Chapter 223: Welcome

The main hall was spacious. Gu Fei had even had artisans create an indoor landscape, complete with a small pond. Within the pond, they had built a small rockery from stones and even kept goldfish. The edge of the pond was encircled by a variety of green plants.

A small, green bluestone arch bridge, over a meter long, spanned the pond, allowing people to walk across.

The Jiangnan region was famous for its gardens, so such scenery wasn’t uncommon. However, no one had ever built a rockery, pond, and small bridge *inside* a building before.

For a moment, everyone found it incredibly novel.

Looking up, they saw the ceiling was filled with hanging lanterns of all shapes and sizes. Their colors and designs were all different, creating a dazzling and varied display.

Sister Dan clapped her hands. "Oh my, I just love this place."

"I’ve never seen a place so novel and interesting."

Everyone looked around and exchanged pleasantries, and noon arrived before they knew it.

Gu Fei had already prepared a feast. Three tables were set in the main hall, and waiters weaved through the room with smiles, serving the dishes. Gu Fei watched for a moment, feeling quite satisfied, then personally went to the kitchen to stir-fry a dish of spicy clams.

The spicy clams made Young Master Zhou cry out in delight. As he was leaving, he made a point to say to Gu Fei, "Little Fei, can I come to your place to eat from now on? I just love this spicy food! That Young Master Zhu is absolutely shameless. He’s taking advantage of the fact that he’s the only one with chili peppers, charging two taels of silver for a single dish. Hmph! I’m not eating at his place anymore."

Gu Fei smiled. "If you enjoy it, Young Master Zhou, please feel free to come anytime. In about a month, fresh chili peppers will be ready for harvest. When they are, I’ll cook a few dishes with them for you to try."

Young Master Zhou was overjoyed. "Then it’s a deal! I’ll be back in a month for a meal!"

Sister Dan pulled Young Master Zhou away, smiling back at Gu Fei as she said, "Don’t mind him. He’s just a glutton."

After seeing off the congratulatory guests one after another, the main hall instantly felt quiet and empty.

The waiters got to work—wiping tables, clearing away bowls and chopsticks, and sweeping the floor. In no time at all, the place was spotless.

Just as Gu Fei was about to head behind the counter, she saw her mother standing inside the counter area, a nervous expression on her face. She kept glancing back at the green jade bok choy and the Treasure Basin in the display cabinet behind her.

Gu Fei chuckled. "Mom, go and eat. You don’t have to stand guard here."

Gu Sanlang ran over and pointed at the display cabinet behind Gu Fei. "Sister, is the gold and silver in that white jade bowl real or fake? I’ve been wanting to ask, but I was too embarrassed with so many people around."

Gu Fei took down the Treasure Basin. "Here. See for yourself."

Gu Sanlang’s eyes lit up. He picked up a gold ingot, examining it closely in his hand, unwilling to put it down.

Mrs. Chen snatched it away. "What’s there to look at? It all belongs to your sister. Staring at it won’t make it yours."

She placed the gold ingot back into the Treasure Basin and patted her chest. "Aiya, that scared me to death! With so many people milling about, I was terrified someone would filch it. With this glittering gold on display, forget filching—someone could have just snatched it!"

"Hurry up and put these away. Leaving them here is just asking for thieves."

Gu Fei nodded. The main hall really wasn’t a suitable place to display such valuable items.

She carried the jadeite cabbage herself while her mother held the Treasure Basin. The two of them went into a room, and Gu Fei stored both items away in her ’space’.

Just as they stepped out of the room, a cheerful voice rang out from the entrance, "Weeelcooome—"

"Honored guest, will you be dining with us or staying the night?"

"If you’re here for a meal, we not only serve food but also have rooms available by the hour for you to rest."

"If you plan on staying the night, you can choose from our Heaven, Earth, or Ren Character rooms."