Chapter 75: Advertising and Layout

Fictional History

On the night of the Dragon Boat Festival, the Qinhuai River was ablaze with lights and sweet scents. Near the training grounds where the courtesan competition had just concluded, the grand hall designated for the courtesan banquet was brightly lit and filled to capacity.

The banquet was attended by approximately three to four hundred people and began under the guidance of Magistrate Liu. First, there was a small song and dance performance. Afterwards, the four leading courtesans appeared, offered their gratitude, and took their seats, each in their own distinctive manner. This was a fixed, splendid, and formal procedure. All sorts of dignitaries and scholars were gathered. Naturally, the most prominent officials and renowned scholars occupied the front seats. Following them were merchants who had supported the courtesan competition, such as Puyang Yi and Su Tan'er, who were seated in the front rows. Gu Yanzhen, however, was seated a little further back, in the middle section. While chatting idly with Shen Miao, he occasionally glanced at the people in front or turned to look at the trees outside the grand hall.

Soon after, once the formal greetings were concluded, Yuan Jin'er, now seated, seemed to notice something and smiled as she addressed the Magistrate beside her. Gu Yanzhen also chuckled, turning to Shen Miao and saying, "Zishan, look, the real show is about to begin."

Yuan Jin'er and Yun Zhu were good friends. Gu Yanzhen had vaguely anticipated this, and at this moment, he felt a sense of having planned everything perfectly. Indeed, Yuan Jin'er, smiling, pointed to a peeled century egg. "How interesting, and so beautiful, Magistrate Liu. What exactly is this?"

Magistrate Liu had probably never tasted this dish before, but since he was hosting the banquet, he had naturally inquired about it beforehand. He now smiled and said, "This is a century egg, also known as a 'wealth egg' or 'jade egg.' Miss Yuan, observe its patterns, resembling pine branches, symbolizing the noble integrity of pine. Since this is the courtesan banquet, and everyone present is wealthy and esteemed, and jade symbolizes peace, it is truly a superior dish befitting this banquet."

With such evocative names as 'pine blossom,' 'wealth,' and 'jade,' Magistrate Liu then eloquently expounded on their meanings, drawing various associations. How could he know that Miss Yuan Jin'er, one of the four leading courtesans beside him, was a shameless accomplice? She intended to use him to say these very words. With everything going smoothly, Yuan Jin'er was delighted and turned to glance outside the hall.

Nie Yunzhu, waiting there, also smiled and waved, her heart racing. She naturally didn't have the money to hire the Magistrate as an accomplice. For two months, under Ning Yi's guidance, she had cultivated connections and set up this elaborate plan, all so that tonight, through the Magistrate, the century egg could truly gain renown. Although she had been a bit displeased about "Ning Yi supporting Qi Lan" during the competition, Yuan Jin'er was still putting in her best effort. After a charming smile, she picked up a century egg: "Magistrate Liu, since it carries such wonderful symbolism, Jin'er must certainly try one. But how should one eat it properly?"

Both Yuan Jin'er and Magistrate Liu were momentarily stunned. They heard the old man say, "Magistrate Liu, I wonder where these century eggs were purchased? I have some slight knowledge of how these eggs are made. During their preparation, lime is added. If the proportion is too high, it can be poisonous..."

This turn of events was completely unexpected. Yuan Jin'er maintained her smile, but cursed inwardly, thinking, "This old man is so unnecessary!" However, the old man's status was clearly extraordinary, so she could only keep smiling and await the next development. In the seats behind, Gu Yanzhen, who had been watching Yuan Jin'er's performance, felt his heart lighten. At this point, he couldn't help but let out a laugh: "Well, this is just great. Someone's sabotaging the act halfway through, and this person won't be easy to deal with."

Nie Yunzhu, hidden in the bushes outside the hall, had no idea this would happen and was slightly taken aback. But after seeing the old man who spoke, she looked towards Ning Yi inside the hall. At that moment, some at the banquet had already started eating the century eggs. Upon hearing the old man's words, they all put down their chopsticks. Only Ning Yi continued to dip a slice into soy sauce and put it into his mouth, seemingly oblivious. Beside him, his wife Su Tan'er indignantly snatched the century egg away. Nie Yunzhu watched them and smiled, a touch of bitterness in her heart.

Inside the hall, the old man smiled.

