Chapter 216: The Dining Hall

The Qian family, seeing the difficulty, withdrew and haven't bothered him for many days.

Mo Hua was happy for the peace and resumed his own affairs.

The alchemy and pill-making halls were already built; he no longer needed to worry about them, and there was another matter he had long planned to undertake.

One afternoon, Young Master An came again to eat.

He drank wine, ate meat, and chatted with everyone.

Perhaps inheriting his mother's talent, Young Master An was exceptionally skilled at both listening to and spreading gossip.

When he listened, others loved to talk; when he spoke, others loved to listen.

Mo Hua waved to him.

Young Master An saw this, paused slightly, then his expression brightened and he hurried over at once.

He ran up close, only to see nothing on the table before Mo Hua, and asked in confusion:

"Ain't there any food?"

Mo Hua sighed; apparently he thought Mo Hua had called him over for food…

"Have you decided what you want to do?" Mo Hua asked directly.

Young Master An sighed, "Not yet…"

Mo Hua said: "Do you want to open a dining hall?"

"Dining hall?" Young Master An blinked, "Our family already has a dining hall…"

"It's different."

Young Master An frowned, thought for a long time, still couldn't imagine how it could be different.

"Aren't all dining halls pretty much the same?"

"The dining hall you open will be your own."

"My own?"

Young Master An thought for a moment, a sudden insight struck him—he gasped, "You want me to kill my father and seize our family's dining hall?"

Mo Hua was also startled, "How did you come up with that idea…"

"A few days ago, a merchant passed through; I treated him to wine, and he told me…"

Young Master An lowered his voice and whispered to Mo Hua:

"He said there was a son who secretly killed his father, seized his father's cultivation assets, and covered it up perfectly—only because the son drunkenly let slip the truth did anyone find out…"

Mo Hua sighed, "You don't need to kill your father."

Young Master An exhaled in relief, patted his chest, "Good, good."

Mo Hua continued: "Open your own dining hall according to your own tastes."

"My own tastes?"

Young Master An still didn't quite understand.

"Do you like eating here?"

Young Master An nodded.

"Do you like listening to stories?"

"I do."

"Do you like eating the demon meat here?"

Young Master An nodded even more enthusiastically.

"Understood?" Mo Hua said.

Young Master An roughly understood; his eyes gradually lit up, but he still hesitated:

"But I have nothing."

"What do you need to open a dining hall?"

Young Master An counted off: "Spirit stones, a small building, a chef, recipes, stoves, staff…"

"I'll handle the stoves, the recipes I can get from my mother, and the spirit stones, location, and staff I can ask Old Master An for."

"My grandfather?"

"Yes."

Young Master An felt a pang of fear, "My grandfather won't agree…"

"How will you know unless you ask?"

"But…"

"Do you want to open this dining hall?" Mo Hua asked.

Young Master An tried imagining it as Mo Hua suggested, then nodded seriously: "I do!"

"If you want to do it, then work hard to do it."

Young Master An thought of his grandfather and felt afraid.

Mo Hua said: "The more you fear something, the less you dare to do it; the less you do it, the more you fear."

Young Master An mumbled, not sure what he was saying.

"Will your grandfather beat you?"

"Usually not—he beats me, my father does."

"Are you afraid of your father glaring at you?"

Young Master An nodded.

"Then pretend your grandfather has already glared at you and beaten you, and then go speak to him anyway."

Young Master An froze.

"He's been glaring, he's been hitting—what are you still afraid of?"

An Xiaofu suddenly understood, and indeed felt less afraid: "That does make sense…"

Mo Hua patted his shoulder. "If you don't strive for what you truly love now, you'll regret it later."

An Xiaofu felt an endless surge of courage well up in him and nodded seriously.

But that courage vanished the moment he got home.

Thinking of his grandfather and his father, he still feared instinctively.

He couldn't say exactly what he feared, but he was just terrified.

An Xiaofu couldn't eat, couldn't sleep at night; he wanted to visit Mo Hua's restaurant, but felt guilty toward Mo Hua and didn't dare go.

Mo Hua had encouraged him so much, yet he'd backed down—this filled An Xiaofu with deep self-reproach.

An Xiaofu's mother, seeing him like this, was extremely worried:

"I told you to eat less, not to stop eating altogether."

An Xiaofu whispered, "Mom, it's not…"

"You haven't eaten or drunk properly these past few days—do you have something on your mind?"

An Xiaofu couldn't speak up.

She couldn't guess what troubled her son, so she said only: "First, eat your fill. Only then will you have the strength to think."

An Xiaofu had no appetite at first, but after a few bites, he suddenly wanted more—and ended up wolfing down a full meal.

