Chapter 169: Chapter 169: "This Is So Nice.

Ming Lingyi was dumbfounded. She’d started an official gazette hoping to attract great scholars to volunteer as reviewing teachers for her restaurant. Instead, she had drawn a crowd of diners eager to join a competition.

’I guess you could call this a happy accident, huh?’

Just as this thought crossed Ming Lingyi’s mind, someone in the crowd ahead glanced back, and their eyes landed on her.

"Boss Ming is right here!"

"Boss Ming! Boss Ming!"

The next instant, the crowd swarmed around her.

A hubbub of voices filled her ears, nearly everyone asking the same question.

Ming Lingyi was simply... overwhelmed by the attention!

She had originally planned to wait until she’d found all the reviewing teachers before announcing the next competition. But seeing the current situation, and with her own brother shielding her from the crush of the crowd, Ming Lingyi suddenly found her confidence.

Her brother was now in Shangjing, and one of the Capital City’s former Twin Beauties was by her side. ’If I still lack confidence after all this,’ she thought, ’I’d be a real coward!’

"Everyone, please quiet down! The restaurant event you’ve all been asking about—registration starts tomorrow! It’ll be the same as last time, so don’t worry. There will be spots for everyone, I promise!" Ming Lingyi shouted, straining her voice to be heard.

The moment she announced the date, the crowd immediately stopped pushing.

"Hah, it should’ve started ages ago! In fact, Boss Ming, starting registration today would have been fine! I’m already prepared!"

"Tomorrow is tomorrow. Boss Ming has made her decision, so why are you still grumbling?"

"Hahaha, as long as there’s another competition, I’m happy! I didn’t even know about it last time. I completely missed out. I can’t let that happen again! I’ll be at Ming’s Restaurant first thing tomorrow!"

The smile didn’t leave Ming Lingyi’s face, even after she’d stepped into the restaurant’s rear courtyard.

Ming Lingyi looked at Ming Chengyu, who had been shielding her the entire time. "Brother, why don’t you rest here in the courtyard for a bit? The kitchen must be swamped right now, so I’m going to go lend a hand."

But Ming Chengyu followed her out. "I won’t go into the kitchen, but I can still make myself useful in the main dining hall."

Before she could object, he strode past her and into the main hall.

Ming Lingyi watched her brother’s retreating back for a moment, then let out a laugh.

’That’s just like him.’

The promotion from Liufang Bookstore was astonishingly effective, and business at Ming’s Restaurant was now twice as busy as usual.

By the time they saw the last customers out, the moon was already high in the sky.

Only then did the restaurant staff gather to eat their evening meal.

The meal was late, but it was an absolute feast. Wu Zhao Yu, busy in the kitchen, had put extra effort into tonight’s spread, especially since everyone knew the restaurant would have a new reviewing teacher from now on.

While helping in the dining hall earlier, Ming Chengyu had already caught the rich, unique aroma wafting from the kitchen. Now, finally sitting down to eat, he took a bite of tender, grilled lamb and couldn’t help but close his eyes in pure satisfaction.

He had been so worried about his little sister being all alone in Shangjing City, imagining she wasn’t eating or sleeping well and was suffering. But in that instant, with the taste of such exquisite food on his tongue, a thought struck Ming Chengyu. ’Compared to my sister... am I the one who’s been having a hard time?’

Back in Jiangnan, they had servants to cook for the family, of course, but the food was nowhere near as good as what they served at Ming’s Restaurant. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

’Isn’t eating one of life’s greatest pleasures?’

’Eating well and to your heart’s content—that’s what truly matters in life.’

Ming Chengyu’s thoughts began to wander. ’Even if I weren’t here to look after my sister,’ he mused, ’after a single bite of the food at Ming’s Restaurant, I don’t think I could ever bring myself to leave.’

’This lamb is so tender, with no gamey taste at all. And this pork... it’s glistening. One bite is an explosion of flavor. The savory fat renders the moment you bite down, and the fragrant oil is simply divine. It’s so good it’s almost overwhelming!’

’Then a bite of fresh vegetables with dipping sauce. The clean, sweet flavor of the vegetables washes over the palate, carried by a savory egg-based sauce. It perfectly cuts through the richness of that glistening pork belly. I could probably eat another ten slices of it!’

"Brother, how is everything?"

Ming Lingyi asked with a grin, watching Ming Chengyu’s blissful expression.

Ming Chengyu exclaimed, "Delicious! It’s absolutely delicious! I’ll be your reviewing teacher. You don’t even have to pay me. Just feed me, and I’ll work here for the rest of my life!"

Though clearly an exaggeration, his words delighted everyone who had been working in the kitchen.

Even Wu Zhao Yu found him much more pleasant to look at now. She even faintly thought that this sworn brother of Her Ladyship actually bore a slight resemblance to Her Ladyship around the eyes.

"This is so wonderful," Xiao Chun said with a sigh, sitting at the table.

At the start of the year, she and her lady had been pushed to the brink by the Second Branch of the family. She’d never imagined that in just over half a year, they would be sitting here, eating comfortably in their own restaurant, surrounded by so many trusted friends.

Ming Lingyi had a little wine tonight. She was so happy to be reunited with her family that she couldn’t help but drink a little more than usual.

As a result, she was quite tipsy by the end of the meal.

Hearing Xiao Chun’s heartfelt words, Ming Lingyi, her eyes half-closed, nodded in firm agreement.

"Yes, it really is."

What could be better than having your friends and family by your side, all safe and sound?

Nothing at all.

The consequence of her drinking was a throbbing headache when she woke up the next morning.

After washing up, she went to the kitchen for a bowl of sobering soup, which finally made her feel a bit more human.

Stepping outside, Ming Lingyi didn’t see her brother. She flagged down Wu Zha’er as she passed. "Where’s my brother? Is he not up yet?"

Ming Lingyi tried to recall the previous night. ’Did my brother get drunk too?’

Wu Zha’er replied, "Mr. Ming has been up for a while. After breakfast, he heard you were planning to write the poems on the white wall outside. He said you’ve been busy lately, so he decided to take on the task for you. He should still be out there now."

"Oh, dear," Ming Lingyi exclaimed. With everything going on, she had completely forgotten about that.

"I’m going to go see," she said, then jogged out the front door of the restaurant.

Sure enough, Ming Chengyu was outside the restaurant.

He had already climbed down from a stool. In the highest position on the wall, he had finished writing the winning poem from the restaurant’s last competition.

He was now writing the second poem, the one composed by Li Yan.

A smile never left Ming Chengyu’s face as he saw his own nephew’s name.

With a flourish of the large brush in his hand, he touched ink to the wall, and several large characters appeared on the snow-white surface.

He finished with the four words, "Fine rain drifts down," his wrist strength evident in the stroke.

The calligraphy was flamboyant and lively, elegant without being messy, suffused with a sense of unrestrained, confident flair.