Chapter 193: Double Yellow Eggs

After Lin Dong gave a detailed introduction to the three types of guest rooms, Feng Changzhai breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed, as he had heard before, Lin’s Inn did indeed have affordable rooms.
After some thought, Feng Changzhai said, “Neither my grandson nor I are particular about beds. We usually don’t care much about luxury, so just give us a Class C room.”
Lin Dong was overjoyed. Normally, the more upscale the room, the better for guests, but today was different. Since the grandfather and grandson would only stay in a Class C room, there was still a chance of finding a room costing less than sixteen coins.
Without hesitation, Lin Dong nodded and said, “May I ask Mr. Feng to register with me?”
Feng Changzhai nodded and followed Lin Dong to the counter. When Lin Dong took out the ledger and writing utensils, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small piece of silver. After hesitating for a moment, he reached in again and took out another piece.
Taking the two small pieces of silver from Feng Changzhai, Lin Dong asked, “How long does Mr. Feng plan to stay at the inn?”
“Three to five days, not sure yet,” Feng Changzhai replied, shaking his head. “It depends on the circumstances.”
Lin Dong nodded, recorded the estimated check-in date and deposit amount, then stood up and asked, “What would Mr. Feng like to eat for dinner?”
“Does the inn have any simple meals?” Feng Changzhai explained, “Eating too much before bed can harm the stomach.”
“Of course…” Lin Dong nodded eagerly. He could tell that Mr. Feng cared about face, but thankfully, he wouldn’t force himself too much.
After thinking for a while, Lin Dong said, “The cooks have gone back to rest. It might not be appropriate to wake them up. So I’ll have to cook myself for dinner. I hope Mr. Feng won’t mind.”
“Not at all. Having Manager Lin cook personally is a fortune for my grandson and me,” Feng Changzhai said, though his smile seemed forced and he was uneasy. Who in Qiufeng City didn’t know about Lin’s Inn? If the owner of such a successful business cooked personally, wouldn’t a dish of stir-fried vegetables cost dozens or even hundreds of silver coins?
Feng Changzhai had seen quite a bit in his life, and he thought this possibility was quite real.
“Mr. Feng is too kind,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “The kitchen has plenty of ingredients, but I’ve never cooked spiritual materials or magical beasts myself. Even for meat dishes, I rarely cook them personally. My specialties are probably stir-fried vegetables, braised eggplants, and steamed fish… As for the price, Mr. Feng needn’t worry. The prices at our inn are well-known for being fair in Qiufeng City. Stir-fried vegetables cost only three coins, braised eggplants four, and stir-fried pork with green peppers nine. The portions are also guaranteed to be sufficient.”

“A light meal will do.” Feng Changzhai’s worried expression eased, and he quickly said, “Let’s start with stir-fried green vegetables and braised eggplant, plus two bowls of rice. If that’s not enough, we can add more.”
Lin Dong was overjoyed. Stir-fried green vegetables cost three coins, braised eggplant four coins—only seven coins in total. Although the inn charged for rice as well, it was two coins per bowl, so eight coins in total, which meant four coins per person. Adding the cost of accommodation, it came to fourteen coins per person.
If nothing went wrong, these grandfather and grandson were likely the targets for the upgrade task.
“Please wait a moment, I’ll go to the kitchen right away.” Lin Dong wiped the table, poured a cup of tea for each of them, then rushed to the kitchen.
“Grandpa, I want to eat braised pork.”
The little boy, who had remained silent until now, suddenly started to act spoiled. His voice made Lin Dong stagger, almost falling to the ground.
Just when he thought nothing unexpected would happen, an accident occurred.
A plate of braised pork cost twenty or thirty coins.
With a grim face, Lin Dong was about to turn around when he heard Feng Changzhai’s lowered voice behind him, “It’s better to have a light meal at night. If Xiaoliang really wants to eat braised pork, grandpa can cook it for you when we return to our hometown.”
“But I just want to eat it…” The little boy protested.
“Xiaoliang, be good and listen.” Feng Changzhai hurriedly comforted him, “What’s so great about braised pork? When we get back home, grandpa will catch wild rabbits for you. Roasting them is even more delicious than anything else.”
Without hesitation, Lin Dong strode straight to the kitchen. If he stayed in the lobby, Feng Changzhai might, out of face or compassion, end up ordering braised pork for his grandson, and then the person for the upgrade task would have to change.
Upon arriving at the kitchen, Lin Dong was still a bit uneasy, but he patiently stir-fried a plate of vegetables and eggplant, added two large bowls of rice, and carried it on a tray back to the lobby.
Fortunately, the little boy didn’t make any more trouble. After Feng Changzhai picked up the tray, he didn’t make any further requests.
“What’s your name, young man?” Lin Dong rubbed the little boy’s head as he ate greedily and asked with a smile, “How old are you?”
“I’m eight years old. My name is Feng Liang,” the little boy replied, looking up.
“You’re so good. Congratulations, Mr. Feng, for having such a well-behaved grandson,” Lin Dong praised with a smile.
“Oh, not at all…” Feng Changzhai’s tense face immediately softened into a smile.
“Mr. Feng, Xiaoliang, eat slowly. I’ll go to the kitchen to get you more rice, then take care of your accommodation in the guesthouse,” Lin Dong said.

Feng Changzhai felt a slight joy. Watching his grandson eat greedily, he had been worried that Lin Dong would ask if they wanted more dishes. Hearing this, he quickly stood up and said, “Thank you, Manager Lin.”