After eating, the vanished courage suddenly surged back.

An Xiaofu said with a solemn expression: "Mom, I'm going."

His mother stared, utterly baffled—what on earth was wrong with this child…

With a mindset of facing death, An Xiaofu walked down the long corridor and finally arrived before his grandfather's study.

The journey had nearly drained all his strength.

An Xiaofu stood still for a long while, regaining some courage, then gritted his teeth, shut his eyes, and stepped over the study's threshold.

An Lao Ye Zi had known his grandson was coming.

When he was young and carefree, Xiaofu often ran over alone to play.

But since he was seven or eight, he'd never voluntarily approached the study again.

Perhaps he'd grown up and become sensible—or perhaps he'd learned to read people's expressions.

Children may seem small, but their minds are extremely perceptive; yet this perceptiveness is almost instinctive, and they themselves may not even realize it.

For some reason, he'd suddenly come alone again.

But his solemn expression made him look as if he were walking to the execution ground…

An Lao Ye Zi felt a complex mix of emotions.

"I'm his grandfather, after all—I might scold him a few times, but I won't eat him. Why is he this terrified…?"

An Xiaofu gathered his courage and finally stepped forward to stand before An Lao Ye Zi.

"Xiaofu, what is it?"

An Lao Ye Zi asked, trying to make his voice sound gentler.

An Xiaofu stammered for a long time before finally speaking:

"Grandfather, I… I want to open… a restaurant."

An Lao Ye Zi frowned. "Aren't there already many restaurants in the An family?"

An Xiaofu felt timid, but still forced himself to say: "I want to open one of my own."

"Why suddenly want to open a restaurant? Has someone said something to you?" An Lao Ye Zi asked, keeping his tone neutral.

An Xiaofu believed in loyalty, so he didn't mention Mo Hua, only said:

"No one said anything to me—I decided on my own."

An Lao Ye Zi raised an eyebrow slightly. "How will you get the location and the spirit stones for capital?"

An Xiaofu said: "I'll ask you for them, Grandfather!"

He said it with a hint of righteous confidence.

An Lao Ye Zi was surprised, then asked: "What about the food and recipes?"

"I already have connections."

"What about the stove?"

"I'll have someone forge it."

"What about the array on the stove?"

"Mo Hua will help me draw it."

An Xiaofu blurted it out.

Whenever he thought of arrays, the only person he could immediately think of was Mo Hua…

An Lao Ye Zi understood.

But he felt no displeasure—in fact, he was quite pleased.

If Mo Hua could help An Xiaofu, no matter what he did, it was a good thing.

An Lao Ye Zi feigned deep thought and remained silent.

An Xiaofu sat on pins and needles, hopeful yet anxious, his heart pounding, sweat beading on his plump forehead.

An Lao Ye Zi felt it was time, and nodded. "I agree."

An Xiaofu's joy came from the heavens—he widened his eyes. "Really?"

An Lao Ye Zi nodded. "Go to your father. Whatever you need, ask for it—say I approved it. He won't dare refuse."

"Oh oh." An Xiaofu nodded vigorously and immediately ran out.

Halfway there, he suddenly remembered something and dashed back, bowing deeply:

"Thank you, Grandpa!"

An Lao Yezǐ shook his head, helplessly saying, "Go on then."

An Xiaofu ran out again, his whole body immersed in joy, his feet feeling soft and spongy, as if stepping on cotton.

An Xiaofu found his father, An Yonglu, and told him what his grandfather had said.

An Yonglu was startled. "No way."

"Grandpa agreed!"

An Xiaofu became even more confident.

An Yonglu was skeptical, but he knew his son wasn't bold enough to lie so boldly—especially by invoking the old master's name.

An Yonglu agreed. After An Xiaofu left happily, he went to see An Lao Yezǐ.

"Father, about Xiaofu's matter…"

"Let him have it."

"But…"

"No buts. Opening a dining hall costs how many Spirit Stones? Mo Hua is willing to help him—this is all worth it."

"Why would Mo Hua help Xiaofu?" An Yonglu didn't understand.

"Probably they have some connection," An Lao Yezǐ glanced at An Yonglu coolly. "In Mo Hua's eyes, your son has more face than you do. If you went to ask Mo Hua for help, he might not even respond."

An Yonglu smiled awkwardly.

"But," An Yonglu asked again, puzzled, "why open a dining hall?"

Although dining halls can earn Spirit Stones, they're nowhere near as profitable as armory workshops or alchemy halls.

What was Mo Hua's purpose in opening this dining hall?

An Lao Yezǐ couldn't figure it out for a moment, but Mo Hua, though an array master, was still a child.

