Meishan isn’t small in size, and it attracts quite a few tourists.

It’s only a little over two hours’ drive from the city, so it’s not too far.

Many people come here for short trips to see the plum blossoms.

“I was initially worried that this place might be too remote and get fewer tourists, making it hard to run a vegetarian restaurant,” Tang Yueyue remarked, seeing so many tourists. “I didn’t expect so many people. Once the Yue Lao Temple opens, business will definitely be booming.”

Qiao Wanqing added, “If it weren’t for all these tourists, the vegetables in my two gardens would have gone bad last year.”

“I didn’t realize you had such a clever business mind to sell fresh vegetables to tourists,” Tang Yueyue replied, impressed upon hearing that Qiao Wanqing had earned a considerable amount of money this way.

In just half a year, her best friend had completely transformed.

Qiao Wanqing’s income now exceeded that of a manager at a major e-commerce company in her first-tier city.

Making so much money in a place like this is incredibly difficult for other individual businesses.

Qiao Wanqing chuckled, “My friend gave me the idea. I never would have thought of this method myself. At the time, the vegetables in both gardens almost rotted away.”

“Tan Yue?” Gu Yanqing, who had been silent, suddenly asked.

“Yeah,” Qiao Wanqing suddenly remembered that Gu Yanqing seemed unhappy with Tan Yue teaching her about business, so she said deliberately, “Mr. Gu, what do you think of this idea?”

Gu Yanqing replied indifferently, “…”

“Not bad,” he said flatly.

Huh?

Qiao Wanqing observed their strained relationship and thought, given his temperament, he surely wouldn’t approve of Tan Yue’s idea.

She found it surprising and said, “I thought you would definitely look down on it.”

Gu Yanqing furrowed his brow and said, “Qiao Wanqing, is that how you see me?”

Gu Yanqing didn’t think he had done anything wrong. Initially, she had schemed to have a one-night stand with him.

Afterward, his attitude had indeed been bad, but Qiao Wanqing was at fault first.

She even wanted him to take responsibility and he compensated her with 200,000 yuan, which she accepted.

Later, when he found out she was pregnant with his child… well, his attitude hadn’t been great either, but he had done what he could.

Qiao Wanqing, however, seemed to have developed a deep-seated prejudice against him for reasons he couldn’t understand.

Gu Yanqing had been the center of attention since childhood, being the only son in a well-off family.

With his innate advantages and remarkable achievements, coupled with his good looks, he had won the hearts of many girls.

Throughout his life, he had only encountered resistance from women when it came to him, never the other way around.

Qiao Wanqing, she’s definitely the first one.

When Gu Yanqing asked like that, Qiao Wanqing felt a bit uneasy.

She really didn’t have a reason to dislike Gu Yanqing.

But dislike is just that—dislike. Who needs so many reasons?

Qiao Wanqing said, “Mr. Gu, don’t you know that love can breed resentment, and resentment can breed hate? My bad impression of Mr. Gu is entirely due to the frustration of not getting what I wanted in the first place.”

Gu Yanqing remained silent.

Her words surprisingly made sense.

Before he could say anything else, suddenly a Husky, led by a young lady, dashed over energetically and snuggled up to… Huang Daxian, wagging its tail and clearly trying to play with it.

It’s rare for tourists visiting Meishan to bring pets, especially a Husky, making them stand out even more.

Their striking appearance naturally drew attention.

People couldn’t help but take extra glances at this unusual group, especially their adorable pet.

However, Huang Daxian remained aloof and didn’t pay much attention to them.

Someone tried to take a photo with it, and it casually turned its body, leaving them with just a view of its rear end.

This only made everyone more interested in it.

But they only took photos, unsure if it might bite.

The Husky, fearless, continued to frolic around Huang Daxian.

No matter how its owner tried to pull it away, Huang Daxian, who seemed calm and obedient, suddenly snapped and fiercely scolded the Husky, which then left with its tail between its legs.

After watching this, Tang Yueyue, who had been munching on for a while, patted Huang Daxian and sighed theatrically, “Ah Huang, treating girls like this will make you end up alone.”

Gu Yanqing remained silent.

Why did that statement sound… odd?

Qiao Wanqing suppressed a laugh.

Unfortunately, Huang Daxian had just driven away the Husky and was strutting proudly, completely oblivious to what Tang Yueyue was saying.

After a fun-filled day exploring Meishan, everyone headed back.

Passing through the town, Qiao Wanqing noticed a farm selling ducks raised locally.

She bought one, planning to make duck congee for dinner.

Of course, Gu Yanqing footed the bill.

With one important task resolved, Qiao Wanqing felt more relaxed, even finding cooking easier.

Duck congee was a local delicacy.

After briefly frying the whole duck in hot oil, she cooked it in water until tender, then added washed rice to simmer in the duck broth.

When the rice was half-cooked, she added duck blood, sautéed duck innards, dried shiitake mushrooms, and slices of ginger to simmer until thickened.

Garnished with chopped green onions before serving, the fragrant and smooth duck congee was ready.

The duck, sliced and arranged on a plate, was topped with shredded ginger and scallions.

After being lightly drizzled with salted hot water and a layer of peanut oil, accompanied by a couple of stir-fried dishes, a sumptuous dinner spread was complete.

The tender and smooth texture of the duck congee, rich in flavor, warmed and nourished them on this cold winter evening, leaving them feeling content.

Tang Yueyue, having thoroughly enjoyed her meal, lamented, “Too bad I have to go to work the day after tomorrow, or else I’d stay here and eat more.”

Everyone had to return to work on the seventh day of the new year, so they would all be heading back tomorrow.

Tang Yueyue planned to hitch a ride with Gu Yanqing to the city to catch her flight.

