Chapter Forty-Seven: Tumen Delicacies

Gou Ye dashed through two streets, panting heavily, before arriving at a blacksmith’s shop. Before the blacksmith could even ask, he requested a writing brush and some paper, and, relying on memories from another era, began drawing on the rice paper. Sheet after sheet, he must have drawn the design at least ten times before finally nodding in satisfaction. Perhaps due to his limited drawing skills, the blacksmith stared at the sketches for a long while but was unable to make sense of them.

Handing the blueprints to the blacksmith, Gou Ye asked excitedly, “Brother, take a look—can you make this according to the drawing?”

“No,” the blacksmith replied, utterly bewildered. In truth, he wanted to ask, “Sir, what on earth have you drawn here?”

Gou Ye’s expression darkened as he glanced at his drawing. Although there were annotations, it seemed only he could decipher them. So, he began to point out the features, explaining as he went along: “This is a grill. Just make a long iron box like this, with four legs underneath. I’ll give you the exact length and width later. And here, make a sealed compartment that can hold charcoal, with a metal plate on top—not too thick, not too thin. And this, and this…”

Gou Ye spent a full hour explaining to the blacksmith, even calling in the shop’s master craftsman. He described the items on the paper with animated gestures and vivid expressions. At last, perseverance paid off, and the blacksmith and his master managed to grasp the essentials.

The master craftsman examined the rice paper closely for a long while, turning it over and pondering Gou Ye’s descriptions. His face grew serious as he asked, “Young master, I’ve been a blacksmith for half my life. Swords, spears, staves, even all sorts of bizarre household implements—I’ve crafted them all. Strange as some were, I always knew their purpose. But what you’ve shown me today, I’ve truly never seen nor heard of before.”

Of course you haven’t, Gou Ye thought to himself with a smile—these things wouldn’t exist for another hundred years. He replied, “Master, just follow my instructions. I believe once you finish, you’ll soon know exactly what these are for. For now, just make one of each. I’ll inspect the finished pieces, and if anything needs changing, we’ll adjust. If everything’s right, perhaps we can establish a long-term partnership. But as you said, you’ve spent half a lifetime in this trade—I believe in your skill.”

The master waved his hand. “Oh, young master, don’t flatter me. Though I’ve been at this a long time, what you ask is truly unique, and I can’t guarantee anything. But I can promise you this: throughout our entire county, if I can’t make it, no one else can.”

“That’s all I need to hear. Here’s a ten-tael silver ingot as a deposit; we’ll settle the rest once everything is done.” With that, Gou Ye agreed with the master on a timeline—he would return in three days to inspect the goods. Only then did he leave the blacksmith’s shop, finally feeling relieved.

Back at the Duke’s residence, Gu Shen came running over eagerly. Without so much as a greeting, he asked, “Brother Gou Ye, where have you been all day, sneaking around? Tell me—what have you thought of this time?”

Parched, Gou Ye grabbed the teapot and gulped down water before replying, “Don’t rush me. Let me have a drink first. Yes, I’ve had an idea, and it was actually inspired by you.”

“By me?” Gu Shen looked puzzled.

“That’s right. If you hadn’t gotten hungry and dragged me to that little teahouse for snacks, I would’ve just headed home. But seeing you eat those snacks reminded me—street food!”

Gu Shen’s interest was piqued. He sat down opposite Gou Ye and said, “Street food? Don’t tell me you’re planning to open another shop and create new delicacies?”

Gou Ye shook his head, grinning mischievously, which made Gu Shen impatient. Munching on sunflower seeds, Gou Ye said, “Now listen, you can’t tell anyone else—this is a business secret. Our county has many good things, but not enough street food, and people love eating it. Just look at First Love—the place has barely opened, yet every day it’s packed with customers. Why? Because there’s so little variety—it’s either candied hawthorn, fried rice cakes, or pastries.”

With a look of anticipation, Gou Ye walked to the doorway, gazing at the evening glow outside. “I want to make Tumen Village the county’s street food specialist. I once read about a place called Shaxian Snacks; we’ll call ours Tumen Snacks.”

“Tumen Snacks?”

“That’s right, Tumen Snacks. After leaving the teahouse, I went straight to the blacksmith’s to order a batch of cooking implements. Once they’re ready, I guarantee you’ll be able to eat your fill of street food every day—pancakes, grilled noodles, lamb skewers, and so much more.” In truth, this idea wasn’t inspired solely by that plate of pastries. Seeing the snacks had reminded Gou Ye of his own time, when, after a day spent writing, hunger would drive him downstairs to buy a pancake at the gate, maybe some fried skewers, a bowl of spicy hotpot, and, on good days, a bottle of beer. The charm of street food was that it was cheap, delicious, and filling.

Hearing this, Gu Shen’s eyes lit up. Thinking of how Gou Ye’s iced desserts had sold for tens of thousands of taels, and now hearing his new idea, he could almost see silver raining down from the sky. He raised his hand at once. “Young Master Gou, can I join in? Let me invest!”

But to his disappointment, Gou Ye shook his head. “Brother Gu, not this time. This project is meant to enrich the village. In fact, I don’t plan to make any profit from it myself—I just want to help the villagers. After all, my writing fees are enough for my own expenses.”

Gu Shen’s face fell, and he muttered, “So you’re back to charity again. After the way those villagers treated you, you still go out of your way for them. To be honest, Brother Gou Ye, I don’t think it’s worth it.”

Seeing Gu Shen’s indignant expression, Gou Ye patted his shoulder. “As they say, it’s easy to do wrong, hard to do right. I can’t let their mistakes turn me into a bad person. But this time, I know what I’m doing. I won’t just hand things out for free like before. I’ll make sure that those who wait for something for nothing understand—there’s no such thing as a free lunch under heaven.”