"There's no need to worry too much," he said. "Lime water is used to flavor many dishes, and when used appropriately, it can stimulate appetite, aid digestion, and even promote health. However, those dishes have been prepared for a long time, with established recipes, so there's no fear of mistakes. But this century egg is a new thing that only appeared this year. I have tasted it before, and only the 'Bamboo Record' (Zhuji) century eggs, whose recipe was researched by them, are authentic and a delicacy for banquets. However, it hasn't been long since it appeared, and I hear imitations are already circulating in the market. I merely fear that if the imitations are not properly made, these eggs will not only fail to promote health but will be harmful. Then they certainly won't be 'pine blossom,' 'wealth,' or 'jade' eggs anymore, hehe..."

Halfway through his speech, Yuan Jin'er's mouth slightly opened in surprise. Gu Yanzhen, in the back, was also stunned. Magistrate Liu quickly sent someone to inquire. The steward soon reported back, and Magistrate Liu burst into laughter: "These eggs were indeed purchased from 'Bamboo Record'!"

The old man heard this and nodded with a smile, "In that case, there's no problem." He picked up a century egg from in front of him and placed it in his bowl. Someone opposite him also chuckled, "Ming Gong is so knowledgeable! I never expected you to be so well-versed in matters of food and drink." The old man, known as Ming Gong, laughed heartily: "This is no boast on my part. Even in my youth, I was a born gourmand, traveling to famous mountains across the land and sampling all sorts of delicacies. When it comes to culinary matters, I claim second place today, and you won't find anyone better!"

As he began eating the century egg, others no longer had any doubts. The Magistrate immediately picked up a century egg as well, setting an example. After all he had just said, it would be a huge loss of face if the banquet dishes were later deemed inauthentic. So, he naturally had to demonstrate that "there could be no fake goods at my banquet" and then spoke a few more words in praise of the century eggs.

Inside the hall, Kang Xian and Ning Yi exchanged a look that said, "You owe me one." Outside the hall, Nie Yunzhu sighed, looked up at the Milky Way in the night sky, and smiled. When she looked back inside the hall, Ning Yi was eating as if he had done nothing at all. A little further back, Gu Yanzhen frowned: "I can't believe he's already circulated such rumors..." He naturally didn't know about Ning Yi's connection with Kang Xian; he merely assumed the rumor had spread and reached Kang Xian's ears.

Beside him, Shen Miao sighed, then smiled: "Yanzhen, I'm afraid you're going to have to pay me that ten taels of silver ahead of time."

In those times, information did not spread quickly; it was mostly transmitted by word of mouth. But because of this, there wasn't much misinformation to confuse people's understanding. The century egg incident at the courtesan banquet was just a small interlude. However, it would certainly spread throughout Jiangning at an extremely fast pace. Whenever people mentioned century eggs, this news would inevitably come up. With Kang Xian's endorsement, for a time, probably only 'Bamboo Record' century eggs would be truly called century eggs; others could not claim the names "wealth" or "jade." The path to wealth for those wishing to imitate them had been completely blocked in the short term. Even price wars would have no effect on 'Bamboo Record.'

Towards the end of the banquet, through the words of a woman, it was revealed that someone in the east of the city seemed to have been poisoned two days prior. Although the symptoms weren't severe, it was suspected they had eaten counterfeit century eggs. This story was half-true, half-false, and difficult to verify. Shortly after, a new manager hired by Nie Yunzhu came forward with trepidation, stating that their employer was concerned about counterfeit century eggs harming people and was willing to donate the authentic recipe for century eggs to be officially released by the government to those imitation workshops. Magistrate Liu waved his hand grandly and declared: "Why should we offer such benefits to these malicious workshops that steal others' achievements and disregard human lives? Seal them up quickly!"

In reality, there was only one workshop outside that was imitating century eggs at the time. Ning Yi had long known that the recipe couldn't be kept secret for long. Therefore, 'Bamboo Record' had made no effort to keep it secret. In fact, they had deliberately allowed the recipe to leak so that others could produce century eggs before the Dragon Boat Festival, precisely to facilitate this show. Otherwise, if someone later fell ill from eating century eggs, and 'Bamboo Record' was blamed, the consequences would be quite troublesome. Magistrate Liu sealed a small workshop whose daily earnings were less than one tael, which was also a minor show of force, earning praise from everyone at the banquet. If the imitation century egg industry had already become widespread, he probably wouldn't have acted so decisively.

By this point, the preliminary preparations were already sufficient. All further actions would commence the following day.

At the banquet, there was a small interlude involving Ning Yi. The reason was that Su Tan'er recognized the century egg.

"My husband, the first time you gave me something to eat, it was this! Did you make it?"

"I stumbled upon the recipe by accident and just casually passed it on."

"Did you give it to a friend?" Su Tan'er smiled. "I know you did."

