Chapter Fifty-One: The Art of Ink Unveiled

“Delicious!” Zhu Mingjun picked up the first piece of fish and placed it in his mouth. His eyes lit up in delight, and he couldn’t help but praise it again and again.

“To slice the fish head and remove the bones—what an ingenious idea,” Li Gaoming exclaimed as he picked up a piece of pickled fish, utterly amazed.

Cheng Chumo and Yuchi Baolin were nearly about to fight over a piece of fish, while Qin Huaiyu quietly ate in large mouthfuls on the side, profiting in silence.

“No wonder you say the food at the Imperial Academy is fit only for pigs. If I could eat like this at your home, I fear I’d never be able to stomach the Academy’s meals again,” Zhu Mingjun said with a look of satisfaction, though his tone was tinged with mock pain.

“The meals at the Imperial Academy?” Li Gaoming asked, puzzled.

Cheng Chumo recounted how Motun had once called the food at the Academy’s canteen pig slop, earning himself a spot on the kitchen blacklist, which sent everyone into fits of laughter and made the atmosphere lively.

“Exquisite food deserves the finest preparation. To turn beautiful ingredients into something unpalatable is the greatest disrespect to food!” Motun said sheepishly, touching his nose as he spoke his twisted logic.

“Isn’t that the truth!” Everyone burst out laughing.

“I never thought Brother Mo would have such refined tastes!” Li Gaoming laughed heartily.

They feasted on the whole fish banquet until the table was in utter disarray and the guests were thoroughly content.

“Delicious!” Qin Huaiyu said, clutching his stomach.

“I wish I could eat more, but I simply can’t fit another bite.”

“If you want more, that’s easily arranged. This is the second step in the gourmet business: the Fresh Fish Banquet,” Motun said, pointing at the chaotic table.

“Fresh Fish Banquet?” The five of them perked up.

Motun nodded. “Once the secret technique for keeping fish alive is revealed, I’ll build a fish pond in the restaurant. The guests can choose their own fish, which will be slaughtered on the spot. The freshest fish will then be prepared by our master chef using unique skills. What do you think of this business idea?”

“It’ll be packed for sure!”

“We’ll make a fortune!”

Qin Huaiyu and his friends said excitedly. After all, each of them had a share in the gourmet business, and with this new venture, their profits would rise even higher.

“Not to mention, just the idea of slicing fish for pickled fish is bound to be a huge hit,” Li Gaoming said, still savoring the taste.

Zhu Mingjun said nothing, simply nodding in agreement.

After a brief rest, Motun dragged them all to a bustling street, crowded with people coming and going.

“Motun, why have you brought us here?” Cheng Chumo asked.

“To work. Surely you don’t expect to just eat and not contribute?” Motun replied, handing out huge stacks of paper to each of them.

“What’s this?” Zhu Mingjun stared blankly at the pile in his hands.

“Advertisements!” Motun grabbed a stack and began handing them out to passing pedestrians.

The five unpaid laborers were completely at a loss.

“It’s to spread the word, to let people know,” Motun explained, seeing their confusion.

“Let them know what? The bun shop doesn’t need advertising—there’s a line out the door every day!” Yuchi Baolin said with pride.

“It’s for the Mo Family’s Exhibition of Inventions!” Motun replied.

“So you dragged us here just to help you hand out these so-called advertisements?”

“Of course!” Motun answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The five of them clenched their teeth in frustration.

“An Exhibition of Inventions?”

Qin Huaiyu looked at the stack in his hands, picked one up to read, and was instantly captivated.

“Have you ever seen a pinhole camera?”

“Can you believe a boy can lift a thousand pounds?”

“Would you believe two people can converse clearly through a thick city wall?”

“Do you want to know the secret of keeping fish alive?”

All these wonders await you at the Mo Family’s Exhibition of Inventions! On the second day of the second lunar month, the Mo Family welcomes you. Venue: opposite the Imperial Academy.

“Well? Don’t you want to go?” Motun teased.

As a descendant of the Mo Family, the mark of his lineage was deeply engraved on him. Motun had made it his mission to carry on the family’s legacy. With the upcoming revelation of the secret fish-keeping technique set to stir the entire city, he certainly wouldn’t miss the opportunity to add a little extra—showcasing the Mo Family’s past achievements in a grand exhibition.

“Can a boy truly lift a thousand pounds?” Qin Huaiyu asked in disbelief. He himself could only manage a twenty-pound stone at best.

“Is it Mo Si?” Qin Huaiyu thought of the muscular youth in the Mo household.

Motun shook his head, smiling. “Everyone can do it!”

“You too?” Qin Huaiyu eyed Motun’s small frame with disdain.

“Of course!” Motun nodded firmly.

The five of them sucked in a breath—this was truly bizarre.

“What about me?” Cheng Chumo asked, unable to contain his excitement.

“Not only you—all of you, even Brother Gaoming and Brother Mingjun, can do it,” Motun assured him.

Qin Huaiyu’s eyes sparkled. “I want to be the boy who lifts a thousand pounds at the exhibition!”

“No way! I want to do it!” Cheng Chumo protested immediately.

“Well, let’s see how you perform,” Motun said smugly.

“Hmph!” Cheng Chumo and Qin Huaiyu glared at each other in rivalry.

Meanwhile, Li Gaoming curiously examined the identical flyers.

“These are printed—like stamping with a seal, only the seal is much bigger,” Qin Huaiyu explained using the same logic Motun had once used on him.

“Oh! That’s convenient,” Li Gaoming said, his eyes lighting up.

“And quick too! We printed all these flyers in about an hour. If we had to write them by hand, ha!” Cheng Chumo boasted about how he’d used printing to finish his schoolwork in a quarter of an hour.

“To think you’d use such a marvelous invention to cheat and print advertisements!” Li Gaoming said, exasperated.

“Marvelous invention?” Cheng Chumo was confused.

“Do you know how many scholars in the world long for a single book but can’t get one? To have a book, you must copy it by hand. With printing, think how many books could be made! Isn’t that the greatest blessing for scholars everywhere?” Li Gaoming said passionately.

Motun looked at Li Gaoming in surprise. He hadn’t expected Li to have such vision. Motun himself had considered printing books for profit, but as a Mo Family member, printing Confucian classics might earn him criticism, so he’d abandoned the idea.

“A pearl lost in the dust.”

Li Gaoming gazed at the flyers with regret, but since he’d already eaten their food, he couldn’t escape the fate of handing out advertisements. He made a request, though: he wanted to experience talking through a city wall first.

“Come and see! The Mo Family’s thousand-year-old secret for keeping fish alive is about to be unveiled—everyone is welcome!” Motun called out, waving his flyers and handing them to passersby.

“The secret of keeping fish alive! The miraculous boy!”

“All these wonders await you at the Mo Family’s Exhibition of Inventions! Five days from now, across from the Imperial Academy!”

One by one, the flyers were distributed among the crowd, and soon word of the Mo Family’s grand exhibition had spread throughout Chang’an.