Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Three years later, in the capital city, at the Delightful Cuisine Restaurant.

A noble young man in a blue robe, with a leather briefcase tucked under his arm, strode inside.

The waiter shook his towel and shouted a greeting.

The owner, a man of about sixty, was at the counter, figuring accounts. Hearing the shout, he lazily raised his head.

The moment he saw the newcomer, his mouth split into a wide grin, and he twisted around to dash out from behind the counter.

"Oh! Young Marquis, you've come!"

"Boss Li, how's business lately?" Fang Chenyu leaned against the counter, casually tossing the briefcase onto it.

"Good, it's good!" Boss Li replied repeatedly, unable to stop smiling. "It's been over a month since you last came, hasn't it? The same dishes as before?"

"The usual three. Add one more dish today; I'm treating someone."

"Who is it?" Boss Li craned his neck, curious.

"My father."

"Oh! The Marquis is coming too!" Boss Li was overjoyed, turning his head to roar towards the hall, "Xiao Wu! Xiao Wu! Quickly prepare the best ingredients and wait for me...."

"Stop, stop, stop." Fang Chenyu looked helpless, raising his hand to call a halt. "I said adding one dish is enough, just something ordinary. No need to make such a fuss."

"Young Marquis, how could I dare be negligent when the Marquis himself is here? I'll treat you to this meal today! Just wait and see, don't worry about it."

"Alright, but my father and I can't eat that much. If you make a table full and we can't finish it, don't blame me for not warning you when my father scolds you later," Fang Chenyu said leisurely.

Boss Li's expression froze slightly: "That's not the issue. It's not easy for the Marquis to come to my little shop... Then let's add one more dish. What should we add?"

"Stir-fried kidney, perhaps? He's been fond of kidney these past two years." Leaving those words behind, Fang Chenyu picked up his briefcase and walked upstairs.

Reaching the middle of the staircase, he stopped and turned back to ask: "Is the private room I used to frequent still available?"

"It is! I'll take you up there!" Boss Li quickly followed, guiding Fang Chenyu upstairs.

Before long, he returned to the restaurant entrance, craning his neck in anticipation.

A dozen minutes later, a man in plain robes, wearing an exaggerated pair of sunglasses, gradually approached.

Sunglasses weren't exactly rare in the capital, but the newcomer's bearing and demeanor seemed out of place.

Adding to it, his clothes were even more peculiar.

Boss Li squinted for a long while, and seeing the man heading towards Delightful Cuisine, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease, and decisively went up to greet him.

"Marq...."

"Hey, keep it low-key. You'll attract everyone and make it too noisy for me to eat," Fang Zheng Yi slightly lifted his sunglasses. "Is my son here?"

"Yes, he is." Boss Li's voice trembled slightly, and he hastily led Fang Zheng Yi into the restaurant.

As they walked, he began to ramble in a hurried tone: "Marquis, it's truly an honor for you to come to my humble establishment. I remember the last time you ate here was over a year ago, and I was...."

"Enough, are you going to remember that for the rest of your life?" Underneath the sunglasses, Fang Zheng Yi couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Just make the dishes according to what my son ordered. Too much is a waste. And a plate of pickled vegetables."

"Yes, according to your instructions." The wrinkles on Boss Li's face deepened.

Fang Zheng Yi said: "I've heard that your little shop is doing well. Many high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital eat here. Is that true?"

"Yes, it's all thanks to the Young Marquis and you patronizing my business, otherwise there wouldn't be so many..."

"I heard that Wei Qing of the Ministry of Revenue often comes here to eat. He doesn't pay, does he?"

"No! Absolutely not! Lord Wei comes often, but he does pay, just on credit!" Boss Li shook his head frantically.

"On credit, huh..." Fang Zheng Yi smiled and stepped onto the staircase.

Boss Li reached out to support him by the arm.

Fang Zheng Yi shook his hand off, impatiently saying: "Am I so old that I need someone to help me? Go busy yourself!"

"Yes... yes..." Boss Li chuckled dryly, watching Fang Zheng Yi's back disappear on the second floor, before hurrying to the back kitchen.

Upstairs in the private room, the door was open.

Fang Zheng Yi looked around until he saw Fang Chenyu sitting at the table, listlessly playing with a string of beads, before striding into the room.

Seeing Fang Zheng Yi appear, Fang Chenyu quickly sat up straight: "Father, you've arrived."

"Hmm... just finished work. Haven't seen you in over a month. Haven't been out fooling around, have you?" Fang Zheng Yi asked.

He took off his sunglasses and casually tossed them onto the table.

Fang Chenyu chuckled: "How could I? Ever since I went with you to the..."

"Hmm~?!" Fang Zheng Yi glared.

Fang Chenyu decisively stopped talking, paused for a moment, and continued: "Father, you said we haven't seen each other for so long, and I finally get to report my work to you. Why did you choose such a small restaurant?"

"Don't you come here often to eat?"

"I do come often, but there are better restaurants than this."

"The factory isn't doing so great, not earning me much money, and you already want to go to fancy restaurants?" Fang Zheng Yi glanced at him. "Today I came here not only for your affairs, but also to take care of something else. No need to ask, you'll find out later."

Fang Chenyu nodded, then said no more.

Before long, four dishes, two bowls of rice, a pot of wine, and a plate of pickled vegetables were served.

The waiter stood smiling in the room.

Fang Zheng Yi reached into his sleeve, pulled out a five-yuan bill, and handed it to the waiter: "No need to wait here. Go out. Take away the wine and replace it with plain water."

The waiter nodded busily and left the room with the wine pot.

Fang Chenyu sighed: "What's wrong, Father? You won't even drink wine when we meet. I remember you used to drink; why have you given it up in recent years?"

"Now I just hope to live a few more years, afraid that I won't be able to finish everything I need to do. You shouldn't drink either," Fang Zheng Yi said calmly. "Life is too short, there are too many things to do. You'll understand when you're older. Let's eat."

Fang Chenyu lowered his head and sighed softly, not daring to reply.

The father and son chatted and ate.

"How's the factory doing? Tell me about it," Fang Zheng Yi said.

Fang Chenyu put down his chopsticks, becoming enthusiastic: "Father, the sales of the writing brush factory I opened haven't changed much in the past month. And I think writing brushes are too troublesome. I want to change direction."

"Change direction to what?"

Fang Chenyu picked up his briefcase and rummaged around inside, taking out a flat little wooden box.

He opened the wooden box, revealing the contents inside, and pushed it towards Fang Zheng Yi.

"Father, this is something new that my writing brush factory has researched. Take a look."

Fang Zheng Yi took it, took out the contents of the wooden box, and examined it closely, looking at it for a moment before smiling: "Chalk?"

"Yes, chalk!" Fang Chenyu said excitedly. "But it's not ordinary chalk. Look at the bottom of the box."

Fang Zheng Yi lowered his head, briefly flipped the box over, and took out a small black piece from the bottom.

After a moment's thought, he picked up the chalk and wrote two words on the black piece.

"Father, try this again." Fang Chenyu handed over a handkerchief.

Fang Zheng Yi picked up a glass of water, poured a little water to wet the handkerchief, and wiped it on the small blackboard.

The chalk marks disappeared, leaving only a faint grayish-white layer.

......