Both of them had their own thoughts, yet coincidentally, Lin Dong rushed to the kitchen to fetch an extra large bowl of rice and brought it over, then immediately headed to the lodging building.

The guest rooms were cleaned daily, and the bedding was already prepared. Apart from tea, there wasn’t much else to arrange. Yet Lin Dong insisted on using a cloth to tidy up the room for nearly half an hour before going downstairs.

When he returned to the lobby, the grandfather and grandson had already finished eating. After tidying the table, Lin Dong asked, “Mr. Feng, since you’ve just eaten, would you like to sit a while or head up to rest directly?”

“Let’s head up to rest directly!” Feng Changzhai replied.

“Alright!” Lin Dong immediately picked up the candle holder and led the two of them to the lodging building.

“Mr. Feng, you’re also from Autumn Wind City, right?” Lin Dong asked casually on the way.

Feng Changzhai stiffened for a moment before smiling and nodding. “Manager Lin has sharp eyes. We live in the north part of the city.”

“Oh?” Lin Dong pretended to be surprised. “Then why do you need to stay at an inn?”

“There are some matters at home,” Feng Changzhai replied evasively, seemingly unwilling to go into details. “So I brought Xiao Liang to stay at the inn for a few days. If nothing else comes up, I’ll take him back to my hometown in a few days. I have a yard there that would go to waste if I don’t use it.”

Lin Dong felt a bit troubled. It was clear they didn’t want to talk. Pressuring them might only annoy them. But if he waited until tomorrow to have Ma Chun try to get information out of them, although Feng Changzhai cared about face, Ma Chun’s eloquence would surely make it easy—though it would waste a lot of time.

Pondering all the way, they arrived at the guest room. After opening the door, Lin Dong still hadn’t gotten anything useful, so he bowed and said, “Mr. Feng, I’ll bring you hot water right away. Is there anything else you need?”

“No need, no need. Hot water is enough,” Feng Changzhai quickly shook his head.

“Then I won’t disturb you further.” Lin Dong instinctively glanced at Feng Liang beside him, had an idea, and bent down slightly. “Xiao Liang seems reluctant to talk. Is he shy?”

Feng Liang tightened his right hand gripping Feng Changzhai’s robe and shook his head silently.

“Come on, call me uncle. I’ll bring you some snacks when I come up later,” Lin Dong coaxed with a smile.

“Really?” Feng Liang showed delight.

“Of course!” Lin Dong nodded.

“Uncle, hello…” Without hesitation, Feng Liang called out twice.

Lin Dong smiled warmly and asked, “What snacks does Xiao Liang want?”

“Can I choose?”
“Of course!”
“I want malt sugar, sunflower seeds, and… and…” Feng Liang whispered, “Oranges too.”
“Why not? Xiaoliang, come down with me to choose! The water on the stove must have cooled down; we’ll need to boil it again. It’s the middle of the night, and you can keep me company.” Lin Dong tempted him, “There are plenty of snacks at my uncle’s place—everything you can name.”
Feng Liang looked up at Feng Changzhai.
“Master Lin, I really can’t accept this…” Feng Changzhai hesitated.
“It’s no big deal. I’ve always liked kids. With my own children not around, all these snacks prepared at home go unused.” Lin Dong shook his head with a smile.
“Alright then. Xiaoliang will go down with uncle.” Unable to refuse such kindness, although Feng Changzhai thought Master Lin was a bit too enthusiastic, he considered the reputation of Lin’s Inn and thought it was normal.
Feng Liang was overjoyed. He had been a bit shy around Lin Dong before, but now he felt much more at ease.
After successfully luring Feng Liang away with snacks, Lin Dong went downstairs while introducing all the snacks available at his home. As Feng Liang pondered, Lin Dong suddenly asked, “Xiaoliang, are there only you and grandpa at home?”
Lin Shuang loved snacks very much, so the inn had dozens of different kinds. Feng Liang was already trying hard to remember all the snacks and decide which ones he liked best. Hearing this, he replied without hesitation, “There’s also my dad!”
“What about your mom?” Lin Dong pressed further.
Feng Liang lowered his head, tears streaming down.
“Mom doesn’t want me. Dad drove her away.”
Lin Dong fell silent, stroked Feng Liang’s head, and changed the subject. “Is your dad out working?”
“Dad and that wicked woman drove me and grandpa out.” Feng Liang shook his head, then asked eagerly, “Uncle, how many kinds can I choose?”
Lin Dong now understood the situation better. He smiled and said generously, “If you like them all, I’ll pack them all in a bag for you later.”
Feng Liang was thrilled, nodding his head vigorously.
According to the requirements for the upgrade task, both Feng Liang and Feng Changzhai met the criteria. This upgrade task might be a real treasure. After thinking for a moment, Lin Dong asked, “Xiaoliang, what do you want most right now?”
“I want malt sugar, sunflower seeds, and oranges. After that wicked woman came, she ate everything by herself.” In the quiet night, the sound of Feng Liang swallowing his saliva was particularly clear.

Xiao Fengliang’s words left Lin Dong somewhat amused and puzzled. Although Xiao Fengliang could complete half of his task later, Lin Dong still couldn’t help asking, “What else?”
“I still want to eat watermelon,” Xiao Fengliang said, licking his lips. “Grandpa said watermelon is only available in summer. I wonder if you have any here?”
“Not for now. In a year or two, when Xiao Liang comes to the inn again, he’ll be able to eat watermelon here even in winter.”
Lin Dong didn’t ask any further. He took Fengliang to the backyard, packed a bag of snacks, and when they returned to the kitchen, the water on the stove had already boiled.