My classmate Zhu Houzhao

Chapter 11 I am the mighty General Zhu Shou

The next morning, Fang Heng took the pre-written visiting card and went straight to the Zhang residence.

Jiang Shu told Fang Heng the location of Zhang Lun's house.

The Zhang residence wasn't far from Fang Heng's shop; it would only take less than fifteen minutes to walk there.

"What brings you here, child?"

The gatekeeper of the Zhang residence was a man in his forties, but most of his hair had turned white, and his figure was somewhat hunched.

Fang Heng had specifically inquired about the gatekeepers of the Zhang residence from Uncle Jiang. The Northern Garrison Command naturally knew everything about the people and their personalities in every household in the capital, especially the gatekeepers of important officials in the court. Uncle Jiang didn't need to search through the files; he knew them all by heart.

"The gatekeeper of the Zhang residence is a bit stubborn, just like Master Zhang. Don't try to bribe him; he hates that the most. Just be straightforward."

These are Uncle Jiang's original words.

"Father-in-law, my maternal grandfather is Shen Wenyuan, who was an old friend of Lord Zhang. I have come today to pay my respects to Lord Zhang."

Fang Heng handed over the visiting card with both hands.

Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper carefully examined Fang Heng. The young man before him vaguely resembled Lord Shen from back then, so it seemed that what he had just said was true.

"My master has gone to court. I will give this visiting card to him after he finishes court. You may go back now."

The doorman had a very good impression of Fang Heng. The young man in front of him was polite, knew how to behave properly, and was always tactful, which gave him a natural sense of closeness.

"Thank you for your trouble, sir."

Fang Heng bowed and then turned to leave.

With the most important thing done, Fang Heng felt much more at ease. On the way back, he didn't walk as fast as he had on the way there. As he walked, he looked at the street vendors. When he passed a steamed bun stall, he bought dozens of steamed buns. There was a candied hawthorn vendor next to him, and Fang Heng casually bought a skewer.

Carrying the food, Fang Heng quickly returned to the clothing store. As soon as he arrived at the store entrance, he saw Gou Dan and the others confronting a richly dressed young man. Behind the young man were several tall and burly men who appeared to be guards.

"Second brother, you're back. This guy has a foul mouth, I can't stand it anymore."

When Gou Dan saw Fang Heng, he pointed at the young man in fine clothes and said.

"Young master, I don't know if there's anything wrong with our shop, please forgive us."

Fang Heng waved his hand to stop Gou Dan from speaking further, then clasped his hands in a salute to the elegantly dressed young man.

"It's nothing, it's just that these guys don't know the rules and don't understand etiquette, plus I'm in a bad mood today and want to find someone to fight."

When the boy saw Fang Heng, his temper seemed to have improved a lot, and he no longer had the tense and aggressive demeanor he had shown earlier.

"I hope you won't take offense, young master. We only arrived in the capital from Liangxiang yesterday. We all come from humble backgrounds and haven't learned much etiquette since childhood."

Fang Heng knew very well that when you open a business, the key is to make money in harmony. The biggest taboo in doing business is to argue with customers or have unpleasant encounters.

A customer may not buy anything from you or bring you any profit, but if you offend him, he can ruin a lot of your business and even damage your shop's reputation.

"It's a small matter, no need to make such a fuss."

Seeing Fang Heng's behavior, the young man seemed a little embarrassed and quickly waved his hand.

"So you are Fang Heng?"

The boy looked at Fang Heng and couldn't help but ask.

"It is indeed I. May I ask how you, sir, know my name?"

Fang Heng asked with some doubt.

"My cousin asked you to make a horse-face skirt and some desserts through Lord Jiang a few days ago. Yesterday we went to see Lord Jiang to ask you to make desserts, but Lord Jiang said you came to the capital and told me to come and find you myself."

The young man spoke with a certain air of composure, far surpassing that of Gou Dan and his ilk.

Upon hearing this, Fang Heng suddenly realized that he had indeed accumulated quite a few customers in the capital over the past three years, and this person must be one of them.

"May I ask your esteemed name, sir?"

Fang Heng said politely.

"My name is Zhu Shou, the mighty General Zhu Shou."

The boy said in a serious tone.

Fang Heng wasn't surprised by the boy's sudden eccentricities. These young masters in the capital were all pampered and spoiled, and this boy was about the same age as him, so it was normal for him to have some youthful quirks.

"I wonder if Young Master Zhu has come to order a horse-face skirt or some dessert?"

As Fang Heng spoke, he gestured for Zhu Shou to enter the shop.

Wang Xiaoer, standing to the side, naturally understood that the person in front of him was probably a distinguished guest, and hurriedly served tea.

Fang Heng took the teacup from Wang Xiao's hands, took only one sip, and then spat it out.