"Oh?"

"Li Pin, or was it Gu Yanzhen...? Anyway, that's how it got out, right?"

Ning Yi felt a slight confusion upon hearing Gu Yanzhen's name. Su Tan'er explained: "Earlier, I saw this on the street and remembered the day you gave it to me to eat. I inquired about it later. The story of Gu Yanzhen using century eggs to win favor with a courtesan has spread throughout the market. He's truly a devoted lover, and it's a good deed for you to facilitate his romantic gesture... Hmm, though it always makes me uncomfortable when your creations are attributed to others..."

The Su family would never approve of Ning Yi getting involved in business, let alone setting up an eatery. Su Tan'er simply assumed her husband understood the family's difficulties and therefore gave his creations to others. Of course, Ning Yi had spoken casually at the time, implying it didn't matter even if he hadn't made it himself. Ning Yi was speechless at this perception. It was fortunate that Gu Yanzhen was seated far behind; if he had been closer and heard Su Tan'er recount this "charming story," he might have coughed up blood.

The next day, a small shop with the "Bamboo Record" (Zhuji) signboard, meticulously arranged and decorated, opened at a not-so-bustling intersection in Jiangning City. Nie Yunzhu had hired a reputable chef. Their signature dishes were various foods related to century eggs, such as century egg and lean pork congee, which had already been perfected through experimentation, along with other diverse dishes. Ning Yi merely incorporated some simple concepts into the business. This era was not one of estranged human relations; professional fast-food style operations would not work. Instead, it was best to give customers a warm, "home-like" feeling. The chef was also professional and capable; compared to Ning Yi and Nie Yunzhu's experimental attempts, the various century egg dishes tasted infinitely better.

The number of small carts pushed out daily to sell century eggs increased to four. They were named "Plum Blossom, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, and Bamboo," respectively. Each cart featured paintings that Gu Yanzhen found a bit too commercialized. They operated throughout Jiangning every day. If a certain amount was spent at these carts, customers would receive an interesting wooden token. After collecting four tokens with different patterns, they could enjoy an 80% or 90% discount at the main store.

Meanwhile, in the restaurants that helped sell century eggs, an exquisite "Bamboo Record Century Egg" wooden plaque had been hung as an anti-counterfeiting measure. This, combined with the rumors from the courtesan competition, subtly built up their reputation.

Although some planning was involved, it didn't require much effort. For Ning Yi, these simple arrangements were merely effortless. His mind wasn't focused on the merchants trying to compete with 'Bamboo Record,' nor on the family members vying for power with Su Tan'er, nor on the many scholars and literary talents in Jiangning City. As for Gu Yanzhen... he didn't even know Gu Yanzhen yet.

The next day, before dawn, he ran all the way to the Qinhuai River and found Nie Yunzhu, her face flushed, in front of the small building. It was opening day, and Nie Yunzhu had been waiting for him for a long time. She then asked him to hold out a palm, and after biting her lip and making an effort, she finally raised her slender, fair right hand and lightly tapped his palm. Then she revealed a frank, toothy smile.

She looked at Ning Yi, who was also smiling, and thought that he might not understand her feelings. But no matter what, everyone was smiling, and that was good. This kind of high-five was a bit presumptuous, but she truly wanted to do it just once, her heart pounding. Two months prior, Gu Yanzhen had grasped her hand. She had slapped him and rushed off to wash her hands. The feeling then had been awful; the touch of his hand had made her feel sick, as if she couldn't wash it away.

At the time, she had wished Li Heng (Ning Yi's courtesy name) had been there. But when she saw him the next day, she couldn't muster the courage. Only now, at this moment, did she finally touch his palm like this. In her heart, she felt as if she had accomplished something great, just like the shop opening today had gained new meaning.

Ning Yi, of course, paid no mind to the light high-five. In the morning, he saw the century egg cart pass by on the other side of the road, and thought of Nie Yunzhu's efforts. However, he had other things to do at that moment.

He chose a pair of shoes at a nearby shoe and sock shop. Then, carrying breakfast, he walked towards the academy.

That morning in Jiangning City, a woman named Su Tan'er boarded a carriage to manage her already considerable business ventures. On another side of the city, a woman named Nie Yunzhu opened the first door panel of her small shop. Amidst the bustling crowds, Ning Yi carried a small parcel, heading to engage with things that truly piqued his interest...

On the sixth day of the fifth month, in the eighth year of Jinghan of the Wu Dynasty, the city seemed vibrant and full of hope. Everything was just beginning.

Ning Yi pushed open the courtyard gate and heard the chime of wind bells...