Chapter 542: then translation of chapter title

Some things outsiders cannot understand.

Although Qin Zhanhong cannot now be considered an outsider, she is truly one of our own, but regarding the Chen family, she actually does not know it well, and thus cannot feel those things that exist only within the family.

For those Personal Guard beside him who have already given up everything and are willing to be invisible people, how could Chen Wuji not trust them? For his sake, they have even severed all family ties.

Because of this matter, Chen Wuji once had a face-to-face discussion with Chen Li and others; only under his strong demand did Chen Li and others agree to take a day off each month to go home and see their parents, wives, and children.

"If you want to shout, do it back at the inner residence official residence; there you can yell at the top of your lungs, they basically only patrol around the courtyard, not around the house." Chen Wuji laughed.

Qin Zhanhong pursed her lips, still sulking, glanced at Chen Wuji, and then deliberately let out an 'ah'.

But the sound was extremely low, basically nobody outside would hear it.

This sound shouldn't be called a shout; it was merely the face Qin Zhanhong accidentally lost just now.

Chen Wuji laughed unrestrainedly and teased, 'I just seemed to hear a very subtle catcall, San Niang, did you hear it?'

"Shut up, ah, I'm really getting angry!" Qin Zhanhong, a bit flustered, lunged forward, squeezed into Chen Wuji's embrace, and pinched his mouth shut.

Huo Sanniang looked at the two of them making a fuss, simultaneously laughing and crying, 'Alright, alright, let Wuji hurry up and eat; this soup is about to get cold.'

Qin Zhanhong then released her grip, but did not leave Chen Wuji's embrace; instead, she curled up like a little cat, deliberately causing trouble.

Chen Wuji finished his dinner under such circumstances, and the three returned to the inner residence.

On the way, Chen Wuji finally had a chance to ask, 'Can the tavern now be left entirely to the shopkeeper?'

"Almost." Huo Sanniang said.

I've always worried that the shopkeeper might have divided loyalties; that day You Wei told me, if it were another family's business, the shopkeeper might have divided loyalties, but since he's managing my family's business, it's basically impossible for him to have divided loyalties.

"Because of my status?" Chen Wuji asked.

"Hmm."

"All kinds of people exist in the world; this matter is hard to be absolute. However, let's leave it to the shopkeeper to handle; we'll talk if something happens." Chen Wuji took it in stride, for people's hearts are myriad—can a single status really box them in?

However, even if something happened, the problem wouldn't be that serious.

"You just stay in Hezhou; if you get bored, open a branch in Hezhou City and just mess around."

Huo Sanniang looked at Chen Wuji in astonishment, 'Wuji, I doubt you're really awake? How can this be just playing around? The tavern's daily profit is already nearly a hundred taels of silver—how can you just mess around?'

"A hundred taels? Pure profit? Are the people of Yunan really that rich now?" Chen Wuji asked in surprise.

That number truly surprised him.

A pure profit of a hundred taels—isn't that profit excessively high?

"Right." Huo Sanniang said.

"Nowadays, townsfolk order dishes for both happy and sad occasions from our tavern; if a household holds a banquet without adding some stir-fried dishes to liven up the spread, neighbors will gossip behind their backs—this is the current trend in Yunan City."

"The tavern now does more takeout and also sends chefs out to cook; relying solely on the tavern's tables, how could one reach a hundred taels of pure profit in a day? I wouldn't even dare dream of that. If only counting diners who come to eat at the tavern, a day's profit might reach twenty or thirty taels at most—I'd say that's already the limit."

Chen Wuji felt a bit dazed, 'I feel as if my status might be playing a role behind the scenes. San Niang, using power for personal gain is absolutely unacceptable.'

"Don't worry, we aren't short of this silver either; would I bother with such a thing? However, because of your status, more customers come, and those prominent people in the city are also willing to give you face—this might indeed be the case." Huo Sanniang said.

"But compared to that, I think the dishes are still key; after trying various stir-fries, many people prefer to have a pot of stew as their staple."

"For entertaining guests with drinks, stir-fried cold plates are obviously more suitable. Just as a pot replaces a cauldron, this is more like an inevitable change; nowadays many ordinary families have begun making not-too-complex stir-fried dishes as side dishes. Husband, do you still remember Lao Yang's nephew?"

Chen Wuji nodded, 'Naturally I remember; that kid took a Dongpo meat recipe and made it a hit in East Market.'

"They don't do it anymore now." Huo Sanniang laughed.

"He took on two apprentices, taught them how to make Dongpo meat, and opened a shop in the city. With just that recipe, he earned a house in the city, married two concubines, and saved an unknown amount of silver, but people say it's not little."

Chen Wuji chuckled, 'Is this kid already starting to retire?'

Back then he taught that kid Dongpo meat merely hoping to earn a bit more silver and to do Lao Yang a favor.

To be frank, he really didn't expect that a single Dongpo meat would change a person's fate.

Huo Sanniang shook her head, 'No, he actually went back to the ironworks to help out, becoming a second-in-charge there, handling the ironworks' affairs; that meat shop he only occasionally drops by to check on.'

"A single Dongpo meat can change a person to this extent; husband, do you still doubt our tavern's influence? In a few years, who knows what it'll be like, but right now it's definitely the peak of the trend. Opening another branch in Hezhou, I really want to do it—riding this wave, we can also save more silver for our descendants."

Qin Zhanhong joked on the side, 'How could there be descendants? With your current speed of spending silver, who knows when the family fortune will be emptied.'

"I still keep public and private separate!" Chen Wuji laughed.

Qin Zhanhong utterly disbelieved this, 'When the treasury has silver, public and private can be distinguished, but if the treasury runs out of silver, won't you have to dip into family savings? Soldiers need to be fed, wars need to be fought, Military Governor.'

"Hey husband, is the Military Governor a big office?" Huo Sanniang asked curiously, 'Zhanhong and I have talked about it all day, but I still can't grasp just how big this office is; I've never even heard of such an office before.'

"It used to exist, but not during the Da Yu era." Chen Wuji said, 'As for how big this office is, it's just a bit bigger than the Strategist.'

Huo Sanniang lightly punched Qin Zhanhong, 'If you just told me straight, I'd understand; why do you have to explain what the Military Governor does, who and what it controls? My head's a mess from listening, and I still haven't fully figured it out.'

"San Niang, are you just too stupid, or is my explanation not clear enough?" Qin Zhanhong shouted.