Chapter Eight: The Splendor of the Simple-Minded

The most bustling street in the Eastern Market, at its very center, stood the three-story building known as "Food Is Heaven." As one of the most renowned restaurants in Chang'an, it was now the peak dining hour, with crowds streaming through its doors. Sun Fugui wiped the sweat from his brow as he stepped inside, where an attendant hurried over to greet him.

"Young master, you’re back... You’ve worked hard, please, have some tea first..."

Sun Fugui shrugged off his satchel before accepting the cup.

"Ah, my son is back... Did you collect all the accounts today?" Sun Youcai, hearing the commotion, abandoned his abacus with a broad smile.

"All except the account from the third brother of the Feng family—it’s basically all collected," Sun Fugui replied. Sun Youcai was pleased, but when he took the satchel from the attendant and weighed it in his hand, suspicion crept in.

"Why is it so light..." He reached in and found only a dozen taels of silver.

"Fugui, how much did you collect this round?"

"Sixty-five taels and four coins," Sun Fugui answered, refilling his cup.

"But there’s only twelve taels here..." Several diners at nearby tables turned their heads, curiosity gleaming in their eyes.

Everyone knew Sun Youcai’s son was a simpleton, but as his only heir born late in life, the grand restaurant would someday be his to inherit. To toughen him up, the fat fool had made plenty of comical errors—most of them costly.

"Third brother Feng said he was short on cash and borrowed fifty taels. He promises to settle every ten days, with three taels interest each time..."

Laughter erupted around them.

"Ha ha ha... Fifty taels, three taels interest every ten days, that’s almost ten taels a month!"

"Fugui, with interest that high, aren’t you about to get rich?"

"Congratulations, Master Sun, you’ve found yourself a lucrative new business... Ha ha ha..."

Everyone dining at "Food Is Heaven" was somebody of status. Sun Youcai could only force a bitter smile, clasp his hands, and beg for mercy, despite his darkened face.

"Foolish boy, you’ve been tricked by Feng Jingzhe! With interest that high, he never meant to pay it back..."

Sun Youcai stamped his foot in frustration, sighing as he pulled his simple son toward the back hall.

"Third brother Feng said his wife is a general—when she returns, he’ll settle all the debts for wine. I believe him..." Sun Fugui’s tone was firm, ignoring everyone’s ridicule.

"I heard about it too. The emperor has issued a decree..."

"Yes, it was all over town this morning! That wastrel got lucky, but it’s a shame about our General of the Western Frontier..."

"Seems the marriage agreement existed long ago, but with the general’s great achievement, the emperor seized the chance..."

"Gentlemen, mind your words... Let’s talk of romance, not politics, while drinking..."

Sun Youcai quickly called an attendant. "Bring a jar of Jade Ice Brew to each of these tables..."

Then he dragged his foolish son straight to the back hall.

"Fugui, your father is getting old. This restaurant will depend on you in the future. Ah... you must learn to be more careful. Fifty taels isn’t much for us, but too many losses will ruin us..."

"Father, we’re not losing those fifty taels—in fact, we stand to gain quite a bit..."

Sun Fugui kept smiling, nearly making his father faint with anger.

"How can you say we’re not losing? Feng Jingzhe is nothing but a wastrel—drinking, gambling, whoring, squandering! How can you trust his word?"

"Father, what rank is the General of the Western Frontier?"

Sun Fugui suddenly changed the subject.

"At least a third-rank official!" Sun Youcai replied, uncertainly.

"Let’s assume he’s third-rank. When the Minister of Rites celebrated his birthday, Father, how much did you send as a gift? Did you make any connections?"

Sun Youcai blushed at the memory. At that banquet, he’d delivered a jade ruyi worth a thousand taels of silver, yet hadn’t even met the guest of honor.

"Second-rank official, you gambled a thousand taels and didn’t even see his face. General of the Western Frontier, third-rank official—I use fifty taels as a stepping stone to forge a connection, and it’s likely a very good one..."

At this, Sun Fugui’s eyes flashed with a rare spark of intelligence.

"Hmph, you’re counting your chickens before they hatch!"

Though the imperial decree was issued, with Feng Jingzhe’s character, no one knew how the general would react upon returning to Chang’an! Are you so sure your fifty-tael stepping stone will guarantee profit?"

Sun Youcai was unaccustomed to his son’s sudden cleverness, and his tone betrayed his reluctance.

"If we lose, so be it. Father, you dared gamble a thousand taels on a second-rank official; why not fifty taels on a third-rank one?"

Sun Fugui unbuttoned his collar, not waiting for his father’s reply, and strode off to bathe.

Meanwhile, the man who had just been struck with that "stepping stone" was now intently studying his right palm.

Moments ago, a fresh, half-inch wound marked his hand—cut with a shard of porcelain by Feng Jingzhe himself.

Yet within a few breaths, the bleeding had stopped, and within the next half hour, the torn flesh had entirely healed.

With such a miraculous ability, Feng Jingzhe could not help but feel excited.

It explained why, upon arriving in this world, he had survived the deadly "Crippling Poison" and recovered so swiftly, his constitution even seeming a bit enhanced.

He remembered, back when he’d covered his teammates’ retreat, charging into the jungle fog with two bullet wounds. Blood loss and days of hunger drove him to eat a red fruit growing on a cliff. After swallowing it, the gunshot wounds tingled and the pain eased. But before he could grasp the change, numbness overtook him, and he lost consciousness.

When he woke again, he was at the river’s bottom, a stone tied to him. If not for his underwater escape training, he might have been the first reborn soul to drown upon arrival.

Even so, when he finally reached the shore, his poisoned body was pushed to its limits and he fainted. He awoke once more, carried to bed by Li Changsheng.

Yet there were still mysteries. If his self-healing ability came from the fruit in the rainforest, why did it persist after crossing into this body?

Could the crossing itself be connected to the red fruit? Was this miraculous power permanent, or would it fade once the fruit’s energy was spent?

So many tangled questions—none could be answered quickly.

Just as his stomach growled again, Feng Jingzhe wondered why Li Changsheng had been gone so long, nearly an hour. He had every reason to suspect the man might have absconded with his hard-earned money...