Without waiting for the waiter to greet them, Fang Yichen had already stood up and waved to the young man smiling as he said:

　　“Brother, would you like to sit here if you don't mind?”

　　The young man saw that there was indeed no other place to sit in the inn, and this man who had greeted him appeared tall and towering, half a head taller than him.

　　He had a handsome and masculine appearance, resembling a graceful and handsome young nobleman.

　　At first sight, he quite liked him and thus walked up to Fang Yichen clasped his hands in greeting, and said:

　　“My name is Guo Jing, may I ask for your honorable name, brother?”

　　Upon hearing that he was Guo Jing introducing himself, Fang Yichen felt greatly delighted:

　　“What a coincidence to encounter the main character Guo Jing, it seems luck is truly on my side!”

　　He then smiled and imitated Guo Jing’s manner of clasping hands in greeting, and said:

　　“Brother, you are too kind! My surname is Fang, and my name is Yichen. Please have a seat, Brother Guo Jing.” With that, he extended his hand in a welcoming gesture.

　　Guo Jing had grown up in the desolate north and was accustomed to the straightforward men of the grasslands. Seeing the sunny smile and neat, white teeth of the man before him, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of goodwill.

　　Without any hesitation, he thanked him and took a seat opposite Fang Yichen.

　　Fang Yichen beckoned the waiter to bring an extra bowl, a pair of chopsticks, and also fetched a wine glass placed in front of Guo Jing on the table.

　　He lifted the wine jug and poured the glass full, then raised his own glass in front of him with both hands, smiling at Guo Jing and said：

　　“Brother, though today we meet for the first time, I feel a strong bond with you as if we’ve known each other for ages. Come, let me toast to you.”

　　With that, he raised his glass and downed it in one go.

　　Seeing his generous gesture, Guo Jing also raised his glass with both hands and said:

　　“Brother, cheers!” After speaking, he too gulped down the drink.

　　Setting down their glasses, the two men looked at each other and burst into laughter.

　　Fang Yichen called for the waiter to bring more cooked beef, and the two of them enjoyed drinking and eating meat while chatting happily.

　　Just as they were eating heartily, they heard a commotion at the entrance of the inn. Fang Yichen quickly looked up towards the door.

　　Guo Jing also turned his head to see what was happening. Concerned about his red horse tethered outside, Guo Jing stood up intending to check on it, only to find that Fang Yichen had already stepped out ahead of him, so he followed suit.

　　Outside the door, Fang Yichen saw two waiters loudly berating a ragged and skinny young boy.

　　The boy was around fifteen or sixteen years old and wore a shabby black hat tilted on his head and his face and hands were covered in coal dust, making it hard to discern his original appearance.

　　Despite the bitter cold of the northern spring, his bare feet suggested extreme poverty and likely making a living by collecting coal scraps.

　　The boy held a steamed bun in his hand, smiling mischievously, revealing a set of sparkling white teeth, starkly contrasting with his filthy appearance.

　　At that moment, one of the waiters shouted, “Hey, beggar boy, what are you doing here? Get lost!”

　　The boy replied, “Fine, I’m leaving!”

　　He had just turned around when another waiter said, “Hold on, put the steamed buns down!”

　　The young man followed the advice and put the steamed buns down, but there were already a few dirty fingerprints left on the white buns, making them unsellable.

　　The waiter became furious and threw a punch, but the young man quickly dodged by lowering his body.

　　Seeing this, Fang Yichen stepped forward in a swift motion, grabbed the waiter’s arm, and shouted:

　　“Why hit someone? It’s just a steamed bun and consider it on my account.”

　　With the intervention of an important guest in the shop, the waiter had to back off.

　　After driving away the waiter, Fang Yichen turned to the young man and said gently:

　　“Little brother, are you hungry? If you don’t mind, why don’t you come with us to have a meal inside?”

　　The young man’s eyes lit up and he replied with a smile:

　　“Sure! I was feeling bored alone and wanted some company.”

