A Good Country Wife
Chapter 380 - 374_1

Chapter 380: Chapter 374_1

"Alright, you go on with your business, I’m here, and I’ve even arranged to meet your brother, he should be arriving soon." Liang Wei said readily. He truly came to support Lin Yue this time. Even he could never have imagined that one day he’d be friends with Lin Qing. Initially, it was all about staking his pride and getting back at that despicable Jiang Wenshu, which led him to grow close to Lin Qing. Later on, he increasingly found Lin Qing to be an upright and trustworthy person, starkly different from Jiang Wenshu’s hypocrisy and affectation. Lin Qing might come across as aloof and not the best at socializing, but he was sincere and genuinely cared for his friends."

Lin Yue was still hesitating whether to take Liang Wei’s advice when Lin Qing arrived. Liang Wei, seeing Lin Qing, immediately complained, "Come on, Aqing, you’ve been dallying for too long. We’ve been waiting for you for a while now. I came especially to support your sister today. Isn’t that what friends do?"

"I had some confusion about the content in class just now, so I stayed behind to ask the teacher about it, which held me up a bit. Fortunately, I’m not too late. You all haven’t started yet, so the timing is just right," Lin Qing said with a smile.

Lin Yue looked at Lin Qing curiously. She could hardly recognize her brother, who was usually reserved and reluctant to owe favors. To think that Liang Wei invited him for a meal and he seemed to be joking just now—this was a side of him she had never seen before.

Lin Yue didn’t know when her brother had become such good friends with the prodigal Liang Wei. But her previous worries were no longer there. Since Liang Wei was on good terms with her brother, he naturally wouldn’t have come to cause trouble. He really was there to show support. Immediately, she instructed the staff to waive the bill for their table. After all, she was the proprietor of the restaurant. It was her brother’s first time eating out with friends, and she couldn’t possibly let anyone else pay.

"Brother, you guys start eating. I’m going to be busy outside. If you need anything, just call for the server and make sure you enjoy your meal to the fullest," Lin Yue said and then hurried off. Zhao Erhu alone definitely wouldn’t be able to attend to everyone outside.

No sooner had Lin Yue stepped out of the private room than a server rushed over in a hurry, "Mistress, Dongjia has sent for you. The Magistrate and his wife have arrived. He wants you to join them in welcoming the guests."

"Got it, I’ll be right there," said Lin Yue. Hearing that the Magistrate had personally come to support her, she was initially surprised, but hurriedly followed the server after her initial shock.

"This humble woman pays her respects to the Magistrate and his wife." Although Lin Yue was pleased that the Magistrate and his wife came to show support, she deeply loathed the damnable ancient customs and the system of kneeling and paying respects, which she found hard to accept but necessary to perform. Otherwise, she couldn’t afford to offend a Court official.

"Rise, please. We are here purely for a meal today; just treat us as regular patrons, no need for such formalities. But speaking of which, Erhu’s wife, your restaurant is quite impressive. I’ve patronized quite a few restaurants, and while yours may not be the biggest or the best, it has the most unique style. In particular, I’m looking forward to the skill of your cooks here," said the Magistrate cheerfully. He could thank Jiang Ziqi for his almost certain promotion, and maybe even the Emperor had a favorable impression of him by now; his future seemed limitless. This good mood, of course, also extended to his genuine praise for the restaurant.

"The Magistrate flatters me too much. This is just a humble business I run, mainly to earn some money for the family. It is an honor for me to have the Magistrate and his wife visit our modest restaurant. I hope you will be satisfied with your meal," said Lin Yue.

With Lin Yue accompanying the Magistrate and his wife, Zhao Erhu went out to arrange the meals for the Magistrate’s party. Owner Liu and Doctor Zheng also came over to support them, along with some friends they had made in business over the years. One by one, the guests arrived at the restaurant, and together with those who had heard the news, the place was fully seated and bustling on the first day of opening.

The quality of the dishes at Lin Yue’s family restaurant naturally went without saying. With Wang Dachuan, a former royal chef, in charge of the kitchen, the menu was a collaborative effort between Lin Yue and Wang Dachuan. Not only were the guests extremely satisfied, but even the Magistrate was full of nothing but praise for the food.

It wasn’t just the food that was special, but the wine as well. The restaurant used homemade wine, and although it couldn’t be called the best, it was certainly very good in Xin’an City. Importantly, the price was also not expensive, at least one-third cheaper than what the wine shops and big restaurants charged. The only issue was that there weren’t many varieties of wine available. Lin Yue had not considered purchasing other types of wine from the wineries because she wanted to focus on creating a specialty.

"Erhu’s wife, this wine tastes great—sweet and mellow, far better than any rice wine I’ve had in the past. Where did you buy it from?" the Magistrate’s wife felt that while the other dishes were not particularly unique, despite indeed being a little better than those made by the chefs back at the residence, the rice wine at Lin Yue’s family restaurant was her favorite. She immediately took a liking to it and was curious about where it had been purchased.

There were two types of homemade wine that Lin Yue’s family made: a low-alcohol rice wine and a high-alcohol grain wine. What the Magistrate’s wife was currently drinking was the low-alcohol rice wine. This wine was not only delicious, but it also had many health benefits. Regular consumption could even beautify the skin and nourish the complexion, something Lin Yue often did herself.

"Madam, this wine is not purchased; it’s brewed by this commoner’s own family. If you like it, you can take some back with you," Lin Yue replied with a smile. She was quite pleased that her homemade wine had received approval from the Magistrate’s wife.

"That would be wonderful. I don’t have many other pleasures, just a love of drinking. Yet, unfortunately, I can’t hold my liquor. This rice wine is just perfect. Erhu’s wife, you’ll have to pack a good amount for me to take back. When I go back to the Capital City, who knows if I’ll be able to find such delicious rice wine," the Magistrate’s wife said.

With the Magistrate’s wife saying that, how could Lin Yue refuse? Although the Magistrate had been promoted and was leaving to take up a post in the Capital City, thus no longer overseeing Xin’an City, Lin Yue remembered his kindness towards her family over the years. Regardless of the reasons, she was grateful, and a few jars of rice wine were nothing she would ever be stingy about.

After the Magistrate and his wife had finished their meal at the banquet, they visited Lin Yue’s family’s grocery store and bought quite a few things. That day, the restaurant and the grocery store became famous thanks to the Magistrate, becoming a hot topic of conversation in every household and alley. It was indeed a good start.

"Did you know? The dishes made by Songshan Restaurant are so delicious that even the Magistrate specially went incognito to eat there."

"Really? That’s something. Could someone be pulling your leg, though?"

"I was there too. I saw it with my own eyes. It’s said that the cook at Songshan Restaurant used to work as a head chef in the Royal Residence. With such great culinary skills, it’s no wonder."

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.