Chapter 120: Chapter 47: Establishing the Contract
"Of course, then could you trouble yourself to write down the contract and recipe?" Manager Liang was aware that these two dishes were fresh, and it wouldnât be long before they could be imitated. However, Taihe Building recently launched a new dish, and the business in the restaurant has been somewhat lackluster these days.
Shanhe Town only has two major restaurants, Taihe Building and Yingkelai, and due to the wharf in Shanhe Town, itâs not inferior to the county towns elsewhere. Among the ships passing through here, there are quite a few wealthy merchants, some even frequenting Shanhe Town regularly, so the restaurants must constantly introduce new dishes. Otherwise, guests might grow weary of the same old dishes.
Gu Chengyu watched as Manager Liang wrote two copies of the contract and then invited Manager Zhou to witness it. Mr. Gu trusted Manager Zhou. Gu Chengyu glanced at the freshly written contract and saw that it was very detailed, except it did not mention purchasing the dried wood ear mushrooms from the Gu Family.
"Manager Liang, since Yingkelai intends to purchase the wood ear mushrooms from my family, I think this should be included in the contract, including the purchase price. The specific time limit can be written as one month later. Does Manager Liang agree?" Gu Chengyu couldnât guarantee that their picking of mushrooms wouldnât be seen by others. If Manager Liang buys mushrooms from another household, what then?
And adding a month to the deadline is because, after all, wood ear mushrooms are mountain delicacies, so the price canât stay high forever. Later, as more people imitate the dish, more folks will search for wood ear mushrooms, and by then, the mushrooms might not be worth much Silver. Earning money for a month already satisfies him.
"I didnât expect a small child like you to be literate? This can be added." Manager Liang was shrewd and understood Gu Chengyuâs intention, although he was quite curious about his literacy.
Mr. Gu felt proud upon hearing Manager Liangâs words. "Xiao Bao studies with Mr. Wen in the town! We rushed today because after taking a break, he still needs to attend private school."
"Oh? Iâve heard Mr. Wen is quite strict in selecting students, it seems Xiao Bao is truly talented!" Manager Zhou had been impressed by Gu Chengyuâs demeanor since coming in, inwardly admiring the family for raising such a clever child.
"Heâs only got a little intelligence, nothing worthy of Manager Zhouâs praise!" Mr. Gu hastily replied modestly.
Gu Chengyu was slightly speechless. Dad! Can your smile stretch even wider?
"Let me borrow Manager Liangâs pen and paper for a moment!" Gu Chengyu wanted to quickly write down the recipes, or else heâd be late.
"Feel free to use them!" Manager Liang gestured invitingly.
Gu Chengyu picked up the pen and briskly wrote down the recipes for two dishes, adding taboos at the end of the recipes.
"Manager Liang, please take a look. As for the taboos regarding wood ear mushrooms, Iâve written them at the bottom of the recipes. Kindly check them thoroughly," Gu Chengyu pointed to the text at the bottom and said to Manager Liang.
"Perhaps I didnât write clearly above, let me explain to Manager Liang here. Wood ear is a benign food and should not be consumed by bedridden patients. Also, it should absolutely not be consumed by pregnant women." Seeing Manager Liang still inspecting the text carefully, Gu Chengyu paused for a moment before continuing, "The cold snails, paired with the slippery wood ear, are not conducive to digestion, so they shouldnât be eaten together. Those with hemorrhoids should avoid eating wood ear with pheasant; pheasant has slight toxins, and together they can trigger hemorrhoid bleeding. Wood ear should not be eaten with wild duck; wild duck is sweet in taste and cool in nature, leading to indigestion."
"Hmm! Very detailed! Iâve memorized it all! Your handwriting is quite good too." Manager Liang had immediately observed that Gu Chengyuâs writing was excellent when he received the recipes. Though lacking a bit of strength, itâs already far superior to most scholarsâ handwriting.
He attentively inspected the recipe, diverting some of his attention to appreciate Gu Chengyuâs penmanship, pondering how strange it was that the child appeared no older than five, yet penned such good characters. Could it be that he learned to write straight out of the womb?
"Manager Liang gives undue praise! Since the matter is settled, my father and I will head to private school. Itâs almost 7 AM! As for the wood ear, Iâll bring it in two days." Gu Chengyu didnât want to be late, as Mr. Wen was reputed to be strict.
"Then Manager Zhou, Manager Liang, weâll take our leave! Many thanks to Manager Zhou for your assistance today, and to Manager Liang for recognizing the talent. Dad! Letâs escort Manager Zhou back first!" Gu Chengyu expressed his gratitude to Manager Zhou and Manager Liang, recalling the Double Fish Jade Pendant lying in storage. It couldnât be returned, so heâd choose something of equal value to repay it later or gradually.
Since ancient times, favors are difficult to repay, perhaps Manager Zhou also wishes to repay the life-saving grace of Mr. Gu?
"Yes! Thank you both, managers! Manager Zhou! Shall we depart now?" Mr. Gu guessed the hour was about right and, not able to dwell on formalities with the managers, hurried to get Xiao Bao to private school.
"Brother Gu, whatâs with being so polite? Just hurry to private school! You donât need to see me off! The route isnât far, and I can go back on my own later! I still want to take advantage of Old Liangâs hospitality!" Manager Zhou politely declined.
Before leaving, Gu Chengyu thanked the two assistants and left them some pork belly with preserved vegetables in the pot. The two were helpful, with one handling two pots simultaneously, sweating profusely, and the other chopping vegetables and assisting. He couldnât leave without some token of gratitude, right?
After bidding farewell to the managers, Mr. Gu and Gu Chengyu hastened towards private school!
Gu Chengyu almost entered Class C with the ringing bell, Mr. Wen following closely behind. Gu Chengyu pocketed the one tael of Silver that Mr. Gu had insisted he take. The Silver was meant for protection or buying stationery, essentially pocket money. After all, he was a scholar now and would need money at some point.
As Gu Chengyu sat at the desk, Mr. Wen entered afterward and frowned slightly but didnât comment.
Behind him, Wang Qikai wiped sweat from his brow in relief, narrowly avoiding being late. Actually, Mr. Wen wasnât the sort to be unreasonable; if it was due to weather or actual family matters, he wouldnât make things difficult.
However, Wang Qikai noted that Gu Chengyu didnât seem inclined to explain himself, nor did Mr. Wen inquire. Sigh! Studying talent is truly wonderful!
Actually, Gu Chengyu sometimes arrived with the ringing bell back in school in his past life, as long as it wasnât class time, it wasnât considered late. Therefore, he continued to believe so here.
Sitting one seat apart was Ma Junhui, irritated, wishing Gu Chengyu had entered a bit laterâthen surely heâd get to taste Mr. Wenâs ruler. He thought how he arrived half an hour early every day, yet the heavens werenât fair; despite all his effort, he couldnât match othersâ effortless learning? Since Gu Chengyu came, he hadnât received any praise from Mr. Wen!