Chapter 218: Prosperity
The Fortune Dining House occupied a vast area. To express goodwill toward Mo Hua, Old Master An purchased three adjoining buildings and converted them into a grand dining establishment.
Its location was excellent, situated on a bustling thoroughfare with steady foot traffic from north to south.
Because it stood on the South Street, where the land was cheaper, the spirit stone expenditure was modest, insignificant for the An family.
The pavilion had two floors: the second was reserved for private dining rooms, while the first housed a spacious hall, with additional tables and benches set outdoors.
The Fortune Dining House could accommodate a considerable number of guests and even offered meat snacks for takeaway.
The recipes came from Liu Ruhua, containing refined culinary methods for various demonic beasts' meats. After long experimentation and improvement, Liu Ruhua's dishes were both diverse and uniquely flavorful.
The pavilion's cooking furnace was a first-grade one, large in size and inscribed with a First-Grade Composite Formation. Its firepower was strong and adjustable, allowing multiple dishes to be cooked simultaneously.
Therefore, many of the pavilion's dishes were priced quite affordably.
That had been Mo Hua's intention from the start, to utilize large furnaces, reduce costs, and increase efficiency.
This way, most rogue cultivators in Tōngxiān City could spend fewer spirit stones while enjoying superior meals.
Cheap and delicious, such a combination naturally drew crowds. The steady stream of customers ensured great profits even with small margins.
Since the pavilion was large, it required many helpers.
Injured Demon beast hunters or female cultivators not adept in Daoist arts could find work there, earning spirit stones to support their families.
Once preparations were complete, the Fortune Dining House opened on an auspicious day.
From the moment of its opening, the place thrived with customers, business booming.
Mo Hua was delighted and felt relieved.
An Xiaofu, however, grew anxious.
The enormous pavilion, full of noisy patrons, left him uncertain of what to do.
More importantly, he was the young manager. According to Mo Hua, he would be responsible for running the place in the future.
An Xiaofu's head throbbed.
Though members of the An family could help him for now, they could not do so forever. He would have to learn and manage things himself.
Yet he did not know where to begin.
Mo Hua said, "You need not treat yourself like a manager. Just act as if you're in an eatery, eat and chat with the customers. There's no need to be overly formal."
Hearing this, An Xiaofu relaxed.
He began moving about cheerfully, greeting familiar Demon beast hunters, offering them wine and snacks, and introducing the pavilion's signature dishes.
Since he loved food, he spoke with natural enthusiasm, each description vivid and enticing.
During quiet moments, he would sit with others, listening to tales of cultivation or strange adventures. If someone told a good story, he would reward them with a pot of wine.
At times, the pavilion even invited storytellers to perform.
When the stories grew stale, An Xiaofu would adapt new tales based on his own encounters and have the storytellers recite them, earning frequent applause from the crowd.
Gradually, An Xiaofu became acquainted with many patrons. He spoke more, smiled more, and his demeanor grew livelier.
Old Master An and An Yonglu visited one day. Seeing An Xiaofu bustling about, sweating yet spirited, they were both surprised and gratified.
His bearing here was entirely different from how he was at home.
An Yonglu sighed softly, relieved.
Old Master An cast him a glance, his expression slightly helpless.
He had not wanted the An family to continue running a restaurant. Yet it seemed his son and grandson possessed talent only for that.
They lacked the ambition for artifact or pill refinement.
They lacked the cunning for business rivalries with the Qian family.
At this rate, the An family would likely run restaurants for generations.
An Xiaofu, however, saw no shame in that.
Feeding oneself, feeding others, and letting everyone eat well, what was wrong with that?
Still, he sometimes felt uncertain and asked Mo Hua, "If I run restaurants all my life, won't others look down on me?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment, then said, "All trades in cultivation have their own merits. To perfect any craft is remarkable. If you can open Fortune Dining Houses across the Nine Provinces of the cultivation world, so that everyone can eat meat, who would dare look down on you?"
An Xiaofu was stunned. He had never thought that far.
"The Nine Provinces are so vast... could that really be done?" he asked doubtfully.
"Probably not," Mo Hua replied. "But how would you know unless you try?"
An Xiaofu nodded, silently resolving himself.
Though his cultivation was still low and he had only one pavilion for now, he would strive to open many more, so that everyone could eat and drink happily.
After the opening, the Fortune Dining House settled into smooth operation. About a month later came the year's end.
Half a month before the New Year, the Alchemy Workshop was finally completed.
Master Ban settled all spirit stone payments, and the craftsmen joyfully prepared to return home for the festival.
Before departing, Master Ban and several lead artisans visited Mo Hua, bringing New Year gifts to express their gratitude.
If not for Mo Hua's efficient array work, such a large-scale cultivation facility would not have been finished until after the New Year.
That would have meant no return home, or no spirit stones, both disastrous for celebrating the festival.
Master Ban praised Mo Hua's skill. Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua were also pleased and invited the craftsmen to a grand meal.
The gathering was lively, with hearty laughter and generous drinking.
After the meal, the craftsmen prepared to depart.
Before leaving, Master Ban told Mo Hua that if he ever required craftsmen, he should contact him, assuring him there would be no shoddy work and that Mo Hua would be satisfied.
He also invited Mo Hua to visit Qingxuan City someday, promising to show him around and introduce the local customs.
Mo Hua agreed and waved farewell.
The craftsmen departed, pushing small wooden carts laden with old storage chests, their remaining tools piled loosely on top.
Step by step, they walked down the bluestone streets, out through the city gates of Tōngxiān City, and onto the dusty road home.
Mo Hua stood at the gate, watching their receding figures. He waved again, silently wishing them a safe return and a joyful New Year.
He hoped they could go home safely every year, peaceful and content.
...
Ten days later, the entire Tōngxiān City was busy preparing for the New Year.
Lanterns and decorations lined the streets, filling the air with joyous noise and color.
It was perhaps the most prosperous and lively festival the city's common cultivators had seen in a hundred, perhaps several hundred years.
The city's foundational cultivation industries were now complete.
The Artifact Workshop produced spiritual tools; the Alchemy Workshop refined pills; the Fortune Dining House provided nourishing food.
With spiritual tools, Demon beast hunters suffered fewer injuries. With pills, lower-level cultivators fell ill less often. With the pavilion, everyone's diet improved.
Moreover, all three establishments offered work for rogue cultivators, allowing them to earn spirit stones.
Be they Demon beast hunters, artifact forgers, alchemists, cooks, or ordinary cultivators, everyone now had stable work and income to sustain both life and cultivation.
Food, clothing, and daily necessities all improved.
That year's festival, therefore, was especially prosperous, and particularly joyful.
The streets teemed with cultivators, flowing endlessly like rivers.
Market stalls abounded, selling dazzling arrays of goods: food, drink, trinkets, and amusements of every kind.
Novel toys, flavorful snacks, aromatic wines, and colorful street performances filled the city with life.
Swept up by the lively atmosphere, Mo Hua also felt cheerful.
The path of cultivation was arduous, and survival often harsh.
He could not solve every hardship, but within his capacity, he could make life a little better for Tōngxiān City's cultivators.
Since childhood, he had received kindness from the neighborhood uncles and aunties.
Now that he had learned formation arts, he naturally wished to return that kindness.
With that thought, Mo Hua felt a quiet sense of gratitude.
Thankfully, he had the Dao Stele in his Sea of Consciousness. Thankfully, he had chosen to study formations.
Formations followed the principles of the Dao, and only formations, perhaps, could bring benefit to so many cultivators.
(End of Chapter)