Chapter 454: The One and Only

“Later on, since I kept going further and further away, I simply stopped going back. Whenever I arrived somewhere, I’d just find a place to settle down and start doing business.”

“All the ingredients, I’d buy locally from people in the area.”

“And just like that—going from place to place, stopping here and there—two years passed before I returned to Lin County.”

At this point, Jin Wan clapped the flour from his hands, picked up a large ladle, stirred the contents of the iron pot, and ladled out a few bowls of lamb soup before calling out, “Afu.”

The shop assistant, who had been waiting for the signal, hurried in, served the lamb soup, and rushed back out without pausing even a moment.

“These past two years, you’ve kind of lived like a wandering ascetic.”

“Coming back to Lin County that time… I take it you were ready to go big?”

Hearing Gu Ning’an’s comment, Jin Wan gave a bitter smile. “That’s what I thought at first… until I returned to that familiar market street and ran into that same little beggar…”

“Ah…” Gu Ning’an paused. “He threw up again?”

Jin Wan nodded. “Yeah, and passed out again too…”

Gu Ning’an pursed his lips. “Don’t tell me you got hauled into the magistrate’s office again?”

Jin Wan shook his head. “Same old constable, same county magistrate…”

“But fortunately, having gone through it once already, they just waited for the beggar to wake up before saying anything.”

“When the kid finally woke, he apologized to me over and over… What could I say? I just gave a wry smile and told him it was fine.”

“I’d already been thinking that if it came down to it, I’d just hit the road again for a few more years…”

“But then, a turn of luck! Turns out, the county magistrate’s father had once eaten my lamb soup.”

“When I left back then, the old man had the magistrate try to find me, even had a portrait of me drawn.”

“So now, seeing me in person and hearing my story, he put two and two together and recognized me.”

“So, the county magistrate used his connections to help me get a bustling storefront in Lin County at half the market price!”

“That’s how I opened my very first lamb soup shop.”

At this, Gu Ning’an paused and said, “So in a way, that little beggar was your lucky star too.”

“As the saying goes, ‘Fortune and misfortune are intertwined.’”

Jin Wan smiled and nodded. “Exactly. That’s why, ever since then, whenever the little beggar comes by, I always give him a free meal.”

Gu Ning’an chuckled. “Does he still throw up?”

“At first, yeah. But he’d run outside to do it, so customers didn’t see.”

“After a while, though, he got used to it and stopped vomiting…”

Jin Wan suddenly remembered something and quickly added, “Oh right! That little beggar even gave me the idea for how to reduce the gaminess of the lamb without losing its natural flavor.”

“He deserves some credit too!”

Gu Ning’an nodded. “Everything you’ve gained started from giving a bowl of free lamb soup to a beggar.”

“Exactly!” Jin Wan laughed. “After I opened my shop, business just kept getting better, and I started thinking about returning to my hometown.”

“Every day I’d wonder if my lamb stew could live up to my mother’s.”

“But even as the number of franchise shops grew and everyone praised it, I still couldn’t be sure of myself.”

“So the idea of returning home to open a shop just kept getting delayed again and again.”

Gu Ning’an asked, “So what changed your mind in the end? Was it the little beggar again?”

“No, not this time.” Jin Wan shook his head. “I just realized I might not have that many years left. Keep putting it off, and I might really die with regrets…”

“So, half a year ago, I made up my mind. I’d return home and take that chance!”

“When I first got back, I quietly asked around. When I heard you hadn’t returned for a long time, I got real anxious, afraid you’d be gone for decades again like before… and I honestly didn’t think I’d live that long.”

Hearing this, Gu Ning’an gave Jin Wan a once-over and smiled. “Come on, have some tea. I don’t see a hint of panic in you at all.”

“Haha!” Jin Wan walked over with a grin, finished the tea in one gulp, and set the cup down. “The next day, I thought it through. If fate allowed me to see you again and cook you a bowl of lamb stew, then even if I died the very next moment, I’d have no regrets.”

“But if fate said we’d never meet again, then even a hundred more years of life would be meaningless.”

“At seventy, a man understands destiny. You’ve come to see things clearly.” Then Gu Ning’an changed the subject: “Your lamb soup business is doing so well—why not hire some help?”

“What about your son and grandson? Are they managing the other shops?”

Jin Wan replied, “No need. My mother ran her shop alone. I already have Afu helping—makes things much easier.”

“As for those eight branch shops: my son and daughter-in-law manage one, my grandson another, and the remaining six are handled by my six apprentices.”

Gu Ning’an looked a little surprised. “You’re willing to pass down the family recipe like that?”

“I wasn’t, at first.”

Jin Wan paused before continuing, “But then I thought, this is just a trade to make a living. If someone’s serious about learning, it’s basically skilled labor. Having me teach them just makes the learning curve faster.”

“I also told those six apprentices—if one day they want to open their own shop, just let me know.”

“And if they ever stop selling lamb soup, they have to at least pass the recipe down to the next person who’s willing to learn.”

“That way, the craft of Sun Family Lamb Soup won’t be lost…”

Gu Ning’an gave a thumbs-up. “Can’t deny, you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. You’ve got a knack for business.”

Jin Wan blushed a little and laughed. “Ah, it’s just experience from years of hustling and making ends meet…”

“Oh, and all the branch shops—they don’t use the ‘Sun Family Lamb Soup’ name. Only this one in Lexiang County does.”

“And everyone in the old Jin family will follow this path of returning to their roots, keeping this original shop running forever.”

At this, Jin Wan let out a long breath and said solemnly, “All I hope is that no matter how long you’re gone, when you return to Lexiang County, you’ll always be able to eat an authentic bowl of Sun Family Lamb Soup.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Ning’an looked at Jin Wan in silence for a long time before finally saying, “Alright. I hope this Sun Family Lamb Soup shop never closes… But I noticed you haven’t hung up the shop sign yet. Is it ready?”

“The signboard’s ready…” Jin Wan smiled. “But the words haven’t been written yet… I was wondering if Mr. Gu could leave behind a calligraphy piece for Sun Family Lamb Stew?”

Hearing this, Gu Ning’an laughed. “So all that buildup earlier was to get me to write something?”

Jin Wan clasped his hands in a half-bow. “Caught red-handed, sir…”

“Well, at least you’re not pretending.” Gu Ning’an stood up. “Come on, bring me the blank signboard. I’ll write it now, and we’ll hang it right up.”

“Great!” Jin Wan’s eyes lit up as he wiped his hands. “This way, sir. The signboard’s in the side room…”