Sometimes, he truly couldn't guess what a child was thinking.

"Probably just playing around, opening it for fun."

An Lao Yezǐ sighed, then instructed An Yonglu:

"Whatever Xiaofu wants, give it to him. It's just a dining hall—let them do as they please. Consider it a good connection with that boy, Mo Hua."

An Yonglu nodded. "Yes, Father."

An Xiaofu mustered all his courage, met his grandfather, and made his request—and his grandfather agreed.

His dining hall now had a place.

An Xiaofu felt he had fulfilled his mission, not disappointing Mo Hua's expectations, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

That afternoon, he happily went again to Mo Hua's eatery.

He had completed his task; now he had "face" to meet Mo Hua.

Mo Hua praised him and treated him to plenty of good food.

An Xiaofu was deeply moved and decided to make up for all the meals he'd missed.

Then came the preparations for the dining hall.

Preparing a dining hall was much simpler than setting up an armory workshop or alchemy hall.

Besides, the An family had operated many dining halls before—everything was second nature: from location selection to staffing, the An family handled it all, leaving Mo Hua no need to worry.

Mo Hua only needed to concern himself with the stoves and the arrays on them.

The stoves in the eatery had been forged by Master Chen, and the arrays had been drawn by Mo Hua himself.

But back then, Mo Hua's array skills were still very weak; the stove was small, the flame weak, and its function mediocre.

Mo Hua had suggested replacing it, but Liu Ruhua disagreed.

It had been used since the eatery first opened; the arrays were drawn by Mo Hua's own hand, and after so long, she was used to it—she didn't want to waste Spirit Stones replacing it.

But now, for the new dining hall, a small stove wouldn't do. Mo Hua wanted to forge a larger, Grade-One stove.

Mo Hua approached Master Chen, who naturally agreed at once.

He had forged Grade-One armory furnaces and Grade-One alchemy furnaces before—this stove was no challenge.

Master Chen found the forging manual, Elder Yu provided the materials, and the armory masters pooled their efforts. Less than a week later, the stove was forged.

The finished stove stood two people tall, built with sturdy, durable materials. Its form differed slightly from armory and alchemy furnaces, with fewer celestial patterns and more earthly, smoky details.

This stove was now of Grade-One Spirit Artifact quality.

Mo Hua was very satisfied.

He then inscribed a simplified Grade-One Melting Fire Control Array onto the stove's interior.

This array could still regulate flame intensity and included a cold array for cooling, but it contained only one Grade-One Melting Fire Array.

It was for cooking, not forging—just one was enough.

Too much heat might burn out the stove.

The stove was built; the dining hall was fully repaired.

The dining hall's location was not on Beidajie, but chosen instead in Nandajie, where itinerant cultivators lived.

Beidajie already had an An family Spirit Dining Hall; opening another there would be meaningless, and Mo Hua didn't want to open it on Beijie.

He opened this dining hall so that itinerant cultivators could all afford meat.

So naturally, it had to be on Nandajie, where itinerant cultivators gathered.

The dining hall was named "Fushan Lou," hoping that every low-ranking itinerant cultivator in Xiancheng could enjoy good food—even if life was hard, eating something delicious would bring them joy.

Fushan Lou was half-owned by An Xiaofu and half by Mo Hua.

Mo Hua gave his share to his mother.

Liu Ruhua disagreed, so Mo Hua said:

"Mother, what's mine is yours—please help me manage this dining hall for now."

Liu Ruhua could not argue with Mo Hua, so she agreed.

The menu for the dining hall was provided by Liu Ruhua, and the cooks were guided by her instruction, yet she needed not labor herself; she merely oversaw the eatery and studied recipes in her spare time.

The day-to-day operations of the dining hall were handled by An Xiaofu.

An Xiaofu was the Young Master of the An family; even if he did not know how, the An family would find someone to teach him. Even if he initially made mistakes or fumbled, it mattered little—over time, his dealings with people would naturally become effortless.

Although An Xiaofu was a family member, he was kind-hearted and sincere in his dealings, making him well-suited for the dining hall business.

Moreover, the An family had long been in the dining hall business; An Xiaofu had grown up immersed in it, so he would learn faster and perform better.

This was precisely why Mo Hua had brought An Xiaofu and his family's An clan into the venture.

He did not want his mother to overexert herself.

Running an eatery is grueling, let alone a larger dining hall.

An Xiaofu was chubby and loved to eat; a little hard work would do him good—it would help him lose weight.

But his mother's health was poor; she must not be overburdened—she need only focus on researching recipes and occasionally cook something delicious.

She could do what she loved without excessive toil.

Mo Hua had thought it all through carefully.

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