laoyazi asked, trying to make his voice sound gentle.
An Xiaofu stammered for a while before finally saying, "Grandfather, I... I want to open a Food Pavilion."
An Laoyazi frowned. "Hasn't the An family already opened quite a few Food Pavilions?"
An Xiaofu looked a little intimidated but persisted, "I want to open one myself."
"Why did you suddenly think of opening a Food Pavilion? Did someone put this idea in your head?" An Laoyazi asked, his tone calm but probing.
An Xiaofu felt that one should stand by one's friends, so he didn't mention Mo Hua, only saying, "No one put this idea in my head. It was my own thought."
An Laoyazi's eyebrows arched slightly. "What about the venue and the spirit stones for capital?"
"I'll ask you for them!" An Xiaofu said, his voice carrying a hint of righteousness.
There was a slight pause before An Laoyazi asked, "What about the food and recipes?"
"I already have a source for that," An Xiaofu replied.
"And the stoves?"
"I'll find someone to forge them."
"What about the array on the stoves?"
"Mo Hua will help me with that." The answer came readily from An Xiaofu.
Whenever he thought of arrays, Mo Hua was the first person who came to mind...
An Laoyazi understood the situation.
However, he wasn't displeased; on the contrary, he was quite pleased.
It was a good thing for Mo Hua to help An Xiaofu, no matter what they did.
An Laoyazi pretended to ponder, remaining silent.
An Xiaofu squirmed in his seat, his heart alternating between anticipation and anxiety, his chubby forehead beaded with sweat.
After a while, An Laoyazi nodded and said, "I agree."
An Xiaofu's eyes widened in disbelief. "Really?"
An Laoyazi nodded. "Go to your father and ask for whatever you need. Tell him I agreed to it, and he's not allowed to refuse."
"Okay, okay." An Xiaofu nodded repeatedly and immediately ran off.
Halfway there, he suddenly remembered something and ran back. He respectfully said, "Thank you, Grandfather!"
An Laoyazi shook his head, feeling a little helpless. "Go on now."
An Xiaofu ran off again, his entire being immersed in joy, his feet feeling as light as if he were treading on cotton.
An Xiaofu found his father, An Yonglu, and relayed what his grandfather had said.
An Yonglu was taken aback. "Really?"
"Grandfather agreed to it!" An Xiaofu asserted confidently.
An Yonglu was a little skeptical, but he also knew that his son wasn't brave enough to lie to him on such a scale, especially not using his grandfather's name.
An Yonglu agreed, and after An Xiaofu happily left, he went to find An Laoyazi.
"Father, about Xiaofu's matter..." An Yonglu began.
"Let him do as he wishes," An Laoyazi said.
"But..."
"There's no 'but'. How many spirit stones could it cost to open a Food Pavilion? If Mo Hua is willing to help him, it's worth it."
"Why is Mo Hua helping Xiaofu?" An Yonglu asked, still puzzled.
"Perhaps they have a good relationship," An Laoyazi said, glancing at An Yonglu. "Your son has more face than you do with Mo Hua. If you went to ask for help, they might not even pay you any heed."
An Yonglu smiled awkwardly.
"But," he continued, "why open a Food Pavilion?
While a Food Pavilion can earn spirit stones, it's not as profitable as an artifact or pill shop."
He was curious as to why Mo Hua would want to open such a pavilion.
An Laoyazi couldn't quite understand the reason at the moment, but even though Mo Hua was an array master, he was still just a child.
Old Man An sighed and instructed An Yonglu: "Give Little Fu whatever he wants. It's just a food pavilion, let them have their way. Consider it a good deed for Mo Hua."
An Yonglu nodded. "Yes, Father."
Mustering all his courage, An Xiaofu approached his grandfather and voiced his request, to which his grandfather surprisingly agreed.
The path to opening his desired food pavilion was now clear.
Relieved that he had accomplished his mission and lived up to Mo Hua's expectations, An Xiaofu felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
That afternoon, he happily returned to Mo Hua's eatery.
Having fulfilled his task, he now had the "face" to meet Mo Hua again.
Mo Hua praised him and treated him to a variety of delicious dishes.
Deeply touched, An Xiaofu decided to make up for the meals he had missed over the past few days.
The next step was to prepare for the opening of the food pavilion.
