Back to the 70s: My Childhood Sweetheart Spoils Me Rotten-Chapter 819 - 821: Great Origins

Zhuge Zhi and the others were reminiscing about the past, and when they noticed everyone gathered around a Taihu stone, they went over too.

"This stone is still here."

"Isn’t that obvious? We put in so much effort back then to keep this stone." Wan Dajun had a face full of nostalgia, "Didn’t Old Xu treat us to a good meal afterward?"

"Exactly, thinking back it was definitely worth it. Now, this stone is really valuable." Zhuge Zhi said enviously, "My dad used to say that just a step away from the Xu family, otherwise we could have moved such a good stone home."

"My family too, but back then Old Xu’s family really had good conditions." Wan Dajun sighed in all sorts of ways.

"Of course, spending tens of thousands for a stone, my dad said it was only nouveau riche like the Xu family who would do that." Zhuge Zhi thought of the Xu family then, and looking at them now, felt like they were talking about different families.

Oh my god, spending tens of thousands on a stone, Gong Ruini was stunned, and Zhao Guangran and the others were equally shocked.

"It can’t be that expensive." Zhao Gang stammered, "I know that Taihu stone is quite valuable, but not that valuable."

"This stone was discovered by someone near Taihu and dug for half a year, then transported to Beijing. Just think about the labor and transportation costs." Wan Dajun nonchalantly mentioned the origin of the stone.

"More importantly, those who dug the stone even hired reporters to promote it, making it known across Jiangnan. Back then, so many people scrambled for this stone." Zhuge Zhi recalled that it wasn’t just people from Beijing, but also people from Shen City and Yangcheng.

"They even held an auction for it in the end."

Gong Ruini was stunned, oh my god, for just a stone they could create such hype, but the Xu family must have had other intentions in buying it back then.

According to Zhuge Zhi, the Xu family ran a restaurant in those days, probably to attract more customers. After all, placing such a stone in the courtyard not only looked elegant but also demonstrated the Xu family’s influence.

"Back then, those who came to dine here were either executives or wealthy people, spending thousands on a meal was common." Zhuge Zhi couldn’t help but sigh, "Back then, all the surrounding houses belonged to the Xu family."

All the houses around belonged to the Xu family, oh my god, Gong Ruini was shocked, this is Beijing, near Houhai, and if that’s the case, wouldn’t their descendants be rich?

Not to mention how much rental income the properties could generate, but setting up a private dining business here would definitely be lucrative.

"It’s a pity, prosperity always comes to an end." Wan Dajun sighed and said, "Alright, let’s find a place to sit and have some snacks. Otherwise, by the time Old Xu finishes cooking, we’ll all be starving." Wan Dajun invited everyone in.

Not only did the children seem uninterested, but even he didn’t want to dwell on the past. The more they reminisced, the more they were reminded of old events; happy memories were fine, but unhappy ones really weighed them down.

Gong Ruini was already impatient, primarily because the courtyard wasn’t particularly exciting. Although the Taihu stone was quite valuable, Gong Ruini was a simple person who didn’t appreciate art, and besides, there was a delicious aroma of food wafting in the air.

Gong Ruini had already started protesting with her stomach, unable to hold back as it began grumbling loudly.

"The scent is nice, but who knows how it’ll taste." Zhao Guangran remained defiant, for him, until the food was in his mouth, he wouldn’t be in a good mood.

"But I’m starting to feel a bit hopeful, maybe Grandpa wasn’t wrong." At least Granny Cai’s cooking never smelled this good.

But being unable to taste the food despite such a tempting aroma was really torturous, "Had I known we had to wait so long, I would’ve eaten something before coming out."

At least with something in the stomach, one wouldn’t feel so hungry.

Gong Ruini shared the same thought, but with her stomach protesting now, she was out of options, hungry with no snacks in her bag.

"Here it is, these are the snacks my father made today." Xu Ling came out carrying a platter of pastries. "Uncle Zhuge, Uncle Wan, please start, the main dishes will be served in fifteen minutes."

"Are you Xu Ling?" Zhuge Zhi hadn’t seen Xu Ling in a long time, but looking at the noticeably older Xu Ling, he genuinely didn’t dare recognize her.

"It’s me." Xu Ling saw Zhuge Zhi’s incredulous expression and understood her current appearance wasn’t great, although she really had forgotten much of the past, she didn’t want to be pitied, as that would remind her of the old times.

"Please enjoy, I’ll start cooking." Xu Ling then turned and went to the kitchen.

Ah, wait, Xu Ling is going to cook, really? Zhuge Zhi was shocked, "Xu Ling cooking?"

Although the Xu family wasn’t very conservative, certain recipes were only passed down to sons. Daughters would be taught a bit of cooking while young for two reasons: one, they needed to learn to cook so they wouldn’t be scorned when they married; two, coming from an Imperial Chef lineage, if they didn’t have decent culinary skills, their in-laws might look down on them.

But usually, it was just better-than-average cooking skills; no further teaching was given, nor were they expected to help in the kitchen.

"Could it be Old Xu’s son?" Wan Dajun thought about it and felt this was the only possible explanation.

That might actually be possible, Zhuge Zhi thought about it and agreed, "But if that’s really the case, it would explain why Old Xu didn’t manage the courtyard."

Old Xu’s son was a culinary expert, a pride of the Xu family, unfortunately not seen during prosperous times, "If it were in the past, the Xu family’s reputation would have been much stronger."

Cao Na quietly nestled at the side listening intently, Zhao Guangran truly didn’t understand why she found it so captivating; it was just stories from old folks about the past, nothing that fascinating.

"What is it?" Gong Ruini noticed Cao Na lost in thought, did she know about the history of the Xu family?

It seemed possible, despite potentially never having met, the family had a legacy worth discussing for a long time on this part of Beijing.

"I remembered, if it’s this family, then we’re in for a treat." Cao Na expressed her excitement, never expecting to taste the dishes her grandfather always reminisced about.

"If my grandfather knew I had such a great opportunity, I wonder how happy he’d be." Cao Na was so happy she smiled until her eyes disappeared.

"That’s not right, I should bring my grandfather and the rest for a meal." Cao Na thought about it and realized that telling Grandpa how good Old Xu’s cooking was would only upset him, so she should bring him out for a visit.

Besides, seeing the current situation here, business probably wasn’t flourishing. Apart from satisfying her cravings, she could also lend some support, such good deeds were not to be missed.