"Are you really set on spending only five hundred wen per meal?"
Yun Shu smiled faintly, a touch of amusement glinting in her eyes as she raised two fingers to clasp the silver note. She then gestured toward the towering Tian Waitian Restaurant.
"See that? The fourth floor."
"I know that!"
Yun Chuhuan hadn't yet caught her meaning and responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"I'm not so dense I can't count floors."
"What I meant is," Yun Shu said, fingers flicking upward in a casual motion, "the meals that cost five hundred wen are only served on the first floor."
She continued unhurriedly, "The second floor offers more refined and flavorful dishes, and the seating is far more elegant, unlike the cramped arrangements downstairs. Naturally, that also means the price rises to ten taels of silver per person."
"Ten taels? That expensive?!"
Yun Chuhuan looked as if he had just been struck by lightning. "Then doesn't that mean the third floor costs a hundred taels?"
"More or less. The starting price for a table on the third floor is one hundred taels. How much you spend beyond that depends on the guest's own... enthusiasm."
Seeing Yun Chuhuan so thoroughly startled by mere silver, a rare sight indeed, Yun Shu's eyes lit up with laughter. She graciously added the final blow.
"The minimum for a private room on the fourth floor is five hundred taels."
Yun Chuhuan fell silent.
So even with his hundred-tael silver note, he couldn't even set foot on the fourth floor? At most, he barely qualified for the base level of the third?
Once upon a time, when Fifth Sister had been so poor she had only three copper coins to her name, he had been the one throwing silver around like dirt. But now that she owned this fine Restaurant, he found himself so broke he couldn't even afford to climb its stairs.
Devastated, Yun Chuhuan yanked the silver note from between Yun Shu's fingers and tucked it back into his chest with a pained expression, clutching it as though it were his last treasure. He muttered bitterly through clenched teeth,
"Then I must see for myself if the second, third, and fourth floors are truly worth those prices."
"Very well."
Tian Waitian would not open for business until the tenth hour. Yun Shu had come early to personally oversee the final preparations before the official opening. Quoting the full range of prices earlier had merely been her way of teasing Yun Chuhuan.
They'd known each other long enough by now. Treating him to a meal in her own establishment was hardly a burden, not with her current fortune.
She instructed the coachman to take a longer route and stopped by the side gate near the rear courtyard, which was still under construction.
Yun Chuhuan trailed beside her, eyes full of curiosity as he took in the scattered oddities arranged throughout the courtyard.
"Fifth Sister, is this that courtyard you mentioned before? The one connected to the Restaurant but opening later? Why's there not even a name plaque on the main gate? It doesn't look very interesting, either."
"The real attractions haven't been added yet. Right now, it's just a plain courtyard, so of course it can't catch your interest. As for the plaque—"
Yun Shu stepped through the circular stone gate that linked the courtyard to the main Restaurant, then turned to point toward the wooden sign hung inside.
"The outer gate isn't complete, so I've only placed the inner plaque for now."
"Xianting?"
Yun Chuhuan craned his neck to look at the bold calligraphy etched into the wood, then shook his head with a solemn air.
"Why such a name? It doesn't match the Restaurant at all."
"To face honor or disgrace with calm, and watch the blossoms fall in the courtyard. To welcome departure or return without care, and drift with the clouds beyond the heavens."
Yun Shu gently pushed open the rear door of Tian Waitian as she spoke, her tone casual.
"Xianting and Tian Waitian form a set. Most importantly, the moment you hear the name, it brings mine to mind."
"This poem's your own doing, isn't it, Fifth Sister?"
Yun Chuhuan muttered under his breath, "Who else but you would come up with something like that?"
Yun Shu paused.
"Ah, right. In Tian Sheng, those lines didn't exist yet.
No matter. It wasn't important."
She entered the Restaurant with ease. Compared to the cold winter air outside, the interior felt like early summer.
The attendants, all clad in matching uniforms, were busily preparing for the grand opening.
In the kitchens, the cool dishes that could sit out for longer had already been carefully plated into bowls and arranged neatly onto a specially made rack. Everything was orderly, secured in place so nothing could be spilled or tipped by accident.
"This... this is terribly inelegant!"
Yun Chuhuan suddenly understood why the first-floor meal cost only five hundred wen.
There were no fine porcelain plates in sight. All the dishes were served in bowls—wait.