Compared to setting up an alchemy or pill shop, establishing a food pavilion was much simpler.
Moreover, the An family had ample experience in this area, so everything from selecting a location to hiring staff was familiar territory. They handled it all without requiring Mo Hua's involvement.
The only things Mo Hua needed to focus on were the stoves and the arrays inscribed upon them.
The stoves in the eatery had been forged by Master Chen at Mo Hua's request, and the arrays had been inscribed by Mo Hua himself.
However, Mo Hua's array skills had been rudimentary back then, and the stoves were relatively small, lacking in both firepower and functionality.
Mo Hua suggested replacing them, but Liuruohua disagreed.
These stoves had been used since the eatery first opened, and the arrays on them were Mo Hua's handiwork. Over time, she had grown accustomed to them and didn't want to waste spirit stones on replacements.
However, for the new food pavilion, a larger and more powerful stove was needed. Mo Hua decided to forge a top-grade stove.
He approached Master Chen, who readily agreed to help.
Having successfully forged both top-grade alchemy and pill stoves, crafting a stove for the food pavilion would be a breeze.
Master Chen procured the alchemy blueprints, Elder Yu provided the materials, and with the combined efforts of the alchemy masters, the stove was completed in less than a week.
The finished stove stood as tall as two men, sturdily built and intricately designed. It differed from the alchemy and pill stoves in its details, with decorations that exuded a homely warmth rather than ethereal elegance.
This stove met the standards of a top-grade spiritual artifact.
Mo Hua was highly satisfied with the result.
He then inscribed a simplified version of the top-grade Melting Fire Control Spirit Array on the stove.
This array could adjust the stove's heat and included a cooling mechanism with a cold air array, but it only incorporated a single top-grade Melting Fire Array.
For cooking purposes, one array was sufficient. Excessive firepower could damage the stove.
With the stove and food pavilion preparations complete, it was time for the grand opening.
Rather than locating the new establishment on North Street, Mo Hua chose South Street, where many loose cultivators resided.
North Street already had the An family's Ling Shan Lou, so opening another branch there would be redundant. Moreover, Mo Hua had no desire to compete directly with the Ans.
His goal in opening this food pavilion was to ensure that loose cultivators could also enjoy affordable meat.
Hence, South Street was the ideal location.
The new food pavilion was named "Fu Shan Lou," reflecting Mo Hua's hope that every loose cultivator in Tongxian City, regardless of their social standing, would have access to delicious food. Even amid life's hardships, a hearty meal could bring joy and comfort.
Fu Shan Lou was jointly owned by An Xiaofu and Mo Hua, with Mo Hua gifting his half-share to his mother, Liuruohua.
When Liuruohua objected, Mo Hua reasoned, "Mother, what's mine is also yours. Please help me manage this food pavilion."
Liuruohua couldn't refute her son's argument and reluctantly agreed.
She provided the recipes for the food pavilion and advised on the selection of chefs, but she didn't need to be involved in the day-to-day operations. Her primary tasks were to oversee the eatery and continue refining her culinary skills and recipes.
An Xiaofu was responsible for managing the food pavilion's affairs.
As the young master of the An family, even if he lacked experience, the family would provide guidance and support. Any initial mistakes or oversights could be attributed to his youth and would be easily forgiven. Over time, he would undoubtedly develop the necessary skills to excel in this role.
Although An Xiaofu was a scion of a prominent family, he possessed a kind heart and a sincere demeanor, making him well-suited for the food business.
Furthermore, with the An family's extensive experience in operating food pavilions, An Xiaofu had been exposed to this world from a young age, absorbing knowledge and insights through osmosis. As such, he would undoubtedly learn faster and perform better than an outsider.
This was why Mo Hua had chosen to partner with An Xiaofu and leverage the resources of the An family.
He didn't want his mother to overexert herself.
Running an eatery was challenging enough, let alone a large-scale food pavilion.
An Xiaofu, with his chubby physique and love for food, needed some physical activity to slim down.
However, Liuruohua's health was fragile, and Mo Hua didn't want her to endure any additional strain. He wanted her to focus on refining her culinary skills and creating new recipes, occasionally stepping into the kitchen to prepare delicious meals.
By pursuing her passion without overburdening herself, she could find fulfillment.
Mo Hua had carefully considered every aspect.
(End of Chapter)
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