Chapter 24: The Exorbitant Stinky Tofu

"Big brother, do you smell that?"

"Yes! What is that wonderful fragrance?"

"Fragrant? Why does it smell like rot to me?"

"Mencius said: When Heaven is about to confer a great office on a man, it first disciplines his mind and body, makes him hungry... hungry—wait, where is this strange odor coming from?"

"Master, it is time for your medicine!"

"Cough, cough, cough. Xiao Ping, what kind of medicine did you brew today? Why does it smell so fragrant?"

"Master, it seems this strange odor is coming from outside."

"From outside? Cough, cough, cough. Leave the medicine there; hurry and take me to see."

"My Lady, My Lady!"

"Xiao Tao, why are you in such a panic? What happened?"

"My Lady, have you smelled that strange odor?"

"Yes, I just caught a whiff of it."

"I heard people on the street saying it is coming from the Drunken Immortal Pavilion."

"What? Could it be... quickly, go and take a look!"

"Yes!"

On this day, a "strange odor" suddenly swept through Bianjing with lightning speed. Within moments, the entire city was in an uproar, and the citizens set aside their work to search for the source of the stench.

Soon, they found it.

Before the gates of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion stood a long queue that stretched all the way to the opposite bank of the river. There were at least three or four hundred people—scholars and literati, butchers and fishermen, servant girls and housemen, wealthy squires and shopkeepers. The spectacle was as magnificent as a pre-sale ticket queue for a Michael Jackson concert.

At the very front of the line sat a large furnace, atop which rested a deep pot of boiling oil. Floating on the surface were over a dozen greenish-black squares of tofu, all uniform in size.

Standing before the furnace was a young man. He wore a white cloth wrapped around his head and a blue apron tied around his waist. With one hand, he nimbly flipped the tofu in the boiling oil with a pair of long chopsticks, while his other hand wielded a long ladle to scoop out the fried tofu, placing it into a small bowl nearby. He would then reach into a wicker basket filled with tofu and toss a few more pieces into the pot.

This young man was Li Qi.

"Everyone, please stay in line. Don't worry, one by one," called out Wu Xiaoliu, standing on a bench to the right of Li Qi. He was shouting at the top of his lungs, looking incredibly smug and pleased with himself. Today, he could finally hold his head high. When he first began working as a waiter at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, he had arrived during its darkest days. Not only would he go days without seeing two customers, but the worst part was that those who did enter almost always scolded him severely before storming out in anger.

Today was the exact opposite. Customers were scrambling to stuff silver into his pockets. Watching the clinking copper coins, Wu Xiaoliu’s face was wreathed in smiles. He finally understood what it meant to do business. Hmph, this is how business should be done.

However, Wu Xiaoliu was not the happiest person there. That honor belonged to the two-generation veteran of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, Wu Furong. From this morning until now, the smile had not left his face. Only a few days ago, he had been filled with anxiety, unable to sleep. Today, he finally felt a sense of relief. Watching so many people fighting to buy "stinky tofu," his eyes welled up with emotion. Even if he were to die now, he could rest in peace.

Every time Li Qi scooped a ladle of tofu into a bowl, Wu Furong would quickly add a dash of seasoning—a mixture of minced garlic, mustard, ginger, and savory sauce—before handing it to the customer.

Compared to the uncle and nephew, Li Qi was much more low-key. From beginning to end, he hadn't said a single word, focusing entirely on frying the tofu. This could be considered his first battle in the Northern Song Dynasty, and he absolutely could not afford to fail.

"Hey, young man, how much for this tofu?" a pale-faced scholar, who had just arrived after catching the scent, asked Wu Xiaoliu.

Wu Xiaoliu pointed to the wooden board standing beside him. "It's written right there. See for yourself."

The scholar looked at the board, which read: 'Ancestrally guarded secret recipe stinky tofu, made from eight high-quality ingredients. Three hundred wen per serving (four pieces per serving). No bargaining. Due to limited supply, each person is restricted to one serving. Sold until supplies last. Your understanding is appreciated.'

Stinky tofu? The name alone was enough to draw attention. Most dishes here were named with flowery terms; a dish named with the character for "stinky" was a unique phenomenon in the Great Song Dynasty. Combined with that one-of-a-kind, pungent aroma, it was truly impeccable.

The scholar frowned, peered into the oil pot, and asked, confused, "Three hundred wen for just these few pieces of tofu?"

Three hundred wen for four pieces of tofu was indeed an astronomical price in the Northern Song Dynasty. But goods are valued for their scarcity, and since Li Qi was the only person in the world who knew how to make it, if you went anywhere else, you wouldn't be able to find it even if you wanted to.

Wu Xiaoliu shook his head and sighed. "Sir, you don't understand. It is true that the tofu itself isn't worth much, but as it says on the board, this is marinated with eight high-quality ingredients. We aren't really making much profit."

Though he said this, he was secretly laughing. What "precious ingredients"? It was just the pickling brine that everyone else discarded. This Brother Li really knew how to pull the wool over people's eyes.

Naturally, Li Qi had taught him these lines, and Li Qi had full confidence in Wu Xiaoliu's acting skills.

Just then, a servant girl near the front of the line asked, "Then what ingredients do you use to make this stinky tofu?"

Wu Xiaoliu chuckled. "My dear sister, I just said, this is our Drunken Immortal Pavilion's ancestral secret recipe. If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it? My master would beat me to death! Don't you agree?"

"Hahaha!"

Wu Xiaoliu’s comical movements, combined with his aggrieved expression, sent the crowd into roars of laughter. The servant girl flushed bright red with embarrassment.

Hey! This little Six, he actually dares to make up stories about me in public. Li Qi suppressed a laugh, glanced sideways at him, and shouted, "Six, less chatter! Go inside and bring some more tofu out."

"Yes, yes, I'm going!" Wu Xiaoliu hurried to obey. He didn't dare mess around when it came to Li Qi’s orders, so he jumped off the bench and dashed into the shop.

As soon as he entered the hall, he heard sounds of praise.

"Mmm...啧啧, delicious! Truly delicious!"

"This stinky tofu is amazing!"

"Big brother... look, I've finished my stinky tofu. Since that's your last piece, why don't we split it?"

"Get lost! If you dare try to grab my stinky tofu, don't blame me if we aren't brothers anymore!"

Seeing the way everyone was wolfing down the food, Wu Xiaoliu felt a warm glow of pride.

At that moment, a burly man dressed as a butcher ran out of the shop with an empty bowl. He smiled obsequiously at Li Qi. "Young man, this stinky tofu of yours is absolutely divine. I've lived this long and never tasted anything so good. Heh heh, could you give me another bowl?"

Li Qi smiled faintly. "I'm sorry, our proprietor has ordered that each person is limited to one serving. If you want more, please come earlier tomorrow."

The butcher smacked his lips, still wanting more, and sighed. "Sigh, your boss really doesn't know how to do business. If my pork shop had business this good, I'd even sell you the meat off my own back if you asked."

Sweat! I'm not making human-meat buns, and even if you gave me your flabby meat, I wouldn't want it. Li Qi suppressed his disgust and gave the butcher an apologetic smile.

"Fine, fine, I'll just come back tomorrow then." The butcher shook his head, put down the bowl, cast a longing look at the oil pot, sniffed the air one last time, and left with regret.

The butcher's words were undoubtedly the best advertisement possible. Those who hadn't yet tasted it were drooling all over the floor.