His eyes widened in realization. His expression turned as if he had just uncovered a great conspiracy.
"Fifth Sister, you did this on purpose, didn't you? You're using bowls to serve the food so no one can finish even one dish, let alone all one hundred! That way, people won't be able to think about trying the remaining ninety-nine!"
He pointed an accusing finger. "So that five hundred wen for a hundred dishes is just bait, isn't it? In truth, no matter how big their appetite, a guest would barely manage two bowls!"
"If we truly did as Sixth Prince suggests," came a soft chuckle, "Tian Waitian would likely shut down after just one day."
Tang Xinhua had arrived in time to hear Yun Chuhuan's declaration, and could not help but laugh.
"When we say one hundred dishes, we mean exactly that."
"But..."
Still baffled, Yun Chuhuan looked to Yun Shu for an answer. She sighed and explained gently,
"Did you not notice all the dishes are placed together here? There are plates too, stored underneath the racks."
"Your Highness, please look over there."
Tang Xinhua pointed toward the entrance.
There stood a tall sign, its characters written in bold clarity:
[Each guest is limited to one hour.
Take only what you can eat. No waste. No takeout.
Violation will incur a one-hundred-wen fine.]
Beside the sign stood an attendant—or as Fifth Sister called them, a server—whose job, evidently, was to explain these rules to all customers.
"Both the first and second floors operate as buffet-style dining," Tang Xinhua said with care. "Once guests have paid, they may serve themselves however they wish, eating as much or as little as they like."
She continued, "For those who enjoy our food but dislike the buffet format, the third floor offers traditional dining, where dishes may be ordered à la carte. As for the fourth floor, it holds ten private rooms, perfect for those who value their privacy or prefer to avoid the crowds of the main hall."
"Tian Waitian strives to meet the needs of every guest."
"Then let's go upstairs, Fifth Sister!"
Yun Chuhuan still remembered her earlier prices.
Five hundred wen on the first floor. Ten taels per person on the second.
If it was still buffet-style, he wanted to see just what made the second floor worth twenty times the price of the first.
He hurried up the stairs.
The moment he stepped onto the second floor, his first impression was clear—the space truly was far more refined than below.
Delicately carved tables and chairs were arranged with deliberate elegance throughout the hall. At the very front, a semi-circular raised stage stood beneath flowing silk drapes.
If he wasn't mistaken, there would likely be musicians or dancers performing here in the future.
===
"Xianting" (闲亭) — "Leisure Pavilion" or "Tranquil Pavilion"
The name Xianting is steeped in literati and Daoist aesthetics. The character "闲" (xián) conveys leisure, detachment, and calmness, while "亭" (tíng) is a pavilion, usually a place for rest, appreciation of scenery, or quiet contemplation in Chinese gardens or estates.
Yun Shu's explanation links the name to a kind of philosophy of equanimity and graceful living—echoing traditional Chinese ideals of "not being swayed by fortune or misfortune", which appears in both Confucian and Taoist writings.
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"To face honor or disgrace with calm, and watch the blossoms fall in the courtyard. To welcome departure or return without care, and drift with the clouds beyond the heavens."
This poem isn't a direct quote from a classical source, but it mimics classical poetic structure and philosophy, especially from the Wei-Jin period and Tang Dynasty—eras known for their blending of poetic sentiment and Daoist detachment.
Themes present:
"Face honor or disgrace with calm" — echoes "不以物喜,不以己悲" ("not delighted by external gains, not saddened by personal losses").
"Watch the blossoms fall" — a common metaphor for impermanence and the acceptance of natural cycles.
"Welcome departure or return without care" — suggests emotional freedom, like the famed recluse poets who cared little for worldly attachment.
"Drift with the clouds beyond the heavens" — a strong allusion to Daoist transcendence (much like the term Tian Waitian itself).
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"Tian Waitian" (天外天) literally means "Heaven Beyond Heaven".
Together, "Xianting" and "Tian Waitian" represent two philosophical halves:
Xianting reflects inner cultivation and detached leisure amidst the mortal world
Tian Waitian evokes transcendence, spiritual elevation, and a place beyond the mundane
Yun Shu says, "Xianting and Tian Waitian form a set." This suggests an intentional pairing of grounded elegance and lofty ideal, implying that the Restaurant is not just a physical place, but also a state of mind.