Ten Months On

Chapter 11: Changes in Da Li

Regular customers who were the first few patrons of the restaurant would know better than to order one fish to share among their friend. Each man to himself, one fish for each person. Even a first time customer would end up leaving the restaurant with broken friendships as chopsticks flew to grab as much of the fish as possible.

There, it would take the beautiful Manager of the Pavillion to help dissipate tension.

In fact, there she was, trying to mediate once more.

"Young Master Gu. Please release Young Master He."

A sexy beauty wearing a slim long qipao with a high slit showing her long white legs looked at both men with soft fluttering eyelashes. Her exposed legs drew glances from the men while some of their eyes were glued onto the ample chest of Manager Mei Ren. Like her name, Mei Ren was a glamorous black haired beauty that turned heads. Many customers were of the belief that even if the food was terrible, customers would still flock to Stork Pavillion to feast their eyes on Manager Mei.

Young Master Gu frowned as he kept the other young man in a headlock while the other customers watched the show.

"Mei-er, you don't know these kind of people. They will do anything to cause trouble," Gu Li said as he further twisted the head of the man who was yelping in pain.

"You! You! Damn Gu! Wait till I tell Grandfather about this. You think your Gu family is so great?" yelped the man frantically as he grasped at the hands that kept him in a strong grip.

"Hah. If your grandfather is willing to stand up for you, then let him. I wonder if Mayor He knows that his eldest grandson is causing trouble by chasing skirts so openly and disrupting businesses as if he owns the damn district!" Gu Li shouted as he grabbed the writhing figure and threw him out of the restaurant. 

Peace reigned once more as the other patrons moved on with snatching whatever they could from the hotplate at their table.

"Mei-er, ignore that hooligan. Mayor He is an upright man even if his spawns aren't. If He Xian tries to cause trouble, just let Gu family know. Even though we have stepped down as Mayors for the past decades, that does not mean we lack power." Gu Li snorted as he moved towards his table.

"Young Master Gu. Our master would like to thank you for your assistance. Here are our new offerings that have not been added to our menu. Please do us the honour of sampling the new Peach Blossom Snow Wine. It was made in-house by our master's own hands."

A dashing figure appeared sporting a cheeky grin and carrying a tray with two brown jars that were unopened. Many ladies at the restaurant could not stop their eyes from flitting to the handsome Manager Yun.

Gu Li laughed.

"I like how your master does things!"

Once he released the seal of the wine jar, a subtle fragrant aroma lingered through the air, snaking its way to every corner of the room. Without even drinking a sip, the other customers felt drunk on the sweet taste of cherry blossoms in winter.

Gulping down a cup, Gu Li's eyes sparkled as the other patrons looked on enviously.

"Really really good wine! This is part of the new menu?" his eyebrows raised. His jubilant and pleased mood apparent to all. Even with a sip, he could feel a warmth pooling in his chest.

Many who patroned Stork Pavillion were martial artists. And when they saw the warm aura emanating from the young man, they were shocked, to say the least. Wine that could help bolster one's cultivation was rare yet Stork Pavillion seems to be producing such a wine.

Immediately, loud clamours resounded from the many tables, intending to buy crates of the wine to bring back to their countries or to bolster them in the upcoming matches. The Autumn Tournament was drawing to a close and every ounce of energy that they could cultivate would push them one step further into the finals.

"Masters and mistresses. I fear you are mistaken. This wine is not one that bolsters cultivation. This wine merely warms the meridians in the body, only seeming to show a rise in cultivation. Should our Master succesfully complete the wine satisfactorily, we will definitely announce it to our customers." Manager Yun said with a foxy grin.

The patrons immediately calmed down in disappointment.

However, Gu Li knew that what was told was not the truth. The warmth he felt did resonate similar to the qi in the air.

At this, he once again wondered silently as he sipped the wine before him. Who could the owner of Stork Pavillion be?

***
A/N: I must admit. I mostly envisioned this novel to be a food porn novel with romance in between.

This chapter's food porn is based on Chong Qing Grilled Fish/ Si Chuan Grilled Fish.

Photos not mine.

Fun Fact:

Stork Pavillion's name was inspired from Wang Zhihuan's poem.

From the pavilion one sees the sun setting behind the mountains,

Unrelentingly toward the sea the Yellow River flows;

In order to see thousands of miles further afield,

To a higher level one must go.

(Written by Wang Zhihuan, translated by Betty Tseng)

Tang dynasty poet Wang Zhihuan (688 – 742 C.E.) 

Source of info: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/china/articles/11-poems-everybody-in-china-knows/