　　The young man spoke with a southern accent.

　　Fang Yichen smiled slightly, gestured for him to follow, and led him to a table, asking the waiter to bring another set of bowls and chopsticks, along with more dishes.

　　At this moment, Guo Jing also returned to his seat.

　　The waiter seeing the young man’s dirty and poor appearance, naturally felt unhappy and lazily brought over the dishes after being called several times.

　　The young man retorted：

　　“Do you think I’m too poor to deserve a meal in your shop? What if you bring out the finest dishes and wine, but they don’t suit my taste?"

　　The waiter replied coldly：

　　“Is that so? If you can order it, we can serve it. But we’re concerned that you might not be able to pay for the meal.”

　　The young man turned to Fang Yichen and asked, “No matter how much I eat, will you foot the bill?”

　　Fang Yichen smiled confidently and said, “Of course! Feel free to order whatever you like!”

　　Then he turned to the waiter and ordered:

　　“Quickly bring a pound of cooked beef, along with chicken, duck, fish, and goose meat.”

　　Then he gently asked the young man: “Do you drink alcohol?”

　　The young man raised his hand to stop him and said:

　　“Don’t rush with the alcohol and meat, let’s start with fruits.”

　　“Hey, waiter! Bring four dried fruits, four fresh fruits, two pickled fruits, and four candied fruits.”

　　The waiter was taken aback by his extravagant order and sarcastically asked:

　　“What kind of candied fruits would you like, gentlemen?”

　　The young man chuckled and said:

　　“In this humble place, even the best items may not be available. Let’s go with four types of dried fruits: lychee, longan, steamed dates, and ginkgo nuts.”

　　“For fresh fruits, pick the ones in season. As for pickled fruits, I prefer fragrant loquats and ginger-flavored plums. I wonder if you have them here?”

　　“And for candied fruits, how about rose-flavored kumquats, aromatic grapefruits, sugared peach slices, and pear candies?”

　　With every word the young man spoke, the waiter realized he was dealing with someone who knew his stuff and immediately dropped any hint of condescension.

　　The young man spoke up again:

　　“There are no fresh fish and shrimp for appetizers here. Hey! Let’s have eight common appetizers.”

　　The waiter looking cautious and sked:

　　“Gentlemen, what flavors do you prefer?”

　　The young man feeling somewhat helpless and said:

　　“Well, let me make it clear. The eight appetizers include braised quail, stir-fried duck feet, chicken tongue soup, stuffed deer stomach with Jiangyao sauce, pan-fried beef tendons, chrysanthemum shredded rabbit, roasted venison leg, and ginger vinegar trotters.”

　　The waiter was left speechless and unable to close his mouth. After the young man finished speaking, he hurriedly said：

　　“These eight dishes are not cheap. Just the duck feet and chicken tongue soup alone would require dozens of chickens and ducks.”

　　The young man pointed to Fang Yichen and said:

　　“This gentleman is treating. Do you think he can’t afford it?”

　　Upon hearing this, Fang Yichen took out a gold ingot from his pocket and threw it to the waiter. The waiter was startled and hastily caught it, fumbling with his hands.

　　When he first saw this gentleman enter the shop, he was wearing an exceptionally precious sable fur coat, so he knew he was a distinguished guest.

　　Now, seeing him take out a gold ingot, the waiter didn’t dare say much more and quickly agreed to handle the order and asked:

　　“Will this be enough?”

　　Upon seeing Fang Yichen take out a gold ingot, the young man’s eyes lit up and he said,

　　“Let’s add twelve rice dishes and eight desserts to the order, then it should be about right.”

　　The waiter not daring to ask for the names of the dishes again and afraid that he wouldn’t be able to procure them, immediately instructed the chef to select the finest ingredients.

　　Turning back to the three of them, the waiter asked:

　　“Gentlemen, we still have some Fen Wine aged for ten years. Can I pour two cups for you to start?”