"What kind of lousy tea is this? How can this kind of tea be used to entertain guests? Hurry up and get something better."

Fang Heng glared at Wang Xiaoer.

Fang Heng knew very well that the shop might not have better tea, but he still had to make the right gesture.

"No need for that, the tea is fine."

Zhu Shou didn't put on any pretense; he picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing Zhu Shou's attitude, Gou Dan and the others' expressions improved considerably, and their previous resentment disappeared.

"I came here to buy desserts. What kinds of desserts do you make? I'd like to try one of each."

After spitting out a few mouthfuls of tea leaves, Zhu Shou placed the teacup on the table before getting down to business.

"I don't know how to make many kinds of sweets, just a few. I wonder if Young Master Zhu is in a hurry? If not, Young Master Zhu can wait three days. The ghee needs three days to ferment. If you are in a hurry, I will go and buy ready-made ghee, but ready-made ghee is much more expensive."

Fang Heng thought carefully about his words.

"Okay, you buy some ghee first, make some, and I'll eat some first. The rest can be fermented into ghee slowly. I'll pay for the ghee."

As Zhu Shou spoke, he took out a five-tael silver ingot and placed it on the table.

"Here's five taels of silver. Use it first, and let me know if it's not enough."

"That's excellent. Young Master Zhu is very thoughtful. Five taels of silver is enough."

As Fang Heng spoke, he took the silver and then handed it to Wang Xiaoer behind him.

"Take them to a dairy farm, buy fifty catties of milk, two catties of ghee, one catty of icing sugar, and also buy plenty of flour and eggs."

Fang Heng looked at Wang Xiaoer and said.

Fang Heng and his companions were completely unfamiliar with the capital. If they rashly took silver ingots to the street, they might be targeted by someone with ulterior motives. But Wang Xiaoer was different. He was a familiar face in the capital and a waiter at the clothing store. He often made purchases for the store, so he was the most suitable person to handle this matter.

Wang Xiaoer took the heavy silver ingot, his face full of disbelief. His boss had just handed him a silver ingot like that, wasn't he afraid that he would run away?

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go!"

Fang Heng looked at the stunned Wang Xiaoer and urged him on.

"Oh? Oh, I'll go, but I can't carry all this stuff by myself. Who's coming with me?"

Wang Xiaoer looked at Gou Dan and the others beside him and said.

In fact, these things could have been delivered by someone, but Wang Xiaoer didn't want to arouse his employer's suspicion. If no one accompanied him, he wouldn't know how much money he would have spent.

"Can't the milk shop send it over?"

Fang Heng said somewhat displeased.

"That's possible, but..."

Wang Xiaoer hesitated for a moment.

"Brother Fang, he's worried that if no one goes with him, it'll cost a fortune."

Zhu Shou, standing to the side, shook the folding fan in his hand.

"Why all the complicated procedures? Since I've entrusted you with this task, I trust you completely. Whatever amount you say, that's what I'll do."

Fang Heng said somewhat impatiently.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaoer was immediately moved.

"Don't worry, boss, I definitely won't give false information."

He then left the shop.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Young Master Zhu. I only arrived in the capital yesterday. This shop was left to me by my mother."

Fang Heng smiled.

"It's alright. Young Master Fang is a magnanimous person who trusts those he employs and doesn't employ those he doesn't trust. I admire him."

Zhu Shou praised it.

"You flatter me, sir."

"I do know a bit about Young Master Fang. Lord Jiang said that besides making delicious desserts, Young Master Fang's cooking is also extremely delicious. I wonder if I would have the honor of mooching a meal with you?"

Zhu Shou glanced cryptically at Old Wang behind Fang Heng and the others, and then voiced his thoughts.

"I can pay for the meal."

He added another sentence.

"Young Master Zhu, you are too kind. It is certainly not a problem if you appreciate my work."

Fang Heng didn't say he wouldn't accept money. After all, he wasn't very familiar with this young master Zhu, and it was already a bit presumptuous of him to ask for a free meal like this. However, Fang Heng was an open business, and since the other party was willing to pay, that was the best thing. In this way, he could reduce some of his expenses.

With Gou Dan and the others following him, the daily food expenses alone amount to a large sum. For example, these dozens of buns cost dozens of coins, and this is just for one meal. If he eats like this every day, he'll probably run out of money in just a few days.

Thinking of this, Fang Heng handed the steamed buns he had just bought to Gou Dan and the others.

Gou Dan and the others had already been tempted by the aroma of the steamed buns, but they didn't show it because of the presence of outsiders. Now that they had accepted the buns, they didn't act recklessly, for fear of embarrassing Fang Heng.

"Let's eat in the backyard."

Fang Heng glanced at Gou Dan and the others and said.

Upon hearing this, Gou Dan and the others felt as if they had been granted a pardon and left one after another.

