I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Upon hearing this, Li You said humbly, "You’re too kind, really. I just hope everyone enjoys what we have to offer here."

But the customers all chimed in, "Ancient is right. Boss, this restaurant of yours is a blessing for us."

Ling Xiaoru added that it was an even greater blessing for her.

The whole place was buzzing with excitement.

After the excitement settled a bit, Guyi said, "I’ve also heard that the scenery at Jiulong Gorge is beautiful. So, I plan to go have a look. If you’ll all excuse me for now."

Hearing this, the customers quickly replied, "Please, go ahead, Ancient!"

"You’re too formal, Ancient!"

"We hope the scenery at Jiulong Gorge doesn’t disappoint you, Ancient!"

"..."

Li You and Ling Xiaoru expressed the same sentiments.

Guyi smiled. "Then I’ll take my leave!"

"Please, Ancient!"

Li You, Ling Xiaoru, and all the customers said in unison.

Guyi left and headed toward Jiulong Gorge.

After Guyi departed, the customers remained incredibly excited.

Some customers who hadn’t finished their meals returned to their seats to continue eating.

The customers who had already finished didn’t leave either.

Then someone made a suggestion. "This is all too exciting! Why don’t we order a few more dishes and have some drinks together? We can go Dutch. What do you say?"

"Yeah! Great idea! Let’s have some drinks."

"We got to see the contemporary Painting Saint in person today. We have to drink to that!"

"We did more than just see him in person—we actually spoke with Ancient! We absolutely have to celebrate this properly."

"..."

The customers all readily agreed.

Hearing this, the customers who hadn’t finished eating were instantly filled with enthusiasm. "Count us in! We want to drink too!" they declared.

Of course, the customers who had finished were more than happy to have them.

And so, everyone decided to celebrate with drinks.

Since they were drinking, the best dish to go with it was, of course, the spicy crawfish.

Just spicy crawfish.

After a brief discussion, the customers said to Li You, "Boss, we’ll take fifty catties of spicy crawfish. As for the alcohol, a bowl for everyone to start."

There were over forty of them in total.

Li You smiled. "Since everyone is in such high spirits, let me make a gesture as well. How about I give you a fifty-percent discount on both the spicy crawfish and the alcohol?"

The customers grew even more excited upon hearing this.

"HAHAHA! Of course, that’s great! Thanks, Boss!"

"The boss is so generous!"

"What a class act!"

"..."

Li You told everyone not to mention it and went into the kitchen to get started.

Fifty catties of spicy crawfish all at once. He would have to use his god-like skill of cooking with three large woks simultaneously again.

After a flurry of activity, the fifty catties of spicy crawfish were ready.

They were divided onto twenty large platters and served to the customers.

As for the alcohol, Da Bai and Xiaohai had already poured it for the customers.

"Boss, why don’t you join us for a drink?" the customers warmly invited.

Li You smiled. "Alright!"

He was more than happy to.

’My alcohol tolerance has improved,’ he thought. ’I only had a couple of glasses earlier, so having a couple more won’t be a problem.’

So, Li You walked over to the wine jar and poured himself a bowl.

Then he raised his bowl and said, "Come, let me toast you all first!"

"HAHAHA! You’re too kind, Boss."

"You’ve gotta down it in one, Boss."

"Cheers, Boss!"

Of course, talk of downing it in one was just talk.

Everyone just took a sip.

This wasn’t beer; you couldn’t just drink it bowl after bowl.

Just then, Ling Xiaoru walked into the restaurant.

She had been outside the whole time.

When the customers saw Ling Xiaoru come in, they all invited her to have a drink as well.

Many of the customers had seen Ling Xiaoru drinking when she was eating with Guyi and Li You earlier.

However, Ling Xiaoru didn’t dare drink any more.

Although her head was perfectly clear and she didn’t feel the least bit drunk, she still couldn’t have any more.

So, Ling Xiaoru said apologetically, "I’m very sorry, everyone. I’ve already had a couple of glasses and don’t dare drink more. How about this: I’ll toast you all once as a gesture, and then you can all enjoy yourselves. Is that alright?"

The customers all agreed after hearing her explanation.

Since Ling Xiaoru couldn’t drink anymore, they certainly weren’t going to force her.

Ling Xiaoru was about to ask Da Bai to pour her a tiny bit of alcohol when Li You handed her his own bowl, saying, "Use mine."

After a moment’s hesitation, Ling Xiaoru reached out and took it, saying, "Thank you, Boss!"

Then she raised the bowl and said, "A toast to everyone!"

The customers all smiled and raised their bowls.

After the toast, everyone took a sip.

Ling Xiaoru also took a sip, then returned the bowl to Li You and said again, "Thank you, Boss!"

Li You took the bowl back and smiled. "You should rest for a bit."

Ling Xiaoru nodded. She wasn’t going to head back yet; she still had to wait here for Guyi to return.

So she walked out the door again and sat down to rest in the rocking chair Li You often used.

Inside the restaurant, Li You and the customers continued to chat, drink, and eat crawfish.

The atmosphere remained lively the entire time.

A full two hours later, everyone slowly finished eating and drinking.

The customers split the bill, and as promised, Li You gave them a fifty-percent discount.

Afterwards, the customers said their goodbyes and left one by one.

And as they left, the news that Guyi had eaten lunch at Li You Restaurant that day slowly began to spread among the other patrons in town.

Many customers, including market vendors like Liu Yiquan, Deng Luping, Zhao Yu, and Xie Hai, as well as teachers like Chu Yiwei, Lin Xin, and Zhang Qinghe, all heard about it.

They were just as surprised, incredulous, and thrilled!

That was the number one figure in the Art World, the contemporary Painting Saint!

A figure of that stature had actually been drawn to the boss’s restaurant by its reputation.

’The boss’s restaurant is so badass now, isn’t it?’

They heard that Guyi hadn’t left yet and was still in Jiulong Gorge. He would probably return to the boss’s restaurant later.

Upon hearing this piece of news, many people immediately rushed over to Li You’s restaurant.

They also wanted to catch a glimpse of the contemporary Painting Saint in person.

This included the vendors Liu Yiquan, Deng Luping, Zhao Yu, and Xie Hai, and the teachers Chu Yiwei, Lin Xin, and Zhang Qinghe.

...

「At the restaurant entrance.」

Li You and Ling Xiaoru were both fiddling with their phones.

A group of customers hurried over. Upon seeing Li You, one of them asked excitedly, "Boss, we heard that Ancient Guyi ate here this afternoon. Is it true?"

Li You wasn’t surprised that the other customers in town had heard the news. He knew that once the earlier group of customers left, word would definitely spread through town.

So, he smiled and nodded. "That’s right."

The news really was true.

The customers got excited all over again. Then someone else asked, "Boss, we also heard that Ancient is still in the gorge and will be coming back here later. Is that true too?"

Li You nodded again. "Ancient is indeed still in the gorge. As for whether he’ll be back later? I think he probably will."

"That’s great! Then we’ll wait here for Ancient to come back."

All the customers said the same, every single one of them filled with anticipation.

Not long after, the vendors—Liu Yiquan, Deng Luping, Zhao Yu, and Xie Hai—and the teachers—Chu Yiwei, Lin Xin, and Zhang Qinghe—also arrived.

When they saw how many people were already there, they knew the news had to be true.

Naturally, they joined the waiting crowd.

...