Chapter 670: Dejufeng Restaurant 2 (1/2)

Thanks to the trend Guilin Restaurant had set on its opening day, any new shop with a noble backer and some money would at least put on a lion dance performance to liven things up.

If they attracted the attention of the civilians around, the name of the shop would be spread around by word of mouth.

However, Dejufeng was different. They hadn’t even bothered sounding a gong or beating a drum for their opening. Instead, they were ridiculously low-profile.

Manager Wang had experienced many ups and downs at his old age, so this put him deep in thought, “Such an abnormality is a sign that something is amiss. Old Zhao, your eyesight is better than mine, can you make out which families those carriages are from?”

Actually, Manager Wang had just been asking rather casually. Although his eyes were old and his vision was blurry, he was still able to make out the shape of the carriages. Those were just ordinary green carriages. There wouldn’t be anyone of high status in those, so he was just asking offhand.

The old bookkeeper was probably thinking that way as well, but when he saw a particular person being helped off the carriage, he was so shocked that he nearly fainted.

He quickly gripped the table beside him with his other hand covering his chest. He had an expression of excitement, yet of dread.

Manager Wang was startled by his sudden movement, and quickly helped him up. With creased brows, he asked, “Old Zhao, what’s going on with you? Weren’t you completely fine a moment ago? Why do you have such an ugly expression on your face?”

The bookkeeper waved his hand. Bookkeeper Zhao was expert at his work, but he had another skill, which was a photographic memory.

He was practically able to remember the faces of anybody that he had met once.

Once, when he had been walking out of De’an Restaurant’s accounts room, he happened to overhear the emperor having a conversation within a private room. He had been so frightened by it that he ran off immediately. Later on, curiosity got the better of him as he peeked at the reigning emperor’s face from afar. With that one glance, the face of the emperor remained in his memory up till now.

De’an Restaurant’s dimsum was considered top-notch in the capital, so it wasn’t strange for the emperor to come down to have a taste incognito.

Once he caught his breath, he looked at Manager Wang while appearing choked-up but smiling. Moments later, he whispered into Manager Wang’s ear, “Manager, the one who just alighted the carriage was…”

The old bookkeeper first pointed at the skies with his forefinger, then raised his thumb. He nervously gulped down his saliva.

Manager Wang froze up in shock, then widened his eyes in uncertainty. He gripped the bookkeeper’s shoulder and asked, “Are you sure… that you didn’t make a mistake?”

The old bookkeeper shook his head with a bitter smile, “Manager, you know my ability very well, when have I ever made a mistake in identifying someone?”

Hearing the certainty in the old bookkeeper’s voice, the two old men shrank back, and were even more in awe of Dejufeng now.

That’s right! On the opening day of Dejufeng, the emperor himself had secretly come to support them!

As Chu Lian was still confined in the estate due to her pregnancy, she didn’t learn of this on the day itself, but He Changdi did inform her of this later on.

She didn’t know how to react. The emperor had given her too much of an honour. The emperor had personally gone to support the restaurant that she secretly opened!