"Xiao Tao, this is for you."

Fang Heng took out the string of candied hawthorns and handed it to Xiao Tao, who was about to leave.

"Thank you, young master."

Xiao Tao took the candied hawthorn and said happily.

Wang Xiaoer was very efficient. Soon, two people carried a large bucket of milk to the clothing store. As for the other items, Wang Xiaoer could carry them all by himself.

Fang Heng glanced at the milk, left it aside to ferment, and then ignored it.

"What would Young Master Zhu like to eat?"

Fang Heng looked at Zhu Shou and asked.

Since they are paying, we should respect their wishes.

"Whatever you eat is fine, I'll eat whatever you eat."

"venison?"

Fang Heng continued to ask, "Since someone is paying, we should naturally eat something good. Fortunately, venison isn't too expensive, only slightly more expensive than mutton."

"Venus meat is good; it can also replenish qi and blood."

Zhu Shou patted the table, then took out a five-tael silver ingot and placed it on the table.

"We don't need that much; what we had just had should be enough."

Fang Heng hurriedly said.

"Then I'll leave it here for now. I might have to come over for meals often in the future."

Zhu Shouhun said indifferently.

"it is good."

Upon hearing this, Fang Heng stopped refusing. He just felt that the young man in front of him was a bit strange. Who would shamelessly go to someone else's house to freeload meals as soon as they met?

"Sir, milk is two coins per pound, fifty pounds for a total of ninety coins, that's a discount of ten coins..."

Wang Xiaoer was about to report the details of the purchases to Fang Heng when Fang Heng raised his hand to stop him.

"No need to report it. Go buy another ten catties of venison, ten catties of radish, and some bean paste, scallions, ginger, and spices."

Fang Heng knew very well that the five taels of silver he had just spent probably didn't even amount to one tael, so he naturally couldn't let Wang Xiaoer tell him the cost.

According to Fang Heng's memory, stewing venison or beef requires Pixian chili bean paste and soybean paste. Fang Heng had never heard of Pixian chili bean paste before and did not know if it existed. As for soybean paste, it was exactly the same as the bean paste in his memory.

"I'll go buy it right now."

Wang Xiaoer wiped the sweat from his forehead, turned around, and left the shop again.

Fang Heng picked up the ghee noodles and eggs from the table and walked towards the backyard. There was a kitchen in the backyard. Before Chen Si left, he often cooked there. After Chen Si left, Wang Xiaoer could only make simple food on his own, so he cooked less often.

"Please make yourself at home, Young Master Zhu. I'll go and make you some dessert right away."

Fang Heng looked at Zhu Shoudao.

"it is good."

Zhu Shou, upon hearing this, dismissed it as insignificant.

Fang Heng went to the backyard and saw Gou Dan and the others who had already finished eating.

"Find some bricks, gather some soil, and build an oven."

Fang Heng looked at Gou Dan and said.

Previously at Gou Dan's house, that idea was something Fang Heng and Gou Dan came up with together. Besides Fang Heng, only Gou Dan knew how to make the oven.

"Is it the same as the previous one?"

Dog Egg asked somewhat uncertainly.

"Same."

After Fang Heng finished speaking, he ignored Gou Dan and the others and went straight to the kitchen.

After washing the kitchen cutting board with clean water, Fang Heng began to knead the dough with butter and icing sugar, repeatedly folding and kneading it. This was a slow process and could not be rushed.

After kneading the dough, Fang Heng divided it into several portions. One portion was used to make egg tarts, and the other portion was used to make a crepe. As for what to put in the crepe, Fang Heng looked around the kitchen and found a few apples. He peeled and chopped the apples, put them into the kneaded dough, and then folded it over and over.

Fang Heng plans to make these two things this time. He can make many kinds of desserts, but he needs to take it slowly. It's not a good thing to take out too many at once.

After getting these two things ready, Fang Heng went out to take a look and found that Gou Dan and the others had almost finished building the stove. But building the stove was not enough; it still needed to be heated with fire to make it sturdy.

While Fang Heng was busy, Old Wang, who was originally in the backyard of the clothing shop, appeared in the shop at some point, came to Zhu Shoumian, and bowed.

"This servant greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."

At this moment, the guards that Zhu Shou had brought were on high alert at the entrance of the clothing store.

"Master Wang, there's no need for such formalities. I am truly ashamed that you have traveled such a long way to the capital. If I weren't so far from the capital, I would have gone to Nanjing to find you long ago."

In front of Wang Zhi, Zhu Shou no longer spoke with the same carefree and arrogant manner as before, but only with the humility of a student.

"Your Highness, you flatter me. It is a good thing that Your Highness is willing to learn the art of military command. Ultimately, the military power of our Great Ming Dynasty should be in your and His Majesty's hands."

Old Wang sighed.