Qiao Wanqing laughed, “Whenever you have time, come over. I can’t run away from here anyway. Besides, now that I’ve become a restaurant owner, I need you to support me.”

“As the boss, of course I’ll come. It’s such a proud thing for my best friend to start from scratch in just a year. I’ll brag about it for a lifetime!”

Yuan Yuan raised her paw, “I want to come too.”

“Great, you’re all invited. I’ll give you all a free meal when you come.”

Gu Yanqing knew that starting a vegetarian restaurant wasn’t that simple, but seeing them so happy, he didn’t say anything and secretly considered how he could help her.

Midway through the meal, Qiao Wanqing remembered her aunt had given her a pot of Hong Qu wine.

She warmed it up and brought it out for everyone to drink.

The aroma of Hong Qu wine was rich and inviting, with a sweet and smooth taste.

After drinking it, a lingering fragrance filled the air, leaving a memorable aftertaste.

Everyone at the table enjoyed their alcohol, so Qiao Wanqing poured everyone a glass.

Even Yuan Yuan curiously poked her head around.

Gu Yanqing dipped his chopsticks into the wine and let Yuan Yuan taste it.

He wrinkled his small brows and said, “Spicy!”

Kou Kou stared at them unblinkingly. Gu Yanqing pinched his little face, “You can’t drink.”

Kou Kou pouted and turned to look at Qiao Wanqing.

Gu Yanqing: “…”

The congee was quickly finished, and the elderly and children were soon full and left the table.

They continued drinking.

Tang Yueyue was adept at drinking.

After three cups, she was unfazed, but Qiao Wanqing, who had only had a small cup, had reddened cheeks and a somewhat distant gaze.

“Wanqing, do you know that you look a bit like a certain noble concubine right now?” Tang Yueyue teased her.

Qiao Wanqing was naturally beautiful, and with a bit of alcohol, her cheeks were flushed, her eyes full of emotions, and she seemed a bit languid.

Plus, after drinking a bit too much, she was a bit slow to catch on to Tang Yueyue’s joke. “Which noble concubine?”

“That one who with a glance, a smile, a hundred charms, the drunken noble concubine of unmatched beauty in the harem.”

Qiao Wanqing’s face turned even redder. “Stop teasing me.”

“If you don’t believe me, ask Mr. Gu, won’t you?”

Gu Yanqing had already noticed Qiao Wanqing’s appearance.

He tightened his grip on the chopsticks and said, “Hmm.”

Tang Yueyue smirked at Gu Yanqing. “Mr. Gu, facing such a beauty, aren’t you moved at all?”

“…What are you talking about?” Qiao Wanqing blushed even more as Tang Yueyue teased her.

Tang Yueyue shrugged. “Just matchmaking. I went to Meishan today and felt inspired by the matchmaker. If I don’t make a match, I’ll be single forever.”

Having been fed with dog food all day, Tang Yueyue felt that if she didn’t intervene, these two might remain awkward for years.

Gu Yanqing was a good match, and Tang Yueyue was quite happy to see her best friend with someone like him, a perfect match of talent and beauty.

Moreover, now that her best friend was so capable and about to become a restaurant owner, there was no question of being worthy or not.

While Gu Yanqing had impressive achievements, Qiao Wanqing had reached her current position through her own efforts, which was equally commendable.

Qiao Wanqing: “…”

She really dared to say that.

“Mr. Gu, you’re both talented and beautiful. Your personalities surely complement each other. Plus, you both have children. Shouldn’t you consider it?”

Before Gu Yanqing could respond, Qiao Wanqing stood up abruptly. “I’m feeling a bit dizzy. I’ll go to my room and rest for a bit.”

With that, she didn’t give them a chance to speak and quickly walked into her room, clearly showing her reluctance.

In truth, Qiao Wanqing didn’t dislike Gu Yanqing at all.

She even thought he was a good man, definitely a great choice for a lifetime partner.

Qiao Wanqing( Xu Han ) always felt trapped by the original text, afraid that irreparable things would happen.

She didn’t know if she could change the clearly arranged things by herself.

So, she subconsciously rejected Gu Yanqing, fearing becoming cannon fodder.

Um, let her become rich and marry a handsome man.

Qiao Wanqing’s head was a little dizzy.

She stood in front of her room’s old red lacquered wooden table.

The table was a bit peeling, with a paper spread out on it, showing a house.

In her boredom, she had drawn a design for the vegetarian restaurant.

She planned to build the vegetarian restaurant in a rustic style, somewhat like a wooden house. It would be divided into two floors.

The first floor would be a buffet area with various vegetarian options for self-service. For those who preferred à la carte dining, there would be a second-floor area where they could order more upscale vegetarian dishes.

Qiao Wanqing turned on the desk lamp, sat down at the table, and took out a pen.

Originally, she wanted to draw a few strokes, but considering her dizziness from drinking, she took out her small ledger instead.

Since the place was pure land rent, and it was rural here, not as expensive as in the city, the rent was very cheap, only sixty thousand for five years.

However, she had to come up with sixty thousand at once, and Qiao Wanqing’s savings had already been depleted by half.

She still had to build a house by herself, decorate it, and buy various tableware.

The expenses were very large.

Roughly calculating, building a two-story house would cost about a hundred thousand, even with cheap labor and materials.

Including the decoration, tables, chairs, and other utensils, it would cost at least over a hundred thousand.

Then there were the kitchen utensils and other items, which would also cost thousands.

Adding it all up, the initial expenses would be at least three hundred thousand.

Qiao Wanqing held her head.

Where would she get three hundred thousand?

Would it be better to build a simple shed first and then rebuild it when she had enough money?